Preschool Story Time - St. Patrick's Day!

I don't know about you, but the January-March holidays seem to be my rough months.  Mostly because the books for story time with a theme of an early year holiday (such as Chinese New Year, Easter, Valentine's Day, Groundhogs Day, President's Day, or St. Patrick's Day) aren't always plentiful or easy to read in a group.  I like to play homage to the holiday du jour though, so I try my best to work around the books and use more songs and dances or a great craft.  Being an Irish lass from Boston, I could not skip St. Patrick's Day no matter what, so here we go!

Green Shamrocks - Eve Bunting

This one is cute and eye catching for the kids.  It's also an opportunity for counting, animal sounds, or general conversation. Sometimes holiday books are just too long for preschoolers, but this one seemed to do the trick.


Musical Interlude - The Unicorn Song
I have known The Unicorn Song and all of the hand movements ever since I was a little kid.  I understand it might not be familiar to you (as I have discovered while living in the mid-west by the blank expressions on some faces!).  The original poem is by Shel Silverstein and the song was made famous by the Irish Rovers in the 1960's.  It still makes the circuit in Irish Festivals around the country however.

Jim Cosgrove does an EXCELLENT version for kids.  At the end he gets faster and faster which was very fun in the Kindergarten classroom of the school where I once worked.

I sang the song A Capella so I could first teach it a couple times and sing it nice and slowly.  I'll let you Google the hand motions on Youtube, but here is what I do:

Song: Unicorn Song

Chorus:

There were green alligators (extend arms like long gator mouth)

And long neck geese (fluff your neck feathers)

Humpy back camels (put your hands on your back as humps)

And Chimpanzees (make chimp arms)

Cats (ears), and Rats (whiskers), and Elephants (one arm is trunk while the other arm supports the first arm)

As sure as you’re born (cradle baby)

But the Loveliest of all was the Unicorn. (Show your best horn!)

A long time ago when the earth was green, there were more kinds of animals than you’ve ever seen.  They would run around free while the Earth was being born, and the loveliest of all was the Unicorn!

Repeat Chorus.

The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever - Teddy Slater

I always enjoy Ethan Long's illustrations!  It also will open up the kids' vocabulary with words like leprechaun, luck, shamrock, etc....sort of like the next book.  My goal of holiday story times are to do just that, increase exposure and vocabulary and talk about culture (and of course make it fun!).


Finger Play Interlude

Leprechaun, Leprechaun

Leprechaun, Leprechaun Hiding in the hay. (cover one pointer finger with other hand)

Leprechaun, Leprechaun Don’t you run away. (hop pointer finger around)

Leprechaun, Leprechaun Let’s go out and play. (hop both pointer fingers around)

Leprechaun, Leprechaun It’s Saint Patrick’s Day! (hopping fingers together)

I’m a Little Leprechaun (Sing to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot)

I'm a little leprechaun
Dressed in green, (tug on your shirt)
The tiniest man
That you have seen. (make your index and pointer finger close together)
If you ever catch me,
so it's told, (make like both arms are catching something)
I'll give you my big pot of gold. (hold out hands as giving)

There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Clover - Lucille Colandro

Yet another Lucille Colandro "Old Lady" book making its way into my holiday-themed story times!  And once again I did it in felt!  Here is my set:

Did you notice my mistake?  Yep - I was in such a rush to finish this set, that my rainbow colors are screwed up.  Miss Kristie was so kind to notice and let me know right before my story time!  Oh well, it was just fine in the end.  There are also several sites that offer more classroom resources for this story.  The one I used was Crazy Speech World.  There are some templates that can be used for sequence and retelling.

Craft - Lucky Necklace

So in line with St. Patrick's Day, we made rainbow colored pasta necklaces.  The kids really love this activity and the parents do too!  I Googled how to make colored pasta - it was easy peasy.  Then I bundled the craft in snack size zippy bags so the kids would have the perfect amount of pasta for their craft.  The shamrock was die cut from green paper.  Here is a tip - tape one end of the yarn to make a 'needle' and tape the other end to the table so the pasta doesn't fly off the other end!

Bonus Craft! Pot of Gold

I snitched this one from the DLTK website where they had a template.  Click HERE for that. Some kids didn't want to do the necklace, and some preferred to take the craft home to do.  I used die cut circles (I have a 1 inch punch at home) and black paper which the kids could then use white crayon or chalk to decorate.


Luck of the Irish to ye!  Thanks for stopping by!

Preschool Story Time - Who's the April Fool?

"I have no idea what I am doing."  This is how I started story time this week.  Still recovering from PLA conference and a very big job interview (more on that later), I never got around to making my parent handout.  I had everything I needed, but I was totally winging the 'how' of what I was going to do.  It turned out pretty well though!  So here is my SILLY Story Time just in time for April Fools Day.

 Silly Tilly was so silly!  She did everything, well, differently from everyone else.  Could the other animals convince her to not be so silly?  The kids enjoyed this one very much.

 A true April Fools Day book.  How many of those are out there?  Thank goodness for the punchline at the end because I could see the kids getting tired of sheep playing practical jokes on the other animals.  They just thought sheep was mean.  Moving on....

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.....

I have both of these sets for There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  The doll is mine, and the other is in house...good thing too!!!  It was "Take your sibling to story time day!"  That means, school was out today, so I had older kids.  I used them though in story time!  One helper passed out the creatures mentioned while I held the doll.  The other helper held up the other Old Lady.  This meant we had PLENTY of creatures for everyone, which could be fed to the doll or put in the Old Lady belly while I sang the song.  It was sung SO slowly because we had to wait for all of the action to happen, so no one cared that she died.  The older siblings said at the end "And that, of course,  is why you don't swallow a horse!"  Well done.



After HALFTIME, and the Popcorn Song, we were back with another felt story!

Kids love to touch felt.  They also love Mo Willems!  So I put 'calm pigeon' on the board, passed out our "NO" balloons (and talked about the letters and what N-O spells) and I read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  After, I asked the kids if pigeon could drive.  They screamed NO so I changed 'calm pigeon' on the board to 'flipping out' pigeon and let them put their NOs on the board.  Simple, simple, simple - but they love it.  Make sure to have more than enough Nos because little ones might put them in their mouths. Hey, they can keep that one!

 My favorite part of the SILLY DAY!  That was because I had those older sibs.  I had a helper hold the book and turn the pages, so I could accompany everyone on Ukulele.  Now seriously, not only do I have the smallest human hands, but I have no musical training.  The Wheels on the Bus is TWO very simple chords....two of the three chords needed to play all of the songs you would ever need.  So why not?  Give it a try.  As terrible as I am, I got a "YAY" when I pulled out the Uke today! 

 We closed with Silly Suzy Goose because, well, my name is in the title, frankly.  It's a fast read and the kids liked it.  It takes a little extra explaining, but the pictures are great and the text is easy.  Nice way to end the day.


 And my craft today was more of an activity.  One of our patrons gave me some wonderful beads, so today we strung them on yarn.  We used big-eyed plastic needles and taped one end of the yarn to the table so it would stay put.  The kids worked so intently!  This is such a great craft idea that I try to do something like this seasonally.  Some of the kids did patterns, some wanted almost all one color.  No matter.  They worked on their fine motor skills and had a great time.

And oh, if you are still wondering, I accepted a job offer as a Head Librarian in our county system!  Whoot! Don't worry, I plan to blog all of my story times until I go, and I hope to have lots to blog about in the future!
I could never leave the Library Village!

Thanks for stopping by!

Flannel Friday - There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Trout

Long before I became a children's librarian, I would go into my children's preschool or kindergarten class and read every alternate version of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  I hung onto many versions of the book.  Now I can say I have flannelized at least a half dozen versions.  This is definitely my favorite one!

This book, by Teri Sloat, is my favorite for many reasons.  I love the artwork, the alternate lyrics stay true to the pattern and form of the original song, and nobody dies!  All of the things she swallows are ocean related, so this can be used for several story time themes.

Here's the whole set.  Placed carefully, all of the creatures fit onto the Old Lady's dress.  The felt design is right out of the book.  I have a tough time with people in felt, but I got close.

You can use this set with or without the Old Lady.  Another option is to use it with the book, but place the sea creatures on the board in order, so as the song progresses, there is a visual as to what creature is next.  This is great for repetition and retelling!

This was one of the (if not THE) first sets I ever made.  I almost forgot I had it!  Now that it is rediscovered, I can't wait to do an ocean or fish theme again soon!

Thank you to Brooke at Reading With Red for hosting Flannel Friday this week!  If you'd like to learn more about Flannel Friday, click here!  Thanks for stopping by!

Preschool Story Time - Jingle Jingle Jingle

There is excitement in the air at the Library Village!  The busy librarians are all crafting their finest story times to bring the children tidings of good cheer.  My preschool story time this week takes flight in a sleigh full of joy and laughter.  Off we go!

Llama Llama Holiday Drama - by Anna Dewdney

Oh dear, the holidays are stressful aren't they?  Everyone loves Llama Llama so I decided to use this book as the ONLY book that I read during this story time.  No really!  The kids are very squirrely at this time of year, so I opened with a book, and then pulled out my huge bag of tricks for the rest of story time.  And as always, I needed to be ready with more material than I actually used!

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C Moore

When I became a children's librarian, a friend gifted me a huge box of professionally made story boards.  It was the equivalent of my mom getting me my first briefcase after I graduated college.  I usually make my own sets now, but look how great these are!  I don't think I could do better, so I was very excited to use them.

Preschoolers are definitely old enough for this poem.  Use your story telling skills and the kids will be rapt!


For Halftime (cue the music - I normally do 'Popcorn' by Greg and Steve so we can stretch and get the wiggles out), I decided to use a Christmas song.  I thought Jingle Bells would be a great choice and it was. We got out the instruments and shook it!

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas  - by James Dean and Eric Litwin

So yes, I read this book, technically, but I also sang it!  After the first verse, the kids were singing too!  I love interactive books.

Did you catch our awesome Flannel Friday Holiday Blog Post???
All three of us posted great flannel board ideas for the holidays.  Check it out!  Mine was this tree that we used to the tune of Old MacDonald.

Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho!
And on that tree he had some lights
Ho ho ho ho ho
With a blink, blink here and a blink, blink there
Here a blink, there a blink
Every where a blink blink
Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho! 

Then the song continues with the rest of the verses:
Ornaments - glow
Drums - boom 
Bells - ring
Candy Canes - Yum
Star - Shine

Click HERE for more information on how I made this board and how I used it.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell - Lucille Colandro

If you follow our blog, you know I do an Old Lady book pretty regularly.  The kids get excited to see what the Old Lady swallows and what will happen at the end.  I have flannelized almost all of Lucille Colandro's books.  I did NOT flannel this story, however, because I already had two for this story time, but I do sing this book, and prompt the kids to sing along with me.  Another interactive book!

Well, we had to finish story time with a bang, so instead of doing the Freeze Dance, by Hap Palmer, we danced "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with alternate lyrics:
We wish you a Merry Christmas (x3)
and a Happy New Year.
Let's all do a little clapping (x3)
and spread Christmas cheer!
Let's all do a little stomping (x3)
and spread Christmas cheer!
Let's all do a little twirling (x3)
and spread Christmas cheer!
We wish you a Merry Christmas (x3)
and a Happy New Year!

My craft was pretty simple, but I have found that preschoolers love to place things on paper - so anything with stickers, bling, tissue paper squares, or even cotton (as shown here), keeps them happy and focused, and really helps with fine motor skills.  I found this image online (if you Google 'Santa Craft Preschool', you will see a dozen examples of this craft so I am unsure who to credit) and created a template for the face and hat.  Knowing the kids would be excited, I had everything cut out for them so I didn't have scissors in the room.

Happy Holidays from Miss Sue and everyone at the Library Village.  
See you next year!

Preschool Story Time - Blast OFF!

Yet another theme I had toyed with for some time, I finally got around to putting it together.  There are just not as many space books as, say, monkeys or any other animal.  I also wanted to avoid aliens or anything too technical that would go over a preschooler's head.  So I stuck with rockets!  The kids really loved counting down and yelling BLAST OFF every chance they could!

Mousetronaut - by Mark Kelly

Meteor is the smallest mouse in the bunch, but his hard work and training pay off in this space mission adventure! Based on a (partially) true story - which was a great lead in for the kids and moms!

My fingerplay is from Stoytime Katie's blog.  She makes two finger puppets - I made 5 little astronauts to use with the rhyme below.  The rhyme is from this website, but take a look at NASA's website for more too!

There were five little astronauts
Going to the moon
One stayed to close the door
And that left only four

There were four little astronauts
Going to the moon
One stayed to make some tea
And that left only three

There were three little astronauts
Going to the moon
One couldn't find his shoe
And that left only two

There were two little astronauts
Going to the moon
One couldn't get her spacesuit on
And that left only one

One little astronaut
Did go to the moon
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
BLAST OFF!
But she didn't like it very much
So she came back home quite soon!!

On The Moon - by Anna Milbourne

Shelved as a picture book, there are plenty of fascinating facts for preschoolers in this book!  The kids were rapt.  We even had a sidebar argument about how long it actually takes to get to the moon!

There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star- Charise Mericle Harper

I have an "Old Lady" book for every occasion, and I have been waiting a long time to do this one.  What I love about this book is how simply stated but true to the rhyme and measure of the original song this book stays.  I decided to go completely off book and whip up some felts.  My outreach classes loved them so I did the same in story time.  These are reversible too - the Bold Lady has to get back home!  Here is my Flannel Friday post about these felts.

Stella to Earth by Simon Puttock

I think I called this book "Earth to Stella" 8 of the 9 times I read it this week - but no matter.  Stella in her Chicken Ship (be very careful saying that quickly) blast off to excellent adventures but keeps in close contact with Earth.  What happens when Earth doesn't reply?  This book was another hit with the kids.

And my craft - well, rockets of course!  I made my own template for the fins and cone and made up dozens of them in various colors - my sample rocket is minimalist, but this give the kids the chance to color, add a face in the window, sticker, or any other bling to their own rockets!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Flannel Friday - There Was a Bold Lady

Well, since I have already made felts for every version of I Know and Old Lady who Swallowed WHATEVER for my story timers, I thought I would whip up (I literally whipped these up!) this version for my SPACE themed story time next week!  Lucille Colandro has an 'Old Lady' book for every season, but this one is by Charise Mericle Harper.  The artwork is very different from Colandro's version, or Taback, or the variety of other versions, but it definitely works for the space theme, and no one dies! 

There really isn't much to this one - I hand drew the felts with puffy paint from the artwork in the book. The Bold Lady purchases different modes of transportation on her way to buy a rocket to zoom up and put that star in her pocket.

The neat thing about my version of the flannel board is that they are reversible.  After all, the Bold Lady needs to get BACK, right???

She rode the rocket back to the plane.
She flew the plane back to the car.
She drove the car back to the bike.
She pedaled the bike back to the skates.
She skated on skates back to the shoes.
She ran for miles and didn't stop for a snooze.
There was a bold lady who wanted a star.
Now I know why she wanted a star.....to put in a jar (so it wasn't so far!).

If I can get a chance to practice it some more, my plan is to go off book and sing it for my outreach next week.  I think I can do it, and I think the kids will love this version of the song!

A HUGE Shout out and Thank YOU to Kay at Storytime ABC's Blogspot for hosting this week's Flannel Friday!  She did a great job as always and is really supportive of new children's librarians.  Make sure to visit her blog!  Also you can visit Flannel Friday for more information on how to join us!

Flannel Friday - Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

While planning my toddler Thanksgiving story time, I was completely stumped on what flannel story to include.  I really wanted to step out of the box and pick something that the little ones wouldn't guess!  So... I crossed turkeys, pilgrims, and Indians off my list.  What did that leave?  Well, actually not much.  But it did make me look in other places for inspiration.  And inspiration struck in the form of a song my boys sung in preschool.  There are many websites that use this song and there appears to be slightly different versions.  I could not find the exact same wording as my boys' song, so maybe they made it up themselves. 

 

The song goes like this...

 (To the tume of "Where is Thumbkin?")

 

Turkey and stuffing,

Turkey and stuffing,

Pumpkin pie,

Ten feet high!

We were so much thinner,

Before we ate our dinner.

Me-oh-my!  Me-oh-my!

 

 

This is how the flannel set works..

Turkey and stuffing,

Turkey and stuffing,

 

 

Pumpkin pie,

 

Ten feet high!  (This is where it gets fun!)

 

We were so much thinner,

Before we ate our dinner.

Me-oh-my!  Me-oh-my!

(I didn't make a flannel for this section of the song. 

I plan on holding my belly like I am super full from eating too much!)

 

I think the little ones will be super excited to see the pie magically grow!  To accomplish this, I made two pie crusts and glued them around the edges like a pocket, leaving the top unglued.  I glued the bottom of the pumpkin pie filling to the inside of one of the pie crusts.  I rounded the top of the pumpkin and added a dollop of whipped cream.  When dry, the pumpkin can be folded down and hidden in the pie pocket until needed.  I used this pie and this turkey as templates.

 I hope you enjoy my flannel song!  --  Miss Kristie

 

And as a Thanksgiving Bonus, Miss Sue is sharing her felts that go along with I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, by Allison Jackson.  This Thanksgiving book really is fun to share at Thanksgiving.  Allison Jackson does a great job maintaining the natural rhythm of the original song too, so the book can be sung!  There are scads of versions of this flannel board out on the internet and a good search will bring up a lot of additional activities to print as well.  This is just to show another technique when making felts - usually Miss Sue uses puffy paint on her felt, but in these earlier days, she used Sharpie markers in all colors to do the shading and detail on the felt.  I especially like the salad!