This particular day, I was looking for books on individuality.
Boy, did I find the perfect one!
It was:
I was IN LOVE from the very first page! Tacky was AWESOME! He was cute and cuddly but, best of all, he was DIFFERENT!
I took Tacky to my classroom and he soon became everyone's favorite. We read about Tacky and then we read about real penguins. We pretended to be Tacky ~ waddling all around the playground and singing our own made-up songs. We counted our penguin friends; we played in the "snow" at the water table; and we even made our very own Tacky to take home ~ each one delightfully different from all the others!
It was a glorious week of learning about penguins but also about learning to be happy with being ourselves ~ just like Tacky!
Ever since I first read those final words on the last page of the book ~ "Tacky was an ... " ~ Oh, wait! If you haven't read the book, I don't want to spoil it for you. Just take my word for it! Tacky the Penguin is a true one-of-a-kind, there-is-noone-else-like-him kind of friend!
I hope you will check him out at your library and share him with your own budding individualist(s).
In the meantime, I would like to share a fun flannel board activity with you:
(A penguin version of "There was a Little Turtle")
(Click on the title above for the words without pictures.)
There was a little penguin
Who waddled when she walked.
She swam in the ocean,
And she climbed on some rocks.
(Before placing the penguin on the board, make her waddle, swim, and climb.)
She snapped at seagull.
(After placing the seagull on the board, snap hands together one time.)
She snapped at a seal.
(After placing the seal on the board, snap hands together one time.)
She snapped at a fish.
(After placing the fish on the board, snap hands together one time.)
Mmmmm, what a meal!
(After moving the fish over to the penguin, rub your tummy.)
(I am thinking about making my fish smaller but for now he is one ENORMOUS, yummy meal. ;-)
Since my first meeting with my wonderful friend, Tacky, there are been several more books written about him. They are all fun, silly adventures that I wholeheartedly recommend sharing with friends...
But MY favorite will always be the original,
Tacky the Penguin!
**This post is brought to you in celebration of Flannel Friday!
It is being hosted this week by Anne at So Tomorrow. Thank you, Anne!
Be sure to visit the beautiful Flannel Friday Pinterest account. So Tomorrow has past roundups and future hosting schedule, as well.
HAPPY READING TOGETHER!
This is an awesome flannel! My kid love this rhyme, so I'm sure that if I flannelized it, it would also be a hit!
ReplyDeleteKatie, my storytime friends always want to do this one several times. I am thinking about making a second penguin and adding a bow so that I have a boy and a girl penguin. :-)
ReplyDeleteTacky books are so much fun to read in storytime! And your flannelboard is very, very cute. Will definitely be saving this one for future use!
ReplyDeleteThank you, fallingflannelboards! I had fun making it. :-) I would love to see yours when you make it.
DeleteYour animals are lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amy! It is my first "real" flannel board in a loooong time. But it was fun to make. Now, I want to try a flannel board with some stitching involved. LOL!
DeleteTacky is one of my favorites. He always makes me laugh. And, did you make that rhyme? Cause it's wonderful. I will be sharing this!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon H! The rhyme has actually been around for a very long time ~ although I did tweak it for my purposes. I believe the penguin actually "sat on some blocks" in the original. But I sometimes make a penguin puppet as my take-home craft and I wanted something the children could use with the puppet.
ReplyDelete"Who waddled when she walked" allows the children to move their penguin puppet back and forth before they move it up and down for swimming and up their arm for climbing.
There is also a longer version for older children...