H is for The Happy Day: Library Notes

I was surprised to see this book and realize I had never once read this book even though it has been available since 1949!   Before I even opened the book, I wrote down five ideas for activities that could be done in connection with this text. 

The setting is on a snowy day with a cast of animals gathering from their winter homes.

1.  Animal tracks in the snow:  Look in the forest or backyard for tracks in the snow and see if you can determine who or what created them?  Are daddy's boot prints there?  The dog's paw prints? A bird's tiny foot prints?  What else do you see?  In our yard you may find evidence of squirrels, raccoons, foxes, cats, chipmunks and rabbits.  Quite a diverse mix considering we are in the city.

2.  Animal homes matching activity: I created a file folder game that was a freebie online. The home images were coloured, glued onto a file folder and the folder was laminated with clear sticky shelf liner. The animals were 'laminated' separately.  The goal is then to match them.  The bear lives in the cave. The bird lives in the nest. The squirrel lives in the tree and so on.  It is great to talk about homes, nature and building structures.  Maybe you can follow it up with creating a 'snow home' in your yard for you!

3.  Shadows in the snow:  Our shadows are more obvious against the snow white background.  You can go out on a sunny day and have fun making images with your shadow.   You can also look at black outlines of animals and see who can guess which animal shadow it is.

4. Sundials to measure the time of day.  How do shadows measure the hour?  How many hours are in a happy day? Do a little science experiment with the child(ren) in your life to create your own outdoor sun dial and find out how they work to tell you the time of day. Practicing to tell time is challenging for many children but this is a motivating method for learning.

5.  Smiley sun in the sky:  For a craft, the bright yellow cover makes me think of a sunny day in the snow. Sunshine and happy are often coupled together so making a sun seems like a good connection. You will need a paper plate, yellow paint, big googly eyes, pointy triangles, glue, marker.  Maybe you want to use construction paper.  Do you remember The Day the Crayons Quit? Orange and Yellow were arguing which was the colour of the sun, you can connect the two books by asking your child which colour they plan to use for the sun!

Okay, now to open the cover and see what this book is actually about.  The ideas above are what I am predicting will be suitable accompaniments to the book.  This book is written by Ruth Krauss and won an award for its illustrations by Marc Simont. It is a black and white book with the use of a single yellow flower at the end, the symbol of hope that spring has arrived.  It is simply written and excellent for early readers.

Two additional ideas come as a result of reading this book.  Do you have any to add to the list?

 

6.  Sing the sleeping bunnies activity song:  As the animals come awake from their winter sleep, they all become active.  In the song, the bunny wakes up and hops, the bear wakes up and growls, the deer wakes up and jumps....whatever animal and action you want.  Children love pretending to sleep and then awake and hop, jump and move around like an animal.

7.  Animal actions:  In this book the animals are very active.  Why are they sniffing and running? Find out which animals are stopping, laughing, running and dancing. Can you do the same actions with the child(ren) in your life?  It is great to have fun being wild like the animals.

Hopefully this inspires you to pick up a book to enjoy with a child.  Help them not only learn to read but to experience the story along with the characters.  Use the scenario to build memorable discussions and to have fun with them in day to day life.  Books enrich lives!  Take time to read daily to the child(ren) in your life!