Storytime and Social Hour are Back! Today: Animals

We re-opened storytime and social hour with animals. We talked a bit about the new Storybook Trail at Beaver Creek Reserve, which inspired many of the social hour activities after storytime.

New Welcome Song: (adapted from JBrary found here)
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together the happier we'll be.
For your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends.
The more we get together the happier we'll be.

The more we read together, together, together
The more we read together the happier we'll be.
Read big books and small books read short books and tall books
The more we read together the happier we'll be.

The more we sit together, together, together
The more we sit together the happier we'll be.
Sit down with your friends and stay til the end
The more we sit together the happier we'll be.

Book: What to Do if an Elephant Stands on Your Foot

Song with shaker eggs: Laurie Berkner's "I Know a Chicken"


















Book: Little Mouse by Alison Murray

Fingerplay/Song: 5 Jungle Monkeys by Colleen and Uncle Squaty













Book: The Big Wide-Mouthed Frog by Ana Martin Larranaga

Song: I can sound Like ...
(using my tree see in picture... i rotate the animal by spinning the circle)

Goodbye Song: You Are My Sunshine (adapted from the traditional)
NEW! I'M PLAYING MY UKE WHILE WE SING THE SONG!!
You are my sunshine my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.

You are all special so very special.
You're growing up every day.
You're learning lots and making friends.
Please come back again to play.

(We ran out of time for The Busy Tree.)

Social Hour Activities:

Follow the Animal Tracks - I taped animal footprints down, starting from the same table. Follow the tracks to see which animal left them.

Pretend to be an animal and read books about animals together...or check them out.

Pretend to be an animal who burrows underground.


















Next Week: Being Brave and a special visit from Family Resource Center Playgroup Coordinator, Sharon Ivers!

Remember, all ages and abilities are welcome at Storytime and Social Hour. We look forward to meeting you!

Amazing Animals!

Storytime is back! Playgroup is back! I was actually, factually skipping around the house yesterday morning because I was so excited! Our theme for the week was "amazing animals" or animals who are heroes in one way or another. We borrowed the Large Motor Kit and the Build It Kit from IFLS.

Welcome Song: Hello Friends (tune of Goodnight Ladies) - found on this website

















Book: Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb
(because a good friend is a hero)

Fingerplay: (introduction:) I know a story about a small guy who learned how to face his fears and be his OWN hero. I bet you know the story, too.. Can we sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider together?

Book: Domino by Claire Masurel








Movement Activity with shaker eggs: Animal Eggs Shaker Song (made up by ME!)

Book: Little Pink Pup














Interactive Story: Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman - We had pre-cut chicken finger puppets (no...not chicken fingers. finger puppets) and whenever I read "Chickens to the rescue!" they joined in and held up their puppets. During playgroup, they had the option to color them before taking the puppets home.














Poem: Flying Cows (i had them guess "What kind of gas made
them fly?" and then we talked about the last two lines)

Goodbye Song: Tickle the clouds - also from this website

(standby book was A Sick Day for Amos McGee)

Playgroup Activity: color your finger puppet

Playgroup activity: water play - wash plastic animals

Playgroup activity: bristle blocks and clear stackers

Playgroup Activity: put on animal masks and look at books with an adult (or on your own)

Mice Are Nice Storytime - April 1

No April Fools today... just some cute little mice.

Good Morning Song

Book: I Miss You Mouse by Greg Foley













Felt/Fingerplay: 10 Little Mice











Book: The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

Song: The Old Gray Cat (from Very Ready Reading Program manual)
The old gray cat is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.
The old gray cat is sleeping in the house.
The little mice are creeping, creeping, creeping.
The little mice are creeping through the house.
The old gray cat is waking, waking, waking.
The old gray cat is waking in the house.
The old gray cat is chasing, chasing, chasing.
The old gray cat is chasing through the house.
All the mice are squealing, squealing, squealing.
All the mice are squealing through the house.

Felt story: Adapted from Little Mouse's Big Secret - I handed out the animals (except the mouse) and then I told the story. The children quickly caught on to "It's my secret and I'll never tell."








Book: Mouse Paint

Song: 3 White Mice (also from Very Ready Reading Program Manual)
(tune of 3 Blind Mice)
3 white mice, 3 white mic,
See how they dance, see how they dance.
They danced around for the farmer's wife.
Who played for them on a silver fife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life
As 3 white mice?

Goodbye Songs and Bubbles.

For storytime, I left Little Mouse's Big Secret out. We also did chalk+water drawing. I also made felt play of Mouse Count - 10 mice, a snake, and a cup as props that they could play with and tell the story with their caregivers.

 Next Week: Feelings!

Birds Storytime - March 11

Thanks to Indianhead Federated Library System for the use of the birds kit.

Welcome Song - we used some shakers, also borrowed from IFLS. Instead of placing our hands on different parts of our body, we shook the instruments near them.











Book: 5 Little Ducks by Raffi












Puppets: 3 Little Birds - I used the adorable and soft nest & bird puppet. The poem/fingerplay is my own creation.

Movement: I'm a Duck - we practiced the actions then sang the song a few times.

Book: Henny Penny by Jane Wattenberg

Movement: This is the Way. . . I turned it into a sort of "Workin On the Railroad" type of song.

Book: Shhh! We have a Plan by Chris Haughton

Poem: Birdseed by Brod Bagert

Goodbye Song & Bubbles










For playgroup, we made birds by spreading paint around with a fork. SUPER CUTE. I saw the idea here. They did the painting and google eyes here and I told them they could create more details at home, like a beak or feet or a nest.

I also set out some tile letters, the birds & next puppets, and the finger mitt for 5 Little Ducks.

Next Week: Barnyard Tales!

Dogs Storytime

Due to time constraints, no photos today. My apologies.

I again borrowed a kit from IFLS. The BINGO mitt and dogs puppets are in it, along with many other items we did not have time to use.

Welcome Song (YAY! We were able to hear and sing along with my computer. Thank you, again, families for your patience as I searched for my extension cord.)

Book: Time for Bed, Fred by Yasmeen Ismail

Fingerplay: BINGO on hand mitt, which was available for kids to play with during Playgroup

Book: Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

Movement Activity: Let's learn dog tricks! I used the die cut machine at LE Phillips Library to cut out dog shapes. On each dog, I wrote a different dog trick. The kids took turns drawing a dog from the bucket and we all practiced that trick. Examples: lay down, play dead, sit, shake, beg, bark, howl, roll over....

Book: Oh My Gosh, Mrs. McNosh

Goodbye songs and Bubbles

During playgroup, the mitt and dog puppets were available. The Pizza Parlor, Jack & the Beanstalk activity, and dollhouse have been incredibly popular so I did not get any other new activities out for today.

Next time: Black & White Storytime! Come play shadow puppets during Playgroup!

Storytime February 11 - Caldecott Winners & Honors ONLY!

Today we focused solely on children's book that have received a Caldecott award or honorable mention. It was fun thinking up different activities to go along with the books, too! Again, I had the "how many people are there?" white board.






Welcome Song:  Moving Hands from Very Ready Reading Program

Book: First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

 Song: I got out the fishsticks... I mean fish on sticks... And we danced to part of Fish in the Sea by Dana McCarthy. We listened to the same part a few different times, making the fish do different fishy sounds and movements.

Book: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

Then we acted out Stone Soup. Each kid was given two different items for the pot. I ripped up paper for water and milk.

Book: Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

I ran out of time for a Song of the Boatman poem, which I thought might happen so that's okay.

Then we did our goodbye songs and bubbles.

For playgroup, I had the voting board, draw/tell yourself in a story (like in Interrupting Chicken), and the number pebbles.

 Next Week: Zoo Animals!

Congrats to this year's Caldecott Winner!!!