Under the Weather
A Preschool Storytime for Slightly Sick Children

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Books Poetry Flannelboard
Puppet Fingerplays Crafts

 

Books:

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Farm flu written by Teresa Bateman; illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. 
Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman, 2001. 
When the farm animals seem to catch the flu one after another, a young boy does his best to take care of them.

Madeline story & pictures by Ludwig Bemelmans. 
New York: Viking Press, c1960, c1939. 
Madeline, smallest and naughtiest of the twelve little charges of Miss Clavel, wakes up one night with an attack of appendicitis.

Arthur's chicken pox by Marc Brown. 
Boston : Little, Brown, c1994. 
Arthur the aardvark catches chicken pox a week before he is supposed to go to the circus.

Mother Mother I feel sick, send for the doctor, quick quick quick by Remy Charlip & Burton Supree; with pictures by Remy Charlip. 
Berkeley: Tricycle Press, 2001. 
An extraordinary stomachache is cured when a doctor removes a large number of strange objects from the victim's stomach. Includes instructions for performing the story as a shadow play.

What the mailman brought by Carolyn Craven; illustrated by Tomie dePaola. 
New York: Putnam's, c1987. 
While William is sick and unable to go to school, a mysterious mailman brings him unusual packages every day.

The get well soon book: good wishes for bad times by Kes Gray & Mary McQuillan. 
Brookfield, CT : The Millbrook Press, 2000. 
Cynthia the centipede, Harold the hamster, Tiffany the turtle, and other animals suffer from various injuries or illnesses.

One cow coughs: a counting book for the sick and miserable. Story by Christine Loomis; pictures by Pat Dypold. 
New York : Ticknor & Fields Books for Young Readers, c1994. 
Animals count from one to ten and back down again as they show symptoms of illness and then, after taking care of themselves, feel better again. 

I have a cold by Grace Maccarone; illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 
New York: Scholastic, c1998. 
A sick child describes how it feels to have a bad cold. 

Dear Daisy, get well soon by Maggie Smith. 
New York : Crown Publishers, 2000. 
When his friend Daisy gets sick, Peter sends her more gifts each day of the week until she feels better.

The sick-in-bed birthday by Linda Wagner Tyler; pictures by Susan Davis. 
New York: Viking Kestrel, 1988. 
When the nurse sends Tucky Pig home from school on the day of his birthday party, he is convinced that this will be the worst birthday he's ever had.

Sammy and the robots by Ian Whybrow; illustrated by Adrian Reynolds. 
New York: Orchard Books, 2001. 
When Sammy's grandmother goes into the hospital with a bad cough, he makes some special robots to look after her.

When Daddy had the chicken pox by Harriet Ziefert, Lionel Kalish. 
New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, c1991. 
A family is distressed when Daddy gets the chicken pox, but when he recovers it is a joyous occasion.

 

 

Poetry:

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When you cough or when you sneeze,
will you think of others please.
Use a tissue or your hand,
so on friends your germs won't land.

 

 

Flannelboard:

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Ten in the Bed

There were ten in the bed
And the little one said,
"Roll over, roll over,"
So they all rolled over
And one fell out;
There were nine in the bed
And the little one said...

Make ten bears, and one child. I put the numbers 1 through 10 on the bears, to help with number recognition.

One Cow Coughs: Adapt this story for a flannelboard.

 

 

Puppet:

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Monkey Fingerpuppets: to use with 

Five Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed

 

 

Fingerplays:

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I've got a cold

I've got a cold look all miserable and point to yourself
My nose can't smell point to your nose
My eyes are red point to both your eyes
I don't feel well hand on forehead like a headache
So I'll drink my juice pretend to drink glass of juice
And go to bed. . . fold hands under tilted head, close eyes
My nose feels better look happy and point to nose
And so does my head! look very happy and point to head

Say it as if you are sick ("I'b godd a code, my doze cadd smell" etc) during the first part and talk normally when you are "recovered."


THE DOCTOR IN THE CLINIC
  sing to: the tune of Farmer in the dell

The doctor in the clinic.
The doctor in the clinic.
Hi-ho the derry-o,
The doctor in the clinic.

The doctor takes a nurse...
The nurse takes a patient...
The patient gets help...
The patient gets better...


TO THE HOSPITAL
  sing to: the tune of "Frere Jacques"

To the hospital, to the hospital,
We will go, we will go.
We will see the doctors,
And we'll see the nurses,
Dressed in white, dressed in white.


THE DOCTOR'S SONG
  Sing to: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

I use a stethoscope
To listen to your heart.
To help you be a healthy child
And heal you when you're aren't. 


SNEEZING SONG

I think --I am going to sneeze ..(ha chew!)
I think --I am going to sneeze ..(ha chew)
If you sneeze, pass the tissue please....
Ha Chew, Ha Chew, Ha Chew


GROWING SONG
  Sing to: Are you Sleeping

We need food and we need water
We need sleep, lots of sleep
To help our bodies grow
From our heads down to our toes
Grow, grow, grow
Grow, grow, grow.


BEING SICK

My head hurts put hand on forehead
My throat is sore point to throat
I want to lay upon the floor! point to floor

My ears are stuffed

point to ears
My nose is runny point to nose
Being sick isn't funny! shake head saying no

 

DOCTOR, DOCTOR

Doctor, doctor, what do you see point to eyes
When you look inside of me? point to self
Deep inside it's as dark as night run finger down center of chest
So I need to use a tiny, little light make small sign with fingers
I look in your ears, nose, mouth, and throat point to all body parts
Stick out your tongue and make a noise like a goat do as described

Doctor, doctor, what do you hear

point to ears
When your stethoscope comes near? put forefingers in ears as if wearing a stethoscope
I listen to sounds as your heart does pump point to ear
Thumpa, thumpa, thumpa, thump, thump, thump pat heart in rhythm
And as you breathe deeply in and out take deep breaths of air
I hear the air in your lungs rush about point to chest
I check everything I can touch, hear, and see wiggle fingers and point to ears and eyes
Just to make sure you're nice and healthy run hands up and down sides of body

 

THE NURSE

With a stethoscope the nurse listens point to ears
to my beating heart. point to heart
Lub-a-dub, lub-a-dub, lub-a-dub, dub pat chest in rhythm
Lub-a-dub, lub-a-dub, lub-a-dub, dub
And then writes a note upon my chart! pretend to write in palm of hand

 

PINK GOO!

Yukky! Yukky! Poo, poo, poo! make a funny face
How I hate that pink goo! make an angry face
The doctor says it will fix my ear wiggle ear lobe
But I shudder when the spoon comes near shudder
I swallow and swallow it day after day take big gulps
I can't wait till I'm well enough to play! run in place

 

AH-CHOO, AH-CHOO

My nose tingles point to nose
My nose twitches wiggle nose
And I am going to sneeze!
Ah-choo, ah-choo, ah-choo 
Ah-choo, ah-choo, ah-choo
put hand over nose; leave hand over nose, making sneezing noises and motions

 

A NOSE

A nose breathes in breathe in
A nose breathes out breathe out
A nose can smell sniff air
A nose can wiggle wiggle nose
A nose can blow pretend to blow nose
A nose can sneeze...AH-CHOO! pretend to sneeze
And that's what noses can do! 

 

CHICKEN SOUP

When my forehead's feeling hot put hand to forehead
Do I want pizza? I do not! hold out hands in questioning gesture, shake head
When I cough or when I sneeze cough, sneeze
Give me a bowl of hot soup please make bowl with hands
Eating chicken soup with rice pretend to eat
Makes me feel so very nice hug self
So when you're feeling under the weather frown, point thumb down
Chicken soup might make you feel better smile, point thumb up

 

 

Craft:

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Idea 1

Give each child a tissue, and teach this rhyme:

If you are sick
And you must sneeze,
Kindly use your tissue
Please.

Have each child "sneeze," blow his nose, and then throw the tissue into the garbage can.

 

Idea 2

Give each child a piece of paper with the following phrase written across the top:  "I think I am going to sneeze!"  Let them trace around their hand with a crayon or a marker.  Glue a tissue to the hand.

Graphics by GeoNurse

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