A story-time workshop is a little more than reading a story, and it is a wonderful way to bring books to life and help children fall in love with the wonder of reading.

And Red Galoshes was the featured book at our Winter themed Cubbyhouse Tales. Below is an outline of the workshop. It would be easy for you to re-create at home with your children. I had so much fun and it seems the kids and parents did too. Read a review by Kate of Mee Too.

This workshop involves four stages:

• Tuning In: Capturing the child’s interest and attention so they can gain as much from the story as possible

• Reading the story

• Making Connections: Providing the child with an experience that can help them relate to the story

• Book-chatting: A chance to talk about the story, characters and messages in the book

The stages can take place in one session or they can take place over a number of days, depending on the age of the child. I hope you can find a way to incorporate some of these activities in your home, as this is one very special book to share with your children.

This workshop is inspired by:

And Red Galoshes- A Story About a Rainy Day, by Glenda Millard and Jonathan Bentley

(Published by Little Hare)

Read about  And Red Galoshes here.

TUNING IN:

• Dress up in gumboots/galoshes

• Sing songs (see below)

• Or you could choose another activity from the list at the end of the article

READING THE STORY:

Read the story and ask the children to help by saying the words, ‘and red galoshes’, which appear on each page.

MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH THE STORY:

1. Make a paper bag kite

2. Make drum beats on a downpipe with home-made rhythm sticks.

BOOK CHATTING:

And Red Galoshes-themes: Imagination

Literal:

• What do the children do with the red galoshes?

• Who joins the children on their adventures?

Inferential:

• What are galoshes?

• Who do the galoshes belong to?

Application:

• What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Analysis and Evaluation:

• What do you think the red galoshes will do the next day?

RELATED SONGS, RHYMES AND FINGER PLAY:

IT’S RAINING (Mother Goose)

It’s raining, it’s pouring

The old man is snoring

He went to bed and bumped his head

And couldn’t get up in the morning

INCY WINCY SPIDER

Incy Wincy Spider climbed the water spout.

Down came the rain and washed poor Incy out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

And Incy Wincy spider climbed the spout again.

DRIP DROP (Playschool)

Drip drop drip drop, the rain if falling down

Drip drop drip drop, splashing all around.

Let’s put on our gum-boots, our raincoats and our hats

And jump in all the puddles with a splish splosh splash.

RAIN SONG (Satis Coleman & Alice Thorn- Humpty Dumpty Compilation, ABC Music 1995)

Rain is falling down

Rain is falling down

Pitter-patter

Pitter-patter

Rain is falling down

I HEAR THUNDER (Warren Carr- Humpty Dumpty Compilation, ABC Music 1995)

I hear Thunder, I hear Thunder,
Oh don’t you? Oh, don’t you?
Pitter-patter raindrops,
Pitter-Patter raindrops
I’m wet through,
I’m wet through.

BEND WITH THE WIND (Roberta McLaughlin- Humpty Dumpty Compilation, ABC Music 1995)

Bend with the wind

Bend with the wind

Sway, sway and bend

Bend with the Wind

THE WINTER POKEY (Source: perpetualpreschool)

You put your right mitten (glove) in,

You take your right mitten (glove) out.

You put your right (glove) in,

And you shake it all about.

You do the winter pokey, [shiver]

And you turn yourself around.

That’s what it’s all about!

Others Include:

You put your left mitten (glove) in….

You put your right boot….

You put your left boot….

You put your winter hat in….

You put your snowsuit (whole body) in…

GOING FURTHER: Other activities:

PLAY

Recreate other scenes from the book: mudpies, leaf throwing, slip and slide

CREATE

Create sounds of winter (e.g. thunder, hail, rain) using items from around the house (e.g. saucepans, rice)

TALK

Talk to your grandparents about what they used to do on rainy days when they were a child

FIND OUT

Find out what else you could do with gumboots or galoshes?

WRITE

Write some words that remind you of Winter (sounds, activities etc.)

What do you like to do on a rainy day?