Outreach Round-Up, 11/29/12 - 12/19/12

Catholic School 5th Grade: Thursday, 11/29
Reader's Theater: How to Steal a Dog
Notes: The script is kind of a teaser for the novel. The kids told me they loved the script, and they even fought over the one copy of the book we had, but no one wanted to borrow it in the end. 

Catholic School 5th Grade: Thursday, 12/13 
Book Talk: Aldo Zelnick Comic Novels 
I read aloud two sections - one from the first book, and one from the most recent, Finicky. The teacher loved them, but none of the books were checked out.  

Catholic School Kindergarten: Friday, 12/14 
Book: Dragon's Merry Christmas by Dav Pilkey
Song with ukulele: Jingle Bells
Notes: The kids loved the story, and they loved singing Jingle Bells. They also enjoyed exploring the patterns on the carpet in the story room.

Rec. Center Cooperative Play Program: Wednesday, 12/19
Books: Snip Snap Snow, One Mitten, Under My Hood I Have a Hat, Here Comes Jack Frost
Songs: Five Little Snowmen Riding on a Sled, One Red Mitten, Mary's Wore Her Blue Scarf, Head and Shoulders, If You’re Happy and You Know It
Notes: This was the first time I brought props to this group. It won't be the last. They loved the mittens and scarves.

Public School Pre-K Class: Wednesday, 12/19
Books: Owl Moon, Lemonade in Winter
Song: If You'd Like to Read a Book, Moon Moon Moon, Hat, Coat, Pants, and Shoes, These Are My Glasses  
Notes: This class loved hooting like the great horned owl.

Public School Pre-K Class: Wednesday, 12/19
Books: Owl Moon, Lemonade in Winter, The Snow Globe Family
Song: If You'd Like to Read a Book, Moon Moon Moon, These Are My Glasses  
Notes: This group requested more books than singing. I could indulge them because I didn't have a class right after them. Their favorite was probably Lemonade in Winter.

Drop-In Story Time, 12/18/12

This was not a great story time. It was fine,  but it didn't have that magic component where everyone is engaged and it feels like a success. I think the holidays have everyone wired and ready for a break. In any case, we read some new books and tackled the letter Q!

Book: Parade Day by Bob Barner

Flannel Board Song: Twelve Months Song

Book: 1-2-3 Peas by Keith Baker

Rhyme: Five Fat Peas 

Book: Yawn by Sally Symes, illustrated by Nick Sharratt
This book is the main reason I know this session was kind of off. This is a perfect toddler story time book, which they would have loved at almost any other time. They were just too distracted this week.

Song: Monkeys on the Bed

Song: I’m a little Teapot

Letter of the Day: Letter Q

• Song: Five Little Ducks (Quack is the q word here.)
• Flannel Board: Down Around the Corner... (The q word was quarter. I used my balloon pieces and pretended to sell each one for a quarter. The kids all wanted to "help" me, and it was the most popular part of the whole story time.)
• Song: What begins with Q? (I printed out these images and mounted them on construction paper, then we sang to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell. I don't think anyone liked it.)
• Queen
• Quilt
• Question
• Quail
• Quarterback

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

Song: Here We Go Up Up Up

Song: This is the way we Clap Our Hands

Song: Rum Sum Sum

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It


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.

Preschool Story Time, 12/14/12 (Holiday Theme)

Figure out the Word: Latke
The idea behind this activity is for the kids to name the letters with me, but when story time started, the only child in the room was a child who didn't know any of them. So I quickly named the letters myself, pointing to the posterboard on which I'd written them, and showed him the word, then started our story. Thankfully, just as I turned to the title page, two more kids came in.

 

Book: The Golem’s Latkes by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Aaron Jasinski

Song: L-A-T-K-E
This is Bingo, but with latkes!

Rhyme: Santa Claus, Santa Claus, are you behind the _______ tree?
I didn't have time to make a flannel board for this, so I just cut out paper trees and a paper Santa and taped them to poster board. Thankfully, by this point four kids were in the room, and at least two of them were old enough to know their colors. Santa was behind the black tree because it was the only one that wasn't translucent enough to show Santa through the paper!

Book: Shall I Knit You a Hat?: A Christmas Yarn by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
This was a flop. The kids had nothing to say about it at all!

Book: Merry Un-Christmas by Mike Reiss, illustrated by David Catrow
This was the hit of the session. I'm not sure all the kids got it, but they enjoyed it anyway.

Song with Ukulele and Musical Instruments: Jingle Bells
I handed out some of our triangles and rhythm sticks and let the kids play along as I played Jingle Bells on the ukulele. Most of them seemed to have no idea what to do. 

Song: We Wish You...

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.

Drop-In Story Time, 12/14/12 (Holiday Theme)

I feel such an obligation to offer a holiday story time, but I don't think this group cared one way or the other. The only things that went over really well were The Christmas Alphabet, which I sang with the help of some signs mounted on construction paper, and We Wish You... (where we wished everyone a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, joyous Kwanzaa and a happy new year.)

I had different plans for the end of the session, but a nanny took it upon herself to take apart my music stand, move it where I could not get to it, and throw out my music, so... there were some last-minute changes because I couldn't play the ukulele. But anyway, here it is. Next year, I'm seriously considering skipping the holiday theme. Let's hope I remember I said that!

Book: How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Flannel Board Song: I Am Lighting all the Candles 

Book: On the First Night of Chanukah by Cecily Kaiser

Book: Fa La La by Leslie Patricelli

Song: Ten Little Reindeer

Book: Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton

Song: Christmas Alphabet

Ukulele Song: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: Sing a Happy Song

Song: I’m a Little Teapot

Song: Five Little Snowmen Riding on the Sled

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

Song: We Wish You... / Let’s All Do a Little Clapping

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.