Christmas: Pre-K and Family Storytime

I have accumulated just too many fun Christmas books, flannels, music, and activities over the years!  I found myself agonizing over what to do and what to not do in storytime today.  Here are some of the winners from today's Pre-K and Evening Family Storytime:

Books:

Books I used today:

 

Jingle Jingle by Nicola Smee.  This is becoming one of my favorites!  I (sometimes with co-worker help) ring bells and we all chime in with, "Jingle jingle, Jingle, jingle" each time the text calls for some jingling.  As they go down the hill, we jingle faster and faster and faster and FASTER!

 

Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight? by Jerry Pallotta. Santa Claus has a big job to do and he tries out lots of animals until he discovers reindeer!

 

Dinosaur Christmas by Jerry Pallotta. Santa Claus reminisces about "the good old days" when dinosaurs pulled his sleigh.

 

Bear Stays up For Christmas by Karma Wilson. Bear's friends are determined to keep Bear away for Christmas so they wake him up and fill his day and night with lots of fun!

 

Music / Movement:

"Kris Kringle's Jingle Bell Band" (Listen here)

 

The morning group of kids all picked an instrument and we paraded around the library.  I don't know if parents love getting up and walking around, but the kids, staff, and library customers sure do! 

 

 

"Reindeer Pokey"

 

I found a recorded version of this song that has all the little reindeer dancing their antlers, hooves, noses, tails, and reindeer bodies.  I'm sure I can find the album/artist I downloaded from - just ask if you want me to find it!

 

 

"The Dancing Christmas Tree" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlr4uXAz-JM

 

You have to watch this video.  Kids of all ages go nuts over it!  Kids dance with the Christmas Tree.

 

Flannels:

 "Santa's New Suit"

I really want to credit who shared this idea, but I'm just not sure anymore.  Sorry!
It may be a spin off of Laura Rader's Santa's New Suit.  Recipes for Reading created a flannel for this book.

Anyway...
 The story I told starts with Santa trying on his suit a couple days before Christmas Eve:

 

Oh no!  It is dirty with last year's chimney soot!:

 

Santa calls, "Ohh, Elllves!" (It's funny when the kids cup their hands around their mouths and call the elves with Santa).  "Please wash my suit."  So the elves wash it in really hot water and put it in the drier on really high heat.  Oh no!  It shrinks!:

"Ohh, Elllves!"  Santa asks for their help two more times, but they just can't find any red fabric:

 

What's this?  A gift from busy Mrs. Claus?:

 

 She made the perfect suit for Santa!"

 

"Rudolph, Rudolph":

 

I think everyone knows how this flannel goes:

 

Rudolph, Rudolph

What will you do? 

You can't guide Santa's sleigh

If your nose is blue

 

...etc...

 

Rudolph, Rudolph

The children are in bed

I know you are ready now

Because your nose is red



 

I knew I wouldn't have time to actually play this game in storytime, so we did one verse and then I sent the kids home with this so they could play with their adult at home:

 

"Santa's Hat"

 

Which hat is Santa's?



Dinosaurs! Pre-K and Family Storytime

Yup, still digging into reading.... but it's slowly winding down.  This week we dug up some dinosaurs in Pre-K and Family Storytime.

Books:

Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton. A cast of characters looks for, finds, and assembles some dinosaur bones.

Dinosaur Zoom! by Penny Dale. Dinosaurs of all colors drive all types of vehicles to get to a surprise location. *Extension activities below*

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen. Dinosaurs, like young children, may slam their tails and pout at bedtime, but they give hugs and kisses too!

Dancing with the Dinosaurs by Jane Clark.  This was a close runner up!

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Shields

Music:

"We Are the Dinosaurs" by Laurie Berkner
I pulled out my dinosaur puppets (T-Rex, Pterodactyl, Triceratops) and we marched with them.

My family storytime group flapping their Pterodactyl wings

 

Family Storytime group marching with Triceratops horns

 

* "Dinosaurs in Cars" by Nancy Stewart.  This was a great follow-up to Dinsosaur Zoom!

 

Letter of the Day:  Tt  Which two dinos start with the letter T?

 

*Flannel:  Which dino is missing? 

 

A dad and his child were playing the game again after storytime.

 

Craft:  "Prehistoric lizards" in eggs

 

Family Storytime Pictures

 

Craft

 

 

 

 

Pre-K Worms

We are still "digging into reading" this summer so we did a worm theme today in storytime.  After a month off, the group came back quite a bit smaller than it usually is but the kids were great!!

Don't forget:  If you are unable to make it to a morning storytime, I do family storytime on Thursdays at 6pm too!

Memory Box:  A lemon from Ned's New Home

Books: 

Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng.  A worm tries out a variety of new homes when his current apple home begins to rot. 

Worms for Lunch by Leonid Gore.  Various creatures share what they like to eat for lunch.  Don't worry - the worms get away safely!

Worms by Sian Smith.  This book uses simple rhymes and engaging images to teach young readers about worms.

 

Music:  "Walter the Waltzing Worm" by Hap Palmer

I taught the kids how to waltz first and they really caught on!  Then I handed out scarves and let them waltz with their own "Walters" and follow the cues to have him move all over their bodies.

Cube Roll:  I got some nifty (non-hand made!) cubes to roll and added my own pictures. Today it landed on the yoga picture so we took elephant breaths.

Letter of the Day: Ww for worm

We identified another "W" word - wagon - and sounded it out:

Flannel: 
Thank you, Storytime ABC's for the idea!  Thank you, Steff, for the rhyme:

I found an apple on the ground

It looked delicious, red and round

I picked it up and took a nibble

Oh my goodness!  There was a worm in the middle!

 

 

Thankfully, a neighboring branch owns a die cut machine and cut lots of paper apples for me so each child could get one.  I punched a hole in each so the kids could do the rhyme with me and put their fingers through like worms.

 

Thank you, Greg, for punching all those apples for me!

 

 

5th Annual Caroling in the Library! An all-ages, family event

5^th Annual Caroling in the Library!

Date: Thursday, December 1^st

Event Agenda:

4:30pm Cookie Decorating (Meeting Room)

Hosted by Perry High School Culinary Club & Angela Stutz, PHS Culinary Arts Instructor

(Meeting Room) *WHILE SUPPLIES LAST*

4:45pm-5:15pm Caroling (Main Library)

Hosted by:  Enchanté, Perry High School's Advanced Women’s Choir, Trés Chic, their Jazz/Show Choir & Joe Little, PHS Music Instructor

5:30-6:00pm Pajama Storytime (Newsstand Room)

Usher in the holiday season with Perry Library Staff! Join us for cookies, hot chocolate and coffee while you enjoy the festivities!