Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Earth Love

April 24, 2103

In celebration of Earth Day this past Monday, I selected books that discuss caring for our planet and taking care of the trees and plants!


Nibbles:  A Green Tale by Charlotte Middleton
Every guinea pig in Dandeville loves to eat dandelion leaves until there is only one plant left, and Nibbles secretly and carefully tends this treasure until he can share the seeds with his community.



"Dig, Dig, Dig" Action Rhyme:
I dig, dig, dig
And I plant some seeds
I rake, rake, rake
And I pull some weeds
I wait and watch
And soon I know
My garden sprouts
And starts to grow!

The Earth Book by Todd Parr
How can we help care for our planet?  This book is full of ideas!





"I Am a Tall Tree" Fingerplay:
I am a tall tree
I reach toward the sky
Where bright stars twinkle
And clouds float by.
My branches toss this way
As the wild winds blow
Then they bend forward
Laden with snow
When they sway gently,
I like it best
Then I rock the little birds
To sleep in their nest.

We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow
Simple text reveals the benefits of planting a single tree, both to those who see it grow and to the world as a whole.




We made our very own Earth Mosaic during craft time!
The blue water is my favorite part...






Thursday, April 18, 2013

Spotlight On Jez Alborough

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Tiffany from the Children's Museum visited us this morning!  She read two terrific books with us:  Ten Tiny Babies by Karen Katz and From Head to Toe by Eric Carle.  For the activities, we made musical instruments, learned about foods and practiced our counting with Donald Crews' Ten Black Dots!

Then in the afternoon... 

Jez Alborough is one of my favorite children's authors, so I thought I'd celebrate his work with an "All Alborough All the Time" Story Time!

Tall by Jez Alborough
Illustrations and just a few words depict how various jungle animals help a very little monkey to feel that he is tall.


"Mr. Tall and Mr. Small" Fingerplay:
There once was a man who was tall, tall, tall.
He had a friend who was small, small, small.
The man who was small would try to call
to the man who was tall, "Hello up there!"
The man who was tall at once would call
to the man who was small, "Hello down there!"
Then each tipped his had and made this reply,
"Goodbye, my friend."
"Goodbye, goodbye."

Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough
When a small boy named Eddie goes searching for his lost teddy in the dark woods, he comes across a gigantic bear with a similar problem.



"Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" Action Song:
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear shine your shoe
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear clap one-two!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear climb the stairs
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear comb your hair
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn out the light
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say, "Goodnight!"

Hug by Jez Alborough
Bobo the chimp seeks hugs among various jungle animals and their young, but he does not get what he wants until he is reunited with his own parent.




In honor of Hug, we made our very own "hugs" during craft time!
The note says, "Wrap these hands around you whenever I am not there,
so you can have a hug from me anytime!"

 
 


Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I Feel... SILLY!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I was feeling silly this week, so I thought it was about time for a Silly Storytime!

Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
A rhyming story of Silly Sally, who makes many friends as she travels to town--backward and upside down.



I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
A bear almost gives up his search for his missing hat until he remembers something important.



A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan
One morning, a boy wakes up with a rabbit on his head and, although his mother is skeptical, he soon discovers that he can be fed, ride a bobsled, and even look cool with a rabbit on his head.



"Hi, My Name is Joe" Action Rhyme:

Hi, my name is Joe, and I work in a button factory
I've got a wife -- and three kids
And one day my boss came up to me
She said, "Joe!"
I said, "Yo!"
"Are you busy?"
I said, "No!"
She said, "Push this button with your right hand!"

Hi, my name is Joe, and I work in a button factory
I've got a wife -- and three kids
And one day my boss came up to me
She said, "Joe!"
I said, "Yo!"
"Are you busy?"
I said, "No!"
She said, "Push this button with your left hand!"

Hi, my name is Joe, and I work in a button factory
I've got a wife -- and three kids
And one day my boss came up to me
She said, "Joe!"
I said, "Yo!"
"Are you busy?"
I said, "No!"
She said, "Push this button with your right foot!"

Hi, my name is Joe, and I work in a button factory
I've got a wife -- and three kids
And one day my boss came up to me
She said, "Joe!"
I said, "Yo!"
"Are you busy?"
I said, "No!"
She said, "Push this button with your left foot!"

Hi, my name is Joe, and I work in a button factory
I've got a wife -- and three kids
And one day my boss came up to me
She said, "Joe!"
I said, "Yo!"
"Are you busy?"
I said, "No!"
She said, "Push this button with your head!"

Hi, my name is Joe, and I work in a button factory
I've got a wife -- and three kids
And one day my boss came up to me
She said, "Joe!"
I said, "Yo!"
"Are you busy?"
I said, "Yes!"

"Little Bunny Foo Foo" Action Song:

Little Bunny Foo Foo, hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
Down came the good fairy, and she said...
Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
I'll give you three more chances, and if you don't behave...
I'll turn you into a goon!

Little Bunny Foo Foo, hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
Down came the good fairy, and she said...
Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
I'll give you two more chances, and if you don't behave...
I'll turn you into a goon!

Little Bunny Foo Foo, hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
Down came the good fairy, and she said...
Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
I'll give you one more chance, and if you don't behave...
I'll turn you into a goon!

Little Bunny Foo Foo, hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
Down came the good fairy, and she said...
Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head
I gave you three chances, but you didn't behave, so now...
I'll turn you into a goon!

And she did!  The moral of the story is... 
Hare today, goon tomorrow!!!

We created some fabulous silly hats during craft time!
Thank you to Wild Thing for modeling some of our stylish
headgear for the blog...




Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Imagine...

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Pretending is one of my favorite things to do, so today all of our books were about using your IMAGINATION!

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
A little girl and her toy monkey go on a series of adventures to see many different animals!



Higher!  Higher! by Leslie Patricelli
Swinging is a lot of fun, especially when you use your imagination to fly higher...  And higher...  And higher...



Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
A counting book which shows what can be done with ten black dots--one can make a sun, two a fox's eyes, or eight the wheels of a train.



"I'm a Little Teapot" Action Song:

I'm a little teapot, short and stout
Here is my handle, here is my spout
When I get all steamed up, here me shout
Tip me over, and pour me out!


"If You're a Monster and You Know It" Action Song:

If you're a monster and you know it wave your arms
If you're a monster and you know it wave your arms
If you're a monster and you know it, then your arms will surely show it
If you're a monster and you know it, wave your arms

... show your claws

... stomp your feet

... do all three!
We used our imaginations and ten black dots to create pictures! 
Miss Dinah made this polka dot shoe, while the kids made eyes in the dark,
ghosts, lady bugs, choo-choo trains, flowers, and many more works of original "ten dot" art.