Monday, May 17, 2010

Instrument Petting Zoo

Library program for ages 2 through 8 years old.
  1. Gather the children in the center of the room for storytelling/book reading.
  2. Do a movement song together.
  3. Stations:
Craft station: Create jingle plates. Punch two holes in a paper plate. Thread 2 to 3 jingle bells onto a long pipe cleaner. Thread the pipe cleaner through the two holes on the plate and secure by twisting pipe cleaner ends together. Decorate the plate with streamers and other materials.

Math station: Sort pictures of musical instruments in sorting circles. What is the same about these instruments? What is different?

Science station: Use glass jars filled with various levels of water tapped with wood pencils or sticks to make different tones. Children can change the water levels to create different sounding tones.

Instrument station: Invite area music teachers and Kindermusik teachers to your program with musical instruments that the children can touch and feel and ask questions about.

Notes: The real instruments that children could touch went over well. The children and parents asked great questions. The drums that the Kindermusik teacher brought were the biggest hit. We almost did not have enough jingle bells because some people were taking too many bells. A staff person or volunteer should hand out the bells to insure this does not happen again. The math sorting station was a flop. The children just were not interested in the paper pictures of instruments. This might go over better with miniature instrument figurines. This was a fun program!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Spring Storytime

Storytime for 1-1/2 to 3 year olds:
  • Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
  • Book #1 – My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell, pictures by Harlow Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell
  • Activity –Spring Is All Around Me (action song sung to the tune of "Wheels On the Bus" that I found in Mailbox - Preschool magazine, April/May 2000)
  • Flannelboard/Math Activity - Bluebird, Bluebird Through My Window (song)
  • Book #2 - In the Spring by Craig Brown
  • Activity - If You're Happy and You Know It (action song from Songs for Wiggleworms)
  • Closing - Scarves using "Water, Wind and World" from The Second Line by Johnette Downing
  • Craft – Make toilet paper tube windsocks by gluing streamers to toilet paper tubes and hanging by a length of yarn

Monday, May 3, 2010

Mothers Storytime

Storytime for 1-1/2 to 3 year olds:
  • Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
  • Book #1 – Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
  • Activity – Do It for Your Mother (action rhyme to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" - I'm not sure where I found this rhyme)

Roll, roll, roll your hands
As fast as fast can be.
Do it now, let me see,
Do it for your mother.
Clap, clap, clap your hands
As loud as loud can be.
Do it now, let me see,
Do it for your mother.
Stomp, stomp, stomp your feet
As hard as hard can be.
Do it now, let me see,
Do it for your mother.
Jump, jump, jump your feet
As high as high can be.
Do it now, let me see,
Do it for your mother.
Roll, roll, roll your hands
As fast as fast can be.
Do it now, let me see,
Do it for your mother.
  • Flannelboard/Math Activity - Five Little Ducks Went Out One Day (counting backward song)
  • Book #2 - My Mom is Fantastic! by Nick Butterworth
  • Activity - Come a' Look a' See (fingerplay song I picked up at a workshop conducted by Jane Cobb)
  • Closing - Scarves using "Water, Wind and World" from The Second Line by Johnette Downing
  • Craft – Make a daisy by gluing a foamie circle for the center of the flower, green yarn for the stem, and white paper strips for the petals