Summer Bunch: Safari

Going on a Safari!

Read: Way Far Away on a Wild Safari by Jan Peck

Activity: Animal Safari Scavenger Hunt.

I was inspired to try this idea by a blog I found via Pinterest. (If you do not know about Pinterest, beware! It is awesome and it will take over your life!!) Anyway, this blogger is a party planner and her ideas are so cool. She actually inspired us to be super-creative for our Multi-Cultural Food Fest that we had last week (check out our pics here). Check her out at apartystyle.com.

Anywho, she used blow-up animals. Due to budgetary constraints, I had to go low-rent. I had some photos a patron had given us and cut and labeled each photo. I posted the pictures around the Children's Library (and maybe one or two outside if the weather is nice). As a team, parent and child(ren) was given a check-list (see pictures). After they completed their task, each child was given baggie of animal cracker cookies!!!

That is it... One more week of Summer Bunch!! Now I am off to Maine with my bestie for the weekend! Woot Hoot!

Summer Bunch: Ocean

Oceans and Beach

Read: The Beach Ball by David Steinberg and Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae

Craft: Jellyfish inspired by scrapbooksetc.com

Jellyfish by scrapbooketc.com

• Need: Paper bowls, eyeball stickers, various colored ribbons tied in a "pony-tail" (I used gift-wrap curly ribbon), various colors tissue paper, white glue and sponge brushes.
• Prior to storytime, have your wonderful summer assistant tie strips of curly ribbon into "pony-tails." One ribbon-tail per child.
• Layout bowl, sponge brush, largish pieces of tissue paper and sticker eyes at each craft seat.
• Have kiddos "paint" the bowl with white glue. Then they can place the tissue paper on top of the glue and smooth down. Then stick on the eyes.
• When children have completed the tasks, securely tape the ribbon-tails to the inside of the bowl.
• Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Summer Bunch: Llama, Llama

Llama, Llama

 

Read: Llama, Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney and Is Your Mama a Llama by Deborah Guarino.

 

Craft: L is for Llama from Ms. Hegna's Story Room

• My fabulous summer assistant copied and cut-out the llama pieces provided by Ms. Hegna's Story Room.
• Prior to storytime, we set out one piece of construction paper and a set of llama pieces at each craft seat. (oh, and one sticker eyeball) We also set a pile of tan yarn in the middle of each craft table. I also wrote L is for Llama on each of the pieces of construction paper.
• We instructed the children to glue the various pieces together in order to create a llama.
• Then they glued bits of yarn to the llama.
• That is about it! Thanks to Ms. Hegna's Story Room for the great idea!

 

Llama

 

 

I loved how most of the children thought the Llama's ear was his neck! Hehe

 

Summer Bunch: Boats, Ahoy!

Boats, Ahoy!

Read: Busy Boats by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker and Tugga-Tugga Tugboat by Kevin Lewis

Craft: Cruise Ship
Busy Boats discusses all types of boats -- Ships, row boats, sail boats, tug boats and etc. After we finished both books, we discussed the different types of boats, particularly cruise ships. We discussed some of the items you would find on a cruise ship: pool, food, life vest, anchor, and the Captain.

• I enlarged and copied a cruise ship picture found in the One World, Many Stories programming guide.
• Using Google images, I searched and printed clip art of a pool, food, life vest, anchor and Captain. And had my wonderful summer volunteer cut them out.
• After our discussion, I asked the children to color their ships and then glue on their clip art.
• And that is it! Really easy, but when you have a "big" crowd -- I was anticipating 13 children, but only 9 showed -- the easy crafts usually become as complicated as the more intricate/messy ones!