I love books about those quirky collective nouns we use to describe groups of animals (a smack of jellyfish, a troop of kangaroos, a colony of ants…). Today I highlight a board book for young ones to add to our collections. The book is Crowds of Creatures by Kate Riggs and Fiammetta Dogi.
This short book features 6 groups of animals:
Flock of geese
Colony of ants
Troops of monkeys
Prides of lions
Cloud of bats
Pod of dolphins
The 6-part structure and clear text can jump off the page and lead to a great structured improv with students in preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grades. With each change of the page and each new animal, the students' movements can change. They can explore flying, soaring, crawling, swinging, running, galloping, folding, going upside-down, swimming, and diving. I also think with each turn of the page, you could have a student leader for the improv (and the rest of the group follows). Six students can take turns leading; try the improv for a few classes so each student gets a chance to lead.
"A flock of geese flies to nest….A colony of ants works without rest…."
The book concludes with a "recap" of all of the animals in the book and the text, "Families go by many names." To conclude your improv – each student can select one animal from the book and move like that animal.
As for music, I am inspired to use Bonobo's electronic piece "Animals."
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Related posts:
More books with collective nouns
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