Reminder: Love StoryTime 2/8 TUESDAY 10:30am - this week!

valentine-clipart.com

 This week we will have a special Storytime on Tuesday 2/8 instead of Thursday. Time will remain at 10:30am.

Stories will all be about LOVE and we will do some songs/fingerplays, and make some animals out of cut out hearts!  Sure to be a good time for all!

Hope to see you there!
Ms. Vanessa

Owl Storytime ~ 2/3/2011

Brrr! That's what I said this morning, but SOOO very glad I was able to do storytime again this Thursday at The Book Spot in Round Rock!

Today's storytime was all about Owls - Hoooo Hoooo Hoooo!

Of course we started out with our Hello Song! :-) Then talked about an owl and how they make the sound WHOOOO WHOOOO WHOOOO!

This week I had many books to choose from, but chose the top 3 to read and another book to help with talking about animals that owls see at night (really about animals they 'hunt' at night, but downplayed that part for our little listeners!)

Books:

• Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson - about a new friend that Bear makes on his search of who was making sounds and then hiding in a deep hole! Who??  An Owl!!
• "I’m Not Cute!” by Jonathan Allen - A cute book about a baby owl who doesn't think he's very cute - or does he?  Cute story and the kids and moms seemed to really like this one!
• Owl babies by Martin Waddell - story about 3 owl babies who live in a tree and wake to their mom being gone one night! In the end the mommy owl comes back of course and loves on her babies!
• We then talked about how owls can see in the dark and I wanted to discuss what animals are active at night by using the book Whoo goes there? by Jennifer A Ericsson.  This book has great illustrations and I had the kids help identify all the pictures from the pages - mouse, bird, porcupine, beaver, cat, etc. This activity kept the kids attention and was good to get them engaged!

Songs/Rhymes (Original Authors Unknown):

We then did some great finger plays that I found online. I love that the kids are starting to do some of these with me. I hope that continues!

5 Little Owls-Fingerplay
5 little owls on a moonlit night 5 little owls are quite a sight.
5 little owls Are you keeping score? One flew away! And then there were 4.
4 little owls Happy as can be, One flew away! Then there were 3.
3 little owls Calling "Whoo! Whoo!" One flew away! And that left two.
2 little owls having lots of fun. One flew away! And that left 1.
1 little owl We are almost done. He flew away! And that leaves none.

IF YOU WANT TO BE AN OWL by Jean Warren
Tune:  “If You’re Happy And You Know It”
If you want to be an owl, shout – Who! Who!
If you want to be an owl, shout – Who! Who!
Then you get to sleep all day
And at night you get to play.
If you want to be an owl, shout – Who! Who!

Wide Eye Owl
There's a wide eye owl (make fingers in large circles and cup over eyes)
With a pointed nose (use fingers to make a triangle & point out for nose)
2 pointed ears (use fingers for ears)
and claws for toes (wiggle fingers like toes)
he lives way up in the tree (point up to tree top)
and when he looks at you (point at kids)
he flaps his wings (use arms for wings, and flap)
and says whooo whooo (continue flapping wings)

We then talked about how Owls are silent flyers and reiterated that they say HOOO HOOO HOOO!  We then all pretended to be owls and flew around the kids area saying HOOO HOOO HOOO! We all flew around and ended up at the craft table! CRAFT TIME!!

Craft:

For today's craft we made Owl Masks!  I also handed out a couple coloring sheets and the kids seemed to really like it!  Here are some pictures from our activity!

During the Activity:

Completed Masks:

Our Youngest Attendee!

Had to take a picture of Ms. Vivi with her beautiful coloring page!  Love this girl and her creativity!

 
I had such great fun time today and it was great to stay warm inside with our friends even when it was so cold outside! Thanks to everyone who attended!

Next week's storytime will be on Tuesday instead of Thursday!  So I hope that some of you can come out on Tuesday 2/8 10:30am for a Valentine/LOVE Storytime with some great books and heart animal craft!

Until Next Time! Keep Reading!
Ms. Vanessa

Bear/Hibernation Storytime @ The Book Spot on 1/27/2011

I really enjoyed out Bear/Hibernation storytime this week because I LOVED the books and enjoyed singing songs with those that attended. I must apologize for being late on posting this and for forgetting to take pictures of the awesome bears that the kids made!  They were much more creative than mine!

The kids were awesome and did a good job listening. Several of the kids were playing with the letters on the magnet boards right before storytime and were building words like GUM, STOP, etc.. they did a great job making up words and overall I was very impressed!

Of course we sang out welcome song and I think it's a great way to catch the kids attention because they sit and actually look at me! :-)

We talked briefly about hibernation and how we would read our books, then sing, and then they would get to make their own bears! They especially liked that idea!

Books:

Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright - In this book the wind tries to tell Mr Bear that it's time to Sleep, but he keeps hearing the wrong things and so he goes around driving a jeep, sweeping, diving deep, and climbing a mountain steep! Kept the kids attention VERY well!

Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming - Very cute story that investigates many different animals that sleep during the winter and they all tell each other that winter is here and they should hibernate/sleep.  I asked the kids which animals were mentioned in the story and spent some time discussing all the animals that sleep during the winter.

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes - I think the kids were tired at this point, but I wanted to push through this wonderful story.  The pictured are very colorful because the bear in the story is sleeping and dreaming about all the other seasons.  I say, even for the kids that were half listening, it was a great story!

Honorable Mention:

Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows - I didn't get to read this story this week, but if you are looking for another book about all the different animals that Hibernate this one worked great at home with my kids.  Had good rhymes and very vivid pictures.

Songs/Rhymes (Original Authors Unknown):

The songs were a great hit this week! We also added If you are happy and you know it and Head shoulders, knees and toes to get the kids moving before our craft!

Hibernation Song - sung to "Are You Sleeping"

Bear is sleeping, bear is sleeping

In the cave, in the cave.

I wonder when he'll come out, I wonder when he'll come out

In the spring, In the spring.

Birds are flying, birds are flying

In the sky, in the sky.

I wonder when they'll come back, I wonder when they'll come back,

In the spring, in the spring.

Mr. Bear - sung to "If You're Happy And You Know It"

Mr. Bear says all he wants to do is sleep

Now that winters here and snow is very deep

He has curled up in his den

And we probably won't see him

Till the spring when all he'll want to do is eat!

A cute action poem:

Winter is cold (Hug yourself and shiver)

There is snow in the sky (Flutter fingers above your head)

The squirrel gathers nuts (Pretend to gather nuts)

And the wild geese fly (Flap arms)

The fluffy red fox (Cup hands over head to form ears)

Has his fur to keep warm (Stroke arms as if stroking fur)

The bear's in her cave (Form a cave shape with your arms)

Sleeping all through the storm (Fold hands under cheek and pretend to sleep)

Craft: Work with Circles and make a bear! :-) Sorry I didn't get a picture of some of the other kids as they were doing their craft,  but they were all awesome!

We then sang our goodbye song and we were done!  It was an awesome time!

I hope to see some of you this coming week.. This week's theme: OWLS!

Until Next time! Keep reading!

Ms. Vanessa