Outreach Round-Up, 11/1/12 - 11/9/12

Catholic School Fifth Grade: November 1, 2012

• Short Story: "Three-Century Woman" from Past Perfect, Present Tense by Richard Peck
• Notes: I was supposed to do reader's theater with this group, but the hurricane took us out of work for two days, and I never got a script together. This made a nice consolation prize. One of the girls took this book out right away, and many of the other kids were interested in knowing abouy Peck's other books.

 Nursery School Class: November 2, 2012 

• Books: When Autumn Falls, Growing Vegetable Soup, The Busy Little Squirrel  
• Rhyme: Corn Grows Tall  
• Flannel Board Song: I Like Soup (based on Laurie Berkner's "I Feel Crazy") 
• Song: Brown Squirrel 
• Notes: The teacher requested a harvest theme. This group was late, and I had a class scheduled right behind them, so they got a somewhat abbreviated session.

Catholic School Kindergarten: November 2, 2012

• Book: Let's Go for a Drive by Mo Willems
• Song: Hat, Coat, Pants, and Shoes
• Notes: This latest Elephant and Piggie book has the worst ending of the entire series. 

Catholic School First Grade: November 2, 2012

• Book: Stella Louella's Runaway Book
• Notes: This book is excellent. A winner every time.
  

Catholic School Fifth Grade: November 8, 2012

• Reader's Theater: A Donkey to Market
• Notes: The kids were shockingly into this. They read with lots of expression and their teacher prompted a nice discussion about the themes of the story afterward.
  

Catholic School Third Grade: November 9, 2012

• Book: Jim Henson: The Guy Who Played with Puppets by Kathleen Krull
• Notes: A huge hit. They got a little rowdy and thought Prairie Dawn was Miss Piggy, but it was such a success I'm building a program around this book for December. 

Drop-In Story Time, 11/9/12 (Calendar/Seasons Theme)

This theme is one I've been wanting to do for a while, and it finally came together this past week. I liked it well enough that I'm going to replace some of the books and try it again with the preschoolers in January.

Book: A Year of Beasts by Ashley Wolff 

Song with Flannel Board: Twelve Months Song 
I sang this song a cappella, on my own, with just 12 clipart pieces (one for each month, from philipmartin.info) and the nannies broke out into applause when I was finished. Go figure. 

Book: Snowy Flowy Blowy by Nancy Tafuri
I told the group we'd be learning about the seasons in this book, then followed it up with three songs, each about a different time of year.
 
Flannel Board Song: One Red Mitten

Song: Baseball Player
I did this one three times because there was a little boy in the center of the room having the time of his life.

Rhyme: Climb a Tree

Book: Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
I blew up the pictures for this one on the copier so everyone we would be able to see. It was one the best performances I've ever done of any book, but it was largely unappreciated. Some moms who were new to story time just couldn't seem to stop talking, even when the group as a whole was asked to stop. 

Letter of  the Day: Letter L

• Rhyme: Blue is the Lake 
• Rhyme with Puppet: Ladybug, Ladybug
• Flannel Board Rhyme: Five Little Leaves (based on Five Little Apples - changed "juiciest" to "most colorful")

Song with ukulele: ABCs/Twinkle Twinkle Little Star/Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It 

Song: Where is Big Toe?

Song: Monkeys on the Bed 

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Toddler Lap Time, 11/9/12

This toddler lap time session was much better than Thursday's, but I still had the feeling I was just bombing. This stuff would all work for the big drop-in story times, though, so I can definitely reuse it.

Rhyme: This is Big Big Big

Book: Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri

Flannel Board: Mary Had a Little Lamb

Song with Puppets: When Cows Get Up in the Morning

Song: Way Up in the Sky
 

Book: Rise and Shine by Nancy White Carlstrom

Song with Puppet: Mr. Sun

Flannel Board: The Farmer in the Dell

Book: When the Rooster Crowed by Patricia Lillie

Song: Head and Shoulders, Baby 

Songs with Shaker Eggs: 

• Shake Your Sillies Out 
• Can You Shake Your Egg With Me? 
• Shaking Your Shaker

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Baby Lap Time, 11/8/12

Rhyme: Cheek Chin

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Book: Mommies Say Shhh! by Patricia Polacco

Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Book: Quiet Loud by Leslie Patricelli

Song: Head and Shoulders
 
Song: Tony Chestnut

Flannel Board: Let’s Make a Noise 

Song with Puppet: Buzzing Buzzing Bumblebee

Songs: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

Nursery Rhyme: Hey Diddle Diddle

Song: All the Little Babies

Song: Where is Big Toe? 
  
 I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Toddler Lap Time, 11/8/12

Toddler Lap Time is the most difficult story time I've had this Fall, and this week was the last week. I'm glad to have some time off from it, because starting in January, I'll be offering it weekly, and I need some time to think about  how to improve what I've been doing. It's strange because I have no problem with story times for 100 toddlers, but in a room of 20 kids in the same age group, I feel like nothing works. Strangely, the smaller group seems way more hectic than the large group, and I haven't been able to put my finger on why. I probably just need to get into a better rhythm with this group, as the story time was started by someone else, and figure out what's going to make it work for me. I am hoping to incorporate scarves and maybe even beanbags or the parachute starting in January, because right now, all the kids do is bang on the door and all the adults do is chat with each other about how cute that is.

In any case, here is Thursday's session. I'll post separately about Friday's because it was completely different.

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Book: Mommies Say Shhh! by Patricia Polacco

Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Flannel Board: Let’s Make a Noise

Book: Quiet Loud by Leslie Patricelli

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

Book: Meeow and the Pots and Pans by Sebastien Braun

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Songs: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star


Song: Sing a Happy Song 

Songs with Shaker Eggs:

• Shake My Sillies Out
• Can You Shake Your Egg with Me?
• Sing a Happy Song
• Shaker Egg Goodbye Song 

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.