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.