Hello, Fall!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Miss Tiffany from the Children's Museum visited us this morning!  She brought some super-fun activities, including self-esteem flags, friendship bracelets, crazy glasses and face painting crayons.  We had a blast.  In the afternoon...

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

A yellow leaf is not ready to fall from the tree when autumn comes, but finally, after finding another leaf still on the tree, the two let go together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Five Little Leaves" Action Rhyme:

Five little leaves on the tree next door

One fell off, and then there were four

Four little leaves all over the tree

One fell off, and then there were three

Three little leaves where the wind blew

One fell off, and then there were two

Two little leaves sitting in the sun

One fell off, and then there was one

One little leaf in the tree all alone

The wind blew and blew

And now there are none!

 

Who Loves the Fall by Bob Raczka

 Rhyming text and illustrations portray the sights and sounds of autumn, from "rakers, leapers, and corn crop reapers" to "trickers, treaters, and turkey eaters."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Leaves are Falling Down" Action Song:

To the tune of "The Farmer and the Dell"

The leaves are falling down

The leaves are falling down

Red, yellow, green and brown

The leaves are falling down

 

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

A man made of leaves blows away, traveling wherever the wind may take him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We created these awesome fall trees at craft time!
Thanks to the Pikadilly Charm blog for the idea. :)

 

Sleepy Time!

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For Bed? by Barney Saltzberg
Cornelius the pig has his own style when preparing for bed, but he does not really feel ready until he gets a hug.









"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" Action Song:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

A young dinosaur takes on many challenges and wins every time. Then Dinosaur faces his toughest challenge of all: bedtime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Big Yellow Moon" Action Rhyme:

Big yellow moon shines so bright

Glides across the starry night

Looks down at me asleep in bed

Whispers, "Good night, sleepyhead."

Big yellow moon, your turn is done.

Here comes Mr. Morning Sun!

I wake up, you go to bed

"Sleep well, moon, you sleepyhead."

 

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

At bedtime, a little llama worries after his mother puts him to bed and goes downstairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Moon and Stars Mobile is easy
to make!  I am feeling sleepy...

 

Pumpkin Spice Latte, Coming Right Up!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas
 When Duck decides to make a jack-o-lantern, he and his friends Pig and Mouse are in for a scary adventure.










"Three Little Pumpkins" Action Rhyme:
Three little pumpkins, sitting very still
In a pumpkin patch high upon a hill
The first one said, "I'm very green,
But I'll be orange by Halloween."
The second one said, "I'm on my way
To beoming a jack-o-lantern one day."
The third one said, "Oh me, oh my!
Tomorrow I'll be a pumpkin pie!"

Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor

Pumpkin heads and jack-o-lanterns of all varieties abound when Halloween comes around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Pumpkin, Pumpkin" Action Song:

Sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground

How'd you get so big and round?

Once you were a seed so small

Now you are a great big ball

Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground

How'd you get so big and round?

 

Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch by Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe

Pigs have a wonderful time playing in the pumpkin patch and other spots on the farm, encountering other animals along the way.

Pumpkin Hats created many a photo op for our kiddos at Craft Time!

 

 

 

Ha-pea-ly Ever After

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
An alphabetical tour of the world of fruits and vegetables, from apricot and artichoke to yam and zucchini!








"Two Little Blackbirds" Action Rhyme:
Two little blackbirds, sitting on a hill
One named Jack, one named Jill
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill

Two little blackbirds, sitting on a cloud
One named Quiet, one named Loud
Fly away Quiet, fly away Loud
Come back Quiet, come back Loud

Two little blackbirds, sitting in the snow
One named Fast, one named Slow
Fly away Fast, fly away Slow
Come back Fast, come back Slow

Yoga Bear by Karen Behan Pierce
Learn fun yoga poses like Tree, Dog and Dead Bug!










"Hokey Pokey" Action Song:
You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out
You put your right foot in, and you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about

Additional verses --
Left foot
Right hand
Left hand
Whole self

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Little Pea hates eating candy for dinner, but his parents will not let him have his spinach dessert until he cleans his plate.

We made our own Pea Family!
Aren't they cute?

Ahoy, Matey!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th, we read some scurvy pirate books!

"If You're a Pirate and You Know It" Action Song:
If you're a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish)
If you're a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish)
If you're a pirate and you know it, then you'll hear the sea winds blowin'
If you're a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish)

Additional verses--
walk the plank (stomp, stomp)
shout, "Ahoy!"
do all three

*Thank you to Elizabeth Moreau Nicolai at the Born Librarian blog for the lyrics!

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew and finds out about pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of their life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Day I Went to Sea" Action Song:

When I was one, I sucked my thumb

The day I went to sea.

I jumped aboard a pirate ship,

And the captain said to me:

We're going this way

And that way

And forward

And backward

Across the deep blue sea!

 

Additional verses--

When I was two, I tied my shoe...

When I was three, I scraped my knee...

When I was four, I shut the door...

When I was five, I learned to dive...

A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas by Philip Yates

This rhyming book offers a witty re-imagining of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"--with a sly buccaneer twist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every little pirate needs a parrot as a pet...
Ca-caw!  It's craft time!

 

Whoo? Whoo!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
While other animals sleep at night, some quietly and others noisily, some alone and others huddled together, a wide-eyed owl watches.









"Wide-Eyed Owl" Action Rhyme:
A wide-eyed owl with a pointed nose,
Two pointed ears and claws for toes
He lives way up in the tree
And when he looks at you
He flaps his wings and says, "Whoo, whoo!"

 Whoo?  Whoo? by David A. Carter
Shapes transform into animals as the reader tries to guess "whoo" we'll meet next.  A frog?  A lamb?  An owl?









"The Hokey Pokey:  Owl Style" Action Song:
You put your right wing in, you take your right wing out
You put your right wing in, and you shake it all about
You do the Owl Hokey Pokey and you fly yourself around
That's what it's all about -- whoo whoo!

Additional verses:
left wing
right claw
left claw
beak
whole self

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Three owl babies wake up to find their mother has flown away!  Sarah and Percy try to stay calm, but Bill cries, "I want my mommy!"

Whoo has the most adorable craft in the whole wide world?
We do, with these awesome owl pillow boxes!

Monkey Business

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Kiki's Blankie by Janie Bynum
Kiki the monkey has many daring adventures with her polka-dot "blankie," but when it sails away without her and lands above a sleeping crocodile, she may not be brave enough to come to the rescue.








"Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree" Action Rhyme:
Five little monkeys, sitting in a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can't catch me!"
Here comes Mr. Crocodile, jaws open wide
SNAP!  That monkey down inside!

Continue counting down to one!

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
A counting book in which one by one the little monkeys jump on the bed only to fall off and bump their heads.







"Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" Action Rhyme:
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Continue counting down to one!

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
An unobservant zookeeper is followed home by all the animals he thinks he has left behind in the zoo.

We went bananas at Craft Time, making these monkeys!