Movers & Shakers: Knights and Dragons!

The Summer Reading Program starts next week, so we decided to read books based on our theme: Adventure Begins at Your Library! And what’s more adventurous than knights and dragons? If you would like to check out the books we read during Story Time, click on the image of the book to be taken to our catalog page.

WELCOME SONG: EVERYBODY TAKE A SEAT

OPENING SONG: IF YOU’RE READY FOR A STORY

BOOK: DO NOT BRING YOUR DRAGON TO THE LIBRARY

FLANNEL BOARD: 5 BRAVE KNIGHTS
Five brave knights on a castle wall
Teasing Mr. Dragon, “You can’t catch us all!”
Along flies Mr. Dragon with a mighty call
*ROAR!!*
Then scared that knight right off the castle wall!
Continue counting down 4,3,2,1

SONG: THE KNIGHT’S JIG BY MOSI + MOO

BOOK: KNIGHT OWL

BOOK: THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS

SONG: WE’RE GOING ON A DRAGON HUNT! BY KIBOOMERS

SONG : FLY LIKE A DRAGON BY RYAN’S WORLD

And that’s what we did in storytime! Be sure to check back Thursday to see what Jessica does!

Movers & Shakers: Garbage Trucks!

Let’s learn how garbage trucks keep our cities and towns clean this week! Click on the images of the books to be taken to our catalog page, then check them out to read at home.

WELCOME SONG: EVERYBODY TAKE A SEAT

OPENING SONG: IF YOU’RE READY FOR A STORY

BOOK: IF YOU WERE A GARBAGE TRUCK

FLANNEL BOARD: SIX LITTLE DUMP TRUCKS

SONG: LEAKY UMBRELLA BY JIM GILL

BOOK: I STINK!

SONG: GIMME THAT GARBAGE!! BY DANNY GO!

SONG (WITH SHAKER EGGS): THE WASHING MACHINE BY JIM GILL

WHAT WE DIDN’T USE: TRASH TRUCK.
We were just having so much fun wiggling around that we decided it was best to just wait until next time

And that’s what we did in storytime! Be sure to check back Thursday to see what Jessica does!

Movers & Shakers: Aliens!

IT CAME FROM ANOTHER PLANET!! And they had some cool books to share! This week’s storytime theme was Aliens, and it was out of this world!

WELCOME SONG: EVERYBODY TAKE A SEAT

OPENING SONG: IF YOU’RE READY FOR A STORY

BOOK: EVEN ALIENS NEED SNACKS

FLANNEL BOARD: SPACESHIP, SPACESHIP

SONG: PARTY FREEZE DANCE BY KIBOOMERS

BOOK: THE BABYSITTER FROM ANOTHER PLANET

BOOK: THE WAY BACK HOME

SONG: ALIEN SPACE PARTY BY PINKFONG

SONG (WITH SCARVES): ALIEN SONG BY ITS MUSIC

And that’s what we did in storytime! Be sure to check back Thursday to see what Jessica does!

Movers & Shakers: Pi Day!

Today is Pi Day! Pi (pronounced Pie) is an infinite number that begins with 3.1415…. so of course we had to read some mathematical books to see how often math appears in our lives. It’s surprisingly more often than you might think! And who doesn’t love a good piece of pie on a gloomy day?

WELCOME SONG: EVERYBODY TAKE A SEAT

OPENING SONG: IF YOU’RE READY FOR A STORY

BOOK: WHAT IS MATH?

FLANNEL BOARD: PRETTY LADYBUG

SONG/BOOK: CHICKA CHICKA 123 BY BILL MARTIN JR.

As this book can be sung and read, we decided to do both!

BOOK: CAN YOU COUNT TEN TOES?

We learned that no matter where in the world you go, math is a universal language! Everyone can count to ten in their own language, so we learned how to count along with this book.

SONG: THE PI SONG BY asapSCIENCE

SONG: LEAKY UMBRELLA BY JIM GILL

SONG: SILLY DANCE CONTEST BY JIM GILL

WHAT WE DIDN’T USE: SIR CUMFERENCE AND THE FIRST ROUND TABLE. We originally wanted to read SIR CUMFERENCE AND THE DRAGON OF PI (also pictured below) but any of these books would do for a day all about math! Sadly, we just had too much fun with our math songs that we ran out of time.

And that’s what we did in storytime! Be sure to check back Thursday to see what Jessica does!

Movers & Shakers: Being Kind!

We learned many different ways to be kind and how kindness grows good friendships. Click on the image of the book we read to be taken to our new catalog page.

WELCOME SONG: EVERYBODY TAKE A SEAT

OPENING SONG: IF YOU’RE READY FOR A STORY

BOOK: BE KIND

FLANNEL BOARD: 6 FRIENDLY DOGS

SONG: HELLO, FRIENDS!

We learned that not everyone can speak or hear, so being kind means learning how to speak with our bodies! This ASL song is great for learning feelings and introducing yourself to new friends.

Hello, friends! How are you?
Hello, friends! How are you?
Hello, friends! How are you?
I’m very [emotion], thank you!

The basic feelings we learned were: Happy, Sad, Tired, Hungry, and Thirsty. You can check out this website for basic signs.

BOOK: TIDY

BOOK: STICK & STONE

SONG: IT TAKES SOME FRIENDS BY JIM GILL

SONG (WITH SHAKER EGGS): LAST NIGHT I HAD A DREAM BY LAURIE BERKNER

And that’s what we did in storytime! Be sure to check back Thursday to see what Jessica does!

Movers & Shakers – Animal Friends!

Can you believe it’s already February?! That means Spring is just around the corner! Today we talked about how animal friends can be the same, yet different. One thing that everyone had in common was needing to wake up from a looong winter’s nap. Click on the image of the book we read to be taken to our new catalog page.

WELCOME SONG: EVERYBODY TAKE A SEAT

OPENING SONG: IF YOU’RE READY FOR A STORY

BOOK: NO TWO ALIKE

FLANNEL BOARD: 5 FOXES

SONG: GREEN GRASS GROWS (ALL AROUND) BY BARNEY

We sang this song to lead into where other animals live and to keep us excited for Spring – especially since tomorrow is Groundhog Day! Will our friend Groundhog see their shadow??

BOOK: I LIVE IN A TREE TRUNK

BOOK: A GREYHOUND, A GROUNDHOG

SONG: SHAKE YOUR SILLIES OUT BY RAFFI

SONG: SILLY DANCE CONTEST BY JIM GILL

And that’s what we did in storytime! Be sure to check back Thursday to see what Jessica does!

Movers & Shakers: Trees!

WELCOME SONG: EVERYBODY TAKE A SEAT

OPENING SONG: IF YOU’RE READY FOR A STORY

BOOK: TAP THE MAGIC TREE

FELT BOARD: LITTLE BIRD LITTLE BIRD

SONG: I’M A TALL, TALL TREE

This is my trunk, I’m a tall tall tree. (bend at waist and hold ankles then move up to standing with arms out and up like a tree’s branches)
In the spring, the blossoms bloom on me. (make hands into tight “buds”)
They bloom. They bloom. (twirl one wrist to an open hand, then the other)

This is my trunk, I’m a tall tall tree. (bend at waist and hold ankles then move up to standing with arms out and up like a tree’s branches
In the summer, the breezes blow through me.  (“branches” up over head)
I bend. I bend. (slay left with arms up over head and right)

This is my trunk, I’m a tall tall tree. (bend at waist and hold ankles then move up to standing with arms out and up like a tree’s branches)
In the autumn, the apples drop from me. (make hands into fist to represent apples)
They drop. They drop. (roll fist over fist to the ground x2 as if the apples are falling)

This is my trunk, I’m a tall tall tree. (bend at waist and hold ankles then move up to standing with arms out and up like a tree’s branches)
In the winter, the snowflakes fall on me. (“branches” up over head)
They glisten. They glisten.  (flutter fingers of one hand, then the other)

SONG: I PLANT A TREE BY KIDSA ENGLISH

BOOK: SHAKE THE TREE!

SONG: AND THE GREEN GRASS GROWS ALL AROUND

BOOK/SONG: CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM!

And that’s what we did in storytime! Check back next week to see what Jessica did!

Christina’s Corner: Kindergarten Readiness

[Source: United Way of the Quad Cities]

Is your child starting Kindergarten this Fall?  If so, are they ready?

According to area Kindergarten teachers, one in six Quad Cities children are not ready to learn on their first day of school. The good news, there is still time to help prepare your child for school!

Stop by the library to pick up the brochure 10 Things Your Child Needs to Know Before Kindergarten or go to the United Way website for a preparedness quiz and suggestions on how to prepare you future kindergartner.

 

 

 

 

Chistina

Introducing science

Introducing scientific concepts to preschoolers and early elementary age students can be challenging. Taking ideas and theories that many adults have a difficult time conceptualizing and making them understandable and relevant is no easy task.  That is why I love the following scientific picture books.  They talk about things that your kids are asking about, in way that is factual, entertaining, and easy to understand.

I was excited to read Jason Chin’s Gravity, and it didn’t disappoint.  With beautiful, eye-catching illustrations and big, easy-to-read text, Gravity would be exceptional even if it weren’t also parlaying important information.  Along with his outstanding Redwoods, Coral Reefs, and Island: A Story of the Galapagos, Chin has proven himself a master at combining beautiful illustrations, an engaging plot, and easy to understand science.