Pre-K Class Visit, 8/4

This was my last story time for this group, and today is essentially the last day of summer reading program related sessions. They're usually a really easy group, and today was no exception. There were 13 kids, and we had some great discussions about three picture books. This is what we did:

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Book: The Mitten by Jan Brett (1989)
I would never read this in the summer, because I save my winter books for winter, but the school requested it specifically. When the kids got here today, though, they told me their teacher had already read it to them recently. Oh well. They remembered a lot of it from their first reading, so that was a nice way to make it interactive.

Song: Rum Sum Sum

Song: Shake My Sillies Out

Book: Blackout by John Rocco (2011)
This is a new favorite. A bit harder to read aloud than I expected, but there is so much going on in the illustrations I didn't want to leave anything out! It's a heartwarming story about how a city blackout brings one family closer together. I will review this one on my book blog soon!

Song: Boots
My fiance, who despises this song, will be glad to know these kids didn't like it at all. Some of them actually covered their ears! So I guess that one can go in retirement for a while.

Book: Actual Size by Steve Jenkins (2004)
This is going into my regular story time rotation for big kids. They love this book. Today's main attraction was teeth. We spent the longest time on any page featuring big teeth. 

Song: Chickadee

Song: Skinnamarink

6 Nursery Rhyme Picture Books

	Knick Knack Paddy Whack! by Steve Songs A lively version of This Old Man, in which the old man helps the neighborhood kids form a band.
	Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker My favorite version of 1,2, Buckle My Shoe, complete with many chicks!
	And The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Janet Stevens What becomes of the dish and the spoon after they run away? This book tells all.
	The Bear Went Over the Mountain by Rosemary Wells This classic children's song becomes a story about a bear who ventures out away from his mother, and then returns home.
	The Completed Hickory Dickory Dock by Jim Ayelsworth The mouse runs up the clock, but that's just the beginning!
	The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews Traditional and not-so-traditional Mother Goose Rhymes are recast for an urban environment.

Baby/Toddler Story Time, 8/2

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Book:  One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Jane Cabrera (2009)
This book is a nice, modernized version of the traditional rhyme. Instead of picking up sticks, the bunny in this book gives high kicks, for example, and though she digs and delves with a hen for eleven and twelve, thirteen and fourteen show her hanging out in the kitchen with "pigs a-snortin'." The culmination of the book is a big party with 20 balloons, which we all counted out together. I don't do themes, but if I did, this would be cute for a birthday themed story time.

Rhyme: I Have Ten Little Fingers
I practiced and practiced and got in front of the room for the first session and forgot how this rhyme goes. Everyone was very nice about it, and I did remember it after a moment, but still - it reminded me of the time I forgot my lines  in my 5th grade CCD class's play about St. Joseph. I also forgot pieces of it in the second session. Embarrassing.

I have ten little fingers

and they all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can clap them together.

I can make them all hide.

I can jump them up high.

I can jump them down low.

I can fold them like this

and hold them like so.

Song: One Little Finger

Book: Purrrrr by Pat Cummings (1999)
A lazy cat won't do anything at all during the day, but she makes an excellent cuddler at night! The repetition of the cat's purring, and the refrain "she licks her fur and rolls right over to sleep" makes this a great one for  the younger half of my groups. They loved it today.


Song: Shake My Sillies Out

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Flannel Board Song: We're Going to the Beach (*Check back on Friday for my Flannel Friday post about this song.)

I think this song is kind of boring. The tune is "The Farmer in the Dell," and the lyrics are simple and repetitive. The kids got really into it, though, and I'll probably do it a few more times before the summer ends. (Which is soon - three weeks from yesterday is the first day of school!)

We're going to the beach

We're going to the beach

I think we'll see a [seashell] there.

We're going to the beach.

(Repeat with flip-flops, sandcastle, beach ball, and starfish.)

Song: Clap Along With Me

Song: Itsy-Bitsy Spider (a cappella)

Song: You Are My Sunshine (a cappella, with sun puppet, sung twice)

Song: The Wheels on the Bus (Raffi version)

Song: ABCD Medley

Song: Chickadee

Song: Skinnamarink

Saturday Family Story Time, 7/30

When I get kids to actually show up for Saturday story time, it's always a lesson in improvisation. Today, I planned for mostly toddlers and had only one toddler, along with three babies, and four preschoolers. Go figure.

Thankfully, I took a big pile of books in there with me, and had some choices so that I could adjust as  the crowd grew. And it was really nice. I love my big groups and actually feel most comfortable with those, but it's also nice to be able to get to know the kids a little bit in the small groups. Before today, I thought I'd cancel monthly Saturday story times, but now I'm wondering if it's worth having one now and then, even during the school year...

Opening Song: Clap Along With Me

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big (twice)

Rhyme: Dance Your Fingers (twice)

Book: Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham (1970)
Everyone loves Mr. Gumpy. This book does go on, with Mr. Gumpy's various restrictions about how the animals and children are to behave in the boat, but it's a lot of fun building up to the moment when they all do exactly that which they were asked to avoid doing, and splash! into the water they go! Even babies like this book.

Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider (a cappella; sung twice)

Book: My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall (2009)
I usually remember to read this book around Valentine's Day, but it seemed like a good one for an all-ages group as well. The older kids laughed over the silly rhymes and enjoyed dissecting the images to see how the hearts fit together. The babies were drawn to the bright colors, and the moms oohed and aahed. I'll definitely want to remember this book for future family story times!

Song: ABCD Medley
I think my days with this song are numbered. Time to find a replacement for the Fall! 

Song: One, Two, I Love You (Numbers Are Our Friends)


Song: Old MacDonald (a cappella with puppets)

Song: You Are My Sunshine (sung twice a cappella, with puppet)

Book: The Queen's Feet  by Sarah Ellis, illustrated by Dusan Petricic (2006)
I learned of this book just this morning, but quickly fell in love! Queen Daisy's feet have a mind of their own, and they get her into all kinds of trouble in situations where she's supposed to be on her best royal behavior! This story has the same sense of humor as Princess Hyacinth, which is my favorite read-aloud for school-age kids, but it's less wordy and worked for everyone in my audience, except one little baby, whose attention span made it only 7/8 of the way through. (These babies were amazingly attentive, I've never seen anything like it!)


Song: The Wheels on the Bus 

Song: Chickadee
It warmed my little heart when a three-year-old announced after the first verse - "This is my favorite song!"

Song: Skinnamarink