Baby/Toddler Lap Time, 5/4/12

What a marathon day! I had to cut this story time slightly short because right afterward, I went to the elementary school to read to a Pre-K class. I also wasn't planning on doing this story time today, so my transitions were not quite as smooth as I would have liked. I'm kind of a perfectionist, though, and I think, overall, it was a fine story time.

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Rhyme: Wiggle Fingers

Book: Just Like Jasper! by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen (2008)

Rhyme: Two Little Kittens
Song: Shake My Sillies Out

Book: I Went Walking by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas (1990) 

Flannel Board Song: All the Pigs

 Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Song: Mr. Sun 

Song: Chickadee

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Song: Put Your Finger in the Air 

Song: ABC Song

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Preschool Story Time, 5/4/12

The fact that I was doing this story time today was a surprise, but I had some transportation books set aside, so I pulled those out and I was all set.

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big 

Book: I Love Trains! by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern
I really wish I'd opened with a book with more of a plot. I have been trying to have at least one book that is a true story, rather than a litany of actions or animal sounds or simple daily activities. Still, this book had the attention of a good number of the kids, and I could tell they enjoyed the illustrations.

Rhyme: Here is the Engine 

Song: Shake My Sillies Out 

Book: Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia
I love the sounds in this book, as well as the cute ending, where the cars go to sleep in the parking lot.

Flannel Board Rhyme: Seven Snazzy Aunties

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Book: Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham (1970)
Some of the older kids (the actual preschoolers) thought Mr. Gumpy's name was hilarious.  They were not as interested in the storyline itself. I should have started with this book, I think.

Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Song: Tommy Thumb

Song: Chickadee 

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

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.