I cannot believe that our fall Storytime session is now over. What a fast 8 weeks that was! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to once again do what I love to do. Thank you all for coming and singing and being silly with me. I had fun! Here is our last session in review...
Peek-a-Zoo!
by Marie Torres Cimarusti
Kids play peek-a-boo with a different animal found at the zoo, guessing what it is,
then lifting the flap to find out. Each animal has a different sound
that becomes part of the peek-a-boo game.
Guess who? "Peek-a-roar!"
If You're Happy and You Know It!
by Jane Cabrera
Clap along with a silly monkey, stamp your feet with an elephant and roar out loud with a lion!
This popular song comes alive with Jane Cabrera's beautiful and lively illustrations.
I am a big fan of her books!
Do Crocs Kiss?
by Salina Yoon
Do crocs cry?
Do crocs clap?
All I know is crocs go SNAP!
This is a fun book with easy text and colourful illustrations. Children will delight in
lifting the flap to discover what sounds the animals make (and happily make them out loud!).
Next we did the flannel board to this children's classic ....
And finally, we got up and sang this one...
Once again, thank you all for joining me in this adventure. I truly enjoyed meeting all of you and having fun at the Library together. I will continue to write and update this blog with book recommendations, reviews and literary tips. I hope I can inspire you to continue to read with your children.
This is what happened at our Halloween Storytime last week. It was wonderful to see all of the little ones in their costumes! I hope everyone had fun trick or treating!
We Clap and Sing Hello!
(tune: Farmer in the Dell)
We clap and sing hello!
We clap and sing hello!
With our friends at storytime,
we clap and sing hello!
We stomp and say hello!
We stomp and say hello!
With our friends at storytime,
we stomp and say hello!
We wave and say hello!
We wave and say hello!
With our friends at storytime,
we wave and say hello!
Our first story:
Is the pumpkin under the leaves, behind the curtain, under the bed? NO! But Baby finds many other surprises as a ghost, a witch's hat, cute-as-a-button bats, and candy apples are found beneath each flap. Finally after Baby finds her pumpkin, she's ready to go trick-or-treating and the final flap reveals a Halloween extravaganza!
We then sang 5 Little Pumpkins together...
Our Second Story:
Duck and Goose, where is your pumpkin? Is it in the log? Is it under the leaves? Is it in the apple tree?
After reading these cute Halloween stories it was time to get up and dance!
We did Halloween versions of the Hokey Pokey and If You're Happy and You Know it.
Such fun!
The Hooky Spooky
You put your pumpkin head in,
you take your pumpkin head out.
You put your pumpkin head in
and you shake it all about.
You do the hooky spooky
and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about...BOO!
You put your witchy nails in,
you take your witchy nails out.
You put your witchy nails in
and you shake them all about.
You do the hooky spooky
and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about... BOO!
Continue on with the following (or make up some of your own!)
~zombie arms
~ghost self
If You're a Ghost and You Know it
If you’re a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!
If you’re a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!
If you’re a ghost and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you’re a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!
If you’re a black cat and you know it, say MEOW……
If you’re a skeleton and you know it, Shake your bones……
If you love Halloween and you know it, clap your hands…….
Our Third Story:
At the edge of town lives a clever girl with a spooky problem: Her house is haunted! Luckily, she happens to be a witch and knows a little something about taking care of ghosts.
We ended our session by singing a spooky version of Old MacDonald Had a Farm...
Old MacMonster Had a House
Old MacMonster had a house
oo-ee-oo-ee-o!
And in that house there lived a witch
oo-ee-oo-ee-o!
With a cackle, cackle here,
and a cackle, cackle there,
here a cackle,
there a cackle,
everywhere a cackle, cackle.
Old MacMonster had a house
oo-ee-oo-ee-o!
Additional Verses:
~Skeleton- rattle, rattle
~Bat- screech, screech
~Ghost- Boo, Boo
I had fun reading to and singing with all of you. Until next week;
Sorry folks, it's been a busy week and I realize that this post is late. I was called in to supply teach this week and had to change gears from Storytime to grade seven! Yikes! Somehow singing Shake Your Sillies Out didn't seem to cut it when those tweens were having trouble focusing on my Science lesson. LOL! Here is a re-cap of some of the songs and stories we enjoyed together in Family Storytime this week;
We did a flannel board adaptation of this story by Bill Martin Jr.
Spider on the Floor
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Who could ask for anything more, than a spider on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Now the spider's on my leg, on my leg.
Now the spider's on my leg, on my leg.
Oh, he's really, really big, this spider on my leg!
Now the spider's on my leg, on my leg.
Now the spider's on my stomach, on my stomach.
Now the spider's on my stomach, on my stomach!
Oh, he's just a big old lummox, this spider on my stomach.
Now the spider's on my stomach, on my stomach!
Now the spider's on my neck, on my neck!
Now the spider's on my neck on my neck!
Oh, I'm gonna be a wreck, I've got a spider on my neck!
Now the spider's on my neck on my neck!
Now the spider's on my face, on my face!
Now the spider's on my face, on my face!
Oh, what a big disgrace, I've got a spider on my face!
Now the spider's on my face, on my face
Now the spider's on my head, on my head!
Now the spider's on my head, on my head!
Oh, I am filled with dread. I've got a spider on my head!
Now the spider's on my head, on my head!
But he jumps off!
Now there's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Who could ask for anything more, than a spider on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
You can find this song and many more on this CD...
which is available at the Library, just click here!
That's it for this week. I look forward to seeing everyone next week as we celebrate Halloween a little bit early with some not so spooky songs and stories!
Yesterday was our third Family Storytime session and I'm happy to say that we are all getting into the swing of things. It makes me so happy to see the children smiling and dancing along to my songs and fingerplays. I feel that a good storytime needs to have right mix of repetition and new material. Children need repetition at this age, therefore I only introduce a few new songs each week. I post all song lyrics here so that parents and caregivers can reference the words. It makes a huge difference when the parents and caregivers sing along. With that said, here are some of the songs and stories that we shared this week;
Say Hello To Your Toes
(to the tune of London Bridge)
Say hello to your toes.
Hello toes, hello toes.
Say hello to your toes.
Hello, toes!
Say hello to your ankles.
Hello ankles, hello ankles.
Say hello to your ankles.
Hello, ankles!
Say hello to your knees.
Hello knees, hello knees.
Say hello to your knees.
Hello, knees!
Say hello to your hands.
Hello hands, hello hands.
Say hello to your hands.
Hello, hands!
Say hello to your friends.
Hello friends, hello friends.
Say hello to your friends.
Hello, friends!
We're So Glad to See You
(to the tune of Frere Jacques)
Where is {insert child's name}?
Where is {insert child's name}?
There s/he is.
There s/he is.
We're so glad to see you.
We're so glad to see you.
Peek-a-boo!
Peek-a-boo!
If You're Ready For a Story
(to the tune of If You're Happy And You Know It)
If you're ready for a story take a seat.
If you're ready for a story take a seat.
Clap your hands and stop your feet,
now make them nice and neat.
If you're ready for a story take a seat.
Books we read...
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
I found this wonderful telling of this story on youtube...
Do Monkeys Tweet?by Melanie Walsh
5 Little Apples
(done with flannel glove puppet)
5 little apples sitting in a bowl,
one fell out and started to roll.
It bumped off the table and hit my feet.
How many apples are left to eat?
(count down to 0)
Next we got out the shakers and had some noisy fun singing and dancing to the following songs;
The Grand Old Duke of York
The Grand Old Duke of York,
he had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
and then he marched them down again.
When they were up they were up,
and when they were down they were down.
But when they were only half way up,
they were neither up nor down.
Going To Kentucky
We're going to Kentucky,
we're going to the fair.
To see the senoritas
with flowers in their hair.
So shake it baby, shake it.
Shake it all you can.
Shake it like a milkshake,
and pour it in the can.
Rumba to the bottom.
Rumba to the top.
Turn around and turn around,
until we holler STOP!
Caution: the above two songs will get stuck in your head and you may find yourself humming them without even being aware of it!
Sorry for the late post, it's been a busy week (and it's only Thursday!). Here are just a few of the books, songs and fingerplays that we did at Family Storytime this week.
Books:
Kanga wants to make cookies, but someone has eaten all the cookie dough.Who could it be? Join in the fun and find out! This rollicking whodunit begs to be read aloud.
What will Fat Cat sit on? The pig? (Oink!) The chicken? (Cluck!) How about the dog? (Grrrr.) Everyone in this bumbling animal gang (understandably) hopes the victim will be someone else! Leave it to Mouse to come up with a brilliant solution that satisfies everyone, even Fat Cat himself. Filled with hilarious asides and an interactive question-answer format, this irreverent young picture book will delight toddlers who love to shout "NO!"
Fingerplays & Songs:
Autumn Leaves
(Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Autumn leaves are falling down,
falling down, falling down.
Autumn leaves are falling down,
falling on the ground.
Autumn leaves are whirling round,
whirling round, whirling round.
Autumn leaves are whirling round,
all over town.
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend surrounded by family and friends. I look forward to seeing everyone next Tuesday morning. Until then, happy reading!
If you, like me, are a passionate reader, you know the thrill that can fill you when you pick up the right book and curl up with it in a cozy spot. As you watch the children in your life becoming familiar with books, it’s likely you want the same thrill for them. These ideas will help you to inspire those young minds in subtle and appealing ways through the creation of the perfect reading space within your home. If you’re not a great lover of reading [yet!], then these ideas are not only for those children, but for you!
Here are some tips to get you started:
Find the right space-A reading space should be easily accessible but relatively quiet and away from high traffic areas. Good light is also an important aspect to consider.
Start Small - Pillows, a few stuffed animals and a light blanket are great ways to add comfort and style to a reading space.
Add to your basic space- Including a CD player or electronic device in the space and a number of books for listening will draw in even the most reluctant of readers.
Now add some books- If you can, keep books on low shelves or in baskets near the reading space, or lying within it. Books that are out of sight will rarely be touched. Allow your children access to the books and have several for them to choose from.
If you want the children in your life to embrace this new reading environment, show them the way. They will be much more likely to enter the space and feel at home there if you are the one to introduce them and teach them about it. And who knows, you might just find yourself there more often than you think – without the children!
As clouds amass overhead and rain starts to pour, ten little woodland animals hurry to find shelter. The text counts up as Bird, Mouse, Squirrel, Rabbit, Chipmunk, Woodchuck, Raccoon, Possum, and Red Fox all run for cover--then Skunk squeezes in and makes it 10!
One little raindrop, dark, dark sky. Two little raindrops, clouds go by... How many ways can you have fun on a rainy day? From one little raindrop to ten toes soaking in a warm bubble bath, there are lots of things to see and count until the sun comes out again.
Sarah loves her yellow boots. But one day, they just won't fit anymore. No amount of stretching will make them big again, and a disappointed Sarah must choose new boots. This picture book tells an endearing story about facing and happily resolving a familiar childhood dilemma.
One of my all time favourites! My niece Sarah can attest to that =)
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