Fall 2017 Preschool Storytime: Week Nine 10/31/17

 Happy Halloween!!!!

I am so excited that Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year so I can celebrate in preschool storytime!  We had a lot of spooky fun today with tricks and treats.  I even got into the spirit and wore a costume that I created myself thanks to a Pinterest inspiration.  Scroll all the way down for a picture.  It's very appropriate for who I am!

Fall 2017 Preschool Storytime

Week Nine:  October 31, 2017

Opening Song:  “Good Morning” (Track #1 Songs for Wiggleworms)

Rhyme:  “Oh Mr. Sun” (2x)

Mother Goose Rhymes:  “Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater” (Track #9 Mother Goose Rocks vol 2)

Letter of the Day

Book:  And Then Comes Halloween / Tom Brenner / illustrated by Holly Meade

Song:  “Monster Boogie” (Track #14 The Best of Laurie Berkner Band)

Math Topic of the Day:  Patterns

Math Book:  Monster Knows Patterns / Lori Capote, illustrated by Chip Wass

Math Activity:  Halloween pattern cards

Song:  “Monster Stomp” (Track #4 Lisa Loeb’s Songs for Movin’ & Groovin’)

Book:  Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book / Stephen Savage

Song:  “I Know a Chicken” (Track #11 Whaddya Think of That / Laurie Berkner Band)

Closing Song:  “Happy Trails” (Track #21 Fun the Sun disc two)

Goodbye Rhyme:  “Open Shut Them”

Happy Halloween from the Caffeinated Children's Librarian!

Early Literacy Skill Spotlight: Vocabulary

Early Literacy Skill:  Vocabulary

It's all about words this week, especially words that don't typically come up in every day conversation.  In order to reach the average 20,000 words that a typical adult knows, how can we start teaching them to our kids now?  The answer could not be simpler.  Read picture books!  Picture books often include rich and descriptive language that most of us aren't regularly using in conversation.  When kids are exposed to a variety of picture books, their vocabulary expands rapidly by leaps and bounds.  I witness this every day with my daughters.  Some of the words that come out of their mouths shock me (in a good way!)  I have to remind myself that I am really talking to 4 and 6 year olds.  I remember my older daughter's preschool teacher commenting on what a great vocabulary she had and how she could totally tell that we read lots of books together.  The fact that she knew I'm a children's librarian may have also contributed to this deductive reasoning!  Another thing that I have noticed is that they very often sound like a walking thesaurus, using synonyms for basic words.  Instead of telling me that they are mad or angry, I've had both girls (in total diva fashion with hands on hips) exclaim, "Oh I am so frustrated right now!"  It's always hard not to laugh and frustrate them even more!

Singing:
I just can't stress enough the awesomeness of children's music.  Much like picture books, songs often include descriptive language that doesn't come up in everyday conversation.  Putting something to music may also help them retain that language better.

Talking:
One of the most important things that you can do when talking to your kids is to use the actual words when talking about something or describing something.  For example, instead of saying "Please go sit over there." you could say "Please go sit on the blue couch,"

Reading:
This one is simple.  Visit your local library and make friends with your children's librarian.  They will connect you to awesome picture books and talk with your child about what they've read.  Reading children's nonfiction books is also a great way to introduce new vocabulary and allow them to learn new things.

Writing:
Get in some great writing practice through art.  Color pictures, encourage your child to describe the colors they are using by having them tell you things that are that color.  Instead of using a green crayon, you could use a "tree green" crayon and even expand to using an "emerald green".

Playing:
Allow your kids to enjoy dramatic play such as putting on a show with animals or puppets, playing dress up, or playing with a toy kitchen.  The opportunities to use descriptive language are numerous.  You may feel like you are that walking thesaurus, but you are doing so much to help build your child's vocabulary.


Here are some links to additional articles talking about how reading to your child is so important for developing vocabulary.

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=56

http://www.nea.org/grants/facts-about-childrens-literacy.html

https://edsource.org/2015/study-says-reading-aloud-to-children-more-than-talking-builds-literacy/82045

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=8100

Fall 2017 Music & Movement: Week Eight 10/25/17

We are getting in the Halloween spirit this week with our books.  I also threw in an Eric Litwin song, "We Are Monsters" which is always a hit in storytime regardless of the time of year.  In tales of great library finds, I literally stumbled upon our bonus book this week, If You're Spooky and You Know It.  When I went to pick it up, it was like library fate intervened.  I had to include it this week.  It's really cute too!  Of course, I had to make it a bonus book because if I didn't include the weekly passage from Old MacDonald Things That Go, I would be held accountable by the kiddos.

Fall 2017 Music & Movement Storytime

Week Eight:  10-25-17

Opening Song:  “Good Morning” (Track #1 Songs for Wiggleworms)

Song:  “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” with ribbons (Track #2 Songs for Wiggleworms)

Song:  “If You’re Happy and You Know It” (Track #6 Songs for Wiggleworms)

Rhyme:  “Mr. Sun”

Animal Yoga

Book:  Ten Orange Pumpkins a Counting Book / Stephen Savage

Scarves Song:  “Up a Lazy River” (Track #6 Musical Scarves and Activities / Georgiana Stewart)

Shakers Song:  “Fruit Salad Salsa” (Track #15 Victor Vito / Laurie Berkner Band)

Book:  If You’re Spooky and You Know It / Aly Fronis / illustrated by Jannie Ho

Song:  “We Are Monsters” (Track #21 Bouncy Blue / Eric Litwin)

Book:  Old MacDonald Things That Go / Jane Clarke, illustrated by Migy Blanco

Song:  “You Are My Sunshine” (Track #37 Songs for Wiggleworms)

Closing Song:  “Goodbye Song” (Track #38 Songs for Wiggleworms)

Fall 2017 Preschool Storytime: Week Eight 10/24/17

This week we had a very energetic and active crowd which was very good for me because I needed the energy boost that only preschoolers can provide!  The excitement only grew when I brought out the bubbles to go along with our Mother Goose rhyme of the day.  We also brought out our paper leaves for our fall rhymes.  Our math skill this week was weight and we played a game where the kids looked at two objects and decided which weighed more.  Some were tricky so we used our problem solving skills to figure out the answer.  They also really enjoyed the book we read to go along with the theme.  It was a great day, and they are looking forward to next week.  Halloween falls on storytime day, so costumes will definitely be included in the fun.

Fall 2017 Preschool Storytime

Week Eight:  October 24, 2017

Opening Song:  “Good Morning” (Track #1 Songs for Wiggleworms)

Rhyme:  “Oh Mr. Sun” (2x)

Mother Goose Rhymes:  “Rub-a-Dub-Dub” (Track #1 Mother Goose Rocks vol 1) with bubbles

Letter of the Day:  V

Book:  Good Morning, Superman / Michael Dahl / pictures by Omar Lozano

Song:  “Boogaloo Song” (Track #6 Action! Fun! Dance! for Kids / The Learning Station)

Math Topic of the Day:  Weight

Math Book:  Just a Little Bit / Ann Tompert, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Math Activity:  What weights more?

Song:  “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes” (Track #10 Lisa Loeb’s Songs for Movin’ & Shakin’)

Song:  “I Know a Chicken” (Track #11 Whaddya Think of That? / Laurie Berkner)

Book:  I Love You More Than Moldy Ham / Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis

Closing Song:  “Happy Trails” (Track #21 Fun the Sun disc two)

Goodbye Rhyme:  “Open Shut Them”