Puffins and Penguins Storytime

 

Books:
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Quickly, Quigley by Jeanne M. Gravois; pictures by Alison Hill. 
New York : Tambourine Books, 1994. 
Because he is small and slow, everyone is always hurrying Quigley Penguin until his younger brother is born.

There once was a puffin by Florence Page Jaques; pictures by Laura McGee Kvasnosky. 
New York : Dutton Children's Books, 1995. 
A lonely puffin finds someone to play with.

The emperor's egg by Martin Jenkins; illustrated by Jane Chapman. 
Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 1999. 
Describes the parental behavior of Emperor penguins, focusing on how the male keeps the egg warm until it hatches and how the parents care for the chick after it is born.

Tacky the penguin by Helen Lester; illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. 
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Co., 1988. 
Tacky the penguin does not fit in with his sleek and graceful companions, but his odd behavior comes in handy when hunters come with maps and traps.

Puffins climb, penguins rhyme written and photo-illustrated by Bruce McMillan. 
San Diego : Harcourt Brace, c1995. 
A visit to the beautiful birds of two polar regions.

Little Penguin's tale by Audrey Wood. 
San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1989. 
Searching for fun in his snowy polar world, Little Penguin dances with the gooney birds, cavorts at the Walrus Polar Club, and narrowly escapes being eaten by a whale.

Baby Beluga by Raffi; illustrated by Ashley Wolff. 
New York: Crown Publishers, c1990.
Presents the illustrated text to the song about the little white whale who swims wild and free. Although it's about the whale, it includes some lovely puffin illustrations.  If you're a singer, this is an easy one to sing as you read!

The puzzled penguin by Keith Faulkner; illustrated by Jonathan Lambert. 
Brookfield, CT : Millbrook Press, 1999. 
Despite the assurances of the other animals, a little penguin doubts that he really is a penguin, because he is always freezing. (Pop-up)


Poetry:
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Antarctic antics: a book of penguin poems written by Judy Sierra ; illustrated by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey. 
San Diego : Harcourt Brace & Co., c1998. 
A collection of poems celebrating the habits and habitat of Emperor penguins.

An Elegant Chant

We penguins are so elegant.
With built-in shirt and built-in pant,
We stand so tall and confident.
We penguins are so elegant.

We penguins are so elegant.
With built-in shirt and built-in pant,
We look splendid and flamboyant.
We penguins are so elegant.

We penguins are so elegant.
With built-in shirt and built in pant,
We look simply magnificent.
We penguins are so elegant.

Flannelboards:  Click for pattern
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SIX LITTLE PENGUINS 

Six little penguins off an iceberg did dive,
One bumped his beak, then there were five.
Five little penguins swam the ocean floor,
One saw a whale, then there were four.
Four little penguins spun around, whee-ee!
One spun off, then there were three!
Three little penguins, with nothing to do,
One went fishing, then there were two.
Two little penguins, having lots of fun,
One fell of, then there was one.
One little penguin, when the day was done,
Went home to sleep, then there were none. 

 

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

Five little penguins sitting on the ice floor
One dived in the sea and then there were four.
Four little penguins swimming in the sea
One got eaten by a shark and then there were three.
Three little penguins see a man from the zoo
One got caught and then there were two.
Two little penguins sleeping in the sun
One was found by a polar bear and then there was one.
One little penguin all alone didn't want to stay
He swam away and then there were none.

 

FIVE PERKY PENGUINS

Five perky penguins stood on the shore
One went for a swim and then there were four.
Four perky penguins looked out to sea
One went swimming and then there were three.
Three perky penguins said, "What can we do?"
One jumped in the water and then there were two.
Two perky penguins sat in the sun
One swam off and then there was one.
One perky penguin said, "This is no fun!"
He dived into the water and then there were none.

PuppetPuffin and Emporer Penguin
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Make five penguin finger puppets, and use with the following rhymes:

Five Little Penguins

Five little penguins floating on the ice.
The first dove in. "My, the water's nice!"
The second one said, "Let's go for a swim."
The third one said, "I'll be right in."
The fourth one said, "It looks like so much fun."
The fifth one said, "No way! I'll stay in the sun!"

 

Five Little Penguins

Five little penguins as happy as could be
Standing on a rock, looking out at the sea.
Crash! went the waves, oh, what a din!
Said the first little penguin, "Shall we jump in?"
Said the second little penguin, "The water's like ice"
Said the third little penguin, "That's not so nice!"
Said the fourth little penguin, "Let's bask in the sun"
Said the fifth little penguin, "Hey, that's no fun!"
So the five little penguins took a leap and a dive
And splashed in the water, 1,2,3,4,5
Three seconds later, out they popped
And stood once again atop that big rock.

Fingerplays:
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I'm a King Penguin 
Sung to: "Eency, Weency Spider" 

I'm a King Penguin
Black and white
living at the South Pole
Day and night.
One big egg I lay 
and fish I eat.
I hold my egg
upon my feet. 

Penguins 
Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little penguin, on the ice.
I think the cold is very nice.
I can hop around
first once, then twice.
I think ice is very nice. 

I Know a Little Penguin 
Sung to: "I'm a little teapot"

I know a little penguin
Who sat on some blocks
He swam in the ocean
And he Climbed on some rocks
He snapped at a seagull
He snapped at a seal
He snapped at a fish
Oh, what a meal! 

Another Little Penguin 
Sung to: "I'm a little teapot"

I'm a little penguin
Round and fat
Here is my beak,
Here is my hat. 
Winter days are coming,
Hear me shout,
"Please don't toss
My mittens out!" 

Adorable Penguin 
Sung to: "I'm a little teapot"

I'm a little penguin,
Black and white.
Short and wobbly,
An adorable sight. I can't fly at all,
but I love to swim.
So I'll waddle to the water
And dive right in!

 

TEN LITTLE PUFFINS

Ten little puffins stand up straight hold up hands, palms outwards
Ten little puffins make a gate hook thumbs together and fingers tight 
together
Ten little puffins make a ring hold hands with palms facing, little  fingers and thumbs touching
Ten little puffins bow and sing bend all fingers
Ten little puffins dance all day wiggle all fingers
Ten little puffins hide away hide fingers behind back



Penguin Song 
Sung to: "I'm a little teapot"

I'm a little penguin
In the sea.
I can swim as fast as can be!
When I catch a fish, just look at me.
I'm as proud as I can be. 

 

TEN LITTLE PENGUINS

Ten little penguins standing in a row ten fingers up
They nod their heads to each other so bend fingers in unison
They waddle to the left move fingers to the left
They waddle to the right move fingers to the right
They dive into the sea palms together-dive
And swim around with all their might swimming motion
Here comes a shark  palms together, with thumbs up
Looking for a lunch rub belly--lick lips
Aark! cried the penguins
They jump out in a bunch! jerk 10 fingers up in alarm



South Pole Visit 
Sung to: "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

I went to the South Pole and what did I see?
A little penguin baby, sitting on the ice.
Two penguin friends,
Three penguin girls,
Four penguin boys,
Five penguin kings!
Six penguins flapping,
Seven penguins swimming,
Eight penguins hopping,
Nine penguins turning,
Ten penguins smiling,
All penguins dancing! 

 

IF YOU'RE A PUFFIN AND YOU KNOW IT
sung to the tune of "If You're Happy  and You Know It"

If you're a puffin and you know it, flap your wings (flap, flap)
If you're a puffin and you know it, flap your wings
If you're a puffin and you know it and you really want to show it
If you're a puffin and you know it, flap your wings

Other verses:
...waddle your feet (waddle, waddle)
...bite a fish (bite, bite)

 

ON TOP OF AN ICEBERG 
Sung to: "On Top of Old Smoky"

On top of an iceberg, All covered with snow, 
I saw my first, penguin And I wanted to know.
Oh is it a bird,
Or is it a fish?
I looked at his feathers,
And knew which was which.
I said, "Mr. Penguin,
Which species are you?"
He said, "I'm an emperor,
And not a gentoo."
I said, "Mr. Penguin,
What's under your patch?"
He said, "It's an egg,
It's ready to hatch!"
I said, "Mr. Penguin,
Oh, where is your wife?"
"She's out in the ocean,
She'll be back tonight."
Said Mr. Penguin,
"Her name is Jill.
She's out in the ocean,
Feeding on krill."
The next thing I knew,
I heard a small peep.
And I saw a chick,
At the emperor's feet! 

 

PENGUINS COME MARCHING HOME
To the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again"

When penguins come marching home again,
Hurrah, hurrah.
They'll give out a noisy screech again,
Hurrah, hurrah.
They waddle all day,
On their icy way,
All dressed in their best,
To return to their nest.
And the all go marching,
One by one by one by one...

By the Sea
To the tune of "By the Sea"

By the sea, by the sea,
By the cold, icy sea.
You and me, you and me,
Oh, how happy we will be.

When waves come a-rolling in.
We'll dive and swim.
We'll eat some fishes,
And other sea dishes.
(Repeat chorus)


Ten Little Penguins
To the tune of "Ten Little Indians"

One little, two little, three little penguins,
Four little, five little, six little penguins,
Seven little, eight little, nine little penguins,
Ten little penguins on ice.

Ten little, nine little, eight little penguins,
Seven little, six little, five little penguins,
Four little, three little, two little penguins,
One little penguin, that's nice!



A PENGUIN

A penguin, when he goes somewhere waddle from side to side
Will walk or swim; here's why:  waddle first, then swim
Although he has two bird-like wings, hold up two fingers
He simply cannot fly!  Tuck hands into armpits and "flap" wings

 

THE PENGUIN WENT OVER THE ICEBERG
To the tune of "The Bear Went Over the Mountain"

The penguin went over the iceberg,
The penguin went over the iceberg,
The penguin went over the iceberg,
To see what he could see
To see what he could see
To see what he could see
The penguin went over the iceberg,
The penguin went over the iceberg,
The penguin went over the iceberg,
To see what he could see.

The other side of the iceberg,
The other side of the iceberg,
The other side of the iceberg,
Was all that he could see
Was all that he could see
Was all that he could see
The other side of the iceberg,
The other side of the iceberg,
The other side of the iceberg,
Was all that he could see.



Ten Little Penguins

Ten little penguins hold up ten fingers
Sliding on the ice move hands in a sliding motion
Jumped into the sea palms together, diving motion
With a splash! Splash! Splash!  clap hands on each splash
When their mothers called them hold hands to mouth
The ten little penguins swam right back swimming motions

 

Penguins

Where are the penguins?
Aauk! Aauk! Aauk!
I can not see them in the sea
Peek! Peek! Peek!
Here they come waddling across the ice
1,2,3,4,5!

 

Penguin Cheer

I like fishies. Yes I do.
When I want fishies, here's what I do.
One, two, three...SPLASH!               jump forward, arms overheads as if diving

 

Two Little Penguins

Two little penguins sitting on the ice hold up index fingers
One bows once, the other bows twice make fingers bow
Waddle little penguins, waddle away put fingers behind back
Come back penguins, time to play  bring fingers back to front

 

Baby Penguins

One baby penguin makes a wish hold up one finger, point to stars
Two baby penguins catch a fish  hold up two fingers, clap hands
Three baby penguins slip and slide hold up three fingers, slide feet
Four baby penguins run and hide hold up four fingers, run in place
Five baby penguins look around
Calling "Mamma! Mamma! Mamma!" hold up five fingers, hand above eyebrows
Now they are found hug arms around self

 

Riddles:
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Q: How do Penguins drink their cola ? 
A: On the rocks 

Q: Why don't Penguins like rock music ? 
A: Because they only like sole 

Q: Why do Penguins carry fish in their beaks ? 
A: Because they haven't got any pockets 

Q: What kind of fish do Penguins catch at night ? 
A: Starfish 

Q: What do Penguins sing to each other on their birthdays ? 
A: Freeze a jolly good fellow 

Q: What do Penguins have for lunch ? 
A: Icebergers 

Craft:
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Have a penguin walk - explain that Emperor penguins have to carry their eggs and babies on their feet. This is not an easy task. Have the students take off their shoes and try to walk around with an egg shaped ball of Play-doh. (You may want to have the eggs put in plastic bags so they don't get squished onto the floor or carpet.) Then have them race across the room to get a gummi krill. (Use gummi worms)

LET'S MAKE A PENGUIN!

Materials needed are:
Black and white construction paper (one piece of each per child)
Black and yellow markers
Scissors
Glue or stapler

First, trace the child's shoe on white paper and have them cut it out. This is the penguin's body. Fold the black paper in half and trace their hand. Cut out the folded tracing. These will be the penguin's wings. Glue or staple the black wings (folded lengthwise) around the penguin's body on each side. Draw eyes and beak with black and yellow markers.

Links:
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Mrs. Bee's Penguins and Antarctica Page Banner

Thank you to Barb Scott for contributing much of the content of this page.

                                         Graphics by Dea

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