Unusual Pets!

It's hard to believe that this is our last week of Summer Reading!  For our last "Paws to Read"-themed storytime, we talked about all sorts of unusual pets!

Theme for Wednesday, July 30, 2014: Unusual Pets

Opening: Open, Shut Them

Book: Dino Pets by Lynne Plourde

Movement: We stood up and did some simple stretches to get the wiggles out!

Transition Rhyme: Touch your ears and touch your nose

Touch your ears and touch your nose
Now bend down and touch your nose
Wiggle your fingers and turn around
Now bend down and touch the ground
Clap your hands, count 1, 2, 3
Now sit down so quietly.

Book: What Pet to Get? by Emma Dodd

Flannel Board Rhyme: Five Little Kittens; From The Storytime Lady

Five little kittens tucked in so tight.
(wrap arms around self)
Sleeping so soundly all through the night
(pretend to be sleeping)
But, when Mama cat says, "Wake up right now..."
(shake finger)
Up jumps a kitten with a big "Meow!"
(put hands up in the air and say "Meow!")

I loved the Pete the Cat twist at the end, especially since Pete the Cat just visited our library on Saturday!

Flannel Rhyme/Guessing Game: I Went to the Pet Store; From Jenny the Librarian

I went to the pet store and made a special wish.
The pet that I wanted was a very special...(fish)!

I went to the pet store, I went there at a jog,
To get a pet with a wagging tail, it was a little...(dog)!

I went to the pet store, it had become a habit.
The pet I wanted now was a soft, white, fluffy...(rabbit)!

I went to the pet store, I'm sure this sounds absurd,
But the pet I wanted was a colorful flying...(bird)!

I went the the pet store, it was no mistake.
What I really wanted now was a hissing blue...(snake)!

I decided to use felt animals for this rhyme, since I already had most of them from other flannel boards!

Book: Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown

Song: Crazy Dance Contest, from Jim Gill Sings The Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes

Craft: Gators!

We made alligators for our unusual pets!  I cut out a letter "A" and then let the kids glue on the teeth and eyes.  Lastly, they decorated their gators with crayons!

Birds!

We talked about birds in storytime today!  It was lots of fun, especially since we just hatched adorable chickens at our library.

Theme for Wednesday, July 23: Birds

Opening: Open, Shut Them

Book: When Blue Met Egg by Lindsay Ward

The kids really liked this book.  They very excitedly guessed what the egg was as soon as we got to the page where it starts shrinking!

Action Rhyme: Little Bird, From Preschool Education

I saw a little bird go hop, hop, hop. 

I told the little bird to stop, stop, stop.

I went to the window to say "Ho do you do?"

He wagged his little tail and far away he flew! 

Transitional Rhyme: Little Birds, From Storytime Katie

Little birds, little birds, jump up and down

Little birds, little birds, don't make a sound

Little birds, little birds, tip-toe to me

Little birds, little birds, bend your knees

Little birds, little birds, peep, peep, peep

Little birds, little birds, sleep, sleep, sleep

Little birds, little birds, fly to the leaves

Little birds, little birds, sit down please

Book: Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard

Flannel Board Game: A Home for Birdie, based off the book "A Home for Bird" by Philip Stead,

From Spectacular Story Time

I had the kids name the colors of each bird house as I put them up on the flannel board, and then we found the right house for each bird!

Flannel Board Song: Five Little Ducks, From Storytime Songs

Book: There is a Bird on MyYour Head! by Mo Willems 

Song: Chicken Dance! I'm not sure where this version comes from - it's on a mix c.d. that we have at our library.

Craft: We made birds (of course!)

The kids colored in their birds and then glued on the beak, feet, wing, and nest.  We also had some leftover egg stickers from our egg hunt in April, so I handed those out to the kids too!

Sea Animals

Theme for Wednesday, July 16: Sea Animals

Opening: Open, Shut Them

Book: Fidgety Fish by Ruth Galloway

Action Rhyme: Five Little Fishies (to the tune of "Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree")

From: That's So Juvenile

Five little fishies swimming in the sea

Teasing Mr. Shark, "Can't catch me!"

Along came Mr. Shark, as quiet as can be...

And...SNAP! 

Transition Rhyme: Touch your ears and touch your nose

Touch your ears and touch your nose
Now bend down and touch your toes
Wiggle your fingers and turn around
Now bend down and touch the ground
Clap your hands, count 1, 2, 3
Now sit down so quietly

Book: Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck

Activity: Which Fish; From With Kiddos @ the Library

We played a guessing game in storytime!  First, we talked about the fish as I placed them on the flannel board - we named the color of each fish and what made it unique.  Then, I turned the board around, removed one of the fish, and had the kids guess which one was missing.  Since the kids at storytime were a bit older, I mixed the fish up in between each turn, so they'd have a harder time guessing! 

Book: I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Song: Shake your sillies out from The Wiggle's Yummy Yummy

Craft: Jellyfish!  Adapted from Jellyfish Craft

 The kids colored their jellyfish and glued on circles and crepe paper!

Bears!

Since our Summer Reading Program theme at my library is "Paws to Read," I've been doing a series of animal-related storytimes for the kids on Wednesdays.

Theme for Wednesday, July 9: Bears!

Opening: "Open, Shut Them"

Book: Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup

Action Rhyme: "If I were..." From Miss Meg's Storytime

If I were a happy bear, I'd go ha ha ha! (laugh)
If I were a sad bear, I'd go boo hoo, hoo! (rub eyes)
If I were a cranky bear, I'd go stomp, stomp, stomp! (stomp feet)
If I were a scared bear, I'd go Ahh! Ahhhhh! (scream)
If I were a tired bear, I'd go Zzzzz! Zzzzz! (pretend to sleep)

Transitional Rhyme: Touch your ears and touch your nose (I learned this rhyme while working at a preschool, and I'm not sure of it's original source.)

Touch your ears and touch your nose
Now bend down and touch your toes
Wiggle your fingers and turn around
Now bend down and touch the ground
Clap your hands, count 1, 2, 3
Now sit down so quietly

Book: We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Flannel Board Story: A Perfect Nose for Ralph by Jane Breskin Zalben From Story Time Secrets

I'd never heard of this story before finding it on Story Time Secrets, but it was a great flannel board story to share with the kids.  They loved trying to find the perfect nose for Ralph!


Flannel Board Activity: Honey Pot, Honey Pot, Where are you? From What is Bridget Reading?

Super easy and the kids loved it.  We named the colors of the bear, and then I had them guess which bear is hiding the honey pot!

Book: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big, Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Song: Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthems and More Salutes to Nonsense

Closing Song: Skinnamarink

Craft: Bear with honey!

I cut out a bear template and had the kids color the bear and/or glue on brown paper.  We added googly eyes and a honey pot!