“Duck on a Bike” Story Retelling and Hand Print Art

There are so many ways to incorporate early literacy activities in the classroom. But story retelling exercises always seem to be a hit with the kids! Find out how to bring the book, Duck on a Bike, to life in your classroom with this bulletin board storybook art.

Last week, I read Duck on a Bike to my preschool kiddos.  They definitely enjoyed listening to the story and trying to predict what would happen next.  The illustrations were vibrant and detailed, which helped keep the children even more engaged in the story.  Over the course of the next few days, the children and I created a bulletin board devoted to Duck on a Bike.

Materials for the Duck on a Bike Bulletin Board

To get started on our bulletin board art, we had to stock up on a few things. This project only required a few items, each of which you’ll likely already have in your supply closet!

Here’s what we used (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

• White tempera paint
• Yellow construction paper
• Markers
• White paper

Duck on a Bike Bulletin Board Art

To start with the Duck on a Bike bulletin board art, we made their hand prints into ducks.  I’ve always loved using children’s hand prints to make art, so I had fun coming up with a way to make a duck.  First, I painted the palm of their hands with white tempera paint.  We pressed their painted palms down onto a yellow piece of construction paper to make the duck’s head.  Once that was done, I painted their entire hands white and pressed their hands on the paper to create the duck’s body.

Once the duck hand prints were dry, I had the kids put the finishing touches on their ducks.  They added beaks, eyes, and legs to their ducks.  I love seeing how differently the ducks turned out, even though the process was the same for each child.

While the ducks finished drying, the children used markers to create their own bikes.  I showed them how I drew my bike, but I was sure to explain they could make their bikes however they wanted.  I didn’t want the students to think their bikes had to look like mine.  Looking at their finished bikes, it was obvious I’d gotten my point across.  There were bikes with extra seats, bikes that were blinged out with tassels and whistles, and bikes with different-sized wheels.

After all of the artwork was done, I worked with the children to write a story about Duck on a Bike.  I used interactive writing to do so, meaning that the children came up with the story and we “shared the pen” to write their words down.  I helped them stretch the words and listen for the sounds, letting them write down the parts they heard.  I wrote the parts of the words they didn’t know, explaining what I was doing throughout the process.  The children did a great job with their story retelling!  Yes, I could have had them delve into the story a bit more, but I wanted to keep this writing activity short and sweet.

Have you ever read David Shannon’s books to your children/students?  Which of his books are your favorite?  If you’re looking for more information about the Virtual Book Club for Kids, check out Toddler Approved!’s David Shannon blog hop, as well as the book club’s Facebook page.

Shared at David Shannon Virtual Book Club for Kids Blog Hop, What Do We Do All Day, Mom’s Library, Link & Learn, Children’s Book Week 2013

Done-for-You Preschool Resources

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