Wow Said The Owl By Tim Hopgood

Directions

JUMP TO: SING · TALK · READ · TALK · PLAY

SING

1Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Lyrics can be found in the video description box.)

2Point out the owl in the song, and share interesting facts about owls. See videos below for details.

• Spotted Owl | AMAZING ANIMALS – 01:46
• Great Horned Owl | By Little Fox – 02:55

TALK (Transition from singing to book reading)

1Introduce the book you are going to read (Wow Said The Owl by Tim Hopgood). Tell your child this story has an owl in it, just like the owl they saw in the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the video.

2Hold up the book and show the cover - read the title and the authors/illustrator’s name: let your child know that someone just like you and me wrote this book and drew the pictures.

3Story Seasonings: Point to the owl on the cover – ask “what do you think will happen in this story?"

4Transition into reading the story by saying “Well let’s find out.”

READ 15 Minutes

1Add a generous amount of Story Seasoning. Read in a lively, engaging way, using voices, gestures, and expressions can enhance understanding.

2Cover: Read the title and the authors/illustrator’s name: let your child know that someone just like you and me wrote the book and drew the pictures.

1. Point to the owl – ask “What animal is this?”
2. Point to the cover “What do you think this story is about?”
3. Transition into reading the story by saying “Well let’s find out.”

3Story Seasoning: Ask the child to turn the pages – so they are included in the story telling process.

4#Tired: As the story opens, act out the scene of “feeling tired”. Yawn dramatically, stretch with your hands in the above your head, and invite your child to mimic your actions.

• Option 1: “At night, when we are feeling tired…(pause reading and act out the “feeling tired” motions).
• Option 2: Read the full sentence and then act out the “feeling tired” actions. Followed by the look of the owl who is just waking up (mimic what your child looks like when they wake up in the morning). Invite your child to engage in the dramatic actions with you.

5#Dark: “They have eyes that can see in the dark”. Invite your child to close their eyes. Ask them what do they see? Explain to them that this is what the night-time world of an owl might look like. Ask your child to open their eyes. Tell them the owl can see in the dark as clearly as they can see with their eyes open and that’s what it means to see in the dark.

6#Curious: Make a face expressing curiosity.

7Story Seasoning: Say out loud in the voice of a baby owl (be creative, your reading in the voice of a baby owl so you have free range to be as silly or creative as you please - “I wonder what the night-time world looks like when I am usually sleeping? If I go back to sleep, maybe the world will look different when I wake up again.”

8Story Seasoning: Pretend to fall asleep. Invite your child to join you in this pretend nap. Then wake up by turning the page.

9#Wow: Use expressive sounds each time you read the word “Wow!” Invite your child to say the word with you each time you see it. Imagine you are a baby owl, seeing the color pink for the first time. Act out how amazed you might feel seeing a beautiful pink sky for the first time.

10#Color: Repeat previous step, invite the child to join you in the acting.

• Look up at the “sky” say “WOW!”
• Point to something that’s the same color in your surrounding and say “Wow!”
• Point to something else that shares the color mentioned in the book and prompt your child to say “Wow!”
• Point to something else and prompt them to say “Wow!”
• Now point back to the book and the word “Wow!” and prompt your child to say it.

You can do this for each color mentioned in the book.

11Parent Sugar: Each time your child completes a prompt give them a high five or some sort of positive affirmation for participating with you. Show them you’re having a great time with them.

12Story Seasoning: As the story unfolds, mimic the wonder and amazement the owl might feel as she sees all these amazing colors for the first time.
Ignite your child’s imagination by pretending your own a tree branch and you’re seeing the sun, big fluffy clouds, green leaves, butterflies, and orange flowers for the first time. Get lost in capturing this amazing feeling, the more joy you can inject into each page the better! Encourage your child to act along with you. Bring each page to life.

13#Rainbow: Draw an imaginary rainbow in the space above your head and say “WOW! Look at all of the colors in our rainbow.” Point to imaginary lines in your rainbow, and say a color. “WOW! Look there’s __________ and there’s __________.” Have your child name the colors with you. It doesn't matter if they say a color that’s not listed, remember this is an imaginary rainbow.

14It’s now night time, and you’re pretending you're an owl looking up at the stars again. This time, when you saw “Wow!” say it in soft amazement, because you’re seeing something you recognize. Something that’s wonderfully familiar.

15Story Seasoning: If you’re reading this story as a bedtime story, you may want to change the language of the story.
The Owl in the story stays up all night long, but your little owl needs to sleep. So feel free to add a line to the story (it's alright to do this from time to time).
“…just like little owls are supposed to do. And while she stayed up, you and I are now going to bed. Say goodnight little owl.”
Direct your child to wave goodnight to the owl in the book and say “The End” signaling the end of the story.

16Parent Sugar: Sprinkle your child with hugs, high-fives, compliments, and affection right after saying “The End”.

TALK

1Discuss the story with your child. Tell them what part was your favorite. Then ask them what they liked most about the story. And which page was their favorite. Ask them why. Assessment Salt: If the answer is completely unrelated, or doesn't seem to correspond with the question – that's ok. Celebrate their answer and validate their opinion.

2Go to the last page of the book, and point to the different colors in the circle. Ask your child which color is their favorite. Show a keen interest in what they are saying and give your child eye contact throughout the discussion.

3Have them point to the different colors in the circle. Read the name of the colors out loud and invite your child to repeat after you, or say the colors with you.

4Turn to the pages where the colors are featured and point out all of the colors you see in the book and in the area you are reading in.

5Compliment your child on something they did well during the read aloud. How they participated, how they laughed, how they listened. Pick anything, and celebrate them for it.

PLAY

1Option One: Make Rainbow Alphabet Spaghetti – for sensory play with letters.

Option Two: Rainbow Painted Toast

2Story Seasonings – During the play activities, have a conversation with your child discussing the colors they are using and relate them to back to the colors you saw in the story “Wow Said The Owl”.