Pitter, pitter, pat! Pitter, pitter, pat! Hey, it’s a pitter, pitter pattern! Lu and her friends love spotting patterns in their daily activities. Lu learns that patterns can be found at soccer practice, during her piano lessons, in dance class, at snack time, and even at the park! How many patterns can you spot as Lu goes about her week?
WATCH and LISTEN to author/illustrator Joyce Hesselberth read and talk about her book Pitter Pattern:
ACTION RHYME: “Tapping on the Drum”
Rum pum pum, tapping on the drum.
Rum pum pum, tapping on the drum.
Tapping very slowly, slowly, slowly.
Tapping very quickly, quickly, quickly.
Rum pum pum, tapping on the drum.
Rum pum pum, tapping on the drum.
And the drummer says stop!
EARLY LITERACY TIP: Seeing patterns and trying to recognize things that are alike and things that are different is a fun game for children. These activities help them develop the mathematical concepts of patterns and relationships.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
- At the end of the read-aloud video, follow Joyce’s instruction for easy tie-dye COLOR fun!
- MAKE a felt (or paper!) quilt to practice making patterns! Click here for a video demo.
- MAKE a pasta print, substituting cereal, buttons, beads if preferred. Instead of printing to fabric, try using paper, cardboard, and other on-hand materials. Click here for a video demo.
- DRAW with Joyce! Using found shapes or shapes made from card board or paper, create three doodles using the basic shapes as a starting point! Click here for the video.
- EXPLORE and IDENTIFY patterns nature! What patterns can you find? Discuss the natural and man-made patterns you notice.
FIND MORE BOOKS that encourage pattern recognition.
Request them on our online catalog.
“Alike or Not Alike? : a photo sorting game” by Kristen McCurry
“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin, Jr.
“I See a Pattern Here” by Bruce Goldstone
“I Went Walking” by Sue Williams
“Math Lab for Kids : fun, hands-on activities for learning with shapes, puzzles, and games” by Rebecca Rapoport
“One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss
“Pattern” by Henry Pluckrose (explains mathematical patterns)
“Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes” by Eric Litwin and James Dean
“Spotty, Stripy, Swirly : what are patterns?” by Jane Brocket
“Swirl by Swirl : spirals in nature” by Joyce Sidman
“Zigzag Zooborns! : zoo baby colors and patterns” by Andrew Bleiman
CUMULATIVE TALES and books with REPETITIVE TEXT are a great way to reinforce patterns.
Request them on our online catalog.
“A Bear Sat on My Porch Today” by Jane Yolen
“Around the Table That Grandad Built” by Melanie Heuiser Hill
“Jump, Frog, Jump!” by Robert Kalan
“One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree” by Daniel Bernstrom
“The Apple Pie That Papa Baked” by Lauren Thompson
“The Napping House” by Audrey and Don Wood
“There’s a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake” by Loren Long
“This is the House that Monsters Built” by Steve Metzger
“Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears” by Verna Aardema