Up and Down

I like the idea of doing specific opposite storytime themes so I'm starting with Up and Down and will squeeze a few more into the year as we go along.

BOOKS:

We read Up, Up, Down by Robert Munsch and Up, Down and Around by Katherine Ayres.

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I was a little wary of Up, Up, Down because it seemed really text heavy, but I forgot how wonderful Robert Munsch is to read aloud.  The kids really enjoyed the book and all of the actions.  Up, Down, and Around is fun and fast - we talked about vegetables we like to eat and how they grow.  

ACTION RHYME:

I usually save "The Grand Old Duke of York" for my babies, but it was the perfect rhyme for this week's theme (not to mention good for whole body movement).  We marched as we walked until we went up, down, halfway and then up and down again quickly.

The Grand Old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And marched them down again
And when you're up you're up
And when you're down, you're down
And when you're halfway in between
You're neither up nor down.

SONG:

I can't find a video for this one, so you'll have to find it in your own place and listen to it, because this song is fantastic!  We listened to "Up and Down" by the Pop-ups.  At first it's a little grating.  Two different voices singing, "Put it up!  Put it down!" but the lyrics evolve and there's a chorus, so it's all good.  Just don't listen to it a million times in a row.  I passed out scarves before the song started so we moved our scarves up and down and then we threw them and whatnot.  Great fun was had by all.  

CRAFT:

We made paper butterflies that "flew" when you moved them up and down. Thanks to Storytime Katie for the inspiration.  Here's a short video of mine.