October 3, 2018 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2018-2019


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

*marks the books we read

















Carrot & Pea - An Unlikely Friendship  by Morag Hood*




















A Good Day For A Hat  by T. Nat Fuller*

For our craft we decorated paper plate crowns with gems and stickers like the example below:




Extra activities
We talked about our favorite vegetables

Jumping Beans
One, two, three, four
beans come jumping through the door
five, six, seven, eight
jumping right onto my plate!

We played a hat guessing game

















September 26, 2018 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2018-2019


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

*marks the books we read



















Every bunny Dance!  by Ellie Sandall*




















The Giant Jumperee  by Julia Donaldson & Helen Oxenbury*


For our craft we made bunny headbands

Extra activities
Funny Bunny
Here is a bunny (raise two fingers)
with ears so funny
and here is a hole in the ground (make a hole with the fingers of your other hand)
at the first sound she hears
she pricks up her ears (straighten fingers)
and pops right into the ground (put bunny ear fingers in hole)

Five Little Bunnies
Five little bunnies standing by the door
one hopped away, and then there were four
four little bunnies sitting by a tree
one hopped away, and then there were three
three little bunnies looking at you
one hopped away, and then there were two
two little bunnies enjoying the sun
one hopped away, and then there was one
one little bunny sitting all alone
he hopped away, and then there were none


September 19, 2018 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2018-2019


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

*marks the books we read




















Spunky Little Monkey  by Bill Martin, Jr. & Michael Sampson*




















Go Sleep in Your Own Bed!  by Candace Fleming & Lori Nichols*

For our craft we made a monkey mask like this one:













Directions and a free printable can be found here:
https://goo.gl/nQMwbc

Extra activities
10 Little Monkeys
1 little, 2 little, 3 little monkeys
4 little, 5 little, 6 little monkeys
7 little, 8 little, 9 little monkeys
10 little monkeys go (imitate monkeys with sounds & movements)

Monkey See, Monkey Do
The monkey stomps, stomps, stomps his feet
the monkey stomps, stomps, stomps his feet
monkey see, monkey do
the monkey does the same as you!
the monkey claps, claps, claps his hands
the monkey claps, claps, claps his hands
monkey see, monkey do
the monkey does the same as you!
the monkey jumps, jumps, jumps up and down
the monkey jumps, jumps, jumps up and down
monkey see, monkey do
the monkey does the same as you!
(add additional verses; sits down, stands up, turns around, etc)

Over in the barnyard (each child was given a baggie with the die cut animals needed)
Over in the barnyard
early in the morning
see the yellow chickies
standing in a row
see the busy farmer
giving them their breakfast
cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep
off they go (we hid each animal behind our backs)
(we added these additional verses)
brown turkeys
gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble
black sheep
baa, baa, baa, baa
orange ducklings
quack, quack, quack, quack


September 12, 2018 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2018-2019


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

*marks the books we read




















Pug meets Pig  by Sue Lowell Gallion* (nominee)












I Got a New Friend  by Karl Newsom Edwards* (nominee)
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!  by Mo Willems*

For our craft we made a rainbow shape dog like this one. We colored it and taped it to a craft stick to make a puppet.













Extra activities

While reading this story the children got to put a colored sticker on the dog template located under the story.

This is Dog. (place Dog on flannel board)
Dog is white with one black spot on his ear.
At breakfast time, Dog sits by the table and SPLAT! Red jam drips
onto his back. Now Dog has two spots. (place red spot on Dog)
After breakfast, Dog runs outside too close to someone who is painting the
front door. SPLISH! A bit of blue paint splashes onto Dog. Now Dog has
three spots. (Place blue spot on Dog)
Dog runs to the park and rolls on the grass. SQUASH! The
grass makes a green stain on his white fur. Now Dog has four spots.
(Place green spot on Dog)
Dog follows someone who is eating chocolate. SQUISH! Dog gets a
pat with chocolatey fingers. Now Dog has five spots. (Place brown spot
on Dog)
A bee buzzes up to see what is going on. SWISH! The bee drops yellow
pollen as it flies by. Now Dog has six spots. (Place yellow spot on Dog)
Dog trots on through the park. SPLOSH! Someone drips pink ice cream that lands on him.
Now Dog has seven spots. (Place pink spot on Dog)
Dog runs up the street toward home. SPLASH! A ball bounces in a
puddle and some gray mud splatters him. Now Dog has eight spots.
(Place gray spot on Dog)
In front of the gate Dog steps onto an orange juice box. SPLURT!
The straw squirts an orange patch onto him. Now Dog has nine spots. (Place orange spot on Dog)
Dog races back inside the house and right into someone who is coloring
with markers. The marker leaves a purple smudge on Dog’s head. Now
Dog has ten spots. (Place purple spot on Dog)
When everyone notices how many spots Dog has, he/she says “You need a

bath, Dog!”








September 5, 2018 Story Time - Missouri Building Block Nominees 2018-2019


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

*marks the books we read




















Barnacle is Bored  by Jonathan Fenske* (nominee)




















Plankton is Pushy  by Jonathan Fenske* (nominee)
Blob Fish - A Book All About Me!  by Jessica Olien*

For our craft we glued the letter "U" and some fishes to an underwater scene on paper

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

We talked about things that live/can be found in the ocean: whales, sharks, fish, octopus, sea shells, plankton, clams, barnacles, etc.


August 29, 2018 Story Time - Colors


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

*marks the books we read


















Magic Colors  by Patrick George*
Orange Pear Apple Bear  by Emily Gravett
Follow the Yarn - A Book of Colors  by Emily Sper*
ABC Color  by Walter Foster, Jr.
Maggie and Michael Get Dressed  by Denise Fleming
Let's Play!  by Herve Tullet*
Eric Carle and Friends - What's Your Favorite Color?  by Eric Carle

For our craft we made this:




















Directions for this craft can be found here:
https://goo.gl/CJtu2J

Extra activities
We talked about our favorite colors

We played a color game - I held up pictures and the children had to guess what color the item was

August 22, 2018 Story Time - Numbers


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

*marks the books we read


















Bear Counts  by Karma Wilson*
Goodnight, numbers  by Danica McKellar
10, 9, 8 Polar Animals! A Counting Backward Book  by Rebecca Fjelland Davis*
Monster Knows Numbers  by Lori Capote
1-2-3 peas  by Keith Baker*
One Big Building - A Counting Book About Construction  by Michael Dahl*

For our craft we made this:











Directions for this craft can be found here:

https://goo.gl/EyCxhy

Extra activities
We counted up to ten, then back down again

We played a number guessing game where I held up numbers and the children had to guess what number it was

August 15, 2018 Story Time - The Alphabet



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

*marks the books we read




















Chicka Chicka Boom Boom  by Bill Martin, Jr.*
ABC School's For Me!  by Susan B. Katz
LMNO peas  by Keith Baker*
Do Your ABC's Little Brown Bear  by Jonathan London
Alphabet Fun: making letters with your body  by Isabel Thomas

For our craft we made a caterpillar using this pattern:


















Extra activities
We played a letter guessing game. I held up a letter of the alphabet and the children had to guess which letter if was and try to think of a word that started with that letter









August 8, 2018 Story Time - Off to School


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

*marks the books we read




















My First Day at Nursery School  by Becky Edwards*
If You Take a Mouse to School  by Laura Numeroff
Kindergarten is Cool  by Linda E. Marshall
Manners at School  by Carrie Finn*
The Pout Pout Fish Goes to School  by Deborah Diesen

For our craft we make a school bus craft like the one pictured here:
https://goo.gl/tnj1MA

Extra activities
We sang "The Wheels on the Bus"


August 1, 2018 Story Time - Monkeys



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

*marks the books we read


















Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed  by Eileen Christelow*
Where Can That Silly Monkey Be?  by Jodie Shepherd
Caps For Sale  by Esphyr Slobodkina*
Little Monkey Lost  by Keith DuQuette
Two Little Monkeys  by Mem Fox*
Seven Spunky Monkeys  by Jackie French Koller
All About Monkeys  by Jared Siemens*
Monkey Colors  by Darrin Lunde*

For our craft we made a monkey CD puppet like the one found here:
https://goo.gl/EuXMkH

Extra activities
We sang "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"

July 25, 2018 Story Time - Wheels on the Bus


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

*marks the books we read

Wheels On The Bus  by Raffi*
Bus! Stop!  by James Yang*
ABCs On Wheels  by Ramon Olivera
The Wheels on the Bus  by Ann Owen
The Bus is For Us!  by Michael Rosen*
The Wheels on the Bus  by Jane Cabrera*

This is the craft we made:
















You can find the information for the craft here:
https://goo.gl/tnj1MA


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

repeat with verses:
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish
the driver on the bus goes "move on back", "move on back", "move on back"
the people on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down
the horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep
the babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah
the parents on the bus go shh, shh, shh

July 18, 2018 Story Time - Five Speckled Frogs


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

*marks the books we read

















Five Speckled Frogs  Retold by Steven Anderson*
One Frog Sang  by Shirley Parenteau*
Ribbit  by Jorey Hurley*

For our craft we colored a paper frog, glued him to a lily pad and then to a blue piece of paper. We added paper flies and flowers and a piece of yarn for his tongue

Extra activities
Little Tadpole (sung to "Frere Jacques")
Little tadpole, little tadpole
lost his tail, lost his tail
now he has two feet
now he has four feet
look a frog! look a frog!

Five Little Frogs (we filled in the blank (underlined word) with animals the children picked)
Five little frogs
were down at the pond, down at the pond at play
along came a hungry alligator
and chased one frog away
four little frogs
were down at the pond, down at the pond at play
along came a wiggly snake
and chased one frog away
three little frogs
were down at the pond, down at the pond at play
along came a giant fox
and chased one frog away
two little frogs
were down at the pond, down at the pond at play
along came a purple bear
and chased one frog away
one little frog
was down at the pond, down at the pond at play
along came a flying eagle
and chased one frog away
then no little frogs
were down at the pond, down at the pond at play
where do you think the little frogs went
when they all hopped away?

July 11, 2018 Story Time - The Itsy Bitsy Spider


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

*marks the books we read




















The Itsy Bitsy Spider  by Iza Trapani*
Little Miss Muffet  by Iza Trapani*
The Tickly Spider  by Margaret Wise Brown*
The Itsy Bitsy Spider  by Lorianne Siomades
Frank the Seven-Legged Spider  by Michaele Razi*

For our craft we wound yarn around a small paper plate with notches cut around the edges to make a web, then added a plastic spider.

Extra activities
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the waterspout
down came the rain and washed the spider out
out came the sun and dried up all the rain
and the Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the spout again

Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
eating her curds and whey
along came a spider
who sat down beside her
and frightened Miss Muffet away

Spider facts:
Spiders don't have antenna, which separates them from insects
An increase of spiderwebs in your house may be a sign of cold weather coming
Crabs are distant relatives of spiders
Some spiders hunt by spitting poisonous fluid to immobilize their prey
Spiders are nearsighted, which means they can't see things far away
The blood of a spider is light blue (please don't kill any spiders just to see if this is true!)

July 3, 2018 Story Time - Ice Cream


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

*marks the books we read

July is National Ice Cream month so we read stories about ice cream, then had some ice cream!!




















The Little Ice Cream Truck  by Margery Cuyler*
From Milk to Ice Cream  by Stacy Taus-Bolstad
Groovy Joe Ice Cream & Dinosaurs  by Eric Litwin*
Ice Cream Soup  by Ann Ingalls*
Make Mine Ice Cream  by Melvin Berger*

For our craft we decorated an ice cream cone like this one:



June 27, 2018 Story Time - Mary Had a Little Lamb


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

*marks the books we read

















Mary Had a Little Lamb  by Megan Borgert-Spaniol*
Mary Had a Little Ham  by Margie Palatini
Wee Little Lamb  by Lauren Thompson*
Mary Had a Little Jam And Other Silly Rhymes  by Bruce Lansky
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep  by Jane Cabrera*
Mary Had a Little Lab  by Sue Fliess
Mary Had a Little Lamb  by Iza Trapani
Little Bo Peep  by Liza Woodruff

For our craft we made a circle lamb like this one:




















Extra activities
We sang:
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Baa, Baa Black Sheep
Little Bo Peep

After we read Mary Had a Little Lamb we discussed these story questions:
1) What part of the lamb is it's fleece?
2) What else could it be as white as?
3) Do your pets follow you around like Mary's Lamb? How does it make you feel?
4) Why wasn't it all right for Mary's lamb to be at school?
5) What does it mean that "the teacher turned him out"?

June 20, 2018 Story Time - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star


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

*marks the books we read




















Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star  by Iza Trapani*
Dora the Explorer - Little Star  by Sarah Willson*
Stars and Constellations  by Nick Hunter
Henry's Stars  by David Elliot
Bright Sky, Starry City  by Uma Krishnaswami

For our craft we glued this star picture on black paper




















Extra activities:

We sang:

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
how I wonder what you are
up above the world so high
like a diamond in the sky
twinkle, twinkle, little star
how I wonder what you are

Star Light, Star Bright
Star light, star bright,
first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might,
have the wish I wish tonight

We took a paper cup and poked holes in the bottom with a pen. Then we turned out the lights and shined a flashlight into the cup which projected an image on the wall that looked like stars


June 13, 2018 Story Time - Row, Row, Row Your Boat


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

*marks the books we read




















Row, Row, Row Your Boat  by Jane Cabrera*
Boats - Speeding! Sailing! Cruising!  by Patricia Hubbell
Curious George The Boat Show  by Raye Lankford*
Dinosailors  by Deb Lund
Sail Away  by Donald Crews*

For our craft we made a sailboat out of a pool noodle, a straw and a triangle of foam like the one pictured below:









Extra activities
We sang Row, Row, Row Your Boat

We tested objects (leaf, stick, flower, pencil, crayon, magnet, paperclip, rubber band, plastic and silver spoon, and a rock) to see if they would float or sink.







June 6, 2018 Story Time - Old MacDonald Had a Farm


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

*marks the books we read

















Old MacDonald  by Megan Borgert-Spaniol*
Barnyard Dance!  by Sandra Boynton
Cock-a-Doodle Quack! Quack!  by Ivor Baddiel and Sophie Jubb*
Big Red Barn  by Margaret Wise Brown
Barnyard Boogie!  by Tim McCanna
Farmyard Beat  by Lindsey Craig*

For our craft we made a chick like this:
https://goo.gl/db1JcC

We added legs and a stick to make a puppet.

Extra activities
We played a guessing game called "Farmer, Farmer, What Do You See?"
I held up pictures of farm animals and the children had to guess the animal and what noise it makes

May 30, 2018 Story Time - Music


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

*marks the books we read




















Music Is...  by Brandon Stosuy*
The Music Teacher From the Black Lagoon  by Mike Thaler
Footloose  by Kenny Loggins
Bears in a Band  by Shirley Parenteau*
The Bear Went Over the Mountain  by Iza Trapani
Yankee Doodle  by Edward Bangs
Boom Bah!  by Phil Cummings*
Rock-and-Roll Bob  by Kim Ostrow

For our craft we made tambourines by putting beans between two paper plates then stapling them shut and decorating them.

May 23, 2018 Story Time - Monsters


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

*marks the books we read




















Glad Monster, Sad Monster-A Book About Feelings  by Ed Emberley*
Happy Healthy Monsters  by Christine Ferraro
Monster & Son  by David Larochelle*
My Monster Mama Loves Me So  by Laura Leuck
Some Monsters Are Different  by David Milgrim*
The NOT So Quiet Library  by Zachariah Ohora

For our craft we designed our own monsters using the template found here:
https://goo.gl/w9gtYj

Extra activities
The Monster Stomp
If you want to be a monster well now's your chance
cause everyone is doing the monster dance
you just stomp your feet, wave your arms around
stretch them up, stretch them up and touch the gound
cause now we're doing the monster stomp
that's right, now we're doing the monster stomp!