Burnham Bunch: Spring=Mud

Spring has Sprung ???? (Oh, when will you spring?)

Read: Mud by Mary Lyn Ray the Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

Story Board: Harry the Dirty Dog. Place a two-sided Harry, "white dog with black spots", on the story board. As the story progresses, and Harry gets dirtier, color him black but leave some white spots. When he returns home and gets takes a bath, flip Harry over to make him clean again.

Clean Harry and Dirty Harry

Craft: Clean and Dirty Harry Painting inspired by OopseyDaisy

• Need: Construction paper in white, black and any other color for background, white and black paint, circle foam stampers and glue sticks.
• Prior to storytime, cut out one white Harry and one black Harry.
• Place supplies at each spot and instruct the children to 1) glue their clean and dirty Harry's onto the background paper 2) paint white spots on dirty Harry 3)  black spots on clean Harry.

   

Burham Bunch: Spring Flowers

I think we need a bit of Spring!!

Well, woke up this morning to SNOW!!!??! But, too late to change the theme for today.... so, we went with Spring. Actually, it was a good discussion started!

Read: My Garden by Kevin Henkes and Wake Up, It's Spring by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Craft: Paper Flower

• Need: Scrapbooking paper in various spring-like patterns, green craft paper, glue sticks and one circle-inital per child.
• Prior to storytime, using scrapbooking paper cut 2 larger flower shapes. Using Microsoft Publisher, I  made a text box-circle using the first letter initial of each of my kiddos. Cut this out as well.
• When it is time for the children to head to the craft table, ask each child to find the seat that has their initial.
• Instruct the children to glue together their flower in any pattern, design, etc. that they wanted. 

Here are the finished products:

Had to throw this one in. They were actually sitting and discussing the various trucks! So, cute.

Burnham Bunch: St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day

Read: Lucky Tucker by Leslie McGuirk and The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever! by Teddy Slater
Discussion: St. Patrick's Day, Shamrock and luck.

• On felt-board place a felt Shamrock.
• Ask children if they know what symbol is on the board. Then, explain that a Shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland and that you see Shamrocks all over during St. Patrick's Day.
• Add a fourth leaf and explain that a four-leaf clover is a sign of good luck. Then, segue into the story Lucky Tucker. A dog who begins his day with "bad" luck. But, he discovers that he soon has "good" luck when he rolls around in a batch of clover.

Craft: Can you say GREEN! Painting project inspired by LaughPaintCreate

• Need: Yellow, blue, green and white paint. Brushes, sponge stamps. Green and gold glitter. Fingerpainting paper.
• Before storytime begins, ready small plates with blobs of yellow, blue paint. Lay out paper and various brushes at each seat.
• Explain that when the yellow and blue are mixed together you will create GREEN. Instruct the children to mix the two colors together.
• Have them paint with the mixed-green, Then, as they paint, add bottled-green and some white to their plates. Have them use the various brushes for the different paint hues.
• When they have finished painting, ask if they would like a bit of "lucky" glitter on their painting. (I mean who is going to refuse lucky glitter?).
• In turn, sprinkle the lucky glitter on each painting (focusing on the wet spots).

Burnham Bunch: Dogs

For the Dogs!

Read: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer and Lyle Walks the Dog: A Counting Book by Bernard Waber

Discuss: What type of sound does a dog make? What would you think if a dog spoke to you?

Storyboard: Use storyboard pieces while reading Bark, George. I displayed George on our flannel board and then taped all the animals to the back of the easel. As the doctor removes the animals from George's stomach, I "pulled" the animal out of story-George.

Craft: Doggone Cool Doggy

• Need: Small paper plates, construction paper in black, brown and red. Sticker eyes. Glue sticks.
• Prior to storytime I cut out all the bits and pieces: black = ears, brown = dog bone, red = tongue. I also folded the ears (see finished product).
• Have children glue all the bits onto the paper plate, in order to create a doggone cool doggy.
• Ask each child what word they would want their doggy to say, if the doggy could speak. Write the word on the dog bone. (Most of the kiddos wrote their name) ...

Burnham Bunch: Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Read: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Storyboard: Using Green Eggs and Ham as prompt, children will help me "tell" the story. As I read, I will point to each story card (box, fox, car, train) and have them "read" along with me.

Craft: Birthday cake coloring page.

As the children were coloring their cakes, I asked them how old they were. I gave each child the proper number of "candles" for them to glue to their cake.

Traced, colored and laminated story cards.