Building with Blocks Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

   

 

• Book #1 – Blocks by Irene Dickson

• Stand-up Activity – This Is the Way We Stack Our Blocks (action song to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" that I fashioned after the "Construction Worker Song" that I found at PreKFun.com)

This is the way we stack our blocks,

stack our blocks, stack our blocks.

This is the way we stack our blocks,

when we build a tower!

This is the way we blow a kiss...

This is the way we stomp around...

This is the way we run around...

This is the way tip-toe around...

This is the way we sit inside...

• 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 - Stacking colored building blocks

Grab an assortment of many colored building blocks.  Hand one block to each child.  Have the children bring their blocks up to a table when you call their color.  Once all of the blocks are on the table, count the blocks while stacking them into a high tower.

• Letter of the Day - "H" is for high

• Book #2 – Rex Wrecks It! by Ben Clanton (board book)

• Activity – "If You're Happy and You Know It" action song from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

• Closing - Rhythm sticks using "Goin' On a Bear Hunt" from Kids In Action by Greg and Steve 

 

 

• Art Experience – Use Lego Duplo bricks as stamps and paint as ink to create unique stamped art.

Community Workers Storytime

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

    

 

• Book #1 – Kitten Red Yellow Blue by Peter Catalanotto

• Stand-up Activity – I am a Police Officer (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" found at http://www.hummingbirded.com/community-helpers.html)

I am a police officer, with my star

I help people near and far

If you have a problem, call on me

And I will be there 1, 2, 3

• 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 - Can You Guess My Job? (found in Artsy Toddler Storytimes by Carol Garnett Hopkins)

Community workers work far and near

This person helps people get well

Can you guess this job here?

...keeps the city safe

...delivers letters

...makes tasty meals

...keeps your pets healthy

• Letter of the Day - "P" is for police

• Book #2 – Shhhhh! Everybody's Sleeping by Julie Markes, illustrated by David Parkins

• Activity – "The Night I Had a Dream" from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner

• Closing - Rhythm sticks using "Goin' On a Bear Hunt" from Kids In Action by Greg and Steve 

 

 

• Art Experience – Pen coloring on a cut out police hats that can be folded and worn (found on Education.com)

Mindstorm kits at the Library

Thanks to a state library grant, I was able to offer a special program at my library using a number of Lego Mindstorms kits.  If you are not familiar with this awesome, but expensive toy, each kit comes with one control brick and numerous Lego bricks, pulleys, cogs, wheels, connectors, and sensors.  These kits combine technology, engineering, and coding.    

My current library decided to offer a two-hour introductory class for children who have no experience using the EV3 Mindstorms technology.  I started the class by showing a 4-minute video about the basics of Mindstorms block coding and how to transfer the code from the laptop to the brick.  This video was just long enough to keep the students attention as well as relay some needed information.  

After the video I sat on the floor to show off the kits to the students.  I opened up one kit and showed them what was inside.  I also used this time to remind them about and point out some important features (some, but not all, were covered in the video):

• The alphabetic ports on the brick send information out - motors are connected here.
• The numeric ports on the brick receive information - connect sensors here.
• Point out the port where the laptop gets connected to the brick near the alphabetic ports.
• Show how to turn on and off the brick.
• Demonstrate how to move around on the screen of the brick.
• Remind the students to please rename their project/program. (There were projects and programs on the bricks from previous students. If everyone used the default name, then we would never know which project/program belongs to each student.)

Now it was time to break up into groups.  My library got 5 kits for this program, that means we got 5 bricks and 5 laptops.  I needed to have five groups.  I had the children separate into groups according to what they wanted to do.  This helped me distribute the children more evenly to the 5 bricks.

1. Immediately start programming. A pre-assembled basic RileyRover was handed to the members of this group.  The students could jump in and start programming without needing to build anything.  (I got the idea of using the RileyRover from a librarian at the next town over.  It was an excellent idea.  There are detailed instructions on how to build the rover and well thought out lesson plans for this simple robot.)
2. Build a RileyRover and then program it.  This is for the students who love to follow Lego direction manuals to build something. The students can also decide to add a gripper attachment or cargo delivery attachment.  
3. Make your own creations and then program it to do things.  This was by far the most popular choice. These students had to think extra hard to create vehicles and robots that worked with the motors and could support the hefty weight of the brick.

REFLECTION: I am proud of all of the students who attended these classes.  They worked through some hard coding and structural errors that needed to be overcome.  In some cases, they also needed to work on some diplomacy matters to get the whole group working on their project.  

In retrospect, I needed to do more training before organizing these classes.  The sensors that come with the kits required some advanced coding.  The kids really wanted to use them.  I was totally not prepared for this.  I did not leave myself enough time to watch enough videos and read up on these more advanced parts of the kits.  

Dinosaur Play Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

    

 

• Book #1 – Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland

• Stand-up Activity – "We Are the Dinosaurs" from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner

• 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 - Colorful Counting Dinosaurs (my notes don't say which website I found this counting rhyme that includes color recognition)

• Letter of the Day - "D" is for Dinosaurs

• Book #2 – Dinosaur Stomp!: A Monster Pop-up by Paul Stickland

• Activity – Dinosaur, Dinosaur Turn Around (action rhyme I adapted from the familiar "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around" jump rope rhyme)

Dinosaur, dinosaur turn around

Dinosaur, dinosaur touch the ground

Dinosaur, dinosaur dance on your toes

Dinosaur, dinosaur touch your nose

Dinosaur, dinosaur reach up high

Dinosaur, dinosaur jump to the sky

Dinosaur, dinosaur stomp your feet

Dinosaur, dinosaur show your teeth

Dinosaur, dinosaur give a roar

Dinosaur, dinosaur find the floor

• Closing - Rhythm sticks using "Goin' On a Bear Hunt" from Kids In Action by Greg and Steve 

 

 

• Art Experience – Glue tissue paper square scales onto a dinosaur drawing

Dinosaur Kisses Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

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

• Color literacy activity - Dotty the Dinosaur (color story I found at Miss Jaime's Library Journeys)

 

  

  

• Book #1 - Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein

• Stand-up activity - "We Are the Dinosaurs" action song from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner

• Sit down activity - Five Baby Dinosaurs (counting fingerplay I found in the book Storytime Crafts by Kathryn Totten)

• Book #2 - Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton

• Book #3 - Snappy Little Dinosaurs by Dugald Steer, illustrated by Derek Matthews (pop-up)

• Closing - Rhythm sticks to the song "Red Red Robin Stick Dance" from Stinky Cake by Carole Peterson

 

• Art experience - D is for Dinosaur cut and paste worksheet (found at Creative Little Explorers) with coloring crayons

Peekaboo Fun Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

  

• Book #1 – Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora

• Stand-up Activity – "If You're Happy and You Know It" action song from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

• 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 - Cuckoo Bird Shapes

Create a selection of felt shapes as well as one shape of a small bird.  Hide the bird behind a shape.  Let the children guess which shape the cuckoo bird is hiding behind while saying this rhyme.

Cuckoo bird, cuckoo bird,

Where are you?

Cuckoo bird, cuckoo bird, 

Peek-a-boo!

(look under a shape)

• Letter of the Day - "P" is for peekaboo

• Book #2 – Peekaboo, Blueberry! by Barney Saltzberg (lift-flap)

• Activity – "Where Is Thumbkin?" a traditional fingerplay from Where Is Thumbkin? by Kimbo

• Closing - Rhythm sticks using "Goin' On a Bear Hunt" from Kids In Action by Greg and Steve 

 

• Art Experience – Pen coloring on a Blueberry Bunny picture