Be Noisy in the Library: Fun Sound Effect Puzzles!

“Shh. We’re in the library! You need to be quiet!”

Ever hear that line? My room is probably one of the noisiest in the the school. We laugh and groan at stories, sometimes chant (or SHOUT) the repetitive story lines, march around the room, activate all kinds of bells and gongs on the Smart Board, playing educational games, whistle the Jeopardy theme, clatter marbles down a STEM maze.

You might think puzzles are a nice, quiet table activity for the library. Not these puzzles!

My kindergartners, including students with special needs, love these Melissa and Doug sound puzzles. Some of them make the sounds of different animals, as the pieces are fitted into place. Others make the sounds of transportation vehicles. Most have individual pieces, each of which makes its own sound. One or two puzzles make a sound at the end, when all the pieces are in place. You haven’t lived until the sound of a clanging fire engine or roaring locomotive starts emanating from the library!

Sometimes I have the students work in small groups to place the puzzle pieces. Other times, I hide the puzzle in a box and have them guess what animal is making the sound. One day, I was carrying the puzzles down to a classroom and my tote bag started whinnying, mooing, baaing, and oinking, as the pieces got jostled around. “Shh. We’re in the hallway!” But go ahead and be noisy in the library!

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