Let's Read About Pets! Preschool Story Time, 2/1/13

Let's Read About Pets!  Preschool Story Time, 2/1/13

There wasn't very much to photograph for this story time, and I forgot to bring my phone down to the story room with me, so there's no photo.

Rhyme: There Was a Little Turtle
I had not anticipated how much they would enjoy this, but there were grins all around.

Book: Six-Dinner Sid by Inga Moore
This was the best book of the session. The kids really responded and had great comments about Sid's plan to get six dinners. 

Book: Don't Take Your Snake for a Stroll by Karin Ireland, illustrated by David Catrow
This book was a flop. The rhyming text doesn't work, and the illustrations were too chaotic. One little girl was looking right at the pictures and still kept saying, "I can't see!" - I think because it was hard to make out what was happening.

Song with Ukulele: Bought Me a Cat
This was a great way to use the ukulele! I sang the first two verses - "cat goes fiddle-i-fee" and "dog goes woof woof" then asked the kids to make their own sounds. We got up to about six animals before I started losing track, and the kids made great sounds. I really think the ukulele is most useful with these older kids, and I'm going to look for more interactive ways to use it. I also thought it was great when an older sister (roughly 7 years old) asked me if the ukulele was too small for me, or if it was okay.

Song with Ukulele: ABCs
They wanted another song, and I can play this one any time, any place. They asked for more after this, too, but my voice was already cracking, so I said we'd have to wait until next time.

Book: Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
I expected this book to generate more conversation, and it might very well have done so with a different group of kids. This was a quiet and passive bunch - much different from the read-along crowd yesterday! But the book is one I want to keep in mind when I next visit the rec. center preschool, as it is perfect for threes.

Book:  This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
I wasn't sure this would work for preschoolers, and for the most part, they didn't get it.  It might work for a small class of first or second graders.

Song: These Are My Glasses 

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.

Let's Read About Pets! Toddler Lap Time, 2/1/13

 

  Let's Read About Pets! Toddler Lap Time, 2/1/13

Today's Toddler Lap Time was almost identical to yesterday's, so yes, this is the same photo that appears  in yesterday's post. The only major difference is that I read Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes instead of Are You a Cow? which apparently got checked out after yesterday's session. Here's the run-down:

Book: Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes

Song with Puppet: I’m a Little Green Frog

Book: Oink, Moo, Meow by Sterling Publishing Company

Song with Puppets: Do You Know the Little Dog?

Book: Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song: Hands Up High 

Song: Ring a Round a Rosie

Songs with Shaker Eggs:

• Shake My Sillies Out 
• Can You Shake Your Egg With Me? 
• Sing a Happy Song

Song: ABCs

Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

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.

Flannel Friday: Pirate Rex's Xs

This week, my Flannel Friday contribution is an original story I wrote. I've been presenting a letter of the day at each drop-in story time since the start of the school year, and on Tuesday, it was time for the letter X. I wasn't crazy about most of the X-related activities I found online, so I decided to write my own, using the concept of a pirate's treasure map where "X marks the spot." Here is the final product, entitled Pirate Rex's Xs. (Feel free to use this story, but if you repost it on your blog, please use it in its original form and link back to this post. Thanks!)

Pirate Rex's Xs

Pirate Rex had a treasure map with four Xs on it. 

“X marks the spot to find the treasure!” said Rex.

 He went to the first X. 

Under the first X, he found...

A red feather! 

“On to the next X!” said Rex.

Pirate Rex went to the second X.
Under the second X, he found...
a blue feather!
“On to the next X!” said Rex. 

Pirate Rex went to the third X.
Under the third X, he found...
a yellow feather!“On to the next X!” said Rex.

Pirate Rex went to the fourth X.
Under the fourth X, he found...
A parrot!

“I will name you Treasure,” said Rex.

The end. 

The pirate image I used comes from MyCuteGraphics.com. The feathers and Xes come from Clker.com. Since I am free to distribute images from those sites, I have put them into a .pdf file, which you can download here. The parrot came from a Google images search, and I don't believe it is free to share online, so you'll have to search for your own parrot if you want one!

Anne is hosting Flannel Friday this week. For more Flannel Friday info, visit the official website.

Let's Read About Pets! Drop-In Story Time, 2/1/13

  Let's Read About Pets! Drop-In Story Time, 2/1/13

Today's group was pretty small, so I kept their attention pretty well. Some of the letter Y songs didn't go over as well as I expected, but the dog books and songs were very well-received. In retrospect, I realize we didn't make a lot of dog sounds this time - if we do this theme again, I'll have to get some more barking in there!

Book: Dogs by Emily Gravett

Song: BINGO

Song: Bingo’s Doghouse

Book: Domino by Clare Masurel 
This book has previously been a flop, but today it was the favorite.
Song: How Much is that Doggie in the Window?
For this one, I made up some motions for us to do to represent "window," and then "basket" and "wagon". Strangely, the kids picked them up right away and the adults kept squinting at me like they couldn't figure out what I was doing.

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song: Shake My Sillies Out 

Letter of the Day: Letter Y

• Song: Twelve Months of the Year Song
• Song with ukulele: Oh, Yellow Flower
• Song: You Are My Sunshine

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

Song: Wheels on the Bus

Song: Rum Sum Sum
I heard a nanny in the front row say to her friend, "It's supposed to be Ram Sam Sam." I've heard it both ways, but this is the way I memorized it. And it's also the way Laurie Berkner sings it. So I'll stick with it, but maybe next time I'll mention something about the other version, too.

Song: Sing a Happy Song
This song kind of fell apart - the nannies kept clapping faster and faster, making it harder for me to keep the tempo when I was singing.

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.