20
Apr
Adventures of Annie Aboard the Titanic
Before starting the Magic Tree House Adventures: Tonight on the Titanic program last Saturday, a parent came up to me and said, “You know this ship is going down, right?”
Last weekend, was the third edition of Magic Tree House Adventures. February theme was Hour of the Olympics and March was Leprechaun in Late Winter. Since our April’s session happened to fall on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s demise and Kansas City’s Union Station is currently featuring a Titanic Artifact Exhibit, this month’s theme was based off of Jack and Annie’s adventure’s in the Magic Tree House book, Tonight on the Titanic.
**Addition: An excellent link that was brought to my attention (Thanks Gina!) after I wrote this post for those of you interested in more Titanic resources is on the US Citizenship webpage, which has background info and lots and lots of helpful links!**
On Saturday, “Jack” and I set sail using the Magic Tree House as our guide…
Where are we? Who are they?
Where are we? Who are they? has become a regular activity for Magic Tree House Adventures. It’s a power point guessing game where we flash an image on a large screen and the kids guess the location of the picture, what is going on in the picture, or who is/are the person/persons in the picture.
For the Titanic session, the primary focus was the timeline of events during the Titanic’s voyage, but also included important figures such as Captain Smith, Thomas Andrews, and Robert Ballard, iceberg facts, and what it was like traveling as a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class passenger.
For example, when this slide was displayed, I’d ask the kids… “Where is this? Is it someone’s house?” And their reply was, “No, it’s in the Titanic!”. Then I would ask is this part of the Titanic the 3rd class travelers occupied? Was it 2nd? Or 3rd? Then we would talk about the different areas of the ship and the people who traveled on the Titanic.
Titanic Timeline Match Up
Posted around the room were clocks with pictures with pictures underneath in chronological order of important events on the Titanic voyage from April 10-April 18, 1912.
The kids received a worksheet where the dates and the events were out of order. To match them correctly, they had to go around the room and find the accurate matches. These were the events used:
April 10, 1912: Noon – Titanic Leaves Southampton, England
April 10: 6:30pm – Titanic stops in Cherboug, France
April 11: 11:30am – Titanic stops in Queenstown, Ireland
April 11-14 – Titanic travels toward New York. Passengers enjoy journey.
April 14: 11:40pm – Titanic strikes iceberg
April 15: 12:25 am – Passengers begin to be loaded into lifeboats
April 15: 2:20am – Titanic sinks
April 15: 4:10am – Carpathia reaches survivors
April 15- April 18 – Carpathia sails toward New York
April 18: 9pm – Survivors arrive in New York
Titanic Rescue Activity
The plan was to do this outside with two teams, but we had severe weather warnings over the weekend and had to make do inside.
The plan outside was to have two Titanic ships (outlined in yarn) about 25 feet, side by side. And two rescue ships 20 yards away parallel the Titanic ships, also side by side. One team will step inside one Titanic boat, and the other team in the other. Using one hula hoop each team, acting as a lifeboat, kids have to figure out how to fit as many passengers into one hula hoop (lifeboat) at a time, walk to the rescue boat, and then one passenger, “the hero” is what we named this person, had to come back in the hula hoop (lifeboat), and fill it up with more passengers, and return to the rescue boat. This would be done as quickly as possible, and over and over, until the Titanic was empty.
A race to see which team can get from the Titanic ship to the rescue ship without “throwing anyone overboard” and in the least amount of time.
Since we played the game inside, we only had one Titanic ship and one rescue ship outlined in tape and the teams took turns.
Titanic Lifeboat Rescue Ship
(If you can make any sense of this diagram, the little circles are the kids.)
The first time the kids only had 1 hula hoop (lifeboat). The second time the kids used two hula hoops (lifeboat).
The activity was meant to show the kids how much quicker their ship emptied with two lifeboats opposed to one, which is why after the Titanic sunk a rule was put into effect that every ship has to have more than enough lifeboats for every passenger aboard. If the Titanic had enough lifeboats, this tragedy might have been avoided.
This was probably the kids’ favorite part of the session. In context, a bit morbid, yes. But I feel the point came across loud and clear.
Iceberg Demonstration
The majority of this activity and facts about icebergs came from Beyond Penguins .
The day before, I made mini icebergs by filling water ballons with water, leaving them in the freezer, and then right before the class started, cut and peel away the balloon. With a couple clear glass bowls filled with water, some salt, and a little blue food coloring we had a couple iceberg models.
After the game, I brought out the iceberg models and the kids sat around me and we discussed these questions:
- Why did I put salt in the water? A: we are simulating sea water (35 gms of salt in 1000ml water)
- Why does the ice float? A: It’s less dense- ice is .92, water 1.0
- Where do you find icebergs? A: largest and highest number in Antartica
- Is more ice above or below the surface?
More facts about Icebergs:
A common misconception among students of all ages is that heavy objects sink and light objects float. While this belief may explain many examples, massive icebergs show that the density of an object, not its weight, is the cause of flotation.
Water is one of the few substances that is slightly denser as a liquid than as a solid. This is why ice cubes float in water.
Second, and slightly more interestingly: Most icebergs actually contain a lot of air. Far from being the solid blocks of ice many people imagine, icebergs are riddled with billions of tiny, trapped air bubbles, giving the huge bergs their white appearance.
Third, icebergs are made from fresh water. Because of the dissolved salts in ocean water, it is denser than freshwater, adding bouyancy to the icebergs.
The Titanic Today
With only 8 minutes left, the kids watched a clip of what the Titanic looks like today documented from The History Channel’s Titanic’s Final Moments: Missing Pieces.
At that point, the hour was up and it was time for the kids to go home!
As always, books were left on the table for them to check out of which they always raid…
… and they were also given their newest companion journal. Below is a sneak peak inside:
My co-worker, “Jack”, really does an incredible job putting these journals together.
Had a great group of kids who seemed like they learned a lot and had fun doing it. Win!
Another adventure under the belt.
In May, we are off to the deserts of Egypt…
Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning
image sources: titanic illustration, titanic staircase, history channel dvd, mummies in the morning
18
Apr
Tournament of Kids Books WINNER
It’s all over. Out of 16 titles, one came out victorious.
After weeks and weeks of voting throughout March, the Tournament of Kids Books came to a close last Saturday when Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling was announced as the winner.
Over 400 kids participated in voting!
And good ol’ Harry claimed the championship by 3 votes….
The Lawrence Public Library was very fortunate to have two special guests from the University of Kansas Men’s Basketball Team, Justin Wesley and Jeff Withey, assist in announcing the Tournament of Kids Books winner. They also selected the grand prize raffle winners and each read a picture book to an awe-struck attendance.
Each week a raffle winner was chosen for a stack of books provided by the Friends of the Library, but kids who voted throughout the month were ALSO eligible for the grand prize raffle: A signed basketball by the 2011-12 KU Men’s Basketball team OR a stack of the newest titles by the authors represented in the tournament.
At the Winner’s Ceremony on Saturday, after announcing Harry Potter as the winner (Justin Wesley opened a wrapped library copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Jeff Withey decorated the bracket with a poster of the book’s cover), the athletes each selected one raffle winner. Unfortunately, it was a little anticlimactic because both winners were not present, but they were very excited to receive the phone call later that evening!
After the tournament winner was announced and the raffle winners selected, the audience was treated to a couple of tall tales. Yeah… bad joke.
Jeff Withey read the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr.
Justin Wesley read his childhood favorite, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
And that was that! It’s all said and done.
Best part of all?
The kids loved it.
They embraced the Tournament the whole way through.
Especially, last Saturday, when all their heroes… basketball heroes Jeff Withey and Justin Wesley… and book heroes Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Jack and Annie, Geronimo Stilton, Greg Heffley etc. were all under one roof.
For the love of basketball and most importantly for the love of reading.
Keep on reading kids and Rockchalk!
16
Apr
Poetry as Story
To celebrate National Poetry Month, Sunday’s storytimes throughout the month of April are themed around poetry. A couple weeks ago was Poetry is FUN! Storytime, where we focused on how silly poetry can be. This week’s focus was how poems are also stories. After a few ballads and rhymes, we made Color Poem Books for our after-storytime craft.
“Poetry as Story” Storytime Lineup:
May I Bring a Friend? by Beatrice Schenk De Regniers, illustrated by Beni Montresor
A Caldecott-winning, classic. This book was a suggestion of my co-worker, who is also a storyteller and also a poet. It was my favorite of the selections read.
The Ballad of Nessie by Kieran Lachlan, illustrated by Andy Harkness
The Ballad of Nessie is actually a short film by Disney inspired by none other than the Loch Ness Monster. I showed the kids this picture of the Loch Ness Monster and explained the legend before reading this sing-song story.
Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sun in the Year 1866 by Earnest Lawrence Thayer, illustrations by Christopher Bing
What a great book to celebrate the opening of baseball season and example of poetry as a story. My best friend’s mom is a school librarian and reads this book to her kids every year.
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
I read this book primarily as a segue into the ‘Color Poem Book’ craft. A bright and simple story about our many emotions.
Color Poem Book:
First, I have to say, this sweet little craft was originally created by Susan Kapuscinski Gaylor and featured on her blog, Making Books. Tons and tons of fun book making activities for children including this ‘Color Poem Book’ craft. It turned out to be one of those crafts were the parents enjoy making as much (if not more) as the kids did.
Here’s how we made our “Color Poem Books”…
Materials used included leftover crepe paper from the rainbow craft, card stock, yarn, glue, tape, and the Mary O’Neill’s color poems found in the book Hailstones and Halibut Bones.
Cut a piece of paper or card stock 12 inches in length and about 3-4 inches high or whatever height desired.
Fold the strip three times into equal lengths. If there is a little leftover on the end, snip it off.
Cut colored card stock or construction paper into rectangles a little larger than the books to be used as the covers.
Tape colored cover to that back and front of the book. Use double stick if you have it. (I unfortunately ran out)
Cut color poems out into small stanzas.
Oh, and up to this point I prepared the above ahead of time for the kids. In case you were thinking of making this with younger children.
Tear crepe paper into small sections.
Glue crepe paper down as desired and glue printout over it.
Continue gluing crepe paper and poems on inside of book pages. Coresponding crepe paper colors with same color poem.
Let dry.
Bind book with a bow.
Red is a ruby/Set in a ring./Red is the color/That makes my heart sing.
Green are the leaves/Sprouting in the spring,/Green is the color/Of a luna moth’s wing.
Orange is a pumpkin/Orange is a cat,/Sleeping in the sun/On an orange mat.
Purple is a grape,/One of a bunch,/Purple is the jelly/In the sandwich/I ate for lunch.
The above are Color Poem Book examples a few storytime kids made for me. Darling, no?
If you live in Lawrence, don’t forget there’s a long list of poetry activities to participate in throughout the month, created by the Lawrence Public Library and the Lawrence Arts Center. See HERE for more details.
How are you celebrating National Poetry Month?
image sources: may i bring a friend, ballad of nessie, casey at the bat, my many colored days
10
Apr
National Library Week
Since this week is National Library Week, I decided to put together an extended list of my favorite read aloud books about the library and reading. A few weeks back, I read these picture books for Library Day Storytime and recommend you check out those selections as well. All are a great way to share the library love this week and every week.
Picture Books:
The Library by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Quiet! There’s a Canary in the Library by Don Freeman
Baby Bear’s Books by Jane Yolen
The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Michael P. White
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
The Little Red Fish by Taeeun Yoo
The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed
Homer, the Library Cat by Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown
But Excuse Me, That is My Book by Lauren Child
The Day Dirk Yeller Came To Town by Mary Casanova, illustrated by Ard Hoyt
Miss Brooks Loves Books! by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Michael Emberley
Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr
Winston the Book Wolf by Marni McGee and Ian Beck
Easy Reader Books:
Amelia Bedelia Bookworm by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynn Sweat
Library Bear: 10 Words by Janet Spaht Gill, illustrated by Bob Reese
Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat, illustrated by Jody Wheeler
We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems
Annie and Snowball and the Book Bugs Club by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Sucie Stevenson
Non-Fiction Picture Books:
The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter
Miss Dorthy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston, illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb
Waiting for Bilioburro by Monica Brown, illustrated by John Parra
The Inside Outside Book of Libraries by Roxie Munro, illustrated by Julie Cummins
No storytime post this week– The library was closed Sunday for the Easter holiday. Sunday Storytime will be back next week!
image sources: the library, library lion, quiet there’s a canary in the library, baby bear’s books, library dragon, library mouse, that little red fish, boy raised by librarians, homer the library cat, lola at the library, the wonderful book, wild about books, but excuse me but that is my book, the day dirk yeller came to town, miss brooks loves books, reading makes you feel good, winston the book wolf, amelia bedilia bookworm, library bear, nate the great, we are in a book, annie and snowball, librarian of basra, miss dorthy, waiting for biloburro, inside outside book of libraries
2
Apr
Poetry is FUN!
Yesterday was the kick-off for National Poetry Month! The Lawrence Public Library teamed with the The Lawrence Arts Center for “Poetry Off the Page“, a month of poetry themed activities of which Sunday Storytime is a part of! Woot!! Which means over that past few weeks I’ve been compiling poetry books, crafts, and activities to do throughout the month in celebration. Three cheers for poetry!
Each Sunday in April will have a different poetry theme, and since the first one landed on April Fools Day, yesterday’s storytime was all about playful and silly poetry. After we had our laughs, the kids made leaves to go on the library’s Poetree.
“Poetry is FUN!” Storytime Line-up:
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
“Hey Diddle, Diddle”
Hey diddle diddle,The Cat and the fiddle,
The Cow jumped over the moon,
The little Dog laughed to see such sport,
And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.
I started out with saying that we’ve been reciting poetry since we were all very little and you might not have known it, because those old Mother Goose nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, “Humpty Dumpty”, and “Hey Diddle, Diddle” are poetry. And silly poetry at that. So, we started with a flannel (our library has this version) of “Hey Diddle Diddle” of which all the kids were able to recite along with me.
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
I was planning on including the Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham, but my co-worker and storytime mentor encouraged me to read Horton instead. She is so very wise. It’s a lengthy read, but if you ham it up, it’s a great book for storytime. I mean… how can you have a funny poetry storytime without the king of whimsy and rhyme?
Shel Silverstein Poems
“Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” by Shel Silverstein
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me tooWent for a ride in a flying shoe.
“Hooray!”
“What fun!”
“It’s time we flew!”
Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle was captain, and Pickle was crew
And Tickle served coffee and mulligan stew
As higher
And higher
And higher they flew,
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too,
Over the sun and beyond the blue.
“Hold on!”
“Stay in!”
“I hope we do!”
Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle too
Never returned to the world they knew,
And nobody
Knows what’s
Happened to
Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
“For Sale” by Shel Silverstein
One sister for sale! One sister for sale! One crying and spying young sister for sale! I’m really not kidding, So who’ll start the bidding? Do I hear the dollar? A nickel? A penny? Oh, isn’t there, isn’t there, isn’t there any One kid that will buy this old sister for sale, This crying and spying young sister for sale?
Like Dr. Seuss, I feel like Shel Silverstein is a must if you’re reading funny poems to kids. The two above I read from my favorite poetry collection of his, Where the Sidewalk Ends.
To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda, illustrated by Janet Stevens
Another nursery rhyme, but adapted in the form of a picture book with illustrations by one of my favorites, Janet Stevens. Lots of giggling went on while reading this one.
“Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards upside down…” a classic hit of a very silly lady named Sally and another demonstration that a lot of the picture books read are also poems. What fun!
Poetree Craft:
When I was looking for fun activities for kids to do during poetry month, I came across the idea of making a Poet Tree or Poetree, which I thought would be a great way to display children’s poetry at the library. Why not? This is how the kids of Lawrence and I created a Poetree…..
First, I had to make a tree. A gentleman over at Kansas Tree Care donated beautiful tree limbs to use. I swiped one of the library’s trashcans and purchased a bag of sand and twine and voila…
Well, it wasn’t just like “voila”. The branches were tied together with twine and I had a co-worker help pour sand into the trashcan while I held the branches upright.
Now for the craft…
To make Poetree leaves, I used old blank stationary cards, fabric, poems, ribbon, scissors, a hole-punch, tape, and leaf stencils I made from cardstock.
Before storytime I typed up and printed out a variety of poems, mostly about reading and books and poetry and cut them out.
I also traced leaves on fabric.
And cut them out. I didn’t have to do this, but I have kids from 2-10 at storytime and this makes it easier on the little ones (and the caregivers).
After storytime, the kids picked out a poem they liked and glued it or taped it on one side of the card. I also encouraged them to write their own if they liked.
They picked out a leaf and glued it on the other side.
Decorated their leaves with crayons and hole-punched the top to tie with ribbon.
They made one to hang outside at home…
…and one for the library’s Poetree!
I’ll have a table with blank leaves next to the Poetree later this week if you’d like to add one of your own.
Come on down and help us grow our Poetree!
image source: poet’s tree, hey diddle diddle, horton hatches the egg, ickle me, pickle me, tickle me too, to market to market, silly sally
19
Mar
Spring Storytime
“First you have brown, all around you have brown.”
Spring starts on Tuesday. Whether it’s brown or green, it’s official. For storytime yesterday we read books celebrating the springtime and for a craft we made wind chimes from recycled keys.
Spring Storytime Lineup:
When Blue Met Egg by Lindsay Ward
A charming book about a bird named “Blue” and her friend, a snowball she mistakes for an egg.
If my mom is reading this blog post, she would easily recognize this book. We read it a lot growing up. The kids enjoyed reading it too.
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Also, a good book for beginning readers, First the Egg is a clever story inspried by the old chicken or the egg debate.
Green Grass Grows All Around
Song and Flannel Board, Traditional Song, Adapted by Jane Willis Johnston
There was a hole in the middle of the ground
The prettiest hole that you ever did see.
Well, the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around and around
And the green grass grew all around.
Additional Verses:
And in this hole there was a root
And on this root there was tree
And on this tree there was a branch
And on this branch there was twig
And on this twig there was a nest
And in this nest there was an egg
And on this egg there was a bird.
And from that bird there came a song.
Then all the world was filled with spring.
Ending:
Then all the world was filled with spring,
The prettiest spring you ever did see.
Well, the world full of spring,
And the song from the bird,
And the bird on the egg,
And the egg in the nest
And the nest on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree on the roots,
And the roots in the hole
And the hole in the ground,
And the green grass grew all around, all around
And the green grass grew all around.
My co-worker, Jane, made a springtime adaption to this song that I really like. She also made the incredible flannel board above.
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Personally, this was my favorite book read for spring storytime. Going to throw this out there now… I think it has Caldecott potential.
Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant
The same old tune everyone knows, adapted into a song about planing a garden. A very sweet book the kids really enjoyed.
Wind Chime Craft:
Like most places in the spring, Kansas is extremely windy this time of the year. So, for our springtime craft we made wind chimes from sticks and old keys, which when strung together make the sweetest tinkling sound from the gentlest of breezes.
Materials used include: old keys and key rings donated by Mobile Locksmith, sticks from the backyard, string, scissors, and gardening sheers.
First, I cut a bunch of sticks down to about 10 inches long give or take. I also pre-cut the string into pieces about a foot in length.
First, we started by making the hanger, tying one end of the string to an end of the stick and then other end of the string to the other end. Double knots are more effective. If you don’t have a key ring, don’t worry about using one because it isn’t a necessity.
I rinsed off the keys beforehand removing any grime they might have had.
Also, before making the windchimes I warned both kids and parents that keys are made of metal and they are not toys. The wind chimes are meant for decoration only.
The fun part was selecting the keys to use. I gave them a limit of 6 keys per person. And in case a caregiver did not want them handling keys, I left out jingle bells (left over from sing-a-long storytime in December).
Using the string, they tied one end of string to a key and the other end to the stick, spacing them out one or two inches on the stick.
When explaining the craft to the kids, I encouraged them to make the string for the keys a similar length. They’re more apt to cling together.
The trees are blooming, the wind is rising.
“Ding, ding, ding”.
Hello, Spring.
image sources: and then it’s spring image, when blue met egg, the best nest, first the egg, and then it’s spring, jo macdonald had a garden
14
Mar
Adventures as Annie in Ireland
Magic Tree House Adventures went to 19th-century Ireland for the second edition of our new library program for kids 5 & up based on the popular series Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne.
Like many cities, St. Patrick’s Day in Lawrence, Kansas is quite the event. But aside from the parades and green get-up, what is it really all about? For the March session of Magic Tree House Adventures we decided to find out as we journeyed back in time, as Annie and Jack did in Leprechaun in Late Winter, celebrating this popular holiday by learning about Irish history and folklore through activities and and a very special guest performer.
These were our adventures in Ireland…
History Through Music
Music was and is to this day a very large part of Irish culture . Lucky for us, Lawrence, Kansas is a part-time home to an extremely talented, nationally renowned Celtic folk singer, Ashley Davis. Ashely graciously accepted the invitation to sing for and with the Magic Tree House Adventures group.
(You can listen to excerpts of Ashley Davis’ albums HERE, and if you’re in New York City this St. Patrick’s Day she will be preforming at The Barge at 8pm.)
Where Are We? Who Are They?
“Where Are We? Who Are They? is a game we played at The Hour of Olympics session and might become a staple for every Magic Tree House Adventures session. It’s a power point guessing game where we flash an image on a large screen and the kids guess the location of the picture, what is going on in the picture, or who is/are the person/persons in the picture.
For example, the first picture was the picture below. When it came up on the screen, I asked, “Where is that? Is it Kansas? Is it a beach in Florida?” And then kids would contribute their guesses. After three guess, I would tell them where it was (Ireland) and a little about the place. Our performer, Ashley Davis, knowledgeable about Ireland’s history and culture, contributed facts too.
Facts for the topics chosen where found in Leprechauns and Irish Folklore, A Magic Tree House Research Guide by Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca, and Natalie Pope Boyce. We showed images and talked about Ireland, Irish Folklore/Oral Tradition, Lady Augusta Gregory, Fairies, Leprechauns, Trooping Fairies, Irish Music and Dancing, and “Real or Not Real”. For the last slide, “Real or Not Real”, we used this famous image below of the Cottingley Fairies and asked if the kids believed in fairies by a hand-raise vote.
I followed up by saying there were actually fairies and leprechauns in the very room they were sitting in.
And if they looked carefully… they will find them.
Fairy Scavenger Hunt and Craft
I had pasted several different images of leprechauns and fairies into a word document, printed them, and cut them out. Before the kids came into the auditorium for the hour the leprechauns and fairies were taped all around the room. You wouldn’t have been able to tell that 100 wee folk were all around unless someone pointed it out.
The capture of the fairies ensued and after each child had a fairy or leprechaun, they were given mason jars to make a fairy jar, a place to keep captured fairies. Tables were set up with spanish moss (straw like material found in large bags at a craft or floral store), reeds, twigs, dried plants found outside, buttons, glitter, ribbon, rocks, marbles, and seashells.
After they finished decorating their jars, it was suggested that they glue a short reed or stick to the back of the fairy so that stand up straight, and then seal them in the jar.
Important Note: Do not use heavy rocks. Actually.. my advice would be to not use rocks in the fairy jars AT ALL. We had two drop and break due to the rock inside. Other than that, it was a great activity and craft. And if you have the option to do it outside, I think it would make the activity even more fun.
Rainbow Demonstration
After the fairy scavenger hunt and craft, we all sat back down for a science session devoted to rainbows. In the tale of the leprechaun, it is said that if you find the end of the rainbow, you’ll find the leprechaun’s gold. This is where I asked the kids, “But did you know that rainbows never really end?”
“Huh?” was the dominate reply.
I sat down on the floor in the middle of the group with a clear glass bowl filled with water, a compact mirror, and a flashlight.
With all the kids facing me, I turned on the flashlight and all the lights in the room (which is windowless) were dimmed. Holding the flashlight near the ground with the light on a side of the bowl of water, I diped the mirror in the bowl of water so the mirror was reflecting the light from the flashlight– See diagram below.
Doing this reflected light onto the ceiling and when angled just right, reflects a rainbow. I explained that white light, like the light from the sun, is actually a lot of different colors. The different colors don’t appear unless they are refracted, or broken up, by water or a prism. Once the rainbow appeared, they all oooo’ed and ahhh’ed. I continued to explain that a rainbow is formed when sunlight meets raindrops in the air and the raindrops separate the sunlight into all these different colors. Also, because rainbows are made in the sky they don’t touch the ground. So no mater how far you walk towards a rainbow, it will always look as though it’s on the edge of the horizon. Which is why, truth be told, no one will ever find a leprechaun’s pot of gold, because rainbows don’t ever end. Clever little men, no?
I used this website as a reference for this demonstration.
A Leprechaun Tale
To end, I read The Story of the Leprechaun, an adaptation of an Irish folktale, to the kids.
And that was the hour.
They went home with their very own Magic Tree House Adventure Journals,
which included what we talked about,
and a few activities from the Magic Tree House website.
Not to forget books for the kids to check out on their way out.
Next month, Magic Tree House Adventures will take place on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking.
Get ready to set sail in April, Tonight on the Titanic.
image source: ashley davis, ireland, cottingley fairies, rainbow, the story of the leprechaun
12
Mar
St. Patrick’s Day Storytime
I almost didn’t celebrate St.Patrick’s Day for storytime. The book selections were slim, mostly because the ones I reserved I hadn’t read through enough and when I did they weren’t right for storytime. So, I stretched the theme to include books and songs not only about St. Patrick’s Day, but also the favored spot of leprechauns to hide there gold… rainbows.
St. Patrick’s Day Storytime Lineup:
The Story of the Leprechaun by Katherine Tegan, illustrated by Sally Anne Lambert
A simple enough book to read to preschool age kids and enjoyable enough for elementary school age kids. This was the perfect St. Paddy’s Day book for storytime.
Five Green Shamrocks Flannel Board
Adapted from Narrating Tales of Preschool Storytime
Five green shamrocks growing outdoors, a lucky child picked one and that left four. Four green shamrocks green as can be, a lucky child picked one and that left three. Three green shamrocks playing peek-a-boo, a lucky child picked one and that left two. Two green shamrocks nodding in the sun, a lucky child picked one and that left one. One green shamrock ready for St. Patrick’s Day fun, a lucky child picked it and then there were none.
Ned’s Rainbow by Melanie Walsh
A book about a boy who loves rainbows.
I Can Sing a Rainbow
Song and Flannel Board
Adapted from song by Arther Hamilton
Red and orange and yellow and green Blue, indigo, violet too I can sing a rainbow Sing a rainbow Sing a rainbow too.Look with your eyes Listen with your ears And sing everything you see You can sing a rainbow Sing a rainbow Sing along with me.
Red and orange and yellow and green Blue, indigo, violet too I can sing a rainbow Sing a rainbow Sing a rainbow too.
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood
Read this one for owl storytime back in November. I prompt the kids to say, “WOW” each time the owl says wow during the story.
Jamie O’Rouke and the Big Potato by Tomie DePaola
An old Irish Folktalk about a lazy man, a leprechaun, and one giant potato.
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts:
Originally, I was going to let the kids pick between making a shamrock wreath or the rainbow streamer, but I ran out of time to prep for a craft. Thankfully there were plenty of halved paper plates and pre-cut crepe paper to make the rainbow streamers. I included the shamrock wreath in this post nonetheless.
First up… rainbow streamers.
Materials used: markers, ribbons, paper plates, crepe paper, shamrocks cut from construction paper, tape, scissors, and a hole-punch.
We colored paper plates that were already cut in half with markers.
I told the kids they didn’t have to be the rainbows identical to the ones they say in the books. They could make their rainbow any colors or designs they preferred.
The crepe paper was pre-cut from a summer craft into foot long pieces.
Flipped the plate over and tapped crepe paper strips to the bottom of the rainbow.
The more crepe paper, the better in my opinion.
I had paper shamrocks if the kids wanted to put a St. Paddy’s Day spin on their rainbow.
We hole-punched the top and threaded golden ribbon through.
Both ribbon ends were threaded from the back of the rainbow to the front and then knotted at the ends.
Again we find another cat approved craft.
Now for a quick shamrock wreath how-to…
This craft is the poor man’s adaption of a the foam shamrock wreath found on We-Made-That via Pintrest.
All you need for this craft is construction paper, tape, and ribbon.
Cut out enough shamrocks to make a complete circle (I used a shamrock accucut). Tape the overlapping, shamrock pieces together. It helps to line them up in a circle first and then tape.
Hole-punch the top left and right side of the wreath, thread a piece of ribbon through, and knot in the back
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
image source: story of the leprechaun, ned’s rainbow, wow said the owl, jamie o’rourke
5
Mar
Cat & Dog Storytime
Prestorytime story: A week from yesterday, after putting little L to bed for the night, Will was taking an online test and I was about to read, when out of nowhere our cat, Zydeco went ballistic. He scurried all the way in the back room where Will was taking his test when I hear Will yell, “What the….. Hey Becca! Zydeco has a mouse!”
Zydeco caught a mouse. Our cat is a mouser.
And I’ve never been more thankful or more proud to be a cat owner.
Luckily we haven’t seen any mice since, but I thought it would be nice to honor him and all the storytime kid’s pets with a Cat and Dog storytime.
Most of the books L and I read at home are about cats and dogs, so selecting books for this storytime was a walk in the park.
Cats and Dogs Storytime Lineup:
No Dogs Allowed by Anne Davis
Bud and Gabby are back, but this time with a new friend/enemy, Cookie the dog. Bud is not too happy about Cookie being in the house and especially that Gabby likes Cookie. Bug and Cookie learn to make nice in this fun and quick read.
Five Little Kittens Finger Play
Dogs by Emily Gravatt
We read a lot of Emily Gravett in our house, including this title about a cat who loves all kinds of dogs.
I Don’t Want a Cool Cat! by Emma Dodd
Another favorite about a little girl who doesn’t “need a cool cat, a treat me like a fool cat”. She “just needs a purry cat, a small soft and furry cat.” Pretty sure I can recite this book from memory I’ve read it so much.
Rrralph by Lois Ehlert
And another favorite. The kids enjoyed guessing what Ralph the dog was going to “say” next.
There Are Cats in this Book by Vivian Schwarz
The storytimers loved this book! I let them turn the pages and the flaps when prompted. They were laughing the whole time.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
Another interactive read aloud book that was thoroughly enjoyed by the kids.
Pet Picture Frame Craft:
For our Cat and Dog Storytime craft, we made pet picture frames! And for those kids that didn’t have pets at home, I told them they could include a picture of themselves or their mom or dad. Also had a couple extra Zydeco pictures printed off that they asked to use. He was quite the popular kitty yesterday.
Materials used: Popsicle sticks, cardstock cut to size of popsicle stick length, yarn or string, school glue, scissors, tape, stickers and/or cutout clip art, and pet photo.
The prep work for this craft was minimal pre-storytime. I cut out small squares the length of the popsicle sticks used out of colorful cardstock.
Using glue, we dotted the corners with a dime-sized drop of glue and glued two popsicle sticks to the left and right side.
Then, dabbing the corners of the square again with glue, except this time on the popcicle sticks, we placed two sticks each on the the top and bottom.
Let dry for 1 or 2 minutes.
Let dry for 1 or 2 minutes and then turn over.
Tape a short piece of yarn or string to the back of the frame.
Turn over and decorate.
Yesterday, we used stickers and pre-cut clip art, but you could use anything. Macaroni, sequins, glitter, markers, paint, tissue paper… all would be fun to decorate with.
This part the kids did at home. They found a picture of their pet and cut it so that it fit into the cardstock portion of the picture frame.
Taped the back of the picture.
Place it gently into the frame, press to secure.
He’s a handsome devil, no?
Now if only I had a dog to make a picture frame for….
image source: cat and dog reading, no dogs allowed, dogs, i don’t want a cool cat, rrralph, there are cats in this book, pete the cat
1
Mar
16 Books, 16 Days
Today is the voting kick-off for the Tournament of Kids Books, starting with 16 title contenders. The Sweet Sixteen if you will.
To show my support, I’ve challenged myself to reading all 16 books in 16 days or under.
That’s right… 16 in 16.
When I first started working on Tournament of Kids Books, the most difficult part was deciding which books would be in the competition and after much debate, I decided to go with the top 16 most circulated children’s fiction and young fiction books of 2011. That way the winner of the Tournament of Books is the best representative of what the kids of Lawrence are reading today.
But out of that entire list, I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve only read one (1!) of the books. Quite a bit of disconnect between what I’m reading and what library patrons are reading.
So, for the Tournament of Kids Books and for the kids of Lawrence, I’m going for all 16 titles in 16 day.
My own bit of madness this March.
Stay tuned!
