Yep, you read it right, I did a Pea Storytime with my preschoolers. I was trolling Pinterest, yet again, and I found so many cute Peas in a Pod pins. There was a "healthy eating" undertone to the week, but it really was Pea-driven.
I was inspired by
Lindsy at Preschool Alphabet, I would have loved to make her "Princess and the Pea" flannel set, but time got away from me. Speaking of which, has anyone ever made a full-on 3-D "Princess and the Pea" manipulative set? I think it just got added to my To-Do list.
I started by reading Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and both the kids and I loooooved it! I'm a huge fan of hers, all the books in her "Little ..." series are fantastic!
Five little peas in a pea pod pressed
(hold fists in front of you with your knuckles pressed together)
One grew, two grew and so did all the rest
(on one hand pull one finger out of the fist at a time as you count up)
They grew and they grew
(begin to pull hands apart)
And they did not stop
(hands are as wide apart as possible now)
Until one day, that pod went, Pop!
(Clap hands loudly)
I thought LMNO Peas by Keith Baker would have been popular, as well, but it was a little too overwhelming for the kids. We ended up just reciting the alphabet and laughing at all the funny things the peas were doing.
Lastly, I read There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea by Jennifer Ward. Hmmm... What can I say about this one? This book is entertaining and hilarious for adults and older kids but for my little kiddos, they were shocked and terrified by this chubby cannibalistic princess. I got a lot of questions and several furrowed brows. Fun book, just not right for my preschoolers.
And these cute little guys? Why, they were just for fun, of course! And terribly simple. I cut a piece of felt, sewed the ends while holding the little curlicues (whatever they're called...) in place. I added googly eyes to some green puff balls and voilĂ ! The peas were removable so they could pop out of the pod :-)