Virtual Story Time: Merry Christmas! -- 12/21/21

Join us weekly on Tuesdays for an online Story Time featuring books read by Miss Amy.  The video will be available to view for a week before a new online is uploaded.

Click HERE for this week's Story Time video.

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jane Cabrera
Have You Been Naughty or Nice? by Ethan Long

Books:  
5 More Sleeps 'Til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon

Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! by Doreen Cronin
Dinosaur vs. Santa by Bob Shea

Five Little Monkeys Looking for Santa by Eileen Christelow

The First Christmas by Phillips Brooks

Harold at the North Pole by Crockett Johnson

Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

The Three Bears' Christmas by Kathy Duvall

What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas by Refe Tuma

Craft: Cone Santa

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Color Santa

- Cut out colored cone with tab

- Glue along the tab before rolling into cone.  You may want to tape to reinforce the glue.

- Optional:  Glue pieces of cotton ball or tissue paper on Santa's beard

Extension Activities:

- Make Christmas cards for family and friends.  This allows your child to both practice their writing and be creative artistically.

- Go on a scavenger hunt for Christmas related items (ex - candy canes, ornaments, star, etc.).

Template --

Merry Christmas Story Time: December 17-18, 2018

Books:
Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton *
Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! by Doreen Cronin
Decked Out for Christmas! by Ethan Long *
Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood
How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner *

Craft: CD-Rom Wreath
Children glued crumpled pieces of tissue paper to a used cd to decorate as a wreath.  They could then tie on a piece of string so it could be hung on a tree if they liked.

Literacy Extensions:
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? is a great addition to the manners books by Jane Yolen.  (There is also How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah?.)  Talk about etiquette for the holidays as well as throughout the year.
- After reading Snowmen at Christmas, ask your child to come up with stories for various holiday objects to celebrate the holidays (i.e. ornaments, candy canes, Santa, etc.)

The Croaky Pokey (Movement) Sing-Along Story Time: July 30-31, 2018

Books:
The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long *
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle *
If You're a Monster and You Know It by Ed Emberley *
Stretch by Doreen Cronin

Craft: Frog Puppet
This week's craft was based on the picture at left.  The kids colored eyes, tongue and hands before gluing to a paper lunch bag to turn into a puppet.


Literacy Extensions:
- This week's story time was all about movement.  So get up and moving.  Go to a park playground, take a walk, do some simple yoga together, etc.
- Both of our song books this week took familiar songs and revised them just a little.  See if your child can revise a familiar song from an animal's point of view. 


Template --

Ducks Story Time: April 24-25, 2017

Books:
Duck's Vacation by Gilad Soffer
Ducks Don't Wear Socks by John Nedwidek *
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell *
Five Little Ducks by Denise Fleming
Tickle the Duck! by Ethan Long *

Craft: Duck Pond
This week's craft was developed from the picture at left.  The children were given a duck template to color.  (Template at bottom of this post.)  The template was then folded on the lines and glued at the head and tail so the ducks "stands".  The children then colored a paper plate and glued the duck to the plate.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learn about the different types of ducks.  There are informational books about ducks at the library for checkout.
- Visit a park with a pond to watch the ducks.  Try to identify the different types of ducks at that pond.


Template --

F - Flowers & Frogs: February 9-10, 2015

Books:
The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long *
I Spy on the Farm by Edward Gibbs *
Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora *
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Sylvie by Jennifer Sattler

Craft: Fishbowl
Children were given a coloring sheet of an empty fishbowl to color.  They could then glue on fish cut from colored paper.

Literacy Extensions:
- Continue the I Spy game from I Spy on the Farm doing various other animals (i.e. zoo animals, forest animals, etc.)
- Sing some more movement songs that direct the kids how to move (i.e. Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, If You're Happy and You Know It, etc.)


Notes:
The children loved the story time this week.  The inclusion of two books that were songs was a big hit.  Also, the third book also included audience participation in the form of a guessing game.

Christmas Story Time: December 22-23, 2014

Books:
Dinosaur vs. Santa by bob Shea
Have You Been Naughty or Nice? by Ethan Long *
Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve by Janet Morgan Stoeke *
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner *
Star Bright: A Christmas Story by Alison McGhee
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jane Cabrera

Craft: Standing Christmas Tree
Our craft was based on the picture at left.  Children colored a cardstock triangle before gluing on a star topper and sequins ornaments.  A clothespin was clipped at the bottom as the stand.

Literacy Extensions:
- Talk about your family's holiday traditions.  Explain the history and the meaning behind them to your children.
- See if your child can come up with his own version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" like Jane Cabrera did in her book.

Colors Story Time -- Green: March 17-18, 2014

Books:
The Croaky Poky by Ethan Long *
A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan
Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley *
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal *
Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman
Ten Lucky Leprechauns by Kathryn Heling *

Craft: Paper Plate Leprechaun
Children colored a face onto a small paper plate and a leprechaun hat before gluing the hat and red strips of paper to the plate as whiskers. 

Literacy Extensions:
- See how many green foods your child can list.  Discuss why they do or do not like them. (i,e.. Little Pea)
- Practice rhyming with your child.  Have them try to come up with several words that rhyme with "green".

Ethan Long Story Time - July 22-23, 2013

Books:
Chamelia by Ethan Long
The Croaky Pokey! by Ethan Long *
Duck's Not Afraid of the Dark! by Ethan Long
My Dad, My Hero by Ethan Long
One Drowsy Dragon by Ethan Long *
Pig Has a Plan by Ethan Long
Soup for One by Ethan Long
Tickle the Duck by Ethan Long *
Up, Tall and High! by Ethan Long
The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular by Ethan Long

Craft: Wide-Mouthed Frog
This craft was very similar to the frog pictured above.  The main difference is that instead of using feet like pictured, we accordian-folded strips of green paper for the legs.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice simple addition and subtraction with snack foods.  Ask your child to count the number of snacks you give them. 
- See if you and your child can come up with another version of the Hokey Pokey that features a different animal.