Christmas!

Last year, I presented a Christmas themed storytime (separate from our regular sessions) for families. By the time I had written everything about it up, it was January! So I saved it to post for this holiday season. So, here it is — in the old blog format — a Christmas storytime!

First up, I opened with “Bear Stays Up For Christmas” by Karma Wilson.

I love the Bear series! This story is very sweet, as Bear’s friends to try to keep him awake for Christmas. This led to a couple different reminders/discussions about how bears sleep for winter. The kids were very into trying to help keep Bear up — they really wanted him to see Christmas.

After, I read “I Love Christmas” by Anna Walker.

I love the simplicity in this book. There is one page spread in this one that refers to a nativity — I read it at my storytime, but my community is very Catholic, so be aware! This book was definitely a favorite of the group. It spurred many discussions on what their favorite parts of Christmas were. Next, I introduced our first song:

Action Song: “Let’s All Do a Little Clapping” (Tune: We Wish You a Merry Christmas)
Let’s all do a little clapping
Let’s all do a little clapping
Let’s all do a little clapping
And spread Christmas cheer.
(Jumping, bending, twirling)
Credit: Preschool Education

The kids really got into this song, there were tons of giggles during it and after. To settle them down again, I launched right into our fingerplay:

Fingerplay: “Here is the Chimney”
Here is the chimney (Make fist, enclose thumb)
Here is the top (Palm of hand on top of fist)
Open the lid (Remove hand quickly)
And out Santa will pop (Pop up thumb)
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

And then it was time for our next book, “I’m Not Santa!” by Jonathan Allen.

Little Owl is a favorite character at my library. The kids just love learning what his “I’m not” saying is for the book and shouting it along with me. It was time for another fingerplay:

Fingerplay: “Christmas Time”
See the snowflakes falling (Wiggle fingers down like snow)
See the candles glow (Hold up one finger)
See the wreaths upon the door (Make circle with hands)
It’s Christmas time, I know! (Clap)
Credit: The Holiday Zone

Next, we read “The Three Bears’ Christmas” by Kathy Duval.

This was a find from the shelf — when I was shelf-reading. It was a great read because it has a built-in guessing game and a pattern just like Goldilocks. The kids were so excited to tell me that Santa was coming, each and every page spread. Then it was time for a little traditional music with some motions for the kids:

Action Song: “Up on the Housetop”
Up on the housetop, reindeer pause (point up)
Out jumps good old Santa Claus (jump)
Down through the chimney with lots of toys (point down)
All for the little ones, Christmas joys
Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go? (make Santa belly, shrug shoulders)
Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go? (make Santa belly, shrug shoulders)
Up on the housetop, click, click, click (snap fingers)
Down through the chimney with good St. Nick (touch ground)
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

Our flannelboard: “Ten Little Snowmen” was an in-house flannel set. I used the version that is sung to “Michael Finnigan/Ten Little Indians.” Then our last book was “Jingle-Jangle” by Nicola Smee.

This is pretty much a Christmas version of “Clip-Clop” which is one of my very favorite storytime books. During this one, I bought out our jingle bell sets and pretty much let the kids shake them as I turned the page. At the end of the storytime, we sang “Jingle Bells” before starting our craft:

Scratch art is a favorite of everyone at the library and I really liked the gingerbread house!

December 19, 2011 10 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

ALSC: Preschool Programming Beyond Storytime

newalscblog

Today, I’m talking about one of my favorite topics *besides* storytime — preschool programming! Join me at the ALSC blog to see what kind of programs work well with my preschoolers and their families.

December 16, 2011 0 Comments Short URLALSC Post

Flannel Friday: Knights

Another inspired by Flannel Friday for me. This week’s rhyme comes from Storytime Moxie!

Five Knights in Shining Armor
Five knights in shining armor,
Fearless and brave,
Went dragon hunting deep in a cave.
The dragon started breathing fire,
The knights’ knees were all aquiver,
So one little knight too off for the river!
(repeat counting down to zero)

I used this just this week in Fairy Tale storytime. My little boys loved these knights! And I had a great time making them!

And on a more personal note, I want to wish you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons! I have had a wonderful time presenting storytimes and writing up these posts, but it means so much more to know that others are reading and getting inspired from what I’m doing. Thank you for reading!

—

Don’t forget — Flannel Friday will be back in 2012!

Linda is hosting the round-up (for the first time!) this week.

Melissa started this. Anne also has the archive.

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.

December 16, 2011 12 Comments Short URLFlannels

Emotions!

The Plan

Books

Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
I Feel Happy & Sad & Angry & Glad by Mary Murphy
If You’re Happy and You Know It! by Jane Cabrera
Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: Feelings by Kristen Balouch

Fingerplay: “Frogs”
One, two, three, four, five (hold up hand and count fingers)
Five little frogs standing in a row
This little frog stubbed his toe (point to each finger, following the rhyme)
This little frog said, “Oh, Oh, Oh!”
This little frog laughed and was glad
This little frog cried and was sad
This little frog, so thoughtful and good,
Ran for the doctor as fast as he could
Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Rhyme: “If You Chance to Meet a Frown”
If you chance to meet a frown
Do not let it stay
Quickly turn it upside down
And smile that frown away!
Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Song: “Skinnamarink”
Skinnamarinky, dinky, dink
Skinnamarinky, doo, I love you!
Skinnamarinky, dinky, dink
Skinnamarinky, doo, I love you!
I love you in the morning and in the afternoon
I love you in the evening, underneath the moon
Oh, skinnamarinky, dinky, dink
Skinnamarinky, doo, I love you!
Credit: Childhood

Craft

How It Went

Well, I’m back to only doing one storytime a week right now. I’m planning on doing daycare outreach after the month of December since my library is closed on two of the Fridays; I was on vacation for the first two; and it seems silly to just do one storytime out of the whole session.

So, Thursday morning’s group — they had a great time with this theme. I had some great participation, and two brothers just STOLE my heart. During “Llama Llama Mad at Mama,” one of the page spreads has a picture of Llama Llama throwing a tantrum. When I got to that page, I asked, “What is Llama Llama doing?” One of the brothers answered, “Eating the toilet paper.” (And indeed, it does look like Llama Llama was eating the toilet paper!) Then, during “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” they both stopped to give their mom kisses when one of the animals blew kisses. So sweet!

This group’s favorite book was definitely “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” though all of the books were huge successes anyways!

December 13, 2011 4 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Flannelboard: “Feelings”

Hooray! It’s Flannel Friday!

Today, I bring you a flannelized version of “Feelings” by Kristen Balouch.

I used this in my emotions storytime two weeks ago. It’s a very sweet board book that has the animals feeling different things before finally attending a party together. I really wanted to use the story since it was so approachable for younger kids (my 1s and 2s). After storytime and craft was over, several of my kids met back up at the feltboard and retold the stories for their parents. It was super cute.

Liz is hosting the round-up (for the first time!) this week.

Melissa started this. Anne also has the archive.

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.

December 9, 2011 5 Comments Short URLFlannels

Owls!

The Plan

Books

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
I’m Not Cute by Jonathan Allen
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Whoo? Whoo? by David A. Carter
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood

Extension Activities

Action Song: “Owl Hokey Pokey”
You put your right wing in
You put your right wing out
You put your right wing in
And you flap it all about
You do the owl pokey and you fly yourself around
That’s what it’s all about! Hoo, hoo!
(left wing, right claw, left claw, beak, whole self)
Credit: Ms. Hegna’s Storyroom

Song: “Owl In the Tree”
Owl in the tree says, “who, who, who?”
Owl in the tree says, “who, who, who?”
Owl in the tree says, “who, who, who?”
Who, who, who are you?
Credit: Ms. Hegna’s Storyroom

Fingerplay: “Wide-Eyed Owl”
There’s a wide-eyed owl (circle your eyes with your hands)
With a pointed nose (make a beak with your fingers)
Two pointed ears (make ears with your fingers)
And claws for toes (wiggle your “claws”)
He lives way up in the tree (point way up)
And when he looks at you (point to children)
He flaps his wings (flap your wings)
And says, “Whoo! Whoo!” (say “whoo whoo”)
Credit: Wilmette Public Library

Flannelboard: “Five Hoot Owls”
Five hoot owls sitting in a tree
One flew away! How many do you see?
One, two, three, four. (count down)
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

Craft

I picked this up at Michaels — it came in a kit and was self-stick. It’s supposed to be an owl picture frame, but none of the kids wanted to leave space to put a picture. That was fine by me!

How It Went

Thursday morning
Had a really good, energetic storytime. The kids loved the extension activities for this theme. Their favorite books were “I’m Not Cute!” and “Wow! Said the Owl.” We had a great time!

Friday morning
This was a much rockier storytime than I expected. I had a class of two-year-olds and my class of four-year-olds didn’t show. So, I wound up shortening much of storytime because my two-year-olds had a much harder time paying attention without the four-year-olds to model that behavior for them. No biggie, though, librarians need to be able to adjust, right? We wound up skipping “Owl Babies” and “A Book of Sleep.” Their favorite book was “Whoo? Whoo?”

November 16, 2011 10 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Pumpkins and Apples!

The Plan

Books

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
Ducking for Apples by Lynne Berry
It’s Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch by Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “Apple Roll”
Five little apples in the bowl
One fell out and started to roll
It bumped the table and hit my feet
How many apples left to eat?
(Count down)
Credit: Best Kids Book Site

Action Rhyme: “Pumpkin, Pumpkin”
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a circle)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball! (make a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a circle)
Credit: Step by Step — Pumpkin Theme

Fingerplay: “Way Up High In the Apple Tree”
Way up high in the apple tree (stretch arms up high)
I saw two apples looking at me (hold up two fingers)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (make a shaking motion)
Down came the apples… (make a downward motion)
And mmm, they were good! (smile and rub stomach)
Credit: Childhood

Flannelboard: “Five Little Apples”
Five little apples hung in a tree
The farmer wasn’t looking
Guess who came to eat?
A rabbit! Munch, munch, munch!
(Other animals: A mouse, a crow, a turtle, a bat.)
Credit: Storytime Secrets

Flannelboard: “Five Little Pumpkins”

Craft

Another kit from Oriental Trading. This one was not self-stick, so I had the kids use Glue Dots to attach the pieces to the plate.

How It Went

Thursday morning
Again, my showstopper was my flannelboard/puppet show. I used puppets to “munch” the apples and flipped them around. Other than that, I think that the most enjoyed book for this group was “Apples and Pumpkins.” A lot of the kids had gone to an apple orchard with their families this year, so this book echoed that experience.

Friday morning
This group really got into “Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch” — mostly because I oinked a lot and they think that’s pretty funny. They also really enjoyed the flannelboard activity and getting pats and kisses from the puppets at the end of storytime.

November 14, 2011 6 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

ALSC: Go-to Authors

newalscblog

Yesterday, I talked about my favorite go-to authors in storytime at the ALSC blog. Who can you always count on to entertain kids and make you feel like a rock star librarian? Let me know!

November 11, 2011 0 Comments Short URLALSC Post

Flannel Friday: Six Little Bumblebees

I have a set of bumblebees and a hive that were purchased here at this library, but since I love this rhyme and will use it forever, I wanted to make my own version. (And since I am really enjoying sewing on my flannels, I did sew as much as I can on these bees.) This is another clip art flannel — I just googled “hive” and “bee” and used some clip art.

Here’s the rhyme I use with this flannel:

Six little bumblebees sitting on a hive
One flew away and then there were five
Bumblebee, bumblebee fly away!
Bumblebee, bumblebee happy all day!
Five little bumblebees sitting on the floor
One flew away and then there were four
Bumblebee, bumblebee fly away!
Bumblebee, bumblebee happy all day!
Four little bumblebees sitting in the tree
One flew away and then there were three
Bumblebee, bumblebee fly away!
Bumblebee, bumblebee happy all day!
Three little bumblebees looking at you
One flew away and then there were two
Bumblebee, bumblebee fly away!
Bumblebee, bumblebee happy all day!
Two little bumblebees sitting in the sun
One flew away and then there was one
Bumblebee, bumblebee fly away!
Bumblebee, bumblebee happy all day!
One little bumblebee left all alone
He flew away, safe to his home
Credit: Modified from Monkey Business Creative

Sharon has the round-up this week. Melissa started this. Anne also has the archive. 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.

November 11, 2011 7 Comments Short URLFlannels

Apples!

The Plan

Books

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
Ducking for Apples by Lynne Barry
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “Apple Roll”
Five little apples in the bowl
One fell out and started to roll
It bumped the table and hit my feet
How many apples left to eat?
(count down)
Credit: Best Kids Book Site

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

Fingerplay: “Way Up High In the Apple Tree”
Way up high in the apple tree,
I saw two apples looking at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came the apples, and mmmm, they were good!
Credit: Childhood

Flannelboard: “Five Little Apples”
Five little apples hung in a tree
The farmer wasn’t looking.
So guess who came to eat?
A rabbit! Munch, munch, munch!
(Mouse, crow, turtle, bat)
Now the tree is bare
There are no more apples there
But when next fall comes around
Guess who’ll be there!
The rabbit, the mouse, the crow, the turtle, and the bat!
Credit: Storytime Secrets

Craft


I found this idea on Pinterest! I found up making my teen volunteers cut out the tissue paper apples, but this would be much easier if you had a die-cut machine.

How It Went

Friday afternoon
This was a requested storytime from a local daycare class (different from my three regular daycares); apples were their theme this week. The kids had a great time with all of the apple themed fun. Favorite book was probably “Apple Farmer Annie” — I heard a lot of choruses of “I eat applesauce!” “I eat apples!” “I eat apple pie!” during that one.

November 9, 2011 12 Comments Short URLOutreach Storytime

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