Pre-K/K Class Visit, 5/3/12

I had to move this group's monthly visit from the third Thursday of the month, since that will be the first day of my wedding/honeymoon vacation.  This meant I had not yet come up with my repertoire for May class visits, so I wound up scrambling a bit this morning to choose books I had not just read to them two weeks ago. I think in the end it was a really good mix - the kids laughed a lot, which is usually a great sign.

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Song: If You'd Like to Read a Book 

Book: Stuck by Oliver Jeffers (2011)
I had never read this aloud before, and even though I've read it a few times to myself, I found the handwritten font really difficult to read. The kids loved it, though, and went crazy when they realized Floyd could have used both the ladder and the saw to rescue everyone from the tree. (I reviewed this book in February.)

Rhyme: Blue is the Lake
I am pretty sure the teachers have been doing this rhyme at school because the kids knew every word, and I've only done it with them twice.

Book: Ninety-Three in My Family by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Mike Lester (2006)
The concept of having ninety-three family members was hilarious for this group. One little boy announced at the end, "I liked that!" which completely warmed my heart.

Song: Shake My Sillies Out

Book: Hen Hears Gossip by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Joung Un Kim
They didn't quite get the message of this story, but they liked the silliness of it. The ending doesn't really match the rest of the book, but they still liked it overall.

Song: These Are My Glasses by the Laurie Berkner Band
This group loves this song. I almost can't explain it. They groan when it's time to stop singing, no matter how many times we repeat it!

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

6 Fashion Books for Tweens & Teens

	Zibby Payne & the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment by Alison Bell Zibby, who has always been a tomboy is taken by surprise when all the other girls in her sixth-grade class start getting into clothes, makeup, and hairstyles
	Blowout by Taylor Morris When Mickey gets a job at her mother's high-end hair salon, she suddenly finds herself stealing for popular girls and losing touch with her best guy friend, Jonah.
	Prep Cool  by Maya Gold In this second Cinderella Cleaners book, Diana risks getting into trouble with her dad to dress up as a rich kid and sneak into a prep school where her best friend accidentally lost her phone.
	Fashion Kitty by Charise Mericle Harper Most of the time, Kiki Kittie is just your average cat,  but when a fashion crisis arises, she becomes Fashion Kitty and swoops in to save the day!
	King of the Screwups by K.L. Going After Liam is kicked out of his house, he moves in with his cross-dressing uncle, known as "Aunt" Pete, and slowly realizes his own talent and eye for fashion.
	Ditched by Robin Mellom After she is inexplicably abandoned on Prom night, Justina uses the stains on her ruined dress to help her sort out what happened and how to fix it.

Baby/Toddler Story Time, 5/1/12

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Rhyme: Wiggle Fingers

Book: Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky (1997)

Song: Put Your Finger in the Air 

Song: Head and Shoulders

Book: Flower Garden by Eve Bunting (1994)

 Song: One Seed by the Laurie Berkner Band

Song: I'm a Little Teapot 

Book: Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks (2002)
This book is fun for the rhyming, and the adults like the humor, but almost none of the kids were into it.

Flannel Board Rhyme: Seven Snazzy Aunties
This got a much better reception than when I first introduced it. Not sure why, except that maybe the kids are somewhat older at this story time these days.

Song: The Wheels on the Bus 

Song: Chickadee

Song: Mr. Sun

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Baby/Toddler Lap Time, 4/27/12 (Arbor Day)

I am writing this post days after the fact, so this is probably not the exact story time I presented on Friday. But it's still pretty close. The theme was trees, because it was Arbor Day.


Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Rhyme: Blue is the Lake

Book: Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley (1998)
I read this in the Fall and got no real response to it. This time, the kids liked looking at the various patterns for the leaves and the adults got the punchline much more quickly than in October. 

 Song: One Seed by the Laurie Berkner Band

Song: Head and Shoulders

Book: We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow, illustrated by Bob Staake (2010)
This book is kind of sappy, but the illustrations are big and bold. Most of the kids seemed interested.

Rhyme: Chickadee Tree 
This was a new rhyme. The ending got no response, which I sort of expected. I might leave the ending off next time, and just do the three motions for the first three birds.


Song: I'm a Little Teapot 

Book: Hello, Goodbye by David Lloyd, illustrated by Louise Voce (1998)
Flannel Board Song: Here Stands a Robin
I did this with three birds rather than five - and got a much better response.

Song: Chickadee

Song: Mr. Sun

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This