N - Nuts & Nests: March 30-31, 2015

Books:
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward *
The Nose Book by Al Perkins *
The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin *
A Porcupine Named Fluffy by Helen Lester

Craft: Night Sky Picture
Our craft this week was based on the picture at left.  The kids colored a half piece of cardstock to make a night sky.  They then colored and glued on a letter "N", moon, and cloud before putting on star stickers.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading The Nose Book, have your child "write" books for other parts of the body.
- If your child colored their night sky picture with a colorful sky, point out that they added the "Northern Lights".  Then learn a little about the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis.

Notes:
I wasn't sure how the book Mama Built a Little Nest would go over.  It is a little longer than I would usually share in story time -- especially with all the captions throughout the book.  However, I just shared a small snippet of information from the captions.  The kids were fascinated by the different types of nests that birds built.

M - Monkeys & Mice: March 23-24, 2015

Books:
Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett *
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
The Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom
Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban *
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos *

Craft: Moth
I do not have a picture or a template of this project.  I came up with it on my own.  The children were given a moth body and two wings to color.  A half piece of pipe cleaner was wrapped around a clothespin for antennae.  The body and wings were then glued onto the clothespin.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learn about the differences and similarities between moths and butterflies.  For example, some moths are more colorful than butterflies.
- Talk about ways to deal with being mad (i.e. Mouse Was Mad)

L - Lions & Leaves: March 16-17, 2015

Books:
How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon *
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Library Lion by Michelle Knudson *
Mary Had a Little Lamp by Jack Lechner *
Slow Loris by Alexis Deacon *
Ten Little Lambs by Alice B. McGinty
What the Ladybug Heard by Julia Donaldson

Craft: Lei
Our craft was based on the picture at left.  We cut straws into three pieces and flowers out of various colored paper.  The kids strung alternating straws and paper flowers onto yarn to turn into a lei.

Literacy Extension:
- Learn a little about the culture of Hawaii.  Maybe learn a couple of phrases, the hula dance, or try some of the foods.
- Find the song "La La La La Lemon" by the Barenaked Ladies to listen to.  See if your child can come up with some additional verses to the song.


Notes:
- I read the book Library Lion on Monday.  However, it was a little too long for the kids to sit through - even though I summarized several of the pages to make it shorter.
- The craft went over really well.  The kids did a great job stringing on the straws and paper flowers.  Only a few of them needed help.
- I substituted How to Lose a Lemur and Mary Had a Little Lamp for the book Library Lion on Tuesday.  They went over much better.  The kids especially liked Mary Had a Little Lamp.

K - Kings & Kisses: March 9-10, 2015

Books:
Chicken in the Kitchen by Tony Johnston *
Dinosaur Kisses by Paul Ezra Stein *
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood *
Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
The Tiny King by Taro Miura

Craft: Paper Sun Kite
The template for this kite can be found online at http://www.ict.griffith.edu.au/anthony/kites/paper_sun.gif.  The children colored the cutout kite, folded and glued as instructed, and glued on crepe paper streamers.  I then hole punched for string that could be added at home.

Literacy Extensions:
- Use alphabet flash cards, asking your child to give the sound of each letter as it is shown.
- After reading the book Dinosaur Kisses, see if your child can break down the steps and tell how to give a kiss as if the person doesn't know what a kiss is.

I & J - Ice Cream & Jellyfish: March 2-3, 2015

Books:
Bunnies on Ice by Johanna Wright
Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco
Ice Cream Soup by Ann Ingalls *
If I Were a Jungle Animal by Tom & Amanda Allery
Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems *
Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen *

Craft: Jellyfish
I found a coloring sheet of a jellyfish online and copied the head part onto cardstock and cut it out.  Children colored the head before gluing on crepe paper strips for the tentacles.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading Emma Kate to your child, ask them which character was the imaginary friend.  Go back through the book looking at the visual clues to determine the answer.
- Have your child create the recipe for their favorite ice cream sundae (i.e. Ice Cream Soup)


Notes:
- It was difficult to come up with books that featured items starting with "I" or "J".  So we decided to combine them this week for our story time.