19 May
In preparation for summer reading, I am taking a small break from storytimes. I will be using the program free time over the next few weeks to prepare (both mentally and logistically) for all of the fantastic programs we will have over the summer. It’s going to be a blast!
Don’t worry, I will be sporadically updating this blog. I want to include some of the other programs I did this spring besides storytime and also update some other aspects of this blog as well.
See you soon!
12 May
Our theme for storytime this week was Pigs. Good thing I had planned to do this theme this week and not last week. Last week it probably would have been in poor taste due to all of the Swine Flu craziness going on. Luckily, no one cares about swine flu this week so I could go forward with my theme.
We began with Z-Z-Zoink! by Bernard Most.
I read about this book a bit online before choosing it for storytime. I have to say, it is a great addition to my storytime repertoire! It is repetitive, which makes for a fun chorus of Z-Z-ZOINKS! throughout the story.
Next we read If You Give A Pig A Pancake by Laura Numberoff, illustrated by Felicia Bond.
I will be honest, I have always been a skeptic when it comes to the If You Give books by the Numeroff and Bond combo. I received If You Give a Mouse a Cookie from my friend Meredith when I was in first grade so it has always been completely astounding to me that these books are still coming out. This being said, my skepticism was quickly shoved aside when I read If You Give A Pig A Pancake to the group this morning. The kids were into this book and found the pig hilarious. I guess this is just another case of me allowing my adult judgment carry too much weight.
We finished with Pepo and Lolo Are Friends by Ana Martin Larranaga.
This is a very simple but sweet story about two friends, Pepo and Lolo. It is a charming book to read and although it is a fairly simple story, the children really enjoyed it.
For craft this week, we made pig masks. I found the template here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/Mask.shtml
For a little more excitement for this craft, I had the children glue on a pink felt nose. I also swapped out the elastic band and had them connect popsicle sticks with masking tape instead.
5 May
In storytime this week we read all about frogs! I think the best thing about this theme is the fact that it motivates large groups of preschoolers to RIBBIT with huge amounts of enthusiasm.
We started this week with I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel, pictures by Blanche Sims.
As a librarian, I love books about libraries. Luckily the kids shared my excitement and loved this one too! It’s about a girl who brings her many exotic pets the library and the silly results. We had a funny discussion about what would happen if we brought our pets to the library.
Next we read The Big Wide-Mouthed Frog by Ana Larranga.
I really love this book. In my storytelling class, one of my peers told this story and I fell in love with it. The Frog has attitude and due to the repetitive nature of the story, before too long the children were chanting along with me. I would read this one again and again and I don’t think it could ever get old.
We finished with Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan Landon, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz.
This book is perfect for storytime. I think it might be the best of the Froggy books to share with a large group of kids. I love the process of Froggy getting dressed, it makes for a great action oriented telling. However, nothing beats the hilarious surprise of Froggy forgetting his underwear. The kids picked up on the fact that he for got his coat and pats but no one guessed he forgot underwear. Very funny!
We made Heart Frog Paper Crafts this week.
The link for this craft is here: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mheartfrog.htm
I have been trying to find really easy crafts that involve just a bit of gluing and coloring because we have been getting large groups from daycares in storytime and there usually are not enough adults to really help out with complex crafts. This craft worked really well. I wish I could have taken pictures of some of the frogs the kids made because they were very awesome.
