The Story About Ping

We've been rowing The Story About Ping.  It's such a cute story about a duck, Ping, who lives on a boat on the Yangtze River in China.

The kids made "the wise-eyed boat" and then added a few duck puppets in for effect.  We used the puppets with our poem "Five Little Ducks". 

We did a science experiment on sinking or floating.  They had to make a prediction on whether certain items would sink or float, and record their findings on their charts. 

 They colored a map of China.

William really enjoys dot-to-dot activities so I found a duck for him.


Something that I'm planning on doing with William this kindergarten year is narrations - he tells me the story in his own words and I type it out.  Here's his first narration.  Pretty good if you ask me!

The Story About Ping, as told by William, age 4.5

He lived with his 42 uncles.  They all marched over the little bridge one by one.  They all catched snails and little fishes and other things to eat.  They all marched over the little bridge, one by one.  Ping did not want to be the last.  So he was being very careful because the last duck on the bridge always got a spank on the back.  He did not see his uncles marching because he was catching a little fish to eat.  When he was upside right he saw his 42 cousins he did not want to be last because the last always got a spank on the back.  So he hid behind the grasses and slowly watched the wise-eyed boat go carefully down the river.  He put his head underneath his wing and he no aunts and uncles and no sisters or brothers to go fishing with Ping.  In the meantime he found little boats – houseboats, rafts boats and big boats but he didn’t know which boat was his.  Closer and closer the fishing boats came.  He could see shiny rings and down he ducked.  He swished under the water to catch a little fish.  When he was front up he saw little crumbs he saw little crumbs.  Closer and closer he came near the houseboat.  Splash!  There was a little boy in the water with a barrel in the water and he snapped at the rice cake.  Closer and closer the boy and ping made a splash at the mother and father came running.  And the mother said I’ll cook him tonight.  So they pulled him up by his back and up came Ping on the houseboat.  A little basket with holes came down and he cannot hear the sound of his boat.  He carefully lifted the basket off and carefully slipped Ping into the water.  And when he was back he floated and floated.  He was late AGAIN!  So he came up and SPANK on the back.  At last he was back with his uncles and 42 cousins.  The end.