Our Favorite Books of 2015: December 28-29, 2015

Books:
Duck's Vacation by Gilad Soffer *
Duddle Puck: The Puddle Duck by Karma Wilson
Get Out of My Bath by Britta Teckentrup
It's Only Stanley by Jon Agee *
The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants by Eric Litwin *
Tad and Dad by David Ezra Stein
That's (Not) Mine by Anna Kang

Craft: Microphone
The children colored a cardstock microphone cutout (template below) before covering the head of the microphone with aluminum foil.

Literacy Extensions:
- We've talked about favorites and why we like stuff the past couple of weeks.  This week, try to make top ten lists of favorite things (i.e. favorite foods, favorite books, favorite animals, etc.)
- A lot of this week's books use rhyming words.  Practice rhyming with your child.

Notes:
For some extra fun this week, we handed out polka dot stickers to add to our pants for the book The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants.

Christmas Story Time: December 21-22, 2015

Books:
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Dinosaur vs. Santa by Bob Shea
Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear! by Don & Audrey Wood *
Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas by Rubin Pingk *
The Three Bears' Christmas by Kathy Duval *
What Could Be Keeping Santa? by Marilyn Janovitz

Craft: Lace-Up Candy Cane
Children colored a cardstock candy cane cutout that was hole punched all down the center.  They then laced white yarn through the holes to make stripes.  A cardstock bow was then colored and glued onto the candy cane.  (Template below)

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice "writing skills" with your child by having them "write" thank you cards for their Christmas presents.  This can be as simple as drawing a picture of what they got and then writing their names.
- Learn about how different people celebrate Christmas.  There are several books available at the library about how Christmas is celebrated around the world.


Notes:
The candy canes could be laced in many different ways.  Each kid did it differently.  Some sewed it straight up the center.  Some alternated stripes from the different sides.  Any way they did it, it was great hand-eye coordination practice.

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Our Favorite Books of 2015: December 14-15, 2015

Books:
Bunnies!!! by Kevan Atteberry *
I Will Chomp You! by Jory John *
Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett
Lizard from the Park by Mark Pett
Rory the Dinosaur: Me and My Dad by Liz Climo *

Craft: Cupcake
This week the kids decorated a cardstock cupcake with crayons and sparkles.  They could then either attach a magnet to the back or a piece of string to turn it into an ornament for their Christmas trees.  (The template for the cupcakes is below.)

Literacy Extensions:
- Last week's tip was to talk about your child's favorite things.  This week see if your child can express why something is their favorite.  For example, their favorite fruit might be bananas because they like the taste and they are fun to peel and squishy to eat.
- After reading Rory and the Dinosaur, talk about things your child can do themselves and things they might need a little help with yet.


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Our Favorite Books of 2015: December 7-8, 2015

Books:
Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPuccio *
Finders Keepers by Keiko Kasza
Hoot Owl: Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor *
My Dog, Bob by Richard Torrey *
Peanut Butter & Brains by Joe McGee

Craft: Paper Plate Owl
Our craft was based the picture at left.  The kids were given a small paper plate and two feet, two eyes, and a beak cut from cardstock.  They colored the plate before folding and gluing it as shown in the picture.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about the word favorite and what it means.  Have your child tell your various favorite things such as food, book, game, etc.
- After reading Everyone Loves Bacon, see if your child can tell a similar story using their favorite food.

Pirate Story Time: November 30-December 1, 2015

Books:
Bubble Bath Pirates! by Jarrett J. Krosoczka *
The Night Pirates by Peter Harris *
Pajama Pirates by Andrew Kramer
The Pirate Who Said Please by Timothy Knapman *

Craft: Pirate Parrot
This week we made a parrot with a pirate's hat. The children colored the cardstock pieces and then glued them together.  (Template below)


Literacy Extensions:
- Use the book The Pirate Who Said Please to introduce good manners to your child.  The book contains a page at the end with discussion questions on manners for kids.
- Learn some pirate lingo - www.talklikeapirate.com has directions and word lists.


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