Hippo Story Time - February 25-26, 2013

Books:
George and Martha (series) by James Marshall
The Happy Hippopotami by Bill Martin *
Hidden Hippo by Joan Gunnij *
Hippo! No, Rhino! by Jeff Newman
Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by John Rox
Kiss Kiss by Margaret Wild
A Mama for Owen by Marion Dane Bauer
Oh, Daddy! by Bob Shea *

Craft: Hungry Hippo
The craft was based off a stamp that I saw online.  The main difference I made was that I split the head into pieces so that the children had one part that was a circle that had the eyes on it.  The second piece was made to fold in half so the mouth would open. It was then glued to the upper head piece.  Both of those were then glued to the body.  We also gave the kids little pieces of paper to glue on as teeth.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learn about the different animals that can be found on safari by reading the back pages of Hidden Hippo.
- Have your child describe exactly what is wrong with each example the dad gives in Oh, Daddy!

Elephants Story Time - February 19, 2013

Books:
Elmer by David McKee *
Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco
How to Catch an Elephant by Amy Schwartz *
I Dream of an Elephant by Ami Rubinger *
Little Nelly's Big Book by Pippa Goodhart
Mr. Elephanter by Lark Pien
My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World by Gilles Bachelet
The Right Number of Elephants by Jeff Sheppard *
Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems

Craft:
Paper Plate Elephant - Cut two small rectangles (legs), one long, skinny rectangle (tail), one ear shape, and one trunk shape from card stock.  Color small paper plate (body) and pieces before gluing pieces to plate to assemble into an elephant.  http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/paper_plate_elephant_craft.htm

Literacy Expanders:
- Come up with synonyms for "big" with your child (i.e. - huge, gigantic, etc.). Put the words in order from smallest to largest.
- Discuss ways in which we show our anger - How to Catch an Elephant

Lions Story Time - February 11-12, 2013

Books:
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen *
Roar: A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards *
Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek
Quiet! by Paul Bright
Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkert
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty

Craft: Standing Paper Lion
- For lion's body I cut triangles into the short sides of a 5" x 3" piece of card stock.  The card was then folded in half and colored.  A piece of 1/2" x 4" brown paper was glued to the back and curled for the lion's tale.
- For the lion's head I found a coloring picture online of a lion and sized the head to fit the body.  It was cut out of card stock and colored.  About 15-20 pieces of 1/2" x 2" brown paper were glued around the head to make the mane.
- The lion's head was glued to the front side of the body towards the top of the fold.
- The lion should stand when the fold is opened slightly.

Literacy Expanders:
- Talk about the different sounds animals make.
- Visit the library and go over some basic rules for behavior in the library and how to treat books. - The Library Lion

Dinosaurs Story Time - February 4-5, 2013

Books:
Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton
T Is for Terrible by Peter McCarty
Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Strickland *
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems *
Dinosuar vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea *

Craft: Stegosaurus
I used the image above as a template for a stegosaurus body and spikes.  The spikes were cut out separately from the body.  Children colored the body and spikes and then glued them together to make their dinosaur.

Literacy Expanders:
- Learn about the different dinosaurs.  Discuss why you like one more than another.
- See if you can retell other fairy tales using dinosaurs as creatures such as Mo Willems did in Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs.