Groundhog Day After School Program, 2/2/12

I think it's safe to say I will never do another Groundhog Day story time. What a silly holiday! Somehow I got the idea that kids  were into it, but they really are not, and  quite honestly, neither am I. I thought the focus on shadows would be interesting and fun, but the entire story time, though not a disaster, fell flat compared to most of my others. I also had to beg kids to participate, and the group who actually was interested was far older than I'd expected, so they didn't even really get much out of it. But there were some good moments, and I'll note those for posterity below.

Book: Groundhog Day! by Gail Gibbons (2006)
I thought Gail Gibbons was some kind of non-fiction genius, but this book is so disorganized, and it just drags on and on. It starts out talking about groundhog day, but then gets into this whole section about the size and weight of groundhogs and the length of their tunnels which made for some very dry reading. Not to mention the mating! How did I not think that would be awkward to read about? Ugh. Never again. 

Book: Groundhog Stays Up Late by Margery Cuyler (2005)
This book was just okay. It wasn't the book I wanted, but I let books circulate before I pulled what I wanted and thus got stuck with the leftovers. Again, I will never repeat this mistake.


Song: Shadow Song
If the actions for this had been more complicated, the older kids would have liked it a lot more. As it was, the two or three preschoolers who came loved this song and danced around like nobody's business. 

Book: Shadow by Suzy Lee
This book was the surprise highlight of the story time. The kids loved trying to figure out what was going on in the illustrations, and even though they didn't get the ending, one little girl told me it was an interesting book "even though it doesn't have any words." I had never really shared a wordless book in story time, so I was proud of myself for giving it a try.

Rhyme: My Shadow
This fingerplay is cute, and again, perfect for preschool. My elementary school kids did it, but sort of just went through the motions. I so wish I had known there would be so many school age kids this week. Everything could have been different!

Flannel Board: Guess Whose Shadow?
This guessing game was a little too easy, but I had their attention for all ten shadows and their corresponding objects. It turns out I didn't have time for Flannel Friday this week, but since this idea will also work for the summer reading theme, I'll probably still post about it next week.

 Book: The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss (1973)
I didn't need to include another book, and I don't really know why I did.  I was so thrown off by this point, it didn't make any difference.

This story time is a perfect example of why themes are a bad idea. I advertised this program well in advance, before I realized there weren't very many good groundhog day or shadow books. I will never make that mistake again!

Baby Lap Time, 2/1/12 and 2/2/12

Opening Song: Say Hello
I love singing hello to each child individually. My recall with names has been ten times better this series than last! 

Rhyme: Cheek Chin
Is there anything better than watching eighteen babies all lifted into the air at the same time? This is the first time the caregivers and parents got really into that part of it, and it was great to see. 

Rhyme: This is Big Big Big

Rhyme: Groundhog, Groundhog
I will explain how I did this rhyme in my flannel Friday post tomorrow, hopefully. 

Bounce: Mother and Father and Uncle John
Finally, after three weeks, this is catching on! I even had a dad tell me it's his son's new favorite thing. Which I could tell because it gave him the giggles.

Rhyme: Baby Game
Well, this was the weak link in the chain today. I thought the peek-a-boo idea would work, but the second half of the rhyme lingers too long over the part where the baby's eyes are covered, and it just didn't quite have that spark. I won't use it again.

Book: Uh-oh! by Rachel Isadora (2008)
I remember now why I don't use this book in story time. The illustrations are nice, but the changes from scene to scene aren't big or broad enough to get a reaction even from the parents. It was nice to hear a couple of babies seem to imitate the "uh-oh" refrain, but the book didn't really take hold of the group like some others I've read.

Rhymes and Songs with Shaker Eggs: 

• Mix a Pancake 
• Humpty Dumpty
• Shake My Sillies Out (a cappella)
• Shake Your Eggs (based on Roll Your Hands)

Finally, the perfect combination of shaker egg activities! One new rhyme, one well-known  rhyme, and two simple songs. Excellent. 

Song: Tony Chestnut
I love it when people figure out the "joke" of this song for the first time. It cracks me up every single time, especially because I think the whole thing is extremely clever. 

Song: Head and Shoulders (a cappella, to the tune of London Bridge)

Book: Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker (1999)
This is the perfect book for babies and toddlers, and their parents, too, because they know the original rhyme (One, Two, Buckle My Shoe) but don't see the surprises coming at the end.

Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm (a cappella)
I traded in my flannel board for puppets this week. A good call on my part. This was a lot of fun.

Song: Row, Row, Row, Your Boat (a cappella)

Song: Where is Big Toe?
This is the BEST baby song. I love it. 

Goodbye Song: Open, Shut Them Goodbye Song

I love baby lap time so much. I seriously can't wait for the Spring session already!

Preschool Class Visit, 2/2/12

This was a last-minute story time for me, as I didn't know until I arrived that I needed to do it, so I pulled out some old favorites and did a story time similar to the one I've done for other class visits. The kids were a little young for a couple of the books, but it still worked out just fine. 

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?

Book: Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes by Eric Litwin, pictures by Dean Martin (2011)
I only  read this because the original Pete the Cat is checked out. The group didn't enjoy this one nearly as much, and I found the song - which I sing without the recording - not to be as catchy as the first one either.

Song: The Wheels on the Bus (a cappella)

• wheels... round and round
• horn... beep beep beep
• door... open and shut
• driver... move on back
• wipers... swish swish swish
• babies ... waa waa waa
• grown-ups... shh shh shh

Book: Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan A. Shea, illustrated by Tom Slaughter (2011)
This is the one book that was too old for them. It really works best with ages four to six. Still, they liked saying no to every question, even if they didn't know why they were saying it.


Song: Roll Your Hands

Book: Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? by Jim Butler (2003)

I put the book on a music stand so I could stand up and model each movement. The kids seemed a little unsure of whether it was okay to join in, but they gave it a good try. I especially loved watching them try to wink like owls.  

Song: Cuddly Koalas
I am wondering if I'll ever get sick of this song. I pair it with Australia books every time I read them. 

Book:  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)

This book was pure magic today. The kids were just mesmerized. And I love that perfect ending. Gets me every time.  

Song: One Little Monster

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

In retrospect, I realize I probably could have included something involving groundhogs. Oh well. I'll get my chance this afternoon. 

8 Tween and Teen Novels About Crushes

	Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins Lola has conflicted feelings when Cricket, her first love, moves back into the house next door.
	Mallory's Guide to Boys, Brothers, Dads, and Dogs by Laurie Friedman Mallory's schoolwork begins to suffer when she develops a crush on her brother's friend and starts trying to impress him.
	The Boy Next Door by Laura Dower Taryn and Jeff have always been neighbors and good friends, but when sixth grade begins, everything changes.
	The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart Ruby Oliver tries to work through her feelings about being dumped and becoming a social outcast by visiting her therapist regularly.
	If We Kiss by Rachel Vail Charlie falls for a forbidden boy, wondering all the time what it would be like to kiss him.
	Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald On a snow day, three best friends deliver fortune cookies to their neighbors and grappled with the changes wrought by their new-found interest in boys.
	The Best Girl by Emma Harrison Farrah is taken by surprise when she discovers her long-time crush works at the same hotel where her brother will be married - and that he thinks she works there too!
	I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost by Ellen Conford A collection of very short stories about the boys who love and annoy us.