Summer Reading School Visits: Books

Going out to the schools to talk about summer reading can be a lot of fun, but boy is it busy!  For the students in grades K-3, I like to read books to them.  It is always a challenge to find books that will entertain, make them laugh, and have it be one they haven't seen before.

 

For the second and third graders I went with one my stand by favorites and a new book:
I Will Chomp You by Jory John, illustrated by Bob Shea
Dirty Joe the Pirate: A True Story by Bill Harley, illustrated by Jack E. Davis

 

For the Kindergartners and first graders I went with two fun books:
Don't Push the Button! by Bill Cotter
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

All four books were a lot of fun to share with the children.  Who knew that a little red circle on a page could make a whole room of first graders go crazy?

Garbage Trucks Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash! by Barbara Odanaka, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

• Stand-up Activity – The Garbage Truck Rolls (fingerplay to the tune of "Wheels On the Bus" adapted by Carol Hopkins)

The garbage truck drives down the street, down the street, down the street
The garbage truck drives down the street
As it picks up garbage

The garbage truck stops adn goes, stops and goes, stops and goes
The garbage truck stops and goes
As it picks up garbage

(use other action words)

• Bridge - Open, Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them

Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap 

• Flannelboard - Five Little Garbage Trucks  (counting down rhyme, I'm not sure where I found this one)

• Book #2 – Trucks by Byron Barton (large board book)

• Activity – I'm a Little Garbage Truck (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" written by Carol Hopkins)

I'm a little garbage truck, watch me go
Here is my hopper
Here is my cab
When I get all filled up, to the dump I go
Just tip me over and dump the garbage out

• Closing - Scarves using the song "Flitter Flutter" from The Second Line by Johnette Downing 

 

 

• Art Experience – Chalk coloring on a construction paper garbage can drawing

Blooming Flowers Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "A Tooty Ta" from Dance Like This by Mr. Al

• Color literacy activity flannelboard - Flower Colors

I got a song at a workshop a few years back about the colors of spring flowers written by Lorraine Burdick. I passed out different colored flowers to the children. Then I sang the song changing the color of the flower each time I sang it.  The children with the colored flower that I just said comes up to the place their flower on the board.  

• Book #1 - Fran's Flower by Lisa Bruce, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

• Stand-up activity - Little Flower Open Up (action song written by Carol Hopkins to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star")

Little flower begin to grow

Open up your petals bright

Swaying in the sunshine light

Come and let the bees buzz right

Little flower in the night

Closing up your petals tight

• Activity - Ten Little Flowers (fingerplay written by Carol Hopkins)

10 little flowers standing in the sun
10 thirsty flowers begin to droop
Along come the clouds
And the rain begins to fall
10 little flowers lift their heads to the sun again

  

 

• Book #2 - Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

• Book #3 -  One Little Seed by Elaine Greenstein

• Closing - Dance with scarves to the song "Silly Dance Contest" from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes by Jim Gill

  

 

 

• Art experience - Muffin cup flowers with bingo paint dabbers to create seeds, stems, and leaves

Garden Surprises Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

• Stand-up Activity – "Baby Bumblebee" traditional action song from Toddler Action Songs by Cedarmont Kids

• Bridge - Open, Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them

Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap 

• Flannelboard - "Plant a Little Seed" identification cards

I learned this one from Nancy Stewart. It is available on her website at NancyMusic.com.  I sing the short song and then show a large picture card with a vegetable on it.  I ask the children to tell me what the vegetable is. 

• Book #2 – Jasper's Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen

• Activity – A Little Plant (action chant adpated by Carol Hopkins)

In the heart of a seed
Buried oh so deep, a little plant lay fast asleep
"Awake," said the sun
"Come up through the earth."
"Awake," said the rain
"We are giving you birth."
The little seed heard and giving it a try
Pointed its leaves
Up to the sky

• Closing - Scarves using the song "Flitter Flutter" from The Second Line by Johnette Downing 

 

 

• Art Experience – Cut up paper towel tubes bent and taped together to make heart shaped green bean leaf stamps

Bristlebots Vibrating Creations, a S.T.R.E.A.M. event

Create mini robots!

A recent library program I did incorporated small brushes, wires, tape, lots of patience, and the willingness to keep trying, and trying, and trying until it finally worked!  My bristlebot program did not go exactly as a I planned.  First off, the motor kits we ordered online got lost in the mail.  Literally.  I quickly needed to come up with a plan B.  I had a few days to figure out how to take apart dollar store electric toothbrushes, attach the motor to a brush, and stay in budget.  (Hint: The brush on the toothbrush was way too small to work with the motor.) With some help from my significant other, I think I came up with something pretty decent to show my young friends.

I started off my program by showing the children how to put together a bristle bot:

1. Attach wire leads to the loops on the motor (the silver colored wires attach to one loop and the copper colored wires attach to the other loop.  
2. Cover and secure these wires with electrical tape. 
3. Use double-sided tape to attach the motor unit to the brush.
4. Attach the battery to the brush (the handle is a good place for this) with electrical tape.  
5. Adhere one color of wire to the positive end of the battery with electrical tape.  Then adhere the other color of wire to the negative end of the battery with electrical tape.  (Tip: If you flip the wires, the brush will spin in the opposite direction.)
6. Optional: Decorate your robot with supplies provided (colored electrical tape, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, etc.). 

With this explanation done, I let them gather their supplies and start creating. The most trying part for both the children and their parents was getting the wires to connect so a circuit can be created.  Really, this was extremely hard!  The vibrating of the motor would sometimes cause the wires to move so they no longer touched the battery or the metal loops on the motor.  This got very frustrating for some children.  But some children took this in stride and made it work.  I love the decorated Bristlebots the children created.  It was even fun to watch some children try to paint with their Bristlebots, despite the mess.  

 

Here is a list of what each child and/or group needed to get started creating their very own Bristlebot:

• 1/2 inch of double-sided tape
• Brush
• Motor
• One length of wire (I used speaker wire: pre-cut, striped on the ends, and separated at each end)
• Battery (AA)
• Electrical tape
• Scissors

Say Hello to the Morning Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "A Tooty Ta" from Dance Like This by Mr. Al

• Number literacy activity flannelboard - Hickory Dickory Dock (traditional counting rhyme)

Directions: Create four different mice with numbers on them from 1 to 4.  Hand out one mouse to each child.  The children come up to put their mouse on the board when their number is said.

Hickory dickory dock 
(clapping) 
A mouse ran up the clock 
(one hand run up the other arm) 
The clock struck 1 
(clap once) 
The mouse ran down 
(one hand run down the other arm) 
Hickory dickory dock 
(clapping) 

Hickory dickory dock 
A mouse ran up the clock 
The clock struck 2 
(clap twice) 
The mouse said "BOO!" 
(try to tickle child) 
Hickory dickory dock 

Hickory dickory dock 
A mouse ran up the clock 
The clock struck 3 
(clap three times) 
The mouse said "Wheee!" 
(one hand slide down the other arm and the down to the floor as if on a slide) 
Hickory dickory dock 

Hickory dickory dock 
A mouse ran up the clock 
The clock struck 4 
(clap 4 times) 
There is no more 
(shake head, show empty hands) 
Hickory dickory dock.

• Book #1 - Time for a Hug by Phillis Gershator and Mim Green, illustrated by David Walker

• Stand-up activity - "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" traditional action song from Toddler Action Songs by Cedarmont Kids

• Activity - "Early In the Morning" action rhyme from Fingerplay's: 2's Experience by Liz and Dick Wilmes

  

 

  

• Book #2 - Waking Dragons by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Derek Anderson

• Book #3 - Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel

• Closing - Dance with scarves to the song "Silly Dance Contest" from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes by Jim Gill

  

 

 

• Art experience - Cut, glue, and color Animals on Parade pattern worksheet from Teacher's Helper magazine Sept/Oct 1999