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.