Berries, Berries, Berries! - Jamberry

Before we get to Jamberry I would like to introduce you to someone. My daughter works for a wonderfully inventive woman named Heather. She is the founder and owner of the on-line store, Mom 4 Life. Heather's site is listed in the sidebar under Friends. Be sure and give her a visit.
Here is some interesting info on Heather and Mom 4 Life:

“Mom 4 Life.com is a unique website specializing in products that are 100% mom invented. Started by a mom of two in 2003, Heather Ledeboer has grown Mom 4 Life at a breathtaking speed. Her website now offers over 900 products. Ledeboer is passionate about being a mom and has built her business around her children’s sleep schedule and hired employees when Mom 4 Life experiences growth spurts in order to allow her to be a stay at home mom (her original goal when starting her business). Desiring to help other moms in business, Heather searches out products that are new, unique to the market and (most importantly) comprised from the handiwork of a mother. Knowing how difficult it can be to take a new product and get it in front of the target audience, Mom 4 Life steps in to do just that successfully marketing products by moms (over 250 of them), for moms. Not only passionate about helping moms in business, Heather also seeks to help moms in need. Mom 4 Life donates 10% of its proceeds to local pregnancy centers. Heather believes that it when you are blessed, you are called to be a blessing to others. Helping moms is the way that she feels compelled to fulfill that calling.”

Jamberry
by Bruce Degan
Laptime: toddler - Kindergarten
Story time: toddler - Kindergarten

While I was writing my last post about Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey the opening line from Jamberry kept running through my heard, "One berry, two berry, pick me a blueberry". I read Jamberry so many time to my children that I can still recite most of it from memory.
A berry loving bear invites a boy to go berry picking with him. They go for a canoe ride and discover a berry adventure around every turn until they end up "buried in berries".
This is a great laptime read for toddlers and younger preschoolers because the rhythms are bouncy and fun and the illustrations are full of berrylicious things to look at. I especially like the way that Bruce Degan foreshadows the next section by adding a character or an item from the next berry discovery to the current page. Linger over the illustrations, there are so many yummy things to see.

I hope that you will enjoy these activities and leave your own activity idea in the comments section.

Laptime and Story Circle Activities
I combined the laptime and story circle activities because I would use these activities in both areas.

1. Toast Jamboree! - All you need is a toaster (preferably one that stays cool on the outside), bread, plastic knives for spreading, and jams made out of the berries listed in the story. Toast slices of bread and cut into fourths. Let the children spread a different jam on each slice. Be sure and discuss the different colors and tastes of the jams.
2. "Dancing in Meadows of Strawberry Jam" - In the middle of the book the bear and the boy meet up with some ponies and sheep and have a dance. For a fun movement activity, give the children berry colored scarves or streamers, put on some music and dance. Choose instrumental music that is lively, perhaps something Celtic or this is a good chance to introduce your favorite piece of danceable classical music . Whenever you do this kind of movement activity be sure that you have enough room for the kids to spread out. Set the guidelines about where they dance - move in a circle, move across the room, stay in place. Also set the guidelines for when the dancing starts and stops. For example, when the music starts, dance and when the music stops, freeze.