Body Parts, May 27th and 28th, 2009

Begin by singing Raffi’s Shake My Sillies Out.

Book: Parts by Tedd Arnold

Song: Hinges
I'm all made of hinges, 'cause everything bends
From the top of my neck way down to my ends.
I'm hinges in front and I'm hinges in back;
But I have to be hinges or else I would crack!

Book: Safari Animals by Simms Taback. We had the children guess which animal we were describing as we folded out the picture. So much fun!

Flannel Board: Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley. We used a flannel board to tell this story.

Rhyme: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. We did this rhyme 3 times, first slow, then faster and finally super fast!

Book: Chicken Cheeks

Song: Juanito from Lirica Infantil vol 3 by José Luis Orozco.

by Patrick and Robyn

Birds! May 20th and 21st, 2009

Begin by singing Raffi’s Shake My Sillies Out.

Book: Stuck In the Mud by Jane Clarke – a cute story & well received.

Book: Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming. We “sang” the story (to the tune of “Skip To My Lou,”) and the kids helped with the animal sounds. We also used a goose puppet which would briefly appear when the story asked, “Where’s Goose?,” and ultimately stole the book at the end. This was a great way to read it!

Puppet Story: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems. We turned this soon-to-be-a-classic book into a really funny puppet show.

Song: I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner from the CD Whaddya Think Of That? We passed out plastic easter eggs with beans inside and shook them as directed by the song.

Book: Tickle the Duck! by Ethan Long. We took the book into the audience and let the kids really tickle the duck – so fun!

Book: Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Another successful story, this one is great for reading with two people.

Song: Doing the Penguin from the CD Sesame Street Hot! Hot! Hot! Dance Songs. We passed out paper penguin feet for the kids to wear while we performed the actions.

by Liesl and Patrick

Fishing, May 13th and 14th, 2009

Begin by singing Raffi’s Shake My Sillies Out.

Book: The Little Fish That Got Away by Bernadine Cook; illustrated by Crockett Johnson. We made shadow puppets which can be used on an overhead projector to tell the story along with the book.

Poem: Melinda Mae, from the Shel Silverstein book, Where the Sidewalk Ends. We made a picture on a piece of poster board which can be used to tell this poem.

Book: Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood; illustrated by Bruce Wood.

Song: Baby Fish from the CD, Dr. Jean Sings Silly Songs.

Book: Five Silly Fishermen by Roberta Edwards; illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom.

Fingerplay: Here is the Sea

Here is the sea, the wavy sea
(wave hands like a wave going by)
Here is my boat,
(cup hands like a boat)
And here is me.
(point to self)
All of the fishes
(wiggle your fingers)
Down below
(point downwards)
Wiggle their tails
(wiggle your fingers, while making a fish)
And away they go!
(wiggle your fingers behind your back)

Book: The Big Fish by Phyllis Root; illustrated by James Croft. We use paper cut-outs, which can be used on a magnetic chalkboard in place of the actual book.

Activity: Go fishing! We attached paper clips to some die-cut fish shapes. We then tied pieces of yarn to chopsticks and taped magnets to the other ends. These were our fishing poles. We had a big piece of blue butcher paper which we pretended was our river. It was a very fun activity!

by Liesl and Paul

Bath Time, May 6th and 7th, 2009

Begin by singing Raffi’s Shake My Sillies Out.

Book: King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood; illustrated by Don Wood.

Poem: Crowded Tub, from the Shel Silverstein book, A Light in the Attic. We used a girl puppet and 3 animal puppets along with a cardboard bathtub to tell this poem.

Song: Take Me Out of the Bathtub! from the book, Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other silly dilly songs by Alan Katz; illustrated by David Catrow. We used a boy puppet and the cardboard bathtub as well as passed out the song lyrics and had everybody sing along.

Book: Bath Time by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Janet Pedersen.

Song /Activity: Everybody Wash, from the Sesame Street CD, Splish Splash: Bath Time Fun.

Book: Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.

Book: Piggy’s Bath by David Martin; illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. We made magnetic cut-outs that can be used on the magnetic chalkboard in place of the actual book.

Poem: After a Bath from the book, The Fish Is Me: Bathtime Rhymes.

Activity: Bubble play!!! We gave the children bubbles while we played Rubber Duckie, from the Sesame Street CD, Splish Splash: Bath Time Fun.

by Liesl and Deanna

No!, May 4th, 2009

Begin by singing the Hello Song.

Book: 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill.

Song: Five Little Babies this song is the exact same as Five Little Monkeys, just replace the word monkey with baby.

Book: No, David and David Get's in Trouble by David Shannon

Song: Wiggly Wiggles Freeze Dance from Two Little Sounds: Fun with Phonics and Numbers by Hap Palmer. This song is so much fun, whenever the music stops everyone has to freeze!

Book: How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food by Jane Yolen, this book is available in Spanish.

Poem: No by Shel Silverstein.

Craft: Stop sign. We made stop signs with construction paper, crayons and a red straw for a sign post. The kids had lots of fun telling people to stop.

by Patrick and Sylvia