Orange & Yellow Story Time: March 9-10, 2020

Books:
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds *
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss *
In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli *
Yellow Copter by Kersten Hamilton

Craft: Monarch Butterfly
The children colored a pair of monarch butterfly wings or they glued on orange and black paper squares to the wings.  The wings were then glued to a jumbo craft stick.  Half a pipe cleaner was twisted around the top of the craft stick to make antennae.

Extension Activiites:
- After reading In My New Yellow Shirt, ask your child to "write" their own version of the story using a different colored shirt.
- Learn more about various types of butterflies by taking a trip to the Butterfly House.


Template --

Happy & Sad Story Time: February 4-5, 2019

Books:
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss *
I'm Sad by Michael Ian Black
If You're Happy and You Know It! by Anna McQuinn *
Mr. Happy by Roger Hargreaves
My Friend Is Sad by Mo Willems *

Craft: Sad / Happy Person
Kids were given a large gingerbread person cutout to decorate to make them either happy or sad.  They used crayons and glued on paper squares and sequins.

Extension Activities:
- See how many different emotions your child can list.  Have them poll different people to see what their current emotion is.
- Ask your child to rewrite "If You're Happy and You Know It" to fit different emotions and their actions.

Happy & Sad Story Time: February 6-7, 2017

Books:
Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head by Stella Dreis
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss *
If You're Happy and You Know It! by Anna McQuinn *
My Friend Is Sad by Mo Willems *
Snow Happy! by Patricia Hubbell

Craft: Smiley Face Necklace
The children were given a cardstock smiley face cutout to color.  It was then strung onto curling ribbon along with pony beads to make into a necklace.


Literacy Extensions:
- After reading My Friend Is Sad, have your child come up with ways they would cheer up a sad friend.
- Extend the song If You're Happy and You Know It by coming up with more actions for more verses.  Or change up the song by making verses for different emotions (ex - If you sad and you know cry a tear).


Notes:
I love using curling ribbon for necklaces.  The ribbon is thick enough that the beads will not fall off of the ribbon so you don't have to worry about tying a knot at the end.  It also doesn't unravel like yarn does.  The curling ribbon is also stiff which makes it easier for kids to string on the items.  Making necklaces like this is a great way to practice hand-eye coordination with children.

Template:

Colors Story Time -- Orange: April 7-8, 2014

Books:
 The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss *
Carrot Soup by John Segal *
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds *
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book by Steven Savage
Thumpy Feet by Betsy Lewin

Craft: Carrot Matching Picture
Children matched orange shapes to a sheet to make carrots.  The template can be found at http://sweetlittlepeanut.com/editorial/holiday/carrot-shapes-printable-easter-art/. 

Literacy Activities:
- See how many orange items your child can list.
- Plant a carrot top.  Cut off the top of the carrot and trim away the leaves.  Place the carrot top in a small container on top of a layer of pebbles.  Let your child pour water in up to the carrot.  Wait for it to start to grow roots and then transplant to dirt.

Colors Story Time -- Yellow: March 24-25, 2014

Books:
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss *
Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel *
In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli *
This Is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer *

Craft: Paper Plate Sunflower
Children started by coloring the center of a small paper plate as the sunflower center.  Then strips of yellow paper were glued around the edge of the plate for the petals.  The petals were looped with each end of the yellow paper glued on opposites sides of the plate.

Literacy Extensions:
-- See how many things your child can come up with that are the color yellow.
-- Discuss how a plate grows and then plant a seed with your child.  Check on it often to see how long it takes to come up. (i.e. This Is the Sunflower)