Mat Time Resources: Dear Zoo story sack

 I went to the local $2 shop and picked up a container of little toy animals for $2.  Many of these animals are in the story 'Dear Zoo', but I was just missing a frog, snake and puppy... I had made frogs out of fimo modelling clay a few years ago, and I had a snake and dog finger puppet in my collection - perfect!  

They all fitted in a little drawstring pouch.

I put it in my story sack and took it to school.  It was wonderful - I sat down with a couple of children (they had been making their own books, and then I mentioned I made my own story sacks at the weekend, so they wanted to have a look)...so we sat down and I pulled out this collection of animals and began telling the story of Dear Zoo.  I don't have a copy of the book, but you don't need one because the text is so simple and repetitive.  It was not long before I had a whole group of children quietly sitting down around me listening to the story and watching entranced as I pulled out each animal.  Some of the children knew the story and were able to tell me which animal came next.  Then after I told the story, some of the children took it in turns to retell it, while others wanted to look at another story I had in my story sack!  Anyway, I have noticed over the past few weeks since the project began, the amount of language, story telling and story retelling that has been going on in the classroom, and it is so exciting to see children take on the role of being teacher and telling the story or  turning the pages of the book as their friends count and place the different characters on the mats!

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