Friday, September 19, 2014

Storytime: Pirates

Ahoy!  Hey matey, today be Talk Like a Pirate Day, so ye best be reading some pirate books to your wee ones, or ye be walking the plank!  Here be some good choices.  Yo-ho-ho, it's a pirate's life for me.  Aarrr!

BOOKS:

Bubble bath pirates!Pajama piratesHow I became a piratePeg Leg PekeThere was an old pirate who swallowed a fish

Bubble Bath Pirates! by Jarrett Krosoczka
Pajama Pirates by Andrew Kramer
How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long
Peg Leg Peke by Brie Spangler
There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish by Jennifer Ward

RHYMES & SONGS:

Five Pirates on a Treasure Chest

Five pirates on a treasure chest, one jumped off and four are left.
Four pirates on a treasure chest, one slid off and three are left.
Three pirates on a treasure chest, one fell down and two are left.
Two pirates on a treasure chest, one was pushed off and one is left.
One pirate on a treasure chest, he climbed down and none are left.
No pirates on the treasure chest, yo-ho-ho and now it's all mine!

Flannel Idea: Storytime Katie

Like Storytime Katie, I also used Microsoft clip-art for this rhyme, printed it out, laminated it, cut each piece out, and glued a piece of felt to the back so it would stick to the board.



"The Pirate Wore a Red Patch"
(tune: "Mary Wore a Red Dress")

The pirate wore a red patch, a red patch, a red patch.
The pirate wore a red patch all day long...
Continue with orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black


This was fun to make, and you can tailor it depending on what colors of felt you have on hand.  I had the children help me by taking turns putting different colored patches on the pirate.  Thankfully, I had enough pieces for my crowd, but you can make multiple patches to suit your group's needs.



"If You're a Pirate and You Know It"

If you're a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish)
If you're a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish)
If you're a pirate and you know it, then you'll hear sea winds a'blowin'
If you're a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish)

Other verses: Walk the plank (stomp, stomp) / say "Arrrr!" / Draw your sword


CRAFT:

Eye Patches and Hats

To truly get into the pirate spirit, you have to look like a pirate! Last week, I made eye patches for both my toddler and preschool story time groups and passed them out after I was done reading stories. It was really easy. All you need is black craft foam, scissors, and yarn. I got the idea from Sturdy for Common Things. I didn't use a template, I just traced an eye patch shape onto the craft foam using a pen. I cut that out and used that piece to trace the remaining patches. I cut a slit on each side of the eye patch, threaded the yarn through, and voila, eye patches for all!

For the hat, I used the template provided by Lee Hansen Graphics. Because it was already black with the skull and crossbones, I just photocopied it onto white cardstock. I let the grown-ups cut it out, and then we assembled the hat using a stapler and/or tape. This worked well for the toddlers and preschoolers (I did provide a pirate coloring sheet to keep the kids occupied while the grown-ups did the cutting).

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Storytime: Library Fun!

Last week was the start of our fall story time session.  I usually get some new kids at story time and with September being Library Card Sign-Up Month, I thought a library-themed story time would be fun to introduce kids to the public library and the joy of reading.  Here is what I did.

BOOKS:

Maisy goes to the libraryDinosaur vs. the libraryBook! book! book!The Midnight LibraryDog loves books

Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins
Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea
Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss
The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara
Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates

RHYMES & SONGS:

Here is My Book

Here is my book.
(hold hands together and open them up like a book)
I open it wide,
To see all the pictures that are inside.
I read the pages
(pretend to flip through the book)
To friends of different ages.
I set the book in my lap,
(pretend to place book down)
And then I take a nap.

Source: King County Library System

"If You're Happy and You Know It"

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, read a book.
If you're happy and you know it, read a book.
If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, read a book.

CRAFT: Make Your Own Book
This craft can easily be adapted for different age groups.  All you need is construction paper (or cardstock) for the book cover, copier paper for the pages of the book, and something to attach the book together - either a stapler or hole punch with ribbon or string.  And of course, you'll need craft supplies to decorate your book.  For my preschoolers, I kept this really simple and used an Ellison die cut to make our books.  We have an open book shape, and it made the perfect little book for them.  I gave the kids crayons and stickers in which to decorate it, and then had a blast decorating each page with stickers.  Have I mentioned that kids love stickers?