Elian's Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Week

I am a fan of literature-based learning and I have been doing this in my preschool classes as well as in homeschooling my 2 boys.  Lit-based learning not only helps create a love for reading in the little ones, ut it also provides a deeper integrated learning experience for them.

For the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and Lois Ehlert, these were the activities I did with my 2 year-old.

• Science: we went to the farm and looked at coconut trees.  I encouraged him to touch the tree trunk and the coconut too.  He then smashed open a coconut with a cousin, and his Dad made coconut juice. We got to drink it too. 
• Sensory Play: since chicka, chicka boom boom is a story about letters, Elian was given a chance to do water play with foam letters.  He even stuck the letters on the bathroom wall to spell out his name.  In the basin, he also had a dropper, spoons, plastic containers and sponges.
• Math: We counted coconuts (real ones and cut-outs).  He also did a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom floor puzzle (got it from Barnes and Noble) cooperatively with his older brother.
•  Art: He also did alphabet stamping with tearing and pasting for Art.  In addition, he got to join in his older brother's activity of leaf crayon rubbing (his brother is learning botany and had a leaf crayon rubbing activity so I decided to let him join in but made his leaves look like a coconut tree).  He was so amazed at how the leaf 'magically appeared' on the paper. 
• Music and Movement: we sang the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom song.  You may view my favorite animated version in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH4bBMW8eus&list=PLNr3ahoDXN0SskXsMFrT0h5WN_EaIQ39_ 
• Language: We drew a coconut tree on a white board and just allowed him to play with magnet letters.  I got to hear him identify most of the letters he used.  He also got to stick foam letters on the wall
•  Social Studies: Fow social studies, we explored the farm, met farmers, saw one climb up the coconut tree to get coconuts for us, observed the farm, shared stories and drank juice together, and he got to practice his cooperative learning skills when he finished a puzzle with his kuya (big brother).

I planned to just read the book for a week but Elian enjoyed it so much that we extended to 2 weeks and still read it occassionally.