• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Preschool Toolbox Blog

Educational Learning and Play for Children 2-7

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Shop Lesson Plans
    • My Downloads
  • About
    • PR/Social Media
  •  
  • Literacy
  • Math
  • PreK
  • Science
  • Fall Theme Activities
  • Preschool Themes

Dec 29, 2013
Literacy· Math· Winter Theme Activities

“Penguin and Pinecone” by Salina Yoon – Extension Activities for Kids!

Thanks for sharing!

  • Share
  • Tweet
a friendship story
a friendship story

Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon is a delightful story of a friendship, separation, and reunion between a Penguin and a Pinecone.   The book is wonderfully illustrated and will capture the interest of young children (and those who are young at heart!).  It is one of our children’s favorite books and is sure to become one of yours, too!

 

 

The activities offered are extension activities to use with young children after reading and discussing the story.   The suggestions below are designed for children ages 3-7, but adaptations are given, where possible, for slightly older or younger children.

Fingerprint and Thumbprint Penguins

Fingerprint and Thumbprint Penguin Craft

Materials needed:  Black/White/Orange Tempera Paint, Paintbrushes, Paint Smocks/Trays (or an old T-Shirt and Paper Plates), White “Scratch” Paper (to practice printing), and Heavy Blue Paper (for the final prints).

Invite the children to create the prints by assembling all the materials on a large tray or a table.  Tell the children they are creating Penguins and ask them to practice dipping their thumbs and index fingers into black paint and making prints on a separate sheet of practice paper.  To make the Penguins:  have the children make one index finger print for the head and one thumb print underneath the head for the Penguin’s body.  Once the children are comfortable making prints, provide each child with a sheet of heavy blue paper.  After making the Penguins, allow the prints to thoroughly dry.

When the black Penguins are dry, the children can add a white print on top of the black “body” thumbprint (our kids used their pinky fingers to make the white tummy prints).  **Note:  make sure the black prints are thoroughly dry or you’ll end up with GREY Penguin tummies!

The children may wish to add other features to their Penguin crafts:  our kids used the non-brush end of  paintbrushes to make the eyes (white dots and then black centers) and an orange nose/dots for the feet.

Older children may wish to make a background for their craft with pinecones, snow, pinetrees, or any other scenes from the book.

Penguin and Pinecone Math and Literacy Puzzles

DIY Math and Literacy Penguin Puzzles

Materials needed:  Pre-cut Blank Puzzle Pieces, Penguin Stickers, Black Permanent Markers, and Smocks (or old t-shirts) to protect clothing.

There are various ways to use blank puzzle pieces to create math and literacy centers/games for use at home or in the classroom.  Below are just a few suggestions:

MATH

  • Make 2 piece puzzles:  Mark any puzzle piece with a number the children have had introduced.  The children should then place the corresponding number of Penguin Stickers on the second puzzle piece.   The children could also match a numbered puzzle piece to the number word, tally marks, or dots.
  • Make 3 piece puzzles with any of the above:  Numbers, Number Words, Tally Marks, Dots, and/or Penguin Stickers.
  • Make 4 piece puzzles with any of the above:  Numbers, Number Words, Tally Marks, Dots, and/or Penguin Stickers (we made sets of 4 piece puzzles in the photo above).
  • Make 5 piece puzzles with any of the above:  Numbers, Number Words, Tally Marks, Dots, and/or Penguin Stickers.

LITERACY

  • Make 2 piece puzzles where the children write or stamp an uppercase letter on one piece and a lowercase letter on the second piece.  The children might also write/stamp a word on one piece and the BEGINNING letter of the word on another piece.
  • Make 3 piece puzzles – CVC words or any word families the children are working on
  • Make 4 piece puzzles – CVVC, CCVC, CVCe, etc.

We’d love to hear how you and your children use blank puzzle pieces to create various games to play!  Leave us a comment below when you have a chance to explore, play, and create!

The Penguin and the Pinecone Stacking Cups

Penguin Stacking Cups

Materials needed:  10 Black paper or plastic cups and Penguin Stickers (per child/group/or set desired).

The stacking cups are so simple to make, but it is one of our favorite centers.  Set the cups out and have the children peel and press the Penguin stickers to the cups (stickers are a challenging fine motor task!).

Games to play:  

  • Stack the cups on top of each other  (can set a timer for individual races).
  • Stack the cups in a pyramid formation (ask smaller groups to make their own designs).
  • Play “What’s Missing” with 2 or more cups:  Show the children two or more small items. Have one child hide the objects, one at a time, under the stacking cups.  The other children should then close their eyes, while one item is removed from underneath the cups.  When the children open their eyes they must guess which items has been removed.  As the children gain confidence in playing the game, add more cups and additional items.
  • Make “kindness” cups and label a cup with each child’s name.  The children can write/stamp notes to each other on slips of paper and place the notes inside the cups.  It makes a fun writing station/center for the kids!  Be sure to read some of the notes each day to encourage kindnesses in the classroom or at home!

We hope your children enjoy reading, exploring, and playing with Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon!

For MORE Winter Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten, see the Winter Theme here on the blog!

For a Science Activity, visit The Life Cycle of a Conifer Tree!

Blank Puzzle Pieces

Black Paper Cups

Penguin Stickers

Disclosure:  The Preschool Toolbox is a participating member in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.

11 Comments

Join our newsletter & receive the FREE DOWNLOAD:
Explorations with ALL 5 SENSES!

Enjoy in the classroom or at home!



Previous Post: « “The Night Before Christmas” as read by LeVar Burton – @ReadingRainbow
Next Post: Fishbowl Counting Mats and Fishy Letters – Ocean Theme for Preschool & Kindergarten! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Faigie says

    December 30, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    I was just looking at this post and I saw the picture of the penguins and I said hmm, I know I saw that picture somewhere but, it was snowing…then I remembered:) commenting on the snow in it when you posted it on google +

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      January 1, 2014 at 2:27 pm

      Faige – thanks for your comment and visiting! The auto awesome features on Google+ have been fun! Look forward to looking at your own resources and getting to know you better! Happy New Year!

      Reply
  2. Jill @ Called To Be A Mom says

    January 2, 2014 at 9:59 pm

    This really looks like a lot of fun for a preschooler on such a cold day. We may have to do this very soon!

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      January 7, 2014 at 6:15 pm

      Thanks for your comment! It is a fun activity to do!

      Reply
  3. Dacia says

    January 3, 2014 at 12:44 am

    Love the cute fingerprint penguin! Such a cute idea. Visiting from tip junkie. 🙂

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      January 7, 2014 at 6:15 pm

      Dacia – thanks for visiting and the kind comment! Hope your 2014 is off to a great start!

      Reply
  4. Chrystal M. says

    January 3, 2014 at 12:41 pm

    We love Penguin in our house. Even though kiddo is almost 9, she does have some learning issues so I am always looking for fun things that we can do that will help her in that department, especially when it comes to math. Stopping by from the Tip Junkie link up!

    Reply
    • pschooltoolbox says

      January 7, 2014 at 6:14 pm

      Chrystal – thanks for stopping by!:) Hope your daughter (and you) enjoy some of the activities! Darla

      Reply
  5. Ashley Wells says

    January 14, 2014 at 5:50 am

    It is well established that three and four year olds need a strong focus on cognitive development along with attention to their social and emotional development to be ready for kindergarten

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Penguin Activities for Kids says:
    January 12, 2015 at 4:01 am

    […] Penguin and Pinecone – The Preschool Toolbox […]

    Reply
  2. Ways to Play Every Day: FREE January Activity Calendar for Preschoolers • The Preschool Toolbox Blog says:
    December 29, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    […] See how fast you can stack/unstack a penguin cup tower. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

SEARCH for an ACTIVITY or SEASONAL THEME HERE!

Subscribe

Theme Activites, Parenting, Education

Copyright © 2023 · The Preschool Toolbox · Become an Affiliate · Web Hosting & Design by Servously

The Preschool Toolbox Blog uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and to personalize content. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. Click READ MORE for details: Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT