Additional activities for Where the Wild Things Are:
 Build Your Wild Self Site at the New York Zoos and Aquarium site

Watch Where the Wild Things Are read aloud on You Tube
Additional You Tube versions:
Book read aloud on YouTube in English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cOEFnppm_A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD1-f9C3CeE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bptuYPvfgk
Book read aloud on YouTube in English, uses text in Spanish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbXS7gNIGIY
Reading Rockets Family Literacy Bag-WTWTA (Available in English and Spanish)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/reading-adventure-pack-where-wild-things-are
For families who mainly speak Spanish at home and want to listen to the book in their home
language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca3hd90y55E
 Make crowns. Every King of the Wild Things needs a crown complete with markers and smelly
stickers.
 Music and Movement
Music and movement is a key part of a preschool curriculum. You can use them in such a way
that it engages children, signals the start of your story time, and prepares them to listen to your
story. Add a few songs that fit your monster theme to begin or end your story time. Play the
Purple People Eater song or the Where the Wild Things Are Song and free-dance around the
room.
(Chorus)
Where the wild things are (where the wild things are)
Where the wild things are (where the wild things are)
I wanna go - where the wild things are (where the wild things
are)
(Repeat Chorus)
I was acting wild, my mom said "no!"
She sent me to my room, I don't want to go
I wanna sail a boat across the sea
I wanna find the wild thing, inside of you and me
(Chorus)
They've got wild thing growls, and wild thing ROARS
They don't do dishes, they don't do chores
They've got wild thing faces, and wild thing grins
And you can hear them say, "Let the wild rumpus begin!" [RUMPUS]
(Chorus)
Well, I sailed my boat back across the sea
and a nice hot supper was waiting for me
You know my own bed is my favorite place to sleep,
but sometimes in my dreams, my mind begins to creep (Chorus)
 Play "Duck, Duck, Wild Thing." Who says "it" has to be a goose?
 Take the children on a monster walk. Tell the children that you are going to pretend to be Wild
Things, and have a parade through your home, preschool, or library. Hold out your arms, curl
your hands into claws, make big stomping steps, and snarl.
 During the read-aloud, hold the book up in front of you in such a way that all the children can
see it. Pre-read the book by showing the children the cover. Ask what the picture on the cover
shows. (A monster, a boat, trees). Tell the children the story is called Where the Wild Things Are,
and ask them if they see a "wild thing" on the front cover. Tell the children this story is about a
boy named Max, and some monsters, called "wild things." Show the children the title page. Ask
the children if the wild things look afraid. Who are they afraid of? As you read through the story,
pause to ask the children questions like "do you ever get in trouble? Have you ever been sent to
your room?"
 Wild Things paper bag puppets. Use lunch-sized paper bags turned upside down, so that the
opening is pointed to the bottom. Depending on the children's ages and crafting skill levels, glue
on pre-cut eyes, google-eyes, or have children draw their own. Add noses, mouths, fangs, and if
you have a helper, use a cool-temp glue gun to add rafia or yarn hair. After you have added the
features and they have dried, stuff the lunch bag with newspaper, and attach the stuffed bag to
a paint-stir stick. Usually you can get these for free at hardware stores.
Additional Activities for So Much by Trish Cooke
 The baby’s overalls are red. Ask the children to look for other things in the book that are red
(there are 2 red pages, a red umbrella, red on Cousin Kay-kay’s shoes, shirt and cap, red on
Cousin Ross’ shoes, Nannie’s necklace, and red on the cards). Look for things around the room
that are red.
 Look at the people in each picture in the book. Ask, “Which ones are girls? and “Which ones are
boys?”
 Count the number of girls and boys in the class today.
 Play music and dance around the room like the family did at the party.
 Look at pictures of families from different cultures. Tell how the families are the same.
 Make different “happy faces” and “sad faces” on paper plates or cut faces from pictures in
magazines. Show each of the faces one at a time to the children. Ask the children to tell you if
the face you show them is a happy face or a sad face.