Year: 2012

Growing Readers: Sound Trains

growingreaderspngAt “Growing Readers” storytime, I lead a group storytime filled with literacy activities for the first half hour of the program. Afterwards, the kids go to activity tables staffed by teen volunteers to play and do more activities. Each storytime has five different activity tables. I spend my time floating around and talking to parents/caregivers about early literacy. Through the table activities (and my guidance), I hope that parents learn tips on how to work with their young readers and how literacy is so much more than just reading. The kids just see the activities as fun!

Table Activity: Sound Trains
Every Child Ready to Read Skill: Talking

This was a great activity set; with trains that had the beginning letters on them and cards to match up. Kids would pick a train and try and find the cards that matched up with their train. Again, purchased from Lakeshore Learning.

Reactions

At this table, I saw a lot of one-on-one time with the teen volunteer staffing the station. She patiently helped the kids sound out their words and match up the letters. I cannot stress the importance of having teen volunteers that are trained and *like* children in a situation like this.

December 18, 2012 5 Comments Short URLGrowing Readers Storytime

ALSC: So You Want to Make Flannelboards

newalscblog

One of my most favorite posts that I’ve ever written is this month’s ALSC blog post on making flannelboards. I’ve got a ton of resources listed and though I couldn’t list every resource, I tried to get a good variety! Click on through to check it out!

December 14, 2012 0 Comments Short URLALSC Post

Growing Readers: Mystery Box

growingreaderspngAt “Growing Readers” storytime, I lead a group storytime filled with literacy activities for the first half hour of the program. Afterwards, the kids go to activity tables staffed by teen volunteers to play and do more activities. Each storytime has five different activity tables. I spend my time floating around and talking to parents/caregivers about early literacy. Through the table activities (and my guidance), I hope that parents learn tips on how to work with their young readers and how literacy is so much more than just reading. The kids just see the activities as fun!

Table Activity: Mystery Box
Every Child Ready to Read Skill: Playing

This is a fun game where kids stick their hand in the box, identify the object, and match it to an alphabet game board. This was purchased at Lakeshore Learning.

Reactions

This table was the best co-operative play that I’ve seen in the storytime these first two weeks. Littler kids pulled out the objects and their older siblings helped them match it to the letter it belonged to. I love these object games since it’s such a great tactile experience for the kids. There’s plush items, plastic items, etc. It’s great!

December 4, 2012 1 Comment Short URLGrowing Readers Storytime

Seasons!

The Plan

Books

Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek
It’s Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall
Mouse’s First Summer by Lauren Thompson
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Fall”
Flannelboard: “Spring”
Flannelboard: “Summer”
Flannelboard: “Winter”

My flannelboards for this session were purchased boards, which you can still buy online at Amazon. I put up each season as a lead-in to the books that I choose and let the kids tell me what we did in that season as I put up the flannel pieces.

Finger Puppets: “Five Little Pumpkins”
Five little pumpkins were sitting on the gate
The first one said, “My, it’s getting late!”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air!”
The third one said, “I don’t care!”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run!”
The fifth one said, “It’s all Halloween fun!”
Then “whooo” went the wind and out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled clear out of sight.
Credit: Childhood

Song & Puppet: “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
Credit: Best Kids Book Site

Craft

This was a purchased Oriental Trading craft kit. Honestly, it was too much coloring for my littlest patrons. But my preschoolers were determined to color every inch of space on these!

How It Went

This was another one of those storytimes where attendance was SO LOW and it turned out to be a storytime for only six kids. I wound up cutting out a lot of extension activities that I had planned and instead just read books and had great conversations via the flannelboards.

December 3, 2012 4 Comments Short URL, , Family Storytime

Flannel Friday: Rudolph, Rudolph

Welcome to the holiday edition of Flannel Friday! This Flannel Friday is brought to you by one very generous Library Quine, who provided the pattern.

We generally do not do a holiday themed storytime at the library (I’ve done one, specially billed as a Christmas storytime), but this Rudolph flannel was too cute not to make! I really hope that a daycare or outreach opportunity comes up when I can use it in the library!

The rhyme came from Crafty Chic Mommy‘s blog.

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Linda is hosting this week’s Flannel Friday round-up. You can visit her blog to link up with us! For more information about Flannel Friday and joining us, please visit the Flannel Friday website.

November 30, 2012 1 Comment Short URLFlannels

Growing Readers: Alphabet Puzzles

growingreaderspngAt “Growing Readers” storytime, I lead a group storytime filled with literacy activities for the first half hour of the program. Afterwards, the kids go to activity tables staffed by teen volunteers to play and do more activities. Each storytime has five different activity tables. I spend my time floating around and talking to parents/caregivers about early literacy. Through the table activities (and my guidance), I hope that parents learn tips on how to work with their young readers and how literacy is so much more than just reading. The kids just see the activities as fun!

Table Activity: Alphabet Puzzles
Every Child Ready to Read Skill: Playing

At this table, I put out all 26 puzzles and mixed up the letters. Kids and parents worked together to sort them out again. Puzzles were purchased at Lakeshore Learning.

Reactions

This table was especially nice because I had a lot of parent/child interaction here. Parents were really sounding out letters to help their kids match up the puzzle pieces correctly. Also, I thought this was a great low-key activity compared to some of our more high-energy tables!

November 27, 2012 0 Comments Short URLGrowing Readers Storytime

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.

November 26, 2012 3 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Flannel Friday: Pumpkins!

Today’s Flannel Friday is about a month too late! I made these pumpkins back in August actually, and completely forgot where I put them. I found them when I cleaned off my desk this month and thus am posting them for inspiration for next year’s flannels.

I freehanded a simple pumpkin shape and made the pumpkins. Afterwards, I made some face pieces for the kids to help me build pumpkins. Since the face pieces aren’t attached with glue, I can also use these pumpkins in “Five Little Pumpkins” as well.

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Library Quine is hosting this week’s Flannel Friday round-up. You can visit her blog to link up with us! For more information about Flannel Friday and joining us, please visit the Flannel Friday website.

November 23, 2012 2 Comments Short URLFlannels

ABC Storytime Resource Post

I’m very appreciative of the blogs and websites that I drew inspiration from for my ABC Storytime Series:

Everyone at Totally Tots
Pam’s blog MotherReader
Jaymi’s blog Explore to Learn

Most of what I needed help with was coming up with ideas for the letters. If I took any fingerplays, songs, or rhymes, I did note it in the write-ups.

And finally, a listing of all the letters:

Letter A
Letter B
Letter C
Letter D
Letter E
Letter F
Letter G
Letter H
Letter I
Letter J
Letter K
Letter L
Letter M
Letter N
Letter O
Letter P
Letter Q
Letter R
Letter S
Letter T
Letter U
Letter V
Letter W
Letter X
Letter Y
Letter Z

Thank you all for sticking with me throughout this! I hope that the storytimes gave you some good ideas — I know that the kids and I loved them! Stay tuned, I’m planning on posting pictures of all of the Letter Puzzles, even if I can’t upload them!

November 21, 2012 1 Comment Short URLAnnouncements

Growing Readers: Alphabet Match

growingreaderspngAt “Growing Readers” storytime, I lead a group storytime filled with literacy activities for the first half hour of the program. Afterwards, the kids go to activity tables staffed by teen volunteers to play and do more activities. Each storytime has five different activity tables. I spend my time floating around and talking to parents/caregivers about early literacy. Through the table activities (and my guidance), I hope that parents learn tips on how to work with their young readers and how literacy is so much more than just reading. The kids just see the activities as fun!

Table Activity: Alphabet Sort & Match
Every Child Ready to Read Skill: Reading

At this table, we had sets of magnetic letters (both uppercase and lowercase) that the kids matched to laminated worksheets. The magnetic letters were purchased at Lakeshore Learning, and I found the worksheets online at a cross-stitch website.

Reactions

This was a super popular table. The kids really enjoyed identifying the letters and sorting them on the sheets. Also, it must be said, they loved building magnetic letter towers as well. The letters were a great purchase, one that I will definitely be using with cookie sheets for other activities.

November 20, 2012 0 Comments Short URLGrowing Readers Storytime

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