Opening Song: Story Time is Starting
Book: How To Be On The Moon by Viviane Schwarz
This was a review copy from Candlewick. The dialogue is wonderful for reading aloud, and it was great for my three-to-seven-year-olds. We had some babies in attendance who got a bit restless, but it wasn't a big deal.
Flannel Board Song: Five Astronauts Went Up in Space
My own toddler tried to sabotage my flannel board, and I immediately wished I hadn't bothered with it. It did seem to be a good attention grabber for some kids, but I had to enlist help from my 5-year-old to keep her sister from taking the whole thing down. I have a smaller flannel board that I can hold in my lap, and I think that's what I'll need to use for the remaining sessions of story time.
Book: The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry, illustrated by
This is my three-year-old's favorite picture book. I had never tried it with an audience, but this group seemed like it would be receptive. They mostly seemed to like it.
Rhyme: Moon Jumpers, Moon Jumpers
I took the words I use for Book Bear, Book Bear and modified them slightly to suit the "moon jumpers" concept. I repeated the jumping line in both stanzas to emphasize the jumping aspect of the story.
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
say hello!
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
high and low.
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
Jump up and down
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
Turn around.
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
Clap clap clap
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
Tap tap tap
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
Jump up and down
Moon jumpers, moon jumpers
Sit right down.
Song with Ukulele: Stop and Go (originally by Ella Jenkins)
Song with Flannel Board and Ukulele: Aikendrum
I did this on the flannel board, and my five-year-old put all the pieces up for me. If I do this again, I'll just use the ukulele. The flannel board doesn't add much.
Book: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
My own two girls were so sympathetic to kitten they kept saying "awwww!" on every page.
Song: Moon Moon Moon
Book: Wynken Blynken and Nod by Eugene Field, illustrated by Giselle Potter
This was not a hit. I wish I had learned one of the tunes to which this poem can be sung because I think it would have done better as a singable book.
Closing Song: Story Time is Over
This was not a hit. I wish I had learned one of the tunes to which this poem can be sung because I think it would have done better as a singable book.
Closing Song: Story Time is Over