Jobs!

The Plan

Books

Bark, George by Jules Feifer
Kitten Red Yellow Blue by Peter Catalanotto
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker
Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington
Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”

Flannelboard: “Down Around the Corner”

Action Rhyme: “Hurry Hurry”
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!
(Turn the corner, spray the water, climb the ladder, save the people)
Credit: Childhood

Fingerplay: “Pat-a-Cake”
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Roll it and pat it and mark it with a “B”
And put it in the oven for baby and me!
Credit: Childhood

Craft

This was a quick craft, just a coloring sheet that I made up in Publisher and captioned. My favorite kid creation was a superhero/soldier combination. We also had a lot of notable firefighters and quite a few princesses.

How It Went

I really enjoyed doing this theme and absolutely loved the books that I choose for it. A big thank you to Katie at Storytime Secrets for introducing me to “Kitten Red Yellow Blue” which was the biggest hit of storytime! And of course, to Melissa at Mel’s Desk for the “Down Around the Corner” rhyme which the kids LOVED doing and they had a great time playing with my flannel cookies pieces (which will be this Flannel Friday’s feature!).

April 9, 2012 4 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Flannel Friday: Bunnies!

When Andrea first posted her Flannel Friday contribution of these amazing bunny fingerpuppets from Purl Bee, I was IN LOVE. But…at the time, I was not a confident sewer and I didn’t feel like I could handle it. Fast-forward almost a year and…

BUNNIES! The cutting took me about an hour, and the sewing averaged out to be a half-hour per bunny! And yes, I did the full Martha and made my own little yarn pompoms. I made these for Easter storytime (that didn’t happen), but will also be using it at spring storytime, and if I do a bunny storytime again.

I will be using this rhyme with them:

“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.)

—

Erin is hosting this week’s Flannel Friday — you can find the round-up at her blog! Melissa is the founder of Flannel Friday! Anne has the archive and schedule of who is hosting Flannel Friday.

And you can also follow the Flannel Friday Pinterest account. And Flannel Friday has its own Facebook page! If you participate in Flannel Friday, Melissa has a button if you want to link up to us here.

April 6, 2012 9 Comments Short URLFlannels

Letter G!

The Plan

Books

At the Supermarket by Anne Rockwell
Gorilla Gorilla by Jeanne Willis
Higher, Higher by Leslie Patricelli
My Garden by Kevin Henkes
Two at the Zoo by Danna Smith

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Go Away, Big Green Monster”

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter G”

Action Rhyme: “My Garden”
This is my garden
I’ll rake it with care (make raking motion)
And then some flower seeds (pat the ground)
I’ll plant them there
The sun will shine (make circle with hands)
And the rain will fall (let fingers flutter down)
And my garden will blossom
And grow straight and tall (cup hand together, extend upward slowly)
Credit: Step by Step — Garden Theme

Fingerplay: “Grandma’s Glasses”
These are Grandma’s glasses
This is Grandma’s hat
This is the way she folds her hands
And lays them in her lap
Here are Grandpa’s glasses
And here is Grandpa’s hat
And here’s the way he folds his arms
And takes a little nap
Credit: Childhood

Song: “Sticky Bubblegum”
Sticky, sticky, bubblegum, bubblegum, bubblegum
Sticky, sticky, bubblegum, sticking your hands to your head
Un-stick!
Credit: Local Daycare (They taught this to me while they were waiting for the bus to take them back to school. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this song.)

Craft

I came up with this craft on my own forgot I saw this craft on Abby’s, googled the template, and bought some label stickers for the kids to use as gumballs. This was a great idea, and worked very well with my daycare group! [Edited to add: I clearly subconsciously remembered Abby doing this and thought it was my own idea!]

How It Went

Letter G was a hard one to find books that I liked, for whatever reason. I had a lot of good topics brainstormed (grandparents, giraffes, gorillas, grapes, groceries, gardens, girls) and it took me a while to find books that worked. I was super pleased that I put the extra effort into it because I found a lot of storytime gems. “Gorilla Gorilla” was a huge success and the kids also really enjoyed “At the Supermarket.” Kevin Henkes is one of my favorite storytime authors and “My Garden” was again a rousing success. Their favorite activity was definitely “Go Away Big Green Monster” and the “Sticky Bubblegum” song. All in all, another wonderful storytime session.

April 4, 2012 8 Comments Short URL, Outreach 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!

April 2, 2012 6 Comments Short URLOutreach Storytime

Letter F!

The Plan

Books

Big Frog Can’t Fit In by Mo Willems
Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig
Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins
Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera
A Splendid Friend Indeed by Suzanne Bloom

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Five Green and Speckled Frogs”

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter F”

Action Rhyme: “The Frog”
Croak said the frog, (make croaking sound)
With his golden eyes. (fists up to eyes)
Sitting on a lily pad, (crouch on the ground)
Catching flies. (grab air with hand)
I have a sticky tongue, (stick out tongue)
It’s as fast as can be…
And I catch the mosquitoes (catch bugs again),
1-2-3. (count on three fingers)
Credit: Child Fun

Fingerplay: “Two Friends”
Two little friends are better than one,
And three are better than two
And four are much better still
Just think! What four little friends can do!
Credit: King County Library System

Song: “One, Two, Three, Four, Five”
One, two, three, four, five, (hold up fingers one by one, while counting)
Once I caught a fish alive. (put hands together and wiggle like a fish)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, (hold up fingers one by one, while counting)
Then I threw it back again. (make throwing motion)
Why did you let it go? (hold hands out asking why)
Because it bit my finger so. (shake hand, as if hurt)
Which finger did it bite? (hold hands out asking why)
This little finger on my right. (wiggle pinky finger)
Credit: Childhood

Craft

This is a craft that I came up on my own. I printed up fish from a Google Image clip art search and then had my teens cut and tie the fish onto the yarn. The kids LOVED this craft and had a great time with their strings of fish.

How It Went

This was a great letter — so many different topics to choose from — and it was a very fun storytime to do. There was a lot of singing with this plan and my daycare kids really make an effort to sing along with me, even if they don’t know all the words. The only thing that didn’t work well was “A Splendid Friend Indeed.” I’ve used it before and it went very well, but it didn’t hold the daycare’s attention like I thought it would.

March 28, 2012 1 Comment Short URL, Outreach Storytime

Names!

The Plan

Books

From Anne to Zach by Mary Jane Martin
My Father Knows the Name of Things by Jane Yolen
My Name Is Elizabeth by Annika Dunklee and Matthew Forsythe
Naming the Cat by Lawrence Pringle
Princess Baby by Karen Katz

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “BINGO”

Action Rhyme: “My Name Is…”
Hi, my name is Joe
And I work in a button factory
One day, my boss said to me, “Joe, are you busy?”
I said no.
“Push the button with your right hand.”
(keeping pushing with right hand; add left hand, right foot, left foot)
…
One day, my boss said to me, “Joe are you busy?”
I said yes!!
Credit: Childhood

Action Rhyme: “Sing Hello”
Stand up (child’s name) stand up (child’s name)
Turn around, turn around
Reach up high to the sky
Reach back down, touch the ground
Sit back down, sit back down
Credit: A to Z Kids Stuff

Activity: “Name Train”
The name train is coming
Get on board! Choo-choo
The name train is coming
Get on board! Choo-choo
…
Welcome to…(child’s name)
Get on board! Choo-choo
(repeat until all kids are on board)
Credit: Modified from A to Z Kids Stuff

Craft

Originally found on Pinterest, this craft idea comes from Tippytoe Crafts. My volunteers assembled the cars/wheels and engine/wheels. The kids were able to write their names (some with parent’s help, of course) and put together their train.

How It Went

I had a pretty bad cold during this storytime and I think that, unfortunately, it suffered because of how I was feeling. The biggest hit from this storytime was “Princess Baby.” BINGO was also a great song/flannel to do with them and all the kids cracked up during “My Name Is…” when I was doing all the motions. The name train was a sudden stroke of genius when I pulled out my wooden train whistle and we marched around the room. Everyone hopped on the train then!

March 26, 2012 8 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Flannel Friday: The Lorax Dice Game

Quite a few weeks ago (nearly a month!), I did a Kids’ Art for Dr. Seuss’s birthday. (Kids’ Art is my cleverly disguised storytime with a large art project for ages 3-7.) While we wait for the paint to dry, I read a couple of books, occasionally sing songs/do rhymes, and play games. This month, our game was this amazing flannelboard game:

I originally got this idea from Smashed Peas and Carrots, via Pinterest. We rolled a giant inflatable dice to build our Lorax and this was the runaway hit of the program. Afterwards, I had moms asking me for the pattern to make at home!

—

Cate is hosting this week’s Flannel Friday — you can find the round-up at her blog! Melissa is the founder of Flannel Friday! Anne has the archive and schedule of who is hosting Flannel Friday.

And you can also follow the Flannel Friday Pinterest account. And Flannel Friday has its own Facebook page! If you participate in Flannel Friday, Melissa has a button if you want to link up to us here.

March 23, 2012 3 Comments Short URLFlannels

Letter E!

The Plan

Books

Chew, Chew, Gulp! by Lauren Thompson
Elmer by David McKee
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Five For a Little One by Christ Raschka
I Drive a Fire Engine by Sarah Bridges

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter E”

Flannelboard: “Elephants in the Bathtub”
One elephant in the bathtub going for a swim
Knock, knock (clap twice)
Splash, splash (slap knees twice)
Come on in! (motion with both hands)
…
Five elephants in the bathtub going for a swim
Knock, knock (clap twice)
Splash, splash (slap knees twice)
They all fell in! (knock the felt pieces down)

Action Rhyme: “Hurry, Hurry”
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (ring bell)
Turn the corner (lean over to one side, then the other)
climb the ladder (pretend to climb)
spray the water (pretend to spray a hose)
Credit: Childhood

Fingerplay: “Eat an Apple”
Eat an apple (bright hand to mouth)
Save the core (close hand in fist)
Plant the seeds (touch the ground)
And grow some more (extend arms up)
Credit: Best Kids Book Site

Craft

I came up with this idea on my own. All of the elephant crafts that I found were adorable, but not practical given that I only have access to crayons and glue at the daycare. So, I decided to spice up a regular coloring sheet by turning it into a puzzle! The kids really enjoyed the puzzle aspect and a lot of them colored their own version of Elmer.

How It Went

Nearly the whole daycare was sick this week, so the kids were very quiet and not their normal boisterous selves. "Elmer" was probably the biggest hit as this group of kids LOVES naming colors. I got the kids to be absolutely silent during "Five for a Little One" as we listened with our ears to hear what we could. It was so quiet, we could hear the clock ticking the seconds down!

March 21, 2012 2 Comments Short URL, Outreach Storytime

Houses and Homes!

The Plan

Books

At My House by Priddy Books
Do Lions Live on Lily Pads? by Melanie Walsh
The House In the Night by Susan Marie Swanson
Leap Back Home to Me by Lauren Thompson
A New House for Mouse by Petr Horacek

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “A House for Birdie”

Flannelboard Game: “Maisy Mouse”

Fingerplay: “Here is a House”
Here is a house built up high (hands over head to make a roof)
With two big chimneys reaching for the sky (raise arms up high)
Here is a window (draw a square)
Here is a door (pretend to open a door)
If we look inside (peek through fingers)
There’s a mouse on the floor! (scamper fingers away)
Credit: Perry Public Library

Fingerplay: “Houses”
Here is a nest for robin (cup both hands)
Here is a hive for bee (fists together)
Here is a hole for bunny (make a circle)
And here is a house for ME! (make a roof)
Credit: Perry Public Library

Craft

I found this AMAZING craft idea on Pinterest, but it’s originally from Snippety Gibbet. My volunteers filled the houses with some paper towels so that the preschoolers could push on them without squishing the whole paper bag. I had pre-cut circles and squares for them to make into windows or doors or whatever they wanted.

How It Went

This was a pretty fun theme to do — I really loved the extension activities that I found and so did the kids. As for books, they have a great time guessing in the lift-the-flap book, “At My House.” They also were very vocal when I read “Do Lions Live on Lilypads?” — they love telling me when the book is wrong! And the craft was very well received by kids and parents. They had a lot of creativity opportunities, drawing what was in their yards. Some drew flowers, some added in pathways or driveways, some drew cars. It was an excellent craft; absolutely recommended!

March 19, 2012 14 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Flannel Friday: Farm Finger Puppets

I purchased the amazing pattern for these finger puppets from Floral Blossom’s Etsy shop.

The pattern is wonderfully easy to follow (this was honestly my first time following a pattern that involved sewing) and I had no trouble making these. (I actually made them on the plane and in my hotel room at ALA Midwinter, haha!)

I haven’t used them in storytime yet, but obviously farm animals have a lot of potential!

—

Angela is hosting this week’s Flannel Friday — you can find the round-up at her blog! Melissa is the founder of Flannel Friday! Anne has the archive and schedule of who is hosting Flannel Friday.

And you can also follow the Flannel Friday Pinterest account. And Flannel Friday has its own Facebook page! If you participate in Flannel Friday, Melissa has a button if you want to link up to us here.

March 16, 2012 2 Comments Short URLFlannels

Newer Entries
Older Entries