Tag Archives: foam crafts

Cookies!

The Plan

Books

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
The Duckling Wants a Cookie by Mo Willems
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Cookie Match-Up”

Flannelboard: “Down Around the Corner”
Down around the corner in the bakery shop
Were five yummy cookies with sprinkles on top
Along comes (child’s name) with a dollar to pay
He/she buys a cookie and takes it away
(continue with four, three, two, and one)

Action Rhyme: “Making Cookies”
I am making cookie dough, round and round the beaters go (make round motion)
Add some flour from a cup, stir and stir the batter up (pour and stir)
Roll them and cut them, nice and neat, put them on a cookie sheet (as says)
Bake them and count them, 1 2 3, and serve them to your friends for tea! (count)
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

Action Rhyme: “Who Stole the Cookies?”
Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?
Kitty stole the cookies from the cookie jar.
Who me? Yes, you!
Couldn’t be? Than who?
Credit: Childhood

Fingerplay: “Pat-a-Cake”
Credit: Childhood

Craft

Another kit from Oriental Trading, clearly marketed to go with the Numeroff book. This was a great craft idea. It was all self-adhesive and very easy to put together.

How It Went

You want a guaranteed hit? Do cookies! Kids LOVE cookies, and they loved all the cookie books. One of the little boys recited “If You Give a Mouse” along with me. My flannelboard was a lot of fun. I went through “Down Around the Corner” three times so that every kid got to “buy” a cookie.

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November 26, 2012 2 Comments Short URL , storytime

Horses!

The Plan

Books

Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash
Clip Clop by Nicola Smee
Horseplay! by Karma Wilson
In My Barn by Sara Gillingham & Lorena Siminovich

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Activity: Color Matching Horses

Action Rhyme: “I Gave My Horse an Apple”
I gave my horse an apple, (pretend to give something)
And she gave me a neigh. (neigh)
I gave my horse a carrot, (pretend to give something)
And she moved her head this way. (move head up and down)
I gave my horse a sugar lump, (pretend to give something)
She gave me a smile. (smile big)
And then she took me for a ride,
For more than half a mile. (slap hands on thighs like galloping)
Credit: Storytime in a Box

Fingerplay: “Ten Galloping Horses”
Ten galloping horses, (hold up ten fingers)
Came through town. (slap hands on legs like galloping)
Five were white, (hold up five fingers)
And five were brown. (hold up five fingers on other hand)
They galloped up, (slap up toward top of thighs)
They galloped down, (slap down toward knees)
Ten galloping horses, (hold up ten fingers)
Came through town. (slap hands on legs like galloping)
Credit: King County Library System

Prop Song: “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”

Craft

This was a craft kit that we purchased from Oriental Trading. The whole kit was self-stick adhesive foam and super easy to put together. Kids were able to do the craft themselves and it gave them a lot of confidence. Their confidence definitely showed when they showed me the final project!

How It Went

This theme was such a great theme for storytime — the kids LOVE horses and it shows. Really, all of the books that I read were wonderful choices and really captured the attention of the kids. “Are You a Horse?” probably got the most laughs, and “Clip Clop” is a favorite that many of the kids have seen before. The prop that I made was one of the best decisions ever because it really engaged them during “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain.” Once again, a really great storytime.

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November 12, 2012 0 Comments Short URL , storytime

Letter S!

The Plan

Books

Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
Mouse’s First Snow by Lauren Thompson
Pete the Cat: Rocking In My School Shoes by Eric Litwin
Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter S”

Flannelboard: “Five Red Strawberries”
Five red strawberries, sweet to the core.
Bear came and ate one and then there were four.
Four red strawberries, growing near a tree.
Bear came and ate one and then there were three.
Three red strawberries, for you and you and you.
Bear came and ate one, and then there were two.
Two red strawberries, sitting in the sun.
Bear came and ate one and then there was one.
One red strawberry, left all alone.
Bear came and ate it and then there were none.

Song: “Baby Shark”
Baby shark, do-do doot-doot
Baby shark, do-do doot-doot
Baby shark, do-do doot-doot, doo
(Repeat with Mama Shark, Papa Shark, and Grandpa Shark. Baby Shark is done with two hands, wrists touching to make a shark mouth. Mama Shark is slightly bigger, Papa Shark is bigger than Mama. For Grandpa Shark, fold fingers in and clap with no teeth.)

Song with Props: “Baa Baa Black Sheep”
Baa, baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for the farmer and one for the dame
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane
Baa, baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
(repeat with blue, red, and green sheep)

Song: “Itsy Bitsy Spider”

Craft

We made snakes with squares and stars. All of the foam stickers were left over from previous crafts, so this was kind of up-cycling for us!

How It Went

Storytime is continuing to be a bit hectic during the daycare transition from old teacher to new teachers, along with the new classroom ages and kids. This week’s was better than last, so I think things are looking up! “Where Is the Green Sheep?” was the hit of storytime, along with my strawberries flannelboard. I had Applesauce, our storytime mascot, eat the berries off of the board and that left the kids in hysterics!

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August 29, 2012 2 Comments Short URL , , , , storytime

Space!

The Plan

Books

Higher, Higher! by Leslie Patricelli
I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Batron
The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off to the Moon! by Dan Yaccarino

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Four Little Rockets”
Four little rockets winking at me
One shot off and then there were three!
Three little rockets with nothing to do
One shot off, and then there were two!
Two little rockets afraid of the sun
One shot off, and then there was one!
One little rocket alone is no fun
It shot off, and then there were none!

Flannelboard: “Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer”
Five little men in a flying saucer
Looked around the world one day
They looked left and looked right
But they didn’t like the sight
So one man flew away

Action Rhyme: “Moon Ride”
Do you want to go up with me to the moon? (point to friend, then sky)
Let’s get in our rocket ship and blast off soon! (climb in, blast off)
Faster and faster we reach to the sky (jump and reach)
Isn’t it fun to be able to fly? (spread arms)
We’re on the moon, now all take a look (look)
Sit back down, and I’ll read you a book (sit)
Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Action Song: “If You’re Going to the Moon”
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots
If you’re going to the moon, this is what you have to do
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots
(gloves, helmet, suit, etc.)
Credit: Mel’s Desk

Craft

You might be able to tell that I was getting tired of thinking of crafts by the end of summer, since this session’s craft was simple foam stickers to make a solar system. But the kids LOVE stickers, so it was definitely well-received even if I didn’t make an amazing creation for them to do.

How It Went

This was a great storytime session. I am a giant space NERD and get so excited about it — the kids just feed off of that excitement. Their favorite books were “Higher, Higher” and “I Want to Be An Astronaut.” I also snuck in a lot of learning during these books, all about how there’s no gravity in space and that the food has to be packaged funny. I hope that I now have little budding astronauts running around the library!

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August 27, 2012 0 Comments Short URL , , storytime

Animals at Night!

The Plan

Books

I’m Not Scared by Jonathan Allen
The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
Where Does the Brown Bear Go? by Nicki Weiss
Whoooo’s There? by Mary Serfozo

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Ten Flashing Fireflies”

Fingerplay: “Two Little Hoot Owls”
Two little hoot owls, sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill
Fly away Jack! Fly away Jill!
Come back, Jack! Come back, Jill!
Credit: Modified from childhood

Song: “I’m a Little Firefly” (I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little firefly
Look at me!
I’m as happy as I can be.
See my light flicker
And shine so bright
Now watch me fly
Into the night!
Credit: Preschool Education

Song: “Flutter, Flutter Little Bat”
Flutter, flutter little bat
How I wonder where you’re at
Up above the midnight sky
Peeking down with black eyes
Flutter, flutter little bat
How I wonder where you’re at
Credit: Library Palooza

Craft

This was an Oriental Trading kit that I purchased. A co-worker traced her hands on the foam and cut them out ahead of time so that the kids had an easier time with the activity. Everything else was self-stick.

How It Went

This was a great storytime! The variety in it really appealed to everyone and I was SO GLAD that I didn’t have a single storytime on each of the nocturnal animals. Their favorite book was “The Very Lonely Firefly,” and I recently purchased a library copy so that I knew the fireflies would light up at the end! All of the extension activities went over very well, but the best part was when I brought out our bat finger puppet. The kids were delighted and all of them politely came up and greeted batty before we sang our song!

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July 30, 2012 0 Comments Short URL , storytime

Pirates!

The Plan

Books

Bubble Bath, Pirates! by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Peg Leg Peke by Brie Spangler
Pirate Nap by Danna Smith
This Little Pirate by Philemon Sturges

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Five Pirates for a Treasure Chest”
Five pirates on a treasure chest, one jumped off and four are left.
Four pirates on a treasure chest, one slid off and three are left.
Three pirates on a treasure chest, one fell down and two are left.
Two pirates on a treasure chest, one was pushed off and one is left.
One pirate on a treasure chest, he climbed down and none are left.
No pirates on the treasure chest, yo-ho-ho and now it’s all mine!
Credit: Mega Storytime

Flannelboard: “The Pirate Wore a Red Patch”
Pirate wore a red patch, red patch, red patch
Pirate wore a red patch all day long…
Credit: Loons and Quines

Action Song: “If You’re a Pirate and You Know It”
If you’re a pirate & you know it, swab the desk (swish, swish)
If you’re a pirate & you know it, swab the desk (swish, swish)
If you’re a pirate & you know it, then you’ll hear sea winds a’blowin
If you’re a pirate & you know it, swab the desk (swish, swish)
(Walk the plank, stomp stomp // Say ahoy, ahoy!)
Credit: Born Librarian

Fingerplay: “Ten Little Pirates”
Ten little pirates stood in a row (hold up all ten fingers)
They bowed to their captain so (lower and raise fingers)
They marched to the left (march hands to left)
And marched to the right (march hands to right)
They shouted yo-ho! (cup hands over mouth)
And gave their captain a fright (act scared, cover mouth with hands)
Credit: Born Librarian

Song: “Sail, Sail, Sail Your Ship” (Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Sail, sail, sail your ship
Gently over the sea
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
A pirate’s life for me!
Credit: King County Library System

Craft

This was a craft kit that I bought from Oriental Trading. All of the foam shapes were peel and stick and the kids LOVED their pirate hats. We had several kids up in the department afterwards working on their treasure map coloring sheets and swashbuckling their crayons.

How It Went

I know I say this all the time, but this was an AMAZING theme for storytime! The kids had SO MUCH fun with the extension activities and shouting “ARR!” with me. The hit of storytime was “Bubble Bath Pirates,” and I have to thank a neighboring librarian who recommended and pulled the book for me — it is definitely being purchased for our storytime collection.

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June 18, 2012 0 Comments Short URL , , storytime

Chickens!

The Plan

Books

Charlie the Chick by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas
The Little Red Hen by Rebecca and Ed Emberley

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Ten Fluffy Chickens”
Five eggs and five eggs
And that makes ten
Sitting on top is mother hen
Cackle, cackle, cackle
And what do I see?
Ten fluffy chicks as yellow as can be
Credit: Mel’s Desk

Puppets: “All Around the Barnyard”
All around the barnyard
The animals are fast asleep
Sleeping cows and horses
Sleeping pigs and sheep
Here comes the cocky rooster
To sound his dairy alarm
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
To wake the sleepy farm!
Credit: CanTeach

Song: “I Know a Chicken”
Oh, I know a chicken and she laid an egg
Oh, I know a chicken and she laid an egg
Oh my goodness, it’s a shaky egg!
Shake your eggs!
(Fast, slow, circle, etc.)
Credit: Miss Sarah’s Storytime

Craft

I printed out a coloring page and used the foam eggs I had bought for my failed Easter storytime and put them on the coloring page. I added a brad so the chicken could hide. The kids glued feathers and colored their chickens.

How It Went

This was a high-energy, almost wild storytime. I’m seeing higher and higher numbers each week and this week had quite a few new faces, some with questionable behavior. This is the first time I’ve ever had to stop storytime to prevent a child from falling off something they had climbed on. Yikes. Other than that, we had a lot of fun with this theme, even if I was a little stressed the whole time! Best books were “Is Everyone Ready for Fun?” and “Charlie Chick.” With the amazing pop-up at the end, I wonder why I don’t do that book for every storytime.

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May 21, 2012 0 Comments Short URL , , storytime

Spring!

The Plan

Books

I See Spring by Charles Ghigna
Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes
Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson
Peek-a-Bloom by Marie Cimarusti
Split Splat by Amy Gibson

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Five Little Kites”
One little kite in the sky so blue,
Along came another, then there were two.
Two little kites flying high above me;
Along came another, then there were three.
Three little kites, just watch them soar,
Along came another, then there were four.
Four little kites, so high and alive
Along came another, then there were five.
Five little kites dancing across the sky,
What a sight to see, way up so high!

Puppets/Fingerplay: “Five Little Bunnies”
Hippety hop and hippety hay,
Five little bunnies went out to play.
Hippety hop and hippety hay,
One little bunny hopped away.
(Count down…No more bunnies are playing today, I hope they come back another day.)

Action Rhyme: “The Rain Is Falling Down”
The rain is falling down (flutter fingers down)
SPLASH! (clap once loudly)
Pitter patter pitter patter (tap legs softly)
The rain is falling down (flutter fingers down)
SPLASH! (clap once loudly)
Pitter patter pitter patter (tap legs softly)
[Repeat until kids are worn out.]
Credit: King County Library System

Fingerplay: “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
Credit: Childhood

Craft

This was an Oriental Trading purchase. I love their tissue paper collages. (I have a campfire one for summer and a mitten one for next winter already purchased.)

How It Went

This was a surprise storytime! We do program reminders at my library and my co-worker forgot to call the night before to remind everyone about the program. So I was super bummed that storytime wasn’t going to happen. Well, six families (with a total of 11 kids) remembered to come on their own — hooray! I had to run down and quickly set up, but it was well worth it. The kids had a great time with the theme and they LOVED the butterfly craft!

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May 7, 2012 1 Comment Short URL , , storytime

Trains!

The Plan

Books

And the Train Goes by William Bee
Freight Train by Donald Crews
I Love Trains! by Philemon Sturges
A Train Goes Clickety-Clack by Jonathan London

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Clickety-Clack”

Flannelboard: “This Little Train” (tune of This Old Man)

Action Rhyme: “This Is a Choo-Choo Train”
This is a choo choo train
Puffing down the track
Now it’s going forward,
Now it’s going back,
Now the bell is ringing
Now the whistle blows
What a lot of noise it makes
Everything it goes.
Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Fingerplay: “This Little Train”
The little train ran up the track (run fingers up arm)
Toot, toot, toot (make train noises)
And then it came toot-tooting back (run fingers down arm)
Toot, toot, toot (make train noises)
Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Song: “Down By the Station”
Credit: Childhood

Crafts

I bought this craft from Oriental Trading and the kids used glue dots to attach all of the foam pieces. The parents liked this one a lot because it was a picture frame and a magnet craft all in one! The kids liked it because they got to drive their train around once it was done!

How It Went

This was the largest parent/child storytime I have ever done. We had nearly fifty bodies in the room and it was crowded, loud, and energetic. The best books were “I Love Trains” and “A Train Goes Clickety-Clack.” This is the first group that didn’t really respond to “Freight Train,” which surprised me because they are normally a huge fan of any books with colors. (Next week’s theme was “art” which made me super nervous, but I am pleased to say they regained their love of color books between sessions.) After storytime, I had a mom ask me about where she could buy the flannel pieces, and I got the BEST compliments ever when I told her I had made them!

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April 16, 2012 1 Comment Short URL , storytime

Easter!

The Plan

Books

The Easter Bunny’s Assistant by Jan Thomas
Easter Surprise by Priddy Books
Max’s Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells
Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “Hippity Hoppity, Easter Bunny”
Hippity, hoppity, Easter Bunny
Hippity, hoppity, Easter Bunny
Hippity, hoppity, Easter Bunny
Hopping all around
(Hopping, hopping, oh so quickly / Hop to the left and then to the right / Hopping high, then hopping higher / Hopping now much more slowly)
Credit: The Holiday Zone

Fingerplay: “Here Is a Bunny”
Here is a bunny with ears so funny (hold up index and middle fingers for ears)
And here is his hole in the ground (make a circle with the other hand)
At the first sound he hears, he pricks up his ears (extend two fingers)
And hops in the hole in the ground (fingers jump into the hole)
Credit: Early Literacy

Puppets: “Five Little Bunnies”
Hippety hop and hippety hay,
Five little bunnies went out to play.
Hippety hop and hippety hay,
One little bunny hopped away.
(No more bunnies are playing today,
I hope they come back another day.)
Credit: Twizzle Magazine

Craft

I bought these foam eggs from Target, and some glittery foam stickers; the buttons we had on hand from a previous craft!

How It Went

It didn’t. I planned this Easter storytime for a local Christian daycare and they cancelled on me twice. I still wanted to post it in case anyone was looking for Easter ideas! I will be able to use a lot of what I planned in spring storytime, including the sweet bunny finger puppets I made, which you will see on this Flannel Friday!

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April 2, 2012 2 Comments Short URL , storytime

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