The Story of Ferdinand and The Busy Tree

After Earl the Squirrel was threatened by a raging bull last week, I told the PreK children that I would read them The Story of Ferdinand (first published in 1936.) When I reread it to myself last night, I felt there was a lot of explaining that would have to go along with the story. Ferdinand is a peaceful bull, not at all interested in the other bulls’ rough-housing. All he wants to do is sit and smell the flowers. When he is stung by a bee, his reaction makes him appear aggressive and angry, a perfect choice for the men who have come to choose a bull for the bullfights in Madrid. Of course, Ferdinand sticks to his peaceful ways and the bullfight is unsuccessful. I found myself trying to explain why people would stick an animal with sharp pokers and swords as entertainment. While the children did not seem distressed, I let them know that stories that were written a long time ago might have some old ideas and ways of thinking…

We then read The Busy Tree, a book that identifies the  parts of a tree in rhyme. I brought newly fallen leaves for our art project, which was a bit of an experiment.

We taped the leaves to paper, then painted around them with liquid watercolors. Once the paint dries, we will peel off the leaves and, hopefully, the shapes of the leaves will remain.