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)