Off-site Preschool Class Visit, 1/11/12

Today was my second visit to this rec. center preschool. They're a wonderful group of great listeners, and I had a great time! I especially love that this story time is stripped of any technology, including recorded music. I get the best response when it's just me and the books.

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Book: Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christine Davenier (2011)
The rhyming text in this book is clever and never forced, but it was somehow still difficult for me to read aloud. It's hard to get the right inflection and keep the rhythm at the same time.


Song: Roll Your Hands

Book: The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle (2011)
You can never go wrong with Eric Carle, and this new book is a great challenge to those adults who believe that children must color things "correctly." The kids enjoyed telling me what each animal was, and the pink rabbit was an especially big hit.

Rhyme: Blue is the Lake 

Book: Bark, George by Jules Fieffer (1999)
There is no picture book I enjoy reading to kids more than this one. It's funny for an adult, but also silly enough to appeal to very small kids. I saw nothing but smiles on the kids' faces as I read today. This book is my secret weapon and has yet to ever fail.

Song: Rum Sum Sum 

Song: Ten Little Icicles
Kids do not know what icicles are. This is something I need to remember in the future. 

Book: Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
I had forgotten about this book and chose it as an alternative to The Snowy Day. I also really wanted a story with a boy at its center, and I wanted to add some diversity to my repertoire.

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Baby/Toddler Story Time, 1/10/12

Our Friends brought us a new iPod and speakers, which we tried for the first time this morning. There is a definite learning curve with the new devices, and because of that, the first story time was kind of a mess. It worked for the second one, but apparently has since stopped working. I hope we can straighten it out soon, because I no longer have any CDs that have my full repertoire on them!

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Book: Sail Away by Donald Crews (1995)
The ending of this book is always confusing. The last word of the story is "Moored!" and neither children nor adults seem to know what that means. And I never know what to say to explain it, so it always feels like an anti-climactic and awkward ending. But I love the "Whoosh!" of the sail, and at least one child excitedly pointed and said, "Boat!" so it was still worth reading.

Rhyme: Fingers

Rhyme: Snowflakes

Book: Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson (2005)
To my surprise, the sound words in this book were big hits with a lot of the older toddlers around age two.  The story went on a little too long for the younger kids, though. I'd probably save it for preschool next time.

Song: Shake My Sillies Out 

Song: I'm a Little Teapot (Session 1)
After a glitch with the iPod, I pulled out this old favorite to get us back on track.

Song: Reach for the Ceiling 
The citation for this one isn't on my wiki yet - I have to track down the CD it came from. But it wasn't a big hit anyway, since it's very slow, and our new iPod skipped ahead to a new song in the middle of it during the first session. 

Song: There's a Little Wheel a-Turnin' in my Heart

Book: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle (1991)
This was meant to be a flannel board, but I took my flannels home and left them there by accident, so I had to make do with the book. 

Song: Roll Your Hands

Song: Bumpin' Up and Down on my Little Blue Sled

Song:  Five Little Snowmen Riding on the Sled 

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Flannel Friday: Winter Post #1: Penguins

I made four flannel board sets for Winter this year. One of them, a flannel version of Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, came from DLTK, and can be downloaded here. The others will be featured on Flannel Fridays during this month.

Today, I am focusing on penguins.

I found my penguin on Clker.com, where there are many penguin choices.  I picked this one because he looked the most baby-friendly. I have already used these little guys once, for Five Perky Penguins, my version of which goes like this:

Five perky penguins, Stood on the shore
One went swimming, And then there were four.

Four perky penguins, Looked out to sea
One went swimming, And then there were three. 

Three perky penguins said, “What can we do?”
One went swimming, And then there were two.

Two perky penguins, Sat in the sun.

One went swimming, And then there was one.

One perky penguin said, “This is no fun!”
He went swimming, And then there were none.

In addition to pulling penguins off the flannel board, I also ask the kids to show me how they swim in between verses.

Another penguin possibility that I found comes from the YouTube video below:

Five Little Penguins standing still.
One Little Penguin slides down the hill.
Where did he go? I don’t know.
Four Little Penguins standing still.

Four Little Penguins standing still.
One Little Penguin slides down the hill.
Where did he go? I don’t Know.
Three Little Penguins standing still.

Three Little Penguins standing still.
One Little Penguin slides down the hill.
Where did he go? I don’t know.
Two Little Penguins standing still.

Two Little Penguins standing still.
One Little Penguin slides down the hill.
Where did he go? I don’t know.
One Little Penguin standing still.

One Little Penguin standing still.
He goes sliding down the hill.
Where did he go? I don’t know.
Wait, I know!
With all of the Penguins playing in the snow

I love that it's a new tune, and a somewhat different approach to the "five little" structure.

Finally, I just discovered this song from DLTK. For this one, I would attach one penguin to a popsicle stick, hold it up, and sing the song. I was looking for something like this for baby lap time and even though my 6 sessions are already planned, I might still try to sneak this one in there.

This week's Flannel Friday host is Mollie (@molliekay). Also don't miss Anne's post about upcoming special Flannel Friday events, and find us, as always, on Pinterest and Facebook.

Welcome, Winter After School Program, 1/5/12

This is the much-awaited replacement for my horribly cursed Monday afternoon story time. The idea was to reach families with kids in preschool and early elementary school, and to stop catering so much to the babies and toddlers. I chose Thursday because, during the Fall, that was our busiest day after school. Now, though, Wednesday is the busiest and today's story time was much like the Monday ones used to be. I really just can't win when it comes to afternoon programming.

But it wasn't a total disaster, and I remain hopeful that the coming weeks, where my themes are more sophisticated and even less baby-friendly, will bring in more of my school-age crowd and fewer of the two and unders.

Here is what I ended up presenting.

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?
This song turns off the older kids, and I saw kids actually choose not to come into the room based on the fact that we were singing. I know it's my security blanket, but next week, when my program focuses on Martin Luther King, Jr.,  I'll be leaving it out in the hopes that some fourth and fifth graders might join us.

Book: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr (1987)
I haven't read this book in a very long time, and was glad to revisit it. The kids also seemed really into it, which surprised me, given how quiet and introspective it is.

Rhyme: Frozen is the Lake
I wrote this rhyme, again based on Blue is the Lake. It went over pretty well, but could have used more practice.

Book: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
The kids all knew this book, and seemed to enjoy it. And I can't imagine doing a Winter story time without it!

Song: Skate on the Frozen Pond
I wrote this song based on Curtsy Like a Princess from my Fantasy story time. It was a pretty big hit - definitely the most successful non-book activity of the program.

Book: The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel, illustrated by Nancy Winslow Parker (1989)
I really wanted the kids to say the name of each article of clothing when I pointed to it, but even when told what to say, they sat mute. This is not a group for class participation!

Song: Five Little Snowmen Riding on the Sled
This song is becoming a dud. I don't understand why.

Book: Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (2002)

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This
Again, the kids don't like this. No idea what to do instead.

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Other books I considered reading at this story time include:

• Footprints in the Snow by Mei Matsuoka
• Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
• White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt

Find more Winter story times on these other blogs:

• Mel's Desk (Baby Story Time)
• Sturdy for Common Things
• Richmond Memorial Library Story Time
• Read it Again, Mom!