The story of Katy No Pocket is a delightful, amusing story about a kangaroo. In the story, Katy discovers she needs a pouch (pocket) to carry her baby, because she doesn't have one. She asks all the other animals how they carry their babies and tries it their way, which doesn't work. A wise owl sends her to the city to get one and a kind carpenter gives her an apron with many pockets. She uses her new pockets to not only carry her own baby but all the other babies too.

There is a treasure trove of learning packed into this little book and many resources available to use with your child(ren).

Here are some ideas:

Discuss how different animal mommies carry their babies. To view pictures of mommies with babies, click on each: New Zealand Grebe, Ring-tailed Lemurs, Sea Otter, Turtle, Flying Fox Fruit Bat, Lion, Chimpanzee, and Trumpeter Swan.

Letter activities: Walk around your home, a park or a zoo and see how many things you can find that begin with the letter "K"! Also, here is a fun "K" worksheet to print: K is for Kangaroo or download and print an entire ABC's coloring book. With the coloring book, match not just Kangaroo with K but see what other things you can match to their corresponding letters (such as P for pocket!)

Here are other fun printables for you to use with the book:
Animal Flash Cards (Fun to use and classify)
Katy No Pocket Lapbook  (Click here to preview the lapbook before you download!)
Match the Tools matching cards
Animal Homes matching cards
Kangaroo coloring page
Kangaroo writing paper
Kangaroo lacing card*

*Lacing card instructions: Lacing is an excellent activity for developing fine motor skills, improving hand-eye coordination and concentration, and keeping little kids happily amused! Print and cut the lacing card onto card or good printer paper. Laminate, and cut carefully around the edge. Using a single hole punch, punch holes evenly around the edges, just inside the solid line, following the shape as much or as little as is appropriate for the age of your child: bear in mind that younger children might need a simplified outline, while older children will be able to lace a more complicated design. Use a shoe lace or lengths of colored yarn (wool) with the ends strengthened either with sticky tape or white glue (PVA) to thread the shapes. Older children can use a large-eyed blunt needle and length of yarn.

Going Local for more fun with Katy No Pocket: Plan a trip to a local wildlife center or zoo. See how many animals in the story you can find at the center/zoo! For information about hours and admission price for the Denver Zoo, go to: DenverZoo.org

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