Chapel Hill Snippets: I Spy a new favorite book! (Download icons to go with it)

Today was the first day after a break--usually a dreary day but if you read my last post, you would know that I was determined it should be a happy day full of optimism and enthusiasm in working with my kids. I think it worked; I was a bit tired when I got home, but hubby cooked a good supper and now I'm cozied on the couch writing about a new book I used today in language activities.

The name of the book is I Spy with My Little Eye, written by Edward Gibbs. Amazon website reports: "Have you ever played the I-spy game? Debut artist Edward Gibbs takes the game to a whole new level in this picture book with spy holes. Peeking through the pages, children will be able to spot a different colored animal every time, and guess what it is using a simple, factual clue. Bold illustrations and die-cut holes will absorb young readers as they learn about colors and animal names."

My kids (a group of 5 very language impaired kids) loved it. I made a simple topic board to go with this book, mainly for allowing the children to make logical guesses at what the animal is for each page. I did not use color when selecting icons for the board --my kids are at the point now where they need to listen to the riddle and not merely match color. If you have younger children, then add colors to the animal icons. You can also cut up the board to lend the activity more manipulative in nature, but I didn't need that aspect with these kids. Here is a link to the board with animal icons (pdf).

The following are some snapshots of some of the pages. We had great fun with the book, and the riddles can be adapted to fit the level of the child.