Special: My Mommy Reads to Me

In honor of 

Mother's Day

I thought I would share my favorite quote:

"You may have tangible wealth untold:

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be ~

I had a Mother who read to me."

~Strickland W. Gillilan~

The Reading Mother

Being the mother of 4 incredible sons, I have always loved this quote but it became more meaningful for me with each passing year as I watched my sons grow into awesome young men! 

Most people may know the short verse above but many have never seen the whole poem. Since it is in public domain, I thought I'd share it here. 

I hope you enjoy it!

The Reading Mother

I had a Mother who read to me

Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,

Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,

“Blackbirds” stowed in the hold beneath.

I had a Mother who read me lays

Of ancient and gallant and golden days;

Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,

Which every boy has a right to know.

I had a Mother who read me tales

Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,

True to his trust till his tragic death,

Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

I had a Mother who read me the things

That wholesome life to the boy heart brings

Stories that stir with an upward touch,

Oh, that each mother of boys were such.

You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be --

I had a Mother who read to me.

~Strickland W. Gillilan~

It is my hope that whether you have a son or a daughter, this poem will touch your heart as it has touched mine and that you will enjoy many wonderful reading moments 

with your child

 and together as a family!

ENJOY!

Flannel Friday: There Was a Little Penguin

My love affair with penguins began  years ago when I was teaching my very first preschool classes. I used to visit my local library every week  to collect new books (on our weekly themes) for my class to enjoy. 


This particular day, I was looking for books on individuality. 

Boy, did I find the perfect one! 
It was:

I was IN LOVE from the very first page! Tacky was AWESOME! He was cute and cuddly but, best of all, he was DIFFERENT! 

I took Tacky to my classroom and he soon became everyone's favorite. We read about Tacky and then we read about real penguins. We pretended to be Tacky ~ waddling all around the playground and singing our own made-up songs. We counted our penguin friends; we played in the "snow" at the water table; and we even made our very own Tacky to take home ~ each one delightfully different from all the others!

It was a glorious week of learning about penguins but also about learning to be happy with being ourselves ~ just like Tacky!

Ever since I first read those final words on the last page of the book ~ "Tacky was an ... " ~  Oh, wait! If you haven't read the book, I don't want to spoil it for you. Just take my word for it! Tacky the Penguin is a true one-of-a-kind, there-is-noone-else-like-him kind of friend! 

I hope you will check him out at your library and share him with your own budding individualist(s).

In the meantime, I would like to share a fun flannel board activity with you: 

There was a Little Penguin

(A penguin version of "There was a Little Turtle")

(Click on the title above for the words without pictures.)

There was a little penguin

Who waddled when she walked.

She swam in the ocean,

And she climbed on some rocks.

(Before placing the penguin on the board, make her waddle, swim, and climb.) 

She snapped at seagull.

(After placing the seagull on the board, snap hands together one time.)

She snapped at a seal.

 (After placing the seal on the board, snap hands together one time.)

She snapped at a fish.

 (After placing the fish on the board, snap hands together one time.)

Mmmmm, what a meal! 

(After moving the fish over to the penguin, rub your tummy.) 

(I am thinking about making my fish smaller but for now he is one ENORMOUS, yummy meal. ;-)

Since my first meeting with my wonderful friend, Tacky, there are been several more books written about him. They are all fun, silly adventures that I wholeheartedly recommend sharing with friends...

But MY favorite will always be the original,

Tacky the Penguin!

  

**This post is brought to you in celebration of Flannel Friday! 

It is being hosted this week by Anne at So Tomorrow. Thank you, Anne! 

Be sure to visit the beautiful Flannel Friday Pinterest account. So Tomorrow has past roundups and future hosting schedule, as well.

HAPPY READING TOGETHER!

Not a Flannel Friday: My Heart Is Like a Zoo

Wow! Another FIRST for me this week!


Here is my very first Flannel Friday contribution! But... it is really NOT a flannel. It is a magnetic board activity. :-}


My contribution this week was inspired by Michael Hall's bold and colorful book, My Heart is Like a Zoo.

"Michael Hall's menagerie invites you and your children to talk about feelings and emotions, explore color and shapes, count the hearts, and meet the animals." ~ from the cover

As you can see from the picture, this book is filled with zoo animals ~ all made from hearts! 

The animals are so adorable that I couldn't resist making my own. I started with the lion because, as you can see, Mr. Hall provided step-by-step illustrations for making the lion's face. (I used this to create a lion puppet as our craft. For instructions on making the craft, click here.) I added the body to the lion and then went on to make 8 more heart animals.

I made:

A brave lion (tan)

A snappy crab (red)

A cozy clam (orange)

A busy bee (yellow and black)

A jumpy frog (green)

A frightened rabbit (blue)

A thoughtful owl (purple)

A silly seal (gray)

An angry bear (brown)

They were all made from construction paper heart shapes and then laminated. After trimming the extra lamination, I added a strip of magnetic tape to the back and they were ready for several storytime activities.

I had originally thought about making each animal in the book and retelling the story with them. (I might still make all of them for several different reasons that I will share in a future post. I have several ideas for a number of educational activities ~ too much for now but definitely worth a second or third or even fourth post!)

I decided to make only a few heart animals and I chose them for their colors and for the emotions they were associated with. 

Here are two learning activities that I used the heart animals for:

If You're a _____ and  You Know It

(Sung to the tune of: "If You're Happy and You Know It")

If you're a brave lion and you know it, give a roar.

ROAARRR!.

If you're a brave lion and you know it, give a roar.

ROAARRR!

If you're a lion and you know it, then your face will surely show it.

If you're a brave lion and you know it, give a roar.

ROAARRR!

Additional verses:

A snappy crab ~ give a snap 

(make snapping movements with your hands)

A cozy clam ~ give a hug

(wrap arms around yourself)

A busy bee ~ give a buzz

A jumpy frog ~ give a leap

A frightened rabbit ~ give a wiggle

(either wiggle nose or wiggle hands above head for ears)

A thoughtful owl ~ give a whooo

A silly seal ~ give a clap

An angry bear ~ give a growl

As you add the animals to the board, you can talk about the animal or about the emotion it is being used to convey. I also like to make the ASL sign for the animal and the emotion. This seems to help the children stay focused on the activity and the parents love the idea that their child is learning a few signs! 

Sometimes, I pass out the animals and have the children bring their animal up to the board when we sing about it. (This is another little "trick" to help the children stay focused on our activity.)

Here is the second activity for the heart animals. If you read my post entitled, "It is Snowing All Around", then you know that I like adapting the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin. Well... here is another adaptation, Brave Lion, Brave Lion or Tan Lion, Tan Lion. It actually can be done in two different ways. You can focus on the emotions or on the color of the animals. I chose to focus on colors for this particular post. If you would like the words to Brave Lion, Brave Lion just email me at storytimeabcs@gmail.com but they are simple enough to do yourself. :-)

Tan Lion, Tan Lion, What Do You See?

Tan Lion, Tan Lion, what do you see?

I see a Red Crab looking at me.

Red Crab, Red Crab, what do you see?

I see an Orange Clam looking at me.

Orange Clam, Orange Clam, what do you see?

I see a Yellow Bee looking at me.

Yellow Bee, Yellow Bee, what do you see?

I see a Green Frog looking at me.

Green Frog, Green Frog, what do you see?

I see a Blue Bunny looking at me.

Blue Bunny, Blue Bunny, what do you see?

I see a Purple Owl looking at me.

Purple Owl, Purple Owl, what do you see?

I see a Gray Seal looking at me.

Gray Seal, Gray Seal, what do you see?

I see a Brown Bear looking at me.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?

I see lots of children looking at me.

Children, Children, what do you see?

We see:

a Tan Lion

a Red Crab

an Orange Clam

a Yellow Bee

a Green Frog

a Blue Bunny

a Purple Owl

a Gray Seal

and

a Brown Bear

Looking at us! Yay!

My apologies for the quality of the pictures. I am home sick today so...

I will take better pictures next week to replace these.

The children enjoy helping to finish the story! When it is time for them to help, I encourage them by saying, "It is your turn now. Can you remember all the animals in the same order that we first saw them?"

Then I point to each animal going from left to right (pre-reading skill). At the end, I always compliment the children on their storytelling abilities. "You were awesome! Did you know that you were such a good storyteller?"

The new storytime friends are always surprised that I called them "storytellers". LOL! It is such a joy to see the surprised look on their faces!

Well, that is my first Flannel Friday contribution. Hope you will be able to enjoy these ideas with your children!

Be sure to check out the other Flannel Friday posts. This week’s Valentine Extravaganza round-up is being hosted by  Anna over at Future Librarian Superhero.

And, keep an eye out here because I will be posting a complete outline of my Wild about Hearts Storytime. I'll link it so you can see the other activities, books, and craft that I shared along with my snack ideas, too.

HAPPY READING TOGETHER!

Storytime Fun: It is Snowing All Around!

Here is my very first STORYTIME post. I hope you enjoy it!

IT IS SNOWING!

IT IS SNOWING!

ALL AROUND!
ALL AROUND!

Snowing in Florida?!!??! 

Some of you might be asking why I would do a Snow Storytime at a library in Florida?!?!!

My answer is: WHY NOT?

We don't need real snow to enjoy a story or two about it ~ just like inland states don't need to have the ocean and the beach to enjoy an ocean-themed storytime. If ~ like me ~ you live in a place where it doesn't usually snow, then I suggest you use your imagination and be creative! 

Want to see what we do here in Florida?

I start my Storytimes in the same way each week with the same songs and activities. (In a future post, I will share what we do and why.) 

But once the introduction is over, it is time for something NEW!

For this storytime, we started with a fingerplay and a song (with hand motions).

Two Little Snowflakes

Way up high In the Winter sky,

(Point up)

Two little snowflakes caught my eye.

(Hold both hands above head)

Down to the ground they fell without a sound.

(Wiggle hands downward, then put finger to lips)

Before very long it was snowing all around.

(Swirl hands around everywhere)

It is Snowing!

(Sung to: "Frere Jacques")

It is snowing!

It is snowing!

(Swirl hands)

All around.

All around.

(Move hands in larger and larger swirls)

Soft and quiet snowflakes,

Soft and quiet snowflakes,

(Put finger to lips)

Fall to the ground. 

Fall to the ground.

(Wiggle hands downward)

Next, we read one of our snowman books: 

All You Need for a Snowman

After the story, I passed out snowflakes (diecut from white construction paper and glued to blue circles) for a couple of creative movement activities. 

Snowflakes, Snowflakes

Snowflakes, snowflakes,

Dance around.

Snowflakes, snowflakes,

Touch the ground.

Snowflakes, snowflakes,

In the air.

Snowflakes, snowflakes,

Everywhere!

The children were allowed to dance and twirl with their snowflakes as much or as little as they wanted. Then we moved on to a more detailed, creative movement activity that required the children to use their listening skills.

Snowflake, Snowflake, Dance with Me

Snowflake, Snowflake, fancy free.

Snowflake, Snowflake, dance with me.

Touch my head, then my toes,

Land on my nose where the cold wind blows.

Snowflake, Snowflake, turn around.

Snowflake, Snowflake, touch the ground.

Snowflake, Snowflake, fancy free.

Snowflake, Snowflake, dance with me.

Touch my elbow, then my shoulder.

Land on my chin where it's a little bit colder.

Snowflake, Snowflake, turn around.

Snowflake, Snowflake, touch the ground.

Snowflake, Snowflake, fancy free.

Snowflake, Snowflake, dance with me.

Touch my ear, then my knees.

Snowflake, I'm about to freeze!

Snowflake, Snowflake, turn around.

Snowflake, Snowflake, land the ground.

The children were now sitting and ready for another story. You could share another book here but I had a magnetic board adaptation of one of our favorite books that I shared at this time. The original book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? written by Bill Martin. My magnetic board version is:

 Snowflakes, Snowflakes, What Do You See?

Snowflakes, Snowflakes, what do you see?

We see three, white snowballs down below us.

Snowballs, snowballs, what do you see?

We see two blueberries right on us.

Blueberries, blueberries, what do you see?

We see an orange carrot right below us.

Orange carrot, orange carrot, what do you see?

I see five red cherries down below me.

Red cherries, red cherries, what do you see?

We see a purple scarf down below us.

Purple scarf, purple scarf, what do you see?

I see three, yellow stars down below me.

Yellow stars, yellow stars, what do you see?

We see two, brown branches up above us.

Brown branches, brown branches, what do you see?

We see two, green mittens right on top of us.

Green mittens, green mittens, what do you see?

We see a black hat up above us.

Black hat, black hat, what do you see?

I see lots of children right in front of me.

Children, children, what do you see?

(This is where I encourage the children to say everything with me 

in the order that we added them to the board.)

We see:

Two pretty snowflakes

Three white snowballs

Two blue berries

One orange carrot

Five red cherries

One purple scarf

Three yellow stars

Two brown branches

Two green mittens

and

One black hat.

We see a snowman right in front of us! 

Happy Snow Day!

With our snowman built, we went right into a fun fingerplay/magnetic story.

Chubby Little Snowman

A chubby little snowman

Had a carrot nose.

Along came a bunny,

And what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny

Was looking for some lunch.

He ate the snowman's nose!

Nibble, nibble, CRUNCH!

I usually finish my storytimes the same way each time. This gives the children some consistency just like at the beginning of the storytime.

We form a circle and sing "The More We Get Together". Then we do our goodbyes with My Hands Say, "Thank You".

Most of the time, we share a snack and we either do a "sit-down craft" or I give the families a "take-home craft" to help extend the learning fun into their homes. (I will be sharing some of our crafts soon.)

Snack this week was a "Snowball Cookie". In the past I have given them "Snowman Cookies" or "Yummy Snow" (shaved ice with or without lemonade syrup). I will try to add a picture of the cookies soon.

Whew! Sharing Storytimes is a little more involved than I thought! 

I feel like my post is too long but I also feel like I left things out! 

What do you think? Too long? Should I break my Storytimes up into smaller parts and make multiple posts? Maybe a separate post for the songs and for the magnetic board story? 

I'm not sure...

Well. that's it until my next post. As always,

HAPPY READING TOGETHER!