New Books for the New Year

Each year the Children's department hosts a program on New Year's Eve day and call it "New Books for the New Year".  Mrs. B and I select several "newer" books that the library has received to read or booktalk that we think children and families may enjoy in the coming year.  Over the years we have picked some that have ended up being on Nebraska's Golden Sower list, including:

The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel



Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall Thin Tale  by Deborah Hopkins and John Hendrix

Children and families are invited to bring a lunch to the library to enjoy while Mrs. B and I read the "new" books. This year we had to do the event in the Children's area of the library instead of our large meeting room because we have a long-standing community group that meets there every Monday.  We draw for door prizes (everyone won a book!).  Here are the books we presented this year (in no particular order):


Hippospotamus by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds; illustrated by Peter Brown

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Button  by James Dean and Eric Lituin

I'm Bored!

The Three Ninja Pigs  by Corey Rosen Schwartz;
illustrated by Dan Santat

Princess in Training by Tammi Sauer and Joe Berger

I also highlighted a fun chapter book and two graphic novels for the older children who attended.  I made them into book trailers...but I had a hard time finding good pictures that were "free"...so I am only posting one here that didn't use any copyrighted material (except images from the book...which are legal if one is promoting the book).

This one has been out for a while, but I think it's such a fun book I have to share it!
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom  by Christopher Healy

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes

Earthling by Mark Fearing

This is the book trailer I made for Earthling

We drew a record turn out for the event!  This is a fun event that I look forward to each year!

M is for...

Mmmmm!  I love the letter M!!  To eat it!!  Muffins, milk, macaroni, meat!  To play with!!  Marbles, magnets, magic, mud, mazes!  To look at!!  Moon, mountains, maps!!  And to listen to!!  Music!

Other great M words: mittens, morning, mouse, monkey, monster, movies, mouth, mother, moose, mole, mirror, middle, mermaid, maze, mail, mailbox, mailman.  This is a great letter with lots of fun books and activities to accompany it!

Books

The Monster Who Lost His Mean  by Tiffany Strelitz Haber; illustrated by Kirstie Edmunds (2012)

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies  by Laura Numeroff; illustrated by Felicia Bond (2000)

Together at Christmas  by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Bin Lee (2012)
[I did not end up reading this one...but if you have a group of kids that sit and listen well, this is a sweet book about mice at Christmas]

Songs/Fingerplays/Rhymes

I am a Musician

(tune: "Here we go 'round the Mulberry Bush")

This is the way I play the piano,

Play the piano, play the piano.

This is the way I play the piano.

I am a musician!

Additional Verses:  Any musical instrument

I used trombone, trumpet, tuba, clarinet, flute, violin, drums

 

Five Little Monkeys

5 little monkeys jumping on the bed

1 fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Continue counting down until all the monkeys have fallen.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on her tuffet

Eating her curds and whey

Along came a spider

And sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away!

Enrichment Activities

• M&M sorting and counting
• Musical instruments
• Mitten match (from Oriental Trading)
• Magnifying glasses

Legos @ your library

Two years ago I applied for a grant from the Nebraska Library Commission and was awarded funds to purchase Legos and Lego books for the library.  We have been having Legos @ your library ever since!  Check out the blog here!

A few creations from today's event

The main goal of Legos @ your library is to provide a fun library experience for children, especially elementary-aged boys.  Someday I want one of the boys to say, "Hey, I remember going to the library when I was a kid.  I built these cool Lego creations and they got put into the display case for everyone to see!  I also checked out these cool Lego books. The library is an awesome place to be!  I want to take my own kids to the library!" 

This is a very basic program--thousands of Legos are put out and children have an hour to build whatever they want!  sometimes a parent/caregiver builds with them, sometimes they let them build on their own.  I take a picture of each creation (usually with the child) that goes onto the blog.  I love that the children can be creative and work at their own pace.  I do have a couple of kits and a few instructions sheets, but most children like to create something original on their own from the Lego bins.

This program started out as a once month event.  It has evolved now to include THREE monthly events...a homeschool session (generally the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 1-2 PM), an after school session (generally the 3rd Monday of the month from 4-5 PM), and a Saturday session (generally the 4th Saturday of the month from 1-2 PM).   We hold Legos every week during the summer reading program!

We will be hosting two Lego events during the upcoming school break.  Instead of just one hour, the children will enjoy TWO hours of non-stop building at these events!

Thursday, December 27th from 10 AM - Noon

AND

Thursday, January 3rd from 10 AM - Noon

L is for...

I love doing the letter L!!  The sound of  the letter l makes me want to sing--la, la, la, la!  There are so many great words that start with /l/--library, light, Legos, lemonade, ladder, lobster, laugh, little, love!!

Books

Don't Laugh, Joe  by Keiko Kasza (1997)
(Wednesday only)

I read the following book on Thursday instead

Who Loves the Little Lamb?  by Lezlie Evans; illustrated David McPhail (2010)

Llama Llama, Holiday Drama   by Anna Dewdney (2010)

Songs/Fingerplays/Rhymes

One Little Lion

1 little lion, roaring in the zoo. Called for another: ROAR!
And that makes 2.

2 little lions, underneath a tree. Called for another: ROAR! ROAR!
And that makes 3.

3 little lions who heard a distant roar. Called for another: ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
And that makes 4.

4 little lions, happy and alive. Called for another: ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
And then there were 5.

Ladybug Song
(tune: There’s a spider on the floor; words by Tammy Henry)
I made these ladybugs from felt and used black "puff paint" for the eyes and dots.  The kids moved the ladybugs around while we sang the song.


Chorus:
There’s a ladybug in the air, in the air
There’s a ladybug in the air, in the air
There’s a ladybug in the air, she flies without a care,
There’s a ladybug in the air, in the air.

There’s a ladybug in my hair
Try to catch her if you dare

[Sing chorus following each verse, if desired]

Toes
She stopped there for a doze

Thumb
Chewing bubble gum

Chin
It makes me stop and grin

Chest
Time to take a rest

Mary had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day
Which was against the rules.
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.

Enrichment Activities

• Big Legos
• Lacing cards
• Lamb maze
• Lions

I cut brown and yellow circles out using the 4" die.  I found a (teddy bear) head on the Internet and copied it onto different shades of yellow paper.  I cut out the heads.  The kids glued the head into the center of the circle, then cut slits all the way around the circle to make the lion's mane.

C is for Christmas

This was an outreach storytime to Welcome School

Books

Turkey Claus by Wendi Silvano; illustrated by Lee Harper (2012)

Where is Christmas, Jesse Bear? by Nancy White Carlstrom; illustrated by Bruce Degan (2000)

Just Right for Christmas  by Birdie Black and Roalind Beardshaw (2012)

Songs

Christmas Cheer

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!

Let's all do a little clapping
Let's all do a little clapping
Let's all do a little clapping
And spread Christmas cheer!

Let's all do a little stomping...

Let's all do a little jumping...

Let's all do a little twirling...

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!

Santa
There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-N-T-A
S-A-N-T-A
S-A-N-T-A
And Santa is his name-o.

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-N-T- (HO!)
S-A-N-T- (HO!)
S-A-N-T- (HO!)
And Santa is his name-o

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-N- (HO, HO!)
S-A-N- (HO, HO!)
S-A-N- (HO, HO!)
And Santa is his name-o.

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-(HO, HO, HO!)
S-A-(HO, HO, HO!)
S-A-(HO, HO, HO!)
And Santa is his name-o

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S- (HO, HO, HO, HO)
S- (HO, HO, HO, HO)
S- (HO, HO, HO, HO)
And Santa is his name-o

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
(HO, HO, HO, HO, HO!)
(HO, HO, HO, HO, HO!)
(HO, HO, HO, HO, HO!)
And Santa is his name-o!

Christmas Five Senses (adapted and expanded from this source)
(sung to: Muffin Man)

Oh, do you hear the Christmas bells,
The Christmas bells, the Christmas bells?
Oh, do you hear the Christmas bells
That ring out loud and clear?

Oh, yes, I hear the Christmas bells,
The Christmas bells, the Christmas bells!
Oh, yes, I hear the Christmas bells
That ring out loud and clear!

Oh, can you see our Christmas tree,
Our Christmas tree, our Christmas tree?
Oh, can you see our Christmas tree
It fill the room with cheer!

Oh, yes, I see our Christmas tree,
Our Christmas tree, our Christmas tree!
Oh, yes, I see our Christmas tree
It fill the room with cheer!

Oh, can you smell the gingerbread,
The gingerbread, the gingerbread?
Oh, can you smell the gingerbread
When Christmastime is near?

Oh, yes, I smell the gingerbread,
The gingerbread, the gingerbread!
Oh, yes, I smell the gingerbread
When Christmastime is near!

Oh, can you taste the candy canes
The candy canes, the candy canes?
Oh, can you taste the candy canes?
I'm glad Christmas is here!

Oh, yes, I taste the candy canes
The candy canes, the candy canes!
Oh, yes, I taste the candy canes!
I'm glad Christmas is here!

Oh, can you feel the Christmas cheer
The Christmas cheer, the Christmas cheer?
Oh, can you feel the Christmas cheer
At this special time of year?

Oh, yes, I feel the Christmas cheer
The Christmas cheer, the Christmas cheer!
Oh, yes, I feel the Christmas cheer
At this special time of year!

S is for Santa!

Outreach Storytime to Kindercare

Books

Turkey Claus  by Wendi Silvano; illustrated by Lee Harper (2012)

 Santa Retires  by David Diedrzycki (2012)

Oh, What a Christmas!  by Michael Garland (2011)

Songs

Santa
There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-N-T-A
S-A-N-T-A
S-A-N-T-A
And Santa is his name-o.

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-N-T- (HO!)
S-A-N-T- (HO!)
S-A-N-T- (HO!)
And Santa is his name-o

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-N- (HO, HO!)
S-A-N- (HO, HO!)
S-A-N- (HO, HO!)
And Santa is his name-o.

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S-A-(HO, HO, HO!)
S-A-(HO, HO, HO!)
S-A-(HO, HO, HO!)
And Santa is his name-o

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
S- (HO, HO, HO, HO)
S- (HO, HO, HO, HO)
S- (HO, HO, HO, HO)
And Santa is his name-o

There is a man with a long white beard
And Santa is his name-o
(HO, HO, HO, HO, HO!)
(HO, HO, HO, HO, HO!)
(HO, HO, HO, HO, HO!)
And Santa is his name-o!

Five Little Elves

5 little elves jumping on the sled
One fell off and bumped his head
Santa called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more elves jumping on the sled!"

Continue counting down through 1

Christmas Cheer

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!

Let's all do a little clapping
Let's all do a little clapping
Let's all do a little clapping
And spread Christmas cheer!

Let's all do a little stomping...

Let's all do a little jumping...

Let's all do a little twirling...

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!

K is for...

K is a fun letter to explore with kids, expect when trying to explain that some things that sound like /k/ actually start with the letter c.  But it is interesting to note that many of the children know that kangaroo and kite start with k--I attribute this to wonderful alphabet books available to children.  Other great k words: kitten, kindergarten, king, kitchen, koala, karate, kiss, key and the ever popular kazoo!
Books

Off to Kindergarten  by Tony Johnston; illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Kite Day!  by Will Hillenbrand

Songs/Rhymes/Fingerplays

Three Little Kittens
Three little kittens,
They lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear,
We sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost.


What! Lost your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
You shall have no pie.

The three little kittens,
They found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear,
See here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.
What! Found your mittens,
You darling kittens!
Then you shall have some pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
You shall have some pie.

I made magnet board pieces to use while I recited the poem.  I've decided I like using magnet board pieces because I can just add a sticky back magnet to color printed clip art...so easy!
The Kazoo Song (by Tammy Henry)
There is a sound that I can make
That drives my parents crazy
K-A-Z-O-O
K-A-Z-O-O
K-A-Z-O-O

And it is a kazoo!

There is a sound that I can make
That drives my parents crazy
K-A-Z-O-(blow kazoo)
K-A-Z-O-(blow kazoo)
K-A-Z-O-(blow kazoo)

And it is a kazoo!

Continue taking one away letter and blowing on the kazoo until...

There is a sound that I can make
That drives my parents crazy
(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)
(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)
(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)-(blow kazoo)

And it is a kazoo!

I couldn't resist doing this song with the kids when the words to a kazoo song popped in my head one night.  I bought a big bag of kazoos at Nobbies (from Oriental Trading)--72 kazoos for just $6.  I gave each child a kazoo and we practiced making noises with it before we sang the song.  It was a pretty crazy song with lots of kazoo blowing, but the kids really liked it!  After the song I told the children to take their kazoos to the "person who brought them"--this was two fold--we could finish storytime without kazoo noises and two, parents/caregivers might just "happen" to lose the kazoo before they got home.  One girl couldn't figure out how to make a sound come from her kazoo during the song.  After storytime I gave her some more hints and her face lit up when she finally did it!

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth, without any bread
Then kissed them all soundly and put them to bed.


Enrichment Activities

Kiss Matching Game I used "garage sale" round stickers and a bag of Hershey Kisses.  I wrote an upper case letter, then a lower case letter on each sticker and put them on the bottom on the kisses.  Now it was a matching game for the children.  (Idea and detail instructions are here)

Keys  I had a staff member donate a bunch of keys they no longer needed.  The children got to explore the keys and I had rings and pipe cleaners for them to put them on.

Kites  I usually have the kids make and decorate a kite from construction paper and crete paper, but we had limited time to use the room on Wednesday, so instead they colored a kite page I got from the Internet.

Puppets  Because puppets are fun!

Pets are Best!

Our Do It Yourself table this month is all about PETS!!  Our five activities this month are:

• Write a story about a pet you'd like or the pet you have (from www.kidsparkz.com)
• Fill in the conversation bubbles of two pets and their owner (from www.kidsparkz.com)
• Play a card game (like Memory, Go Fish, or War) with the pet cards
• Suggest a name for the stuffed animal "pet" on Miss Tammy's desk
• Match the librarians to their pets

In mid-November I asked staff members at the library to send me a picture of themselves and a picture of their pet.  After gathering them all I printed out the pet pictures, labeled them with a letter and Mod Podged them onto a cookie sheet. 

I printed out staff members pictures, added a number, Mod Podged them onto circle pieces of cardboard and hot glued magnets on the back. Place the librarian magnet onto their pet on the cookie sheet.  (Answer key is provided)

Remember, these activities are available anytime the library is open.  They are located at the table behind the children's computers.

National Cookie Day

Today is National Cookie Day!!  To honor and celebrate this great day we had an after school cookie decorating event.

We did this for the first time in 2009 and had a wonderful turn out,so scheduling worked out this year again so we could celebrate!

Bakers Grocery Store donated 12 dozen sugar cookies and two tubs of frosting from their bakery department.  We are so grateful for their support! 

We had a variety of sprinkles on hand, so the kids were able to frost and decorate their own cookie.

It's a very simple program--very little prep work and no "extras", but one that parents, kids, and teens enjoyed!  Here are some pictures from the event to prove it!

Happy Cookie Day!

I and J are for...

I decided to combine letters i and j because I just couldn't find enough "i" activities, books, and songs that focused on the short /i/...there are only so many words that begin with short /i/.

Books

Rhino's Great Big Itch  by Natalie Chivers

 

Jump! by Scott M. Fischer

Songs/Fingerplays/Rhymes/Flannel Board

Iggy Iguana (chant)
Iggy Iguana, come out and play
What color house are you in today?

I copied a simple house template I found on the Internet onto colored pieces of cardstock and cut them out.  I printed out an outline of an iguana onto green cardstock.  I used a magnet board for this activity, so I put a small magnet at the top and bottom of each house.  I just used tape for the iguana (so it wouldn't bulge out and give away the hiding place!)

Before storytime I taped Iggy to the magnet board and put all the houses up, covering Iggy with one.  The children had a ball guessing colors until we found Iggy.  After they found him I "hid" him again...and again and again.  We could have played it a l-o-n-g time! 

Jingle Bells
(sing softly and shake bells slowly)
Dashing through the snow; On a one horse open sleigh
Over the fields we go; Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtail ring; Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing; A sleighing song tonight
Ooooohhhhhhh!

(sing loud and shake bells fast)
Jingle bells, jingle bells; Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh-a
Jingle bells, jingle bless; Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it it to ride on a one horse open sleigh!

Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down
And broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

Enrichment Activities

Jack and Jill Maze from Everything Nursery Rhymes (published by The Mailbox)
Bug (insect) counters to sort and count
Play with the jingle bells
Jellyfish craft from Family.com