Chapel Hill Snippets: Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse--free printables

I get all excited when I find a new book to use with my kids. Today, the new book was "Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse: A Prepositional Tale". I looked for this book on Amazon, and it seems to not to be offered there for a reasonable price, but the link to Google Play is here. I also found a copy of the hardback book at our local library, and the book is also available here. A little looking will lead you to this book if you really want it, and it is a great one!

From Google Play: "This frolicking adventure teaches children about prepositions as they follow a very focused fox in his chase for a mischievous mouse. Kids will love learning what a preposition is and how it can connect words together when they see the fox chase the mouse around the house, under the fence, into the barn, out the window, and even through the chicken coop. Using additional learning activities at the end of the book, children can then apply what they've learned."

How did I use the book?

I used Boardmaker to create icons for key words. There are only a few words per page and each page focuses on a different preposition. First, read the book with the child.

Following that, you can use these icons how you want---simple matching, or cover the words with sticky notes after previewing the book, and then have the child find the correct preposition. You can also cover the words and see if the child can produce a sentence for the page.

Cover the words after previewing with the child. This is 'between the signs'

For kids who need it, you can demonstrate the difference using the icons of the 'fox chasing the mouse' vs 'the mouse chasing the fox'. The story is a game of tag, with the fox doing the chasing first. Roles reverse at the end.

You can also demonstrate the various prepositions using the icons and your furniture in your room. (e.g. Make the mouse run across the table. Make the mouse run beneath the chair.)