Our Favorite Books of 2019: December 9-10, 2019

Books:
I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt *
Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman *
What Does an Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins *

Craft: Llama
The kids colored a cutout llama and a rectangle that was folded and glued onto the llama's back for a blanket.  They could then decorate the llama with sequins.  They could also turn it into a holiday ornament if they liked.


Extension Activities:
- After reading What Does an Anteater Eat?, learn true information about anteaters including what they really eat.
- After reading a book, see if your child can illustrate it drawing only worms like in I Can Only Draw Worms.


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Our Favorite Books of 2019: December 2-3, 2019

Books:
I Am a Tiger by Karl Newson *
Most Marshmallows by Rowboat Watkins *
Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey *
Truman by Jean Reidy

Craft: Paper Plate Piranha
An approximate 3" triangle was cut from a small paper plate.  The kids colored the plate (body), triangle (tail), and a top fin cutout before gluing them all together.  Four small triangles were glued on as teeth.

Extension Activities:
- I Am a Tiger has a mouse naming animals based on just a few characteristics.  See if your child can name items from just a few characteristics.  (i.e. - small tail, large feet and ears = elephant, underwater, lots of arms = jellyfish, etc.)
- Most Marshmallows encourages kids to dream big.  Ask your child about their biggest dreams.

Our Bodies: Feet Story Time: November 25-26, 2019

Books:
Dancing Feet by Lindsay Craig
Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley *
The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle *
This Little Piggy by Tim Harrington
Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert *

Craft: Dog in Boots
Children colored a dog cutout and four boot cutouts before gluing the boots to the dog's legs.

Extension Activities:
- Ask your child what kind of footwear should be worn for different situations.  (i.e. sneakers for playing, boots for snow, sandals for summer)
- Make some footprint art.  Trace around your child's foot and then see what kind of object they can make out of it.  For inspiration, search for "footprint art" in Google Images or Bing Images.


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Our Bodies: Bottoms Story Time: November 18-19, 2019

Books:
Chicken Butt by Erica Perl
Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black
Parts by Tedd Arnold *
We've All Got Bellybuttons by Bill Martin Jr. *

Craft: Person Puzzle
Children were given a large gingerbread man cutout in pieces.  They glued the pieces onto a piece a paper reassembling into a person.  They then colored the person.


Extension Activities:
- Ask your child what movements different body parts can do.  (i.e. toes can wiggle, fingers can snap, arms can stretch, etc.).
- Chicken Cheeks gives synonyms for "derriere".  Ask your child if they can come up with synonyms for other body parts.  (i.e. toes = piggies)

Our Bodies: Head Story Time: November 4-5, 2019

Books:
A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan
Cowlick! by Christin Ditchfield *
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
Ocean Animals from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick *
There Is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems *

Craft: Bird
This week's craft was based on the picture at left.  The children colored a beak, two eyes, and two wings cut out from cardstock before gluing them to a plastic cup.  (We did not add the feather at top or the "belly".)

Extension Activities:
- This is the first week of our "body" story times.  Ask your child to point to their body part as you list them off.  Get creative and list unusual body parts (i.e. pinkie finger, eyelash, ankle, etc.).
- After making the craft (cup bird), see if your child can balance it on their head.  It requires stillness to do it.