December 18, 2013 Story Time - Santa

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

(*marks the books we read)



Santa Claus is Comin' to Town  by J. Fred Coots*
Santa Duck  by David Milgrim
Who Will Help Santa This Year?  by Jerry Pallotta*
Are You Grumpy, Santa?  by Gregg & Evan Spiridellis
Little Santa  by Jon Agee*
Where, Oh Where, is Santa Claus?  by Lisa Wheeler

We made a Santa ornament from Oriental Trading Company

Extra activities:

If You're Jolly and You Know It
(sung to If You're Happy and You Know It)
If you're jolly and you know it say, Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho
If you're jolly and you know it say, Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho
If you're jolly and you know it,
Then you're face will surely show it
If you're jolly and you know it say, Ho Ho Ho
Ho Ho Ho

Cap, Beard, Belly, Boots
(sung to the tune of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes")
Cap, beard, belly, boots, belly, boots
Cap, beard, belly, boots, belly, boots
Fill a stocking, take a snooze
Cap, beard, belly, boots, belly, boots

Here is the Chimney
Here is the chimney (make fist, enclose thumb)
Here is the top (put palm of hand on top of fist)
Open the lid (remove hand quickly)
And out Santa pops (Pop up thumb)

December 11, 2013 Story Time - Missouri Building block Nominees 2013-2014

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

(*marks the books we read)

We are reading the Missouri Building Block nominees for 2013 and voting on which book is our favorite.



One Special Day  by Lola M. Schaefer*
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?  by Mo Willems*

Our craft was a family Christmas tree. We wrote family names on ornaments and glued them to Christmas trees.

Extra activities:

Flannel board story
Five Ginger Cookies
Five ginger cookies lying on a tray
One jumped up and flew away
Four ginger cookies lying on a tray
One jumped up and hopped away
Three ginger cookies lying on a tray
One jumped up and swam away
Two ginger cookies lying on a tray
One jumped up and hopped away
One ginger cookie lying on a tray
It jumped up and flew away
No ginger cookies lying on a tray
I should have eaten them right away!

Baby's Nap
This is baby ready for a nap (hold up finger)
Lay him down in his mother's lap (place finger in palm of hand)
Cover him up so he won't peep (wrap other fingers to cover him)
Rock him 'till he's fast asleep (rock hands to and fro)

December 4, 2013 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2013-2014

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

(*marks the books we read)

We are reading the Missouri Building Block Nominees for 2013 and voting on which book is our favorite.

Oh No, George!  by Chris Haughton*

Cat Secrets  by Jef Czekaj*

We made a picture of George from "Oh No, George". Children were given a picture of George, a recycling bin and paper to tear and glue. They had to decide whether George was good and kept the trash in the bin or if he was bad and spilled the trash all over.

Extra activities:

5 Little Kittens

5 little kittens, all black and white (hold up fist)

sleeping very soundly all through the night

Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow (stretch up a finger on each word)

Time to wake up now! (wiggle fingers)

Where is Big Cat (sung to Where is Thumbkin)

Where is big cat, where is big cat (hide thumbs behind back)

Here I am, here I am (bring out thumbs one at a time)

How are you today, cat (wiggle one thumb)

Very well I thank you (wiggle other thumb)

Meow, meow, meow (put thumb behind back)

Meow, meow, meow (put other thumb behind back)

5 Little Puppy Dogs

5 little puppy dogs by the kennel door (hold up five fingers)

One left the crowd, and then there were four (bend down thumb)

Four little puppy dogs running around a tree, 

Mother called one home, and then there were three (bend down a finger) 

Three little puppy dogs playing with a shoe, 

One ran after a cat, and then there were two (bend down another finger)

Two little puppy dogs having so much fun,

One went to find a bone, and then there was one (bend down another finger)

One little puppy dog sitting in the sun,

She went in the kennel, and then there were none (bend down last finger)

November 20, 2013 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2013-2014

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

(*marks the books we read)

We are reading the Missouri Building Block Nominees for 2013 and voting on which book is our favorite



Who's Who?  by Ken Geist*
I'm Bored  by Michael Ian Black*

Craft:

We made a picture of an owl sitting on a branch. I got the owl from:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mshapesowl.htm

Extra activities:

We used craft stick puppets to represent the animals in the book "Who's Who" by Ken Geist

Five Little Owls

Five little owls
On a branch by the shore
A squirrel scampered by
And then there were four

Four little owls
Perched high up in a tree
The wind shook one off
And then there were three

Three little owls
With nothing fun to do
One got very bored
And then there were two

Two little owls
Just having some fun
A bear came along
And then there was one

One little owl
Winked at the setting sun
Flew into the forest
And then there were none

November 13, 2013 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2013-2014

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

(*marks the books we read)



Let's Sing a Lullaby With the Brave Cowboy  by Jan Thomas*
And the Cow said "Moo!"  by Mildred Phillips*
Find a Cow NOW!  by Jane Stevens*

The Missouri Building Block Books that we voted on this week were "Let's sing a Lullaby With the Brave Cowboy" and "Find a Cow NOW!"

Our craft was a paper bag cow puppet that can be found at:
 http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbagcow.htm

Extra activities:

We used stick puppets and made the sounds of all the animals in the book "And the Cow Said Moo!"

We played a magnetic board game of a cowboy and his different colored bandannas

November 6, 2013 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2013-2014

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

(*marks the books we read)

For the next few weeks we are reading the Missouri Building Block Nominee books for 2013-2014. We will be voting on which book we like the best. After voting is over I will send the votes into the committee and will let everyone know which book is the winner next year.



Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons  by Eric Litwin*
Tigers  by Elizabeth Vogel*
Tiger Cub  by Monica Hughes
Little Tiger's Big Surprise!  by Julie Sykes
It's a Tiger!  by David LaRochelle*
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses  by Kimberly & James Dean*

The two Missouri Building Block books we read and voted on were: "Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons" and "It's A Tiger!"

The craft we made can be found at :http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mpapertiger.htm

I modified the craft and made it into a puzzle by cutting the tiger's head and belly in half. We then glued it onto a piece of paper.

Extra activities:

Animals at the Zoo
Sung to "Wheels on the Bus"

The tigers at the zoo go roar, roar, roar
Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar
The tigers at the zoo go roar, roar, roar
All day long

The snakes at the zoo go hiss, hiss, hiss
hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss
The snakes at the zoo go hiss, hiss, hiss
All day long

The hyenas at the zoo go ha, ha, ha
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
The hyenas at the zoo go ha, ha, ha
All day long

The monkeys at the zoo go oooh, oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
The monkeys at the zoo go oooh, oooh, oooh
All day long

October 30, 2013 Story Time - Halloween

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

(*marks the books we read)



It's Halloween Night!  by Jennifer O'Connell*
Little Goblins Ten  by Pamela Jane
Ollie's Halloween  by Olivier Dunrea*
Halloween Night  by Elizabeth Hatch
10 Trick-or-Treaters: a Halloween Counting Book  by Janey Schulman*
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat!  by Lucille Colandro
Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt  by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Hailey's Halloween  by Lisa Bullard

Our craft:
We made a ghost by covering a Tootsie Pop with a tissue and then tied a piece of yarn around the Tootsie Pop to hold the tissue on

Extra activity:

We sang along to the song "If You're Scary and You Know It" from the CD Spooky Favorites produced by Music For Little People

Extra activity:

If You're a Ghost and You Know It (to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It)
If you're a ghost and you know it
Just say BOO
If you're a ghost and you know it
Just say BOO
If you're a ghost and you know it and you really want to show it
If you're a ghost and you know it
Just say BOO

If you're a black cat and you know it
Just say MEOW
If you're a black cat and you know it
Just say MEOW
If you're a black cat and you know it and you really want to show it
If you're a black cat and you know it
Just say MEOW

If you're a skeleton and you know it
Wiggle your bones (shake your body)
If you're a skeleton and you know it
Wiggle your bones
If you're a skeleton and you know it and you really want to show it
If you're a skeleton and you know it
Wiggle your bones

If you love Halloween and you know it
Do all three (all 3 actions in order)
If you love Halloween and you know it
Do all three
If you love Halloween and you know it and you really want to show it
If you love Halloween and you know it
Do all three

October 23, 2013 Story Time - Hot Dogs

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

(*marks the books we read)



The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!  by Mo Willems*
10 Little Hot Dogs  by John Himmelman
Stan the Hot Dog Man  by Ethel and Leonard Kessler
The Hallo-Wiener  by Dav Pilkey*
Hot Diggity Dog  by Adrienne Sylver

The craft we made can be found here: http://molib.org/awards/buildingblock/promo/activitysheets/1997/hallo_wiener.pdf

Extra activities:

We talked about the letter "H", the sound it makes and words that begin with "H"

We sang:
Five Little Hot Dogs
Five little hot dogs frying in the pan (hold up five fingers)
The pan got hot and one went BAM! (wiggle fingers and then clap on bam)
REPEAT the verse counting down to one
One little hot dog frying in the pan (hold up one finger)
The pan got hot and one went "wait, wait! Put me in a bun (place finger in cupped hand)
Eat me up and now we're done!

October 16, 2013 Story Time - Cookies

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

(*marks the books we read)



Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?  by Bonnie Lass & Philemon Sturges*
How do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies?  by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
The Best Mouse Cookie  by Laura Numeroff*
The Cow Loves Cookies  by Karma Wilson
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie  by Laura Numeroff
Who ate all the Cookie Dough?  by Karen Beaumont*
Mmm, Cookies!  by Robert Munsch
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?  by Mo Willems*
Cookies Bite-Size Life Lessons  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

We decorated sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles for a treat

Extra activities:

We talked about the letter "C" the sound it makes and words that begin with the letter "C"

Making Cookies
I am making cookie dough (hold out arms in a circle, like a bowl)
Round and round the beaters go (roll hands)
Add some flour from a cup (shake a pretend cup)
Stir and stir the batter up (stirring motion)
Roll them, cut them nice and neat (rolling pin motion)
Put them on a cookie sheet (place pretend cookies)
Bake them, count them 1-2-3 (counting motion)
Serve them to my friends with tea (take a bite!)

We took paper ingredients (measuring cup with water, tablespoon with salt, baking soda, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate chips) and added them to a mixing bowl then stirred with a spatula to create our cookie dough, then we decorated and ate our sugar cookies

October 9, 2013 Story Time - Bubblegum

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

(*marks the books we read)



Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum  by Lisa Wheeler*
Bubble Bubble  by Mercer Mayer
Trouble Gum  by Matthew Cordell
How Do You Make a Bubble?  by William H. Hooks*
The Gum Chewing Rattler  by Joe Hayes
Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere  by Dwight Kuhn*

We glued a gumball machine on paper and added colored gum balls. You can Google gumball machines to get a picture to use.

Extra activities:

We talked about the letter "B", what sound it makes and words that begin with the letter "B"

Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum
Bubble gum, bubble bum, chew and blow (form "bubble" with thumb and index finger, hold in front of your mouth)
Bubble gum, bubble bum, scrape your toe (scrape "gum" off your big toe)
Bubble gum, bubble gum, tastes so sweet (rub tummy)
But get that bubble gum off your feet! (look at the sole of your shoe)

Bubble Gum Song
Bubble gum, bubble gum, icky sticky bubble gum
Oooey, Gooey bubble gum
Stuck on my.....(pick a place like ears, nose, knees, etc where bubble gum gets stuck)
OH NO, it won't let go
Pull it, pull it pull it; POP! (clap hands)
Repeat verse using different body part

October 2, 2013 Story Time - Pizza

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

(*marks the books we read)



The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)  by Philemon Sturges*
Pete's a Pizza  by William Steig
Pizza Cats  by Gail Herman
"Hi, Pizza Man!"  by Virginia Walter*
Pizza for Everyone  by Josh McDowell
Ord East a Pizza!  by Irene Trimble
Pizza for Sam  by Mary Labatt
Pizza Pat  by Rita Golden Gelman

For our craft we colored and glued slices of pizza on a paper plate. We added colored dots to look like pepperonis

Extra activities:

We talked about the letter "P", the sounds it makes and words that start with "P"

This is the way we make a pizza pie
(sung to the tune of "Here we go round the mulberry bush"

This is the way we mix the dough, mix the dough, mix the dough
This is the way we mix the dough to make a pizza pie (use mixing motion)

Continue with the following verses:
This is the way we knead the dough....(kneading motion)
This is the way we roll the dough....(rolling motion)
This is the way we toss the dough...(tossing motion)
This is the way we spread the sauce...(spreading motion)
This is the way we sprinkle the cheese...(sprinkling motion)
This is the way we bake the pizza!...(pantomime putting pizza in the oven)

September 25, 2013 Story Time - Apples

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

(*marks the books we read)



Apples, Apples Everywhere!  by Robin Koontz*
Ten Apples Up On Top  by Theo LeSieg
Red Are the Apples  by Wade Zahares
Apple  by Nikki McClure
Apple Tree  by Barrie Watts
I Am An Apple  by Jean Marzollo*
Apples  by Ann L. Burckhardt

Our craft was an apple basket. We added red, green and yellow apples to our basket then wrote our names and the number of apples on our baskets. I changed the way we did our basket, but found the idea at:http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Apple-Basket.html

Extra activities:

We cut an apple open to examine and count the seeds or pips on the inside and talked about how an apple tree grows.

Ten Red Apples
Ten red apples grow on a tree
Five for you and five for me
Help me shake the tree just so
And ten red apples fall down below
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

Apple Roll Chant
Five little apples in the bowl (hold up five fingers)
One fell out and started to roll (rotate fists)
It bumped the table and hit me feet (clap hands)
How many apples left to eat? (shrug shoulders)

Keep counting down until all the apples are gone

September 18, 2013 Story Time - Autumn/Fall

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

(*marks the books we read)



Fall Leaves Fall!  by Zoe Hall*
When Autumn Falls  by Kelli Nidey
I See Fall  by Charles Ghigna*
Clifford's Autumn  by Norman Bridwell
I Know It's Autumn  by Eileen Spinelli*
Footballs and Falling Leaves; A Fall Counting Book  by Rebecca Davis*

The craft we did can be found at: http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Changing-Tree.html

Extra Activities:

We talked about the letters "A" for autumn and "F" for Fall. The sounds they make and words that start with "A" and "F"

The Leaves on the Tree
(sung to the tune The Wheels on the bus)
The leaves on the trees turn orange and brown, orange and brown, orange and brown, the leaves on the trees turn orange and brown all through the town
The leaves on the trees come falling down, falling down, falling down, the leaves on the trees come falling down all through the town
The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, the leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish all through the town

Leaves
(sung to Frere Jacques)
This is an echo song. You sing and then the children repeat.
Leaves are changing
All around
Red, yellow and orange
Some are brown

Leaves are falling
To the ground
Floating on the breeze
Down, down, down

September 11, 2013 Story Time - The Library

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

(*marks the books we read)



Sam's First Library Card  by Gail Herman*
Poindexter Makes a Friend  by Mike Twohy
Lewis the Librarian  by Charnan Simon*
D.W.'s Library Card  by Marc Brown
Manners in the Library  by Carrie Finn*
The Library Dragon  by Carmen Agra Deedy
Mighty Mike Builds a Library  by Kelly Lynch

For our craft I reduced the coloring page found at: http://www.abcteach.com/free/w/worm_m.pdf
We colored our worms and glued them to sticks to make a bookworm bookmark

Extra activities:

We talked about the letter "L"; the sound it makes and words that begin with the letter "L"

Five Little Readers Reading in Bed
(sung to Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed)
Five little readers reading in bed
One fell out and bumped his (her) head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"Turn out the lights, it's time to go to bed!"

Here is my book
(hold hands together as if they are a closed book, then open)
Here is my book
I open it wide
To see all the pictures
That are inside

September, 4, 2013 Story Time - Grandparents

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

(*marks the books we read)



My Grandparents are Special  by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos*
Hurry!  by Jessie Haas
When You Visit Grandma & Grandpa  by Anne Bowen
Hooray For Grandparents' Day!  by Nancy Carlson*
Heaven is Having You  by Giles Andreae
Naptime, Laptime  by Eileen Spinelli*
Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite! by Greg Hawley
One Dark Night  by Hazel Hutchins

I modified the craft at: http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Big-Hug-Card.html to make it easier

Extra activities:

We talked about the letter "G", the sound it makes and words that begin with "G"

Grandma's Glasses
There are grandma's glasses
(make glasses with fingers)
This is grandma's hat
(touch head)
This is how she folds her hands and puts them in her lap
(fold hands in lap)
These are grandpa's glasses
(make glasses with fingers)
This is grandpa's hat
(touch head)
This is how he folds his arms and takes a little nap
(fold arms over chest and pretend to sleep)

August 28, 2013 Story Time - Letters

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

(*marks the books we read)


The Sleepy Little Alphabet  by Judy Sierra*
Shiver Me Letters-A Pirate ABC  by June Sobel
ABC Kids  by Simon Basher*
Alphabet Soup: a Book of Riddles About Letters  by Michael Dahl
LMNO Peas  by Keith Baker*
Peanut Butter and Jellyfishes: a Very Silly Alphabet Book  by Brian P. Cleary

The Craft we made can be found at: http://www.first-school.ws/t/craft/hearts_mouseg.htm


Extra activities:

If Your Name Starts With: an Action Alphabet Rhyme
(sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It")

If your name starts with A turn around
If your name starts with B touch the ground
If your name starts with C then stand up and touch your knee
Clap your hands if your name starts with D
If your name starts with E wink your eye
If your name starts with F try to fly
If your name starts with G blow a kiss up here to me
If your name starts with H say "Hee, Hee"
If your name starts with I tap your toe
If your name starts with J say "Ho, Ho"
If your name starts with K then stand up and start to sway
If your name starts with L say "Ole"
If your name starts with M make a smile
If your name starts with N shake awhile
If your name starts with O put your elbow on your toe
If your name starts with P say " I know!"
If your name starts with Q raise your hand
If your name starts with R you should stand
If your name starts with S you should pat your head, I guess
If your name starts with T say "Oh, yes!"
If your name starts with U touch your eye
If your name starts with V pat your thigh
If your name starts with W, X, Y or Z
Then stand up, take a bow and say "That's me!"

We sang the alphabet song and played a guessing game with the letters of the alphabet.

August 21, 2013 Story Time - Numbers

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

(*marks the books we read)



Around the Neighborhood  by Sarah L. Thomson*
Help me Learn Numbers 0-20  by Jean Marzollo
Hootenanny! a Festive Counting Book  by Kimberly Ainsworth
Numbers  by Keith Kimberlin*
Zoo Animals 1 2 3  by Rebecca Fjelland Davis*
Buzzing Bees: Discovering Odd Numbers  by Amanda Doering Tourville
One Tractor a Counting Book  by Alexandra Siy*

The craft we made can be found here: http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/colors/icecreamcone2.htm

Extra Activities:

Five Fat Peas
Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed
(children hold hand in a fist)
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest
(put thumb and fingers up one by one)
They grew and grew
(raise hand in the air very slowly)
And did not stop.
Until one day
The pod went POP!
(children clap hands together)

Ten Fingers
I have ten fingers (hold up both hands, fingers spread)
And they all belong to me (point to self)
I can make them do things-
Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight (make fists)
I can open them wide (open hands)
I can put them together (place palms together)
I can make them all hide (put hands behind back)

I can make them jump high (hold hands over head)
I can make them jump low (touch floor)
I can fold them up quietly (fold hands and place them in your lap)
And hold them just so

August 14, 2013 Story Time - Back to School

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

(*marks the books we read)



Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes  by Eric Litwin*
Pirates go to School  by Corinne Demas
Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten!  by Hyewon Yum*
If you take a Mouse to School  by Laura Numeroff
Oh, Behave! Manners at School  by Sian Smith
Ollie's School Day A Yes-and-No Book  by Stephanie Calmenson*
Clark the Shark  by Bruce Hale

We decorated a wooden craft stick in the shape of a person to match how we would look on our first day of school.

Extra Activities:

We sang the ABC song and then played a letter guessing game. Children had to guess the letter, make the letter's sound and think of a word that begins with that letter

We counted to 10 and back down again

August 7, 2013 Story Time - Safety

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

(*marks the books we read)



What if There is a Fire?  by Anara Guard*
Staying Safe on the Street  by Joanne Mattern
Staying Safe at Home  by Joanne Mattern
Watch Out! At Home  by Claire Llewellyn
Play it Smart-Playground Safety  by Jill Urban Donahue*
Safety at Home  by Lucia Raatma

The craft we made can be found at: http://www.dltk-teach.com/mphone.htm


Extra Activities:

Dial 9-1-1
(sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

If you're in trouble dial 9-1-1
Dial 9-1-1 and help will come

Police and fire. An ambulance too
They'll all be so proud of you!

If you're in trouble dial 9-1-1
Dial 9-1-1 and help will come

July 31, 2013 Story Time - Worms

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

(*marks the books we read)


Ned's New Home  by Kevin Tseng*
Wiggle and Waggle  by  Caroline Arnold
Inch by Inch  by Leo Lionni
Worms for Lunch?  by Leonid Gore*
Worms are Gross!  by Leigh Rockwood
Diary of a Worm  by Doreen Cronin
Yucky Worms  by Vivian French*

For our craft we colored a paper worm and taped it to a craft stick to make a worm puppet

Extra activities:

We talked about the letter "W"; The sound it makes and words that begin with "W"

Ten Little Worms
(sung to "Ten Little Indians")
One little, two little, three little worms,
Four little, five little, six little worms,
Seven little, eight little, nine little worms
Ten little worms digging in the dirt

Wiggly Worms
(Give each child a small piece of yarn for their worm then acted out the following rhyme)
Wiggle your worm up, then wiggle them down
Wiggle your worms around and around
Wiggle them high, wiggle them low
Wiggle them fast, wiggle them slow
Wiggle them over the tops of your toes
Wiggle them under the tip of your nose
Wiggle them up your arm to the top
Wiggle them down to your fingers and stop
Wiggle your worm across the top of your head
Then put your worm back in his own little bed

Wiggles
(do appropriate actions as you say the rhyme)
A wiggle wiggle here
A wiggle wiggle there
Wiggle your hands up in the air
Wiggle your shoulders
Wiggle your hips
Wiggle your knees
And move your lips
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
And wiggle some more...
And now let's sit down on the floor

July 24, 2013 Story Time - Plants

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

(*marks the books we read)



Over in the Garden  by Jennifer Ward*
From Seed to Plant  by Allan Fowler
Plant a Little Seed  by Bonnie Christensen*
Once There Was a Seed  by Judith Anderson and Mike Gordon
Something is Growing  by Walter Lyon Krudop
A Green, Green Garden  by Mercer Mayer*
Plantzilla  by Jerdine Nolen


For our craft we decorated small plant pots with foam shapes.

Extra activities:

A Little Sun
A little sun (hold arms above head)
A little rain (wiggle fingers in the air in a downward motion)
Now pull up all the weeds (pretend to pull weeds)
Our plants grow, all in a row (hold up all ten fingers lined up like plants)
From tiny little seeds (hold thumb and finger to show size of seeds)

Flowers Tall and Small
Plants tall (lift arms up)
Plants small (hold hands closer together)
Count them one by one,
Blowing with the breezes
In the springtime sun
1,2,3,4,5 (touch each finger as you count)

Plants
Sung to "The Farmer in the Dell"
The farmer plants the seeds
The farmer plants the seeds
Hi, Ho and Cherry O
The farmer plants the seeds

Repeat with the following verses
The rain begins to fall
The sun begins to shine
The plants begin to grow
The harvest now begins

July 17, 2013 Story Time - Butterflies

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

(*marks the books we read)



The Very Hungry Caterpillar  by Eric Carle*
Caterpillars  by Helen Frost
Butterfly (see how they grow)  by Mary Ling
Ten Little Caterpillars  by Bill Martin, Jr.*
Butterfly Colors  by Helen Frost*
A Butterfly's Life  by Nancy Dickmann
A Butterfly is Born  by Melvin Berger*

We colored a picture that featured a caterpillar and cocoon on one side and a butterfly on the other.

Extra activities:

We talked about the sound that the letter "B" makes and words that start with "B"

The Life of a Butterfly
(sung to "Skip to my Lou")

I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
What'll I be, my darlin'?

A chrysalis, now sleep like me,
A chrysalis, now sleep like me,
A chrysalis, now sleep like me,
What'll I be, my darlin'?

A butterfly, come fly with me,
A butterfly, come fly with me,
A butterfly, come fly with me,
Come fly with me my darlin'

Now all together, lets do all three
A caterpillar, A chrysalis, a butterfly --three
Move your body like this with me
The life of a butterfly, darlin'

July 10, 2013 Story Time - Big Machines

If you missed this week's story time, here is what we did:

(*marks the books we read)



B is for bulldozer  by June Sobel*
Digger Man  by Andrea Zimmerman*
Big Machines  by Karen Wallace
Tip Tip Dig Dig  by Emma Garcia*
Tough Trucks, The Dump Truck  by Craig Robert Carey
Construction Kitties  by Judy Sue Goodwin Sturges
One Big Building  by Michael Dahl*

We colored and put together a dump truck and decorated a hard hat made from a paper plate and a paper bowl put together.

Extra activities:

Sounds for the letter "B" and "M" and we talked about words that start with those two letters.

June 26, 2013 Story Time - Turtles

If you missed this week's story time here is what we did:

(*marks the books we read)

Turtle Splash  by Cathryn Falwell*

Caring for Your Turtle  by Colleen A. Sexton

Turtle, Turtle Watch Out!  by April Pulley Sayre

My Little Book of Painted Turtles  by Hope Irvin Marston

Where Should Turtle Be?  by Susan Ring

Turtle  by Lisa Magloff

Turtle in the Sea  by Jim Arnosky

Turtle Time  by Sandol Stoddard

Simply Science - Turtles - by Jodi Huelin*

Our craft was a CD turtle found at this website: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/cdcrafts/ss/cdanimals_10.htm

Extra activities:

THIS IS MY TURTLE

This is my turtle (make a fist with thumb tucked inside)

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

FIVE LITTLE TURTLES WERE DOWN AT THE POND

(fill in an appropriate word at the blank)

Five little turtles were down at the pond, down at the pond at play

Along came a hungry ____, and chased one turtle away

Four little turtles were down at the pond, down at the pond at play

Along came a wiggly ____, and chased one turtle away

Three little turtles were down at the pond, down at the pond at play

Along came a giant _____, and chased one turtle away

Two little turtles were down at the pond, down at the pond at play

Along came a purple ____, and chased one turtle away

One little turtle was down at the pond, down at the pond at play

Along came a flying ____, and chased the turtle away

Then no little turtles were down at the pond, down at the pond at play

Where do you think the little turtles went when they all went away?

June 19, 2013 Story Time - Dinosaurs

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

(*marks the books we read)

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs  by Byron Barton*

How Do Dinosaurs Go Up and Down?  by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

How to raise a Dinosaur  by Natasha Wing*

Dinosaur Countdown  by Nicholas Oldland

Dinosailors  by Deb Lund*

Word Bird's Dinosaur Days  by Jane Belk Moncure

Ten Terrible Dinosaurs  by Paul Stickland

Brachiosaurus  by Anna Obiols

What is a Dinoasur?  by Chris Arvetis

Meet the Dinosaurs  by Series Editor Penny Smith

D is for Dinosaur - a prehistoric alphabet  by Todd Chapman

Our craft: we decorated an animated paper dinosaur from Project Plan It 

Extra activities:

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs lived long ago

Some walked (stomp feet)

Some swam (pretend to swim)

Some flew, you know (flap arms)

Some were big (hold hand high)

Some were small (hold hand low)

Some were gigantic (stretch arms out wide)

And very, very tall (stretch arms up high)

Dino Ditty

Here he comes just a stomping with his feet singing,

Dino ditty, ditty dum, ditty do

Searching all around for something good to eat singing,

Dino ditty, ditty dum, ditty do

He's huge, (he's huge), He's strong, (he's strong)

He's huge, he's strong won't be hungry very long

Dino ditty, ditty, dum, ditty do

Dino ditty, ditty dum, ditty do

June 12, 2013 Story Time-Fossils

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

(*marks the books we read)



The Berenstain Bears' Dinosaur Dig  by Jan & Mike Berenstain*
The World of Dinosaurs  by Melvin Berger*
Fossils Tell of Long Ago  by Aliki
Fossilized! Dinosaur Fossils  by Kathleen Connors
Tyrannosaurap  by Carol Carrick*
Monster Bones: the Story of a Dinosaur Fossil  by Jacqui Bailey

Activity:

We made impressions in play dough with a dinosaur, a shell and a coin.

Extra activity:

We put together a dinosaur bone puzzle.

June 5, 2013 Story Time - Dig In

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

(*marks the books we read)



Elliot Digs for Treasure  by Andrea Beck*
The Berenstain Bears Dinosaur Dig  by Jan & Mike Berenstain
Big Pig on a Dig  by Phil Roxbee Cox*
Dinosaur Dig  by Penny Dale
Dig!  by Marc Rosenthal

We decorated shovels on a craft stick.

Extra activities:

Children got to "dig" out a prize from the treasure bucket

May 29, 2013 Story Time-Birds

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

(*marks the books we read)



There is a Bird on Your Head!  by Mo Willems*
The Early Bird  by Richard Scarry
Birds and Their Nests  by Linda Tagliaferro*
Flip, Flap, Fly!  by Phyllis Root
Feathers for Lunch  by Lois Ehlert*
A Bird can Fly  by Douglas Florian*

Our craft was a bird's nest from www.toddlerapproved.com/2010/08/soft-prickly-birds-nest.html

Extra activities:

Two Little Black Birds
Two little black birds sitting on a hill
One named Jack (move one hand forward)
And the other named Jill (move other hand forward)
Fly away, Jack (move one hand behind back)
Fly away, Jill (move the other hand behind your back)
Come back, Jack (return hand to the front)
Come back, Jill (move the other hand to the front)

Five Little Birdies
Five little birdies, flying around our door
The blue one flew away and then there were four
Four little birdies sitting in a tree,
The yellow one flew away, and then there were three
The little birdies didn't know what to do,
So the red one flew away, and then there were two
Two little birdies sitting in the sun,
The brown one flew away, and then there was one.
The little green birdie felt so all alone,
It flew away and then there was none.

May 22, 2013 Story Time - Bees

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

(*marks the books we read)



"Buzz" Said the Bee  by Wendy Cheyette Lewison*
The Beeman  by Laurie Krebs
Where There's a Bee, There's Trouble  by Michael Catchpoo*
Pooh's Hone Tree  by Isabel Gaines
Hooray for Beekeeping!  by Bobbie Kalman
Bumblebees  by Emily K. Green*

We made a bumblebee necklace. The picture came from Publisher. I punched a whole in it and we used black yarn for the necklace.

Extra Activities:

Bee Fingerplay
Here is the bee hive (hold fist together)
But where are all the bees? (hold up hands, or shrug shoulders)
Hiding very carefully
1,2,3,4,5 (hold up fingers one at a time)
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz (wiggle fingers)

Buzzing Bumblebees
6 buzzing bumblebees
Flying around the hive
One buzzes off and that leaves 5
5 buzzing bumblebees
Flying near my door,
1 buzzes off and that leaves 4
4 buzzing bumblebees
Flying around a tree
1 buzzes off and that leaves 3
3 buzzing bumblebees
In the sky so blue
1 buzzes off and that leaves 2
2 buzzing bumblebees
Flying by the sun
1 buzzes off and that leaves 1
1 buzzing bumblebee
Looking for some fun
It buzzes off and that leaves none!

May 15, 2013 Story Time - Sunny Days

                                                                

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

(*marks the books we read)



It's Sunny Today  by Kristin Sterling*
Baby Elephant's Fun in the Sun  by Michael Teitelbaum
The Day Ray Got Away  by Angela Johnson*
Hello Day!  by Anita Lobel
Fun in the Sun  by Janine Scott
Moo in the Morning  by Barbara Maitland
Bear in Sunshine  by Stella Blackstone*

For our craft we made a sunny stick puppet. The pattern was copied from the book "Seasonal Story Time Crafts" on page 91.



Extra activities:

We sang the Mr. Sun song:

Oh mister sun, sun, mister golden sun, please shine down on me
Oh mister sun, sun, mister golden sun, hiding behind a tree
These little children are asking you, to please come out so they can play with you
Oh mister sun, sun, mister golden sun, please shine down on me

May 8, 2013 Story Time - Windy Days

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

(*marks the books we read)



The Wind Blew  by Pat Hutchins*
It's Windy Today  by Kristin Sterling*
A Windy Day  by Robin Nelson
Flora's Very Windy Day  by Jeanne Birdsall
The Day Ray got Away  by Angela Johnson*

Our craft came from the book "Seasonal Storytime Crafts" by Kathryn Totten.




I copied the twirling toy on page 67 and we cut and folded it to make our craft.

Extra activities:

We took straws and tried to blow things off the table. Items used were rocks, cotton balls, paper, craft sticks. Children were asked if they thought each item would blow off or stay on the table and why.

May 2, 2013 Story Time - Vegetables

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

(*marks the books we read)



The Vegetable Garden  by Melvin Berger*
In the Garden: Who's Been There?  by Lindsay Barrett George
Vegetables  by Cynthia Fitterer Klingel*
Growing Vegetable Soup  by Lois Ehlert*
How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods  by Saxton Freymann
Up, Down and Around  by Katherine Ayres*

For our craft we made a vegetable necklace. I copied the vegetables from page 77 of the book "April Patterns, Projects & Plans" by Imogene Forte. We colored the vegetables that were our favorites or new vegetables we had never tried and then threaded them on a piece of colorful yarn.

Extra activities:

We talked about our favorite and least favorite vegetables. We also discussed which vegetables grow up and which vegetables grown down.

April 24, 2013 Story Time - Flowers

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

(*marks the books we read)


Flower Garden  by Eve Bunting*
Flowers and Showers: a Spring Counting Book  by Rebecca Fjelland Davis
Good Morning, Garden  by Barbara Brenner*
Little Seeds  by Charles Ghigna*
What Does Bunny See?  by Linda Sue Park
Planting a Rainbow  by Lois Ehlert

I made the craft we did on Publisher. It was a flower box with plant stems and the children glued flowers on the stems.

Extra activities:

10 Little Daisies
One little, two little, three little daisies
four little, five little, six little daisies
seven little, eight little, nine little daisies
10 little daisies standing straight and tall

Daffodil Fingerplay
One little daffodil had nothing much to do,
out popped another one, then there were two.
Two little daffodils were smiling at a bee,
out popped another one, then there were three.
Three little daffodils were growing by the door,
out popped another one and then there were four.
Four little daffodils were glad to be alive,
out popped another one, then there were were five.
Five little daffodils were wearing golden crowns,
They danced in the breeze in green satin gowns.

April 17, 2013 Story Time - Gardens

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

(*marks the books we read)





Planting the Wild Garden  by Kathryn O. Galbraith*
In the Garden: Who's Been Here?  by Lindsay Barrett George
Isabella's Garden  by Glenda Millard
My Garden  by Kevin Henkes*
Secrets of the Garden: food chains and the food web in our backyard  by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Seeds, Seeds, Seeds  by Brian and Jillian Cutting*
10 Hungry Rabbits: counting & color concepts for the very young  by Anita Lobel

The craft we made was created on Publisher. We colored a small watering can and punched two holes in the bottom. Then we tied small vegetable and flower seed packets to the watering can with colorful yarn. The seed packets were also made using Publisher.

Extra activities:

We sang a song to the tune of "If You're Happy & You Know It"

I need water, I need sunshine, I need dirt. (yes, dirt!)
I need water, I need sunshine, I need dirt. (yes, dirt!)
If I want to grow up tall, If I want to grow at all,
I need water, I need sunshine, I need dirt. (yes, dirt!)

We talked about what plants need to grow. We used hand gestures too, for water (wiggle outstretched fingers) sunshine (hands forming circle over your head) and dirt (hands clapping together)

April 10, 2013 Story Time - Plants

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

(*marks the books we read)



Stems  by Vijaya Khisty Bodach*
Roots  by Vijaya Khisty Bodach*
Seeds Get Around  by Nancy White*
A Leaf Can Be  by Laura Purdie Salas
Little Seeds  by Charles Ghigna
From Seed to Plant  by Allan Fowler

Here is the craft we did:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mflower.html

Extra activities:

We looked at the parts of a plant (roots, stem, flowers) with a magnifying glass.

April 3, 2013 Story Time - April Showers

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

(* marks the books we read)



Who Likes Rain?  by Wong Herbert Yee*
It's Rainy Today   by Kristin Sterling*
The Rain Came Down  by David Shannon
Rain on the Roof   by Janine Scott
Forecasting Fun: Weather Nursery Rhymes   by Terry Pierce*

The craft we did was out of the book "Seasonal Storytime Crafts"   by Kathryn Totten
We made the stand up duck with umbrella on page 71

Other activities:
Color recognition/Language game
Color Umbrellas
Cut an umbrella shape out of these colors of paper: red, yellow, blue, purple, orange and green
Invite children to guess the colors of the umbrellas as you recite the rhyme below:

Here are some umbrellas
Just for you and me
Can you name their colors?
Red, yellow, blue

Here are more umbrellas
The prettiest we've seen
Now let's name their colors
Purple, orange, green

We also sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"

March 26, 2013 Story Time-Bunnies

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

(*marks the books we read)




Wee Little Bunny  by Lauren Thompson*
One Brown Bunny  by Marion Dane Bauer*
Hop, Hop, Hop  by Ann Whitford Paul*
House of 12 Bunnies  by Caroline Stills*
Little Bunny Foo Foo  by Paul Brett Johnson
What Does Bunny See? : a Book of Colors and Flowers  by Linda Sue Park
A Boy and His Bunny  by Sean Bryan

Here is the craft we did:

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbunnywindsock.html

March 19, 2013 Story Time-Spring

If you missed this week's story time here is what we did:

(*marks the books we read)





I See Spring  by Charles Ghigna*
Wake up, it's Spring  by Lisa Campbell Ernst*
Splish, Splash, Spring  by Jan Carr
It's Spring  by Linda Glaser
Hurrah for Spring  by Patricia Hubbell

Here is the craft we did:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mbirdhouse.htm

March 12, 2013 Story Time St. Patrick's Day

If you missed this weeks story time here is what we did.....
(*marks the books we read)




It's St. Patrick's Day  by Rebecca Gomez*
Green Shamrocks  by Eve Bunting*
The night before St. Patrick's Day  by Natasha Wing
The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever  by Teddy Slater

Here is the craft we did:

http://fun.familyeducation.com/st.-patricks-day/holidays/35268.html?detoured=1

Helpful Websites for the Family

This website has a lot of helpful information about toddlers:

www.zerotothree.org/



This website has a lot of helpful information for the entire family:

http://www.familyeducation.com/home/

March 5, 2013 Story Time - Mem Fox

If you missed this week's story time here is what we did:
(* marks the books we read)


Let's Count goats! by Mem Fox*
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
Hello Baby by Mem Fox*
There's a Billy goat in the Garden by Laurel Dee Gugler*
Get That Goat! by Michael Aushenker

Here is the craft we did:

http://www.freekidscrafts.com/paper_bag_goat_puppet-e1865.html