Our Favorite Books 2013: December 30, 2013

Books:
Oliver and His Alligator by Paul Schmid *
Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nicola O'Byrne *
That Is NOT a Good Idea! by Mo Willems
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli *

Craft: Alligator
The craft we did is based on the picture to the left.  The template can be found at http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/02/06/id-snap-at-the-chance-to-be-your-valentine/.  Ours was a little different in that we did a flat body instead of the pillow box body.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk with your child about how plants grow (i.e. The Watermelon Seed)
- Discuss with your child things that they are scared of and ways they might cope (i.e. Oliver and His Alligator)

Christmas Story Time: December 23, 2013

Books:
Babushka by Sandra Ann Horn
Dinosaur vs. Santa by Bob Shea *
Have You Been Naughty or Nice? by Ethan Long *
How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen
Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner
The Three Bears' Christmas by Kathy Duval *

Craft: Triangle Santa
The craft we did was based on the picture above.  It was fairly simple to make.  Our version was flat and did not stand up although that would have been very cute.  The other main difference is that we used cotton balls for the beard and hat trim.

Literacy Extensions:
- Write a letter to Santa with your child explaining any bad misdeeds (i.e. Have You Been Naughty or Nice?)
-  Try to come up with Christmas versions of popular fairy and folk tales (i.e. The Three Bears' Christmas)

Our Favorite Books 2013: December 16-17, 2013

Books:
Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier *
Bug Patrol by Denise Dowling Mortensen
Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein *
Puffin Peter by Petr Horacek
Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira *

Craft: Dinosaur Coloring Book
The book was compiled of coloring pages from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/printouts/a.shtml.

Literacy Extensions:
- Ask your child to describe different animals.  See how the descriptions compare with other animals. (i.e. Bear and Bee)
- Talk about ways your child can try to make new friends (i.e. Ribbit!)

Our Favorite Books 2013: December 9-10, 2013

Books:
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett *
Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
I Dare You NOT to Yawn by Helene Boudreau *
Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt
Yoo-Hoo Ladybug! by Mem Fox

Craft:
This week's craft was inspired by the paperbag monkey costume found at http://www.bellebebes.co.uk/tag/owl/.  We did not use a paperbag but instead made a flat monkey head out of cardstock.  A face was printed onto half a sheet of cardstock.  Two circles were glued to the sides for the ears.  A craft stick was glued above the eyes for the eyebrow.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about the different types of sentences and how they change depending on the ending punctuation (i.e. Exclamation Point)
- Play a game of I Spy with your child focusing on colors and letters of the alphabet (i.e. Yoo-Hoo Ladybug!)

Our Favorite Books 2013: December 2-3, 2013

Books:
Crankee Doodle by Tom Angleberger
Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore
Moo! by David LaRochelle *
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown *
Perfectly Percy by Paul Schmid *

Craft: Cow Puppet
Children colored a cow mask I found online and glued it to a jumbo craft stick to make into a puppet.  If they wanted to make it into a mask, they could cut out the eyes at home.

Literacy Extensions:
- Ask your child to convey different emotions while using the same word of phrase (i.e. Moo!)
- Discuss with your child how wild animals act differently from tame animals or people (i.e. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild)

Forest Story Time: November 25-26, 2013

Books:
At the Edge of the Woods: A Counting Book by Cynthia Cotten *
Bear Says Thank You by Karma Wilson
Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson
It's the Bear! by Jez Alborough *
The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore *

Craft: Circles Bear
Children glued various sized circles together to make a bear.  Circles - one 4" body, one 3" head, four 1-1/2" paws, one 1-1/2" snout, and two 1" ears

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss how animals prepare and spend the winter (i.e. foraging, migration, hibernation, etc.)
- Talk about how to take care of books based on The Wonderful Book.

Ocean Story Time: November 18-19, 2013

Books:
I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry *
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry *
Pigs Ahoy! by David McPhail
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
Scuba Bunnies by Christine Loomis *
Secret Seahorse by Stella Blackstone *

Craft: Squid
This week we made the squid from I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean.  A bullet-shaped squid body was cut out from card stock. Then crepe paper cut in half longways was glued to the bottom for the tentacles.  Two longer strips were glued in the middle with two shorter pieces glued on each side.

Literacy Extensions:
- With your child try to determine the size of sea creatures such as shrimp, jellyfish, sharks, etc. from smallest to largest to go with I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean.
- Talk about emotions and how different people make you feel (i.e. The Pout-Pout Fish)

City Story Time: November 12, 2013

Books:
All Through My Town by Jean Reidy
Bear About Town by Stella Blackstone *
Blackout by John Rocco
Old MacDonald in the City by Suzanne Williams *
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha *

Craft: Paper City
The children colored a city scene and two people.  The template was found on Made by Joel - http://madebyjoel.com/paper-city.  We did not do the folding to make the city stand.  Instead, they can be leaned against a wall or other object.  The site also has various other city scenes, people and vehicles that can be printed out. 

Literacy Extensions:
- Read Aesop's fable County Mouse, City Mouse.  Then list the differences between the city and the country.
- With your child, try to list all the different buildings in your town (i.e. doctor's office, store, library, etc.)

Farm Story Time: November 4-5, 2013

Books:
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Chicken, Chicken, Duck! by Nadia Krilanovich
Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman *
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell
Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig *
I Spy on the Farm by Edward Gibbs *

Craft: Barn with Animals
Each child was given a barn coloring sheet where slits had been cut on the sides of the barn doors.  Inserted was a strip of paper with four animals on it.  Although not the exact graphics I used, this example can be found at http://www.123learncurriculum.com/freedownloads_files/Barn%20Animals.pdf. 

Literacy Extensions:
- Go over animal sounds (i.e. Chicken, Chicken Duck! or I Spy on the Farm)
- Make your own Animals to the Rescue story (i.e. Chickens to the Rescue and other books by John Himmelman)

Trick or Treat Story Time: October 28-29, 2013

Books:
The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey
Jungle Halloween by Maryann Cocca-Leffler *
Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane *
Six Creepy Sheep by Judith Ross Enderle
We're Off to Find the Witch's House by Richard Krieb *
Wild Witches' Ball by Jack Prelutsky
Witches by Cheryl Christian

Craft: Mummy Paper Bag Puppet
Children drew eyes onto the bottom part of a brown lunch bag.  They then glued on strips of white paper to make it look like a mummy.  Extra slips could be glued to the sides for arms.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about Halloween safety with your children.
- Try to come up with Halloween costumes for various animals that are a play on words (i.e. - hot dog costume for a weiner dog like in The Hallo-Wiener)

Leaves Story Time - October 21-22, 2013

Books:
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall *
Leaf Jumpers by Carole Gerber
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert *
Leaves by David Ezra Stein *
The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger *

Craft: Fall Leaves Tree
The craft we made is very similar to the one pictured at left.  There were two main differences.  We used a quarter sheet of cardstock rolled and glued into a cylinder for the tree trunk rather than a toilet paper tube.  We also glued on different colored leaves instead of using finger paint.

Literacy Extensions:
- Go on a leaf hunt in your neighborhood.  See how many different types of leaves you can find.  Discuss the different colors and how they are shaped differently. (i.e. - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt)
- See what pictures you and your child can make from fallen leaves. (i.e. - Leaf Man)

Scarecrows Story Time: October 15, 2013

Books:
The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown *
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown
Shoo, Crow! Shoo! by Dana Meachen Rau *
The Shy Scarecrow by Mary Packard *
There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed Some Leaves! by Lucille Colandro

Craft: Paper Plate Scarecrow
Our scarecrow was very similar to this one.  The main difference is that is was made completely with paper.  We used the small paper plates for the face and the mouth was drawn on.  All the other pieces were cut out from cardstock for the kids to color and glue to the plate.

Literacy Extension:
- Have your children determine what could be used from around your house to make a scarecrow with (i.e. Shoo, Crow! Shoo!)
- Discuss situations with your child that makes them shy.  Talk about ways that their confidence might be boosted during those situations.  (i.e. The Shy Scarecrow)

Fall Story Times -- Apples: October 7-8, 2013

Books:
Ducking for Apples by Lynne Berry
Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd
Max & Mo Go Apple Picking by Patricia Lakin
Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng *
Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo. LeSieg (Dr. Seuss) *
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins *

Craft: Paper Plate Apple
Children were given a small paper plate, a craft stick, and a paper leaf to color.  The paper plate had a small slit cut in it.  The paper plate was colored as an apple with the leaf glued to the top.  The craft stick was colored as a worm and stuck through the slit in the paper plate.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss all the different ways apples can be prepared to be eaten (i.e. - pie, applesauce, etc).  See which is your family's favorite way to eat them.
- Try to extend the story Ten Red Apples by coming up with ten more animals that might steal the apples.  Fit the animals and their sounds into the text.

Building Block 2013 Nominees Story Time: September 30, October 1, 2013

Books:
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin *
Who's Who? by Ken Geist *

Craft Activity: Button Necklace
Children colored five buttons that were cut out from cardstock.  They were then strung onto curling ribbon to make a necklace.

Literacy Extensions:
- Do a color separating activity such as separating different colored buttons into piles.
- Practice simple math while eating a snack -- i.e. count how many fruit snacks you have versus how many of different colors, etc.

Building Block 2013 Nominees Story Time: September 23-24, 2013

Books:
Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas *
Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton *
One Special Day by Lola M. Schaefer *

Craft: Cow Headband
Children colored a cow head cut out from cardstock and then glued it to strips of paper made into a headband.  A cotton ball could be glued to the head for hair.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about fears you and your child might have.  Discuss ways to possibly overcome those fears.  (Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy)
- Discuss how babies need to be treated (i.e. One Special Day)

Building Block 2013 Nominees Story Time: September 16-17, 2013

Books:
Find a Cow Now by Janet Stevens *
I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black *
It's a Tiger! by David LaRochelle *

Craft: Flamingo
Children were given a flamingo body cut out of cardstock to color.  They could then choose a piece of pipe cleaner to bend in half and tape on as legs.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk with your child about how they know what certain animals are like in Find a Cow Now.
- Figure out what you can do with a potato that might be fun (I'm Bored).

Building Block 2013 Nominees Story Time: September 9-10, 2013

Books:
Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj *
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems *
(Each week we will be reading 2-3 of the ten 2013 Missouri Building Block Award nominee books.)

Craft: Cat Face
For this week's craft, we made the cat face of the craft pictured.  My original thought was to make it into the mask, but thought cutting out all the eye holes would be too time-consuming.  So instead we just made the face.  Several of the kids commented that they were going to either attach a craft stick to the face to make it into a puppet or either cut out the eye holes to make it into a mask when they got home.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about manners and the importance of saying "please" and "thank you" to go with The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?
-  Discuss how various animals might behave and act out those behaviors like the cats in Cat Secrets.

Building Block Award Story Time - Past Winners: September 3, 2013

Books:
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer *
Bubblegum, Bubblegum by Lisa Wheeler
Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug by Ed Emberley
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont
Llama, Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
No, David! by David Shannon
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen *
Press Here by Herve Tullet *

Craft: Pout-Pout Fish
The children were given a fish cutout with a smile / frown drawn onto it.  It could be made into a Pout-Pout Fish or a Kiss-Kiss Fish depending on where you glued the eye.  They could also glue on tissue paper and sequins to decorate the fish.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss bullying with your child.  Talk about methods of dealing with bullies and how important it is to not be a bully.  (Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug)
- Go over animal sounds with your child (i.e. - horse = neigh, lion = roar, etc.) to go with Bark, George.

Colors Story Time - August 26-27, 2013

Books:
Baby Shoes by Dashka Slater

Dog's Colorful Day: A Messy Story About Colors and Counting
     by Emma Dodd
I Dream of an Elephant by Ami Rubinger *
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin *
Warthogs Paint: A Messy Color Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards
What Does Bunny See? A Book of Colors and Flowers
     by Linda Sue Park *
White Rabbit's Color Book by Alan Baker *

Craft: Flower Color Match Picture
I drew a coloring sheet with flower stems and centers.  Each flower center was marked with a color.  Children glued flower petals to the flowers matching the colors to the correct flower.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice identifying colors by asking your child to point out the different color cars.
- For a snack, separate a bag of M&Ms into the different colors and then eat color by color.

1, 2, 3 Story Time: August 19-20, 2013

Books:
20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street by Mark Lee*
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett *
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
Let's Count Goats! by Mem Fox
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
Pugs in a Bug by Carolyn Crimi
Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo LeSieg
Ten Little Mummies: An Egyptian Counting Book by Philip Yates *
Two at the Zoo by Danna Smith

Craft: Apple Tree Match
I made a tree coloring sheet with the numbers 1-10 written randomly on the leaves.  The children were also given apple stickers with each apple numbered 1-10.  The children matched the sticker to the number on the coloring sheet.

Literacy Extensions:
- Play a counting game while in the car.  Have your child find a certain number of things (i.e. ten red cars, three yellow buildings, etc.)
- Learn how to count to ten in different languages such as Spanish, French, or sign language.

ABCs Story Time: August 12-13, 2013

Books:
A Isn't for Fox: An Isn't Alphabet by Wendy Ulmer
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. *
Jeepers Creepers: A Monstrous ABC by Laura Leuck *
Little Bitty Mousie by Jim Aylesworth
Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth
Peanut Butter and Jellyfishes: A Very Silly Alphabet Book by Brian Cleary *

Craft: Alphabet Dominoes
I found this great set of printable dominoes online at http://www.first-school.ws/theme/printables/dominoes-alphabet.htm.

Literacy Extensions:
- Go through the alphabet coming up with words that start with each letter.
- Play the alphabet game in the car.  Have your child find each letter of the alphabet in signs, license plates, etc. in order as you drive.

Back to School Story Time - August 5-6, 2013

Books:
How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen *
Minerva Louise at School by Janet Morgan Stoeke
My Creature Teacher by Laura Leuck *
Ollie's School Day: A Yes-and-No Book by Stephanie Calmenson
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin *
The Wheels on the School Bus by Mary-Alice Moore

Craft: School Bus
Children were given a school bus that was cut out of cardstock and three people cutouts to be colored.  Slits were cut at the bottoms of the bus windows so the people could be slid in and out.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss the different rooms in the school (i.e. Pete the Cat)
- Discuss the different adults and their roles at the school (i.e. The Wheels on the School Bus)

Amy Krouse Rosenthal Story Time - July 29-30, 3013

Books:
Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *

Craft:  Plant a Kiss Coloring Sheet
For our craft, we planted a kiss to see what would grow.  I drew a stem with leaf on a piece of paper.  The kids were encouraged to draw what they thought the kiss would grow to look like.  Sequins could be added to the drawing for sparkle.

Literacy Extensions:
- Do some cloud watching with your child.  Determine what you think the different clouds look like. (i.e. Duck! Rabbit!)
- Discuss the different types of punctuation and how they can change what a sentence means (i.e. Exclamation Mark)

Ethan Long Story Time - July 22-23, 2013

Books:
Chamelia by Ethan Long
The Croaky Pokey! by Ethan Long *
Duck's Not Afraid of the Dark! by Ethan Long
My Dad, My Hero by Ethan Long
One Drowsy Dragon by Ethan Long *
Pig Has a Plan by Ethan Long
Soup for One by Ethan Long
Tickle the Duck by Ethan Long *
Up, Tall and High! by Ethan Long
The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular by Ethan Long

Craft: Wide-Mouthed Frog
This craft was very similar to the frog pictured above.  The main difference is that instead of using feet like pictured, we accordian-folded strips of green paper for the legs.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice simple addition and subtraction with snack foods.  Ask your child to count the number of snacks you give them. 
- See if you and your child can come up with another version of the Hokey Pokey that features a different animal.

Oliver Jeffers Story Time - July 15-16, 2013

Books:
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers *
The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers *
The Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers

Craft: Star Ornament
Children were given a cardstock star cutout.  They could color and glue on tissue paper and sparkles to decorate it.  A piece of yarn was threaded through a hole at the top to tie and make into an ornament.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss different ideas your child might have for catching a star.
- Talk about what to do if your child ever finds themselves lost (i.e. Lost and Found).

Bob Shea Story Time - July 8-9, 2013

Books:
Big Plans by Bob Shea
Dinosaurs vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea *
Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea
I'm a Shark! by Bob Shea
Oh, Daddy! by Bob Shea
Race You to Bed by Bob Shea

Craft: Dinosaur Picture
Children were given a sheet with a prehistoric landscape on it to color.  They colored and glued on dinosaur cutouts to the picture.

Literacy Extensions:
- Make up your own Dinosaur vs. ??? story.  Think of a topic and then see if dinosaur can do it.
- Talk about things you and your child are scared of (i.e. spiders in I'm a Shark!)

Jon Agee Story Time - July 1-2, 2013

Books:
The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau by Jon Agee
Milo's Hat Trick by Jon Agee
Mr. Putney's Quacking Dog by Jon Agee *
My Rhinoceros by  Jon Agee *
Nothing by Jon Agee
The Retired Kid by Jon Agee *
Terrific by Jon Agee

Craft: Octopus
The craft looked very similar to the one pictured above.  The main different is that we only used a half sheet of cardstock rather than a whole sheet.  I pre-cut the tentacles before the story time so all kids had to do was color and then glue the octopus together.

Literacy Extenders:
- Check out a book of riddles and see how many you and your child can answer. (i.e. Mr. Putney's Quacking Dog)
- Talk about what it means to be retired (i.e. The Retired Kid)

Mem Fox Story Time: June 24-25, 2013

Books:
Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild by Mem Fox
Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
Hello Baby! by Mem Fox
Let's Count Goats! by Mem Fox *
The Magic Hat by Mem Fox *
A Particular Cow by Mem Fox
Possum Magic by Mem Fox *
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
Time for Bed by Mem Fox
Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fo

Craft: Goat Puppet (pictured above)
The puppet is made from a brown paper lunch bag that is cut down to 6".  I made a couple of changes from the original in that I drew the eyes onto the face rather than using googily eyes.  I also cut out horns from cardstock rather than using wooden spoons.

Literacy Extensions:
- Research the Australian foods mentioned in Possum Magic (i.e. vegamite, pavlova, etc.) to find out what they are.  If you feel adventurous, try eating some of the foods.
- Come up with rhyming words to go with different animals like in The Magic Hat (i.e. road and toad, balloon and babbon, etc.)

Mo Willems Story Time: June 17-18, 2013

Books:
Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems *

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator by Mo Willems
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems *
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems *
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems *
That Is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems
What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound? by Mo Willems

Craft: Walrus
This craft goes with the book The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!.  It looks fairly similar to the photo above other than we used a small paper plate for the body and we did not glue whiskers onto the walrus.  I also drew the face a little differently.

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many different ways you can say the same phrase to convey different emotions (i.e. - "more balls" from Can I Play Too?)
- Retell a favorite story by switching out some of the characters with another type of animal (i.e. - changing bears to dinosaurs like in Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs)

Karen Beaumont Story Time - June 10-11, 2013

Books:
Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont *
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont *
I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont
Move Over, Rover by Karen Beaumont *
No Sleep for the Sheep by Karen Beaumont
Shoe-La-La! by Karen Beaumont
Where's My T-R-U-C-K? by Karen Beaumont
Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont *

Craft: Cookie Magnet
Children colored and then glued sequins to a cardstock circle to make it resemble a cookie.  A magnet was stuck to the back.

Literacy Expanders:
- See how many rhyming words you can come up with to rhyme with body parts like in I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (i.e. head, bed, said, etc.)
- Try reading a book that repeats a common word often and replace that word with the spelling to see if your child can figure out what the word is (i.e. - Where's My T-R-U-C-K?)

Jan Thomas Story Time - June 3-4, 2013

Books:
A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas *
The Easter Bunny's Assistant by Jan Thomas
Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny by Jan Thomas
Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas *
Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas *
Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas
Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas *
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas

Craft: Rhyming Dust Bunny Puppet
Children glued crepe paper strips (cut in half longways) to a paper lunch bag.  Two eyes and a nose were also glued on.

Literacy Extenders:
- See how many rhyming words you can come up with like in Rhyming Dust Bunnies (i.e. - book and look, cow and now, etc.)
- Try to come up with other ways you might get rid of a pesky bug that is bothering you like in Can You Make a Scary Face.

Mother Goose Rhymes & Songs, Week 4 - May 28, 2013

Books:
Little Bunny Foo Foo by Paul Brett Johnson *
Little Bunny Foo Foo: The Real Story by Cori Doerrfeld
Mary Had a Little Lamp by Jack Lechner
Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera
Over in the Meadow: A Counting Rhyme by Olive A. Wadsworth
She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain by Philemon Sturges *
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback
There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Shell! by Lucille Colandro *

Craft: Bunny Goon
This craft was taken from the Paul Brett Johnson version of Little Bunny Foo Foo where he is turned into a goon at the end of the book.  The kids were given a bunny cutout to color and decorate with paper scraps, making it into a goon.

Literacy Extenders:
- Find other versions of There Was an Old Lady by Lucille Colandro.  See if you can come up with your own version.
- Talk about manners and how we should treat other people after reading Little Bunny Foo Foo.

Mother Goose Rhymes & Songs, Week 3: May 20-21, 2013

Books:
The Bear Went Over the Mountain by Iza Trapani
The Completed Hickory Dickory Dock by Jim Aylesworth *
Do Your Ears Hang Low? by Caroline Church *
Hey Diddle Diddle by Eve Bunting *
Shoo Fly by Iza Trapani
Take Me Out to the Ball Game by Maryann Kovalski *

Craft: Hickory Dickory Clock
The picture to the left was my inspiration for this week's craft.  I printed out a clock face and a clock pendulum for the kids to color and then glue to a paper lunch bag.  I also cut out a mouse body for them to color.  The tail was a piece of yarn tied to a paperclip which was then taped to the back of the mouse's body.  The kids could then clip the mouse onto the edge of the paper bag and "run" it up and down the clock.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss how your child thinks animals might play different musical instruments like in Hey Diddle Diddle.
- With your child, make up your own Completed Hickory Dickory Dock coming up with different activities the mouse could do throughout the day.

Mother Goose Rhymes & Songs, Week 2: May 13-14, 2013

Books:
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow *
Hush, Little Baby by Marla Frazee
Hush, Little Monster by Denis Markell
Little Bo Peep by Liza Woodruff
Old MacDonald in the City by Suzanne Williams *
To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda *

Craft: Nursery Rhyme Coloring Books
The books can be printed out online at http://www.state.lib.la.us/literacy-and-reading/early-literacy/nursery-rhyme-printable-mini-books.

Literacy Extenders:
- Create your own version of Old MacDonald inserting your favorite animals (i.e. Old MacDonald went to the zoo . . .)
- Listen to classic children's songs (i.e. Are You Sleeping, B-I-N-G-O, Farmer in the Dell, etc.)

Mother Goose Rhymes & Songs, Week 1: May 6-, 2013

Books:
If You're Happy and You Know It by Jan Ormerod *
If You're Happy and You Know It by Anna McQuinn
It's Raining, It's Pouring by Kin Eagle *
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani *
Mary Had a Little Lamb by Mary Ann Hoberman *
Roll Over by Merle Peek
Three Little Kittens by Jerry Pinkney *

Craft: Clothespin Sheep
Children glued white tissue paper squares to a cutout sheep shape.  Two clothespins were clipped at the bottom so the lamb could stand on its legs.

Literacy Extenders:
- Learn the different nursery rhymes (i.e. - Jack and Jill, Old King Cole, etc.)
- Come up with new verses of If You're Happy and You Know (i.e. - flap wings like a bird, etc.)

The Five Senses Story Time: Sound - April 29-30, 2013

Books:
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer *
Moo in the Morning by Barbara Maitland *
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr.
The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky *
What the Baby Hears by Laura Godwin
What's Your Sound Hound the Hound? by Mo Willems *

Craft: Bell
This was a very simple craft to make.  A small paper plate was cut in half.  I then made a hole using a hole punch right on the straight edge in the center.  (It should look like half a hole punch.)  The children then colored the bottom side of the plate.  A jingle bell was tied onto a piece of curling ribbon.  The curling ribbon was laid into the hole punch and the plate was glued into a cone shape.  A piece of tape was usually needed to make sure the plate would stay glued.  These turned out very cute.  I really liked how a lot of the kids wore their bells like bracelets.

Literacy Extensions:
- Go over the different animal sounds with your child as in Polar Bear, Polar Bear and What the Baby Hears.
- Discuss how different places sound differently (i.e. country and city in Moo in the Morning)

The Five Sense Story Time: Sight - April 22-23, 2013

Books:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
Class Two at the Zoo by Julia Jarman *
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw *
Tulip Sees America by Cynthia Rylant
You See a Circus, I See . . . by Mike Downs *

Craft: Paper Plate Clown
Children glued pieces of colored paper to a small paper plate and then colored to make into a clown's face.

Literacy Extenders:
- Watch the sky and see what shapes the clouds make as in It Looked Like Spilt Milk.
- Play "I Spy" with your child asking them to find objects in view starting with a certain letter or a certain color.

The Five Senses Story Time: Smell - April 15-16, 2013

Books:
Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup *
I Stink! by Kate & Jim McMullan *
The Nose Book by Al Perkins
Nosy Rosie by Holly Keller
A Pet for Petunia by Paul Schmid *

Craft: Trash Truck
The children were each given a picture of a trash truck to color.  They then added "trash" by gluing on crumpled up colored paper squares.

Literacy Extenders:
- With your child come up with lists of items that smell good and that stink.
- Use the book Big Smelly Bear to introduce ideas of good hygiene to your child such as brushing teeth, taking baths, etc.

The Five Senses Story Time: Touch - April 8-9, 2013

Books:
How Does It Feel? by Bobbie Kalman
Hugless Douglas by David Melling *
I Love to Cuddle by Carl Norac *
A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart
Press Here by Herve Tullet *
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young *

 Craft: Bear Hug
This craft was revised from a Valentine card.  Children colored a bear head and arms cut from cardstock.  They then folded in the arms so the bear could give hugs.

Literacy Extenders:
- List as many things you can think of that are soft and cuddly like in I Love to Cuddle.
- Place an everyday object in a bag and let your child try to figure out what it is just by feeling it like in Seven Blind Mice.

The Five Senses Story Time: Taste - April 1-2, 2013

Books:
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson *
Crunch Munch by Jonathan London
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Lunch by Denise Fleming *
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems
Worms for Lunch by Leonid Gore *
Yuck! by Nick Manning *

Craft: Sucker Flower
Children colored and then glued petals to a flat sucker.

Literacy Extenders:
- Discuss foods you and your child like and dislike and why.
- Talk about foods that go together (i.e. milk and cookies) like in The Cow Loves Cookies.

Blue Story Time - March 25-26, 2013

Books:

The Big Blue Spot - Peter Holwitz *
Blueberry Mouse by Alice Low
Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar *
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard *
Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
What's the Matter, Blue Bunny? by Nicola Smee

Craft: Blue Bird
I revised this craft slightly from the picture.  For the bird's body, cut a small paper plate in half and then cut a small slit in towards the bottom of the curved side.  The wings is a quarter piece of blue paper accordian-folded and slid through the slit.  Bend the paper up slightly and open up the wings.  The tail was made of blue crepe paper strips and the beak was a yellow triangle.  Instead of covering the bird with tissue paper, we simply colored the birds and then drew on an eye.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about how colors can be made be mixing two other colors together (i.e. - yellow and blue make green) like in The Big Blue Spot.
- Try to name as many blue items as you can.

Yellow Story Time - March 18-19, 2013

Books:
Banana! by Ed Vere
Dig! by Andrea Zimmerman *
In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli *
The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
Press Here by Herve Tullet
Wake Up, Sun! by David L. Harrison *

Craft: Paper Plate Sun
Children drew a face onto a paper plate before gluing pieces of yellow tissue paper over the top of it.  Strips of yellow paper were glued to the back of the plate as the sun's rays.

Literacy Extenders:
- Discuss different things you could pretend to be if wearing yellow as in the book In My New Yellow Shirt.
- Draw a map of the town and job sites in Dig!.

Green: A Colors Story Time - March 11-12, 2013

Books:
Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley *
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Green Wilma by Tedd Arnold
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel
Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman *
Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree by Jan Peck
Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox *

Craft: Shamrock Necklace
Children colored a shamrock cut out of cardstock before stringing it onto curling ribbon with pony beads.

Literacy Expanders:
- Learn more about the various animals in the Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree.
- Talk about how the sound effects and selected words (i.e. slithered, etc) helped to create tension in the book Snip Snap! What's That?.

Red: A Colors Story Time - March 4-5, 2013

Books:
Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell *
Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng *
On Top of Spaghetti by Paul Brett Johnson *
Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton *
Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo Le Sieg
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Craft: Fredbird Hat
A child came in wearing one of these homemade Fredbird (St. Louis Cardinals' mascot) hats in 2011 during the postseason run.  I immediately asked to take a picture knowing that we would make the craft someday.  It finally fit into one of my story time themes.  The head is made from a 8-1/2" square of red paper with black eyes and a yellow beak glued onto it.  Strips of red paper were glued to the back to make the hat band.  It was a very cute and very popular craft with the kids and adults.

Literacy Expanders:
- List foods with your child that are red.
- Talk about words that sound the same but mean different things (i.e. - red and read, their, they're and there, etc.)

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.

Snowmen Story Time - January 28-29, 2013

Books:
Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner *
Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright *
All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle *
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
On the First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
Snow Balls by Lois Ehlert

Craft: Sparkly Snowman
I used the snowman template to the left for the snowman's body.  I also cut out a top hat to be glued to the snowman's head.  Children can color and glue sequins onto their snowman.

Literacy Expanders:
- Play with onomatopoeia and coming up with words that express the sound they describe. (i.e. achoo, etc.)
- Talk about what items you would add to a snowmen you might build.

Winter Animals Story Time - January 22, 2013

Books:
Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling *
Moon Glowing by Elizabeth Partridge *
Sleep, Bear Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright *
Duck, Duck, Moose by Dave Horowitz
First Snow by Bernette Ford
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead
A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart
The Winter Visitors by Karel Hayes

Craft: Folded Paper Bear
http://www.firstpalette.com/tool_box/printables/Paperzooanimals.html
The craft was revised a little bit in that we altered the template into two pieces -- the body and the head.  It made it easier for folding.  We also added lines to the body template to show where the bear should be folded so it would stand.

Literacy Extenders:
- See how many rhyming words you can come up with for bear, sleep, snow, etc.
- Discuss with your child how different animals spend the winter.