Blog Post
PreK Bits - "E" is for elegant ELEPHANTS
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel celebrated ELEPHANTS in Storytime @ Malletts Creek.
ELMER is a favorite classic tale of individual differences.
For action and song we played "Paddling Down the River" ... a fast and slow song. You can here an authentic version of this early American folksong on the CD UP IN The BATTEN HOUSE with Mark Tamsula. The CD includes many more authentic American folksongs too!
SITTING IN MY BOX ... a tale of peace and chaos ... including one elephant.
If you love Elephants try these favorites:
ELLA ... a story of Ella the circus elephant by Bill Peet.
ELEPHANT'S STORY ... an elephant memoir.
17 KINGS And 42 ELEPHANTS ... a rhyming tale with superb batik illustrations of a southeast Asian Royal procession.
HOW The ELEPHANT GOT HIS TRUNK ... a re-telling of the how-it-came-to-be story by Rudyard Kipling.
ELLA TAKES The CAKE ... and more stories of Ella by Carmela D'Amico.
And don't forget the non-fiction real information books for young kids on this fun animal !
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "P" is for PRINCESS and PRINCE
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel told Prince and Princess Stories this week.
The PRINCESS And The PEA by Rachel Isadora is a classic folktale re-set in Africa.
"Cinderella Dressed In Yellow" is a traditional jump rope rhyme. We had plenty verses with more colors to clap with the rhythm.
KLIPPITY KLOP is an action and participation story by Ed Emberley. It is out-of-print and AADL copies are gone. You can borrow a copy through MelCat. It is a story about Prince Krispin and his horse Dumpling going on an adventure.
For more stories of Princes and Princesses try these titles:
DARING PRINCE DASHING ... a twisted fairy tale.
The PRINCE WHO WAS JUST HIMSELF
The PAPER BAG PRINCESS
The PRINCESS And The FROGS
The PRINCE'S BEDTIME
The PRINCE And The PORKER
PRINCESS LILA BUILDS A TOWER
The SEVEN PRINCESSES
WOULD YOU RATHER BE A PRINCESS Or A DRAGON ?
The FROG PRINCE
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "C" is for CAMPING and CANOES
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel and Banjo Betsy brought camping stories to Storytime.
ONE DOG CANOE … a girl paddles her canoe down the river and more animals want to join for the ride.
“We’re Floating Down The River” is a historic American folk song we use as an action song. You even learn that you can’t stand up in the middle of the boat! You can hear the song on the CD UP IN The BATTEN HOUSE: Old Time Music Of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
“Skunk’s Picnic” is an original story about making friends in the woods.
We chased "Fireflies In The Night". You can hear this song and sing-along with the CD HAPPY As CLAMS by Lena.
For more favorites that go with the CAMPING theme try these:
GLOW: Animals With Their Own Nightlights ... real information for curious kids.
QUIET NIGHT ... counting night-time sounds ....
CAMPING SPREE WITH MR MAGEE ... a silly adventure with fun illustrations.
SCAREDY SQUIRREL GOES CAMPING ... and he's VERY prepared! If you like Scaredy Squirrel there are many more titles here by Melanie Watt.
The CAMPING TRIP by Sven Nordqvist ... and the chickens and the cat want to come along!
HANK FINDS An EGG ... while camping in the woods. What do we do with it?
WHISTLING ... a boy learns to "whistle up the sun" with his father on a camping trip.
If You like gathering CAMPING INFORMATION then try these titles for your next outdoor adventure:
SLEEPING In A SACK: Camping Activities For Kids.
CAMP OUT! The Ultimate Kids Guide, From The Backyard To The Backwoods.
COOKING IN A CAN: More Campfire Recipes For Kids.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "B" is for BEARS
by ryanikoglu
Bears are cute! Bears are fun! As long as they are in a book!
Ms. Rachel and Banjo Betsy brought Bears to Storytime @ Malletts Creek Branch.
BLUE HAT GREEN HAT is a silly story by a favorite author/illustrator/composer Sandra Boynton.
WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT is a participation story for anyone who wants to find a bear (an imaginary bear!).
BROWN BEAR IN A BROWN CHAIR is a story from an out-of-print book. The script was re-written for our storytime.
For more FAVORITE BEARS stories try the following:
BEARS ON CHAIRS and more stories by Shirley Parenteau.
ROOM FOR BEAR by Ciara Gavin.
BUG BEAR by Patricia Hegarty.
TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC by Steven Anderson.
MOM THERE’S A BEAR AT THE DOOR! by Sabine Lipan.
MOTHER BRUCE by Ryan T. Higgins.
Or choose what you might like in this CATALOG list of BEARS stories.
Blog Post
"T" is for Trickster
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel brought African trickster stories to Storytime.
WHO'S IN RABBIT'S HOUSE?... We see the footprints outside the door. Who's inside?
Rachel led a copycat rhythm from Ghana "Kye Kye Kule" ... a versions can be found on the CD WORLD TRAVELS: World Music For Kids and you can see and hear clips on youtube.
Then we found Anansi up to his usual tricks in ANANSI And the MOSS-COVERED ROCK.
For more troicky stories try the following favorites:
ANANSI And The TALKING MELON ... another Anansi story by the author/illustrator team of Eric Kimmel and Janet Stevens.
COYOTE And The LAUGHING BUTTERFLIES ... a Native American trickster tale with Coyote.
The GRUFFALO ... a small mouse develops this trick.
MUNCHA! MUNCHA! MUNCHA! ... rascally rabbits are in the garden! Can the farmer trick them?
PIRATE GIRL ... knows some tricks.
The RUNAWAY TORTILLA ...
GOHA The WISE FOOL ... iconic "wise fool" from middle eastern folklore.
SIX SHEEP SIP THICK SHAKES: And Other Tricky Tongue Twisters ... can you train your tricky tongue?
DON'T WAKE UP The TIGER! ... but how?
The REAL STORY OF STONE SOUP
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "M" is for Messy MUD
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel did Mud Stories in Storytime this week.
Ms. Rachel opened a PET WASH to "get the pets clean".
MOUSE SOUP has a story about "The Bees and The Mud", but Mouse solves the problem. Here it is in Spanish SOPA De RATON =-)
You can do more mud if you find these books:
Dirt Boy by Erik Slangerup.
Piggy In The Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz.... And the same story on DVD in "Books And Stories" section under "R" for Reading Rainbow.
I'm Dirty by Kate McMullan.
Bubba And Beau Best Friends by Kathi Appelt.
This Is The Van That Dad Cleaned.
Big Smelly Bear by Britta Tekentrup.
The MUD BOOK: How To Make Pies And Cakes.
BEARS IN The BATH ... DIY book to get 4 muddy little bears cleaned up.
Have soap and water ready for when your done with Mud!
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "N" is for NEIGHBORHOOD
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel told neighborhood stories in Preschool Storytime.
The BIG ORANGE SPLOT is a classic by Daniel Pinkwater about how folks feel about their houses.
GOLLY GUMP SWALLOWED A FLY by Joanna Cole must be borrowed through MelCat. It is a silly fantastical story about a rural boy who keeps swallowing things in his neighborhood, which is his farm.
A similar story is I KNOW AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY. Then there is the song “I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” which is sung on the
DVD The WHEELS ON The BUS: And More Singalong favorites and on the
CD TOM GLAZER SINGS HONK-HISS-TWEET-GGGGGG and Other Children’s Favorites.
For clapping action and rhyme we did “Dr. Knickerbocker” and got the rhythm going in different parts of the body. You can find versions of this rhyme on the
CD SINGING ALL The WAY HOME and the
CD LITTLE PEOPLE COUNTING SONGS.
For more NEIGHBORHOOD stories try these favorites:
SUGAR HILL: Harlem’s Historic Neighborhood … an historic neighborhood.
MAYBE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: How Art Transformed A Neighborhood
A GOOD NIGHT WALK … around the neighborhood at dusk.
KNUFFLE BUNNY: A Cautionary Tale … of loss and reunion.
SOMETHING ABOUT HENSLEY’S … the neighborhood shop.
GREEN IS A CHILI PEPPER: A Book Of Colors ... through an hispanic neighborhood.
CHESTER’S WAY … a story about old friends and new friends in the neighborhood.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "F" is for Foolish FROGGIES
by ryanikoglu
It's time to feature froggy stories! Froggies are funny. They are fun to hear and watch. First-frogs-of-the-season time is near. We will soon hear spring peepers and croakers.
Ms. Rachel introduced GREEN FROGS thru MelCat loan. It is a Korean Folktale that explains why little children in Korea may be called "green frogs". Hint: It has something to do with "unruly".
We sang "5 Green And Speckled Frogs" ... a classic "counting and singing song" you can find on the CD LITTLE PEOPLE: Songs & Games For The Road.
The "Fireflies" song can be heard on the CD HAPPY AS CLAMS by Lena.
We discovered WHY The FROG HAS BIG EYES ... a "beginning Reader" folktale.
You may be able to read this one yourself if you have learned to read some words already.
For more froggy tales try these favorites:
Arnold Lobel Classic Readers ... with Frog & Toad
999 FROGS WAKE UP … in the springtime.
TOO MANY FROGS … at bedtime.
QUENTIN BLAKE’S TEN FROGS = DIEZ RANAS … counting in Spanish.
QUENTIN BLAKE’S TEN FROGS = DIS GRENOUILLE … counting in French.
I DON’T WANT TO BE A FROG … being green gets old.
The CROAKY POKEY … dance your froggy parts to Hokey Pokey!
TUESDAY … a frog fantasy that won the Caldecott Award for illustrations in 1992.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "Q" is for quiet
by ryanikoglu
There is “quiet” and there is “LOUD”.
Can you tell the difference and make yourself proud?
You can practice with the book Quiet LOUD.
“Quiet” is a delicate concept.
Ms. Rachel brought “quiet” and “loud” to Storytime.
Ms. Betsy and Ms. Rachel led the action song “We're Floating Down The River” which has a quiet part and a loud part!
In the story PLAYTIME? … Little Gorilla needs to quiet down and take a nap.
If you want to read more "quiet" ( and “noisy”) favorites try the following:
The SQUEAKY DOOR by Laura Simms … a different telling with different pictures.
The QUIET BOOK … and The LOUD BOOK both by Deborah Underwood … wonderful lap books to observe and ponder. Truly favorites of Ms. Rachel!
TOO MUCH NOISE … a classic.
CLICK CLACK MOO … a case of farmland civil disobedience.
QUIET In The GARDEN ... amazing things to see when you are quiet and still.
QUIET ! ... a not so "quiet" lion story and BE QUIET MIKE ! a not so quiet monkey story.
THIS QUIET LADY ... a story of waiting.
TIPTOE JOE ... 'nuf said !
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "B" is for BUGS
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel brought Bug Stories to Storytime.
We counted bugs and sounds from the NOISY COUNTING BOOK.
We played “Eensy Weensy Spider” … you can singalong at home with CDs EENSY WEENSY CD Of LITTLE FINGERPLAYS and NURSERY RHYME TIME.
We danced Fast and Slow to the song "Fireflies". You can hear and learn the song from the CD HAPPY AS CLAMS by Lena.
Once there was a Bug who had a bowl of SOUP For ONE ... until more Bugs arrived!
For more favorite books with bugs in them try these:
MAMA LOOK! … Baby creatures and their mothers.
DU IZ TAK? … Learn how to speak in “Bug” language.
BUG BEAR … When a bug won’t leave you alone.
FLY! … Worm can wiggle. Ant can march. What can Fly?
SOME BUGS … Backyard bug behavior in rhyming text.
BUG IN A VACUUM … Oh my! A different view!
STEP GENTLY OUT … Magnified photos of bugs, and poetic text to describe the insect world.
1001 BUGS To SPOT … A picture puzzle book.
The ANT And The GRASSHOPPER … A fable.
BUGS 7 stories about bugs all in one bag … A set from the Stories To Go Collection.
BZzzzzz ... and away we GO !