Tag: tissue paper craft

Hats & Mittens!

The Plan

Books

hatsmittens

One Mitten by Kristine O’Connell George
Red Hat by Lita Judge
The Three Little Kittens by Jerry Pinkney
Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Froggy Gets Dressed”

Flannelboard: “Mitten Match”

Action Rhyme: Mittens
Mittens for the snow time when the world is white
Mittens for my two hands (hold out two hands)
Mittens left or right (show left and right)
Mittens with a thumb place (show thumb)
Mittens warm and snug
Mittens make me feel like a bug in a rug (hug self)
Credit: Perpetual Preschool

Song: Winter Pokey (To the Tune of Hokey-Pokey)
You put your right mitten in,
You take your right mitten out.
You put your right mitten in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the winter pokey, [shiver] and you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!
Other verses: boots, scarf, hat, snowsuit
Credit: Modified from Childhood

Craft

This tissue paper craft was another Oriental Trading craft kit that I bought years ago when it was on clearance. I prepped this craft by attaching the foam outline to the acetate sheet with hot glue so all the preschoolers had to do was glue down the tissue paper with gluesticks, which they love doing.

How It Went

Thursday morning
No one showed up! It was a Polar Vortex week and sometimes these things happen!

Friday morning
The kids loved doing the Winter Hokey Pokey — we probably could have done three or four rounds of it! Their favorite book was definitely “Under My Hood, I Have a Hat”, with “One Mitten” as a fairly close second. They loved matching the mittens on the flannelboard and laughed uproariously when they realized Froggy forgot his underwear.

May 19, 2014 0 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Explore the World: Colors

In response to the STE(A)M movement (and with great thanks to such great inspiration & encouragement from colleagues: Amy, Abby, and Kendra), this past fall I started a STEM storytime series at the library. This is primarily aimed at preschoolers and their families, registration open to ages 3-7 in our library.

exploretheworld

Books & Group Activities

Opening Activity
Building blocks from Kendra.

Books

colorscience

Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin

I started with “Dog’s Colorful Day” since I knew that would be a big hit and that the kids would have a lot of fun identifying the colors as we went. Between books, I pulled out my “Mouse Paint” flannelboard and introduced the concept of blending primary colors to make secondary colors. And then I let “Monsters Love Colors” nail that point home. (It was also a great movement as we danced and wiggled to mix our colors.)

And then it was time for the station activities!

Station Activities


Color Mixing Station
This came from a long ago Flannel Friday from Cate! I used it in a rainbow program several years ago, and will never forget the wonder of the kids’ faces when they opened their hands to reveal a brand new color. I bought play dough to use, with the intention of letting the kids take it home afterwards. You can imagine their excitement at keeping their new colored play dough.

Flashlights and Rainbows
I got this fabulous idea from Amy’s Color Science program. We had some flashlights in our miscellaneous bin from another program, and I took some of our blank CD-Rs for the kids to explore.


Rainbow Milk Experiment
I found a link to this video when looking for color science experiments and was immediately sold on doing it with the milks. We already had food coloring at the library, but I did pick up a gallon of milk and dish soap. The gallon was more than enough to get me through the entire program, even resetting the experiment for each kid. This was by far the “GREATEST. STATION. EVER.” in their opinion. I heard some wonderful observations about colors — my favorite was “It’s turning brown. Like when you mix all the paint. All together, it makes brown!”

Tissue Paper Art
And finally, we did tissue paper art. I had all the materials out to do tissue paper painting, but the kids took the art in a different directions — fine by me! They wound up layering the tissue paper squares to make new colors on their paper. Still a great exercise in being creative and increasing conversations about color mixing!

Take-Home Activities

20140115-114529.jpg

I had a pretty awesome book display up at the table next to the door for the kids to take from.

I also handed out these take-home packets as they left. Inside, there’s a booklist, an activity, and a coloring page. (They love coloring pages!)

October’s theme was “Water Science!” and I’ll post about that in two weeks!

January 15, 2014 6 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Blankets!

The Plan

Books

blankets

Fly Blanky Fly by Anne Margaret Lewis
Kiki’s Blanket by Janie Bynum
No More Blanket for Lambkin by Bernette Ford & Sam Williams
Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket by Tatyana Feeney

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Ten Teddy Bears”

Action Rhyme: “Oh Me, Oh My”
At breakfast time, milk spilled on my blanket! Oh me, oh my!
Have to wash my blanket and hang it out to dry
(Lunch/peanut butter, snack/banana, dinner/spaghetti)
At bedtime, cookie crumbs dropped on my blanket! Oh me, oh my!
Have to shake my blanket out, no time to wash or dry
I need my blanket, it’s time for beddy bye!
Credit: Perry Public Library

Action Rhyme: “Time For Bed”
Time for bed, time for bed (tap watch on wrist)
Fluff up the pillow (pretend to fluff pillow)
Lay down your head (lay head on hands)
Pull up the blanket (sign “blanket”)
Tuck it in tight (hold hands under chin)
Close your eyes (close eyes and tilt head)
And sleep all night (snore)
Credit: Perry Public Library

Rhyme with Scarves: “I Once Had a Blanket”
I once had a blanket, it was fluffy and new
I once had a blanket, and its color was blue!
I once had a blanket, the prettiest I’ve ever seen
I once had a blanket, and its color was green!
I once had a blanket, soft as a pillow
I once had a blanket, and its color was yellow!
I once had a blanket, at the foot of my bed
I once had a blanket, and its color was red!
Credit: Anne’s Library Life

Craft

I recycled my craft from “Letter Q” storytime since it went so well with the kids.

How It Went

I am still so in love with this storytime theme. It was absolutely wonderful and just worked so well with my group. I honestly did not have any misses in any of the books or extension activities. The kids were thrilled when I pulled out the scarves from behind the flannelboard. It was another example of storytime magic!

April 29, 2013 0 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Picnic!

The Plan

Books

The Best Picnic Ever by Clare Jarrett
Mouse’s First Summer by Lauren Thompson
One Watermelon Seed by Celia Barker Lottridge
We’re Going on a Picnic! by Pat Hutchins

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Five Strawberries”

Flannelboard: “Popsicle” (Based on a Jodi Koplin Song)

Flannelboard: “Watermelon Counting”

Action Rhyme: “Going on a Bear Hunt”
We’re going on a bear hunt (We’re going on a bear hunt)
Gonna catch a big one (Gonna catch a big one)
I’m not scared (I’m not scared)
What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!)
Oh look! It’s some long, wavy grass!
Can’t go under it (Can’t go under it)
Can’t go over it (Can’t go over it)
Can’t go around it (Can’t go around it)
Gotta go through it (Gotta go through it!)
(Trees, River, Storm, Cave, etc. until you meet a bear; then run back!)
Credit: Library School

Action Song: “Ants Go Marching”
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah! Hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah! Hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain.
(two, tie his shoe; three, climb a tree; four, shut the door; five, take a dive)
Credit: Childhood

Fingerplay: “Five Hungry Ants”
Five hungry ants, marching in a line
They came upon a picnic, where they could dine
They marched into the salad
They marched into the cake
They marched into the pepper
Oh-uh! That was a mistake!
AAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCHHHHOOOOOOO!
Credit: Miss Mary Liberry

Song: “Watermelon Patch Song” (Tune: “Are You Sleeping?”)
Watermelon, watermelon (make a circle with arms)
On the vine, on the vine (wiggle arms)
Sweet and red and juicy, sweet and red and juicy (rub tummy)
Please be mine! Please be mine! (palms together, pleading)
Credit: Explorastory (Heights Library)

Craft

This craft idea came from a Pinterest pin, but you can read the original blog post at Creative Family Fun. I wove mine for the picture, but it was super hard (for me at least!), so the kids glued tissue paper squares down instead! I got the ant stickers to add some extra fun and the kids loved them!

How It Went

I’m back for fall after a month-long August break of morning storytime. I was so jazzed about this storytime that I woke up probably a dozen times between five a.m. and eight a.m. thinking “IT’S STORYTIME DAY!” And all I have to say is that this storytime session did not disappoint!!

First off, you might notice an upswing in extension activities this fall. My core group of ST kids (from when I started four years ago) are now all in school! So, my average of storytime ages right now is 2.75 and that’s a big change for me. I planned on starting to include more flannelboards and more movement and so far, it is working out awesome.

Okay, on to the theme — picnic worked out great! The weather was still in the nineties in Illinois and with Labor Day weekend being so close, the kids were totally into the theme. Their favorite books were “Mouse’s First Summer” and “The Best Picnic Ever,” with “Best Picnic” being the ultimate best book this week. They had a great time identifying the fruit and veggies in “One Watermelon Seed” as well, but that led to a little bit of side chatter about who likes to eat what. Really, all of the extension activities were ridiculously fun and I think the group had a great time with them!

September 17, 2012 3 Comments Short URL, , Family Storytime

Letter Q!

The Plan

Books

Be Quiet, Mike! by Leslie Patricelli
Little Quack by Lauren Thompson
Mooshka: A Quilt Story by Julie Paschkis
Quarters by Mary Hill
The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill & Laura Huliska-Beith

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter Q”

Flannelboard: “Five Little Ducks”
Five little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only four little ducks came back
Credit: Childhood

Action Rhyme: “Loud and Quiet”
Quietly, quietly not a sound
I’m listening and I’m listening
As I look around
No sounds as I nod (nod)
No sounds as I clap (clap)
No sounds as I tap my hands on my lap (tap)
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap (stamp and clap)
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap (stamp and clap)
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap (stamp and clap)
All that noise, well fancy that!
Credit: Preschool Storytime Outlines

Fingerplay: “Quiet Mouse”
Here’s a quiet little mouse
Living in a quiet little house (hold thumb in fist)
When all was quiet as could be
OUT! popped he! (pop out thumb)
Credit: Mel’s Desk

Craft

I thought up this craft on my own, making up a quick coloring sheet and using the tissue paper squares to make a quilt!

How It Went

This was my first storytime back at daycare in over a month! Bad weather combined with a sudden influx of kids made it very hard for everyone to walk over during the summer months. Once summer reading was over, I started driving back to make it easier on us all. The kids were super excited to have storytime back and they listened very carefully to most of the stories. Things got a little wiggly towards the end, so I did leave out some of the extension activities I had planned. Their favorite books were “Be Quiet, Mike” where they joined me on the refrain and “Little Quack” where they helped me count the ducks!

August 15, 2012 6 Comments Short URL, Outreach Storytime

Camping!

The Plan

Books

Into the Outdoors by Susan Gal
Maisy Goes Camping by Lucy Cousins
Scare a Bear by Kathy-Jo Wargin
Sheep Take a Hike by Nancy Shaw

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Campfire Hokey Pokey”
You put your marshmallow in, you take your marshmallow out
You put your marshmallow in and you shake it all about
You do the campfire pokey and you turn yourself about,
That’s what it’s all about!
(Other verses include hotdog, potato, popcorn, etc.)

Flannelboard: “Five Little Kernels”
Five little kernels sizzling in the pot
All of a sudden, one went POP!
(Countdown)

Action Rhyme: “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”
We’re going on a bear hunt (We’re going on a bear hunt)
Gonna catch a big one (Gonna catch a big one)
I’m not scared (I’m not scared)
What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!)
Oh look! It’s some long, wavy grass!
Can’t go under it (Can’t go under it)
Can’t go over it (Can’t go over it)
Can’t go around it (Can’t go around it)
Gotta go through it (Gotta go through it!)
(Trees, River, Storm, Cave, etc. until you meet a bear; then run back!)
Credit: Library School

Fingerplay: “Here is the Camper”
Here is the camper (hold up finger)
Here is the tent (bend fingers of other hand like tent)
He crawls inside on a summer night (finger goes under)
Fireflies flicker in a friendly way (flicker your hands)
All is calm till the light of day (head on folded hands)
Credit: Sturgis Kids

Song: “Twinkle Twinkle”

Craft

This was another pre-packaged craft from Oriental Trading. I had a lot of sibling sets at storytime, and this was definitely a reach for the youngest kids, so I would suggest it for preschool storytime and up. Luckily, I had some great moms who let their little ones make whatever kind of mishmash campfire they wanted!

How It Went

I wasn’t sure how this theme would work, because I honestly wasn’t sure if any of my kids had ever been camping. Luckily, lots of kids HAD been camping! I started with “Into the Outdoors” which turned out to be a great primer for those who hadn’t gone camping before. “Going on a Bear Hunt” was a RIDICULOUS good time!! I already made a flannelboard to go with it because I know I will be repeating it. The transition between “Maisy Goes Camping” and “Five Little Kernels” was amazingly (not planned) fluid since Maisy and her friends pop out of their tent and that’s the sound that popcorn makes! This was, overall, just a wonderful amazing storytime and a great send-off as I got ready to go to ALA Annual.

July 9, 2012 6 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Letter O!

The Plan

Books

I’m Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Octopus Opposites by Stella Blackstone and Stephanie Bauer
Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera
One Love by Cedella and Bob Marley

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter O”

Flannelboard: “Open Up the Barn Door”
Open up the barn door, the spring goes “Boink.”
There’s a pig in the barn, saying, “Oink, oink, oink.”
Open up the barn door before the clock strikes two.
There’s a cow in the barn, saying, “Moo, moo, moo.”
Open up the barn door, it’s a sunny day.
There’s a horse in the barn, saying, “Neigh, neigh, neigh.”
Open up the barn door, singing, “Tra-la-la.”
There’s a sheep in the barn, saying, “Baa, baa, baa.”
Open up the barn door, while the sky is blue.
There’s a rooster in the barn, saying, “Cock-a-doodle-do!”
Open up the barn door and don’t get off the track.
There’s a duck in the barn, saying, “Quack, quack, quack.”
Credit: Addison Public Library

Action Rhyme: “Old Shoes, New Shoes”
Old shoes, new shoes,
(Child) is wearing (description) shoes
One, two, three four,
Now I stomp them on the floor!
Credit: Preschool Education

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: “One, Two, Three, Four, Five”
Credit: Childhood

Craft

This craft idea came from No Time for Flashcards, which I found on Pinterest. I printed out Letter O coloring pages and used some tissue paper scraps from the last time we made windsocks with the grade-school kids.

How It Went

Whenever I am feeling weary of work or summer reading, I am re-energized by my daycare group. These kids are just so genuinely happy to see me and the library — I feel like a rock-star when they come in! I read two of my favorite EVER storytime books: “I’m Not Cute” and “I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean,” which of course wound up being their favorites. And I did sing “Old MacDonald” and thought about singing “One Love,” but decided against it at the last minute. They had a lot of fun gluing down the tissue papers and their octopuses turned out beautifully!

July 4, 2012 2 Comments Short URL, Outreach Storytime

Letter K!

The Plan

Books

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too? by Eric Carle
I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy
Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman
Kitten Red Yellow Blue by Peter Catalanotto
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Puzzle: “Letter K”

Flannelboard: “Kites”

Action: “Different Kinds of Kisses”
Grandma kisses (grab cheeks and squeeze)
Fish kisses (purse lips and move them)
Movie star kisses (blow big ones)
Rabbit kisses (wiggle nose)
Dog kisses (stick out your tongue and lick)
Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Action Song: “Here We Go Jumping”
Here we go jumping high,
Here we go jumping low.
Here we go jumping around,
That’s how a kangaroo goes.
Here we go jumping fast,
Here we go jumping slow.
Here we go jumping everywhere,
That’s how a kangaroo goes.
Credit: Baraboo Public Library

Fingerplay: “Two Little Kittens”
Two little kittens sitting on a hill
One named Jack, the other named Jill
Run away Jack, run away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill
Credit Modified from Childhood

Craft

This was a very simple craft to do. I modeled it after an Oriental Trading craft that I did last year at this time, but just used paper supplies instead of foam since I had thirty crafts to prep for. The kids really enjoyed watching me curl the curling ribbon, they kept saying that I was using magic.

How It Went

I just have to keep writing what a dream group this daycare group is; they are fully engaged in the material, they participate with me, and they retain knowledge from the previous weeks’ storytimes, so I know that these hours are mattering to them! Letter K was an especially fun storytime to do because the kids kept pointing out that my name starts with “K.” In our flannelboard puzzle this week, I put a picture of myself on it and saved it for last. The kids laughed really hard when I pulled my picture out since they have been telling me the whole time that I started with “K.”

May 16, 2012 7 Comments Short URL, , Outreach 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!

May 7, 2012 8 Comments Short URL, , Family Storytime