Homes and Houses is a great theme for around the holidays when people are often traveling to relatives. It brings great opportunities to talk about, and fight the stigma around, people who don’t have homes or have different homes.
Introduction: This can be a sensitive topic for some families, so I try to make sure I take care when talking about this subject. My opening is usually something along the lines of…”Hi everyone! Today we’re going to talk about something that isn’t always the same for everyone. So before we get started, I want you to think of somewhere you feel safe, warm, and loved. Mine is in my living room because it’s where I spend a lot of time and the light shines in from the window and it’s bright and cheery! My living room is what I think of when I think of Home. Your place might look different than mine and that’s great! We’re all different and it’s important to celebrate those differences. It might be your school, your house, the park, or even your room! [Let kids tell you about their place]” Then we sing our opening song!
ASL Sign of the Day: “House” from Lifeprint.com.
Song: A House is a House for Me. Based on the book, A House is a House For Me by Mary Ann Hoberman. This is a fun, quick intro into animal habitats. You can use the ASL sign for house, or put in the animal/bug signs as well. See an example below!
Book: A New House For Mouse by Petr Horácek
I love Petr Horácek for his simple humor and gentle stories! This one centers on Mouse (a recurring character in his books), who is trying to drag an apple to a new house since it won’t fit through his door. Deciding he just need a new house to fix the problem, he goes peeking in on friends who say there’s no room for him.
Felt Activity: What Kind of Home?
The picture to the left is from Sunflower Storytime. I wish I could show you all my felt for this, but it is at the library and we still haven’t reopened from the pandemic so that I can take a photo of it. However, this one is very similar to the one we have. I love using this felt game in the Houses and Homes storytime, because we talk about how one house might not be good for everyone. A bear wouldn’t want to live in a bunny’s den, it’d be too small! A mouse wouldn’t want to live in a bird’s nest, it’d be too hard to get into without wings!
Rhyme: See the Window. After the last line I ask the kids what they see through their window. Then we do the rhyme again and I have the kids act out what they saw through their window.
See the window I have here,
So big and wide and square (Draw window in air with finger)
I can stand in front of it,
And see things out there. (Point out window)
Book: Still A Family by Brenda Reeves
From the publisher: “A little girl and her parents have lost their home and must live in a homeless shelter. Even worse, due to a common shelter policy, her dad must live in a men’s shelter, separated from her and her mom. Despite these circumstances, the family still finds time to be together. ” This is such a sweet story and a good introduction to the topic of people experiencing homelessness.
Rhyme: Yo Tengo Una Casa. This is an adorable Spanish rhyme my coworker, L, taught me! When I do it, I introduce it by saying we’re going to make a house with our hands. I talk about the Spanish words such as ventana=window, puerta=door, and chimenea=chimney and we mimic the movements of drawing a square, knocking on a door, and twisting our finger (just like in the video linked above). I like to do the big and smallest very exaggerated.
Yo Tengo Una Casa
Yo tengo una casa, así, así
con una ventana, así, así
yo llamo a la puerta, así, así
y por la chimenea sale el humo así, así
2nd Verse (2x)
Yo tengo una casita, así, así
con una ventanita, así, así
yo llamo a la puertita, así, así
y por la chimenea sale el humo así, así
Felt Story: The Napping House by Audrey Wood
A tale of some family members sleeping in their napping house, one atop the others. Simple felt pieces of a bed, grandma, boy, dog, cat, mouse, and flea bring this simple classic to life! It’s a great, repetitive tale that kids love retelling after storytime, building their narrative skills!
Closing: After reviewing our ASL word of the day, we sing our closing song and get ready for our craft time!
Other Titles to Check Out:
- Homes Is A Window by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard
- Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone
- Let’s Go to the Hardware Store by Anne Rockwell
- A Fawn in the Grass by Joanne Ryder
- Red House, Tree House by Jane Godwin
- Home by Carson Ellis
- Welcome Home, Bear by Il Sung Na
- This is Our House by Hyewon Yum
- The House That Zack Built by Alison Murray
- Grandma’s Tiny House by JaNay Wood-Brown
Librarian Ginny 