Halloween Story Time: July 11-12, 2016

Books:
Click, Clack, Boo! A Tricky Treat by Doreen Cronin *
Jungle Halloween by Maryann Cocca-Leffler *
Six Creepy Sheep by Judith Ross Enderle
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book by Stephen Savage
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! by Lucille Colandro *
Wild Witches' Ball by Jack Prelutsky

Craft: Ghost Necklace
Children drew a face onto a cardstock ghost before stringing it onto curling ribbon with pony beads to make into a necklace.

Literacy Extensions:
- Halloween is always a good time to talk about stranger danger.  Remind your children that they should only talk to strangers when you are around.  Check out some of the books and videos available at the library about this topic.
- Do some counting practice with candy.  Count the number of candies that are different colors, different types, different shapes, etc.


Notes:
I found several years ago that curling ribbon works great for making necklaces - especially when stringing on pony beads.  The ribbon is stiffer than yarn and does not fray at the ends which makes it easier for kids to string the beads on.  It is also just thick enough that the beads will not move once they are put on the ribbon.

Valentines Story Time: June 13-14, 2016

Books:
The Ballad of Valentine by Alison Jackson
The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond *
If You'll Be My Valentine by Cynthia Rylant *
One Heart: A Valentine Counting Book by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Colandro *

Craft: Mr. Valentine (or Mrs. Valentine)
This week's craft is based on the picture above.  Children were given one large and four small cardstock hearts to color.  The large heart was decorated as either a Mr. or Mrs. Valentine with facial features.  The kids could either glue together the hearts with straight arms and legs or accordian-folded arms and legs.

Literacy Extensions:
- See how much your child can tell you about Valentine's Day (i.e. traditions, colors, symbols, etc.)
- Have your child practice drawing heart shapes.  If old enough, let them practice cutting them out with scissors.

Scarecrows Story Time: October 15, 2013

Books:
The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown *
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown
Shoo, Crow! Shoo! by Dana Meachen Rau *
The Shy Scarecrow by Mary Packard *
There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed Some Leaves! by Lucille Colandro

Craft: Paper Plate Scarecrow
Our scarecrow was very similar to this one.  The main difference is that is was made completely with paper.  We used the small paper plates for the face and the mouth was drawn on.  All the other pieces were cut out from cardstock for the kids to color and glue to the plate.

Literacy Extension:
- Have your children determine what could be used from around your house to make a scarecrow with (i.e. Shoo, Crow! Shoo!)
- Discuss situations with your child that makes them shy.  Talk about ways that their confidence might be boosted during those situations.  (i.e. The Shy Scarecrow)