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

Leaves!

The Plan

Books

Leaves by David Ezra Stein
The Leaves on the Trees by Thom Wiley
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Fall Is Not Easy”

Flannelboard: Leaves by Colors

Action Rhyme: “Raking Leaves”
I like to rake the leaves (make raking motion with hands)
Into a great big hump (pretend to pile leaves)
Then I move back a bit (take a step or two back)
Bend my knees and jump! (jump)
Credit: Step By Step

Song: “The Leaves Are Falling Down” (Tune: Farmer in the Dell)
The leaves are falling down
The leaves are falling down
Red, yellow, green, and brown
The leaves are falling down
Credit: Preschool Education

Song: “Ten Little Leaves”
One little, two little, three little leaves,
Four little, five little, six little leaves,
Seven little, eight little, nine little leaves,
Ten little leaves fall down.
Credit: Modified from Childhood

Craft

This craft was a scratch art kit from Oriental Trading. The kids love scratch art!!

How It Went

This was a very quiet storytime. The kids were engaged, but not very responsive. Unless, that is, that I was singing. Then they sang along and got up and moved around. So I did a LOT of singing in this storytime, including “The Leaves on the Trees” book.

November 19, 2012 2 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Flannel Friday: Fall Is Not Easy

The first place I remember seeing “Fall Is Not Easy” by Martin Kelley as a flannelboard was on Cate’s blog: Storytiming. As you can see, many Flannel Friday crew members have done this flannel! And for good reason!

I used this flannelboard in “Leaves” storytime and will obviously use it again. The kids SHRIEKED when I changed the leaves. I didn’t do all of the pages. (Especially “Eat at Joe’s” since it’s not super prevalent in the Chicagoland area.)

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Tracey 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 16, 2012 17 Comments Short URLFlannels

Flannelboard Flashback: CSLP 2010

Since I recently re-did my Flannelboards page, I noticed that I never blogged about a few of my flannels. These four flannels were made in the Summer of 2010 to go with the theme “Make a Splash!”

“Five Big Whales”
Five big whales in the sea offshore // One swam up to spout and that left four.
Four big whales in the deep blue sea // One swam up to spout and that left three.
Three big whales in the sea so blue // One swam up to spout and that left two.
Two big whales having loads of fun // One swam up to spout and that left one.
One big whale longing for the sun // He swam up to spout, and that left none!

I got the whale image from Google, and the rhyme came from an Ocean Life Email Compilation which is no longer hosted on OCLC’s website.

“Five Cranky Crabs”
Five cranky crabs were digging on the shore.
One swam into a net and then there were four.
Four cranky crab were floating in the sea.
One got tangled up in seaweed, then there were three.
Three cranky crabs were wondering what to do.
One dug a deep, deep hole. Then there were two.
Two cranky crabs were warming in the sun.
One got scooped up in a cup. Then there was one.
One cranky crab was smarter than his friends.
He hid between the jagged rocks. That’s how the story ends!

The template for Cranky Crab came from Carroll Public Library’s Beach Fingerplays and the rhyme came from Preschool Education.

“Five Little Fishes”
Five little fish swimming by the shore; one got caught then there were four
Four little fish swimming in the sea; one got caught then there were three
Three little fish swimming in the blue; one got caught then there were two
Two little fish swimming in the sun; one got caught then there was one
One little fish swimming straight for home decided it was best to never roam

This flannel was another Google Image template and the rhyme was found at Addison Public Library.

“Five Little Ocean Friends”
Five little ocean friends on the ocean floor,
The starfish walks away and now there are four
Four little ocean friends living in the sea
The crab slides away now there are three
Three little ocean friends looking for a clue
“Glub, glub,” said the lobster now there are two
Two little ocean friends not having much fun
Off swam the sea horse now there is one
One little octopus sad and all alone
Back swims the starfish, back swims the crab,
Back swims the lobster, back swims the sea horse
And they played in the sea foam, safe in their home.

The template and rhyme for Five Little Ocean Friends came from Carroll Public Library’s Beach Fingerplays.

November 15, 2012 13 Comments Short URLFlannels

Letter Z!

The Plan

Books

Dexter Gets Dressed by Ken Wilson-Max
My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Zee by Michel Gay
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off to the Moon! by Dan Yaccarino

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter Z”

Flannelboard: “Dear Zoo”

Action Rhyme: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’ll be there very soon!
So, if you’d like to take a trip
Just step inside my rocket ship
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’ll be there very soon!
Credit: Library School

Action Song: “Driving Round In My Car”
Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Credit: Childhood

Song & Puppets: “You Can Hear” (Tune: She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain)
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR! ROAR!
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR! ROAR!
You can hear the lions roaring, you can hear the lions roaring
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR! ROAR!
(Elephants trumpeting, monkey eeking, zebra braying)
Credit: Perpetual Preschool

Craft

I made a quick zebra coloring page for our craft. There are a lot of really cute zebra crafts out there, but they have lots and lots of pieces. I figured the kids would just have more fun coloring!

How It Went

For my last alphabet storytime, this was a good letter to go out on. The kids loved “Zee” and the interactive “Dexter Gets Dressed” (for zipper, of course!) the most. My “Dear Zoo” flannelboard got tons of great guesses and shrieks when I revealed the animals. And I have never seen a more enthusiastic group to sing along with “You Can Hear.”

November 14, 2012 2 Comments Short URL, Outreach Storytime

Growing Readers: Tracing Letters

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: Tracing Letters
Every Child Ready to Read Skill: Writing

At this table, kids were able to work on writing by tracing the guide letters. These letters were purchased at Lakeshore Learning and are for use with dry-erase markers.

Reactions

The kids enjoyed the letters and working on their writing skills. I had one boy who spent the whole time at this table, determined to do every single letter.

November 13, 2012 4 Comments Short URLGrowing Readers 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.

November 12, 2012 2 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

ALSC: Props in Storytime!

newalscblog

Over at the ALSC blog, I’m talking about using props in storytime. Also, I’m debuting my newest prop — a song cube!

November 9, 2012 0 Comments Short URLALSC Post

Flannel Friday: Horse Props!

Today, I bring you two ideas (both from Flannel Friday contributors) that I used in “Horse” storytime this past fall. First up, an idea from Abby at Abby the Librarian:

This is a game with different colored horses. Each child received a horse and brought it up to the flannelboard when I called the colors. After we “corralled” the horses, we counted them before putting them in the barn for sleeping!

The second prop comes from Melissa at Mel’s Desk, for use while singing the song “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”:

Melissa explains how to make the prop way better than I ever would. These are all Microsoft Office images though, so I cannot share my files. Apologies for the bottom photo being blurry!

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Anna is hosting this week’s Flannel Friday; visit her to comment/link up your post! To find out more about Flannel Friday, please visit the Flannel Friday website!

November 9, 2012 4 Comments Short URLFlannels

Letter Y!

The Plan

Books

Eli, No! by Katie Kirk
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Yawn by Sally Symes
Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Go Away, Big Yellow Monster” (I just changed the color of the popular book by Ed Emberley.)

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter Y”

Action Rhyme: “Big Yellow Moon”
Big yellow moon shines so bright, (circle overhead)
Glides across the starry night (arms to left and right)
Looks down at me (hand shades eyes)
Asleep in bed, (head on hands)
Whispers, “Good night, sleepyhead.” (shh)
Big yellow moon, your turn is done (move arms down)
Here comes Mr. Morning Sun (circle overhead)
I wake up. (arms stretch out)
You go to bed. (head on hands)
“Sleep well, Moon, you sleepyhead.” (shh)
Credit: King County Library System

Action Rhyme: “This Is Big”
This is big, big, big (stretch hands far to sides)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (hold palms close vertically)
This is tall, tall, tall (hold palms far apart vertically)
This is fast, fast, fast (roll hands quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (roll hands slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)
Credit: Mel’s Desk

Song: “Shake Your Sillies Out”
Gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
And wiggle my waggles away
(clap my crazies out, stretch my
stretchies out, yawn my sleepies out)
Credit: Raffi

Craft

I saw this on several different pages, through Pinterest, but the post I actually read was from Mud Hut Mama. I thought this craft went well with “Extra Yarn” and the kids had a lot of fun. It was very nice to see their artwork displayed at the daycare facility when I came back next week for Letter Z.

How It Went

I love Letter Y. It is so much easier than Letter X! I had a lot of options, so I got to pick several favorites for storytime. The kids were spellbound by “Extra Yarn.” Not even the attendance check at the top of the hour took them away from the story; Annabelle is truly magical! “Yawn” was a close second favorite. It’s a great guessing game for the kids! The extension activities were perfect, especially when I had “Eli, no!” (yelling), right before “Go Away, Big Yellow Monster.” The kids got to yell along with both stories’ refrains.

November 7, 2012 6 Comments Short URL, Outreach Storytime

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