December 28, 2016 Story Time - Winter


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















When Winter Comes  by Nancy Van Laan*
Boot Weather  by Judith Vigna
Baby Bear Counts One  by Ashley Wolff*
Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit - A Book of Changing Seasons  by Il Sung Na*
I see Winter  by Charles Ghigna*
Lionel in the Winter  by Stephen Krensky
Winter  by Ann Herriges

For our craft we made this:
https://goo.gl/MUne5V

Extra activities:
We talked about what we like to do in the winter: play in the snow, go sledding, make snowmen, make snow angels, catch snow flakes on our tongues, etc

Ten Little Snowmen
One little, two little, three little snowmen
four little, five little, six little snowmen
seven little, eight little, nine little snowmen
ten little snowmen standing in the snow

December 21, 2016 Story Time - Santa


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read

















Shhh!  by Julie Sykes*
Santa is coming to Missouri  by Steve Smallman
Word Bird's Christmas Words  by Jane Belk Moncure*
Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho!  by Doreen Cronin*
Santa's Busy Night  by Michael Rex*
Pete the Cat Saves Christmas  by Eric Litwin*

For our craft we made a paper bag santa with this pattern:
https://goo.gl/5keO8V

Extra activities:
Old St. Nicholas
Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho
and on his tree he had some horns
ho, ho, ho, ho, ho
with a honk, honk here
and a honk, honk there
here a honk, there a honk
everywhere a honk, honk
old St. Nicholas had a tree
ho, ho, ho, ho, ho

repeat verses with:
had some drums, (with a boom, boom)
had some candy canes (with a yum, yum)
had some lights (with a flash, flash)
had some stars (with a twinkle, twinkle)

December 14, 2016 Story Time - Reindeer


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  by Barbara Shook Hazen (adapted from the story by Robert L. May)*
Rudolph's Bag of Toys*
Caribou and Reindeer Too  by Joyce L. Markovics
Uncles and Antlers  by Lisa Wheeler
Rudolph's Christmas Party!  by Mary Man-Kong*
Olive the Other Reindeer  by J. Otto Siebold
Rudolph Shines Again  by Robert L. May

For our craft we made a reindeer ornament like this one:
https://goo.gl/tTOaQj

Extra activities:
We sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Little Reindeer
One little, two little, three little reindeer
four little, five little, six little reindeer
seven little, eight little, nine little reindeer
ten little reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh
(then we counted back down to none)

Call Rudolph
Eight little reindeer pulling Santa's sled
one fell down and bumped his head
the elves called Santa and Santa said
"can seven little reindeer pull my sled?"

seven little reindeer.....
six little reindeer.....
five little reindeer....
four little reindeer....
three little reindeer....
two little reindeer.....

One little reindeer pulling Santa's sled
he fell down and bumped his head
the elves called Santa and Santa said
"Call Rudolph!"



December 7, 2016 Story Time - Sweet Stories


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















If You Give A Cat A Cupcake  by Laura Numeroff*
The Christmas Gingerbread Man  by Nancy Parent
The Gingerbread Man  by Mairi Mackinnon*
Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast  by Josh Funk
Eight Animals Bake a Cake  by Susan Middleton Elya*
If You Give A Mouse A Brownie  by Laura Numeroff*
If You Give A Dog A Donut  by Laura Numeroff

For our craft we colored and decorated a cupcake like this one, then taped it to a craft stick

















Extra activities

Pat-a-cake
pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker's man
bake me a cake as fast as you can
roll it
and pat it
and mark it with a "B"
and put it in the oven for baby and me

Ten little cupcakes
one little, two little, three little cupcakes
four little, five little, six little cupcakes
seven little, eight little, nine little cupcakes
ten little cupcakes for us to eat

November 30, 2016 Story Time - Miss Patty's Favorite Books


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Who Has This Tail?  by Larua Hulbert*
Who's in the Tub?  by Sylvie Jones
Whose Eye Am I?  by Shelley Rotner*
Whoo Goes There?  by Jennifer A. Ericsson
Who Has These Feet?  by Laura Hulbert*

This is what we made for our craft:
https://goo.gl/FQRIkJ

Extra activities:

We played a game of "whose feet are these?" I had the heads of different animals and the children had to match the correct feet to each animal

Hands on Shoulders
Hands on shoulders, hands on knees
hands behind you if you please
touch your shoulders, now your nose
now your chin and now your toes
hands up high in the sir
down at your sides and touch your hair
hands up high as before
now clap your hands-one, two, three, four

November 23, 2016 Story Time - Miss Patty's Favorite Books


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Open This Little Book  by Jesse Klausmeier*
Is That WISE Pig?  by Jan Thomas*
Open Very Carefully-A Book With Bite  by Nicola O'Byrne*
That Is NOT a Good Idea!  by Mo Willems*
Do Not Open This Book!  by Adam Lehrhaupt*

For our craft we made a picture like this:
https://goo.gl/AgYOSr

Extra activities:
The books we read had both alligators and crocodiles in them so we talked about the differences, like:

  • crocodiles have longer, more V-shaped heads and alligators have shorter, wider U-shaped ones
  • crocodiles are better adapted to living in seawater, where alligators favor fresh water
  • crocodiles are more aggressive than alligators
  • crocodiles tend to have a lighter appearance and alligators a darker one
  • crocodiles in the wild are found all over the world, while alligators are only found in the US and China
Crocodile, crocodile (suit actions to words)
Crocodile, crocodile turn around
crocodile, crocodile touch the ground
crocodile, crocodile dance on your toes
crocodile, crocodile touch your nose
crocodile, crocodile jump up now
crocodile, crocodile take a bow
crocodile, crocodile stomp your feet
crocodile, crocodile take a seat

November 16, 2016 Story Time - Miss Patty's Favorite Books


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read


















Magic Opposites  by Patrick George*
Magic Colors  by Patrick George*
Press Here  by Herve Tullet*

For our craft we made an opposite picture with images of day time things (sun, rainbow, ladybug,etc) on one side and night time things (star, planet, moon, etc) on the other.

Extra activities:
Opposite game (magnetic board)
We played a game where everyone got a chance to place a picture under the HOT or COLD signs


November 9, 2016 Story Time - Miss Patty's Favorite Books


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















The Croaky Pokey!  by Ethan Long*
AH HA!  by Jeff Mack*
Frog on a Log?  by Kes Gray & Jim Field*
The Frog Who Lost His Underpants  by Juliette MacIver

For our craft we made a picture like this one:













We glued a green lily pad to blue paper, colored and added a frog, then glued on a yarn tongue to catch our flies


Extra activities
As we read "The Croaky Pokey!" by Ethan Long we did the dance described in the story and it went like this:
Put your right hand in,
put your right hand out,
put your right hand in,
and wave it all about,
hop the croaky pokey
as we chase a fly around,
right in the froggy's mouth! (CLAP)

Other verses:
left hand, right foot, left foot, head, backside, your whole self






November 2, 2016 Story Time - Miss Patty's Favorite Books


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















The Itsy Bitsy Spider  by Iza Trapani*
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes  by Jeannie Winston*
If You're Happy And You Know It-Jungle Edition  by James Warhola*
Wheels on the Bus  by Raffi*
Clap Your Hands  by Lorinda Bryan Cauley*

The bus we made for our craft can be found here:
https://goo.gl/2fACBw
https://goo.gl/3mEgs0





















Extra activities
After we read each book we also sang the songs

Itsy Bitsy Spider
https://goo.gl/z1mMcU

If You're Happy and You Know It
https://goo.gl/ZdXkQ6

Wheels on the Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round,
round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all through the town

The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish,
all through the town

The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep,
all through the town

The Driver on the bus says "Move on back,
move on back, move on back;"
The Driver on the bus says "Move on back",
all through the town

The baby on the bus says "Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah".
The baby on the bus says "Wah, wah, wah",
all through the town

The mommy on the bus says "Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush."
The mommy on the bus says "Shush, shush, shush"
all through the town








October 26, 2016 Story Time - Halloween


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Moonlight The Halloween Cat  by Cynthia Rylant*
Monster Parade  by Shana Corey*
Shivery Shades of Halloween A Spooky Book of Colors  by Mary McKenna Siddals*
Click, Clack, Boo! A Tricky Treat  by Doreen Cronin*
EEK! Halloween!  by Sandra Boynton*

For our craft we made a ghost by covering a Tootsie Pop with a paper towel, tying yarn around it and drawing a spooky face with a marker

Extra activities
After the children went trick or treating around the library, we listened to Halloween music and played games like ghost darts and pumpkin bowling

October 19, 2016 Story Time - Pumpkins


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean*
Pumpkin Heads!  by Wendell Minor
The Pumpkin Man  by Judith Moffatt
Grow a Pumpkin Pie!  by Jane E. Gerver*
From Seed to Pumpkin  by Wendy Pfeffer
Pumpkin Patch Puppy  by Danielle Denega
I Like Pumpkins  by Jerry Smath*
The Pumpkin Patch  by Margaret McNamara
Ten Orange Pumpkins a Counting Book  by Stephen Savage*
Fall Pumpkins Orange and Plump  by Martha E.H. Rustad
Five Little Pumpkins  by Iris Van Rynbach

For our craft we drew a face on a paper pumpkin, rubbed it with a glue stick, taped it to a craft stick and sprinkled it with pumpkin pie spice

Everyone decorated a small pumpkin with markers

Extra activities
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
the first one said "My it's getting late"
the second one said "There are witches in the air"
the third one said "But we don't care"
the fourth one said "Let's run and run and run"
the fifth one said "I'm ready for some fun!"
Then ooohh went the wind
and out went the lights
and the five little pumpkins
rolled out of sight

We talked about how pumpkins can be different shapes, colors and textures

October 12, 2016 Story Time - Autumn/Fall


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Peppa's Windy Fall Day  by Barbara Winthrop*
Tractor Mac, Harvest Time  by Billy Steers
Fall Leaves  by Loretta Holland
My Autumn Book  by Wong Herbert Yee*
What Happens to Leaves in Fall?  by Rebecca Felix
Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: a Fall Harvest of Shapes  by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky
I See Fall  by Charles Ghigna*

For our craft we decorated a small paper bag, then glued leaf shapes on it. We then went outside on a hunt for fall items to put in our bags, like; acorns, walnuts, leaves, flower buds, etc

Extra activities
Fall
Autumn winds begin to blow (wave hands in the air)
colored leaves fall fast & slow (wiggle fingers)
twirling, whirling all around (spin around)
until at last they touch the ground (sit back down)

October 5, 2016 Stoy Time - Missouri Building Block Books Story Time


This month we will be reading the Missouri Building Block Books for 2016-2017 and voting on which book we liked the best.

If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read







Bunnies!!!*
by Kevan Atteberry















The Whale In My Swimming Pool*
by Joyce Wan











For our craft we decorated a paper plate (that had a slit in it) to look like the ocean. Then we colored a small whale and glued it to a craft stick. The children could then slip the whale through the slit in the paper plate to make it look like their whale was swimming in the sea.

Extra activities
Animals in the Sea (sung to "Farmer in the Dell")
The whales live in the sea
the whales live in the sea
heigh-ho, watch them blow
the whales live in the sea
The crabs live in the sea
the crabs live in the sea
heigh-ho, they scurry so
the crabs live in the sea
The octopus lives in the sea
the octopus lives in the sea
heigh-ho, they live in holes
the octopus lives in the sea
The sharks live in the sea
the sharks live in the sea
heigh-ho, watch them go
the sharks live in the sea

"Did You Ever See a Bunny"
Did you ever see a bunny, a bunny, a bunny
did you ever see a bunny, that hops so s-l-o-w?
he hops and hops and hops and hops
did you ever see a bunny that hops so s-l-o-w?
More verses:
that hops so fast
that hops backwards
that hops on one foot...

Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - Missouri Building Block Books Story Time


This month we will be reading the Missouri Building Block Books for 2016-2017 and voting on which book we liked the best.

If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read







I Don't Want To Be A Frog*
by Dev Petty
1 vote

















Ragweed's Farm Dog Handbook*
(Learn from the best!)
by Anne Vittur Kennedy
1 vote














Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups*
by Tadgh Bentley
4 votes










For our craft we made a Square Penguin like this one:











One 8.5"x9" piece of black construction paper for the body
One 6"x9" piece of white construction paper for the belly
One 2.5"x6" piece of black for the flippers
Two 2"x2" white squares and two 1"x1" black squares for the eyes
One 3"x3" orange square for the feet
and one 2"x2" orange square for the beak

To assemble:

1. Glue the white paper over the black paper to make the body.
2. Cut the 2.5"x6" piece of black in half to make two triangles for the flippers. Glue them behind the body so that the point sticks out.
3. Cut the white and black squares into circles by trimming the corners, and glue them down for eyes.
4. Trim the corners of the 3"x3" orange square and cut in half for the feet. Glue down at the bottom.
Cut the 2"x2" square in a v-shape to make the beak and glue down.

Extra activities:
Five Little Froggies
Five little froggies sat on a shore
one went for a swim, then there were four
four little froggies looked happy as can be
one went swimming, and then there were three
three little froggies said "What can we do?"
one jumped in the water, and then there were two
two little froggies sat in the sun
one swam off, and then there was one
one little froggie said "This is no fun!"
he dived in the water, and then there were none

What Do the Farm Animals Say? (sung to "What Does the Fox Say?")
What does the cat say?  meow, meow, meow
what does the dog say?  bow-wow, bow-wow
what does the donkey say?  hee-haw, hee-haw
what does the bird say?  tweet, tweet
what does the cow say?  moo, moo, moo
what does the rooster say?  cock-a-doodle-do!

Two Little Penguins
Two little penguins sitting on a hill
one named Jack and one named Jill
waddle away Jack, waddle away Jill
come back Jack, come back Jill

Movement activity: Egg challenge
We talked about how both male and female penguins cradle their eggs between their upturned toes and their featherless bellies to keep them warm. I passed out plastic easter eggs and asked the children to try to balance an egg on their feet; then had them try to walk with the eggs on their feet





Wednesday, September 14, 2016 Missouri Building Block Books Story Time



This month we will be reading the Missouri Building Block Books nominated for 2016-2017 and voting on which book we liked the best.

If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read








Dad's First Day*
by  Mike Wohnoutka
11 votes
















Vincent Paints His House*
by  Tedd Arnold
6 votes







For our craft we designed new animals by matching different head and tails, then coloring them and gluing them together on a piece of paper.

Extra activities

Little Mouse, Little mouse
We played a game where the children had to guess which colored house my little mouse was hiding behind. I had a red, blue, green, orange, pink, purple and yellow house which I hid the mouse behind while the children closed their eyes. Everyone got to guess which house the little mouse was hiding behind while we sang, "Little mouse, little mouse, are you in the (guess color) house?












Wednesday, September 7, 2016 - Missouri Building Block Books Story Time


This month we will be reading the Missouri Building block Books nominated for 2016-2017 and voting on which book we liked the best.

If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read








Get Out of My Bath!*
by  Britta Teckentrup
7 votes














Rex Wrecks It!*
by  Ben Clanton
5 votes











Simon's New Bed*
by Christian Trimmer
2 votes







For our craft we colored a Brachiosaurus (kind of like this one) then attached his legs with a braid so they could move

Image result for dinosaur craft with movable legs











Extra activities:

Five Little Puppies
Five little puppies were playing in the sun
this one saw a rabbit, and he began to run
this one saw a butterfly, and he began to race
this one saw a pussy cat, and he began to chase
this one tried to catch his tail, and he went round and round
this one was so quiet, he never made a sound

Five Fat & Funny Dinosaurs
Five fat & funny dinosaurs letting out a roar
one went away, and then there were four
four fat & funny dinosaurs munching on a tree
one went away, and then there were three
three fat & funny dinosaurs eating tiger stew
one went away, and then there were two
two fat & funny dinosaurs dinner was all done
one went away, and then there was one
one fat & funny dinosaur being alone was not much fun
he went away, and then there were none!

August 31, 2016 Story Time - Opposites


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read


















Magic Opposites  by Patrick George*
Some Birds  by Matt Spink
Opposites  by Sandra Boynton*
You and Me: We're Opposites  by Harriet Ziefert
My First Look at Sizes  by Jane Yorke*
A Book of Opposites  by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
What's Up, Bear? A Book About Opposites  by Frieda Wishinsky*
The Opposite Zoo  by Il Sung Na

For our craft we colored a happy face and a sad face then glued them to a craft stick to make a puppet

Extra activities
This is big
This is big, big, big (stretch hands far out)
this is small, small, small (cup hands together)
this is short, short, short (hold palms close vertically)
this is tall, tall, tall (hold palms far apart vertically)
this is fast, fast, fast (roll hands quickly)
this is slow, slow,slow (roll hands slowly)
this is yes, yes, yes, (nod head)
this is no, no, no (shake head)

August 24, 2016 Story Time - Shapes


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Shapes Are Everywhere  by Charles Ghigna*
Go Shapes Go!  by Denise Fleming
Round and Square  by Miriam Schlein
10 Little Fish  by Harriet Ziefert
Spots in a Box  by Helen Ward*
Shapes  by Sara Pistoia
Friendshape  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Shape by Shape  by Suse MacDonald*
Shape Shift  by Joyce Hesselberth
Perfect Square  by Michael Hall*
All Year Round  by Susan B. Katz

For our craft we used different shapes and glued them on paper to make a clown. A circle for his face, stars for his eyes, and a crescent for his mouth. Then for his hat we used a rectangle, a triangle and a circle.

Extra activities:

What Shape is This?
(sung to "The Muffin Man")
Do you know what shape this is,
what shape this is, what shape this is,
do you know what shape this is,
I'm holding in my hand?
(I held up shapes and the children had to guess what shape I was holding and what color the shape was. I used a yellow circle, blue rectangle, pink star, purple diamond, red oval, green square and an orange triangle)




August 17, 2016 Story Time - Counting & Numbers


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Ten in the Den  by John Butler*
Two at the Zoo-A Counting Book  by Danna Smith
Ones and Twos  by Marthe & Nell Jocelyn
Ten Hungry Pigs  by Derek Anderson*
1..2 Buckle My Shoe  by Anna Grossnickle Hines
My First Look at Numbers  by Jane Yorke*
One Tractor-A Counting Book  by Alexandra Siy
Fish Eyes-A Book You Can Count On  by Lois Ehlert
One Two That's My Shoe!  by Alison Murray*
Ten Pigs-An Epic Bath Adventure  by Derek Anderson
Steam Train, Dream Train 1-2-3  by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld
1-2-3 Peas  by Keith Baker
One Big Pair of Underwear  by Laura Gehl
Ten in the Bed  by Jane Cabrera

For our craft we made this:
http://goo.gl/G0AGdy

Extra activities
We played a number guessing game and counted forward up to 10 then down again

Song-
One, two, buckle my shoe
three, four, shut the door
five, six, pick up sticks
seven, eight, lay them straight
nine, ten, a big fat hen

Ten in the Bed
There were ten in the bed, and the little one said "roll over, roll over"
so they all rolled over and one fell out
there were nine in the bed, and the little one said "roll over, roll over"
so they all rolled over and one fell out.....
(repeat until you reach one; then sing there was one in the bed and the little one said "good night!"


August 10, 2016 Story Time - Colors


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















A Book of Colors Butterfly Butterfly  by Petr Horacek*
Colors  by Nina Filipek
The Deep Blue Sea-A Book of Colors  by Audrey Wood*
The Red Hen  by Rebecca Emberley
Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color  by Julia Denos
Red: A Crayon's Story  by Michael Hall
My First Look At Colors  by Jane Yorke*
The Day the Crayons Came Home  by Drew Daywalt
Lemons Are NOT Red  by Laura Vaccaro Seeger*

For our craft we colored a cat like this, then taped on a stick to make it a puppet













Extra activities:
Find the color (sung to the muffin man)
Oh, can you find the color blue
the color blue, the color blue
oh, can you find the color blue
somewhere in this room?

The Color That I See
Blue, blue is the color that I see
if you are wearing blue, then show it to me!
stand up! turn around!
show me your blue and sit back down!
(add more colors like; red, yellow, green orange, etc)

Scat the Cat
Once upon a time there was a little black cat and his name was Scat the Cat (put up black cat).
One day he looked around and noticed that there were so many beautiful colors and he wanted to be a different color too! so he said:
"I'm Scat the Cat. I'm sassy and fat and I can change my color just like that"! (take black cat down and clap your hands)

All of a sudden he was green (put up green cat) like the trees and the grass (ask children what other things are green). He went out to play with his friends but they couldn't see him. He was so sad and decided he didn't want to be green anymore, so he said:
"I'm Scat the Cat. I'm sassy and fat and I can change my color just like that! (take green cat down and clap your hands)

All of a sudden he was blue (put blue cat up) like the water and sky (ask children what other things are blue). He walked to the lake to look in the water but he fell in! He couldn't swim but his friend Timothy Turtle found him and carried him back to shore. Scat was very sad and decided he didn't want to be blue anymore, so he said:
"I'm Scat the Cat. I'm sassy and fat and I can change my color just like that! (take blue cat down and clap your hands)

All of a sudden Scat was yellow (put yellow cat up) like the sun! (ask the children what other things are yellow). He walked into the jungle and came across Leo the Lion who roared "I'm the only one who is yellow in this jungle!" Scat was so afraid he decided he didn't want to be yellow any more so he said:
I"m Scat the Cat. I'm sassy and fat and I can change my color just like that!" (take yellow cat down and clap your hands)

All of a sudden Scat was red (put up red cat) like an apple. (ask the children what other things are red). He went to play with his friends but they laughed at him. After all, who ever heard of a red cat?
Scat was very sad and decided he didn't want to be red anymore, so he said:
"I'm Scat the Cat. I'm sassy and fat and I can change my color just like that!" (take red cat down and clap your hands)

I don't want to be red, I don't want to be yellow, I don't want to be blue and I don't want to be green. I want to be Scat the black cat again
Scat changed back to black (put black cat up) and was happy just being himself

August 3, 2016 Story Time - Alphabet (ABC's)


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Sleepy ABC  by Margaret Wise Brown*
Apple Pie ABC  by Alison Murray
ABC School's for Me!  by Susan B. Katz*
All the Awake Animals are Almost Asleep  by Crescent Dragonwagon
Square Cat ABC  by Elizabeth Schoonmaker*
Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First  by Alethea Kontis*
ABCs on Wheels  by Ramon Olivera

For our craft we made a picture like this one:
 http://goo.gl/TBFZiF

Extra activities
The Alphabet Song
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
H, I, J, K,
L, M, N, O, P,
Q, R, S,
T, U, V,
W, X,
Y and Z
now I know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me

We talked about words that start with the letter "U" like: umbrella, up, under, underwear, etc.

We played "Thumbs Up" a game about words that start with the letter "U". If I said a word that started with "U" the children gave me a thumbs up; if I said a word that didn't start with the letter "U" they gave me a thumbs down

July 27, 2016 Story Time - Sea Turtles


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did

*marks the books we read




















Sea Turtle  by Anders Hanson*
Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!  April Pulley Sayre
Turtle in the Sea  by Jim Arnosky
Sea Turtles  by Martha E. H. Rustad*
Sea Turtle Journey-The Story of a Loggerhead Turtle  by Lorraine A. Jay*
Under the Sea  by Fiona Patchett*

For our craft we made a CD turtle like this:
http://goo.gl/Yy8NLc

Extra activities

We talked about sea turtles; where they live, what they eat, etc

This is My Turtle
This is my turtle (make fist)
she lives in a shell
she likes her home very well
she pokes her head out (stick out your thumb)
when she wants to eat
and pulls it back in (tuck thumb in)
when she wants to sleep

July 20, 2016 Story Time - Fish


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Hooray for Fish!  by Lucy Cousins*
A School of Fish  by Alex Kuskowski*
Starfish by Edith Thacher Hurd
Fish  by Karen Perez
Rain Fish  by Lois Ehlert*
How to Catch a Fish  by John Frank
Sea Stars  by Ryan Nagelhout
Discovering Starfish  by Lorijo Metz
Oceans Alive - Sea Stars  by Ann Herriges*
Secret Seahorse  by Stella Blackstone
Fish Had a Wish  by Michael Garland

For our craft we made starfish necklaces like the one here:
http://goo.gl/E0ELcU

Extra activities:

We talked about fish, where they live, what they eat, etc

Five Little Fish
One little fishy swimming in the ocean blue
here comes another one, then there were two
two little fishies swimming in the sea
here comes another one, then there were three
three little fishies swimming near the shore
here comes another one, then there were four
four little fishies getting ready to dive
here comes another one and now there are five
here comes a shark, looking for some fun
look out little fishies and away then run

Five Little Fishies
Five little fish swimming by the shore
one got caught, now there are four
four little fish swimming in the sea
one got caught, now there are three
three little fish swimming in the blue
one got caught, now there are two
two little fish swimming in the sun
one got caught, now there's only one
one little fish swimming straight for home
he decided it was better not to roam

July 13, 2016 Story Time - Dolphins


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















A Day in the Life: Sea Animals Dolphin  by Louise Spilsbury*
The Curious Little Dolphin  by Patricia Jensen
Dolphins  by Martha E. H. Rustad
Whales and Dolphins  by Peter & Connie Roop*
Dolphin Dive  by James Buckley, Jr.
A Pod of Dolphins  by Matthew Fenner*
Diving Dolphins  by Karen Wallace

For our craft we made a picture like this one:
http://goo.gl/wihiFw

Extra activities:

We talked about dolphins; where they live, what they eat, what they look like, etc.

We watched a video about dolphins:
https://goo.gl/2gwbU4

July 6, 2016 Story Time - Octopuses


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read

















My Octopus Arms  by Keith Baker*
Can You Imagine? Being an Octopus  by Kevin Pearce
Good Thing You're Not an Octopus!  by Julie Markes*
An Octopus is Amazing  by Patricia Lauber
Octopus Under the Sea  by Connie and Peter Roop*
Out of the Blue  by Alison Jay
Octopuses  by Lola M. Schaefer
Octopus Opposites  by Stella Blackstone*
Oceans Alive - Octopuses  by Ann Herriges

For our craft we made an octopus from a paper plate. We decorated half a paper plate, then glued on 8 crepe paper arms and added big googly eyes.

Extra activities:

We talked about octopuses. How many arms they have, that they have suction cups on their arms, that they shoot ink out when they are frightened and about what they like to eat.

June 29, 2016 Story Time - Sharks


If you missed this weeks story time, here is what we did:

*marks the books we read














How To Spy On a Shark  by Lori Haskins Houran*
Sharks  by Martha E. H. Rustad
I'm a Shark  by Bob Shea*
Sharks  by Catriona Clarke
Shark in The Dark  by Peter Bently*
20 Fun Facts About Sharks  by Heather Moore Niver*
Sharks Biggest! Littlest!  by Sandra Markle
Hark! A Shark! All About Sharks  by Bonnie Worth

For our craft we made a shark headband by coloring the shark of our choice (hammerhead, whale, great white or mako) then gluing it to a headband of our choice (green, blue, pink, green, yellow or white)

Extra activities:
We learned some facts about sharks, such as:

1) A group of hammerhead sharks is called a shiver. The are the only sharks that swim in a group.
2) A whale shark is the largest fish in the sea. Some whale sharks are longer than a bus!
3) The fastest kind of shark is the mako shark
4) Sharks are almost always losing teeth. Shark teeth are replaced with new ones every 8 days
5) A sharks skeleton isn't made of bone. It's made of cartilage. Humans have cartilage in their bodies too. Our noses and ears are mostly cartilage
6) Sharks are most active after the sun goes down and at night
7) Sharks' scales are almost as tough as their teeth
8) Sharks are colorful creatures. They can be blue, red-brown, black or grey. They can also have stripes or spots
9) Some sharks can push their stomach out of their mouth! They do this to empty their stomach after eating something that makes them sick. Balloon sharks fill their belly with air or water when they're scared
10) A great white shark can smell one drop of blood in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Of its five senses, the shark's sense of smell is the best. The shark uses around 70 percent of its brain for its sense of smell. Sharks can use smell to find their prey. The hungrier they are, the better they can smell

June 22, 2016 Story Time - Jellyfish


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Oceans Alive Jellyfish  by Ann Herriges*
A School of Fish - Animal Groups in the Ocean  by Alex Kuskowski
You Be You  by Linda Kranz*
Under ths Sea  by Fiona Patchett
Swim! Swim!  by Lerch*

Coffee Filter Jelly fish
Materials:
Coffee Filter
Plastic/Styrofoam cup
Markers
Clear Tape
Tissue paper/Wool/String
Instructions:
1. Colour the filter paper with markers. Wet the filter paper then dry it.
2. Thread string through the bottom of the cup so that it hangs upside down. Then thread the string through the bottom of the coffee filter so that it hangs down covering the cup.
3. Cut long thin pieces of tissue paper and tape it to the base of the cup to make tentacles.

Adapted from this website:
http://goo.gl/juzdcj

Extra activities:
We watched jellyfish swimming in the ocean on the big screen and discussed what we learned about them from the books we read

June 15, 2016 Story Time - Whales


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read


















Following Papa's Song  by Gianna Marino*
My World of Animals - Whales  by Frances E. Ruffin
Breathe  by Scott Magoon
Oceans Alive - Whales  by Ann Herriges*
The Snail and the Whale  by Julia Donaldson
The Whale in My Swimming Pool  by Joyce Wan*
Big Blue Whale  by Nicola Davies

For our craft we decorated a paper plate (that was slit in the middle) to look like the ocean and colored a small whale that we glued to a craft stick. The whale puppet could then be pushed up through the slit on the paper plate to make it look like it was swimming in the ocean.

Extra activities
We projected on the big screen images of whales swimming and singing in the water

June 8, 2016 Story Time - The Ocean


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read
















Hello Ocean  by Pam Munoz Ryan*
Baby Animals of the Ocean  by Carmen Bredeson*
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea  by Valeria Petrone
Colors of the Ocean  by Laura Purdie Salas*
Life in an Ocean  by Carol K. Lindeen*
National Geographic Little Kids Ocean Counting  by Janet Lawler*

For our craft we made a treasure box using two paper plates. We took half of a paper plate and stapled it onto a whole paper plate creating a pouch. Then decorated it with pictures of the beach. Each child received a sea shell to add to their treasure box.

Extra activities:

We talked about what we could find on the beach (sea shells, sand dollars, sea weed, etc) and what we would see in the water (whale, dolphin, fish, etc)

Ten Little Sea Shells
One little, two little, three little sea shells
four little, five little, six little sea shells
seven little, eight little, nine little sea shells
ten little sea shells laying in the sand

We counted up to ten and then back down again

June 1, 2016 Story Time - Bicycles


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Duck On a Bike  by David Shannon*
My Bike  by Byron Barton
Froggy Rides a Bike  by Jonathan London
Bike Safety A Crash Course  by Lisa J. Amstutz*
Bear On a Bike  by Stella Blackstone
Staying Safe On My Bike  by Joanne Mattern
Everyone Can Learn To Ride a Bicycle  by Chris Raschka*
The Best Bike Ride Ever  by James Proimos
Hello, Bicycle!  by Ella Boyd

For our craft we glued a duck with his riding helmet onto a picture of a bike

Extra activities
We talked about bike safety (like wearing a helmet, wearing bright colors so you can be seen, don't wear loose clothing and tie your shoelaces tight (so they don't get caught in the wheels/bike chain) and check your bike to be sure your brakes work and your tires have air.

We took a quiz about bike safety (questions listed below)
TRUE or FALSE
1) You should wear a bike helmet every time you ride a bike
2) Bike injuries can send kids to the hospital
3) It's OK to wear sandals or flip-flops when you ride a bike
4) Hand signals help keep you safe when you ride a bike

We played a transportation guessing game

May 25, 2016 Story Time - Trains


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read



















Steam Train, Dream Train  by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld*
Trains Steaming! Pulling! Huffing!  by Patricia Hubbell*
The Little Engine That Could  by Watty Piper
Freight Train  by Adria F. Klein*
Alphabet Trains  by Samantha R. Vamos
Trains  by Julie Murray
Whoosh and Chug!  by Sebastien Braun
Two Little Trains  by Margaret Wise Brown*
How to Train a Train  by Jason Eaton

For our craft we colored a small picture of a train then taped it to a craft stick

Extra activities
Down by the Station
down by the station
early in the morning
see the little pufferbellies
all in a row
see the station master
turn the little handle
puff, puff, toot, toot
off we go!

Engine on the Track
Here is the engine on the track (hold up thumb)
here is the coal car, just in back (hold up pointer finger)
here is the box car to carry freight (hold up middle finger)
here is the mail car. Don't be late (hold up ring finger)
way back here at the end of the train (hold up pinky finger)
rides the caboose through the sun and rain

May 18, 2016 Story Time - Airplanes


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Dinosoaring  by Deb Lund*
Hugo the flying firefighter  by Lorette Broekstra
Go, Go, Planes!  by Price Stern Sloan
A Plane Goes Ka-Zoom!  by Jonathan London*
Planes  by Fiona Patchett
Pilots  by Cecilia Minden & Mary Minden-Zins
Planes Fly  by George Ella Lyon*
Wake Up Engines  by Denise Dowling Mortensen
Going on an Airplane  by Fred Rogers
Airplanes Soraing! Turning! Diving!  by Patricia Hubbell*

For our craft we glued clothes pins and craft sticks together and then decorated them with markers

Extra activities
The Airplane
The airplane has great big wings (stretch arms out)
it's propeller spins around and sings, "Vvvvv!" (roll hands around each other)
the airplane goes up (life arms up)
the airplane goes down (lower arms)
the airplane flies high (stretch arms out and spin around)
Over the town!

May 11, 2016 Story Time - Things That Go!


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















Who is Driving?  by Leo Timmers*
Things That Go!  by James Buckley, Jr.
Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming  by Patricia Hubbell
A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa  by Jonathan London
My Car  by Byron Barton*
Let's Go - The Story of Getting From There to Here  by Lizann Flatt
The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!  by Mo Willems*
Cars! Cars! Cars!  by Grace Maccarone
Toot Toot Zoom!  by Phyllis Root
Little Blue Truck  by Alice Schertle
Transportation - True or False?  by Daniel Nunn*

For our craft we colored a dump truck like this one. We added a braid to the bed so it would move

Extra activities
The Wheels on the Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round
the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town
the wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish
the doors on the bus go open and shut
the driver on the bus says "move on back"
the people on the bus go up and down

We played a "things that go" guessing game. I gave clues about certain forms of transportation and the children had to guess what they were

May 4, 2016 Story Time - Mother's Day


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read




















The Night Before Mother's Day  by Natasha Wing*
I Would Tuck You In  by Sarah Asper-Smith and Mitchell Watley
All the Things I Love About You  by LeUyen Pham
I Love You Because You're You  by Liza Baker*
I Love my Mommy  by Giles Andreae
I'd Know You Anywhere, My Love  by Nancy Tillman
Snuggle Wuggle  by Jonathan London*
Something for Mother  by Laura Alden
Gus Makes a Gift  by Frank Remkiewicz
Me and My Mom!  by Alison Ritchie*
Is Mommy?  by Victoria Chang

For our craft I designed a custom door hangar for mother's day using this website:
http://goo.gl/ic7d42

We also colored a special bookmark

Extra activities
I Have a Very Special Friend (sung to "Bingo")
I have a very special friend
and mommy is her name-o
m-o-m-m-y, m-o-m-m-y, m-o-m-m-y
and mommy is her name-o

Happy Mother's Day to You (sung to "Happy Birthday")
Happy mother's day to you
happy mother's day to you
happy mother's day, dear mommy
happy mother's day to you!

April 27, 2016 Story Time - The Wind


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books we read


















When the Wind Blows  by Linda Booth Sweeney*
The Stormy Day Rescue  by Norman Bridwell
It's Windy Today  by Kristin Sterling
What Does the Wind Say?  by Wendi Silvano*
Windblown  by Edouard Manceau
Peppa's Windy Fall Day  by Barbara Winthrop*
The Wind Blew  by Pat Hutchins
Storm is Coming  by Heather Tekavec*
Whoosh Went the Wind!  by Sally Derby

For our craft we made a butterfly windsock like the one pictured here:
http://goo.gl/FGekIZ

Extra activities:
We listed things that moved when the wind blows



April 20, 2016 Story Time - Rainbows


If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did:

*marks the books read




















I Am a Rainbow  by Dolly Parton*
A Rainbow of My Own  by Don Freeman
Planting a Rainbow  by Lois Ehlert
Moonbear's Skyfire  by Frank Asch
Red, Blue, and Yellow, Too!  by Ellen Booth Church & Diane Ohanesian*
Ruby's Rainbow  by Rosemary Wells*

For our craft we colored a picture of a rainbow like this one:
http://goo.gl/0QYOlj
then we glued it to a piece of blue paper and added cotton balls for clouds