Materials
Cardboard box
Paint, markers, construction paper, and so on
Book
Puppet and objects relating to book
Stickers, treats, and so on
Instructions
1. Beforehand, make copies of each animal in the story and enlarge them. Or
draw your own.
2. Read The Happy Day to the children.
3. Divide the class into five equal groups. Each group will represent one of the
animals in the story. Place one large picture in front of each group, or if your
class is small, give a picture to each child to hold.
4. Ask the children to practice each action in the story, as if they are the animals
they represent.
Sleeping lie curled up on the floor
Open eyes sit up and open eyes
Sniff make sniffing noises with their noses
Run tap their feet on the floor, quickly.
Laugh laugh out loud
Dance stand up and dance around
5. Read the story again slowly, allowing time for each group of children to act
out their part as you read.
More to do
Art: Make flower pictures to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of
spring.
Science and Nature: Talk about animals hibernating.
Sensory Table: Put snow in the water table for play. Point out how it melts over
the course of the day.
