Story Time Secrets

Baby Lap Time, 2/22/12 and 2/23/12

2012-02-23T12:11:00.000-05:00

Today marks the end of Baby Lap Time for the Winter. Here's what we did during our final session.

Opening Song: Say Hello

Rhyme: Cheek Chin

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Bounce: All the Little Babies

Book: A Good Day by Kevin Henkes (2007)

This is more of a story than I might usually read to babies, but they loved the animal illustrations.

Song with Puppet: How Much is that Doggie in the Window?

Rhymes and Songs with Shaker Eggs:

Jack and Jill
Humpty Dumpty
Shake My Sillies Out
London Bridge

Song: Tony Chestnut

Song: Head and Shoulders

Book: Blue Sea by Robert Kalan, illustrated by Donald Crews (1979)
Despite the illustrations and minimal text, this book doesn't work with babies.

Song: Row Your Boat

Bounce: Mother and Father and Uncle John

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

...clap your hands
...beep your nose
...tickle your tummy
...shout hooray

Song: Where is Big Toe?

Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
I skipped this song today, because I have a sore throat, but we sang it yesterday - mostly because one of the moms told me her son had started doing the motions at home.

Goodbye Song: Open, Shut Them Goodbye Song

Gettin' Crafty Post #16: Printable Friendship Wristbands

2012-02-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have had a very busy Winter season, so on the days that I do crafts - Monday and Thursday - I have been keeping things very simple. I was so glad to find this fun printable from kidscanhavefun.com. I knew friendship bracelets were popular with girls in the middle grades but did not expect the number of nine- and ten-year-old girls who got into this craft!

I. Supplies

Friendship Wristbands printable
Crayons or Markers
Glue or Tape (to fasten the bracelets)

II. Prep

There was no prep beyond printing out the templates, but if I did this craft again, I think I might like to make my own templates to suit a particular occasion, such as National Library Week, or National Poetry Month, or to allow the kids more room to write their own messages. I also think they'd work well as an activity for a summer program I'm planning for beginning readers, which is focused on the alphabet.

III. Process

I didn't get to see too many of the final products, but the participants were mostly girls, and they did a lot of giggling and chatting while they colored. Some smaller kids did the project, too, but it was the biggest hit with the 8-10 year old set.

Caldecott Challenge Post #9

2012-02-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Published 2009. Caldecott Honor 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 9780547014944

This poetic celebration of colors takes us through each season of the year, showing us where to find each color at various times. The poetry is very strong and salient to begin with, but the folkart-esque illustrations are what makes the collection extraordinary. Kids must love hunting for the red bird, dog, and crown on each page and the incorporation of different words and textures into the illustrations makes them a feast for the senses. This might not be a great book for teaching colors the first time around, but it would be perfect for teaching color from an artistic point of view, for elementary school aged children.

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee. Published 2009. Caldecott Honor 2010. Beach Lane Books. ISBN: 9781416985808

This might be my favorite picture of all time. It's certainly my favorite of the last ten years. I love Frazee's use of color and light to portray day and night, fair and foul weather, clouds, sunsets, stars, and the warmth of family. Each page offers a whole landscape to explore, filled with people engaged in all sorts of activities. The book is an illustrated poem, but also the ongoing story of each person drawn into the illustrations, as well as the story of every person in the world. My absolute favorite scene in the book is the two-page spread for the words, "All the world is cold and hot," where we look in on the bright interior lights of the cafe as the rain clears up and puddles form on the patio table outside. There is a universal feeling of calm and coziness suggested by this illustration that simply can't be put into words. Frazee's illustrations are filled with perfect specific details that set her work apart from most other illustrators.

1 is One by Tasha Tudor. Published 1956. Caldecott Honor 1957. Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 9780689828430

I have always known of Tasha Tudor, but I think this might be the first book of hers I actually sat down to read. The concept is simple - 1 is One is a counting book, and each page depicts a number and a scene associated with that number. The spreads alternate between color and black and white, which I found distracting, even though I think that is a function of when the book was published rather than an artistic decision. The naturalistic scenes and sweet-looking children in fancy dresses and suits make this the kind of book adults love, but I can see contemporary kids finding it boring. I also don't think it's necessarily a very effective counting book. The objects to be counted aren't easily picked out of every illustration, and the book as a whole doesn't really read as a cohesive unit. Still, though, the illustrations are beautiful, especially the thirteen candles on the birthday cake, whose light seems to dance right off the page. I borrowed this book from my library, but it can also be viewed online here.

See other Caldecott Challenge participants' blogs on the challenge page at LibLaura5. Follow my challenge progress here.