Halloween Spirit - Family Storytime

A Tuesday morning storytime for ages 0-6 years old.  

Opening #1: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

Opening #2: Roly Poly Oh So Fast (hand rolling body part chant adapted by Carol Hopkins)

Roly poly, roly poly, oh so fast!
Roly poly, roly poly, oh so slowly.
Roly poly, roly poly, up.
Roly poly, roly poly, down.
Roly poly, roly poly, hands on your head.
Roly poly, roly poly, hand on your feet.

(Repeat with other body parts)

Roly poly, roly poly, hands in your lap.

 

 

Literacy activity flannelboard: Spiders Go Marching on Halloween (number recognition flannelboard song to the tune of “The Ants Go Marching”) 

The spiders go marching one by one,
hurrah, hurrah!
The spiders go marching one by one, 
hurrah, hurrah!
The spiders go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck its thumb,
And they all go marching up,
To the tree,
On Hallowee-een.

The spiders go marching two by two... 
The little one stops to tie its shoe...

The spiders go marching three by three...
The little one stops to hug a tree...

The spiders go marching four by four...
The little one stops to close the door...

 

  

Book #1: I Got the Spooky Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Frank Morrison  

Stand-up activity: Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern (action rhyme adapted by Carol Hopkins, similar to "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around")

Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern turn around.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern roll on the ground.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern dance on your toes.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern light up your nose.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern reach up high.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern jump to the sky.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern smile with heat.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern find your seat.

 

Activity: Pumpkins Over There (action rhyme written by Carol Hopkins)

Pumpkins small
(make small pumpkin with hands)
Pumpkins tall
(hands up high)
Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere
(spin around)
Pumpkins fat
(hands make fat pumpkin)
And pumpkins thin
(hands together almost touching)
Pumpkins, pumpkins over there!
(point across the room)

 

Transition: 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 

  

***Parent literacy tip:  Repetition and rhyming help children learn the sounds of words.                          

Book #2: Sweets and Treats by Toni Trent Parker, photographs by Earl Anderson   

Book #3: Maisy’s Halloween by Lucy Cousins (board book)      

Closing music with scarves: “Flitter Flutter” from The Second Line by Johnette Downing  

  

Art activity: Pen coloring and stickers on white masks    

Optional other books:
Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple
It’s Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall, illustrated by Shari Halpern

 

 

 

 

Dinosaur Parade - Baby Toddler Storytime

A Tuesday morning storytime for ages 0-2 years old.  

Opening #1: Skinnamarink (action song from Car Songs: Songs to Sing Anywhere by Dennis Buck from Kimbo)

Opening #2: Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum (fingerplay)

Sticky, sticky bubblegum, bubblegum, bubblegum; 
Sticky, sticky bubblegum;
Stuck to your __________.
1, 2, 3, PULL!

(Repeat with more body parts)

 

 

Book: Dinosaur Parade by Shari Halpern

Themed activity #1: All Around the Swamp (action song to the tune of “Wheels on the Bus” that I found at Storytime Sprout https://www.storytimesprout.com/post/dinosaur-storytime)

Pteradactyl’s wings went flap, flap, flap
Flap, flap, flap, (x2)
Pteradactyl’s wings went flap, flap, flap
All around the swamp.

Triceratops’s horns went poke, poke, poke…

Stegosaurus’s feet went stomp, stomp, stomp…

Their dinosaur mouths went munch, munch, munch…

 

Themed activity #2: Dinosaur Pretend (action rhyme I found at https://www.handleyregional.org/blog/we-are-dinosaurs-storytime)

Spread your arms, way out wide,
Fly like a Pteranodon, soar and glide.
Touch the floor, head down low,
Move like Stegosaurus, long ago.
Reach up tall, try to be
As tall as Apatosaurus eating on a tree.
Using your claws, grumble and growl
Just like Tyrannosaurus on the prowl.   

 

Lap rhyme #1: Tick Tock (lap bounce)

(bounce baby from leg to leg)

Tick tock, tick tock, I’m a little cuckoo clock.
Tick, tock, tick tock, now it is one o’clock… Cuckoo!
(raise baby up for each cuckoo)

(repeat for other times of day)
Now it is two o’clock… Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

Now it is three o’clock… Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

 

Lap rhyme #2: Counting Bubbles (counting rhyme I learned during a BrainDance workshop)

One bubble, two bubbles, three bubbles, top.
(pat legs with hands for each number chanted, then place hands on top of head)

Three bubbles, four bubbles, five bubbles, drop.
(pat legs with hands for each number chanted, then drop hands to lap)

Six bubbles, seven bubbles, nine bubbles, pop.
(pat legs with hands for each number chanted, then clap hands loudly in front of body)

Ten little bubbles floating down!
(twinkle hands down to floor)

Now let’s blow _____ bubbles.
(This is a breath exercise.  Pick a number and pretend to blow that number of bubbles through hand.  Don’t forget to pop the bubbles with a loud clap after blowing it up.  I count the bubble while I do the clap.) 

 

Lap rhyme #3: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (traditional body parts action song)

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,
Knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
And eyes and, ears and, mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.

   

***Literacy tip: Practice fine motor skills by taking apart and putting together puzzles with your child.            

Transition: 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 

 

Letter of the day: "D” is for dinosaurs

 

 

Flannelboard: Five Enormous Dinosaurs (similar to one seen at https://www.literacious.com/2016/02/05/flannel-friday-dinosaurs/)

Five enormous dinosaurs letting out a roar.
One went away and then there were four!
Four enormous dinosaurs munching on a tree.
One went away and then there were three!
Three enormous dinosaurs didn’t know what to do.
One went away and then there were two!
Two enormous dinosaurs having lots of fun.
One went away and then there was one!
One enormous dinosaur afraid to be a hero.
It went away and then there was ZERO!

 

Closing song with scarves: “Alabama, Mississippi” from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song & Other Contagious Songs by Jim Gill  

 

 

 

 

Passive Craft Table - Parachuting Dinosaurs

 

For this passive program, I wanted to set up a craft table on an early release day during our Dinovember celebrations.  I found these unique parachuting dinosaurs made from craft foam online at Baker Ross.  These fun dinosaurs that can really parachute down to earth were a fun addition to all of our dinosaur activities.      

 Supplies:

-         Parachuting dinosaurs craft kits

-         Coloring pens

-         White glue

-         Glitter glue

-         Googly eyes

-         Tablecloth

Passive Craft Table - Dino Racers

 

For this passive program, I wanted to set up a craft table on an early release day during our Dinovember celebrations.  I found these unique wooden dinosaurs with wheels online at Baker Ross.  These fun dinosaurs that can really roll were a fun addition to all of our dinosaur activities.      

 Supplies:

-         Dinosaur rollers craft kits

-         Coloring pens

-         White glue

-         Stickers

-         Googly eyes

-         Feathers

-         Tablecloth

Dinosaurs Again - A Family STEAM & Stories event

This program was intended to introduce STEAM concepts through stories and exploration activity stations to families with children ages 3-8 years old.    

Intro song:  Hello Friends (sign language action song for the words hello, friends, math, fun, and time)

Hello friends,
Hello friends,
Hello friends,
It's time to say hello.

Hello science,
Hello science,
Hello science,
It's time to have some fun.   

Hello dinosaur,
Hello dinosaur,
Hello dinosaur,
It’s time to give a roar!

 

Demonstration and Storytime:

 

·         Read the book T. Rex Meets It’s Match by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia, illustrated by Marie Bollmann

·         Show pictures of dinosaurs and try to name them. 

·         Show the word cards for dinosaur, fossil, and extinct.  Talk about what the definitions of these words. 

·         Talk about how large a dinosaur footprint would be.

·         Show the life-size dinosaur footprint (pre-drawn on butcher paper). Guess how many children would fit inside this footprint (nontraditional measurement). 

·         Urge the children to stand in the footprint and count how many children fit inside.     

·         Instruct on how to use the stations. 

 

Stations: 

 

Station #1- Dinosaur scratch art ornament (similar to seen at https://a.co/d/1WgrDBX)

Use the wooden stylus to scratch off the black to create a colorful dinosaur.    

 

Station #2 – Clay fossil print   

Children take a small clump of air dry clay and then press it flat.  Next, they make fossil-like imprints in the clay with the provided materials (such as shells, pinecones, toy dinosaurs, sticks, plastic toy plants, etc.). 

  

Station #3 – Dinosaur classification   

The children look at dinosaur toy figures.  They place the dinosaurs on the classification papers that best match each dinosaur (carnivore, herbivore, four legs, two legs, lives in the ocean, etc.) 

 

 

Station #4 – Dinosaur Memory Game

 

Station #5 – Large 3-D Dino Bones (as seen at https://shop.imaginationplayground.com/products/large-dino-bones?srsltid=AfmBOoqi_RFKZZcZsZ90CPiaMF4v8pWW5od1njSr69Op55FcSR5SCxTL)

 

 

 

 

 

Homeschool Meet-Up: Light Bending Lasers & Spring Gnomes

A monthly Thursday morning library program for homeschool families. 

Goals:

·                     Opportunity to explore STEAM concepts in a relaxed setting.

·                     Participants can socialize and connect with other homeschool families.

·                     Students build confidence and cooperative skills by completing tasks together.  

 

Activities of the day:

 “A” is for art: Spring Gnomes

I put out the leftovers from a previous gnome craft activity and invited the children to make spring gnomes with the art materials on hand. 

  

 

“S” is for Science: Light bending lasers

I got this laser kit from my library’s main office.  The kit included some laser pens and mirrors.  The children were invited to see how many times they could get the laser to bounce off the mirrors.  Easier said than done.    

 

“E” is for Engineering: Build with building toys

I got out the wood stacking rocks and the marble run sets for the children to play with.