Monster Madness at The Virtual Vine

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Monster Madness

At the end of last school year, I purchased a copy of Ed Emberley's book Go Away, Big Green Monster. That book was partially responsible for this page and a book I created for The Teacher's Bookbag to go along with a Monsters Unit. This unit is perfect for introducing dialogue about fears.

Books

Go Away, Big Green Monster ~ Ed Emberley

Glad Monster, Sad Monster: A Book About Feelings ~ Ed Emberley

The Meanies ~ The Wright Group

There’s A Monster Under My Bed ~ James Howe
There’s Something In My Attic ~ Mercer Mayer
There’s A Nightmare In My Closet ~ Mercer Mayer

Little Monster At School ~ Mercer Mayer
Where the Wild Things Are ~ Maurice Sendak
Harry and The Terrible Whatzit ~ Dick Gackenbach
I Hear A Noise ~ Diane Goode
The Very Worst Monster ~ Pat Hutchins
Molly’s Monsters ~ Mary Morgan
Beast In The Bathtub ~ Kathleen Stevens
What’s Under My Bed? ~ James Stevenson
Little Monsters ~ Jan Pienkowski

Brave Little Monster ~ Ken Baker

Little Toot and the Loch Ness Monster ~ Hardie Gramatky

Bedtime Little Monsters ~ Emma Harris

The Hungry Thing ~ Jan Slepian

Monster Money Book ~ Loreen Leedy

The Monster's Party ~ Joy Cowley

There's A Monster At The End Of This Book ~ Jon Stone

There's Another Monster At The End Of This Book ~ Jon Stone

Junie B.Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed ~ Barbara Park

Cookie Monster books

Monster Faces ~ Tom Brannon

Cookie Monster's Little Kitchen ~ Tom Cooke

Good Night, Monster! ~ Ian Whybrowe

M is for Monster ~ R.H. Disney

Nate the Great and the Monster Mess ~ Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster ~ Felice Haus

Follow the Monsters

Cookie Monster's Christmas

The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster ~ Jan & Stan

Berenstain

The Monster Who Loved Books ~ Keith Faulkner

Huggly and the Toy Monster ~ Tedd Arnold

Huggly Takes A Bath ~ Tedd Arnold

Huggly Gets Dressed ~ Tedd Arnold **Cute!!!

Huggly's Pizza ~ Tedd Arnold

Huggly's Big Mess ~ Tedd Arnold

Monster Party ~ Tui Sutherland

Monster Mischief ~ Pamela Jane

Nothing Scares Us ~ Frieda Wishinsky

The Monster Who Loved Books ~ Keith Faulkner (a cute pop-up book)

Monster Poems ~ Daisy Wallace

Monster Munchies ~ Laura Numeroff

Songs

GO ON A MONSTER HUNT

(like the Bear Hunt)

We're going on a monster hunt
We're going to find a big one!
We're not scared, but...

What if he's under the bed?

Better go over it.

Squoosh,squoosh, squoosh.

What is he's in the closet?

Better close it.

Slam, slam,slam.

What if he's behind the curtains?

Better open them.

Swish,swish, swish.

What if he's in the hallway?

Better tiptoe down it.

Tiptoe,tiptoe.

What if he's in the garage?

Better stomp through it.

Stomp,stomp, stomp.

Aahh! It's a monster!
What's that you said?
You're big, but you're friendly, and you want to go to bed?

Now we're not afraid of monsters, so..
Stomp through the garage,
Walk through the hallway,
Close the curtains,
Open the closet,
Jump into bed,
And turn out the lights!. Click!

~ Author Unknown

IF YOU'RE A MONSTER
(tune: She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain)

Verse 1
If you're a monster and you know it, grunt and groan...etc.

Verse 2
If you're a monster and you know it, stomp your feet...etc.

Verse 3
If you're a monster and you know it, make a face...etc.

Verse 4
If you're a monster and you know it, do all 3.

~ Author Unknown

THE MONSTERS ARE SO LOUD
(Tune: When Johnny comes Marching Home)

The monsters stomp around the house,
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The monsters stomp around the house,
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The monsters stomp around the house,
Their brothers and sister send them out.
And they stomp some more
outside, around the house.

The monsters yell around the house
Yeah! Yeah!
The monsters yell around the house,
Yeah! Yeah!
The monsters yell around the house,
Their brothers and sisters send them out.
And they yell some more
outside, around the house.

~ Author Unknown

TEN LITTLE MONSTERS

(Tune: Ten Little Indians)

One little, two little, three little monsters,
Big wild eyes and skin with fuzzy furs.
Climbing on the stairs
When no one knows they're there.
Heigh-ho, monsters are here.

One little, two little, three little trolls,
Playing in the woods
Where fern and moss grow.
Running through the trees
And having lots of fun.
Heigh-ho, monsters are here.

~ Author Unknown

TEN LITTLE MONSTERS
(Tune: Ten Little Indians)

One little, two little, three little monsters,
Four little, five little, six little monsters,
Seven little, eight little, nine little monsters,
Ten little happy monsters.

~ Author Unknown

YOU ARE MY MONSTER
(Tune: You Are My Sunshine)

You are my monster,
My only monster.
You make me happy,
When I am sad.
You never know dear,
How much I love you.
Please do not take
My monster away.

~ Author Unknown

IF YOU ARE A MONSTER
(Tune: If You Are Happy and You Know It)

If you are a monster and you know it,
Wave your arms.
If you are a monster and you know it,
Wave your arms.
If your are a monster and you know it,
Your arms will surely show it.
If you are a monster and you know it,
Wave your arms.

2 - show your claws.

3 - gnash your teeth

4 - stomp your feet

~ Author Unknown

Poems

WHAT DO MONSTERS DO?

What do monsters do?
They stretch and touch their toes.

What do monsters do?
They comb their purple hair.

What do monsters do?
They stick out their green tongues.

What do monsters do?
They brush their teeth with a broom.

What do monsters do?
They rub their yellow eyes.

What do monsters do?

They wiggle their orange ears.

Boy, am I glad I am not a monster!!

~ Author Unknown

5 LITTLE MONSTERS

5 little monsters
Haunting in the night.
The first one said,
"I'm not feeling right."
The second one said,
"My skin is feeling wet."
The third one quivered,
"We're just scared, I bet."
The fourth one said,
"I can feel my heart pound."
The fifth one said,

"Shhh! What was that sound?"
Then "Oooooo" went the wind
And on came the lights,
And a wee little (girl/boy)
Came skipping into sight!

~ Author Unknown

IGGA BIGGA

If in the dark you're frightened,
Here's all you have to do...
Say "Igga bigga dinka danka doo."

These words give you protection
From ghosts and witches too...
Say "Igga bigga bunka, dinka danka doo."

So if at night a monster whispers,
"I'll get you!",
YELL "Iggga bigga, hunka bunka, dinka danka doo!"

~ Author Unknown

COLOR MONSTERS

Red, red,

Forgot its head.

Blue, blue,

Is sick with flu.

Yellow, yellow,

Sat in jello.

Green, green,

Is the dancing queen.

Orange, orange,

Squished an orange.

Purple, purple,

Had to burple.

Brown, brown,

Your pants fell down.

Black, black,

Plays quarterback.

Gray, Gray

Ate his lunch tray.

White, White

Bites at night. (or Stays up all night.)

Pink, Pink

Has feet that stink. (or Sat in the sink.)

~ Author Unknown

MONSTERS

I am a monster
Through and through.
But please don’t scream.
I would not hurt you.

I do not want
To make you cry.
That is the truth.
And I never lie.

I would not give you
A nasty stare.
Or wake you with
A strange nightmare.

So why am I here
This very day?
The answer is easy.
I just want to play.

~ Author Unknown

MONSTERS GALORE

Monsters galore,
Can you roar? (Roar)

Monsters galore,
Can you soar? (Making a flying motion.)

Monsters galore,
Please shut the door! (Pretend to shut the door)

Monsters galore,
Fall on the floor! (Fall down)

~ Author Unknown

SEVEN LITTLE MONSTERS

One little monster is very tall.
(Reach toward ceiling, standing on toes.)

Two little monsters are very small. (Squat)

Three little monsters like to creep. (Creep on the floor)

Four little monsters like to leap. (Leap into the air)

Five little monsters dance on the rug. (Dance)

Six little monsters like to hug. (Hug each other)

Seven little monsters in a row. (Line up)

All bend down to touch a toe. (Touch a toe)

~ Author Unknown

We'll all be great big monsters.
And everyone we'll scare.
With great big claws,
And great big eyes,
And long stringy hair.
Along will come our Mommys,
And who we are they'll know.
They'll walk right up and kiss us,
SMACK!
And say oops where did that monster go?

~ Author Unknown

FIVE LITTLE MONSTERS

This little monster has a big red nose.
This little monster has purple toes.
This little monster plays all night.
This little monster is such a fright.
And this little monster goes.
Tee-hee-hee.
I am not scary. I am just silly me.

~ Author Unknown

*This would make a good flannelboard activity.

FIVE LITTLE MONSTERS

Five little monsters sleeping in my bed,
One crawled out from under my spread.
I called to Mama and Mama said,
"No more monsters sleeping in your bed!"

Continue 4,3,2,1

Last verse:
No little monsters sleeping in my bed.
None crawled out from under my spread.
I called to Mama and Mama said,
"There are no more monsters,
Now go to bed!"

~ Author Unknown

* Another CUTE flannelboard activity. You just need a

bed and 5 little monsters.

Every night when I'm asleep
Into my room the monsters creep.
I call to Mom, "Please come and stay,
And don't forget the monster spray!"
She comes right in and sprays right here
Then all the monsters disappear!

~ Author Unknown

This poem can be used for two different activities. It

can be sent home with directions for turning a spray

bottle or air freshener into Monster Away Spray! Parents

just wrap a piece of construction paper around the can

of air freshener and write Monster Away Spray! on it. If

using a spray bottle, they can write directly on the bottle.

Then when their child has bad dreams or is in need of

a monster removal, they simply spray the Monster Away

Spray! in the affected area and the monster disappears! :)

This activity can be done at school if you have some way

of getting to the parents without having to send it by the

child. Plain water in a water bottle would be OK, but I

wouldn't send air freshener home with a student.

You can also use the poem with an art project. Have

them draw a monster on a piece of white construction

paper using a black washable marker. Then spray their

drawing with a water bottle. The drawing should run

and turn different colors leaving a cool effect. The poem

can then be added to the drawing.

Monsters

We like monsters,

Yes, we do.

We like monsters,

How about you?

~ adapted by Cindy Montgomery

*Use this old cheerleading cheer adaption as a poem or a

cheer on the playground. You can use it on the

playground by dividing your students into two groups.

Have them stand in their groups a distance apart. Have

one group begin the cheer by shouting it to the other

group. Then have the other group return the cheer but

in an even louder voice. Each group keeps shouting the

cheer to the other side until they lose interest or can no

longer speak! :)

Snacks

Monster Mash

Give each child a bowl and a fork. Have them mix and mash 1/2 banana, 1/4 C.applesauce, 1/2 T honey and 1 T peanut butter. Have them sprinkle the top of their Monster Mash with cinnamon and eat.

Recipe for Monster Pizza

(makes 12 individual pizzas)

6 English muffins, split
15 oz. pizza sauce
Small bag sliced pepperoni
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella
1 green pepper, sliced
4 oz. can mushrooms, drained
6 oz. can olives, drained
Brown the muffins in a toaster oven (or toaster). Spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce on each muffin half. Create a monster face using the toppings above. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Monster Hand Snacks

Fill each fingertip of a clear, plastic glove with a piece of candycorn. Then finish filling the glove with popped popcorn. Tie off the end of the glove with a piece of twine.

Monster Face

Have each student spread peanut butter on a toasted English muffin or rice cake. Use raisins for the eyes, cut a nose and ears from a cheese slice, and use peanut halves for teeth. Hair can be miniature pretzel sticks broken in half with a miniature marshmallow stuck on the end of each stick. (You can easily cut two ears from the cheese by using a small glass or another circular item, then simply snip the circle in half with kitchen shears. This forms the two ears. To make the nose just snip off the corner of the cheese slice. Or you can use pepperoni slices for the ears and just snip off one side of the slice.)

Or if you wanted to use a big, round cookie, you could have them spread it with colored frosting. Then add round candies (M&Ms, Skittles, Sweet Tarts, Red Hots, etc) for the eyes. Use a cherry half for a nose and candy corn for the teeth. Vanilla wafers cut in half will make the ears. Hair can be added using colored shredded coconut.

Arts & Crafts

There are MANY ways for your students to create their own monsters. Here are some ideas to help you get started. And remember, monsters don't HAVE to look scary. Some are just plain cute! :)

Put crayon shavings between two pieces of wax paper and melt crayon shavings with a warm iron. When cool, cut the paper in the shape of a monster. That shape could resemble more of a "blob", or a "ghost shape" or have a jagged shape. Then have students glue on shredded paper for hair. Provide them with other items for facial features and other details. These could be made from construction paper, wiggly eyes, pipecleaners, buttons, furry material, felt, aluminum foil, permanent markers, hole reinforcers, raffia, moss, yarn, pasta, rick-rack, etc.

Another type monster could be made from construction paper shapes. Either provide students with appropriate sized shapes to cut out, or provide them with the construction paper and have them design their own shapes. They could be given a circle, square, or oval pattern for the head, four rectangles for arms and legs, and a larger rectangle or square for a body. If made extra long, the arms and legs could be accordian-folded to provide springy arms and legs. Glue the pieces together to form the monster's body, then add details using various materials.

You could also provide students with monster parts on construction paper. Have them cut out the parts and make their monster. If you provide multiple parts for the parts of the body (3 different noses, 6 eyes, etc.), they can choose which part they'd like on their monster. This will make each monster unique, depending on the student.

Another idea is to provide each student with a paperplate to use as a monster face. Then they add whatever details they'd like using various materials.

Stuffed Monsters: Trace each student's body TWICE onto butcher or bulletin board paper. Staple the two shapes together and have students create their monsters using paint and various other materials. Stuff with shredded newspaper. These can be hung in the hall or from the ceiling. Display this poem with them and have incoming moms (or other relatives) try to guess which one is their child.

Poem:

~ Author Unknown

Directed Draw: Provide each student with a blank sheet of white paper. Have them follow along with you on their paper as you show them how to draw a monster on the board. Or, give them directions and have them follow them, such as:

Draw a large circle on your paper to make your monster's head.

Give your monster two big ears.

Give your monster one big eye.

Give your monster a great big nose.

Give your monster a big mouth with one tooth.

Color your monster's face green.

Give your monster purple hair.

Color your monster's eye red.

Color your monster's tooth yellow.

Color your monster's ears orange.

Give your monster a name. Write it at the bottom of the page.

Group Monsters: Divide your class into groups of 6 students each. Assign each student in the group to create a body part. One student will create a head, one a body, two students will create an arm each, and two students will create a leg each. Tell students NOT to look at the drawings of the other people in their group. Have them cut out the body parts and assemble them into a monster. Then let them work together to come up with a name for their monster and a story to go with it.

Other Activities

Following Directions: Provide each student with a monster pattern. Give them oral directions for completing the pattern. Ex. Color the monster's hair green. Draw a sun in the sky. Draw a place for the monster to live. Color one shoe blue.

Life-sized Monsters: Trace around each student's body on butcher or bulletin board paper. Have each student turn the body shape into a monster using various materials. You can then use the monsters to discuss taller/shorter, and sequence them in size as you hang them in the classroom or hallway.

Monster Glyph: The Teacher's Bookbag

Resource Book: Teacher's Helper Sept/Oct 1998
A Colorful Creature for Go Away, Big Green Monster (color words)

Monster Feet: Provide each student with two pieces of cardboard. Let them draw off and decorate two monster foot prints. Cut them out, and attach elastic to the top of the footprint so that the student can slip their foot into the elastic loop and it will hold the footprint to the bottom of their foot. Sing THE MONSTERS ARE SO LOUD (above) and let them stomp around in the room as they sing.

An alternative for this activity would be to allow each student to bring in a large pair of shoes. Before singing the song, have them slip on the large shoes and stomp around the room as they sing.

Monster Shoe Sort: If you have the students bring in shoes for the song above, you can keep them all in a clothes basket. During Center time, the students can sort the shoes into pairs or use them for patterning. They can also arrange them smallest to biggest.

Dramatic Play: Provide students with articles of clothing and other things to dress up like a monster. Then give them hand and feet prints cut from furry material. They slip these over their hands and feet and it's secured with a loop of elastic.

Blocks: Have students create monster cages, pens, or a place where they would live. Provide them with strawberry baskets to use as well.

Homework Project: Send a gingerbread man shape outline home with each student copied onto construction paper. Have each student work at home with the help of his family to turn the shape into a monster.

Or, you could simply assign each student to create a monster at home and then bring them in for show and tell. Have them name their monster as well.

Predictable Chart: Have each student answer the prompt -
My monster is .. Record their answers on a chart.

Ex. My monster is cute. (Sally)
My monster is green. (Sue)
My monster is mean. (Billy)

For the next few days, have students read the chart with you. Then transfer each students response to a sentence strip or type them up, print them off, and cut them into strips. Give each student their response and have them illustrate their sentence. If appropriate, you can have them copy their sentence onto their paper. Display the pictures along with the sentences or make into a class book.

Class Generated Poem: Have your students to help complete the following poem frame.

Monsters
We like monsters.
__________ monsters,
__________ monsters,
__________, __________, __________ monsters.
We like monsters.

The poem could be like ...

Monsters
We like monsters.
Big monsters,
Cute monsters,
Little, hairy, blue monsters.
We like monsters.

Once the poem has been completed, transfer it to sentence strips and use it in your pocketchart. Choral read it daily, provide a second set of word cards to match to the poem text (example of that type activity on the Easter page), and let students use it during Read the Room.

Movement: Use the song "Monster Mash" to provide opportunities for movement.

Monster Math: Draw off a page of monster footprints. Copy onto colored construction paper. Laminate and cut out. Place these in the pocketchart along with number cards. Students count the footprints and match to the correct number, or count out the correct number of footprints to match the number.

Monster Match: Use the footprint patterns from above and copy onto more colored construction paper. Cut out. Program the footprints with matching skills, such as matching capital to lowercase letters; matching dots to numbers; matching pictures to beginning or ending sounds; matching synonyms or contractions.

Monster Sequencing: Program more footprints with ABCs and have students sequence them.

Monster Color Words: Copy one footprint for each color and then copy another set of matching prints in one color only. Program the one color only set of prints with color words. Laminate all prints, then cut out. Students match the print with the color word with the appropriate color print. Ex. red footprint/print with the word red

If you're teaching younger children, you print a matching set of colored prints for each color. Then have the students match the colors.

Cookie Monster: Provide students with a large picture of Cookie Monster and let them paint him blue.

Cookie Monster Activities: Make Center activities for the skills listed above. Students will match Cookie Monster to cookies.

All About Cookie Monster:
Birthday: November 2
Favorite Song: "C is for Cookie"

Best Friend: Ernie (he often stays over when Bert's out of town)

Quote: "Me want cookie!"

Likes: The four food groups (and any others you can find.)

Dislikes: Empty plates; eating the last cookie.

from: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/author/elmocookie.html

Video: Watch Monsters, Inc. if appropriate. I haven't seen this movie personally and I don't know the rating on it. But I do know that they showed it at our school as one of our school-wide (elem.) incentive programs.

Focus Letter: During this unit, you can use Letter M as your focus letter. Have your students brainstorm a list of words that start with Mm. Record their answers on a large Monster shaped chart that's been laminated for reusability. Write the words with a Vis-a-Via pen and they'll wipe right off. Add pictures where possible. Students can then use the "Mm" words in their writing.

Thematic Word Wall: Turn a pocketchart into a portable thematic Word Wall. Write Monster related words on sentence strip parts and add pictures where possible. Make a second set of words without the picture. Laminate all. Students can use the words when writing, and then can use the second set of cards to match to the pictured text. For very early readers, you might want to add a picture on back of the second set of word cards to help them in matching the text.

Vocabulary Words:

head ears nose eyes hair arms

legs body scary mean cute creepy

big small tall large hairy ugly

green purple orange pink brown black

white blue red teeth sharp furry

purple stomp clomp lonely mean hides

Monster Shape Book: Create a simple monster shape book pattern and photocopy one for each student. Have them cut out their page and find a picture that starts with the letter M and glue it to their page. Have them write the name for the picture at the bottom of the page. Then combine all the pages to make a "Mm is for Monster" class shape book.

Making Words: Have the students use the letters in "Monster" and see how many words they can make from those letters. I do mine in the pocketchart with pocketchart letter tiles. (picture at Literacy Connections) Some words that they could make are:

Monster

on ten nest Mr Mrs rest

so to no set met net

more sore tore snore not men

Tom rent sent some ore or

Flannelboard Activity: Cut out different monster parts from multi-colored felt and have them for students to use in creating their own monsters on the flannelboard.

Monster Party Extension: Read Monster Party, then provide each student with a cupcake. Allow them to ice the cupcake, then create their own Crazy Creature Cupcakes using decorating tubes/tips, and candies.