(not a) flannel friday: 5 Little Valentines

I have had this rhyme in my files for many years:

Five Pretty Valentines waiting at the store.
(name) bought one and then there were four.
Four pretty Valentines shaped like a “V”
(name) bought one and then there were three.
Three pretty Valentines said “I love you”
(name) bought one then there were two.
Two pretty Valentines, having so much fun.
(name) Bought one and then there was one.
One pretty Valentine says “buy me and run”,
(name) did just that, and then there were none.

I wasn’t planning on using the rhyme, UNTIL…

I bought these.

They are the cutest knitted finger puppets!  I bought them from a local store, and they had so many I could barely choose which ones to buy. I settled on these, with more to come, I’m sure.

Anyway, while trying to figure out how to use these puppets in storytime, I remembered this rhyme. I thought that instead of using a (name) in the rhyme, I could use a puppet.  I wanted to use the pink glove to fit into my Valentine’s theme. The hearts (the Valentines from the rhyme) are attached to the glove with velcro dots, and I was ecstatic to see that the hearts (or rather the velcro dot on the back) stuck to the knit finger puppets!!!

So, it took a minimum of finagling, but here’s how it worked. I put on the glove with the hearts attached, and had the finger puppets on the table next to me.  I said the rhyme, had the kids show me the numbers with their fingers, and when I got to the (name) part of the rhyme, instead of a name I said the name of the animal, who then took a Valentine off the glove.  Fun!

  

 

 

favorite storytime book of the week

My favorite storytime book this week is Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf Is Not Around by Claudia Rueda.  I turned this into a participation book by having the kids call “wolf, are you there?” with me. And there’s a surprise ending, too. So much fun!

This week’s storytime theme: getting dressed

The Tree Stump

This is my live-action version of  The Tree Stump.  The reader is too short (in length) and small (in size) to share as a book, but it’s such a fun story that I made this version for storytime.  I used a paper grocery sack and small stuffed animals to recreate the story.  Basically, the story goes like this: forest animals find the tree stump one by one, and decide to take a nap/look for a snack/play peekaboo/etc inside.  After each animal’s spiel, I say ‘and he (or she) jumped in’ and then toss the animal in through the hole.

Here is my tree stump:

It’s a paper grocery sack, which I decorated using markers, then cut out the circle from just one side of the sack.

Here are the stuffed animal actors:

I tried to use animals that would naturally live in the woods, but a few of them are a bit of stretch. The kids like those the best, of course.

The animals are happily snuggling inside the tree stump (I have the kids keep track of how many animals are inside as we add them to the stump family) when along comes a skunk:

The skunk is missing his animal friends. For some reason (!), he can’t find them anywhere. The kids tell skunk where his friends are hiding, and he jumps in.

When skunk jumps in, the other animals jump out–literally! I take them out one by one, tossing then onto the floor in front of me. Chaos ensues.

As I tell the story, I  keep the animals in a bag next to me.  This one, unfortunately, does some free advertising, but since I keep the bag at my feet, it stays pretty hidden.

The clip on top is extra important. I keep it on the bag until I am ready to tell the story, otherwise the kids’  ”there be stuffed animals near” sense is awakened and the story is over before it began.

Flannel Friday: Who’s Hiding in the Woods?

I saw the Forest Animal flannel on Falling Flannelboards, and thought a version of that flannel would be perfect for my Walking Through the Woods storytime. I changed the basic flannel just a bit and made it into a sort of game. I hid one animal at a time behind the larger woods picture, and gave them the clues (see the link above).  Then we counted to three and took off the woods picture to see who was hiding underneath. The kids loved the game aspect of this flannel, and even the younger kids were able to make good (but not always correct) guesses as to the identity of the animal.

The animals are from Kidzclub.  The picture of the woods is clipart.

Thank you, Falling Flannelboards, for the inspiration!

 

And now a bonus, very silly, flannel, because it was still up on my board at the end of storytime today: 1 little, 2 little, 3 little animals.

I put various and random animals on the board, and we counted to well, 9, because animal 10 was a surprise. Then we sang 1 little, 2 little, 3 little animals.

Oh no, a skunk! We had just done a version of the story The Tree Stump (post coming soon), and so we knew all about skunks, and how stinky they are. Once skunk joined the other animals, it was time for them to leave, so we sang 10 little, 9 little, 8 little animals all the way back down to 1, holding our noses, of course.

The animals, with the exception of the clipart skunk, are from the envelope of generic animals I keep handy, just in case, and are from Felt Board Fingerplays by Liz and Dick Wilmes.

This week’s round up is being hosted by Andrea (thank you Andrea) at Roving Fiddlehead Kidlit.  Be sure to visit the beautiful Flannel Friday Pinterest account. So Tomorrow has past roundups and the future hosting schedule, as well.

favorite storytime book of the week

My favorite book in storytime this week is Mole’s Hill by Lois Ehlert.  This has been a favorite of mine for years. I love the simplicity of the story, the letter Skunk, Raccoon, and Fox leave for Mole, the hill of flowers, and of course the stunning illustrations. The kids loved this one, too!

my storytime theme this week: a walk in the woods

Flannel Friday: 5 Bears in the Bed

I came up with this variation (although I’m sure it’s been done many times before) on the classic song “5 In the Bed” to fit with my bear storytime. I just add the word bear into the lyrics. Before I put the bears in the bed, I ask the kids to guess how many bears will fit. When I first put the bears in the bed, I talk about how crowded it looks in there, and how squished they must feel, especially the little one.

Then we sing:

5 bears in the bed, and the little one said,

Roll over, roll over (roll your hands)

And they all rolled over and one fell out (take a bigger bear out of the bed).

When I get down to just the little one left in the bed, I sing:

He’s got the whole bed to himself to the tune of  He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands.

The bed is clip art, and the bears are so very old, I have no idea where they are from. Everything is laminated paper. I use spray glue on the bed to make the bears stick, but double stick tape would work as well.

Note #1: If you are fond of making bears, you wouldn’t have to stop at 5 bears, you could have many more.

Note #2: Today I had a storytime kid ask me where the bears went when they fell out of bed.  Hmmm…

This week’s round up is being hosted by Anne (thank you Anne!) at So Tomorrow. Be sure to visit the beautiful Flannel Friday Pinterest account. So Tomorrow has past roundups and future hosting schedule, as well.

favorite storytime book of the week

My favorite storytime book this week is Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland. How could a story about a bear who loves to hug trees most of all not be great!  And I love how hugging conquers all. Go Bear! The adults loved this book as much (maybe a little more than) as the kids.

my storytime theme: Bears

Book review: Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Confession time–although I certainly appreciated the merits of the innovative  The Adventures of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, I never really developed any personal connection to or strong liking of the story.  I definitely considered the accolades for that book to be well deserved, but I would not have chosen that book as a pleasure read. Expecting a similar reaction to Selznick’s latest, Wonderstruck, I was surprised how much I really enjoyed this unique and powerful book.  I was immediately drawn to the vulnerable Ben, one of the book’s two lead characters, whose story captivated me from page 1.  Ben’s story is told through words, while the other character Rose’s story, which takes place fifty years before Ben’s, is told only through masterful illustrations that reminded me of Chris Van Allburg’s picture books.  The book, never slow, barrels faster and faster towards an ending that seems somehow both magical and believably just right.  The telling of two different yet simultaneous stories, one through text and one through illustrations, is handled brilliantly by Selznick, who never lets this innovation get in the way of the reader’s experience, but instead used the technique to create an enjoyable and memorable read that has not only stayed with me but has me actively still thinking about the story weeks later.

 

Caldecott and Newbery not-predictions

I wouldn’t dream of making predictions for this year’s awards. I would, however, be happy to list my wish-they-would-wins.

Caldecott-

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
All the Way to America by Dan Yaccarino
Queen of the Falls by the brilliant Chris Van Allsburg
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrations by the amazingly fabulous Marla Frazee
Balloons Over Broadway by the great Melissa Sweet
All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson

Newbery-
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
Junonia by the fabulous Kevin Henkes

I would like to add The Trouble With May Amelia by Jennifer Holm to the Newbery list but I loved its predecessor so very much that this one, despite being quite amazing, didn’t quite match up to the wonderful first one. And yet I will be absolutely ecstatic if May Amelia wins.

And while I’m listing the I-love-them-buts, I’ve got to add the enchanting Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell to the Caldecott list. I have seen it mentioned a few places that this book will be considered ineligible because a few of the illustrations were done by Jane Goodall herself. I really hope that this isn’t true and that this book will kick the butt it deserves to in the awards discussion. As for including Wonderstruck on the Newbery instead of the Caldecott list, this is strictly a personal issue. I thought that Hugo Cabret was certainly a deserving winner a few years back for Selznick, but my heart would rather a picture book win this award. Not very forward-thinking, I know. So I liked Hugo, but I adore Wonderstruck, and want to see this amazing book get the love it so truly deserves. Newbery love, that is.

In the I-almost-think-it-should-win category is Grandpa Green by Lane Smith. I appreciate this book, I do, and recognize the greatness therein. But…there is just something about it that leaves me a little cold, which as this book clearly intends to appeal on an emotional level, is quite unfortunate and means I can’t include it on my faves list.

So excited to see who wins!

UPDATE: Good thing I wasn’t making predictions, because I wasn’t even close. The winners are listed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flannel Friday: Who’s Behind the Barn Door?

This game is best for the younger crowd, and is super simple to make and play.

This is a very easy guessing game. I put an animal (be sure to do this without the kids seeing which animal is being hidden) on the flannel board and cover it with the barn door.

Then I give out some clues–for example, if I’ve hidden a cat, I would say “this animal is small, has a long tail and pretty fur.”  Then comes the biggest clue–I say “and this animal says MEOW!”  Then we count to three and whip aside the barn door to see who’s hiding behind the barn door and if the kids have guessed correctly.  Repeat with as many animals as you like, and don’t limit yourself just to farm animals. Kids love when zoo animals appear behind the door.

   

The animals are patterns from Felt Board Fingerplays, by Liz and Dick Wilmes.

The barn is a piece of red construction paper with masking tape forming the X.

I also do this on a slightly larger scale, using a piece of red posterboard for the barn door and puppets instead of of flannel pieces.

This week’s round up is being hosted by Mel’s Desk (thank you, Mel! And congratulations to Mel on the first anniversary of a wonderful idea, Flannel Friday!) Be sure to visit the beautiful Flannel Friday Pinterest account, and stop by So Tomorrow for past roundups and future hosting schedule.