XYZ - X-Rays, Yawns & Zoo: May 26, 2015

Books:
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett *
I Dare You Not to Yawn by Helene Boudreau
Two at the Zoo by Danna Smith *
The View at the Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom *
You Are a Lion! and Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo

Craft: Person with X-Ray
Each child was given a large gingerbread person cut-out, a quarter sheet of black construction paper, and 12 small rectangles of white paper.  The black construction paper was glued to the front of the person as a X-Ray picture.  The kids then glued on the bones to the black paper.  They could also color on clothes and features for the person.

Literacy Extensions:
- Play the alphabet game while driving.  Ask your child(ren) to find the entire alphabet using signs and license plates.
- Practice alphabet phonics by asking your child(ren) to come up with an animal for each letter of the alphabet.  This can be continued with foods, toys, etc.


Notes:
- Story time was not held on Monday this week due to the Memorial Day holiday.
- I was unable to find any books for the letter "X", so instead we made our craft for that letter.

W - Wolves & Weather: May 18-19, 2015

Books:
Bear in Sunshine by Stella Blackstone
Breathe by Scott Magoon
Diary of a Baby Wombat by Jackie French
Hello, Sun! by Dayle Ann Dodds *
I Am a Witch's Cat by Harriet Muncaster
I Am So Strong by Mario Ramos
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli *
We Need Water by Charles Ghigna
Winter Woes by Marty Kelley *
Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman *

Craft: Windsock
Children were given a piece of cardstock chopped in half longways and six pieces of crepe paper about a foot long each.  The children colored the cardstock however they liked before gluing the crepe paper along one of the long bottom edges of the cardstock.  The cardstock was then glued into a cylinder to make it a windsock.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading Diary of a Baby Wombat, have your child keep a simple diary for a week.  If they are not yet writing, have them draw their activities during the day.
- Talk about weather and why we have to wear certain types of clothes for different types of weather.

U / V - Umbrellas & Vegetables: May 11-12, 2015

Books:
One Rainy Day by M. Christina Butler
Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre
Scarlette Beane by Karen Wallace
Underpants Dance by Marlena Zapf *
Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea
Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres *
Veggies with Wedgies by Todd H. Doodler


Craft: Vine Picture
Each child was given a 3' piece of green yarn to glue onto a piece of cardstock as a vine.  They then glued on pre-cut leaves and flowers.

Literacy Extensions:
- Plant a small garden with your child.  Pick just a few plants to grow.  (Seeds are available to check out from the Arnold Branch's Seed Library.)
- Learn about the different types of food: vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy, etc.  Introduce the food pyramid and how many of each type of food you should eat each day.

T - Turtles & Trains: May 4-5, 2015

Books:
10 Turkeys in the Road by Brenda Reeves Sturgis
Clickety Clack by Amy & Rob Spence *
It's a Tiger! by David LaRochelle *
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson *
Turtle Island by Kevin Sherry
Whoosh and Chug! by Sebastien Braun

Craft: Bouquet of Tulips
The children were each given four tulip heads to color and glue to craft sticks.  They were then placed into a mini-styrofoam  cup.  They could write their name or a short message for Mother's Day that was then placed on the cup.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading Tap the Magic Tree, learn about different types of trees.  Check out a tree identification book at the library before going on a nature walk and trying to identify the different types of trees in your neighborhood.
- Play with sounds.  Both Clickety Clack and Whoosh and Chug! feature sounds made by different objects.  Make a game of coming up with the sounds made by different objects.