Burnham Bunch: Apples

Apples

Read: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins and The Apple Tree by Lynley Dodd

Story board/extender: Felt tree and apples numbered 1-10. Using Ten Red Apples by Dodd, count down from 10 to zero with the farmer.

Craft: Apple Printing

• Need: Apples cut in half, poster paint (green, red, yellow) and craft paper, foam paint brush (less messy if children paint apples rather than dipping apples in paint). Brown and green markers.
• Have children paint apple (use one color per apple, unless you want brown apples!)
• Instruct them how to stamp apple onto paper.
• Wipe apple with paper towel and have them paint it another color. Stamp again. Wipe, paint and stamp again.
• While children are enjoying free play (i.e. all ten children fighting over the train table), draw on a brown stems and green leaves. Easy-Peasy.





Burnham Bunch: Fall Leaves

Fall/Autumn/Leaves

Read: Footballs and Falling Leaves by Rebecca Fjelland Davis, The Autumn Leaf by Carl Emerson and Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson

Story extender/ Story board: Using Footballs and Falling Leaves as prompt I or children add a story-piece as the book progresses.

Craft: Sticky-back paper leaves

• Need: Sticky-back paper, tissue paper (red, yellow, brown, orange). Leaf template.
• Prior to storytime, I cut tissue paper into pieces and separate into baskets by color. Tape sticky-back paper to leaf template and then tape to the craft table.

• Have children choose colors and adhere them to the magic sticky paper. Instruct them to raise their hand when finished to be dismissed from the table for free play.
• While they are playing, fold the other half of sticky-back over the tissue-crafted side and then cut around template.

Burnham Bunch: Trucks

Trucks

Read: Trucks, Roll! by George Ella Lyon and The Three Little Riggs by David Gordon

Craft: Cut 'n Paste Shape Truck (No Time for Flash Cards)

• Need: Construction paper cut into squares, rectangles, half-circle shapes (red, blue, yellow orange), black paper into circles (tires) and brown paper ripped into bits. Crayons..
• Instruct the children to design a truck using the various shapes.... I could not believe how well they did.

Check this one out!!! Really he did it without any help.....Can't you just feel his concentration! After he was done he said that he forgot to put on a flashing light....

Burnham Bunch: Welcome Back

Welcome Back

Read: Lola at the Library and Lola Loves a Story by Anna McQuinn

Discuss libraries, behavior in the library, reiterate elevator procedures....

Song: Our "Theme" Song

Craft: Create a storytime journal

• Need scrapbooking paper (from Target $1 bin, too excited for words),  hole-punch, ads, lined paper (made mine), title page with place for child's name, crayons, and stickers.
• Prior to storytime, fold and construct a booklet for children to decorate. Send home with children as a storytime "extender."

A lot of my mother's are teachers...I think they will really get into this idea of a storytime extender. I used brads, so they can add their own pages, pictures etc.....

Our "Theme" Song

Welcome Everyone!

We started singing this song two years ago and what a HIT! Believe me, if I forget to sing it one week....they will never let me forget again! I usually let the children settle-in and play with the toys (i.e. The Train Table), and interact with their storytime friends. When I am ready to begin storytime, I instruct them all to get their story carpets (carpet remnants) and be seated. After the children settle down, we begin by singing:

(In the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome, welcome everyone
Now you're here let's have some fun
We will work and we will play
We'll have fun in many ways
Here is what we're going to do
Listen and you'll have fun too

               -- Jean Warren at Preschool Express

If we have a newbie or visitor, who may not be aware of the lyrics, it is easy for them to hum the tune along with us (because EVERYONE knows the tune to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!!! - right?).
Then, after we finish singing, I introduce our story theme for the week. We may have a little bit of discussion and begin our story.....

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!

April Ideas

Let's Celebrate Frog Month
Read: Jump! by Fischer and A Frog in a Bog by Karma Wilson
Craft: Frog Face

• Need green paint, sponge brushes, red craft paper, large paper plates, clip-art flies and eyes.
• Prior to storytime, print out fly clip-art and large eyes and cut red paper into strips and curl one end (to look like long tongue)
• Give children a limited amount of green paint and have them paint the plate. (In order to hurry along the drying process, blot excess paint with paper towel)
• Next, glue on two big eyes, tongue and lastly the fly.

Our storytime is structured for 2 to 5 year-olds, but younger siblings can attend as well. If we have extra craft supplies, we invite the parents and younger sibling to join us. Because of having so many "little ones," we use paper eyes. My co-worker cuts about a million eyes a year, for use in our various crafts. I use Microsoft Publisher and design a sheet of eyes -- adjusting the size and shape for what is needed .... and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than purchasing googly eyes!

Earth Day
Read: My Garden by Henkes and Up, Down and Around by Katherine Ayres
Craft: Planting seeds

• Need soil, various flower seeds, and cups.
• Prior to storytime, I put a few of each type of seed into ketchup cups (if you haven't noticed yet, these are invaluable. You can purchase an entire box of these little paper cups at the party supply store.)
• I prepared three "stations" around the craft tables. Two stations were for scooping dirt - (large mixing bowls with potting soil and cups for scooping) and the third station was set up with the seeds.
• The group split into two groups, scooped dirt into their cups and moved along to the seed section. I showed them how to put a small impression into the dirt with their fingers and then plant the seeds.

Great and simple project for when you are more than done with cutting out vast quantities of eyes and other bits for gluing-crafts!!! This summer, one of the children brought a picture of the flower that they planted -- I couldn't believe how large it had grown.

Trees
Read: A Tree is Nice by Udry and Grade Old Tree by Mary Newell DePalma
Craft: Tree

• Need paint dabbers filled with green paint, tree trunk shape copied onto white copy paper and brown crayons.
• Have children color tree trunk brown.
• Using the paint dabber, create a tree filled with leaves.

Really......can this be more simple?