Story Time Crafts - Dyed Pasta!

Miss Sue and I have both jumped into the world of dyed pasta for various children's programs, and it is always a hit! Dying pasta is inexpensive, easy to do, and really spices up those boring old macaroni necklaces!

Let's break it down - You'll need:
Pasta - any variety (not cooked)
Rubbing alcohol
Food coloring
Large plastic storage bags (like Ziploc)
A liquid measuring cup
A 1 cup measuring cup

These directions come from Real Life at Home, and are very easy to follow!

Pasta and measuring cup at the ready!

 

Either gel or liquid food coloring works just fine.

Step 1: Pour 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol into your gallon bag, and add several drops of food coloring.

Swish the bag around to mix well.

 

Step 2: Measure 1 to 2 cups of dry pasta and add to the bag.

(I used 1 cup for the elbows because they're smaller, and 2 cups for the rigatoni)



Swish some more to cover the pasta in dye!

 

Step 3: Zip up the bag (push the extra air out first) and lay it flat. Try to make sure the pasta is in a single layer.

I laid my bags in foil-lined pans, just in case any liquid leaked out (None did!).

 



Step 4: Flip the bags over about every half hour or so until they've reached the desired color. This is not an exact science - the world will not end if you don't flip them at exactly the 30 minute mark. (Or, say, if you happen to be a very sleepy, pregnant librarian who fell asleep after only flipping them once, and realized it the next morning. Whoops!)

 

 I made 6 different colors in about 30 minutes. Pink, orange, and yellow all dyed the fastest (within 2 to 3 hours), while blue and purple took quite a while longer (purple takes FOREVER).  Green was somewhere in the middle.

 

Step 5: Line those same pans with paper towels or newspaper, and dump your finished pasta onto them to dry. They will probably need to dry overnight.

 

Miss Sue and I each did this at home on our own time, but you could definitely do it at the library if you have somewhere to lay the bags where no one will mess with them. It sound messy but it really isn't at all.  You could even recruit some teen volunteers to help. It's kind of a fun science experiment!

 

 Think of all you can do with that glorious dyed pasta!

 

Rainbow necklaces!

This is great for practicing fine motor skills with preschoolers and Kindergartners!

 



It's also WONDERFUL for sensory play with babies and toddlers! Just make sure they don't eat it :o)

 

Now don't you want to go dye some pasta before your next story time? Try it out and let us know how it goes!

 

-Miss Kristen



Flannel Friday - Five Little Babies

I came across this really cute "Five Little Babies" rhyme last week and was inspired to make some cute little felt babies to go with it! Thanks so much to King County Library System for the rhyme - watch the video to see how the actions are done!

I drew the pieces freehand, but based them off the ones on the cover of this adorable book:

Baby Parade by Rebecca O'Connell

One little baby rocking in a tree.

Two little babies splashing in the sea!

Three little babies crawling on the floor.

Four little babies banging on the door!

Five little babies playing hide-and-seek!

Keep your eyes closed, now,
Until I say, "Peek!"

I was really happy with how these cuties turned out! I even added a tiny bit of blush to give them "rosy" cheeks. Just dabbed it on with my finger.  They were actually really easy to make - I just used the same template for each one's body and head, and then just switched up the colors and clothing patterns, etc.

Voila! Cute babies - just what you need for your next story time, I bet! :o)

Happy Flannel Friday!

Thanks so much to Mollie at What Happens in Storytime for hosting this week! Flannel Friday is for anyone interested in finding and sharing great flannelboard ideas!  You can learn more about Flannel Friday and how to participate here.

Baby Story Time - So Big!

We started off summer with a really easy theme - Babies! This was a sweet and simple story time with lots of hugs and kisses. 

There was a big emphasis on the senses today - lots of tickles, touching body parts, and using scarves.  All of these activities help babies to understand their own bodies and how they fit into the world around them.

OPENING SONG: "The Hello Song" *

GREETING SONG: "Hello" (Name Song) *

WAKE-UP RHYME: "Acka Backa"
(from Linda Ernst's Baby Rhyming Time)
Acka backa soda cracker, acka backa boo!
     (bounce baby gently)
Acka backa soda cracker, I love you!
     (big hug!)
Acka backa soda cracker, acka backa boo!
     (bounce baby gently)
Acka backa soda cracker, up goes you!
     (lift baby into air)
Acka backa soda cracker, acka backa boo!
     (bounce baby gently)
Acka backa soda cracker, I love you!
     (big hug!)

1st Book: Baby Parade by Rebecca O'Connell

These adorable babies parade towards a picnic with their parents, wearing a rainbow of colors.

 

Action Rhyme: "Five Little Babies"

(from the King County Library System. There is a great video to watch!)

One little baby rocking in a tree.

     (rock baby back and forth)
Two little babies splashing in the sea!
     (clap hands)
Three little babies crawling on the floor.
     (tickle up baby's arm)
Four little babies banging on the door!
     (clap hands)
Five little babies playing hide-and-seek!
     (cover baby's eyes)
Keep your eyes closed, now,
Until I say, "Peek!"
     (uncover baby's eyes)

Check back next week for my Flannel Friday post about these cute babies!



Action Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!

Tickle Rhyme: "These are Baby's Fingers"
(from Linda Ernst's Baby Rhyming Time)
These are baby's fingers,
These are baby's toes.
This is baby's bellybutton, 'round and 'round it goes!
     (tickle!)

2nd Book: So Big! by Anna Hays

This Elmo book encourages a lot of participation - reaching high and low, touching nose, etc. And Elmo pops out on the last page!



Action Song: "I'm Very, Very Tall!"
(Not sure where I learned this originally. You can find it here.)
I'm very, very tall!
     (reach arms up)
I'm very, very small.
     (reach down)
Tall!
     (reach up)
Small!
     (reach down)
I'm very, very TALL!
     (reach up!)

Rhythm Time: Scarves!

Action Song: "This is the Way"
(to the tune: "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush")
This is the way we wash our arms,
Wash our arms, wash our arms,
This is the way we wash our arms,
When we're in the bathtub!
     (gently "scrub" baby with the scarf)

Try other body parts - toes, tummies, heads, noses, etc.

Action Song: "Where is Baby?" (to the tune: "Frere Jacques")
(from Linda Ernst's Baby Rhyming Time)
Where is baby? Where is baby?
There you are! There you are!
We're so glad to see you! We're so glad to see you!
Yes, we are! Yes, we are!
     (cover baby's head with scarf and then pull off - they love peek-a-boo!)

3rd Book: Tickle Time by Sandra Boynton

Her books are so tiny, but you can sing this one! Lots of tickles and giggles!

 



CLOSING SONG: "If You're Happy and You Know It" *

GOODBYE SONG: "Babies, Bye-Bye" *

CLOSING RHYME: "Thank You" *



*Check out my Baby Story Time page for the words to all of my weekly songs and rhymes.



Flannel Friday - Mama and Baby Matching Game

A "Bears" theme is perfect for a winter story time. Here's a simple matching game for babies and toddlers - can you help Baby Bear find his Mama?

I borrowed this idea from Mel's Desk, see her version here.  The idea is to place several "mommy" animals, including a bear, on the flannel board, and then help the babies to find their mommies.

To save time, I actually borrowed premade "mommies" from a Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? storytelling kit that we purchased years ago from Lakeshore.  I just chose the largest pieces, and then made felt babies to match.

Baby Bear, where is your Mama?

There she is!

And here is a close-up of my babies.  I just drew them freehand, based on clipart I found using Google images.  They are outlined in black Sharpie marker, and I added googly eyes.  And voila!

 

 

Big thanks to Future Librarian Superhero for hosting Flannel Friday this week!



Baby Story Time - Babycakes!

Let's face it - we LOVE babies!  This story time celebrates their cuteness!

Wake-up Rhyme: "Patty Cake"
Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker's man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can!
     (clap hands)
Roll it and pat it and mark it with a "B"
     (roll hands, pat tummy, draw "B" on tummy)
And put it in the over for baby and me!
     (clap hands)

1st Book: All of Baby Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler

I love Hiroe Nakata's illustrations and this rhyming book about body parts is super cute.  It was a little too long for my wiggleworms today so I didn't quite read the whole thing.

Action Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" (always a favorite - we sang this twice!)
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!

Nursery Rhyme: "Jack and Jill" (I used a storytelling kit from Lakeshore Learning)
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
     (bounce baby)
Jack fell down and broke his crown
     (lower baby to the floor)
And Jill came tumbling after!
     (roll hands)

Bounce Song: "Baby Hop" (from the cd Diaper Gym: Fun Activities for Babies on the Move)
(This song is really cute, even if it is a little corny.  It goes to the tune of the "Bunny Hop." This was introduced to me be a fellow Baby Story Time teller - thanks, Keesha!)
Snuggle up together, baby's in your lap.
Snuggle up together, and clap, clap, clap.
Snuggle up together, don't you nap.
Snuggle up together, and tap, tap, tap.
We're working out together, baby don't stop.
We're working out together, so hop, hop, hop.
(Song repeats)

2nd Book: The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O'Connell

This book was a hit, with lots of repetition and bright illustrations.  The parents were making all the sounds along with me!

Rhythm Time with Scarves:
What would I do without Lakeshore Learning? We used their wonderful activity scarves for these songs.

Action Song: "This is the Way" (tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush")
(pretending our scarves are washclothes - parents scrub their babies)
This is the way we wash our arms,
Wash our arms, wash our arms.
This is the way we wash our arms
When we're in the bathtub!
(Repeat with legs, head, tummy, toes, etc.)

Action Song: "Baby's Hokey Pokey" (adapted from the cd Baby Face by Georgiana Stewart)
(waving our scarves)
Arms up, arms down,
Arms up, and wave them all around!
Then tickle, tickle, wiggle, wiggle, everybody knows,
That's how baby's hokey-pokey goes!
(Repeat with legs)

3rd Book: Baby Cakes by Karma Wilson

We are so lucky to have class sets of many great board books - Baby Cakes is one of them.  Parents read aloud with me for this one.

We finished with our usual songs and rhyme, and it was play time!

How it went:
20 babies this week!!  It was a little rocky at first, as we had many new faces today, but we got into a rhythm and made it through.  I shortened a few songs and definitely had to think on my feet - I didn't bother to collect the scarves or the books until after I got the toys out at the end.  It would have taken too much time and I knew I had to keep the ball rolling with this huge group!  As long as people leave happy, I guess I'm doing okay!