Pre-K: St. Patrick's Day! 3-14-13

Thankfully this group was smaller than usual due to Spring Break and they were super good listeners because I got to do my St. Patrick's Day theme even though I'm recovering from laryngitis!!  I had a great time with you guys!

Thanks for taking some vocal responsibility off me and helping today, Miss Michelle!


22 kids
4 siblings
19 adults

Memory Box:  A lime from Green by Laura Seeger

Books:
Green by Laura Seeger:  Illustrations and simple, rhyming text explore the many shades of green.

Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley.  Bear looks for a lucky four leaf clover, but realizes he's even luckier to have a friend like Mouse.  (I often change the words and sometimes even the storyline of a book to send a more positive message, and I did that with this one).

 

Thanks for finding a FIVE leaf clover, Mouse!

 

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover by Lucille Colandro.  These books can be a bit cheesy, but I love making flannels and props to spruce them up!

 

 

Color of the Day (instead of letter): Green

Game: I'm thinking of something green: We gave clues and the kids guessed the picture

 

Movement Activities:

 

Ribbon Dancing to "Rainbow Dancers"

 

 

"Leaping Leprechauns" (http://www.hummingbirded.com/st-pattys.html ) Each child danced with a shamrock.  They held onto them for the next (and best part) activity

 

Magic Cauldron:

I put an armful of rainbows (streamers) into the cauldron and we said some magic words, but no magic happened.  Oh, that's right.... We needed some magic shamrocks!  The kids brought their shamrocks up in groups and put them in the cauldron.  We said some more magic words.  Nothing!  What's the most magical Leprechaun word of all??  Thanks, Miss Michelle for reminding me that it is "Shillelagh"!  That worked!  I pulled out a sack of gold coins!

 

 

 

The kids lined up along a patch of shamrocks and leprechaun footprints taped to the floor and received a piece of gold to take home with them.

 

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day, from yours truly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wiggle Worms 3-12-13 St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is a little over toddlers' heads, but since holidays are so much fun to celebrate I had to incorporate a little festivity!  Here's some of what we did:

Puppet Animal Song:  "If I was a Bird" from the Wiggleworms Love You album

 

Letter of the Day: Rr for rainbow

Mr. Bear:  Our Wiggle Worms friend got a wee bit Irish today.

 

 

He also found a fancy sack of Leprechaun gold and each child got a piece on his or her way out the door.  Treasure!

Cube Song:  Skidamarinkadink

Book:  Duckie's Rainbowby Frances Barry.  Follow Duckie as he hurries out of the rain and discovers a rainbow.

 

Prop Movement:  We made rainbows with colorful ribbons and danced to "Wiggerly Woo"

 

Flannel Activity:  Rainbow Stew

Miss Michelle put different colored fruits in the cauldron for me to mix around and pull out a rainbow

Credit:  This activity in one version or another has been around for a long time.  I started using it years ago and don't know who the original idea came from.

Fingerplays:
We mellowed out with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with nifty little finger lights and a dim room

We always end by driving in our cars before bubbles:

I'm driving in my car
I'm driving in my car
Beep beep
Toot toot
I'm driving in my car

I'm driving really fast....
I'm drivig really slow....

Mr. Bear had a gold coin for each of the kiddos on the way out!

 

 

 

 

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Customer Satisfaction Survey: Please take a minute or two to fill out this survey to let us know how we're doing or about changes you would like to see.  You can get a print copy from your local MCLD Library or access it here https://extranet.mcldaz.org/Survey/

Thank you!

Baby Time Valentine's! 2-13-13

I figured a lot of babies would be at Valentine's Day parties, but it turns out a lot of them partied it up in Baby Time!  So cute!

34 babies
37 adults

I did a lot of the same activities with the Wiggle Worms (toddlers) yesterday, so here's a quick summary of today:

Rhymes / Finger Plays / Bounces

Humpty Dumpty:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
Humpty Dumpty fell in a puddle
Humpty Dumpty needs a big cuddle

Skidamarink:
Skidamarink a dinky dink
Skidamarinky doo
I love you
I love you in the morning (arms like a sun over your head)
and in the afternoon (lower arms)
I love you in the evening (lower arms)
and underneath the moon (sleep on hands)
Skidamarink a dinky dink
Skidamarinky doo
I love you!

Two Little Lovebirds

Two little lovebirds sitting on a hill
One named Jack
and one named Jill
Fly away, Jack
Fly away, Jill
Come back, Jack
Come back, Jill

Additional verses...

Snow / Fast / Slow

Cloud / Quiet / Loud

Book: All Kinds of Kisses by Nancy Tafuri.

 

Bouncing Song:  We danced to "Will You Be My Valentine?" - a song filled with lots of dancing, hugging, spinning, and hand holding.  So sweet to see the littlest babies in their caregivers' laps and the older babies bustin' a move!

Look at these cute twins!  I got to dance with this handsome fella for the song:

Prop Rhyme:  Under the heart there is.... ultimately, a Love Bug!

Music activity:  Instead of shakers, the babies flew plush bug rattles with scarves tied on as I played the song "Love Bug"

 

Wiggle Worms: Valentine! 2-12-13

It's been a while...  I have been helping out with storytimes at another branch which has really slowed down my blogging but today my kiddos were so much fun that I had to post!

Mr. Bear
Mr. Bear has been wearing his "Bee Mine" outfit in preparation for Valentine's Day

 

Animal Puppet Song: "Old MacDonald" from the Wiggleworms album.  Gotta love that tickle bug at the end.

Letter of the Day: Ll for ladybug (or love bug or love bird)

Rhymes

"Two Little Love Birds"

Two little love birds sitting on a  hill
One named Jack
and one named Jill
Fly away, Jack
Fly away, Jill
Come back, Jack
Come back, Jill

(Other verses)
Cloud / Quiet / Loud

Snow / Fast / Slow

Finger puppets are easy to make at home

Kisses:

All Kinds of Kisses by Nancy Tafuri. There are so many kinds of (noisy) kisses, but the best kiss is from someone who loves you!  This is one of my top 5 books for babies and toddlers.

After all those animal kisses, we blew some kisses to this family on the flannel board.  As the kids blew a kiss, Miss Michelle or I slapped a big kiss on the family member. http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/2012/01/flannel-friday-valentines-day.html

 

But it got really fun when we "blew" kisses too all the kids (stickers below)!!

Love Bugs:

Under the heart:  Under the blue heart is a purple heart. Under the purple heart is a green heart. Under the green heart is a pink heart.  Under the pink heart is a red heart.  Under the red heart is a .... Love Bug!

 

 

Just in time!.... We flew around the room with love bugs (plush rattles with scarves tied to them) while the song "Love Bug" played:

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day, little love bugs!

 





Flannel Friday's Mushy-Gushy Round-Up

Yeah, I'm a little late being that it's Saturday and all.....

This "flannel" is straight from http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/2012/01/flannel-friday-valentines-day.html

I'm going to do it a little differently though:

I have lots of kisses to give away
Who should I kiss this Valentine's Day?

After we blow kisses to mommy, daddy, baby, and doggie we will say the rhyme again and then I'll hold up a "kiss" sticker and I'll say, "I'll kiss Avery!" (or whichever child is sitting close enough) and put a sticker on her.  I will then "kiss" all the kids with stickers!

You can buy a roll of 100 stickers for $1.99 from http://www.orientaltrading.com/lips-roll-stickers-a2-32_1740-12-1.fltr?Ntt=kiss+stickers or look for packs of kiss stickers at most crafting stores, Target, or Wal-Mart this time of year.

Thanks for the great flannel ideas, storytimesecrets!

Programs resuming....

I hope you've all been enjoying your kiddos over the holidays!  Storytimes resume next week (though Family Storytime will take a break until March).

If you are planning to attend Wiggle Worms, be sure to register and arrive early to receive your ticket.  With the new year comes a crowd.....

http://www.mcldaz.org/  --> Our Libraries  -->  Perry  --> Calendar of Events

My husband reading to our baby