Activities for Gobble, Quack, Moon

By Matthew Gollub
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Warm-up Discussion BEFORE Storytime:

Ask students if they ever thought the grass was greener in someone else’s pasture. Have they ever dreamt of going far away? How about to the moon?
Ask students to imagine they were a barnyard animal living on a farm. What animals can they think of? Which would they choose to be and why?

Discussion AFTER Storytime:

Ask students what the animals forgot to take to the moon. What belongings would your students bring on such a journey and why?
Once the animals tire of the moon, they begin to miss their life on the farm. What would your students miss most so far from home?
Katie the cow and her barnyard friends dance to all different kinds of music. Ask your students what they like to dance to. What types of dances did the animals perform on the moon? (The mashed potato, the Watusi, ballet, etc.)

Enrichment Activities AFTER Storytime:

PLAYING CHARADES: Select 2 or 3 volunteers at a time to act out different parts of the story. Write notes or whisper to them what they’re supposed to act out, e.g. flopping in the hay, munching grain, floating on the moon, while the rest of the students guess the phrase.
FREEZE DANCE: This book contains a CD with music that continues after the end of the story. The third track on the CD is called "Late Night Jam." Have all students dance while you play the third track. Stop the music intermittently and have the students stop mid-shimmy and freeze! Students that don’t freeze after the music stops, are OUT and must sit off to the side. The last student dancing wins and, as a prize, gets to MOO for the entire class!
DREAM MACHINE: In this story, the animals build a rocket of cans and glue to escape to their fantasy destination. Have your students draw a picture of their own dream machine that will pull, drive, fly, or float them wherever they wish to go!