Song: If You Want to Know an Answer

November 17, 2013 on 3:03 am | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Content, Background Knowledge--Science, Explain Aside, Music/Songs, Practices, Reading, Storytime Component | No Comments

If You Want to Know an Answer is a good opening song especially when you want to emphasize what we can learn from factual books. You can substitute words to emphasize any aspect of learning.

Song:
If You Want to Know an Answer (tune:  If You’re Happy & You Know It)
If you want to know an answer, read a book!
If you want to know an answer, read a book!
If you’re wondering where the moon goes;
If you’re wondering how the grass grows;
If you want to know an answer, read a book!

If you’d like to learn to draw, read a book!
If you want to learn to draw, read a book!
If you’d like to draw a dog,
Or a frog sitting on a log;
If you’d like to learn to draw, read a book!

If you’d like to learn to bake, read a book!
If you’d like to learn to bake, read a book!
If you’d like to make some candy,
Or a pizza that is dandy;
If you’d like to learn to bake, read a book!

Early Literacy Aside–Explain–Background Knowledge:  Factual books offer many opportunities to add to children’s knowledge based on their interests. Sharing factual books not only helps children learn about the world around them, but also will help them later understand what they read. In today’s storytime, I’ll be pointing out different ways to share factual books and information with children.

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Sequential Cubes

November 6, 2013 on 7:40 pm | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Math, Background Knowledge--Science, Crafts/Activities, Example Aside, Playing, Practices, Storytime Component, Storytime Handouts | No Comments

Storytime Activity: The cubes shown here are made from 6” x 6” packing boxes. There are 6 sequences per cube, one for each side of the cube. You can see here a sequence of three for caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly and from pumpkin to carving a jack-o-lantern face, to the finished jack-o-lantern.
To play, each family or small group gets three cubes as a set. A child rolls a cube and describes the picture. If the child is unable to respond, the adult helps the child reply or labels the picture with one word. Next, different people in the group look for other items in the sequence on the remaining two cubes. [For easier sequences use only two items, for harder sequences use four or more cubes.]
Early Literacy Aside:
Talking about sequences, first, second, third, what happens next supports scientific and mathematical thinking with this cube activity. In this case we will be playing with sequences of three, three in a row. Talk together about the pictures and what pictures make sense to be in the sequence. Then line up the cubes in a row in order from left to right. [Note that a 1, 2, 3, sequence could be from less to more or more to less. It is still a sequence.]
Continue the game as another person rolls a cube; repeat the process.
Instructions to make and use the cubes:  cubesseq

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17 Kings and 42 Elephants by Margaret Mahy

May 15, 2013 on 3:58 am | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Books, Storytime Component, Vocabulary | No Comments

Introduction: Our next book is 17 Kings and 42 Elephants written by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by Patricia MacCarthy. Now we will take a journey into the jungle without even leaving the story room.  In this story there are some nonsense words—that means they are not real words, but are made-up words.  Listen carefully to try to figure out which are the nonsense words, but don’t tell.
Read the book.
Go through the book and tell which are the nonsense words.  Ask the children what they think a couple of the nonsense words might mean. Talk about one of the real words and its meaning.
Early Literacy Aside–Example: Talking about specific meanings of words strengthens your children’s vocabulary which will help them understand what they later will read. Often times children have a general idea of what words mean but that benefit from an actual explanation. No need to do that with every unfamiliar word! Just pick out one or two or ask your child to pick out a word that sounds interesting and talk about its meaning.
For a sound clip 17 Kings & 42 Elephants of an excerpt from the book said in a mesmerizing chant by Amy Alapati
Submitted by Amy Alapati, Montgomery County (MD) Public Libraries
engaging rhythm

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Peanut & Fifi Have a Ball by Randall de Seve

May 15, 2013 on 3:38 am | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Book/Story--Narrative Skills, Background Knowledge--Book/Story--Print Motivation, Books, Empower Aside, Example Aside, Playing, Puppets/Dolls/Props/Dramatics, Storytime Component, Writing | No Comments

Introduction: When we use books that are fun and use imagination, our children make a connection to the story. In Peanut and Fifi Have a Ball written by Randall de Seve and illustrated by Paul Schmid, Peanut has a new ball and Fifi tries so hard to get her to play.  Watch how this story uses a simple item and adds imagination.
Read the book.
Activity: Act out the story.
Early Literacy Aside–Example: Acting out the story, dramatic play, reinforces both the story itself and the pleasure about the story. By internalizing the story, they are better able to understand it.
Early Literacy Aside–Empower:  I hope you’ll encourage playing with stories at home as well. Take a box, ruler, blanket, ball, or many other simple items and use make believe to encourage play.  Other books that work with Play and imagination are Not a Box and Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis.  After playing with a simple item, you can always expand on this play by having your child draw something they did, dictate a story about their play, or just describe what they did with the item.  Using writing to expand on the story validates your child’s play. Talking about and recording the story,  going over the sequence is uses their narrative skills which helps your child learn how stories work by using first, next, and last.
Submitted by Dianna Burt, Allen County (IN) Public Library

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Belling the Cat with Finger Puppets

May 11, 2013 on 4:00 am | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Book/Story--Print Motivation, Puppets/Dolls/Props/Dramatics, Storytime Component, Storytime Handouts | No Comments

Our next story is Belling the Cat, based on an Aesop fable. What do you know about cats and mice? Yes, cats like to chase mice. Cats like to eat mice. Let’s see what these mice do about the cat.
Use the handout below to tell the story and to pass out to families so that they can retell the story at home.
Early Literacy Aside–Empower: Having your children retell stories is one good way for them to learn about how stories work. It’s also a lot of fun. They can also try drawing and writing the story, adding their own ideas. Enjoy!
Belling the Cat story and handout: bellingcat

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The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins Handout

April 23, 2013 on 9:20 pm | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Conceptual Thinking, Books, Empower Aside, Storytime Component, Storytime Handouts | No Comments

Introduce the book The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins. Have children repeat the phrase “No one makes cookies like Grandma.”
Read the book. Count the cookies on one plate as more children arrive.
Early Literacy Aside–Empower: The kitchen is a great place for activities around counting and measuring whether you use recipes or not. A “handful” is a measurement! How does the amount in your handful compare to the amount in your child’s handful? The bathtub is another great place to play with measurement, pouring water from one container to another.
I have a handout here to go with The Doorbell Rang. You and your children can cut out the twelve cookies and plates and see how the cookies are divided as more children come.
Handout:  doorbellranghandout

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Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson Handout

April 23, 2013 on 8:57 pm | In 0 to 2, 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Book/Story--Narrative Skills, Books, Storytime Component, Storytime Handouts, Uncategorized | No Comments

Read the book The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson. Have participants join in with the repeated phrase “but the cow loves cookies.”
Early Literacy Aside–Empower: At the end of storytime pass out the attached handout. Tell the adults they can cut out the pictures with their children and play different games.  Children can match the animals to what they eat. Use the pictures to help children retell the story, too! Young children can say the sounds of the animals. Have children say the repeated phrase “but the cow loves cookies.” Older children can retell the story using the pictures to remember the order. All these are steps to help your children retell stories and help them understand how stories work which will later make it easier for them to understand what they are reading.
Handout: cowlovescookies

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree Craft

April 23, 2013 on 8:40 pm | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Crafts/Activities, Empower Aside, Letter Knowledge, Storytime Component | No Comments

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree Craft:
Offer enough materials for one per person (children and adults). Use construction paper cut outs for tree and cocoanuts, or offer a blank sheet of paper to draw a tree. Children can color their trees, and glue coconuts and leaves to tree. The youngest children can pat the glued pieces. Older children can write letters or something that looks like a letter.  If they know how to write their name, they can write those letters on their tree.  Encourage adults to describe and talk about what their children have drawn and made.
Early Literacy Aside–Empower: As you make things with your children, you can take opportunities to support their awareness of letters. With your preschoolers, help them write the letters in their name, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect. For younger children, talking about shapes, like the shapes of the cocoanuts or the shapes in the leaves, is the beginning of letter knowledge because children recognize letters by their shapes. Enjoy!

Submitted by Katie Ringenbach, Bucks County (PA) Public Library

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Joseph Had an Overcoat by Simms Taback

April 22, 2013 on 4:41 pm | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Book/Story--Narrative Skills, Books, Empower Aside, Flannel Board, Storytime Component, Storytime Handouts | No Comments

Read book:  Joseph Had an Overcoat by Simms Taback
Have children say the repeated phrase, “But it got old and worn.”
Retell with flannel board: Now let’s do the story on the flannel board. What happened first?
Early Literacy Aside–Empower: [As you give out the handout] I have a handout for you today for Joseph Had an Overcoat. It is the same pattern that I used for the flannel board. You can cut out the
pieces and have your children retell the story. As you have your children retell other stories too, using props can help them remember what comes next. For your younger children who may not be able to retell stories, they can repeat a word or perhaps a phrase. These are all activities that will later help your child understand how stories work and also help them understand what they read.
Pattern for flannel board and handout:  josephovercoathandout

 

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Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree Song

April 15, 2013 on 8:30 pm | In 2's and 3's, 4's and 5's, Adult Aside, Age Levels, Background Knowledge--Conceptual Thinking, Example Aside, Music/Songs, Storytime Component | No Comments

Preparation: Use a crocodile hand puppet and five monkeys that can be removed from a glove puppet. If you have a tree prop, like one for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, place monkeys on the tree.
Children count and snap. Children of all ages enjoy the rhythm/chant of the song and the snapping. Adults with babies can gently give them a surprise snap with a big smile. Toddlers and preschoolers count and like the repetition.

Five little monkeys sitting in a tree   (Hold up five fingers and bounce hand up and down)
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, teasing Mr. Crocodile (Wave fingers forward)
Can’t catch me; can’t catch me. (Shake head no.)
Along comes Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be. (Whisper with index finger over nose and mouth.)
And SNAPS that monkey out of the tree!

To make this rhyme more interactive between adults and children, when you repeat it, have the adult be the five little monkeys, holding up one hand. The child is the crocodile making a mouth with one hand. Optional: Reverse roles.

Early Literacy Aside–Example: In this rhyme, we are counting backwards with our children in a fun way. Counting is part of learning concepts which support your child’s background knowledge.

 

Submitted by Katie Rinenbach, Bucks County (PA) Public Library

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