Preschool Programs Chapter
Go Hog Wild
Books to Share
- Eat! Cried Little Pig by Jonathan London.
- Good Little Bad Little Pig by Margaret Wise Brown.
- Piggies in a Polka by Kathi Appelt.
- Piggy in the Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz.
- Squeaky Clean by Simon Puttock.
Books to Show and Booktalk
- Bed Hogs by Kelly S. DiPucchio.
- Dumpy La Rue by Elizabeth Winthrop.
- My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza.
- No Place for a Pig by Suzanne Bloom.
- Supersnouts! by Steve Bjorkman.
- Where’s the Big Bad Wolf? by Eileen Christelow.
Duplicate the pig pattern on pink paper and cut one out for each child. Glue or tape a small piece of pink curly ribbon for a tail.
Hog Wild About Pigs
Display as many fiction and non-fiction books about pigs as you can. Also, include objects such as a piggy bank, a stuffed animal pig, and a ceramic pig. If someone in your community has a collection of pig realia, borrow some items for the display.
This Little Piggy Piggy
(By Barrie Teague Alguire)
This little piggy (Hold out your left hand, touch your left thumb with your right hand)
Eats pancakes. (Lay one hand on top of the other like a stack of pancakes)
This little piggy (Touch the first finger of your left hand)
Eats soup. (Make a bowl shape with your left hand, mime eating with a spoon with the right)
This little piggy (Touch the middle finger of your left hand)
Eats lollipops. (Mime licking a lollipop)
This little piggy (Touch the ring finger of your left hand)
Eats corn. (Mime holding an ear of corn with both hands and eating)
And this little piggy (Touch your pinky finger)
Eats everything he can get his hands on! (Mime grabbing and stuffing food in your mouth)
What a hog! (Place your hands on your hips, a look of annoyance on your face)
The Great Big Hog
(By Barrie Teague Alguire)
A great big hog (Bow your arms out to your sides to suggest large and round)
Sat down on a log (Fold both arms in front of your chest to form the log)
Heard a little frog (Put your hand up to your ear)
Down in a bog (Circle your arms out in front to suggest a pond)
Ribbit! Ribbit! Said the frog (Open and close your right hand in a talking motion)
Oink! Oink! Said the hog (Do the same motion with your left hand for the hog)
And they both (Turn your hands toward each other as if making eye contact)
Jumped in the bog. (Make a forward jumping motion with both hands)
Rhymes and Poetry
Read “How to View A Pig” by Lloyd Robb or another poem that you like from Snuffles and Snouts by Laura Robb.
Play “Three Little Pig Blues” on Playing Favorites by Greg and Steve. Use puppets to act out the story as the music plays. This is a traditional version of the story, told musically. At just over three minutes long, it is an easy and entertaining way to provide a puppet show using stuffed animals, finger puppets, or whatever is available.
- Pig pattern
- Pink or white card stock or construction paper
- Pink crayons (optional)
- Hole punch
- Pink curly ribbon
Photocopy the pig pattern onto card stock or sturdy paper. If you use pink paper, proceed with the rest of the steps; if you use white paper let the children color the head and body pink before proceeding. In advance, cut out the head, the body, and the “spacer.” With the help of an adult, let the children fold the spacer in half three times so that it makes a thick pad. Glue each of the folds to make a solid piece. Glue the spacer to the center of the pig's body in the dotted circle. Glue the head to the spacer with the pig’s nose centered on the spacer. Punch a hole at the top of the body. Tie on a small piece of pink curly ribbon for a tail.
Pig Headband Hat
(Adapted from Farm Animals Hat Patterns and Activities by Patt Newbold and Anne Diebel.)
- Pig head pattern
- Pink construction paper
- Black markers
- Black dots
Enlarge the pig’s head pattern. Trace around it and cut out a pig head for each child from a sheet of pink construction paper. In advance, cut strips of pink construction paper 2” wide and 18” long. Let the children draw in the facial features and attach black dots for eyes. Staple the pig to a strip of construction paper, fit it to the child’s head, and staple or tape the ends to make a headband hat. Note: If you use staples, cover them with tape to prevent scratching the child’s head.
After reading Piggy in the Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz, lead the children as they pretend to be pigs jumping into a mud puddle. They can pretend to rub mud on their faces and in their hair, dive down to the bottom of the puddle, and even have a mud ball fight. End the game by pretending to hose them off with a garden hose so they can go home nice and clean.
Invite someone who raises pigs or who has a pet pig to bring a piglet to the library. Ask the guest to talk about pigs and how to care for them.
- Farm Animals Hat Patterns and Activities by Patt Newbold and Anne Diebel.
- Paper Hat Tricks II by Patt Newbold and Anne Diebel.
- Snuffles and Snouts by Laura Robb.