May Ideas

Ducks -- Duckling Month
Read: Dawdle Duckling by Tony Buzzeo and Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen
Craft: Duck Collage

• Need duck shape cut out of white paper, white tissue paper pieces, orange paper cut into beaks and feet...and an eye (of course)
• Prior to storytime cut out all the necessary pieces.
• Have children glue the white tissue pieces onto duck to create feathers....then glue on the beak/bill and the eyes and feet.

Actually, my cousin Michelle (an art teacher) told me that collage is a great craft for little ones. I have repeated this medium throughout the year. It takes little prep time and you can adjust it for just about any theme.

Bugs
Read: I Love Bugs by Dodd and The Very Greedy Bee by Smallman
Craft: Cursive Name Bugs (OMG! I LOVE this idea from No Time for Flash Cards)

• Need craft paper, marker, eyes!, crayons
• Prior to storytime, fold a piece of craft paper in half. Write in cursive each child's name on one half of the craft paper. With the paper folded, trim around the name on the outside edge of paper. Open it up, and you have an awesome "bug" shape.

Before we began our craft, I talked about different types of writing ... printing which they are used to seeing and cursive which is a little bit fancy. On our chalkboard, I showed them my name printed and then in cursive. Then I asked them to try to find their name at the table and take a seat.

Check out these images from No Time for Flash Cards (did I mention that this is my most favoritest blog?)

Dogs
Read: Lyle Walks the Dogs: A Counting Book by Bernard Waber
Craft and story extender adapted from Preschool Daze
Story extender: While reading prompt the children to count the dogs on each instance. After the story, we made a list of Dog Needs on the white board i.e. food, toys, play with them and etc.....
Craft: Dog Puppet

• Need paper lunch bags, brown, black and white craft paper paper cut into circles (eyes, noses and spots), triangles and other ear shapes, and red craft paper for tongues.
• Have your co-worker (heheheh) cut zillions of shapes out of the various craft papers.
• Let the children pick and choose the shapes they would like to make a complete doggy puppet.

Preschool Daze

Vacation
Read: Counting our Way to Maine by Maggie Smith and something else I can't remember???

I actually don't remember what we did!!!!! I was so very busy preparing for summer reading, I don't know if we did a craft or not! Oh, old age .... you devil!