For the past few weeks, every visit to the mountains for Nature School is accompanied by acorn rain. Some trees seem to be shedding their nuts so rapidly that we've had to steer clear of certain hikes. They are everywhere you look, everywhere you sit, everywhere you play.
So we've leaned in and embraced all things acorn this year. This includes many of the stories and poems shared at our circle time. It's almost as if the little acorn has become its own reoccurring character.
During this last week's storytime, I used beads as a nut and acorn stand in for some interactive storytelling that provided threading practice - perfect fine motor work for little toddler and preschool fingers. Is it a bit of a stretch having nuts and acorns with holes in them? Yes, but it's best not to think too hard about these types of things.
THE PREP
On a small wooden tray, I placed a couple of wood trees, a squirrel ornament, and a thick stick for the squirrel's home. This was the backdrop.
You could set up your own backdrop in much more interesting or beautiful ways. Scarves, branches from trees, or even a forest diorama would be great. In retrospect, I should have used our felt forest play mat, but it was in the closet (out of sight, out of mind).
I then placed an assortment of wood beads into a tin. I chose to place them in the tin instead of having them roll around beneath the trees on the tray because it seemed tidier and less visually distracting.
Finally, I grabbed green pipe cleaners to serve as the twigs that the squirrel uses to carry the acorns. I made a small loop at the end of each pipe cleaner so as to prevent the beads from sliding off.
THE STORY
"There once was a little squirrel who lived in a cave by a fallen tree. And as he went out into the world, the squirrel felt the air and he said, "You know what, it's Fall, and it's time to gather some nuts and prepare myself for the long winter." So he went to look for nuts over in one part of the forest - no nuts. Then he went over and looked for nuts in another part of the forest - no nuts. So he continued to look.
He looked for nuts in this tree here (I would have the squirrel climb up a child) - no nuts here!
Then he looked for nuts in another tree (I would climb the squirrel up the second child). Are there any nuts? No!
He thought about it for a moment and decided that he would try one last place near his home. Going over to a group of trees, he found at the base...
What do you think he found? Nuts and acorns. So many of them!
He looked inside and said "Wow, with so many nuts, how am I going to get them all home?"
He thought and thought and thought on the problem. Then he came up with an idea. He said, "What I'm going to do is pick some of the thin branches off the tree and then I'm going to put the nuts onto the branches and carry them home."
Will you help the squirrel?"
(I would then pass out the pipe cleaner and start my own threading).
INTERACTION
The kids would then practice threading all of the beads onto their pipe cleaners. Rémy was considerably faster than Sierra, so I would often hand over my pipe cleaner and let him finish mine as well.
At just two, Sierra worked slow and steady. It helped to give her the beads with the larger holes, as the smaller beads led to a pace so slow that she would get frustrated or lose interest. I wanted to set her up for a challenge, but make sure it was actually something she felt capable of doing independently.
After all of the pipe cleaners were filled, I would finish the story by having the squirrel drag the filled branches back to his home. Then we would count how many beads were on each pipe cleaner. Rémy and Sierra would count while I moved the beads along the pipe cleaner (kind of like an abridged abacus).
As always, once the storytime was done, the kids wanted to continue expanding the narrative. With all the acorn gathering and play, I think the little squirrel is ready for a nap.
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