After School Read-Aloud & Craft: Monsters Theme, 4/12/12

After the success of Wednesday's all-ages Jazz program, I decided to revert to the old afternoon story time format - songs and stories first, then a craft. I'm still not sure which format is better, but this program seemed pretty successful.

The Read-Alouds (and Songs and Rhymes):
All About Monsters

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Book:  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)
This is one of my all-time favorite books to read aloud. 

Rhyme: Dinosaur Stomp
I intended to change this action rhyme to suit the monster theme, but somewhere along the line started saying "dinosaur" instead of "monster" and just went with it.

Book: The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party by Leslie Patricelli (2010)

Song: One Little Monster

Book: There's an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer (1987)

The Craft: Monster Faces 

I. Supplies

• Paper Plates
• Glue
• Glue stick
• Crayons
• Markers
• Pipe Cleaners
• Feathers
• Sticker eyes
• Cupcake wrappers

II. Prep
My coworker came up with this project, so she did all the prep. This really only included making the example and setting out the craft supplies. I added the feathers and eyes to the pile of supplies at the last minute, when the kids seemed  confused as to what to glue on their plates.

III. Process
Eight kids came to this program, ranging in age from around 2.5 to 7, and each of them took a different approach to making a monster face. The smaller kids enjoyed coloring more than gluing, while the older ones experimented with multiple eyes and mouths. Some used feathers for hair; others, pipe cleaners. It was a great all-ages craft, and one I'll definitely revisit around Halloween!

The Display: More Monstrous Books 

• Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
• The Monster Returns by Peter McCarty
• There's a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer 
• What's Under the Bed? by Joe Fenton
• Don't Climb Out of the Window Tonight by Richard McGilvray
• Substitute Creacher by Chris Gall
• Scary Godmother by Jill Thompson
• If You're a Monster and You Know It by Ed and Rebecca Emberley
• Sipping spiders through a straw : campfire songs for monsters by Kelly DiPucchio