Burnham Bunch: Bugs and Bees

Bugs and Bees

Read: The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carl and Buzz Said The Bee by Wendy Lewinson

Flannel board: Buzz Said the Bee inspired by Storytimer

Craft: Click Beetles found on Pinterest

Need: Sturdy paper, crayons, sticker eyes and clothes pins ... as well as hot glue.

• Prior to storytime, I cut out oval shapes for the bugs.
• At storytime, I had the kiddos color their beetles and put on the eyes. 
• I then hot-glued the clothes pins onto the belly of the beetle (this will make it nice and sturdy AND they will immediatly be able to play with it)
• DONE!

Burnham Bunch: Pizza!!

Pizza Pie .... 

Read: Tony and the Pizza Champions by Tony Gemignani

Flannel board: Silly Pizza Song by Rachel Carson. Here is a live version on YouTube. I found the lyrics via Signing Time

Craft: Make your own "pizza" found via here at Filth Wizard

Burnham Bunch: Mother's Day

Let's Celebrate Mom!

Read: I Love It When You Smile by McBratney and Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino (Illustrated by Steven Kellogg)

Song:

M-O-M-M-Y (Song to Bingo)

There is a lady I love a lot
And Mommy is her name-o
M-o-m-m-y, M-o-m-m-y, M-o-m-m-y
And Mommy is her name-o!

Craft: I Love You Mom Flower Pot

Need: Craft paper: yellow, green, pink, and red.

• Prior to storytime, I cut out shapes: red = heart, yellow = pot, green = 2 leaves and grass, pink = flower. And I wrote I Love You Mom on each piece.
• At each craft seat, I placed all the pieces needed for our craft.
• Glue it together and there you go!

Burnham Bunch: Ducks

Ducks

Ok, it is coming down to the last month of storytime. I am beyond exhausted with coming up with ideas ... Thank the stars for the invention of Pinterest!! As well as planning and presiding over storytime, book club, and science club, I am also responsible for updating this blog, our website, our Facebook page, and the library calendar. AND, I am the planner of Summer Reading. My eyes are exhausted from looking at the computer screen. And most days I want to crawl under my desk and hide.

I am telling you all this because I have a sneaking feeling that May's storytime and craft is most likely going to go hobo. Meaning: "Hello. Here is your glue stick. The end." Hahaha.

Ok, ya'll. Please don't judge me :)

Read: Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen & Sebastien Braun and Duck Tents by Lynne Berry

Flannel Board:

5 Little Ducks

5 little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Momma duck said, "quack, quack, quack, quack."
But only four little ducks came swimming back.
Four little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Momma duck said, "quack, quack, quack, quack."
But only three little ducks came swimming back.

You get the idea ... count down until "But no little ducks came swimming back."

Final Verse:

Sad momma duck
Went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Sad momma duck said, "quack, quack, quack, quack."
And all five little ducks came swimming back.

Craft: Duck

Need: Yellow and orange craft paper, duck template and sticker eyes.

• Prior to storytime, have your faithful assistant cut out all the parts: yellow = head, body and wing, orange is beak and feet.
• At each craft seat, place duck-parts (that sounds so gross!? hahah) and a glue stick.
• Have them glue-it! That's it!

Burnham Bunch: Butterflies

Butterflies

Read: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Butterfly Butterly by Petr Horack and Butterful or Moth: How Do You Know? by Melissa Stewart

I learned a lot of interesting facts reading Butterfly or Moth: How Do You Know? I would highly recommend including it in your storytime.

Flannel board: Very Hungry Caterpillar

Craft: Butterfly Symmetry Painting

Need: Paint, white craft paper, brown craft paper, paint brushes.

• Prior to storytime, I folded and cut-out butterfly shapes from the white craft paper. I also cut "body" shapes from the brown.
• At each craft seat, I placed a butterfly on a tray, a few paint brushes, and paint.
• I explained the concept of symmetry .... "The butterfly is the same on one side as the other." I also, demonstrated the craft  ....
• I noticed that some of the kiddos did not understand the concept of painting on only one half of the butterfly, so I suggest that you keep the butterfly folded in half.
• We kept the finished products to dry. Then I glued a body to each butterfly.

Burnham Bunch: Frogs

Ribbit!

Read: A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson  

Flannel board:

A Frog in a Bog by Karma Wilson
Using clip-art and Microsoft Publisher, I printed and laminated story elements: ticks, slugs, fleas and etc. I then placed a large frog on a log (in a bog) on the flannel board. We had a small group today, so I had the kiddos place the story pieces in the frogs belly.

Song:

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Five green and speckled frogs,
Sitting on a mossy log,
Eating the most delicious bugs ...
Yum! Yum!
One jumped into the the pool,
Where it was nice and cool.
Now there are four green speckled frogs ...
Ribbit! Ribbit!

And continue to count-down until there are no green speckled frogs ... 

Craft: Frogs, of course ...
Need: Green, white, black and red construction paper. Glue sticks.

• Prior to storytime, we cut a frog "body" out of green paper. Fold paper in half and cut out a half-circle. Also cut out 4 legs per child.
• Also cut: white = eyes, black = pupils and red = tongue.
• Next, accordion-fold the red "tongue"
• At storytime, we placed all the froggy "parts" at each craft seat.
• After reading story, we asked the kiddos to put together their frog.
• That's all folks .....

Burnham Bunch: Lots of Dots

Lots of Dots

Read: Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier (borrowed from the Woodbury Public Library) and Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

Flannel board: Dog's Colorful Day: A Messy Story about Colors and Counting (here)

Craft: Lots of Dots painting

Need: Circle foam paint brushes, paint: red, blue, green, orange and yellow, white paper.

• Pretty simple .... I had the kiddos paint/stamp colorful dots.
• The end!

We only had three kiddos at our Thursday class. But, that allowed us (me, Susan and two mommas) to make our own artwork. Nice and relaxing ..... ahhhhhh

Created by one of the moms. Don't you just LOVE it!?

Another Momma's artwork.