Monsters!

Theme:
Monsters

Books:
The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
If You’re a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley & Ed Emberley
Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
Calm Down Boris! by Sam Lloyd
Monster Hug by David Ezra Stein

Board Story:
Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

Action Rhymes / Songs:

Ten Little Monsters
One little, two little,
Three little monsters
Four little, five little,
Six little monsters
Seven little, eight little,
Nine little monsters
Ten of them can’t scare me!

Ten little, nine little,
Eight little monsters
Seven little, six little,
Five little monsters,
Four little, three little,
Two little monsters,
One of them can’t scare me!
None of them can scare me!

Play time:
Kisses from Calm Down Boris monster puppet
Go Away Big Green Monster puppet

Early Literacy Asides:

Aside #1: In today’s storytime, we’ll be doing some singing! Signing is very important because it can help children learn new words.

Aside #2: Singing actually slows down language so that children can hear the different sounds in words and learn about syllables. Singing also develops listening and memory skills and makes repetition easier for young children — it’s easier to remember a short song than a short story. Singing together is a fun bonding experience with your child — whether you’re a good singer or not! I always say, if you can’t sing well, sing loud! 🙂

Resources Consulted:
– http://www.perrypubliclibrary.org/webfm_send/72
– http://storytimekatie.com/2010/10/29/monsters/
– http://surlalunefairytales.com/storytime/monsters/index.html
– http://missmegsstorytime.com/monster-storytime/
– http://sunflowerstorytime.com/2011/10/23/monsters/

Other books considered / used for display:
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Five Ugly Monsters by Tedd Arnold
10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster by Laura Numeroff
Birthday Monsters by Sandra Boynton
Monster Munchies by Laura Numeroff
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer
Go to Bed Monster by Natasha Wing
My Monster Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance by Keith Graves
Monster Museum by Marilyn Singer
Love Monster by Rachel Bright

Reflection:  Monsters is always a fun storytime and a huge hit. I use my stuffed baby Grover to introduce the theme and remind kids that monsters can be cute, funny, lovable, and silly.  All the books and stories I use reinforce this idea. I love using the board story version of Go Away Big Green Monster because it shows the kids they are in control of letting a monster scare them or not and gives them the power to tell it to GO AWAY!  They love to shout that out as I take away each piece! They also love to ROAR and do all the other silly actions in the song-book If You’re a Monster and You Know It. I don’t actually read Calm Down Boris! during storytime but instead use it afterward to give out kisses (Boris is a kissy monster).  The kids get such a kick out of that and like taking turns to be Boris. Of course, The Monster at the End of This Book is the best book ever and my personal favorite from my childhood. I love getting really into the reading of it and how cute the kids are as they encourage me to keep turning pages. A word of caution though, I got so into this time I actually ripped a page as I was turning it.  Oops!  🙂

 

Trucks!

Theme:
Trucks

Books:
Where’s My T R U C K? by Karen Beaumont
Duck in a Truck by Jez Alborough
I Love Trucks! by Philemon Sturges
Trucks: Whizz! Zoom! Rumble! by Patricia Hubbell

Board Story:
Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough

Action Rhyme/Songs:

“Where Are Trucks?” (Thumbkin)
Where is pick-up truck? Where is pick-up truck?
Here I am. Here I am.
How are you today, sir? Very well, I thank you.
Drive away. Drive away.
(repeat with each finger – Tow truck, dump truck, moving truck, firetruck)

The Wheels on the Truck
The wheels on the truck go round and round (roll hands)
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the truck go round and round
All through the town

Repeat with…
The shovel on the truck goes dig dig dig (dig with hands)
The bucket on the truck goes dump dump dump (dump with hands)
The horn on the truck goes honk honk honk (pull cord for horn)

Play time:
After storytime, put out toy trucks and other vehicles for free play.

Early Literacy Asides to Caregivers:
Aside #1: Today in storytime we are going to focus on play. Play is actually considered children’s work. Play is one of the primary ways young children learn about how the world works and learn language.

Aside #2: There are so many reasons why play is important. Play helps children practice putting their thoughts into words. Play helps children think symbolically — that this item stands for this thing (“This box is a rocket ship!”), which helps them understand that words can stand for real objects or experiences. Play is how children practice becoming adults and process what they see and hear every day.

Resources Consulted:
http://literarylibrariankim.blogspot.com/2013/07/toddler-storytime-trucks.html

http://www.perrypubliclibrary.org/webfm_send/41

Click to access Cars%20and%20Trucks%20Resource%20Guide.pdf

– http://sunflowerstorytime.com/2012/11/29/trucks/

– http://storytimekatie.com/2011/04/21/trucks/

Other books considered / used for display:
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha
I’m a Truck Driver by Jonathan London
Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia
Dig Dogs Dig: A Construction Tail by James Horvath
Farmer Dale’s Red Pickup Truck by Lisa Wheeler
A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa by Jonathan London
The Little Dump Truck by Margery Cuyler
I Stink! by Kate McMullan
Good Night Engines by Denise Dowling Mortensen
Big Dig by Paul Stickland
Raise the Roof by Anastasia Suen
Big Wheels by Anne Rockwell
Things That Go by Anne Rockwell
Trucks by Gail Gibbons
Truck Song by Diane Siebert

Reflection:  I had a special request from a little boy to do a truck storytime.  Trucks are a hit with boys and girls.  They loved helping spell T-R-U-C-K and singing the songs.  Never underestimate the power of thumbkin and use that to your advantage!  I’ve found even older kids like doing that one.

 

 

Sharks!

Theme:
Sharks

Books:
Smiley Shark by Ruth Galloway
The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist
Five Little Sharks Swimming in the Sea by
Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt

Board story:
Sharks in the Bathtub
ONE shark in the bathtub
going for a swim
Knock knock (slap knees twice)
Splash splash (clap hands twice)
Come on in! (beckon with hand)
Repeat until you get to five, adding a shark to the tub each time.

Action Rhyme:
Two Little Sharks
Two little sharks, in the deep blue sea
One named Leonard and one named Lee
Swim away Leonard, swim away Lee
Come back Leonard, come back Lee!

Two hungry sharks swimming on a wave
One named Dorothy, one named Dave
Chomp, chomp, Dorothy. Chomp, chomp, Dave.
Swim away Dorothy. Swim away Dave!

Craft:
Shark puppets – shark on a stick!  We cut out a shark shape using our Cricut and glued it onto a jumbo craft stick.

Resources Consulted:
– https://storytimekatie.com/2014/08/15/flannel-friday-sharks/
– https://storytimekatie.com/2013/11/18/bob-shea/
– https://sunflowerstorytime.com/2015/04/18/shark-week/
– https://thedoor2doorlibrarian.com/2014/06/22/storytime-sharks/
– https://valeriebyrdfort.com/2012/08/09/shark-storytime/

Other books considered / used for display:
Shark Vs. Train by Chris Barton
Shark and Lobster’s Amazing Undersea Adventure by Viviane Schwarz
Shark in the Dark by Nick Sharratt
Shark and Lobster’s Amazing Undersea Adventure by Viviane Schwarz
Smiley Shark and the Great Big Hiccup by Ruth Galloway
Sharkabet by Ray Troll
The Great White Man-Eating Shark by Margaret Mahy
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Shark vs. Train by Christ Barton
I’m a Shark by Bob Shea
Don’t Eat the Teacher by Nick Ward
What if the Shark Wears Tennis Shoes by Winifred Morris
Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Feist

Reflection:
This storytime was a wildly popular!  Kids LOVE sharks!  Shark in the Park was the most loved book and got the most laughs but all of them went over quite well.  Be prepared with LOTS of materials for the puppets as everyone wanted to make more than one.  I do three storytimes a week and we made 150 puppets!