Boxes Storytimes - Week of April 19, 2010

Our Toddler Storytime Included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Introduction to the letter 'B' for Box
Book - Special Delivery by Brigette Weninger
Flannel Story - Five Little Presents
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Rhyme - Jack in the Box
Song - Happy and You Know It from Songs for Wiggleworms
Puppet Story - Sitting in my Box (book by Dee Lillegard)
Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms
Song - Walking, Walking from Songs for Wiggleworms

Our Preschool Storytime Included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Introduction to the letter 'B' for Box
Book - Too Many Toys by David Shannon
Action Rhyme - Baby Mice
Book - Thank You Bear by Greg Foley
Song -
Prop Story - The Surprise by George Shannon
Book - Not a Box by Antoinette Portis


Our Ready To Read Skill is: Narrative Skills (Storytelling)
Narrative 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 Narrative 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 Narrative Skills is to take a favorite book and tell it or act it out in a different way like we did this week when we used puppets and props to tell Sitting in My Box and The Surprise.

Monsters Storytime - Week of April 12, 2010

Our Toddler Storytime Included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Introduction to the letter 'M' for Monster
Book - Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberly
Action Rhyme- Monster, Monster
Song - Shake Your Sillies Out from More Singable Songs by Raffi
Book - Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly
Flannel - My Favorite Monster : Elmo!
Book - Elmo's World Animals
Song - Hop Like a Bunny from Toddlers on Parade

Our Preschool Storytime Included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Introduction to the letter 'M' for Monster
Book - Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
Draw and Tell Story - Katie and the Giant
Book - Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance by Keith Graves
Song - Silly Dance Contest from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song
Book - I'm Going to Eat You by Matt Mitter

Our 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, like Elmo's World Animals and I'm Going to Eat You. 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 include activities you can do after reading, like having a dance contest after reading Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance.

Pigs Storytime - Week of April 5, 2010

This week at storytime we are learning all about pigs!

Our Toddler Storytime included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Introduction to the letter 'P' for Pig
Book - Piggies by Don and Audry Wood
Action Rhyme - Three Little Pigs and One Pig More
Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms
Book - Fire Fighter Piggywiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox
Flannel Rhyme- Five Little Pigs in a Mud Puddle
Song - Roll Your Hands from Toddlers on Parade
Book - This Little Piggy by Jane Manning
Song - Clap Your Hands from Wiggleworms Love You

Our Preschool Storytime Included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Introduction to the letter 'P' for Pig
Book - Piglet and Granny by Margaret Wild
Flannel Story - The Pigs' Picnic (from the book by Keiko Kasza)
Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms
Book - The Long-Nosed Pig by Keith Faulkner
Song - The Color Game from Jim Gill Sings Do Re Mi on His Toe Leg Knee
Book - Cornelius P. Mud Are You Ready For Bed? by Barney Saltzberg



Our Ready To Read Skill is: 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 when we used flannel pieces to tell The Pigs' Picnic. You could also use puppets or props to act out well-known folktales, like The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood.

Spring Storytimes - Week of March 29, 2010

Last week at Storytime we talked about Spring!


Our Toddler Storytime Included:
Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun
Introduction to the letter 'B' for bunny, bee, beetle, and butterfly
Book - Splish, Splash, Spring! by Jan Carr
Flannel Story - How Do the Flowers Grow?
Song - Very, Very Tall from Wiggleworms Love You
Book - Mouse's First Spring by Lauren Thompson
Action Rhyme - The Beehive
Song - Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Book - Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
Action Rhyme - Flowers Grow Like This







Our Preschool Storytime Included:
Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem
Introduction to the letter 'B' for bunny, bee, beetle, and butterfly
Book - Whose Chick Are You? by Nancy Tafuri





Our Family Storytime Included:
Song - Clap Your Hands from Wiggleworms Love You
Egg hunt and Introduction to the Letter B for bunny, basket, bugs, bud, etc.
Book - Wee Little Bunny by Lauren Thompson
Cut and Tell Story - Carrots for Every Bunny from Mudluscious by Jan Irving and Robin Curie
Song - Bunny Hop from Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Funsies 2
Book - Peek a Bloom by Marie Torres Cimarusti
Flannel Story - Five Kites
Book - Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert





Our 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 iclude activities you can do after reading, like planting seeds after reading Planting a Rainbow or splashing in rain puddles after reading Splish, Splash, Spring!
Action Rhymes:
The Beehive
Here is the beehive, (hold up fist)
But where are all the bees? (hold hands up at your sides like a question)
They're hidden inside where nobody sees. (pretend to be trying to look inside your closed fist)
Watch them coming out of the hive- (make your fist rock back and forth)
One, two, three, four five! (hold up each finger as you count it)
Buzzzzzz!!!!
Flowers Grow Like This
Flowers grow like this (cup hands, then open them).
Trees grow like this (Raise hands over your head).
I grow like this! (jump up out of seat with hands in the air)