Flannel Friday: Foxes

I used Sunflower Storytime's template to make my foxes. I'm very pleased with how they turned out and my storytime kids loved them.

Important Links:
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Flannel Friday Tumblr
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Clifford the Big Red Dog Birthday Party

February is the perfect time to host a birthday party for Clifford the Big Red Dog.

We started with the craft: Clifford Ears and coloring Clifford. I also had the kids put their name on a tag for a game.

After crafting, I read the first story from Norman Bridwell's Clifford Collection: The Original Six Stories and then let the kids pick one more story from the book. On the flannel board, I had Clifford, Clifford, where's your bone?

We played three games: Pin the Tag on Clifford, Clifford Hot Dog, and Clifford Paws.

Dr. Seuss Party

I like to do some variation of this event in March close to Dr. Seuss's birthday.

I usually read 2-3 of the following books:

• I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (I only read selections.)
• Dr. Seuss's ABC
• What Was I Scared Of? 
• What Pet Should I Get? 

On the flannel board, I have the first 2 or 3 pages of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and a game of my own devising, Find the Lorax.

We often do this movement song I found on the PUBYAC archives: If You Love Dr. Seuss.

I always have a variety of games because it all depends on how many kids come what games we play. The options are Pin the Bow Tie on the Cat, Horton's Pink Clover Race, Fox in Socks Sock Toss, Seuss Bingo, Cat in the Hat Scavenger Hunt, and Cat in the Hat relay race.

For a craft we usually make Horton Elephant Ears.

I send them home with several coloring sheets: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss; Horton; and One Fish, Two Fish.

I don't always have snacks, but when I do I serve the following: Barbaloot Snack Mix (chocolate teddy grahams with mini marshmallows), Humming Fish (Goldfish crackers), a Seuss Punch (Kool-aid).

Check out my Dr. Seuss Pinterest board for other ideas.

Flannel Friday: Five Giraffes in the Bathtub

I originally made the bathtub to go with my elephants. I found the giraffe idea on Carrie's blog. I used a giraffe clipart image from Clker to make my giraffes. Puff paint for details and wiggle eyes. You could adapt the rhyme to go with alomst any animal. Oh the possibilities!


Important Links:
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Flannel Friday Tumblr
Flannel Friday Pinterest
Flannel Friday Facebook Group

Dinosaur Program

I've done this program several times as a storytime + activities event. It lasts about an hour. I like to do it in November (AKA Dinovember). My fellow librarians Abby, Bryce, Kelly, Laura, and Katie were sources of inspiration.

For storytime, I read Samanthasaurus by B.B. Mandell, Papasaurus by Stephan Lomp, and Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein. We did a movement rhyme (dinosaurs lived long ago), a flannel board (Five Enormous Dinosaurs), and a song ("Dinosaurs in Cars" by Nancy Stewart). I often change up the books especially if something new has come out.

For the activities, we measured our shoes against a dinosaur footprint, played with dinosaurs and play dough, played a dinosaur egg pass game, and colored dinosaurs.

Stuffed Animal Pet Show

I've hosted many stuffed animals sleepovers in my years as a librarian. It's a fun program, but very labor intensive on me. When I saw Kim's post about her stuffed animal pet show I knew I had to try it.

Here's what I did.

As the kids arrived, I had them fill out a pet information form. This was what I used to announce the pets when they went down the red carpet.

The grooming station had combs so the pets would look their best.

At the dress up station, I had 2 crafts--one for the pet and one for the owner. The pets got foam collars or bracelets and the owners made bead necklaces.

After all the grooming and dressing up, I read Found by Salina Yoon along with my stuffed animal pet Domino the Giraffe.

After the book, it was time for the red carpet. Using the forms the kids filled out when they arrived, I announce them and their pets as they walk down the red carpet (which is really red foam shelf liner).

After the red carpet, I present each pet an award in the form of a certificate. Most of the awards, I make up on the spot.

This was a fun, easy program. I will definitely be hosting it again.

Flannel Friday: Llamas

I used this template from Wild Olive to make my llamas. The blankets I did freehand.

I use this set when singing "Five Little Llamas Jumping on the Bed" and the fingerplay "This little llama" (replace cow with llama).

My storytime kids and I also talked about what color the llamas and their blankets are.


Important Links:
Flannel Friday Blog/Website
Flannel Friday Tumblr
Flannel Friday Pinterest
Flannel Friday Facebook Group

Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

Animals and poetry are two of my favorite things and I love that this collection brings them together. The illustrations are bright and colorful and the text is large. The facts the poems introduce are interesting.

I liked all the poems and look forward to using this collection both in storytime and outreach to elementary school. This collection is perfect for sharing with preschoolers. Davies is right up there with David Elliott in terms of the best poetry for preschoolers.

Illustrated by Peter Horacek. Candlewick, 2017 (USA)

Leaf Play

This program was a lot of fun. I really enjoy doing a short storytime and pairing it with sensory bin activities and play dough play.

I read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff, Counting Crows by Kathi Appelt, and Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! by Maureen Wright. On the flannel board, the kids helped the squirrel find his acorns.

Activities
Pumpkin Scented Cloud Dough
Apple Scented Play Dough 
Fall Sensory Bins (black beans, popcorn, artificial leaves and sunflowers, plastic bugs, jumbo kid friendly tweezers)


Here's a link to my Fall Sensory Bin Pinterest board.

Lois Ehlert Art Program

I was inspired by Laura's Discover Picture Book Art program and Jennifer's We Explore Art: Lois Ehlert program.

I've always admired Lois Ehlert's illustration style and thought it would be fun for kids to explore.

(Sadly, this was a no show event for me this summer. I'd like to try it again at a different library in a different season.)

Here's my plan.

Read The Scraps Book by Lois Ehlert. Share a few pages from Lots of Spots and Oodles of Animals to show off her illustration style.

Let the kids explore her illustration style by 1) looking at books she's illustrated [display of all the books we have that were illustrated by Lois Ehlert] and 2) creating their own collage style illustrations.

I had the following supplies out: pipe cleaners, pompoms, buttons, tissue paper, construction paper, scrapbook paper, index cards, foam shapes, ribbon, glue, and scissors.

Last Laughs: Prehistoric Epitaphs by J. Patrick Lewis & Jane Yolen

This hilarious collection has tons of kid appeal. Dinosaurs and death--what could be better? The dinosaur/creature names are fun. Some of the poems have a modern hip hop/rap vibe. The organization by time period oldest to newest appeals to my type a personality and it just makes sense. These poems will make you laugh.

I love the note at the end (A Little about Layers) and the invitation to readers to write their own epitaphs.

My favorite poems by J. Patrick Lewis are Pterrible Pterosaur Pterminated and Iguadon, Alas Long Gone.

My favorite poems by Jane Yolen are Terror Bird Kicks the Bucket, Scat Old Saber Toothed Cat, Crying (Dire) Wolf, and Holy Moly Woolly Mammoth.

Illustrated by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins. Charlesbridge, 2017

Bravo! Poems about Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle

The title does a fabulous job of telling you what this poetry collection is about.

I learned so much from these poems and was glad to discover more information at the end. I had never heard of most of the people in the book. Bravo! would make a great jumping off point for a biography project.

This book flowed extremely well. I liked that Engle organized the poems by the birth year of the subject.

My favorite poems are First Friend, Let the Birds Live, Pura Belpre, Helping Wild Animals, and Brave Music.

The illustrations are gorgeous. Bright, colorful, and the portraits of the people are amazingly life like.

Illustrated by Rafael Lopez. Godwin, 2017

Titanic Program

I was inspired and borrowed from programs hosted by several awesome librarians.

My inspirations:
Jenni's Science Club: Titanic 
Abby's What Sank the Titanic? and Titanic at Your Library
Amy's Sink or Float: Titanic Edition
Pamela's I Survived Program

I really like the flow of Abby's What Sank the Titanic/ program. Like her, I read passages from Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkins and did activities from Titanic Science The Teacher's Guide.

Here's the basic outline of how the program went.
Read p. 16 (about the cat)
Buoyancy Activity (p. 5 of teacher's guide) [This failed miserably!]

Sink or Float Activity (p. 4 of teacher's guide)

Read pp.73-74 (impact)
Iceberg statistic & Making an Iceberg (pp. 10-11 of teacher's guide)
Read pp. 84-85 (damage)
Titanic Compartments demonstration with ice cube tray (Abby & Amy)

Build a Boat that Floats (p. 7 of teacher's guide, Jenni, Abby, Amy, & Pamela)

Book Display & Book List: Books About the Titanic

I think the kids most enjoyed building and testing their boats. Some of the kids knew more about the Titanic than I did. I would definitely do this program again.

Spring Sensory Play

Once again I was inspired by pins on Pinterest to develop this special preschool program/event. 

I began with a short storytime. I read Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson, Hooray for Hoppy! by Tim Hopgood, and When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes. We did the fingerplay "Watch it Bloom," counting rhymes with crocheted flowers on the magnet board, and found hiding gnomes on the flannel board. 

After the story time, I released the kids and parents to several stations around the room. 

Sensory Bins: 

Flowers & Bugs (black beans, popcorn, plastic bugs, artificial flowers puller of the stems, jumbo kid friendly tweezers)

Carrot Patch (split peas, carrot eggs, white rabbit eggs)

Eggs (plastic eggs, plastic chick eggs, plastic rabbit eggs)

Planting Flowers (black beans, popcorn, artificial flowers with stems, flower pots)

 Play Dough Acvtivities

Planting Flowers (mud colored play dough, flower pots, artificial flowers with stems)

Spring Play Dough (play dough in pastel colors and eucalyptus scented, rolling pins, spring cookie cutters, other play dough utensils)

I use this play dough recipe. 

Here's my Pinterest board for spring sensory bins. 

I really enjoyed this event and look forward to trying it out at all my libraries. 

Miguel's Brave Knight: Young Cervantes & His Dream of Don Quixote by Margarita Engle

I really liked this book. I found Cervantes life as presented in these poems fascinating. History and the power of imagination are well represented. Engle puts together simple words to tell an amazing story.

My favorite poems are School, Smoke, Daydreams, Imagination (end), and Imagination (front).

I enjoyed the Author's Note, Illustrator's Note, Historical Note, and Biographical Note. They added to the poems and made me want to know more.

When I finished the book I wanted to read it again and also read Don Quixote.

I love this quote from Engle: "I wrote Miguel's Brave Knight to show how the power of imagination can be a great source of comfort and hope in times of struggle and suffering."

Illustrated by Raul Colon. Peachtree, 2017