Birds Story Time: April 25-26, 2016

Books:
Birds by Kevin Henkes *
Early Bird by Toni Yuly *
I Hatched! by Jill Esbaum
Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward
There Is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems *

Craft: Bird in Nest
The craft we made is based on the picture at left.  The children were given a paper bird cutout to color and then glue to a paper plate.  They then glued on strips of brown paper to make its nest.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learn more about birds.  Pick a bird you want to know more about and find a book about it at the library.
- The St. Louis Zoo has a wonderful bird exhibit.  Visit the birds at the zoo and learn more about them.


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Flowers Story Time: April 18-19, 2016

Books:
Dandelions by Mia Posada
Little Seeds by Charles Ghigna
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert *
Spring Blossoms by Carole Gerber
Ten Seeds by Ruth Brown *
This is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer
What Does Bunny See? by Linda Sue Park *

Craft: CD Sunflower
The craft is pictured above.  First children glued strips of yellow paper onto the CD looping it over the sides to make the petals.  They then colored a 3-1/2" circle and glued it to the center over the petals.  They could then pick either red, blue, or green glitter for me to put onto the center of the flower for them.

Literacy Extensions:
- Go on a nature walk to see what kind of flowers you can find.  This can be done in your neighborhood, local park or botanical area.
- Try growing some flowers.  Pick out either seeds or seedlings together to plant and hopefully grow.


Notes:
This is probably the first time in over 15 years that I have done glitter during story time.  I just hate the mess of glitter.  However this went really well.  The children chose the color and added the glue to the center of the flower while I added the glitter and then shook it off being giving it back to them.

Rain Story Time: April 11-12, 2016

Books:
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems *
Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein
Rain by Manya Stojic *
Raindrops Splash by April Pulley Sayre
Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee *

Craft: Umbrella
Children colored a paper plate cut in half and then glued it to a jumbo craft stick to make an umbrella.  Raindrops were then glued onto the umbrella.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learn about the water cycle.  There are several great books at the library about the water cycle that can be checked out.
- Have your child list things that can be done in various types of weather (i.e. rain, snow, sunshine, etc.)

Spring Story Time: April 4-5, 2016

Books:
Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson *
Hurray for Spring! by Patricia Hubbell
I See Spring by Charles Ghigna
Wake Up, It's Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst *
When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes *

Craft: Spring Tree Picture
This week's craft is pictured at left.  The children were given a paper with a bare tree on it.  They glued small leaves and tissue paper squares as flowers to the tree.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about the different seasons of the year.  See if your child can identify the types of weather for each season.
- Learn about the various animals that start to appear in the spring.  The library has informational books on all different types of wild animals and baby animals.


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