Purple Cow

Who is this?!? 

Come meet Purple Cow at our first Fall Storytime on Wednesday, September 12. 

Storytime for our youngest library patrons is free! Registration is not required. The doors open around 9:25M and Storytime begins at 9:30am. Storytime generally lasts 1/2 hour.

All ages and abilities are welcome to attend. If your child is not used a storytime setting, do not just come once. Many families experience a "getting used to it" time period. If your child requires a potty break or a chance to get up and move for a brief period of time, this is fine. We ask you please assist your children as needed so the storytime experience is pleasant and learner-friendly for all participants. This could mean reminders to stay seated, active participation by adults during songs, or removal from storytime if your child becomes to loud or needs a re-grouping moment. It is also helpful to remind your child about Library rules and let him or her know what to expect.

Sooo....what can you expect at Storytime? We read stories, sing songs, and interact with one another. Stories are often participatory, meaning I may have them say sounds aloud, take turns during a feltboard story, or create a picture on the white board. Musical instruments, scarves, or parachute activities are often included in our Wednesday Storytimes. (This is always my favorite part!) A planned activity or snack may also be provided. If a snack is planned,  I will announce and post it ahead of time. 

I will post more information regarding our up-coming Spectrum Night Storytimes. These will begin on the 4th Tuesday in September at 7pm and will recur the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays through November and our final one for the year on the 2nd Tuesday in December. These storytimes will be facilitated with children on the autism spectrum in mind, BUT all children are welcome. Registration will be required for each storytime and a parent or therapist will be required to attend with their child(ren). I am very excited to offer this program to our families and I hope we have a great turn-out. 

If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact Jenna at jgilles@fallcreekpubliclibrary.org or 715.877.3334. During the Fall, Jenna will typically be at the Library 130-530 on Tuesdays, Wednesday mornings until 2,  and Thursdays 130-530. 

Storytime Party August 8

Today was the last Summer 2012 Storytime. We will start back up on Wednesday, September 15 at 9:30am. Thank you to all the kids and families that came in throughout the summer. Wednesday is by far my favorite day of the week! It always starts out great with such great children!

Setlist
Hello, How are You? By Dr. Jean

Bed, Bed, Bed by They Might Be Giants - as the song played and we turned the pages, we pretended to put our heads on pillows when these words were sung, "bed, bed, bed, bed."

Dogs in Space by Nancy Coffelt

Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars (see a previous post for words)

Zoom, Rocket, Zoom by Margaret Mayo

Song with instruments: Turn the World Around by Tom Pease

Martian Rock by Carol Diggory Shields

Then we said the nursery rhyme "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick" and took turns jumping over the candlestick. Then we ran around the candlestick and then crawled under the candlestick.

Then we had our PARTY! :)

First we did a moon rock hunt. I stuck toys inside plastic eggs and then wrapped them in tin foil. I hid these moon rocks throughout the library. We got in our pretend space ships, counted down, then blasted  off to look for them. Because of unusually low numbers, each child was able to find two rocks on their hunt. After everyone found two, we opened them together to see what we could discover about the moon. Silly me, I forgot to take photos!

After they played with them briefly, we made planet cookies. Each child was given a plate with one cookie, some frosting, and a plastic knife. They could decorate their "planet" with mini chocolate chips, dried blueberries, dried cherries, and crushed Andes mints. Some children made mountains, others had flowers, and one girl said aliens lived on her planet. What fun!

Another Reading Program Come and Gone...

With 898 hours read since June 4, Fall Creek area youth shot for moon and grabbed onto the stars! 59 youth ages birth-18 actively participated in Fall Creek Public Library’s annual Summer Reading Program. By reading and recording how many hours they read or were read to, children and teens earned prizes purchased by the Library and donated by local community members and businesses.

Youth were also able to forego prizes and instead have money donated in their name to Beaver Creek Reserve Observatory. “We want to encourage kids to think about others in their community. By offering this choice, children can see how their actions positively benefit others,” said Youth Programs Coordinator, Jenna Gilles. A total of $50.00 will be donated to Beaver Creek Reserve Observatory for Kael, Aiden, and Allie Sanfelippo and Brian, Megan, and Katie Johnston. Thank you, friends, for thinking of BCR :)

This summer’s Top Readers read 504 hours, which is over half the total hours read by all participants!  Top Readers are: 

In Birth - 4K group: Eliana P with 57 hours.

In Kindergarten-11 group: Kael S. with 46 hours, Aiden S. with 104 hours, and Olivia F. with 167 hours. 

In our eldest age group: Mayachel S. with 23 hours, Sophie K. with 51 hours, and Jamie P. with 56 hours.

A huge congratulations to all our readers and read-to-ers and a great big “thank you!” to our numerous sponsors and donors.

Frosting Nose!

Jamie making planet cookies with Trax

August 1: Things that Go Bump in the Night

Our storytime today focused on many different sounds that we might not know.

Welcome Song: Hello, How are You? by Dr. Jean

Floop in the Dark by Carole Tremblay

Full Moon Walk by Brady Rymer on his CD Every Day is a Birthday - we used shakers

Eak! Creek! by Rhonda Gowler Greene

Monster Under the Bed Poem
Monster, monster under the bed
(cup hands around mouth and shout) You should go somewhere else instead!
(shake finger) Go, Monster, go!
(stamp feet slowly) Go, monster, go!
(stamp faster and louder) Go, Monster, go!
(faster! louder!) Go, Monster, goooo!

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson

Game: Shadow Guessing Game. I printed out pictures of different objects (football, lamp, slide, kitty, hammer, potted plant, etc.) and cut out their shadows. The kids guessed what they thought the shadows were and then I showed them the real picture. They did REALLY well!

Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson

We then sang "Sally Go Round the Sun: again. I had the lights turned off in one section of the library and set up a glowstick sun/moon. We did the song and went around the sun/moon. Afterwards, each child was able to take home a glowstick.

Next week: Your well-earned Storytime Party! Plan to be here a little longer than a typical storytime for an extra game and snack!