Wednesday, March 4

Bilingual Desert Life Storytime

This storytime was for a Migrant Head Start preschool in my area.


Read Aloud Books



The Seed & the Giant SaguaroWritten by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Mike K. Rangner

Describing the ecosystem of the desert with a simple repetitive build in text--think like there was an old lady who swallowed a fly. It was perfect for our discussion on the desert, and simple enough for the kids to follow along.

Señorita GorditaWritten by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Will Terry

A little corn cake has escaped from the arana that cooked her and is on the run! Yep, a Spanish version of The Gingerbread Man. It has a lot of Spanish vocabulary (all the animals she's running from) and the kids liked it! Well, until the very end...

La Araña Muy OcupadaWritten and illustrated by Eric Carle

The Spanish version of A Very Busy Spider: a spider busily builds its web, not allowing herself to be distracted by the other animals. It was perfect for after "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in Spanish.

Songs & Rhymes


Hello Song
Hello, hello, hello and how are you?
I'm fine, I'm fine, and I hope that you are, too.

Now everybody clap your hands
clap your hands, clap your hands
Now everybody clap your hands
c'mon and clap your hands

Hola, hola, hola y ¿como estas?
Estoy bien, muy bien, y espero que tu tambien.

Now everybody wave hello,
wave hello, wave hello
Now everybody wave hello
Hello, hello, hello!

Song: We Are Going on a Journey
(Tune: She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain)
We are going on a journey to the desert
We are going on a journey to the desert
We are going on a journey,
We are going on a journey,
We are going on a journey to the desert

Oh we'll see a roadrunner, watch it go, (whoosh, whoosh!)...
Oh we won't see snow or ice while we're there, (Brrrr, Brrrr)...
Oh the sun will be shining, yes it will, (whew, whew)...
Oh we'll see a saguaro cactus where we're there, (ouch, ouch!)...
(credit: Perfectly Preschool)

Fingerplay: Here is a Tortoise
Here is a tortoise (make fist)
He lives in a shell.
He likes his home
Very well.
When he gets hungry (stick out thumb and wiggle)
He comes out to eat.
Then he goes back into (tuck thumb back in fist)
His house to sleep.

Aquí está una tortuga
Él vive en una concha.
Él gusta su casa muchisimo
Cuando él tiene hambre,
Él venga sale a comer
Después, él se regresa
A su casa a dormir.
Buenas Noches, Tortuga!

La araña pequeñita
subió, subió, subió.
Vino la lluvia y se la llevó.
Salió el sol y todo lo secó.
Y la araña pequeñita
subió, subió, subió.

Song: In The Desert
(Tune: The Wheels On The Bus)
The jackrabbit in the desert can hop like this, hop like this, hop like this (hop in place)
The jackrabbit in the desert can hop like this, all night long

The coyote in the desert can howl Ah-ooo!, Ah-ooo!, Ah-ooo!
The coyote in the desert can howl Ah-ooo! all night long

The rattlesnake in the desert goes hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss (move hands like a snake)
The rattlesnake in the desert goes hiss, hiss, hiss, all night long

The saguaro in the desert can stand like this, stand like this, stand like this (pose like a cactus!)
The saguaro in the desert can stand like this, all night long!

Fingerplay: Where is my Rabbit?
¿Dónde está mi conejo? (hands behind your back)
Nadie puede ver. (shake your head)
Creo que mi conejo se esconde de mí. (look over your shoulder)
Aquí está mi conejo. (hold up one thumb)
Él ha encontrado un amigo. (hold up your other thumb)
Mira todos los demás. (raise all fingers)
¡Ahora hay diez! (wiggle your fingers)


Games & Activities


Felt: Have you ever seen a lizard?

This felt was a bit of a last minute decision, which is why they're sloppily cut, but you get the idea. This is the song we sang for each lizard:

Have you ever seen a lizard?
(Tune: Have you ever seen a lassie)
Have you ever seen a lizard, a lizard, a lizard?
Have you ever seen a lizard all dressed up in Green?
With Green eyes, and Green nose,
And Green legs and Green toes.
Have you ever seen a lizard all dressed up in Green?

...all dressed up in Red?
...all dressed up in White?
...all dressed up in Blue?


We practiced the colors in both English and Spanish, asking the group as a whole as I pulled out each lizard. The kids liked following along by pointing to their own eyes, nose, legs, and toes.

Props: Five Little Black Flies

Inspired by the adorable flies made at Mel's Desk, I made some of my own as a visual to go with this rhyme I made up:

Five little black flies flying 'round the cactus
Teasing Mr. Lizard, saying, "You can't catch us!"
Then came the Lizard, being oh so sly
And SLUUUURP!! He ate one tasty little fly!
(and so on, counting down)


For the rhyme, I had five volunteers come up to each hold one of my flies. Then I played the role of the lizard with the help of my chameleon puppet (from Folkmanis). I would then grab the fly by the lizards mouth at each "sluuuurp"--in theory! Turns out these kids had more fun teasing the lizard! They are excellent at keep away! It turned out to be hilarious and everyone laughed. It was super fun.


You could also do the rhyme as a fingerplay: one hand being the five flies and the other being the hungry lizard.

Craft: Saguaro Cactus


I cut the main trunk and various arm shapes beforehand. The kids glued it all together, however they liked. Then they added toothpicks and tissue paper for the needles and flowers of the cactus. It was easy enough.

Other Book Ideas




Listen to the Desert/Oye Al DesiertoWritten by Pat Mora, illustrated by Francisco X. Mora

There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a FleaWritten by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Gray

The Desert Is My Mother/El desierto es mi madreWritten by Pat Mora, illustrated by Daniel Lechon

The Three Little JavelinasWritten by Susan Lowell, illustrated by Jim Harris

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