Have you ever witnessed an incredible teacher at work? I had the honor of doing that today. Jeanette Lapore, an early childhood teacher, uses her summer to lead story time in her front yard. She has had up to 45 children attend, and she is a master at making books come alive. Today she used Alpaca Pearl to engage kids for learning at her neighborhood story time.
I was honored when she asked me to be a guest “reader.” I played the narrator, and Jeanette played Alpaca Pearl. Oh my! The children were SO ENGAGED, giving Alpaca Pearl suggestions of what to pack in her suitcase.
Alpaca Pearl engages kids for learning in so many ways!
Alpaca Pearl is an excellent book for not just teaching children about alpacas, but also for teaching categorization, sound alliteration, imitation, listening, and interaction with a book. This adorable book teaches and engages kids with humor, interaction, and fun!
Read on to hear what Jeanette says about Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru and her story time. Follow her in her Facebook Group, Little Free Library Groveland and Ardan, here.
Jeanette Lapore loves her neighborhood story time, and engages kids with Alpaca Pearl!
I recently had the pleasure of reading “Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru” by Rachel Arntson. Actually, Rachel was at Story Time and SHE read while I got to be “Pearl” with my puppet. This story is perfect for puppet play! While we were playing with this story I couldn’t help but think of all the things I could do in the classroom with this book! (I’m an Early Childhood teacher with 30+ years of experience).
I would start with alliteration…. matching beginning sounds of words. “Packa”. “Pearl”. We could think of words starting with the “P” sound and sing the alliteration game song!
Categorization –
In this story the narrator asks Pearl what she will wear in Peru. Pearl says she will pack “Clothes”. This concept could open a huge conversation about what are clothes and what are not clothes. It sounds simple, but unless you have conversations about the concept of grouping things…young children might not understand that pants and socks are “Clothes” Early Childhood teachers could use this for a sorting activity…sorting items that are “Clothes” into one set and things that are “Not Clothes” into another set. You could also play a game: Try to name all the things you can think of that are clothes, or food or things you do for fun.
Exploration of the world –
Peru is a very far away place. I would imagine most children in my classroom would not know where Peru is. I would use my globe to show them…and also show them where their family might live or have come from….like Vietnam, Korea, Liberia, or Italy.
Acting out the story –
One of my favorite things to do with stories in my classroom is to find ways for children to retell the story themselves. “Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru” is a simple story with a repetitive text that allows children to retell it after they’ve heard it once or twice. I would provide props like my puppet to help them retell it.
Connect Alpaca Pearl with other activities to build a foundation for reading.
When children feel connected to stories through things like games, songs, retelling… or simply hearing it over and over, they are building a foundation that will help them become a reader. I believe anything is possible when you are a reader! Thanks Rachel for coming to Story Time!!! We Loved It!
Let Alpaca Pearl engage your kids for language learning!
Do you want a book that teaches vocabulary, categorization, and imitation in an incredibly fun, engaging way? Alpaca Pearl engages kids for learning in so many ways. Sure, Alpaca Pearl is just a silly little animal, but she packs her books with lots of adventure and lots of learning. Check out Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru here. You can also download a FREE picture of Alpaca Pearl where you can create hats for children to act out the story.
