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



Let's go on a StoryWalk®

About a year ago or more I saw some chatter about StoryWalks on Facebook.  I thought - "How cool is THAT?" but could not figure out how to get one at my current location.  Since then, I became a Head Librarian of a different location, one directly on the bike trail, and knew it was time to give it a try.

StoryWalk® is a trademarked program, and belongs to the folks at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Vermont.  This idea is *NOT* Library Village's idea nor do we take any credit or money for our Story Walks.  If you would like to learn about this amazing program's roots, Click HERE.  If you want to see some FAQ's on the program which will help you make your own, Click HERE.  Essentially, if you credit the creator properly, you are free to use the idea in a not-for-profit setting like a library.

Here's what the credit would look like:

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

OK, essentially a StoryWalk® is a way for families to read together outside, promoting literacy and fitness.  The pages of a book are laminated and mounted on stakes and presented one at a time down a trail or throughout a park. They can be spaced as close or as far apart as needed.  Families can stroll from one page to the next, or you can encourage movement from one to the next like hopping or skipping.

For our first StoryWalk®, I laminated the pages of Duck on a Bike by David Shannon, mounted them on foam core with velcro, and then mounted those on wooden stakes.  We did not make the sets as sturdy as the ones listed on the Kellogg-Hubbard library but this is because our StoryWalk® is designed for use near the library and for only hours, so weather is not a factor.  With a little help from our Friends group, we have now done 3 StoryWalk®s and can easily make more.  I try to use books that are about the same size each time - and reuse the rest of the materials.

The approximate cost breaks down like this for us:

Two books from the used book store - $6

Velcro - $10

Wooden Stakes - 8 foot long cut in two - $15

Foam Core cut in half - $15

The response has been wonderful!  Families have said they love the books we choose, and love the idea.  We keep the library copies of the books on display and families like to take them home.  Our library has been asked to continue the program at all events, and other branches have asked to borrow our  StoryWalk®s for their events as well.

We have done three StoryWalk®s in 2014 in three different ways.  Duck on a Bike was at our Summer Reading Kickoff party with the story pages about 15-20 feet apart down our bike trail.  Next, at the end of the summer, we used The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear at a festival in town.  We placed the pages around the perimeter of the festival.  Finally we did an indoor StoryWalk® at Christmas Time!  We used T'was the Night Before Christmas at an in-house and after hours event. No stakes or boards were necessary for this event.  Besides, our Duck on a Bike set was on loan to another library event at the time.  Once you have the first kit, adding books to your collection is a breeze.

Things we learned from our StoryWalk® program were: know your soil - the soil nearby struggled to hold the stakes, so we modified this by using buckets with the stakes secured inside.  Also, our lamination is standard for indoor use so rain will ruin the pages.  You can see below how one of our arrows had gotten wet over the summer. I'll be making more arrows soon.  Finally, Velcro is great for making the StoryWalk® reusable, but not great on a windy day.  Keep your weather and the direction of your stakes in mind.

For more information on StoryWalk®  please visit the Kellogg-Hubbard Library Page.  I'd be happy to answer any questions as well.  They are only limited by your imagination.

Thanks for stopping by!

Toddler Story Time - Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

Is there anything better than a fun bug themed story time in the summer?  I don't think so!  This week I had the toddlers up and marching to a buggy beat! 

We started off with the book I Love Bugs! by Emma Dodd.  The little ones especially loved the last few pages describing creepy crawly bugs.  This book definitely got us talking about all types of bugs!

Next came the short but cute fingerplay, Beehive.  A great find from the Perry County Library Storytime page!

Beehive
Here is a beehive  (make a fist)
But where are the bees?  (shrug shoulders)
Hiding inside where nobody sees  (point to fist)
Soon they'll come out of their hives
1,2,3,4,5  (open fingers one at a time)
BUZZZZZZZ!  (wiggle fingers in the air!)
(credit: Perry County Library Storytime)

My original plan was to sing The Ants Go Marching, but at the last minute decided I really needed some cd help with that long of a song.  (I must admit, I am not a great singer but the little ones don't usually seem to mind!)  I am so glad that I made this decision because once the music started playing and I had everyone marching in place, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to march around the room!  There are lots of children's cds with this song, but I chose the version from the cd Bugs, Bugs, Bugs. 

I used the action rhyme 1, 2, 3  directly after our dance break.  (A,B,Cs and my new favorite song, Clap Your Hands from the They Might Be Giants cd, No!)  This short little rhyme worked great to get their attention back after moving around for a few minutes!

1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3
There's a bug on me!  (pretend to knock it off)
Where did it go?  (look around)
I don't know!  (shrug shoulders)
(credit: Perry County Library Storytime)

Our second book was Look Out, Ladybug! by Jack Tickle.  Ladybug is trying to learn to fly.  She meets several animals along the way and it has a super funny ending!

Sticking with ladybugs, we did the fingerplay Five Little Ladybugs.  Instead of inserting kids names in this rhyme, I used family members.  I have been having larger than normal groups during story time recently and didn't want to leave anyone out (or have to repeat the rhyme four times!).

Five Little Ladybugs
Five little ladybugs on our front door,  (Hold up five fingers)
One flew to Daddy, and that left four.
Four little ladybugs, oh so wee,  (Hold up four fingers)
One flew to Mommy,, and that left three.
Three little ladybugs saying "howdy-do,"  (Hold up three fingers)
One flew to Sister, and that left two.
Two little ladybugs snoozing in the sun,  (Hold up two fingers)
One flew to Brother, and that left one.
One little ladybug alone on the door,  (Hold up one finger)
It flew to Baby, then there were no more.
(credit: Perry County Library Storytime)

Can't have a bug themed story time without The Itsy Bitsy Spider!  We sang along with my flannel set to add a fun visual to the words.  So much fun we did it twice!

Our last book was Butterfly, Butterfly: A Book of Colors by Petr Horacek.  I have used this book before in story time.  The little ones love the pop-up butterfly on the last page!

As a special treat, I made all the little ones butterflies to take home with them.  They were very easy to make.  I just printed the outline of a butterfly on card stock, cut it out, and taped it to a popsicle stick.  We waved out butterflies to the the song Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly.  It is tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."  I changed the wording a little bit to fit summer instead of spring.

Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly
Flutter, flutter, butterfly,
Floating in the summer sky.
Floating by for all to see,
Floating by so merrily.
Flutter, flutter, butterfly,
Floating in the summer sky.
(Credit: Storytime Katie)

I decided to try a fun, new activity to end story time this week.  We played Bug in a Rug!  I got the idea from the blog Falling Flannelboards.  I made a set of flannel bugs (different colored ladybugs) and a little rug.  I lined all the bugs up with the rug underneath.  Then I told them to close their eyes.  I moved one of the bugs under the rug and let them open their eyes.  They all did a great job guessing which bug was in the rug.  To make it more interactive, I chose volunteers to come up and lift the rug.  I also left this activity up on the board so they could continue to play with it after story time.  Several little ones had fun hiding bugs and making Miss Kristie guess!

And just in case you are not familiar with the They Might Be Giants song Clap Your Hands, here it is..

Isn't it wonderful?!?!

Miss Kristen also used a bug themed story time recently with the babies!  Check it out here.

I hope everyone is having a great summer!


 

Story Time Outreach is Awesome!

Are you hiding from outreach in your community because of time or extra effort?  Perhaps you just don't know where to start, or you don't see the value in it.  Outreach however, in the form of visits to care centers, preschools, or even nursing homes, can be really valuable to the library and to you as a librarian.

I love to do outreach.  I really enjoy taking my show on the road and giving the community a taste of what I do every week in the library.

Pros:

• make connections in the community.  I love getting 'hellos' from teachers and aides, and being recognized by the kids.
• Teachers get to know you and what other services you can provide.  By offering teacher collections and the library calendar, you may see an increase in your attendance and circulation numbers.
• Speaking of attendance, my program attendance is up! I invite care centers over to attend some programs, and even help them out by having a program or two during school breaks, when they are busier.
• Instant field trip.  One care center didn't want me to go to them, so why not come over before the library is open for a private story time?
• Monthly reports - it looks great on your report that you have been out in the community - so why not?
• Minimal planning, maximum impact. I'm doing story times anyway!
• The kids LOVE it!  

Cons:

• Scheduling - I am not always available on the third Wednesday of the month, for example. 
• Time - ?  Less than an hour, once a month, isn't too taxing is it?
• Mindset change - tell us WHY we can't just come to your regular story times again?

Here are some tips for outreach success:

1. Find out your contact person by checking out the website of the care center and give the director a call.  They will probably be too busy to talk, but at least they have heard your name and you have planted the seed.
2. Send a followup email with some (SHORT) information.  "I would love to come once a month!  These dates, times are good for me, but we can work out other times too."
3. If they are slow to respond, talk to the teachers when they come in to the library.  Really sell it. You are providing a personalized service to the teachers, and promoting early literacy with their kids. If they like it, try the director again. "I talked to your teachers, Jack and Ashley, and it sounds like we could really make this work."
4. Ask questions!  Then really listen.  If they want 15 minute story times, stick to it.  Usually they are on a schedule themselves.  Everyone gets squirrelley when you run into snack or free-play time!
5. Have a plan.  15 minute story time is 2 books and a flannel board for me. I pull these items from my weekly story time so there is no additional prep.  
6. Be ready if your plan falls flat.  I bring an extra book, flannel, or puppet. Just-in-case!
7. If you want a flannel board, CD player, or whatever else you may need, bring it.  You don't know what you will find or what kind of room you will be in. I made my own travel flannel board using a donated canvas, a 1/2 yard of plain flannel on sale, and a staple gun.
8. Be on time and be patient.
9. Let the teachers teach.  If there something happening with one of the students, the teacher should be able to take care of it.
10. Be the reason they are excited for the librarian to come that day.  Have fun and do stories you love to tell.  Sometimes I bring my own 'show and tell' to them.  They can't wait to see what is in my bag.

I have done outreach where I did 7 classrooms in one center visit, or where I visit a preschool in the morning, then back for a multi-generational story time with the preschool and the elders.  I have also encouraged in-house visits.   Really almost all of the work is up front in scoring that regular time.  There is no planning involved outside of my normal story times, and I get a chance to practice my books and flannels one more time.  If you have a rough start, or the outreach isn't working, try something else (another time or day?  What about an in-house visit or off hours?).

Stay positive and enjoy it!  Thanks for dropping by!

Flannel Friday - I Took My Frog to the Library

This week's Flannel Friday is inspired by another Flannel Friday post from the blog, Narrating Tales of Preschool Storytime.  I loved the finger puppets she used to tell the book I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel.  I decided immediately that I needed my own flannel version of this super cute story.  I also decided to change up the wording just a little bit to make it more toddler friendly.

I Took My Frog to the Library

By Eric A. Kimmel

I took my frog to the library, but he jumped on the checkout desk and scared the librarian!

I took my chicken to the library, but she laid an egg by the computers.

I took my pelican to the library, but he hid a book in his beak!

I took my snake to the library, but she shed her skin all over the picture books!

I took my giraffe to the library, but he tried to read over everybody's shoulder.

I took my hyena to the library, but he laughed so hard during story time that nobody could hear the story!

I took my elephant to the library.  She was very well behaved.  She stacked her books neatly.  She asked the librarian questions.  She listened to the story and laughed in all the right places.

But my elephant is very big!  SO BIG!

She wrecked the library!  The bookshelves fell over!

The librarian said, "You are always welcome at the library, but please leave your animals at home."

So whenever I go to the library...

my frog stays home,

my chicken stays home,

my pelican stays home,

my snake stays home,

my giraffe stays home,

my hyena stays home,

and my elephant reads to them!

This flannel set was really easy to make.  I traced clip art from the Internet and drew in the faces and other features.  To save time, I used a combination of permanent markers and paint to add details.  I think I may make a library to add to this set at a later date.  I also plan on telling this story not reading it from the book (especially since I made changes to the wording).  I am really excited to use it in story time.  I hope the little ones like it!

Thank you to Storytime Katie for hosting Flannel Friday this week!  Please check out her blog HERE.  If you would like more information on Flannel Friday or how you can participate, click HERE!  Thanks for stopping by!

100th Post! Our Top Tips for Story Time Success!

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Three Youth Librarians started a blog late last summer.  With trepidation we launched Library Village thinking, "Will people read it?  Will anyone care?"  We are pleased to announce that just a little over 9 months later, we are at our 100th post, with over 38,000 views to our blog!!!  What?  Hold on a minute while we have a Sally Fields moment......

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To celebrate, the three of us here at Library Village would like to do something a little different.  We would like to offer our top tips for new youth librarians.  I am sure many of these tips were given to us when we started, but we thought we would put what we learned for any others starting out.

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So wave your pompoms and celebrate with us.  Here, in no particular order:


- Always read your longest book first! Small children have a very limited attention span, and they'll be paying the most attention right at the beginning.  As you go along through your program, the books you read should be getting shorter and shorter.  You may want to save something special for last, such as a pop-up book, to really help keep them with you right to the end.

- Don't get too hung up on a theme. As tempting as it is to scour the internet searching for every single rhyme and song you can find about (insert theme here), the truth is your families really don't care if every week is all new.  You'll feel more confident going in using some of your favorite songs and rhymes, rather than trying to memorize a million new ones every week, and your regular parents will also appreciate your using what they know.  I had a professor in college who used to say, "Beware the cute idea."  Just because you stumble upon a website that lists every single song and rhyme ever invented on your chosen weekly theme does not mean that they are all quality rhymes, or that they'll really add anything to your program. Trying new things is great, but don't overdo it - always have those old standbys at the ready to keep your program running smoothly.

- Preschoolers like predictability.  To go along with the above tip, it is totally OK to do some things exactly the same week after week. Starting with the same fingerplay or having a set half-time song goes a long way to getting those shy ones comfortable in story time.  Even if it is something you do once a month, the kids will recognize when a certain puppet or prop appears, that means it's time for that song they love.

- Try before you buy.  An old cliche, it's important to remember that until you actually read a book out loud, try those fingerplays without looking at the paper, or sing the new lyrics to 'If You're Happy and You Know it', you wont know if it will work for you.  Especially if it is a book with rhythm, you'll want to read it once or twice out loud before you do it in story time.

-  Make it your own.  So you are taking over for a much loved storyteller, and your first reaction is to do EXACTLY what that librarian did because you are afraid to lose your audience.  Every story teller has their own style.  Trying to shoe-horn yourself into someone else's style is like wearing a dress that won't fit.  It is noticeable. Do what you love and the kids will love what you do.  Sure, some families will go away but others will discover you.  Be yourself and that will shine though.

- Spice it up.  After a year or two, you will be well nestled into your groove.  It might be time to try something new.  Everyone has something they do really well in story time, and everyone has an area where they wish they were better.  Observe a story time where someone is great at music, or puppetry, or felt, and ask how to start small.  Or expand on something you already do well.  Do you like to sing?  How about trying to learn an instrument?  Do you like classic tales?  How about retelling them with puppets or felt without the book?  Not only will the kids love it, but you will be adding to your portfolio.

- It's okay to stop and change activities.  Sometimes books or activities just don't go the way we think they will.  Or a group of kids might be extra fidgety one morning.  It is okay to stop reading if no one is listening and move on to another activity.  No one will mind!  Jump into a fun fingerplay or start singing a familiar song to regain the kids' attention.

- Toddlers can listen and run around at the same time.  Toddlers are definitely unique!  They aren't babies that sit in their caregivers' laps and they aren't preschoolers that understand about sitting on your story rug.  They are learning to become independent and where their boundaries are.  This means that some will come to story time and want to explore.  I have learned that these kids are still listening and learning from story time even when they appear to be busy doing other things (like having their mommy chase them!).  So don't get discouraged if some are moving about.  Just keep doing your thing!

-Love what you do! Story times can be cumbersome to plan, but it is so worth it to put your heart into them.  Even if you're busy, try not to just grab any old book or rhyme or song you come across and slap it together.  You'll discover that if you aren't crazy about the book you're reading, the kids won't be either! As children's librarians, it is so important to be passionate about what we do, so let that passion shine through in your story times, and your patrons will love you for it!

Most importantly, learn from each other.  We have a great time bouncing ideas off of each other, but we also spend a great deal of time learning from other bloggers, looking on Pinterest, and following other youth librarians on social networks.  We have gotten so much inspiration from our large network of colleagues, who have inspired us to work hard and improve our skills.  We have LOVED sharing our work with all of you.  So THANK YOU for reading our blog, commenting, and encouraging us.  It has meant so much!

Miss Kristen, Miss Sue, and Miss Kristie.....the Library Village.

Toddler Story Time - Welcome Spring!

I waited a little bit to do a spring story time this year because, well, it hasn't felt like spring!  But, I felt like I couldn't wait any longer, so on a cold, rainy morning we celebrated spring!  (April showers bring May flowers?)  I have really been looking forward to starting some warmer weather themes in story time.  This week, I even printed my handout on pretty yellow paper.  So springy.

We started off story time with the rhyme, During the Spring from Storytime Katie.  The little ones really liked becoming flowers at the end!

During the Spring

During the spring, it often showers (flutter fingers down)

Or the sun shines for many hours  (form circle in the air with arms)

Both are good for the flowers!  (cup hands and extend arms like a flower)

Because the week had been so raining, I decided to add a book and rhyme at the last minute.  I read Split! Splat! by Amy Gibson.  Such a cute book full of crazy sounds!  Super fun read aloud.  

We also did the fun action rhyme, The Rain is Falling Down from Storytime Katie.

The Rain is Falling Down

The rain is falling down,  (flutter fingers down)

SPLASH  (clap loudly once)

The rain is falling down,  (flutter fingers down)

SPLASH  (clap loudly once)

Pitter patter pitter patter

The rain is falling down,  (flutter fingers doen)

SPLASH  (clap loudly once)

This was a fun addition to my story time theme.  Now back to spring!

The first spring book I read was Wake Up, It's Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst.  Such a sweet book!  We added sound effects to the different things waking up so it was even more fun!  

After the book, we pretended to bloom with the finger play, Watch It Bloom from Perry Public Library Storytime.  This rhyme was so sweet.  The little ones looked so cute making their tiny little buds.  We did this one twice!

Watch It Bloom

Here is a green leaf  (hold out one palm)

And here is a green leaf  (hold out other palm)

That, you see, makes two  (hold up two fingers)

Here is a bud  (cup hands together)

That makes it a flower  (slowly open hands)

Watch it bloom for you  (slowly open hands)

For a fun musical interlude, I chose the song Over in the Meadow from Raffi's cd Animal Songs.  I played this song while the little ones still had their egg shakers from singing their ABCs.  We shook the shakers throughout the song, and made the animal noises.  This song also includes counting to five, so it is a great song for story times!  

Before we sat down for another book, we pretended to garden with the song, Planting Time (to the tune of Rown, Row, Row Your Boat) from Perry Public Library Storytime.  This song was a big hit, so we sang it twice!

Planting Time

Dig, dig, dig the earth  (pretend to dig)

Then you plant your seeds  (pretend to plant)

A gentle rain  (fingers flutter down)

The bright sunshine  (arms circle overhead)

And flowers you will see  (open arms wide)

The second spring book I chose was Mouse's First Spring by Lauren Thompson.  I almost always choose a Mouse book if it can relate to the theme I am doing.  Love these books!  This time, Mouse and Momma are exploring a spring day.  In the end, Mouse finds his Momma and gets a hug and a kiss.  My grown ups love books that give them a chance to hug their little ones!

I knew I wanted to include The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle in my story times as soon as Miss Kristen told me how much the babies loved the pop up version we have.  This pop up is amazing!  The pages are beautiful and the little ones loved them!  It is a little difficult to hold and read, so this would be a good book to memorize beforehand.   

Before I read the book, we sang the song, Little Caterpillar, (to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot).  I found this song on YouTube here.  I just recently discovered that there are a lot of great people on YouTube sharing their ideas.  It is a great place to go to hear songs and flannel stories!  The video included the signs for caterpillar, hide, rest/sleep, and butterfly.  It was fun to teach it to the little ones and use those as the motions to this song!

Little Caterpillar

I'm a little caterpillar crawling by

I make a cocoon to go and hide

I rest for a while and sleep inside

When I come out, I'm a butterfly!

After the book, we finished our spring story time with the song, Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) from Storytime Katie.  This was such a nice song to end a great spring story time with.  We all flapped our "butterfly wings" and said good bye.

Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly

Flutter, flutter, butterfly

Floating in the spring sky

Floating by for all to see

Floating by so merrily

Flutter, flutter butterfly

Floating in the spring sky 

Everyone made their very own spring flower to take home with them.  I had seen on the Internet people making flowers with cupcake wrappers.  We didn't have any, but we did have coffee filters!  Little ones used the dobbers to add color to their flower (Ink goes right through the filters!  Put down newspaper!)  Then, they glued precut stems, leaves, and their flower to a piece of cardstock.  So simple a cute.  You could even add multiple coffee filters to make a puffy flower.

And because great minds think alike, Miss Sue also used Eric Carle's pop up version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar in her Letter C Story Time!  You can check it out here!

Flannel Friday - Owen's Marshmallow Chick!

I made this last Easter when I was filling in for Miss Kristie's Toddler Story Time.  This adorable Kevin Henkes book is just a little too small to read for a big group, so I needed some big visuals!

Disclaimer: My props are not felt! I printed them on cardstock (thank you, ClipArt and Google Images!) and just used a tiny bit of double-sided tape to make them stick.

"Owen's Easter basket was full."

Owen takes out the jellybeans - "My favorite," he says, and he eats them up.

Owen takes out the gumdrops - "My favorite," he says, and he eats them up.

Owen takes out the cream eggs - "My favorite," he says, and he eats them up.

Owen takes out the chocolate bunny - "My favorite," he says, and he eats it up.

Owen takes out the marshmallow chick.  It's the same color as his favorite blanket. Owen plays with his chick all day, and at bedtime says, "My favorite," and kisses it goodnight. :o)

I pulled this set out this year with the intention of turning it into a felt set, but I just couldn't figure out a good way to make the basket, the jellybeans, or the gumdrops out of felt.  I've decided to keep the paper version for now.  Hopefully I can get them laminated so they last longer.  The toddlers LOVED this last year, so I'm excited to share it with the babies this year!

Happy Easter!

Thanks to Anna at Future Librarian Superhero for hosting Flannel Friday this week!  Flannel Friday is for anyone interested in finding and sharing great flanneboard ideas!  You can learn more about Flannel Friday and how to participate here.

Toddler Story Time - Let's Make a Rainbow!

I always love a good color themed story time!  There are many awesome books available to read and loads of rhymes and fingerplays!  But this time, I wanted to make it just a smidge more special, especially with St. Patrick's Day right around the corner.  And I couldn't think of any better way to do this than making a rainbow!  Who doesn't love rainbows?!

The rainbow fun began with the action rhyme, Colors.  Thanks King County Library System!  This was a great warm up rhyme and it has the cutest ending.  It received lots of giggles.

Colors
Blue is the lake,  (point to the floor)
Yellow is the sun  (point to the sky)
Silver are the stars,
When the day is done  (wiggle fingers in the air)
Red is the apple,  (make circle with hands)
Green is the tree  (raise arms over head like branches)
Brown is a chocolate chip cookie  (rub tummy)
for you and me!

Our first book was Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd.  This book is a great color book and counting book.  We counted the dots on each page giving us lots of practice!  Next time I use this story, I may do a flannel version of it.  How fun!

After our ABC's and some finger wiggling, we were ready for our second book.  I love Duckie's Rainbow by Frances Barry!  I have used it several times before.  It has simple text, bright colored pages, and it is shaped like a rainbow!  So cute!  The little ones always get excited when they realize the book is becoming a rainbow.

Flannel Time!  This week we made a delicious Rainbow Stew.  Thank you to Storytime ABCs for the wonderful idea.  I brought in a bowl and spoon and we stirred the stew into a beautiful rainbow!  The little ones loved it!  (I did have a couple who were VERY curious about what was in my bowl..  Shhh..  It's magic!)  You can check out the the flannel story in its entirety here!

After our bellies were full of rainbow stew, I passed out rainbow scarves!  These are wonderful and I really should use them more often because we always have a great time.  I had several activities planned to use with them, so we jumped right in!

Let's All Twirl (Sung to the tune of "The Mulberry Bush")
Let's all twirl with our scarves today,
Scarves today, scarves today,
Let's all wirl our craves today,
All around the room.

Let's Make a Rainbow!
Let's wave our scarves high!
Let's wave our scarves low!
Let's wave our scarves fast!
Let's wave our scarves slow!
Now let's crumple up our scarves.
One, Two, Three!  (Throw scarves into the air and watch the rainbow of colors fall to the ground.)

Rainbow Song (Sung to the tune of "Hush, Little Baby")
Rainbow purple
Rainbow blue
Rainbow green
And yellow too
Rainbow Orange
Rainbow red
Rainbow shining over head.
Come and count
The colors with me
How many colors
Can you see?  (Count the colors!)
Rainbow purple
Rainbow blue
Rainbow green
And yellow too
Rainbow Orange
Rainbow red
Rainbow shining over head.
(This rhyme can be found here.  I changed it a little bit.  The first two I found in a story time resource book that I can't remember but I will add the credit as soon as I find it!)

The third book I read was Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox.  I had never read this book before.  I must live under a rock!  I love it!  The different sheep are so funny and cute!  The little ones and their grown ups joined in to ask Where is the Green Sheep?.  Thank goodness we found him at the end!

Did you think I was done?  Not yet!

Because we don't have a story time for St. Patrick's Day, I included a bonus St. Patrick's Day book and rhyme!  We read the little board book, St. Patrick's Day Countdown by Salina Yoon.  This little book has sparkly shamrocks!  A cute way to celebrate the holiday!  And we finished with the rhyme I'm a Little Leprechaun, sung to the always popular tune, "I'm a Little Teapot".  I found this great little rhyme here.

I'm a Little Leprechaun
I'm a little leprechaun  (hold hands on hips)
Dressed in green,  (point to shirt)
The tiniest man  (hold thumb and index finger about an inch apart)
You've ever seen.  (point to the other people)
If you ever catch me, so it's told  (make a motion like you're grabbing at a leprechaun)
I will give you my pot of gold!  (make motion like you're giving something away)

As a special treat, we made paper rainbows instead of playing toys.  They were super simple to make!  I precut half circles that got a little smaller with each color of the rainbow.  With a grown ups help, the little ones stacked the colors from biggest to smallest and it made a rainbow!  I also had cotton ball clouds to glue on.  A punched hole along the top and a bit of yarn..  Ta da!  A beautiful rainbow!  

I hope this colorful story time encourages some warmer weather!

I am headed off to the PLA tomorrow..  Maybe I will meet some of you there!  Thanks for stopping by!