I don't know who came up with this idea, but it is a clever way to tour the school with those new little students - they will meet the principal, the nurse, the lunch ladies, the custodian, the librarian, and learn where the playground, restrooms, office, library, and other parts of their new school are located. Best of all, they stay alert and are excited about the exercise because they are looking for their gingerbread man in every nook and cranny of the school. My friend Julie, Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire at my former school, has them make cute little headbands with gingerbread men on them to don before they embark on their quest to find their gingerbread buddy.
Usually, this whole extravaganza begins with a read aloud of the traditional version of The Gingerbread Man. Due to the popularity of this activity, variations on the original have been popping up for a couple of decades, and I have quite a few of them in my classroom library. Two that would work particularly well for this activity are: The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School and The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School.
The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School by Joan Holub, is a leveled reader, so I didn't have high hopes when I purchased it. But at the time, I was looking for fractured tales to supplement my folklore unit, so I onto my classroom Scholastic book order it went.
I was pleasantly surprised when I read it and actually prefer it to the other book I'll introduce today. Debbie Palen's illustrations are hilarious and give readers the feeling of movement as the gingerbread kid runs around the school. They have a golden "glow" that really appeals to me.
Instead of meeting farm animals as he flees, like the traditional cookie does, the gingerbread kid meets school staff and makes a mess as he goes. He is foiled by a child he encounters in the library. He demands that the child chase him, but the child continues to quietly read. Their exchange is wonderful:
GK: What kind of kid wants to read?
Boy: A smart kid.
Though the ending wasn't entirely satisfying, this is a fun addition to any gingerbread collection. This one is unlikely to be found in your local library, but you can purchase it on Amazon.
Be sure to have the children chant the refrain with you each time the GK says it, "I'm the gingerbread kid.
I'm as fast as can be.
You can run, run, run.
But you can't catch me!"
They will love it.
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray is a rhyming journey around the school as the gingerbread man goes to look for his class rather than the class hunting for him.
He gets flattened onto a volleyball, breaks off a toe in the gym, gets patched up by the nurse, lands in the art teacher's lunch, and takes a spin in the principal's chair before he ends up back in class to find his class waiting for him with a gingerbread chair, desk, and house where he can comfortably be part of the class that year.
Mike Lowery gives the book a comic book feel, using a limited color palette and framing the scenes, putting multiple scenes on a page.
Behind the action, he includes and map of the school, showing us where the class is in comparison to the gingerbread man.
Again, the refrain is important, and there are two in this book - let those kiddos chant!
"I'm the gingerbread man,
And I'm trying to find
The children who made me,
But left me behind."
is said to each character he meets. As he leaves each character, he uses this refrain, putting in a new verb each time:
"I'll _____ and I'll _____ , (run, limp, slide, skip)
As fast as I can.
I can catch them!
I'm their gingerbread man!"
This book is also available on Amazon and there are several books in this series: The Gingerbread Man Loose at the Zoo, The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Firetruck, The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at the School, and The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas. I'm picturing a year-long gingerbread theme, reading these aloud before field trips to the zoo and the fire station, and for holidays.
You can never have too many gingerbread books, so be sure to take a look at these:
- The Gingerbread Cowboy
- The Gingerbread Girl - this story has sequels
- Gingerbread Baby - this one has sequels as well
- The Gingerbread Boy
Have fun!
Bonus:
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