Monday, March 17, 2014
LibraryAdventure.com: Quick and Easy Displays for Your Library's Children's Room
Friday, March 14, 2014
10 Flannel Friday Favorites
These first six items on my list are flannel boards and props I learned about from Flannel Friday and actually used in story times - in some cases, nearly every week.
- Down Around the Corner from Mel's Desk
Mel's post inspired me to create Down Around the Corner at the Hardware Store for my week of construction-themed story times last year. I have also done Down Around the Corner at the Children's Bookstore and Down Around the Corner by the Big Oak Tree. - Blue is the Sky from Mel's Desk
I have never used this rhyme as a flannel board, but the action rhyme version Mel shared in her post became a staple of my story times - and inspired me to write two versions of my own: Fierce is the Dragon and Frozen is the Lake. - The Case of the Missing Shoe from Read It Again
Finding this story on Sarah's blog was a lifesaver during my last few weeks at the library. I'd been wanting to do a shoe theme forever, but had trouble finding quality materials. I wound up telling the story on a clothesline and it was a big hit! - Did You Ever See a Turkey? from Read It Again
Sarah also inspired my favorite holiday story time prop of all time - the turkey stick puppet with the wacky feathers. - Purple Little Bird from Recipes for Reading
There are not enough purple stories in the world, and my library didn't even own this one, but thanks to Katie, I was able to get the gist of the story and tell my own version. - The Magic Envelope from Rain Makes Applesauce
Sharon made it possible for me to delight my story time audiences with a brand-new trick just when things were getting a bit stale last summer. I shared 9 magic envelopes between May and August, and I'll never forget the mom who told me that her twins played story time at home and used junk mail as their magic envelope. This is a true story time gem.
These last four links are Flannel Friday contributions I have always admired and someday hope to use.
- Are You a Horse? from Thrive After Three
I love so many of Lisa's videos, but this is one I return to again and again. I love her casual way of incorporating the puppets, and her storytelling style. If I had the budget, I'd buy a set of animal puppets just so I could tell this particular story. - The Ants Go Marching from In the Children's Room
Lucy's approach to singing this song with the flannel board is so perfect. Instead of lining up ten individual ants on the board, she created pieces with multiple ants on them. I am more of a clip art kind of gal, but if I were to make something out of felt, this would be at the top of my list. - Roll a Storytime! from So Tomorrow
Anne's idea for using giant dice to roll a song or movement activity is something I always meant to try before leaving the library to have my daughter and I never did. I'm seriously considering making a pair of these for home when my daughter is a little older! - Fall is Not Easy from Storytiming
This is one flannel board I wish I had the artistic ability to make. There have been many Flannel Friday adaptations, but Cate's was the first, and she was the one who introduced me to the book, and to its highly flannelizable qualities. Again, if I were to start making pieces from felt, this is one of the felt sets I'd want to make.
For more on how I feel about Flannel Friday, check out last year's birthday post, What Flannel Friday Means to Me. Also don't miss the round-up for this week, hosted by Anne at So Tomorrow. For more on Flannel Friday, check out the official website, Facebook page, and Pinterest account.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
5 Reasons Why I Love Mrs. Wishy-Washy (Joy Cowley Classroom Giveaway 2014)
One of my most vivid memories from kindergarten is reading Mrs. Wishy-Washy aloud in a chorus with my teacher and classmates. I delighted in calling out, "Along came Mrs. Wishy-Washy," and to this day there is just something thoroughly satisfying about the phrase, "Oh, lovely mud!" Today, I am promoting Hameray Publishing's Wishy-Washy 2014 Contest, and I want to share the reasons I loved Mrs. Wishy-Washy at age five, and still love her to this day.
- Mrs. Wishy-Washy has the perfect name. It's doubly alliterative, fun to say, and it tells the reader exactly what the character is interested in and concerned about.
- Mrs. Wishy-Washy is a lovable grump. Though she is strict with the animals and often stands disapprovingly with her hands on her hips, there is also a hint of affection in her tone of voice and her demeanor. Kids can relate to both her desire to keep the animals clean and to their need to defy her in order to play in the mud. I also think her pink slippers go a long way toward softening her supposedly stern persona.
- The Mrs. Wishy-Washy books build upon familiar concepts in a fun way. Kids feel comfortable in Mrs. Wishy-Washy's world because they have already learned about farm animals as toddlers. They don't feel like babies, however, because these stories use those animals in a more sophisticated way that suits the five-year-old sense of humor. The moment at the end of the original Mrs. Wishy-Washy where the animals all jump back into the mud the exact kind of thing that gives kindergartners the giggles because they don't see it coming.
- Mrs. Wishy-Washy and its many sequels provide many possibilities for classroom and library use. Mrs. Wishy-Washy can easily support common classroom and story time themes such as bathing, farm animals, mud, and the letter W. This is especially wonderful because kids who have grown attached to the character can stick with her even as they continue to learn new things.
- Lastly, I like the original Mrs. Wishy-Washy because it is endlessly adaptable. In story time, I can just read the story straight through, or I can tell it from memory using puppets or flannel board pieces. Kids can also easily tell and retell the story themselves, which helps build their narrative skills. There are also tons of crafts, writing activities, displays, bulletin boards and other creative ideas all over the internet that extend the reading experience beyond the story.
In celebration of Mrs. Wishy-Washy, Hameray Publishing Group is giving away lots of books and a set of finger puppets. Information about the contest can be found by clicking here, or by reading and clicking on the image below.
To learn more, you can visit Hameray Publishing and Mrs. Wishy-Washy on these social media sites:
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Temperature
Last week, I kicked off a series of blog posts in which I'll be sharing story time starters for preschoolers inspired by the Fizz, Boom, READ! summer reading theme. Last week's post began with the basics - the five senses. This week, I'm moving on to the concept of temperature, with a specific focus on the differences between hot and cold.
Miss Katie's Recommended Books
- Temperature by Kay Manolis
This basic non-fiction title explains the concepts of hot and cold using photos and basic child-directed text. Depending on the age of the preschoolers, it might be necessary to pick and choose sections of the book to read. (An alternative to this book for libraries with older/deeper collections might be Temperature and You by Betsy and Giulio Maestro, but this title is out of print and not even listed on Goodreads!) - Hot Air (The Mostly True Story of the First Hot Air Balloon Ride) by Marjorie Priceman
Join the animals who were lucky enough to take the first-ever hot air balloon ride in 1783. Parts of the story have been fictionalized, but it's an excellent read-aloud, and the illustrations invite all kinds of commentary and discussion from the kids. Depending on the age of the kids, you might even get into a discussion about the inner workings of hot air balloons. - Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
In the heat of the summer, this chilly tale will be most welcome at story time! Kids will enjoy seeing the various ways the townspeople in the story keep warm, and they will get the giggles as the icicle on the nose of the statue in the heart of town gets longer and longer as the cold snap wears on.
Other Possible Books
- Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli
- Hot Day on Abbott Avenue by Karen English
- Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer
- There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro
- Cold Little Duck Duck Duck by Lisa Westberg Peters
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (any version)
- Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling
- Ten-Gallon Bart Beats the Heat by Susan Stevens Crummel
- Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
- Stanley Goes for a Drive by Craig Frazier
Rhymes and Songs
- Rhyme: Frozen is the Lake
I wrote this simple fingerplay based on Blue is the Lake. If you repost it, please provide credit and a link to this blog. - Song: Hat, Coat, Pants, and Shoes
This song is all about what keeps us warm in Winter. You can also change the words to Visor, Tee Shirt, Shorts, and Shoes for a warm-weather -focused verse. I wrote this one as well, so please credit me if you repost or print. - Song: Pigs in the Mud
This song is about pigs keeping themselves cool by rolling in the mud.
Games
- Hot or Cold? Sorting Game
Have the kids help sort objects into hot and cold categories. Kim at Destination Storytime has a great post about this type of activity, complete with a photo of the flannel board pieces she created. For those who prefer clipart, there is a great set of cards of hot and cold objects available here. - Hot Potato
Quickly pass around a ball, bean bag, or other object while music plays in the background. ("Hot Potato" by the Wiggles would be a fun choice.) Stop the music periodically - the child holding the "potato" when the music stops is out. This is a good game to play at the end of the story time, so that kids who are "out" can either head to their parents or transition to any coloring activity or craft you might have planned. - Getting Warmer
Hide an object in the story room. Ask the children to begin searching for it. Let them know when they are "colder" or "warmer" as they get closer to or further from the hiding place. (This would work best with a group of ten kids or less who are not new to story time and whose names you know.)
Visit These Blogs for More Ideas
- In the Children's Room: Theme Thursday: Baby It's Cold Outside
- Storytime Katie: Winter
- Mrs. Andre's Library: Summer Theme Story Time
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