I have a love affair with pizza. It is my favoritest food of all time. So, it is completely natural for me to want to have a pizza storytime. We read Pizza by Frank Asch and (sort of) read Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin (the kids were getting restless). I am not sure where I found The Silly Pizza Song, but it is super-fun, add some props and it is a HIT! Of course, our craft was making our own pizza pie: paper plate crusts, and craft paper cheese, peppers, pepperoni, and olives. YUMMMY ❤
We read two of my favorite books today Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can you? and A Great Day for UP! Both books are great read-aloud books and perfect for my crew. We capped off our stories with a little song found on Jbrary called Put Your Hands Up High — the kiddos loved it so much, we sang it THREE times! Our craft was an easy one today, Mr. Brown’s cow … complete with green horns and red hair. MOO!
I found a great set of inexpensive musical instruments at Ikea. I couldn’t wait to try these babies out! So, today was ‘music class!’ The set came with rhythm sticks, a drum box, a sound tube, an ‘egg’ shaker, and two tambourines. I needed a few more pieces for our group, so I made some jingle bell bracelets and a few egg shakers using plastic Easter eggs, popcorn kernels and some duct tape. Due to the extremely windy weather we had last night, school was delayed or cancelled for some kiddos — which meant we had our usual crew plus siblings!
I started off sharing Music Class Today! by David Weinstone. It is a great little book and if you visit the link provided on the inside flap, you can download a free musical version of the text! I love the illustrations in the book. So much is going on!
Next I introduced our instruments and our next book: Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig. I found an idea to incorporate our instruments and the book at ABC’s of Reading. I used our flannel board to display pictures of our instruments along with each animal. At the end, I just let them jam! So, fun!!!
For our craft today we made our own instruments. We used water bottles, popcorn kernels, dry beans, and some pom-poms for color. I couldn’t find the tops for the bottles, so I duct taped them closed and added their names. I find it amazing how patient preschoolers can be. If I asked our grade schoolers to wait their turn, it would turn into anarchy! But, our kiddos just watched and waited.
All in all, it was a GREAT day!
I love sharing The Mitten by Jim Aylesworth! Prior to reading, I handed-out laminated animals to each child. As I read, I ask the children to ‘climb’ into our mitten when it is their animal’s turn. We were a small group, so I ‘climbed’ in as well. So many giggles! The second book shared today, was I’m Cool by Kate and Jim McMullan. I have always had a fascination with Zambonis. I love the way the ice is wiped clean and fresh! Well, this book explains all the ‘ins and outs’ (in a super-simple, fun way) of the mysterious Zamboni.
Our craft for the day: mittens (of course!) I enjoy incorporating many different painting techniques. Especially techniques that are completely mess-free! If you search Pinterest for “Ziplock bag painting,” you will sees tons of ideas for this mess-free technique. We began with the kiddos selecting two colors of paint and then placing their oak-tag mitten inside a Ziplock bag. I squeezed a bit of paint onto the top of mitten and zipped-up the bag. After a bit of smooshy painting: Voila! A masterpiece. This is a definite ‘try this at home’ craft!
We shared two great books today: Love Monster and the Last Chocolate by Rachel Bright and Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis. Two perfect read-alouds. I purchased some finger puppets from Amazon and wanted to put them to use … and of course, I found it from Jbrary. Seriously they are an invaluable Storytime resource. I passed out finger puppets to each child and we sang Put Your Puppet on Your Heart. Super fun!
Now, let’s talk about our craft. I have been dying to try out this salad spinner art that I see all over Pinterest. I purchased one at the Dollar Store — for yes, $1.00!! But, I was hestitant. Would it really work? With only one spinner, would the children be patient and wait their turn? The verdict: AMAZING! The kiddos were in awe. All their heads were lowered to table height, as they watched the paint swirl around the spinner. Such a super easy craft. But, perfect! It is a MUST try!
February is National Wild Bird Feeding month. So, in honor of our feathered-friends, I read two books Have You Heard the Nesting Bird by Kita Gray and Wild Birds by Joanne Ryder. I was so excited when I found extra lyrics from Jbrary for one of my favorite songs to sing with the kiddos: Two Little Black Birds. We had a blast singing and lots of giggles. We created a bird feeder for our bird friends using a toilet paper tube, string, soy butter, and bird seed. Easy Peasy!
If you don’t know Pete, then you are missing something! This cool cat has a great outlook on life. He likes colorful buttons and he LOVES his white sneakers! After reading two books by James Dean, we sang this fun little ditty found at Jbrary — these two cool chicks have a bunch of songs and fingerplays to fit whatever storytime you are planning! Check them out on Pinterest and over on YouTube.
Craft for the day: button bracelets. Tons of fun for all our little ones!
January so cold and blah. So, I decided to bring in some COLOR! I read two books that bring an immense amount of color to any day: Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet and Bears Colorful Day by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman. I can not express how much I LOVE Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet! It is a perfect book for storytime. No need for a flannel board or props. Because the book IS the prop. I stand up and move around and interact with the kiddos. As I introduced the book, I suggested that it is magic — I am telling you they can’t wait to help mix it up! Stop by your local library and borrow I copy. You will see what I mean!
Oh, and did I mention that we have a new parachute?! Yipee! I have been pining for one for quite sometime, but I didn’t think it would work in our small library. BUT, they make a nice compact 6′ sized chute. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of it’s inaugural usage. The wee folk LOVED it (and maybe not so secretly, so did I!)
Our colorful craft for the day? Painting! Aluminium foil, poster paint, and a variety of brushes set out on the table … and the kiddos went to town!
Hope you all have a very colorful day!
Christmas is just about here … I can’t believe it! The kiddos were super-wiggly today, so we only read one book: That’s Not Santa by Leonard Kessler. Then we got to our feet and let off some energy singing We Wish you a Merry Christmas — with some fun lyrics. We crafted some beautiful popsicle stick trees … pretty and sparkly.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night – xoxo Miss Jean
New England – check. Winter – check. Snow – ahhh, NOPE! It is more like Spring than Winter. But, we have to hold out hope! So, for today we read There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro and Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner. Our song for the day was found via JBrary: Once There was a Snowman. Using some crafting pom-pom and paint, we painted our snowman, and added a few accessories.
Captain's Log 