Favorite Books of 2014: December 29-30, 2014

Books:
The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water by Gemma Merino *
Duck, Duck, MOOSE! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen *
Hickory Dickory Dog by Alison Murray *
My Teacher Is a Monster! No, I Am Not. by Peter Brown
Ninja! by Aree Chung
Peek-A-Boo Bunny by Holly Surplice *
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

Craft: Dragon
I don't have a picture or template to share of this project as it was hand-drawn.  The kids colored a dragon's body and wings before gluing the wings to the body and then gluing on tissue paper flames.

Literacy Extensions:
- Explore the original "Hickory Dickory Dock" and other nursery rhymes.
- Ask your child for his favorite books from this year.  Have them articulate why they liked certain books and disliked others.

Notes:
I was amazed at how much the kids really liked Duck, Duck, MOOSE!.  I was afraid that it didn't have enough story to go with it.  Turns out that they liked it almost as much as the similarly written book Moo! by David LaRochelle.

Christmas Story Time: December 22-23, 2014

Books:
Dinosaur vs. Santa by bob Shea
Have You Been Naughty or Nice? by Ethan Long *
Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve by Janet Morgan Stoeke *
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner *
Star Bright: A Christmas Story by Alison McGhee
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jane Cabrera

Craft: Standing Christmas Tree
Our craft was based on the picture at left.  Children colored a cardstock triangle before gluing on a star topper and sequins ornaments.  A clothespin was clipped at the bottom as the stand.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about your family's holiday traditions.  Explain the history and the meaning behind them to your children.
- See if your child can come up with his own version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" like Jane Cabrera did in her book.

Favorite Books of 2014: December 22-23, 2014

Books:
Digger Dog by William Bee *
Froodle by Antoinette Portis
Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli *
The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin *

Craft: Paper Tube Race Car
Our craft this week was based on the picture at right.  A quarter sheet of cardstock was rolled and glued into a cylinder to make the car's body.  Four circles were glued on for tires.  A person was colored and stuck through a slit cut in the car's body.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss how there are different ways to be number one - not just winning first place. (i.e. Number One Sam)
- Talk about bones and skeletons.  Explain how it is our bones that hold us together and allow us to stand up.

Favorite Books of 2014: December 8-9, 2014

Books:
Found by Salina Yoon *
Froodle by Antoinette Portis
How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler
How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon *
Naked! by Michael Ian Black *

Craft: Lemur
We made a lemur today where the kids colored the various body part and glued them together to make a lemur.  The template can be found on the DLTK kids page.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss the importance of clothes.  Talk about what is appropriate clothing for various situations. (i.e. Naked!)
- Talk about how it feels to lose a favorite toy or animal.  Then discuss how it feels to give a formerly cherished toy or animal to a friend.  Select a toy or animal to donate to a charity for the needy.
(i.e. Found)


Notes:
All of the stories we read this week were really short. I probably should have added a fourth book to the story time.

Favorite Books of 2014: December 1-2, 2014

Books:
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak *
Hickory Dickory Dog by Alison Murray
Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet *
Oh So Brave Dragon by David Kirk *
Three Little Peas by Marine Rivoal

Craft: Color Wheel Coloring Sheet
We practiced mixing our colors this week by completing the coloring sheet at left.  The circles are labeled which color to use.  Kids had to figure out what color to use where the circles overlap.

Literacy Extensions:
- Play with color mixing.  Use watercolor paints to mix colors and explore how they change when mixed. (i.e. Mix It Up!)
- Read some nursery rhymes.  See if you and your child can come up with variations on them similar to the book Hickory Dickory Dog.

Notes:
We started out our series of favorite picture books from 2014 with my two favorite books -- The Book with No Pictures and Mix It Up!.
I have been amazed at the great reaction we get from The Book with No Pictures.  The kids giggle through the entire book.
Mix It Up! got a little more of a mixed reaction.  All of the children loved the "magic" of how the book changes based on the directions you follow.  However, the  younger children did not get the color mixing.
The same problem came up with the craft activity.  I went with just the simple coloring sheet as we had Play Time after the Story Times this week.  The kids usually  just want to get through the activity to get to the toys.  However, again the younger children didn't grasp the color mixing concept that the coloring sheet asked for.

Feet Story Time: November 24-25, 2014

Books:
Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig
The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
Shoes for Me! by Sue Fliess *
Parts by Tedd Arnold *
Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert *

Craft: Centipede
The children were given the body of a centipede (which I admit looks more like a worm) to color.  They then glued on strips of black paper for the legs.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learn about animals and their feet (i.e. Who Has These Feet?).
- Practice rhyming words by seeing how many words your child can come up with to rhyme with the various body parts.

Tummy & Tushie Story Time: November 17-18, 2014

Books:
The Belly Book by Joe Harris *
The Butt Book by Artie Bennett
Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black *
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont *
Mother Mother I Feel Sick Send for the Doctor Quick Quick Quick  
          by Remy Charlip

Craft: Gingerbread Person
Each child was given a coloring sheet of a gingerbread person.  They were directed to color it like they would like to paint themselves (i.e. I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!).  I also handed out sparkles for those who would like to add them to their picture.

Literacy Extensions:
- Explain how different words can mean the same thing (i.e. Chicken Cheeks).  See if your child can come up with some examples.
- Use The Belly Book as an opening to talk about healthy eating.

Notes:
While I love all of the books I used this week, they really do go over best with the older children.  The Belly Book was a little long for the toddlers we had.  Also, the humor of Chicken Cheeks goes over better with slightly older children.  Although I did hear a lot of snickering from the parents on that one.

Hands & Fingers Story Time: November 10, 2014

Books:
Barry, the Fish with Fingers by Sue Hendra *
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins *
Three Little Kittens by Jerry Pinkney
Wash Your Hands! by Tony Ross *
We've All Got Bellybuttons! by David Martin *

Craft: Handprint Butterfly
This week's craft was based on the picture to the left.  Each child was given a sheet of paper with a butterfly body on it.  They then traced their hands on either side of the body.  They could then color in the handprints and glue on sparkles.

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many activities your child can come up with that they need to use their hands for (ex. pointing, writing, etc.)
- Have your child trace his/her handprint onto several pieces of paper.  See how many different animals they can make out of their handprints.

Notes:
Story time was only held on Monday this week due to the library being closed for Veteran's Day.

The books all went over pretty good this week.  I probably would not do Wash Your Hands! again though.  While the children were engrossed by the story, there were some that were grossed out by the idea of small crocodile-like germs on their hands.

Head Story Time: November 3-4, 2014

Books:
A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan *
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle *
A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan
Imogene's Antlers by David Small
There Is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems

Craft: Bunny Headband
This was a very simple craft to make.  Children colored a bunny cutout before gluing it to strips of paper to make into a headband.  They could then see what all they could do "with a bunny on their head".

Literacy Extensions:
- Ask kids to point to the different body parts as you name them.  Start with easy terms such as "ear, nose, etc." before moving on to more difficult terms such as "cheek, forehead, etc.".
- Do some simple exercises such as rolling your head, stretching your brack, etc. (i.e. From Head to Toe)

Trick or Treat Story Time: October 27-28, 2014

Books:
Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane *
Monster Mash by David Catrow
Monster Parade by Shana Corey
The Night Before Halloween by Natasha Wing *
One Witch by Laura Leuck *
Wild Witches' Ball by Jack Prelutsky

Craft: Frankenstein Trick or Treat Bag
Our craft this week was based on the picture above.  We made our trick or treat bags out of brown lunch bags that the kids colored green.  They then glued on eyes and strips of black paper for the hair and neck bolts.  They could then add a mouth, nose and scars if they liked.

Literacy Extensions:
- Write your own version of "Over in the Meadow" using monsters (i.e. Little Goblins Ten)
- Discuss safety tips for trick or treating.

Notes:
We went trick or treating through the library after the story times this week.

Skeleton Hiccups Story Time: October 20-21, 2014

Books:
Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere
The Skeleton in the Closet by Alice Schertle *
Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler *
Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie: A Revolting Rhyme
              by Judy Sierra
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Craft: Skeleton Picture
Children glued cut out bones and a skull to paper with an simple line-drawing skeleton.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about why people have / need bones.  Check out a nonfiction, informational book about skeletons and look at the pictures of the different bones in the body.
- Pick a simple recipe and make it with your child - discussing the various steps as you do them (i.e. Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie)

Notes:
This story time is not for children with fears of monsters.  While the children found Skeleton Hiccups funny, several of the children were scared by The Skeleton in the Closet and Bedtime for Monsters.  I suggest reading the books yourself before sharing with your children.

Ghost in the House Story Time: October 14, 2014

Books:
Ghost in the House by Ammi-Joan Paquette *
Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley *
Love Monster by Rachel Bright *
Ten Creepy Monsters by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis
Yeti, Turn Out the Light! by Greg Long *

Craft: Ghost
Our craft this week was based on the craft pictured to the left.  Each child was given a piece of white cardstock that had been cut in half longways that they colored a face onto.  They then glued on pieces of white crepe paper along the bottom before gluing the cardstock into a cylinder.

Literacy Extensions:
- Have you child come up with their own counting rhyme featuring monsters (i.e. Ten Creepy Monsters or Ghost in the House)
- Talk about body parts by having your child describe the various features of the characters in the book your reading (i.e. Go Away, Big Green Monster)

A Monster in the Book Story Time: October 6-7, 2014

Books:
Don't Squish the Sasquatch by Kent Redeker
Five Ugly Monsters by Tedd Arnold *
If You're a Monster and You Know It by Ed Emberley *
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems *
The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone *

Craft: Monster
The kids decorated a cardstock cutout monster with cryaons and sparkles.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss common fears with your child -- monsters, dark, storms, etc.  Then talk about ways we can deal with our fears.  (i.e. The Monster at the End of This Book)
- Revise common rhymes and songs to include monsters (i.e. If You're a Monster and Five Ugly  Monsters)

2014 Building Block Nominees Story Time: September 29-30, 2014

Books:
Moo! by David La Rochelle *
This Little Piggy by Tim Harrington *
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli *

Craft: Watermelon Person
This week we made watermelon people based on the picture at left.  We made ours out of half of a paper plate.  The children colored the edge of the plate green before gluing on a red semi-circle and four accordian-folded green strips of paper for arms and legs.  They could then draw on seeds and a face.

Literacy Extensions:
- Visit the Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award website to vote for your choice for the 2014 Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award.
- Extend the book This Little Piggy by having your child come up with more activities for the toes to do.

2014 Building Block Nominees Story Time: September 22-23, 2014

Books:
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett *
That Is NOT A Good Idea! by Mo Willems *

Craft: Monkey Necklace
Each child was given a piece of curling ribbon.  They could have 1-5 monkey heads to color and string onto the ribbon to make into a necklace.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice counting throughout the day by having your child count various common items (i.e. chips eaten at lunchtime, number of steps taken to walk from one room to another, etc.)
- Talk about how pictures can convey emotions without any text (i.e. That Is NOT A Good Idea)

2014 Building Block Nominees Story Time: September 15-16, 2014

Books:
I Dare You NOT to Yawn by Helene Boudreau *
Open Very Carefully: A Book With Bite by Nicola O'Byrne *
Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira *

Craft: Pig
The pig craft we made is based off of the one found on this story time blog.  Children got a head, four legs, and two ears to color and glue together to make into the pig.  They then taped on a pipe cleaner tail.

Literacy Extensions:
- Go over animal sounds with your child. (i.e. Ribbit!)
- Read the original story of 'The Ugly Duckling" and other fairy tales. (i.e. Open Very Carefully)

2014 Building Block Nominees Story Time: September 8-9, 2014

Books:
Little Nelly's Big Book by Pippa Goodhart *
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos *

Crafts:
Mustache Straw - Children colored a cardstock straw cutout that had two slits cut longwise into the center.  They then weaved it onto a bendy straw.
Police Badge - Children colored a cardstock police badge before stringing it onto yarn to wear as a necklace.

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many animals your child can identify from simple descriptions of them. (i.e. Little Nelly's Big Book)
- Have your child come up with more bad and good guys that might be identified by a certain type of mustache (i.e. Mustache Baby)

Building Block Award Winners Story Time: September 2, 2014

Books:
Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin *
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen *
Press Here by Herve Tullet *
Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? by Bonnie Lass

Craft: Dot Collage
Children were given 12 dots to make a collage.  They could be used in any combination along with coloring to create their picture.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice voting with your child. Have them vote for their favorite food, book, television show, game, etc.
- Visit the Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award website for links to activity sheets and Pinterest pages for all the past and current Building Block Award nominee books.

Opposites Story Time: August 25-26, 2014

Books:
Big Dog . . . Little Dog by P.D. Eastman *
Black? White! Day? Night! A Book of Opposites by Laura Vaccaro Seeger *
Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper *
Pomelo's Opposites by Ramona Badescu
You and Me: We're Opposites by Harriet Ziefert

Craft: Stop / Go Sign
Children were given a stop sign cutout and the word "GO" to color and then glue to a small paper plate.  A large craft stick was glued to the plate to make it into a Stop Sign on one side and a Go Sign on the other.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice opposites with your child by seeing how many opposites your child can come up with (i.e. big & small, high & low, etc.)
- Reinforce the idea of opposites by playing a game of Simon Says. (i.e. Stretch up high, touch the floor, etc.)

Shapes Story Time: August 18-19, 2014

Books:
Circle Dogs by Kevin Henkes
A Circle in the Sky by Zachary Wilson *
Dinosaur Shapes by Paul & Henrietta Stickland *
Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh 
Shape by Shape by Suse MacDonald *
Shape Spotters by Megan E. Bryant *
Shapes That Roll by Karen Nagel


Craft: Shapes Match Sheet
Kids matched cut out shapes to a coloring sheet to make a rocket ship.

Literacy Extensions:
- See what shapes your child can spot all around him / her (i.e. Shape Spotters)
- Make a shapes collage.  Cut out various shapes and see what pictures your child can make with them.

Numbers Story Time: August 11-12, 2014

Books:
Chicka Chicka 1-2-3 by Bill Martin Jr. *
Let's Count Goats! by Mem Fox
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Night Light by Nicholas Blechman *
The Right Number of Elephants by Jeff Sheppard *
 Warthogs in the Kitchen: A Sloppy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Craft: Chicka Chicka Apple Tree
Children colored the top of brown lunch bag green to make into a tree.  They then colored apples number 1-10.  They could either glue on the apples or they could leave the apples loose and store them in the bag so they could recreate the story of Chicka Chicka 1-2-3.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice counting as you go through the day.  For example, you can count the number of chips eaten during snack time.  Or count the number of people you see at the park on the playground.
- Have your child "write" their own book based on The Right Number of Elephants.  Pick an animal and see how many of them your child thinks they would need for various activities.

Alphabet Story Time: August 4-5, 2014

Books:
A Is for Salad by Mike Lester
Animal ABC by Marcus Pfister *
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. *
Dr. Seuss's ABC by Dr. Seuss
Jeepers Creepers: A Monstrous ABC by Laura Leuck *
Little Bitty Mousie by Jim Aylesworth
Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth

Craft: Alphabet Coloring Book
I found a printable alphabet coloring book online and printed it for the kids to color.  There are several available - simply choose your favorite one for your child.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice written letter recognition.  Have your child point out all of the featured letters on a particular page.  Dr. Seuss's ABC works great for this as it uses both upper case and lower case letters.
- Practice phonetics by seeing if your child can go through the alphabet by giving their sounds rather than their names.

Penguins Story Time: July 28-29, 2014

Books:
Baby Penguins Everywhere by Melissa Guion
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers *
Penguin by Polly Dunbar *
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester *
A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis


Craft: CD Penguin
This was a variation of the craft pictured above.  We made ours on old CDs that no longer worked.  We also had all the hearts cut out (body, wings, feet) so all the kids had to do was color the pieces before gluing them to the CD.  They could also add a magnet to the back if they liked.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learn more about penguins and their habitats.  There are several great books on penguins at the library. 
- Use the book Lost and Found to discuss with your child what they should do if they are lost.

Rabbits Story Time: July 21-22, 2014

Books:
The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers *
A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan *
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler
Peek-A-Boo Bunny by Holly Surplice *
What Does Bunny See? A Book of Colors by Linda Sue Park *

Craft: Bunny Mask
The center was cut out of a 9" paper plate.  Two bunny ears were glued to the top of the plate.  A jumbo craft stick was glued / taped to the bottom of the plate.  Cotton balls could be pulled apart and glued around the edge of the plate and the ears to make the bunny fuzzy.  The mask is held up so that you can see the child's face in the center of it.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice rhyming using A Boy and His Bunny.  See if your child can come up with more activities they can do "with a bunny on their head" making sure to rhyme with "head".
- Explore shadows.  Discuss how shadows are created and then play with making shadows. (i.e. The Black Rabbit)

Moose Story Time: July 14-15, 2014

Books:
Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner *
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root *
Moose on the Loose by Kathy-Jo Wargin
Moose Tracks by Karma Wilson
This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris *

Craft: Moose Head
Children glued handprint cutouts to a moose head and colored.

Literacy Extensions:
- Explore the differences between a moose, deer, and reindeer with your child.
- Practice rhyming.  See how many words your child can rhyme with "moose".

Snakes Story Time: July 7-8, 2014

*** Miss Amy is on vacation this week.  Story Times were led by Ms. Cathy. ***




Books:
Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems
Class Two at the Zoo by Julia Jarman
The Greedy Python by Richard Buckley
I Need a Snake by Lynne Jonell
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel

Craft: Paper Chain Snake
Kids glued multi-colored strips into a paper chain.  A larger loop was used for the head.

Literacy Extensions:
- Use the paper chain snake to practice counting.
- Use the paper chain snake to practice color identification.

Bugs Story Time: June 30-July 1, 2014

Books:
Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas *
Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi
Soup for One by Ethan Long
Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen *
The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Craft: Bug Headband
The headbands we made were very similar to those pictured at left.  The main difference is that we had paper strips for the antennae instead of pipecleaner.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss with your child the life cycle of a butterfly (i.e. Waiting for Wings)
- See how many different kinds of bugs your child can name (i.e. Some Bugs)

Sheep Story Time: June 23-24, 2014

Books:
Baa-Choo! by Sarah Weeks *
Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep by Teri Sloat *
Hide and Sheep by Andrea Beaty
Six Sandy Sheep by Judith Enderle
Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox *

Craft: Yarn Sheep
Children were given a sheep cutout.  They could color their sheep before gluing on multi-colored yarn pieces.

Literacy Extensions:
- Have your child list all the farm animals they can think of and their sounds.
- Discuss how clothes are made from sheep's wool (i.e. Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep)

Cows Story Time: June 16-17, 2014

Books:
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson *
The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill *
Cows to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas *
Moo! by David LaRochelle *

Craft: Paper Plate Cow
Children glued a head cutout and two hoofs to a small paper plate.  The cow could then be colored. 

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss with your child what different animals like to eat (i.e. The Cow Loves Cookies)
- Continue the story of Cows to the Rescue.  Have your child come up with more situations in which the cows could help out their family.

Cats Story Time: June 9-10, 2014

Books:
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes *
Love That Kitty! by Jeff Jarka *
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin *
Top Cat by Lois Ehlert
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas *

Craft: Long Tailed Cat
Each child colored a cat body cutout before choosing the color of diecut spiral tail they would like to glue to the cat.  The diecut spirals can also be made by cutting out a circle and then cutting it in a spiral pattern from an other edge to the center.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss characteristics of cats with your child.  Have then act out those behaviors and characteristics. (i.e. Love That Kitty)
- Extend the Pete the Cat story by having your child come up with additional things for Pete to step in.  They then also have to say what color his shoes would turn.

Dogs Story Time: June 2-3, 2014

Books:
Big Mean Mike by Michelle Knudson *
Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond
Dogs by Emily Gravett *
A Dog Needs a Bone by Audrey Wood
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas *
Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton *

Craft: Dog
Children were given a dog cutout to decorate into their favorite type of dog.  Yarn pieces were available in case they wanted a hairy dog.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss different types of dogs and their characteristics.  What kind of dog does your child like?  What don't they like?  (i.e. Dogs)
- Practice letter recognition by having your child point out the letter "D" in the story's text.

Grandparents Story Time: May 27, 2014

Books:
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith *
Just Grandma and Me by Mercer Mayer *
My Grandpa by Marta Altes
Raisin and Grape by Tom Amico
Two at the Zoo: A Counting Book by Danna Smith *
What's the Matter, Bunny Blue? by Nicola Smee
Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson

Craft: Family Tree
Children were given a coloring sheet with a tree trunk and branches.  They then got a green circle for each family member.  They could draw or write their family's members names on the circles before gluing them to the tree.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss with your child and their grandparent(s) how life was different when the grandparent(s) was a child.
- Discuss what your child should do if they ever get separated from their adult (i.e. What's the Matter, Bunny Blue)

Siblings Story Time: May 19-20, 2014

Books:
Another Brother by Matthew Cordell
The Boy Who Wouldn't Share by Mike Reiss *
I Will Never NOT Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
Mail Harry to the Moon by Robie H. Harris *
My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman *

Craft: Straw Rocket
Children glued together two rocket cutouts along the sides and top leaving the bottom open.  A straw stuck in the bottom of the rocket.  We had made these before and they worked -- shooting off when blowing into the straw.  However they did not work this week.  I think the straws might have been too narrow.  The children still enjoyed the rockets as puppets though.

Literacy Extensions:
- Have your child come up with new names and descriptions for food (i.e. I Will Never NOT Ever Eat a Tomato)
- Discuss how things change when a new brother or sister joins the family.  Then discuss how things stay the same.

Dad Story Time: May 12-13, 2014

Books:
The Daddy Mountain by Jules Feiffer *
How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler *
Mitchell's License by Hallie Durand
My Dad Is Big and Strong, But . . . A Bedtime Story by Coralie Saudo *
My Father the Dog by Elizabeth Bluemle
Oh, Daddy! by Bob Shea *

Craft - Superhero Dad
Each child colored a large gingerbread man cutout with a dad superhero logo printed on it. A paper cape was glued to the back.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice letter recognition.  Have your child point out the "d" and "a"s in the story's text.
- Talk about ways in which your child father's is the same and different from the dads in the books you read.

Mom Story Time: May 5-6, 2014

Books:
Kiss Kiss! by Margaret Wild *
Mama's Coming Home by  Kate Banks
Me and My Mom by Alison Ritchie *
My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck *
Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein *
When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach

Craft: Card for Mom
Our craft this week was a card to give to Mom.  The children were given a half sheet of cardstock with simple lines printed on it so the kids would know where to glue the strips of paper and flower.  They could then write a personal message on the back to give to their moms for Mother's Day.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice letter recognition by having your child point out all the "m"s and "o"s in the book you are reading.
- Go over animal sounds with your child (i.e Ol' Mama Squirrel).

Colors Story Tme -- Purple: April 28-29, 2014

Books:
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Purple Coyote by Cornette *
Raisin and Grape by Tom Amico *
Sally and the Purple Socks by Lisze Bechtold *

Craft: Bunch of Grapes
We made a variation of the craft pictured at left.  The children colored a large triangle and drew on a face if they liked.  They then glued on about 15 grapes around the face and a green leaf.

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many things you can list that are the color purple.
- Have your child list how the grandfather in Raisin and Grape is like their grandfather and then how they are different.

Colors Story Time -- Red, Week 2: April 21-22, 2014

Books:
Big Red Tub by Julia Jarman *
Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell *
The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges *
Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton *
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Craft: Clifford Ears
Children glued two long strips of red paper together before gluing on two red Clifford ears.  Since this was such a simple craft this week, we also did a Clifford coloring sheet.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss with your child what ingredients they like on a pizza.  Help them come up with a list of everything they would need to buy to make a pizza.  (i.e. The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza)
- Practice letter identification with your child.  As you read a book, have them point out all the letter "R"s that they see.

Colors Story Time -- Red: April 14-15, 2014

Books:
A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis *
The Red Lemon by Bob Staake
Red, Red, Red by Valeri Gorbachev *
That's My Dog! by Rick Walton *

Craft: Sunset Picture
The children completed a coloring page of a sunset before gluing on red tissue paper squares to make a red sunset.

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many things your child can list that are the color red.
- Talk about how certain foods such as grapes and tomatoes come in different colors (i.e. The Red Lemon)

Colors Story Time -- Orange: April 7-8, 2014

Books:
 The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss *
Carrot Soup by John Segal *
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds *
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book by Steven Savage
Thumpy Feet by Betsy Lewin

Craft: Carrot Matching Picture
Children matched orange shapes to a sheet to make carrots.  The template can be found at http://sweetlittlepeanut.com/editorial/holiday/carrot-shapes-printable-easter-art/. 

Literacy Activities:
- See how many orange items your child can list.
- Plant a carrot top.  Cut off the top of the carrot and trim away the leaves.  Place the carrot top in a small container on top of a layer of pebbles.  Let your child pour water in up to the carrot.  Wait for it to start to grow roots and then transplant to dirt.

Colors Story Time -- Yellow, Week 2: March 31-April 1, 2014

Books:
Banana! by Ed Vere
Come Along, Daisy! by Jane Simmons *
Dig! by Andrea Zimmerman *
Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen
Dream Weaver by Jonathan London
Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean *

Craft: Paper Plate Duck
We made the duck as pictured except we only used on paper plate instead of adding the half plate as a head and we only glued on one beak instead of both the top and bottom.  The pieces beak, wings and feet were from yellow paper and was glued onto a small paper plate.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss simple good manners with your child (i.e. Banana!)
- Work on rhyming words.  See how many words your child can rhyme with the world "yellow".

Colors Story Time -- Yellow: March 24-25, 2014

Books:
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss *
Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel *
In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli *
This Is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer *

Craft: Paper Plate Sunflower
Children started by coloring the center of a small paper plate as the sunflower center.  Then strips of yellow paper were glued around the edge of the plate for the petals.  The petals were looped with each end of the yellow paper glued on opposites sides of the plate.

Literacy Extensions:
-- See how many things your child can come up with that are the color yellow.
-- Discuss how a plate grows and then plant a seed with your child.  Check on it often to see how long it takes to come up. (i.e. This Is the Sunflower)

Colors Story Time -- Green: March 17-18, 2014

Books:
The Croaky Poky by Ethan Long *
A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan
Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley *
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman
Ten Lucky Leprechauns by Kathryn Heling *

Craft: Paper Plate Leprechaun
Children colored a face onto a small paper plate and a leprechaun hat before gluing the hat and red strips of paper to the plate as whiskers. 

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many green foods your child can list.  Discuss why they do or do not like them. (i,e.. Little Pea)
- Practice rhyming with your child.  Have them try to come up with several words that rhyme with "green".

Colors Story Time -- Blue, Week 2: March 10-11, 2014

Books:
The Big Blue Spot by Peter Holwitz *
Blueberry Mouse by Alice Low *
The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis
I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry *
In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck

Craft: Blue Whale
Children glued blue tissue paper to a cardstock cutout of a whale.

Literacy Extensions:
- While reading the books, see how many "B"s your child can point out in the text.
- Look at different art styles and ways of drawing the same object (i.e. I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean)

Colors Story Time -- Blue: March 4, 2014

Books:
Blue Chicken by Debrorah Freedman
Chicken Chuck by Bill Martin, Jr. *
Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar *
Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle *

Craft: Feather Headband
We made feather handbands so we could be like Chicken Chuck.  Children colored a paper feather that was then glued to narrows strips of paper into a headband.  A large blue sequin was glued to the headband as the blue seed.

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many things your child can list that are the color blue.
- Go over animal sounds (i.e. Little Blue Truck)

What Do You Feel? Scared Story Times: February 24-25, 2014

Books:
Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson *
I'm Not Scared! by Jonathan Allen *
Itsy Bitsy Baby Mouse by Michelle Meadows *
Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes
Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman *

Craft: Owl Mask
These were some of the easiest masks we've made in story time.  The eyes were much easier to cut out in these.  The kids simply colored and glued the various pieces (face, eyebrow feathers, beak) together before gluing on a stick handle.

Literacy Extensions:
- Have a discussion with your child about the different fears you have.  Suggest ways to handle those fears.
- One common fear for children is a fear of the dark.  On a nice evening take your child outside to look at the stars.  See if you can identify any constellations.  Reassure your child that the stars and constellations are always there at night -- just sometimes they are behind the clouds.

What Do You Feel? Mad Story Time: February 18, 2014

Books:
How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad? by Jane Yolen *
Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban *
Sometimes I'm Bombaloo by Rachel Vail
When Mommy Was Mad by Lynne Jonell *
When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry . . . by Molly Bang

Craft: Porcupine
Our craft was based on the above picture.  The only difference is that we used multi-colored quills.  Since I only had a picture, I had to draw a template for the porcupine's body.  The quills were approximately 4" long.

Literacy Extensions:
- Discuss with your child methods of controlling anger (i.e. counting to ten, deep breathes, etc.)
- Try some rhyming words with your child by asking him / her to come up with words that rhyme with "mad".

What Do You Feel? Love Story Time: February 10-11, 2014

Books:
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney *
How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? by Jane Yolen
I Loathe You by David Slonim *
I Love You Because You're You by Liza Baker
Love Monster by Rachel Bright *
Old Bear and His Cub by Olivier Dunrea *
What Do You Love? by Jonathan London

Craft: Hearts Necklace
Each child was given three hearts to color along with beads and a piece of curling ribbon.  The hearts could be glued together or strung onto the ribbon individually with the beads to make a necklace.

Literacy Extensions:
- With your child try to come up with expressions to show how much you love each other (i.e. Guess How Much I Love You and I Loathe You)
- See how many rhymes your child can come up with for the words "I", "love", and "you".

What Do You Feel: Happy and Sad Story Time: February 3-4, 2014

Books:
Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems
If You're Happy and You Know It! by Anna McQuinn *
My Friend Is Sad by Mo Willems *
Snow Happy! by Patricia Hubbell
Two Cool Coyotes by Jillian Lund *

Craft: Emotions Matching Game
Each child was given a cardstock sheet divided into twelve cards to make into an emotions matching game.  The children were to find the matching emoticons and color them the same.  Scissors were available for those who wanted to cut apart their game pieces at the library.

Literacy Extensions:
- Have your child make up new verses for "If You're Happy and You Know It" using different emotions and different actions.
- Discuss with your child various things that make them feel sad and ways they could feel happy again.

Shhhhh! Pajama Story Time: January 30, 2013

Books:
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere *
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea *
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas
Mitchell's License by Hallie Durand *

Craft: Dinosaur Hat
Children colored two strips of cardstock (8-1/2" x 2-1/2"), added eyes and a nose, and glued together to make the dinosaurs head.  Five triangle spikes (2-1/2") were colored and glued to top.  Eight triangle teeth (1") were glued to bottom.

Craft: Driver's License
Children were given a driver's license to fill out with name and age.  They could also either glue on a photo of themselves or draw a picture of themselves.

Literacy Extension:
- Have your child come up with their own version of "Five Little Monkeys" (i.e. hippos hopping, rabbits spinning, etc.)

Snowmen Story Time: January 27-28, 2014

Books:
** Note:  Since our Snow Story Time was cancelled earlier this month, I also included a couple of general "snow" books in our story time this week.
All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle *
Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright
Snow by Uri Shulevitz *
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner *
Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner
Snowzilla by Janet Lawlor
Winter Woes by Marty Kelley *

Craft: Snowman
We made a very simple snowman this week.  Children glued together a large circle and a small circle to make the snowman's body.  They then glued on a hat, two boots, and a two long strips for arms.  They could then decorate their snowman by either coloring on its features or gluing on sequins.

Literacy Extensions:
- Try an exercise in creativity by asking your child to find unusual items around the house that could be incorporated into a snowman.
- Work with your child on identifying letters.  Have them point out all the letters that make up the world "snow" on a certain page of a book.  For example, find all the "O"s on the cover of the book, all the "S"s on the title page, etc.