Share Autumn with Us

What is your favorite autumn activity? 

Please share your favorite story, tradition, or photo with us! You can post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fall-Creek-Public-Library-Youth-Programs/58453676221 or e-mail Jenna at jgilles@fallcreekpubliclibrary.org

The top 5 will be shared via Facebook, blogpost, and our bulletin board.

You have from now through October 30 to share!

Our favorites will be posted on October 31.

Have fun and good luck :)

Gaudy Day Storytime & Up, Up and Away Storytime

Due to last week's conference, I did not get to posting last week's storytime, Gaudy Day. So today you can read all about TWO storytimes :)

October 17: Gaudy Day

Good Morning Song: Hello, How Are You

 My Dress-Up Box by DK Readers

Then I got gaudy! I put on a wig then sang "I Know an Old Lady who wore a..." I put on some awful 1980s parachute pants, mismatched socks, an awful purple robe, and a big hat. I stayed that way through most of the storytime!

I'm All Dressed by Robie H. Harris

"Shake your scarves" by Johnette Downing. Yes, we shook our scarves.

Chamelia by Ethan Long

The Clothing Chant from Ready to Go Storytimes CD - used felt pictures from clipart and we did actions similar buttoning, zipping, snapping, hooking, and tying.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

"Will you wear red, oh my dear, oh my dear? Will you wear read, Jenny Jenkins?" Started out with a red felt figure then added different clothes in different colors, including a black umbrella, so it looked like Jenny Jenkins is ready for rain.

Goodbye Songs: It is Time to Say Goodbye (& then)

Wave your elbow goodbye.

Wave your bellybutton goodbye.

Wave your nose goodbye.

Wave your ear goodbye.

Wave your foot goodbye.

Wave your chin goodbye.

Wave your hands and say, "Goodbye."

Then we played dress up - I had three boxes of hats, shirts, dresses, masks, Halloween costumes, vests, and more! Good times!

October 23: Up, Up, and Away Storytime

Goodmorning Song: Hellow, How are You? by Dr. Jean

Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nelson. I did not read it word for word due to the young audience.

Using ribbon wands, we pretended to float like balloons as I sang part of a favorite camp song of mine, Red Balloon. Words are: 

Give me a red balloon on a long black string,

I can whistle and I can sing

With my red balloon on a long black string.

I am richer than any king.

Chorus (i sang it twice in a row):

Laughs are many and tears are few.

Life's exciting and always new

In a world of girls and boys,

In a world of simple joys.

Then I repeated the first verse.

Balloons Balloons Balloons by Dee Lillegard

Then we moved to the Village Hall where we played parachute games with the balloons on the parachute.

After putting the parachute away, we danced around with our balloons while listening to The Backyardigans' "Hold On Tight" and Colleen and Uncle Squaty's "Shake it Down, Turn Around."

Goodbye Songs: It is Time to Say Goodbye (and then:)

Wave your foot goodbye.

Wave your knees goodbye.

Wave your elbow goodbye.

Wave your backside goodbye.

Wave your nose goodbye.

Wave your balloons goodbye.

Wave your hands and say "Goodbye."

Each child went home with a balloon.

Next week: Harvest Time

LEGO Club

I would like to share with you some of the favorite comments, questions, and exclamations that have occurred during LEGO Club over the past few months:

"We better get to playing."

Kid 1: "Approaching the cones...."
Kid 2: "How about we make it a pirate plane?"
Kid 1: "Naw. I don't care about that stuff. INCOMING!!!"

"Good sharing, friend!"

"Dad? Stay and build with me. I love you."

To me: "Mom doesn't have to stay." To her mom: "Go away, Mom!"

"Yeah. I know him. Wait, what's your name?"

"Bad news! We have to clean up!"

When asked his favorite thing to build: "Welllll..... I don't know. I don't really build anything. I CREATE."

During a LEGO scavenger hunt: "LOOOOK! There is a whole treasure over here! I won't take them all but you might want to hurry!"

Also during the scavenger hunt: Boy 1: "There is a LEGO on his eyeball!" Boy 2: "HAHAHA! Let's leave it on his eyeball! HAHAHA!" Adult from across the room: "Get that out of your eye!" Boy 1 and 2: "It's on a book, Mom!"

"I love LEGOS. More than pizza. No. Yes. Well, more than hamburgers."

Bring your kids down to LEGO Club for exciting adventures!

Sea Food Storytime October 10

We tried out a new feltboard approach! Using grant money, I purchased a large tan piece of felt. From now on, we will hang this over the bookshelf to make our story area less distracting and a bigger area for felt stories! It worked very well today.

Hello, How are You? by Dr. Jean

I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Then I passed out laminated pictures of the different animals in Carole Peterson's song "Sea Shell, Sea Shell" on her CD Highly Usable Music H.U.M All Year Long. As their animal came up in the song, they brought their animal to our new feltboard. Animals in the song: starfish, seahorse, angelfish, octopi, shark.

Book on CD: The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen and read by Alexander Gould

Sea Creature Guessing Game - I made up mini riddles about different sea animals. I had dye-cut sea animals on the feltboard to help them guess the animal in the riddle. The animals were: dolphin, shark, sea turtle, seahorse, octopus, starfish, fish. Once they guessed the animal correctly, I moved it off to the side.

One Giant Splash by Michael Dahl

"Octopus Song" by Charlotte Diamond on her CD 10 Carrot Diamond. First I acted the song out with pictures of animals (placing one over the other) then we danced around and acted the song out with our bodies.

A House for Hermit Crab big book by Eric Carle

It is Time to Say Goodbye by Dr. Jean

Wave goodbye with your elbow
Wave goodbye with your ankle
Wave goodbye with your shoulder
Wave goodbye with your ear
Wave goodbye with your knee
Wave goodbye with your foot
Wave your hand and say "Goodbye."

NEXT WEEK: Come dressed up in playclothes, gaudy clothes, mismatched clothes, or a costume! Jenna will be! :) If you forget or run out of time, we will have extras available for the kids to play with.

THE FOLLOWING WEEK (October 24): We will be playing with balloons, so if your child has a latex allergy PLEASE let me know!

Nature Trip Storytime October 3

Any storytime with the word "nature" in it is alright with me! There are so many excellent poems, stories, and songs one can do with such a broad topic - - LOVE it :)

Hello, How are You? by Dr. Jean

In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming

Then we listened to the song "Autumn" three times from Carole Peterson's CD, Highly Usable Music H.U.M. I passed out large cloth leaves that had been donated last year. I am glad I made extra leaves out of construction paper so us adults had some, too! As listened to the song, we made our leaves and bodies float gently to the ground.

I put Peter, Paul, and Mary's version of "All God's Critters" on while we looked at Bill Staines' picture book.







Using a feltmit and frogs, I recited this fingerplay.
5 little frogs sitting on a well.
One looked up and down he fell.
4...
3...
2...
1 little frog sitting on a well.
(LONG PAUSE as you go to grab the frog off the mitt)
He looked right.
He looked left.
He looked straight.
He looked funny (funny face).
He looked sad (sad face).
He looked excited (bounce him up and down).
He looked.........up and down he fell.

Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley

Then we danced around with scarves to Ken Lonnquist's song "Water Wheel." Some listened to the words and followed my movements while others did their own creative movements :)

If Rocks Could Sing by Leslie McGuirk

Wide-Mouthed Frog Pop-Up Book by Keith Faulkner (one of my favorites!)








It is Time to Say Goodbye by Dr. Jean

Wave your elbow goodbye
Wave your knee goodbye
Wave your foot goodbye
Wave your chin goodbye
Wave your eye goodbye
Wave your hands and say "Goodbye!"

Tomorrow, we are reading all about Sea food! :) See you then!