I Love Ducks! - Make Way For Ducklings

I have posted a link, in the Fun Places to Visit section, to a wonderful article - Real Resolutions for Moms by Karen Ehman. Be sure and check it out.


Make Way For Ducklings
By Robert McCloskey
Laptime: preschool - early elementary
Story Circle: preschool - early elementary

I'm going to date myself. When I was a little girl I was a huge Captain Kangaroo fan. I first heard some of my favorite books read by the Captain. Make Way for Ducklings was one of them and I've been a huge fan of Robert McCloskey ever since. Make Way For Ducklings is about Mr. and Mrs. Mallard who are searching for the perfect place to raise their family. After their ducklings are born they decide to make the lagoon in the Public Garden their home. The trick for Mrs. Mallard is to maneuver the busy streets of Boston with her eight ducklings. Fortunately the Boston police force is on the job to help her out. Make Way For Ducklings won the Caldecott Medal in 1942 and is the official Children's Book of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In the Public Garden in Boston there is a statue of a mother duck and eight ducklings. McCloskey's charcoal drawings are charming. Each one of the ducklings reminds me of a child that I have known and I love the expressions of Michael the policeman.

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

Laptime Activities
1.If you live in a place where there are lakes or ponds with ducks, take a duck walk and visit them. Don't forget the peanuts.
2.Visit the web: Visit the All About Birds site http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mallard.html#sound
This site let's you listen to Mallard calls and tells you cool facts about these ducks.
Listen to the Mallard call and see if you can imitate it.

Story Circle Activities
Five Little Ducks Finger Play
5 little ducks went out to play (show 5 with your fingers)
Over the hills and far away (make an up and down hill motion with your hand)
When the mother duck said quack, quack, quack (make a duck bill with your hands for quacking)
4 little ducks came waddling back (either show 4 fingers or do a waddle wiggle)
Continue to count down until you say:
No little ducks came waddling back. But when the daddy duck said QUACK, QUACK, QUACK
5 little ducks came waddling back.
The mother and daddy parts are interchangeable

1. See the Laptime Activity #2 for a great website to learn about Mallards.
2. If you know someone who raises ducks, ask if they will bring one or two to your classroom. Another resource may be pet stores or the local zoo.