Gettin' Crafty Post #4: Stickers

For an introduction to this new series of Gettin' Crafty posts, visit Post #1.

This post is about several different crafts I have done this Fall involving stickers. 

1. Sticker Collages

This craft was born out of a rainy day and  the need for a simple last-minute craft.

Supplies:

Black construction paper

Stickers

I used leftover summer reading stickers from Catch the Reading Bug and Make a Splash, because I wanted to get rid of them.

Self-stick foam shapes

 These were also leftovers, from my pencil toppers craft.

My example was an abstract design using mostly foam shapes, with a few stickers added on to show the kids their options. Most of the kids got the idea, and were really creative with their own designs.

2. Apple Make-A-Face Sticker Scene

I purchased this craft from Oriental Trading to use in September, which is when I focused on apples in story time.

Each package includes 12 kits, which consist of the following:

• 2 sheets of stickers with noses, eyes, mouths, and leaves
• 1 activity booklet, consisting of six apples all linked together like paper dolls

What I imagined the kids doing was keeping the booklets intact and making their own string of apples. What happened was that the parents ripped all the apples apart and insisted that each child only make one. There were some left intact after the first time we did this craft, so I put them out again on a different day, and  the same thing happened. The up side was that many more kids could participate, but it was a shame, too, because they were so much cuter in a little string of apples!

3. Design Your Own! Firefighter Sticker Scenes 

 

This one came from Oriental Trading as well, and it was really popular among the preschool crowd. The set of 12 includes the paper backgrounds and the stickers, but there are way more stickers than can comfortably fit in one scene, so if you have some extra paper hanging around, kids can still participate even after the sheets are gone. 

The only problem I ran into was that some of the stickers ripped really easily when I peeled them from the paper, and I am still (two weeks later) finding little arms, legs, and firehats hanging around in various corners of the children's room. 

I purchased a second similar set, the Sweet “Bake Shop” Make-A-Sticker Scenes which I plan to use around the holidays.

Next time: Beaded Bracelets.

7 Kids' Books About Siblings

	Big Sister Little Sister by LeUyen Pham The narrator's big sister gets to do everything first, but she will never get to be the little sister!
	Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume Peter Hatcher must deal with the hi-jinks of his wild little brother, Fudge.
	The Day I Had to Play With My Sister by Crosby Bonsall A brother and sister disagree about the rules of hide and seek.
	The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall Four sisters vacation in the Berkshires and make friends with an interesting boy, despite his mother's objections.
	Ruby and the Booker Boys Series by Derrick Barnes Ruby tries to make a name for herself, separate from the boisterous personalities of her older brothers.
	Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney Greg Heffley tries to survive under the rule of his bully older brother.
	Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan Pakistani-American siblings Rubina and Sana struggle with their mother's misunderstanding of American birthday parties.

Baby Lap Time, 10/19 & 10/20

Opening Song: Clap Along With Me 

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big  

Rhyme: Where Oh Where Are Baby's Fingers? 

Flannel Board Rhyme: I Went to Visit the Farm One Day 

Book: Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming (2010)

Song: Head and Shoulders

Song: The Itsy-Bitsy Spider

Song: You Are My Sunshine

Shaker Egg Song: Shortnin' Bread

Book: The Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz  (2011)

Flannel Board Song: Five Little Pumpkins

Goodbye Song: Open, Shut Them (Goodbye Version)

Baby/Toddler Story Time, 10/18

Opening Song: Hello, how are you? 

Book: Ghost Gets Dressed by Janee Trasler (2007)
The punchline of this book - that the monster wears all of the ghost's clothing, and eventually the ghost as well - went over like a lead balloon. But this book is still so cute, and had just the right amount of words for this age group.

Rhyme: One Little Ghost
This is a great Halloween rhyme, which I discovered just this week. I plan to use it at all my Halloween-themed story times.

Song: The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Book: Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Rynbach (1995)
This is one of many interpretations of this well-known pumpkin rhyme. It's not particularly remarkable, but it's a nice big book for a big audience! 

Song: Shake My Sillies Out

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song: Hands Are For Clapping 

Flannel Board Song: Five Little Pumpkins
Again, I started singing and there was immediate silence. This song is magic. 

Song: One Little Monster

Song: Tommy Thumb
This was the first week that this song felt like a forced march. It might be time to trade it in for something new.

Song: The Wheels on the Bus
I retired this song months ago and thought I'd try doing it again today. Too soon. I still hate it!

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This