Storytime - Ocean Animals

Books:

My Octopus Arms by Keith Baker - This is a cute story about an octopus who talks about all of neat things he can do with his arms. It reads much like LMNO Peas!

Rub a Dub Sub by Linda Ashman - This is a cute, short story about a boy who meets a variety of sea life underwater. There's a cute twist at the end where he's really just in his bathtub at home. Perfect for toddlers.




Rhymes/Songs:

Five Little Ocean Friends (w/ flannel)

Five little ocean friends on the ocean floor
The starfish walks away and then there were four
Four little ocean friends living in the sea
The crab slides away and then there were three
Three little ocean friends looking for a clue
"Glub glub" said the jellyfish and now there are two
Two little ocean friends not having any fun
The seahorse swam away and then there was one.
One little octopus sad and all alone
Back swims the seahorse, back swims the jellyfish
Back swims the crab, back swims the starfish
And they played in the sea foam, safe in their home!

The Sharks in the Sea

(Tune: Wheels on the Bus)

The sharks in the sea go snap, snap, snap (clap hands)
Snap, snap, snap. Snap, snap, snap.
The sharks in the sea go snap, snap, snap.
All day long!

Continue with...

The fish in the sea...swim, swim, swim (pretend to swim)
The boats on the sea...toot, toot, toot (pull arm for horn)
The waves on the sea...up and down (stand up and sit down)

Simply STE(A)M Storytime: Bubble Science

For my second STEAM storytime, I chose bubbles as my theme. It was so much fun! I wrote about my color science storytime here. Here's what we did this time:

Storytime:

Opening: "Open Shut Them"

Fiction Picture Book: Big Red Tub by Julia Jarmen. - This cute picture book follows a boy in the tub who
finds himself with some unusual company. I had the kids say, "Splash! Splash! Splash!" with me and pat their knees to make it more interactive.

Song/Rhyme: "Five Elephants in the Bathtub" (flannel)

One elephant in the bathtub going for a swim (hold up one finger)
Knock, knock (clap hands)
Splash, splash (pat knees)
Come on in!

Continue with 2, 3, and 4 elephants

Until...

Five elephants in the bathtub going for a swim (hold up five fingers)
Knock, knock (clap hands)
Splash, splash (pat knees)
They all fell in!

Non-Fiction Book: Bubbles Float, Bubbles Pop by Mark Weakland - This non-fiction picture book describes the properties of bubbles and their uses in nature in a nicely simple, but informative way. It's perfect for the preschool crowd.

Song/Rhyme: "This is the Way"

This is the way we wash our hands (rub hands together)
Wash our hands, wash our hands
This is the way we wash our hands
So early in the morning!

Continue with...brush our teeth, wash hair, wash face, etc...ask the kids for suggestions!

Hands-On Activities:

Then it was time for the hands-on part of the program. At this storytime, I had four different activities for the kids and caregivers to experience together. For each station, I had a sign with short directions on how to do each activity along with some questions/talking points for the adults to ask the kids as they were completing each one.

Again, I got some of the ideas and talking points from Science Is Simple by Peggy Ashbrook.

Station #1: Air Bubbles

You Will Need:

• Straws
• Clear cups filled with just a little bit of water

First the kids blew through the straw onto their hand to see what it felt like and to talk about what they were feeling (air). Then they could gently blow into the cup of water to make bubbles. The idea was that they would connect that bubble are really made out of air and not water.

Station #2: Dancing Raisins

You Will Need:

• Club soda
• Clear cups
• Raisins

For this activity, I had the parents pour a little bit of club soda into a cup. Then the kids could drop a couple of raisins in and observe what happened. The idea was that the bubbles from the club soda would start to gather on the raisins and make them float to the top. Then as the bubble popped, the raisins would sink back down to the bottom and start over again, making them appear to "dance". This one took a minute of observation before the raisins began to move, so I cautioned the families to be patient with this one.

I got the idea for this experiment from Super Simple Things to Do With Bubbles by Kelly Doudna.

Station #3: Can You Make a Square Bubble?

You Will Need:

• Pipe cleaners
• Bubble solution

For this activity, I wanted the kids to observe the concept that a bubble will most always be a sphere shape. I had them take a pipe cleaner and make a square shaped bubble wand. Then, the kids could dip it into the solution and blow. The families would talk about the shape of the bubble coming out of the square wand and why it's a sphere and not a cube/square. One caveat: I did not cover the tables for this activity not realizing that spilled bubble solution is very difficult to clean up!

Station #4: Bubble Wrap Painting

You Will Need:

• Washable paint
• Wedge sponge brushes
• Cardstock
• Bubble wrap
• Smocks (optional)
• Wet wipes (not so optional)

This was a fun and easy art activity that produced some cool results. The kids could paint on the bubble wrap then take a piece of cardstock and press it to the wrap to make a print. I had a drying station where kids could pick their creations up later if they didn't want to take home a wet painting. I got the idea here.

Again, I had a table of both fiction and non-fiction bubble books to take home, a "What is STEAM" handout, and a take-home sheet of more bubble terms/experiments (found here).

For more STEAM program ideas, check out these links:

Preschool STEM Prezi from Jen Thomas
Simply STEM Wiki
School Library Journal's STEAM Pinterest Board
The Show Me Librarian - All Things STEAM

Did I miss any ideas/resources/etc.? Leave them in the comments!

Campfire Storytime #2

Last night was our second Campfire Storytime session of the summer (see the first write-up here). I took photos this time as promised, but due to the chilly, drizzly Ohio weather we were unfortunately indoors instead of on the patio. Here's what we did:


Song: "We're Going on a Bear Hunt"

You can do this a number of ways. I had discovered "Cool Bear Hunt" by Dr. Jean and just LOVE IT so I did a mash-up of the traditional song and hers.

(Have the kids march in place and repeat after you)

We're going on a bear hunt
We're gonna catch a big one! (spread arms out wide)
With big green eyes (make circles with hands by eyes)
And a fuzzy little tail (shake your bottom)

Look over there! (point in one direction)
It's some long, wavy grass
Can't go over it (motion w/ arm to go over something)
Can't go under it (motion w/ arm to go under something)
I guess we'll go through it!
(swish hands back and forth to make a grass sound)

We're going on a bear hunt
We're gonna catch a big one! (spread arms out wide)
With big green eyes (make circles with hands by eyes)
And a fuzzy little tail (shake your bottom)

Look over there! (point in one direction)
It's a cold, deep river
Can't go over it (motion w/ arm to go over something)
Can't go under it (motion w/ arm to go under something)
I guess we'll go through it!
(pretend to swim)

We're going on a bear hunt
We're gonna catch a big one! (spread arms out wide)
With big green eyes (make circles with hands by eyes)
And a fuzzy little tail (shake your bottom)

Look over there! (point in one direction)
It's a big, tall tree
Can't go under it (motion w/ arm to go under something)
Can't go around it (motion with arm to go around something)
I guess we'll go over it!
(pretend to climb up then down the tree)

We're going on a bear hunt
We're gonna catch a big one! (spread arms out wide)
With big green eyes (make circles with hands by eyes)
And a fuzzy little tail (shake your bottom)

Look over there! (point in one direction)
It's a cave
Can't go over it (motion w/ arm to go over something)
Can't go under it (motion w/ arm to go under something)
I guess we'll go through it!
(pretend to tiptoe)

Ok, stop! (stop)
Everyone get out your flashlights. (take "flashlight" out of pocket)
Turn them on. (pretend to click them on)
Uh oh...I see two big green eyes (make circles with hands by eyes)
And a fuzzy little tail (shake your bottom)
It's....A BEAR!

(run in place)
Everyone climb up and down the tall tree! (pretend to climb up then down the tree quickly)
Ok, now everyone swim through the cold river! (pretend to swim quickly)
Now go through the long, wavy grass! (quickly rub hands together)
We're at the house so open the door! (pretend to open the door)
Now close the door! (step through and close the door)
Now sit down! (sit)
Phew!
I am NEVER going on a bear hunt again!

Book: It's the Bear! by Jez Alborough

Song: "Tiny Tim"

I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim (make turtle w/ one hand)
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim (pretend to swim)
He drank up all the water (pretend to drink)
He ate up all the soap (pretend to chew)
And now he's sick in bed with a bubble in his throat! (Hiccup!)


Book: The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort - This is a fun take on the
traditional song "The Wheels on the Bus". I sang along to the words in the book and had the kids do the motions/sounds with me.

Song: "Rum Sum Sum"

Rum sum sum, rum sum sum (pat legs)
Gooley gooley gooley gooley (roll hands)
Rum sum sum (pat legs)

Rum sum sum, rum sum sum (pat legs)
Gooley gooley gooley gooley (roll hands)
Rum sum sum (pat legs)

A raffi, a raffi (raise arms and wiggle fingers)
Gooley gooley gooley gooley (roll hands)
Rum sum sum (pat legs)

A raffi, a raffi (raise arms and wiggle fingers)
Gooley gooley gooley gooley (roll hands)
Rum sum sum (pat legs)

(Repeat, going faster each time)

Craft: Campfire Headband

This craft takes some prep in that you have to cut out the flames and headbands ahead of time, but the results are soooo cute. We gave each child a poster board headband that they could decorate with crayons. Then they could glue some flames on and tape mini marshmallows stuck on toothpicks.

Snack: S'mores snack mix and apple juice

While everyone enjoyed their snack, we gathered back together and I read two more stories:

Book: Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox - Poor Prince Charming. He just wants Rapunzel to let down her hair. But she's hard of hearing and lets some other things out the window instead! This story has a great rhyming cadence to it and is hilarious.

Book: Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems - Perennial favorite Mo Willems hits it out of the park again. I read the pigeon's lines in the story and ask the audience if the pigeon can stay up late, get a glass of water, etc. I'm always met with a resounding "NO!"

Storytime - Outer Space

Books:

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I'm Off to the Moon! by Dan Yaccarino - This is a cute, short story about what an astronaut does in space.









Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton - This short (but unfortunately small in size) book is a great informative book about the different things that astronauts do and what happens in space.





Songs/Rhymes:

Zoom Zoom Zoom

Zoom, zoom, zoom (brush hands to the beat)
We're going to the moon
Zoom, zoom, zoom
We're going to the moon
If you want to take a trip
Climb aboard my rocket ship
Zoom, zoom, zoom
We're going to the moon
Zoom, zoom, zoom
We're going to the moon
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...BLAST OFF! (count backwards on fingers, then jump up on "BLAST OFF!")
Source

If You're Going to the Moon

(Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It")

If you're going to the moon, wear your gloves (clap hands)

If you're going to the moon, wear your gloves

If you're going to the moon, here's what you have to do

If you're going to the moon, wear your gloves!

Continue with:

...wear your boots (stomp feet)

...wear your helmet (pat head)

...say "Blast off!" (jump up in the air)

Storytime - My Body

Books:

Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin Jr. - This is a great short picture book that covers all of the basic body parts for kids. As I read the book, I asked the kids to point out the different body parts mentioned in the story.







We've All Got Bellybuttons! by David Martin - This is a very cute story that shows that animals have some of the same parts we do! There are also some fun action cues that make the book more interactive.





Songs/Rhymes:

Hello Toes

Hello toes! (show feet)
Good-bye toes! (quickly hide feet)
Hello toes! (show feet)
Good-bye toes! (quickly hide feet)
My toes are feeling shy today (slowly bring out toes)
But now they're feeling better! (wiggle toes)

Continue with hands, face, knees, etc...
Source

This was an ABSOLUTE HIT with my toddlers. They were so giggly and loved it!

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (point to body parts)
Knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes!

Repeat going faster each time!

Pizza and Pages: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Type of Book: Science Fiction/Dystopia

Plot Summary:

Sixteen year-old Cia Vale's dream comes true when she is chosen for The Testing which is society's one chance to attend the University and become one of the future leaders. However, she soon discovers that The Testing isn't what she thought it would be. Cia quickly learns that she can't trust anyone and that some of her tests can mean the difference between life and death.


Average Teen Rating: 6
This title was polarizing in my group. Some loved it and some really did not. Those who really loved The Hunger Games or Divergent or other similar stories enjoyed it. Others thought it was boring and didn't finish.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think started the Seven Stages War?
2. Do you think The Testing is a good idea? Why or why not? Why do you think The Testing was created?
3. Would you make it through The Testing? How far would you get?
4. If you could only choose 3 things to survive in the unknown wilderness like the candidates, what would you take? Why?
5. What do you think about Cia? Is she too perfect?
6. How does The Testing compare to other similar stories like The Hunger Games and Divergent? Better? Worse?
7. Would you have drunk the anti-truth serum liquid in the vial from the fence stranger?
8. The Testing is a way for the United Commonwealth to determine who would make a good leader. What do you think makes a good leader? What is the most important quality?
9. On page 255, Cia talks about "the end justifying the means" in regard to the war and bombing the cities. Do you think it does? Does winning mean everything, even at the expense of others?
10. Would you want your memory erased after The Testing?
11. What do you think happens in the sequel?