Back to Basics Literacy
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Back to Basics
    • Contact Us
  • Reading Aloud
    • Research
    • Book Lists >
      • Ballet Books
      • Board Books
      • Alphabet Books
      • Number Books
      • Interactive & Sensory Books
      • Manners & Etiquette Books
      • Stories about Books, Reading & Libraries
      • Fables, Folktales & Fairy Tales
      • Nursery Rhymes & Poetry
      • Holiday Books
      • Graduation Books
      • Baking & Cooking Books
      • Gardening & Farm Books
      • Nature Books
      • Thankfulness & Gratitude Books
      • Pirate Books
      • Books Discussed in Our Handbook
    • Workshops
    • Literacy Events & Attractions
  • Bookworm Bakers
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Toy Recommendations

 Back to Basics

Reading and cooking with kids

Swimming into Reading with The Pout-Pout Fish

5/10/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
     This week we have chosen to feature a series of books from a local Michigan author, Deborah Diesen. Diesen’s The Pout-Pout Fish was selected for the 2009 Michigan Reads! literacy program and the series has since blossomed to include board books, picture books, activity books, a sight word game and chapter books. With a four-year-old ready to embrace letters, rhyming and sight words, I am thrilled with the number of books and options available. In addition to the amazing illustrations, this Pouting fish and his stories flow in a rhythmic pattern and contain a signature repetitive phrase that lends itself well for interactive reading. Many of the titles in the series are excellent for helping children explore simple feelings making them a wonderful social/emotional learning resource. These books can also be used to open up a dialogue with your children discussing not only their emotions but recognizing the emotions of others as well as exploring different emotions and learning new ways to express themselves.
     Read as many books from the series that you have on hand or find them in read alouds on YouTube. Look online for ideas and activities to do with the series and to further extend the fun and learning, you can:
  • Make the Pout-Pout fish out of construction paper. Your child can either just draw Pout-Pout or he can be made 3-D and stuffed. Besides construction paper, if available use material, felt or paper plates. Allow your child to use their imagination and be creative. 
  • Explore emotions by taking paper plates, paint them fish blue and then paint various expressions on each plate and have children tell you how that fish is feeling. Perhaps create a story around that emotion and what situations would change that emotion.
  • Read the story The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark, then take a piece of black construction paper and a white crayon (or anything that shows up on black) and have your child draw what they imagine would be in the big-big dark. Perhaps talk about how to face and overcome fears.
  • Create a fun sensory experience for all ages with water beads or a DIY sensory bag (look for how tos online.)
  • Create an ocean themed sensory bin using outdoor items such as sea shells and rocks and pantry items such as Goldfish crackers and shell pasta or any sea themed items you find around the house or at the dollar store. Be creative. Place items in rice or sand and have children count them out as they find them or tell you what letter they start with.
  • Do a bit of research with your child to determine just what kind of fish Pout-Pout is (Pouting) and any information you can find about that particular type of fish. Great for older children or for various age groups to work together on.
     Since summer is just around the corner, and hopefully we’ll be able to safely leave the house, a fantastic book for all ages to read is The Pout-Pout Fish Far, Far from Home. Anyone who has ever traveled can relate to the mishaps of detours and bumps in the road. Make sure to pay attention to the illustrations, which are full of humorous details and puns. For a fun activity, discuss where the family would want to go on vacation and then consult a map to see if this would be feasible. Even if it’s not feasible (my daughter insists we need to visit Paris,) perhaps see if there are travel guides available to order and order some. It’s always fun to receive mail. If the location is not doable, make alternative plans that you might actually be able to visit. Research the location and what it has to offer and then plan an itinerary, perhaps locating points of interest along the way. Then make a list of what will be needed and what you just want to bring along. If your child can’t write what they want to bring, have them make a list in pictures or stickers. There are so many possible activities for this title that can be both fun and educational. Think outside the box and remember that learning often occurs when you least expect it.
So, spend some time this summer exploring the series and let your child know that….
Picture
Oh, and be sure to keep an eye on our Instagram (@btbliteracy) to see photos of our Pout-Pout Fish inspired extended activities!

Happy reading and learning!

-Kate @ BTBL

Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    We are mom Sandra and daughters Amanda and Kate, all with backgrounds in literacy and education, who want to share our philosophy of taking the basics of life; books, simple toys that encourage play, imagination and creativity, and using cooking and baking to teach math and real life skills to raise happy, inquisitive children. Join us in exploring the old and the new and sifting through the myriad of research to consider what is best for our children.

    Archives

    January 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016

    Categories

    All
    ABC Books
    Alphabet Books
    Arbor Day
    Autumn/Fall
    Background Knowledge
    Back To School
    Ballet Books
    Banned Books Week
    Board Books
    Book Advent Calendar
    Book Finds
    Book Quotes
    Books
    Book Sales
    Bookworm Bakers
    Boredom
    BTBL Rocks
    Bugs/Insects
    Calendars
    Censorship
    Children's Book Week
    Christmas
    Coloring
    Cooking
    Creativity
    Dewey Decimal System
    Dr. Seuss
    Early Literacy
    Earth Day
    Easter
    Environmental Print
    Extended Activities
    Fairy Gardens
    Fairy Tales
    Family Literacy Month
    Farmers Markets
    Flowers
    Gardening
    Get Caught Reading Month
    Gratefulness
    Halloween
    Hands-On
    Hanukkah
    Holidays
    Homeschooling
    Imaginative Play
    Inspiration
    Intellectual Freedom
    Kids In The Kitchen
    Kindergarten
    Kindness
    Kindness Rocks Project
    Language
    Learning
    Libraries
    Library Card Sign-up Month
    Magnets
    Manners & Etiquette
    Math
    Natural Playgrounds
    Natural Reader
    Nature
    New Year Resolutions
    Number Books
    Nursery Rhymes
    Outdoor Play
    Picture Books
    Play
    Poetry
    Puzzles
    Read Across America
    Reading
    Reading Aloud
    Reading Comprehension
    Reading Month
    Repetition
    School Libraries
    Screen Free Week
    Spring
    STEM
    Storytelling
    Storytime
    Summer
    Summer Slide
    Teaching
    Tell A Fairy Tale Day
    Thanksgiving
    Toys
    Unplug
    Used Books
    Valentine's Day
    Vocabulary
    Winter
    Winter Books
    Words & Word Play
    World Read Aloud Day

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Back to Basics
    • Contact Us
  • Reading Aloud
    • Research
    • Book Lists >
      • Ballet Books
      • Board Books
      • Alphabet Books
      • Number Books
      • Interactive & Sensory Books
      • Manners & Etiquette Books
      • Stories about Books, Reading & Libraries
      • Fables, Folktales & Fairy Tales
      • Nursery Rhymes & Poetry
      • Holiday Books
      • Graduation Books
      • Baking & Cooking Books
      • Gardening & Farm Books
      • Nature Books
      • Thankfulness & Gratitude Books
      • Pirate Books
      • Books Discussed in Our Handbook
    • Workshops
    • Literacy Events & Attractions
  • Bookworm Bakers
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Toy Recommendations