Preschool Programming: Shredded Paper

One of my goals for this past year has been creating better programs for my visiting preschools.  To that end, I've tried to include more literacy-enhancing programs and some STEAM-based projects.  

I was initially inspired by the children's librarian at my sister branch.  She has a lot of homeschoolers that visit and she's incredibly adept at creating interesting and fun programs.  When I initially approached her with ideas for programs, she shared this SLJ article with me:  Read, Play, Grow!:  Enhancing Early Literacy at Brooklyn Public Library.  Wow.  What a FANTASTIC article!  

I initially tried the un-sandbox program which combines uses shredded paper instead of sand:

Yay cheap programming ideas!

For my program, I borrowed a tote bin from our circulation desk.  The bins are used to ship books between branches.  I filled that up with shredded paper from our office.  (Libraries shred A LOT of paper.)  I decided to read some zoo-themed books:

My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall

 

If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss (editing out the  racist line. I changed the verse from "to the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant / With helpers who all / wear their eyes at a slant" to say "to the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tan / With helpers who never walked but ran."  More on that in a later post.)

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild  By Peter Brown

Because I was reading Zoo-themed stories, I grabbed some pencil topper animals prizes that were left over from a past summer reading game and buried them in the paper.  After we read the stories, I opened the bin and let the kids explore.  While they were playing in the paper, we talked about:

• What the paper feels like:  Is it hard or soft?  Is it warm?  Is it cold?.
• What it reminds them of:  As they were playing with it, we talked about snow, sand, dirt -- all different things to play in.
• What colors they saw:  Some colored sheets were shredded throughout the month and were mixed in.
• What animals they found:  Noises they make, their proper names (It’s not a horse, it’s a zebra!), what colors they were.  

As you can see, my little friends were not shy about playing in the paper. 

As the animals were pulled out of the bin, the teacher and I reburied them. At the end of the visit, each child was allowed to take home one animal.  After the visit, I vacuumed up the paper on the floor (a bit, but not excessive amounts), dumped the shredded paper into the recycling bin, and returned the tote bin to the circulation desk. 

We learned that a horse with stripes is really a Zebra!

When I do this program again, I'm going to drop the animal theme.  The SLJ article suggested as much, but I didn't heed the advice.  Instead, I'm going to try to pair the activity with some snow-themed books.  The shredded paper (with the flashes of color mixed in) really reminded me of Keats' The Snowy Day.  I might mix in some rain books as well.  

We found a moose!

One of my little friends DID NOT want to put her hands into the shredded paper.  I think she was afraid that something alive was in there.  Obviously we didn't force her.  We did try to include her in the conversations we had and I gave her one piece of paper to touch.  After seeing her classmates playing in the paper for about 5 minutes, she eventually joined in.  Sometimes we all have to do things at our own speed.  

During their next visit, I was given this:

Homemade Thank You cards are awesome!

I love this card so much!  All thank yous are appreciated, but it takes a lot to beat a patriotic thank you.