7 Christmas Picture Books

	The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriot A country veterinarian remembers a Christmas gift given by a cat.
	The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg A boy travels to the North Pole and receives the first gift of Christmas.
	The Christmas Tree That Grew by Phyllis Kravilovski A Christmas tree grows out of one family's apartment into the next. (Out of print.)
	Guess who's Coming to Santa's For Dinner? by Tomie DePaola Santa has a lot of guests around his Christmas dinner table!
	I'm Not Santa! by Jonathan Allen A cute little chick insists that wearing a Santa hat does not make him Santa Claus.
	Shall I Knit You a Hat? by Kate Klise Mother Rabbits knits a hat for Little Rabbit, who then insists upon giving hats to all his friends.
	The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg Peek inside the Christmas correspondence of all your favorite fairy tale characters!

Gettin' Crafty Holiday Post #2

Two more holiday-themed crafts to share today.

1. Paper Ornaments

Supplies:

• Construction paper
• Stencils created from thick paper
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Stickers 
• Crayons and markers

Last year, I prepared for this activity and then no one showed up for the program, so I actually had almost everything premade. I cut out the various ornament shapes we used - gingerbread men, trees, stars, and plain Christmas balls - and also cut apart sheets of stickers to make them into smaller sheets so it would be easier for the kids to share. I punched the holes ahead of time as well, so all the kids had to was design their ornament and attach the string.  

2. Santa Claus Beards

Supplies:

• Cotton balls
• Glue
• Santa Claus coloring sheet

I wasn't actually at the library to see how this one turned out, but the basic idea was to color Santa, then glue cotton balls for his beard.


Need more ideas? Also check out Gettin' Crafty Holiday Post #1.

Regular Gettin' Crafty posts will return in January. Happy holidays!

(Not a) Flannel Friday: Rudolph, Rudolph

This little Rudolph lives in my story room closet most of the year, just hanging out. I actually forgot about him and didn't use him for my baby/toddler story time yesterday morning, but then found him - and a set of colored noses made out of felt that I made last year and never used - and decided to incorporate him into my afternoon story time instead. This rhyme wound up being too basic for my mostly-kindergarten audience, but it would have been great with threes and fours. (Also, as Anne pointed out last week, it makes an excellent flannel board!)

Rudolph! Rudolph!
What will you do?
You can't guide Santa
If your nose is blue!

Rudolph! Rudolph!
Santa gave a wink.
But what will he think
If your nose is pink?


Rudolph! Rudolph!
Your way cannot be seen
Through the wintry weather
If your nose is green!


Rudolph! Rudolph!
You're such a silly fellow
Who will know it's you
If your nose is yellow!


Rudolph! Rudolph!
It's time to fly at night.
But you're quite a sight
'Cause your nose is white

Rudolph! Rudolph!
The children are in bed.
And now I know you're ready
because your nose is red!

This rhyme, which I adapted slightly to suit the felt colors I had on hand, originally came to me from this page on the Orange County Public Schools website.

This week's Flannel Friday host is Linda at Notes from the Story Room.  Visit the Flannel Friday archives at So Tomorrow, and find us on Pinterest.

Holiday Preschool/School-Age Story Time, 12/15

This is my last story time until the New Year. But fear not - I'll be posting some other things in the time in between, including a Flannel Friday tomorrow.

The average of today's audience was between 5 and 6 years old. There were roughly 15 kids in attendance.

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?
Okay, older kids hate to sing. At least at this library. And particularly when the songs are somewhat babyish like this one. I have to spend my next two weeks off from story time figuring out a new opening for my school-age story times.

Book: The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora (2009)
I like this African take on the famous poem, and the kids did, too. Rachel Isadora is such a great illustrator.

Rhyme: Rudolph, Rudolph
Stay tuned... this will be my Flannel Friday tomorrow!

Song: Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Book: I'm Not Santa! by Jonathan Allen (2008)
This book is cute, but ruined by the super-sappy ending. My group was not impressed.

Book: Eight Winter Nights by Laura Krauss Melmed, Elisabeth Schlossberg (2010)
This is more of a poetry collection than a story, and though the kids seemed to like it, they didn't really react very strongly when it was done.

Rhyme: Spin Little Dreidels
Not the hit it was this morning, but still fun. 

Song: Let's All Do a Little Clapping
Definitely not a hit. These kids didn't want to sing.

Book: Jingle Bells by Iza Trapani (2005)
Except they did want to sing this one. Especially the threes and fours.

Song: Five Little Snowmen Riding on a Sled 
Probably the hit of the session. 

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This