Storytimes On Break
Hilltop Storytimes are currently on winter break and will resume the week of January 11, 2010. Have a wonderful Holiday season and we'll see you in the new year!
Christmas Storytime in Review
Thanks to everyone who attended our Christmas Storytime! Miss Brandy and I had a lot of fun making snowmen and meeting Santa with you!
Our Christmas Storytime Lineup Included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Nesting Letter S Boxes
Book - Ho, Ho, Ho, Tucker! by Leslie McGuirk
Flannel/Song - Must Be Santa
Puppet Story - Santa Duck adapted from the book by David Milgrim
Book - Mouse's First Christmas by Lauren Thompson
Song - Jingle Bells
Song - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Ready to Read Skill: Letter Knowledge (ABC's)
Letter knowledge means knowing that letters are different from each other, recognizing them everywhere, and knowing the sounds they make. Each week at Storytime we introduce a letter and discuss the sound it makes and words that begin with that letter. For Christmas Storytime, we had an extra special set of nesting 's' letter boxes that were filled with 's'-themed gifts from Santa. At home, you can do the same kind of thing - talk to your child and get them excited about what letter words begin with and how they sound. Another way to work on your child's Letter Knowledge is to use alphabet magnets to spell things on your refrigerator, or let them trace letter shapes with their fingers on a plate of whipped cream or shaving foam. Most importantly, make learning letters fun for you and your child!
Special Christmas Storytime December 19!
Join us this Saturday, December 19, at 11:00 a.m. for a special
Christmas Family Storytime!
There will be songs, stories, puppets, crafts, and best of all...
A VISIT FROM SANTA!
Storytime Week of December 14
This week in Toddler Storytime, we talked about Winter and snow!
Our Toddler Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Book - Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson
Song - Roll Your Hands from Toddlers on Parade
Rhyme/Song - There's a Mitten On My Nose
Book - In the Snow by Sharon Phillips
Song - Milkshake from Songs For Wiggleworms
Book - How To Make a Snowman by Jo Moon
Flannel Activity - Build a Snowman
Action Rhyme - Three Little Snowmen
This week at Preschool Storytime we heard some of Miss Kim's favorite stories and songs!
Our Preschool Storytime lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont
Book - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
Song - I Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill's The Sneezing Song
Flannel Story - The Big Puddle
Book - The Blue Balloon by Mick Inkpen
Ready to Read Skill: Phonological Awareness (Sounds)
Phonological Awareness means being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. Working on this skill will help your child sound out words when they start reading. Ways to improve phonological awareness include saying rhymes (like the ones in the books above) and emphasizing the rhyming words. Doing motions with the rhymes also helps your child break the words into smaller parts. Singing songs is another great way to work on this skill while having fun!
Our Toddler Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Book - Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson
Song - Roll Your Hands from Toddlers on Parade
Rhyme/Song - There's a Mitten On My Nose
Book - In the Snow by Sharon Phillips
Song - Milkshake from Songs For Wiggleworms
Book - How To Make a Snowman by Jo Moon
Flannel Activity - Build a Snowman
Action Rhyme - Three Little Snowmen
This week at Preschool Storytime we heard some of Miss Kim's favorite stories and songs!
Our Preschool Storytime lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont
Book - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
Song - I Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill's The Sneezing Song
Flannel Story - The Big Puddle
Book - The Blue Balloon by Mick Inkpen
Ready to Read Skill: Phonological Awareness (Sounds)
Phonological Awareness means being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. Working on this skill will help your child sound out words when they start reading. Ways to improve phonological awareness include saying rhymes (like the ones in the books above) and emphasizing the rhyming words. Doing motions with the rhymes also helps your child break the words into smaller parts. Singing songs is another great way to work on this skill while having fun!
Bears Storytime - Week of November 30
This week at storytime we are talking about bears!
Our Toddler Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Story - My Bear and Me by Barbara Maitland
Flannel - Pooh's Honey Pots
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Flannel - Dress the Bear (based on the book How Do I Put It On by Shigeo Watanabe)
Book - Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin
Action Rhyme - The Polar Bear by Marie Wheeler from 1,001 Rhymes and Fingerplays
Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - Teddy Bears, Teddy Bears by William Winburn
Our Preschool Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep by maureen Wright
Flannel Rhyme - Five Big and Grumpy Bears
Book - Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - A Bear and His Boy by Sean Bryan
Prop Story - Barnaby Bear Fell Into the Batter Bowl
Rhymes:
The Polar Bear (By Marie Wheeler)
The polar bear lives where it snows,
(Flutter fingers downward.)
He never gets cold in a storm.
(Shake your index finger.)
When he swims in the icy cold water,
(Make swimming movements.)
His heavy white coat keeps him warm.
(Hug self.)
Ready to Read Skill: Print Motivation (Loving Books)
Print Motivation means being interested in and enjoying books. There are many ways to encourage this skill with your child, but the best way is to make reading fun! Some ways to do this include helping your child choose books to read with you, trying funny voices for the characters in the books, having your child help you read by saying a repeating phrase, or choosing books that have a pop-up or lift-the-flap feature. Also, feel free to ask the librarians at the branch you visit for books about topics your child is interested in (for example: trains, frogs, princesses, etc.). Another way to foster a love of books is by reading some that involve movement or animal sounds, like we did this week with Teddy Bears, Teddy Bears and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear.
Our Toddler Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Story - My Bear and Me by Barbara Maitland
Flannel - Pooh's Honey Pots
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Flannel - Dress the Bear (based on the book How Do I Put It On by Shigeo Watanabe)
Book - Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin
Action Rhyme - The Polar Bear by Marie Wheeler from 1,001 Rhymes and Fingerplays
Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - Teddy Bears, Teddy Bears by William Winburn
Our Preschool Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep by maureen Wright
Flannel Rhyme - Five Big and Grumpy Bears
Book - Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - A Bear and His Boy by Sean Bryan
Prop Story - Barnaby Bear Fell Into the Batter Bowl
Rhymes:
The Polar Bear (By Marie Wheeler)
The polar bear lives where it snows,
(Flutter fingers downward.)
He never gets cold in a storm.
(Shake your index finger.)
When he swims in the icy cold water,
(Make swimming movements.)
His heavy white coat keeps him warm.
(Hug self.)
Ready to Read Skill: Print Motivation (Loving Books)
Print Motivation means being interested in and enjoying books. There are many ways to encourage this skill with your child, but the best way is to make reading fun! Some ways to do this include helping your child choose books to read with you, trying funny voices for the characters in the books, having your child help you read by saying a repeating phrase, or choosing books that have a pop-up or lift-the-flap feature. Also, feel free to ask the librarians at the branch you visit for books about topics your child is interested in (for example: trains, frogs, princesses, etc.). Another way to foster a love of books is by reading some that involve movement or animal sounds, like we did this week with Teddy Bears, Teddy Bears and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear.
Autumn and Thanksgiving Storytime - Week of November 23
This week at storytime we talked about Autumn and Thanksgiving!
Our Toddler Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Intoduction to theme with props - Things we see in the Fall
Letter Box - L for Leaves
Flannel - What color are the leaves?
Story - Snappy Little Thanksgiving
Action Rhyme - Do the Turkey Hop adapted from Diane Thoms
Song - Walking, Walking from Songs for Wiggleworms
Song - Walking, Walking from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson
Flannel - Five Red Apples
Action Rhyme - Grey Squirrel
Our Preschool Storytime Lineup Included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Leaf Jumpers by Carole Gerber
Flannel Rhyme - Five Little Leaves
Book - Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming
Song - I Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song
Book - Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell
Our Family Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming
Action Rhyme - 2 Red Apples
Book - Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley
Flannel Rhyme - 5 Little Leaves
Song - The Leaves on the Tree
Story - The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
Action Rhymes:
Do the Turkey Hop (adapted from Diane Thoms' rhyme from 1001 Rhymes and Fingerplays)
Do the turkey hop.
Do the turkey run.
Like a turkey, flap your wings.
Then gobble just for fun!
Five Little Apples (Two Red Apples)
Way up high in the apple tree,
Five little apples smiled at me!
So I shook that tree as hard as I could,
And down fell an apple.
Mmmm, it was good!
Grey Squirrel
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
Swish your bushy tail.
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
Swish your bushy tail.
Crinkle up your funny nose,
Put a nut between your toes.
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
Swish your bushy tail.
Ready to Read Skill : Phonological Awareness (Sounds)
Phonological Awareness means being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. Working on this skill will help your child sound out words when they start reading. Ways to improve phonological awareness include saying rhymes (like the ones above) and emphasizing the rhyming words. Doing motions with the rhymes also helps your child break the words into smaller parts. Singing songs is another great way to work on this skill while having fun!
Mommies Storytime - Week of November 16
This week at storytime, we are talking about how great our moms are!
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The Toddler Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Finger Popping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Letter Box - The letter "H" for heart shape, because we love our moms!
Puppet Story - Where Is my Mommy? adapted from the book by Julie Downing
Book - Mommy, Where Are You? by Leonid Gore
Flannel Story - My Mother is Lost!
Song - Happy and You Know It from Songs for Wiggleworms
Book - I Love My Mommy by Sebastien Braun
Action Rhyme/Song - We Love Mommy adapted from Barbara Flether's We Love Mothers from 1,001 Rhymes and Fingerplays
Song - Skinnamarink from Sing Along With Bob #1 by Bob McGrath
Book - Where is Baby's Mommy? by Karen Katz
Our Preschool Storytime Lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Letter Box - H is for heart because we love our moms!
Book - Mother, Mother, I Want Another by Maria Polushkin Robbins
Action Rhyme - If I Were a Mommy
Book - Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
Song - I Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill's Sneezing Song
Flannel Story - The Little Ducking Who Lost Her Voice
Book - Mommy, Where Are You? by Leonid Gore
Ready to Read Skill: Print Motivation (Loving Books)
Print Motivation means being interested in and enjoying books. There are many ways to encourage this skill with your child, but the best way is to make reading fun! Some ways to do this include helping your child choose books to read with you, trying funny voices for the characters in the books, having your child help you read by saying a repeating phrase, or choosing books that have a pop-up or lift-the-flap feature. Also, feel free to ask the librarians at the branch you visit for books about topics your child is interested in (for example: trains, frogs, princesses, etc.). This week, our toddlers were so excited about the die-cuts on the pages of Mommy Where Are You that they couldn't wait to see what was on the next page! They were so interested that they helped me turn the pages. Even if your child is too excited about seeing the next cut-out or pop-up for you to actually read what is on the pages, allow them some time to to spend just looking and telling you what they see. The most important part of Print Motivation is making reading time fun for you and your child!
Bugs Storytime - Week of November 9
This week at storytime we are learning all about bugs!
Our Tuesday Toddler Storytime lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Book - The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn and Jack Tickle
Flannel Story - Five Little Ladybugs
Book - "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" Went Bumblebee by Colin West
Action Rhyme - Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Song - The Eensy, Weensy Spider
Book - Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! by Bob Barner
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! by Bob Barner
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Our Thursday Toddler Storytime lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic fun
Book - Butterfly Butterfly by Petr Horácek
Flannel Story - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Flannel Story - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! by Bob Barner
Action Rhyme/Song - The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Song - Spider on the Floor from Singable Songs for the Very Young by Raffi
Story - "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" Went Bumblebee by Colin West
Our Preschool Storytime lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks
Flannel Story - Caterpillar Buys New Shoes
Song - The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Book - The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn and Jack Tickle
Flannel Story - The Very Hungry Caterppillar by Eric Carle
Song - The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Book - The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn and Jack Tickle
Flannel Story - The Very Hungry Caterppillar by Eric Carle
Book - Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth
Song - Milkshake from Songs For Wiggleworms
Ready to Read Skill: Narritive Skills (Storytelling)
Narritive Skills means being able to describe things and events and tell stories. Working on this skill will help your child understand what they are reading as they get older and move to more advanced books, because they will be able to recognize that stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Ways to improve Narritive Skills include telling your child are doing throughout the day, listening to them and asking questions, and encouraging them to tell stories. Another way to practice Narritive Skills is to take a favorite book and tell it or act it out in a different way like we did this week with our flannel story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and our puppet story "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" Went Bumblebee by Colin West.
Dogs Storytimes - Week of November 2
This week we talked about dogs at storytime!
Our Toddler Storytime lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Story - Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera
Flannel Story - Come Back, Puppies
Song - Walking Walking from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - Yip! Yap! Snap! by Charles Fuge
Song with props - Storytime Dogs (dogs on sticks)
Song - Happy and You Know It from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - I Love Dogs by Barney Saltzberg
Our Preschool Storytime linup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Story - I Want a Dog by Helga Bansch
Flannel Story - Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Song - I Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes
Story - The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
Flannel Story - The Little Dog Who Forgot How to Bark
Story - Please, Puppy, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
Song with props - The Storytime Dogs (dogs on sticks)
Our Family Storytime lineup included:
Ready to Read Skill: Vocabulary (Words)
Vocabulary means knowing the names of things. Knowing many words will help your child recognize written words and understand what he or she reads. Some great ways to work on this skill include talking to your child about what is going on around you, speaking clearly and using short sentences, and pointing out pictures in books when you say certain words. Books we looked at this week that are great for building vocabulary include Old Mother Hubbard and Yip! Yap! Snap!. Both offer new words for concepts children are already familiar with; for example, Old Mother Hubbard uses the word jig instead of dance.
Our Toddler Storytime lineup included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Story - Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera
Flannel Story - Come Back, Puppies
Song - Walking Walking from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - Yip! Yap! Snap! by Charles Fuge
Song with props - Storytime Dogs (dogs on sticks)
Song - Happy and You Know It from Songs for Wiggleworms
Story - I Love Dogs by Barney Saltzberg
Our Preschool Storytime linup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Story - I Want a Dog by Helga Bansch
Flannel Story - Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Song - I Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes
Story - The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
Flannel Story - The Little Dog Who Forgot How to Bark
Story - Please, Puppy, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
Song with props - The Storytime Dogs (dogs on sticks)
Our Family Storytime lineup included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Story - Chewy Louie by Howie Schneider
Flannel Story - Little Dog Who Forgot How to Bark
Song - Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill's The Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes
Story - Good Boy Fergus by David Shannon
Flannel Story - BINGO
Story - Yip Snap Yap by Charles Fuge
Puppet story - Bark George by Jules Feiffer
Flannel Story - Little Dog Who Forgot How to Bark
Song - Took a Bath in the Washing Machine from Jim Gill's The Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes
Story - Good Boy Fergus by David Shannon
Flannel Story - BINGO
Story - Yip Snap Yap by Charles Fuge
Puppet story - Bark George by Jules Feiffer
Ready to Read Skill: Vocabulary (Words)
Vocabulary means knowing the names of things. Knowing many words will help your child recognize written words and understand what he or she reads. Some great ways to work on this skill include talking to your child about what is going on around you, speaking clearly and using short sentences, and pointing out pictures in books when you say certain words. Books we looked at this week that are great for building vocabulary include Old Mother Hubbard and Yip! Yap! Snap!. Both offer new words for concepts children are already familiar with; for example, Old Mother Hubbard uses the word jig instead of dance.
Dinosaurs Storytime - Week of October 26
This week at Storytime we have been reading some stories about dinosaurs!
Our Toddler Storytime Lineup Included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Book - Snappy Little Dinosaurs Pop-Up Fun by Dugald Steer
Flannel Story - Five Little Dinosaurs
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Story - Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton
Song - Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes from It's Toddler Time by Carol Hammett
Story - That's Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt
Our Toddler Storytime Lineup Included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Book - Snappy Little Dinosaurs Pop-Up Fun by Dugald Steer
Flannel Story - Five Little Dinosaurs
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Story - Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton
Song - Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes from It's Toddler Time by Carol Hammett
Story - That's Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt
Our Preschool Storytime Lineup Included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Dino Pets by Lyn Plourde
Flannel Story - Build a Dinosaur
Book - How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen
Song - All at the Swamp
Flannel Story - Five Huge Dinosaurs
Book - Tyson the Terrible by Diane and Christyan Fox
Ready to Read Skill: Vocabulary (Words)
Vocabulary means knowing the names of things. Knowing many words will help your child recognize written words and understand what he or she reads. Some great ways to work on this skill include talking to your child about what is going on around you, speaking clearly and using short sentences, and pointing out pictures in books when you say certain words. Some great examples of dinosaur books that help build vocabulary are Snappy Little Dinosaurs, Bones Bones Dinosaur Bones, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight. Another great dinosaur book that introduces new words is Thesaurus Rex by Laya Steinberg. It introduces words and their synonyms and includes great illustrations that clearly depict the words. This book is great for toddlers or preschoolers. Enjoy!
