Merry Christmas!

I hope that you and yours enjoy a very Merry Christmas! Be sure to find a few quiet moments to enjoy a good book with your children. Try being a little silly with voices and characters. Invite your children to help create voices or to repeat lines throughout the story. This is a great time of the year to revisit old favorites and find new ones.

I am looking forward to seeing you next week!

Christmas Lights

We read a story today called The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans. In the story, a little boy, Alexander, travels many miles alone to the town square to see the Keeper of the Flame light the Christmas torch. It is rumored that this year the Keeper will choose the person who brings the truest gift to light the torch.

Just outside the gates, Alexander sees an old man. He offers him warm cider and wraps him in a cloak, promising to return with help. But, and here’s the sad part, no adults will help the boy. They are afraid the gates will close and they will miss their chance to light the torch. The boy decides to return to the man alone, only to find the man gone. He sits sadly outside the locked town gates.

Of course, as adults, we know who the old man was and who will have the truest gift. To my delight, the children knew early on. They understood that the gift of love and unselfishness is indeed the truest gift.

Alexander was chosen to light the flame…just as your wise children predicted.

We also read a silly story called Moosletoe by Margie Palatini. If that wasn’t enough, we made a foam gingerbread ornament, colored paper Christmas ornaments and decorated Christmas activity folders while watching the beginning of Frosty the Snowman.

It was a good day. I am surely looking forward to next week…

Guess Whose Beard is Long and White?

Today was another wintery day in western Pennsylvania, so imagine my surprise when eleven children arrived, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready for story time!

We read a couple of Christmas stories, complete with outrageous character voices, sang a few songs, and did some fingerplays. The children had big belly “ho ho ho’s”, helped me pull and push to get Santa out of the chimney, and giggled as wombat tried to get a part in the Nativity. I really enjoyed watching the children participate today---right down to the youngest children, one who smiled the entire time and one who contently chewed on Mr. Pinkfish.

I can hardly wait until next week…

Stories, Songs and Fingerplays

Chubby Little Snowman

Chubby little bunny had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny and what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny who was looking for some lunch,

ate that chubby snowman’s nose.

Nibble, nibble CRUNCH!

We Can Build a Snowman

We can build a snowman

Make him big and tall.

See if you can hit him

With a big snowball!

Dear Old Santa

Guess whose beard is long and white,

long and white, long and white.

Guess whose beard is long and white?

Dear old Santa!

Guess whose coat is red and white,

red and white, red and white?

Guess whose coat is red and white?

Dear old Santa?

Guess who comes on Christmas Eve,

Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve?

Guess who comes on Christmas Eve?

Dear old Santa!

 

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

Santa’s Stuck by Rhonda Greene

Wombat Divine by Mem Fox

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

When I got to work this morning, after braving the snow and the wind and the bone-chilling cold, I discovered that I only had one child registered for the after school holiday stories. I was so disappointed as I had such a great time with the children who came for the sessions on dinosaurs.

I decided I would just offer a few stories to the one patron (if she wanted to stay). If walk-ins arrived (please, please please), we would continue. If not, the remaining sessions would be cancelled.

When I went to the junior room at about 3:20PM to gather whoever might be there, I got the most pleasant surprise…four children were waiting for me and ready for stories. Two of the boys are from last session and I am delighted they have returned. Two little girls who were waiting had been accidentally registered for the afternoon preschool stories. A few minutes later, the one girl who had pre-registered arrived. Holiday stories would not have to be cancelled!

The group is a pleasure…laughing in all the right places, singing, playing along with all the silliness that tends to be part of any story time I do. Below are the stories and songs we did today. I also included the ridiculous reindeer jokes that had us giggling and groaning.

Next week we will read more stories, complete a simple craft, and time permitting, watch a short holiday movie.

Thanks for braving the weather and the roads today. I was tickled to see all of you!

Stories and Songs:

A Wish for Wings that Work by Berkeley Breathed

Truffle’s Christmas by Anna Currey

Dear Santa Claus by Alan Durant

Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett

Call Rudolph

Eight little reindeer pulling Santa's sled
One fell down and bumped his head.
The elves called Santa and Santa said,
"Can seven little reindeer pull my sled?"

Seven little reindeer...
Six little reindeer...
Five little reindeer...
Four little reindeer...
Three little reindeer...
Two little reindeer...

One little reindeer pulling Santa's sled;
He fell down and bumped his head.
The elves called Santa and Santa said,
"Call Rudolph!"

REINDEER JOKES (don’t say I didn’t warn you…)

What do you call a 3-legged reindeer?     EILEEN

What is the first thing elves learn in school?  THE ELF-ABET

Can a reindeer jump higher than a house? SURE. HOUSES CAN’T JUMP.

What did the reindeer say before he told the joke? THIS ONE WILL SLEIGH YOU.

Why don’t reindeer have bells? BECAUSE THEY HAVE HORNS.

Why do reindeer get lost? BECAUSE THEY NEVER ASK FOR DEER-ECTIONS

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful…

I will admit to being a little bit worried today. I was looking forward to starting holiday stories but the weather was working against me. Surprisingly, when 1:00PM rolled around, there were eight wonderful children and their brave caregivers who had ventured out on the snowy roads! Seven of the children were new to my story time. I could not have been happier!

I hope everyone had a good time. Below are the stories we read and the songs we sang. I am looking forward to seeing all of you next week.

Stay warm!

 

Stories and Songs:

Snow Bears by Martin Waddell  

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

Call Rudolph

Eight little reindeer pulling Santa's sled
One fell down and bumped his head.
The elves called Santa and Santa said,
"Can seven little reindeer pull my sled?"

Seven little reindeer...
Six little reindeer...
Five little reindeer...
Four little reindeer...
Three little reindeer...
Two little reindeer...

One little reindeer pulling Santa's sled;
He fell down and bumped his head.
The elves called Santa and Santa said,
"Call Rudolph!"

Old St. Nicholas "Old McDonald Had a Farm"
Old St. Nicholas had a tree (form tree with arms)
Ho, ho ho ho ho!
And on that tree he had some horns (blow horns)
Ho ho ho ho ho
With a toot toot here and a toot toot there
Here a toot There a toot
Every where a toot toot

Old St. Nicholas had a tree (form tree with arms)
Ho, ho ho ho ho!

lights-------blink blink
candy canes-------yum-yum
drums-------boom-boom
bells---------jingle jingle                                                                                                                                                birds------peep peep
stars------twinkle twinkle
snowflakes-------flutter flutter

Dynamic Dinosaurs

I had a fantastic time studying dinosaurs for the last six weeks with the  after-school group .

Today, the children finished writing their individual research booklets. They took a little time to work on the illustrations and then shared their books with the rest of the group. You would have been impressed by the presentations! We ended the program by reading a few final dinosaur stories (see all program titles listed below).

The best part of the day was when one child said he wished we could study dinosaurs for a million days and the others agreed! I must admit, I felt the same way.

I hope you will sign up for the holiday story programs on December 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 3:30-4:30PM. We will read great holiday stories, watch short holiday movies, and make a few holiday crafts.

 

                  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Oh Say Can You Say Dinosaur? By Bonnie Worth

My Visit to the Dinosaur Museum by Aliki

How Big Were the Dinosaurs? By Bernard Most

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good-Night? By Jane Yolen

If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most

They Turned to Stone by Julian May

Cave Detectives by David L. Harrison

How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? By Jane Yolen

Boy Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs by Kathleen Kudlinski

About Dinosaurs by Sindy McKay

Amazing World of Dinosaurs by Judith Granger

Bumposaurus by Penny McKinlay

Dino-Hockey by Lisa Wheeler

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach

I am Thankful for Busy Bees

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Busy Bees story time for the last six weeks. I have really enjoyed getting to know you and your children.

Below are the stories and songs from today’s program as well as a few additional ones.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving… and don’t forget to sign up for the December holiday programming. There will be two sessions (same program): Mondays 1:00-1:30PM and Tuesdays 11:00-11:30AM.

I am looking forward to seeing you all again.

Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit by A. Satin Capucilli

 Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit by Norman Bridwell

 A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman

 The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing

 Turkey Surprise by Peggy Archer

‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey

Arthur’s Thanksgiving by Marc Brown

Gus, the Pilgrim Turkey by Theresa Bateman

A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting

 

I'm a Little Turkey   ("I'm a little teapot")

I'm a little turkey, I like to play.
I'm very hungry, I eat all day.
When I hear Thanksgiving time has come,
Then I know it's time to run.

Hello Mr. Turkey  ("If You're Happy and You Know It")
Hello, Mr. Turkey how are you?
Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?
His feet go wobble, wobble
And his head goes Gobble, Gobble.
Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?

Uncovering Fossils

Last week we created fossils in the after school group. It was tough waiting a whole week to see if we were successful, but everyone managed.

After laying down a tarp and placing a garbage can in the center (this can be a messy business), we gently tipped the cartons one-by-one, releasing the sand and the plaster of Paris fossil mold. After gently brushing more of the sand away with our fingertips, we were able to see the imprints the children had made. They looked incredible (and I should have taken a picture to post here---my regrettable mistake)! Because we had use small plastic dinosaurs to make the imprints, we could readily identify the three horns on the triceratops, the armored back of the ankylosaurus, and the majesty of the t-rex. What a wonderful experience!

We followed our unveiling with several books about dinosaurs, both fiction and non-fiction. Then the children worked on coloring packets of dinosaurs and their bones as I worked one-on-one to help them complete their research books. Two books are completed and the other three will be done next week.

This has been a great group! I am hoping to see everyone again next month for holiday stories and then in January when we begin fairy tales and all of their hilarious variations!

See you Monday for our last dinosaur meeting. Have a great week!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

What fun we had at story time!

We started today learning how to speak “moo”. Now I am sure you think you already know and could easily converse with a cow, but there are dozens of variations to your ordinary ‘moo’. There is high moo and low moo. There is wiggly moo made when standing on jell-o. There is the bouncing moo made from a trampoline. There is even a smooth moo made when rowing across a calm lake or pond. The children easily understood and demonstrated each variation. I believe they are now fluent in cowspeak!

We also read about a brown bear and all the other animals and people he saw. After finishing the story, we recited it again, finding the flannel board characters as each was mentioned. This is a great story for practicing colors, animal names and sounds, and ordering events.

Finally, we came to one of my favorite stories. There are three mischievous cats just looking for someone nice who would like to play. We were all willing to jump into the story…we had a pillow fight, played in empty boxes, tried to catch fish, got soaking wet and blew on the pages to dry the poor kitties. (The illustration after that is priceless!)

We ended with a nice song about barnyard animals, many of whom we had visited earlier.

Below are the stories and the song. We will be returning to the barnyard song, so feel free to practice at home.

See you next week for Thanksgiving stories and songs. Don’t forget to sign up for holiday story time for December.

 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle

 How to Speak Moo! By Deborah Fajerman

There are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwartz

Over in the barnyard
Early in the morning,
See the yellow chickies
Standing in a row.
See the busy farmer
Giving them breakfast.
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.
Off they go.

Continue with: brown and white cows, wooly white sheep, little piglets, big horses,…

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…the Holidays!

 

I hope you can  join me for a Holiday Story program for students in kindergarten through 5th grade on Mondays (Dec. 6, 13, 20, and 27) from 3:30 to 4:30. We will read dozens of wonderful holiday stories, complete a simple holiday craft, and watch a few short holiday movies.

Please sign up at the circulation desk or call the library.

Fossils, Fossils Everywhere

What a great time we had on Monday!  All of the materials for making fossils were placed on two large tarps on the floor. After I made sure the sand was the right consistency and filled the bottom of their containers about 2” deep, the children lightly packed and smoothed the sand. They then experimented with arranging different objects on the sand- small toy dinosaurs, play bones, and other objects. The boys firmly pushed the objects into the sand and carefully lifted them out leaving an imprint. The plaster of Paris was then mixed and carefully poured into the imprints. We will let them dry until next Monday and then unveil them.

We also watched the Reading Rainbow movie Digging Up Dinosaurs. The children were in awe at the number and size of bones at the Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado http://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm.

Next Monday we will continue work on our dinosaur books and check our fossils.

This has been such a fun program! The children are a terrific group! They have so much interest in the topic and really contribute to the activities each week.

Dinosaur Fossils

Tomorrow is dinosaur fossil-making day! We have read a number of books about dinosaurs, talked about why they are extinct, researched particular dinosaurs and started working on individual books, and read current articles about newly discovered dinosaurs.

Please remember to bring the bottom section of a milk or juice carton (gallon or half-gallon size).

The following are directions for making fossils. It costs about $6 for a carton of Plaster of Paris should you decide to do this project again at home.

Materials:

container (bottom of milk carton or jug)

sand

plaster of Paris

water

bucket, old wooden spoon or paint paddle

shells, feathers, bones, or other small items

Directions:

1. Clean the container.

2. Add a little water to the sand. When you can shape the sand into a ball and it stays together, the sand is ready.

3. Fill the bottom of your carton about halfway with sand. Press it in lightly. Smooth the top of the sand.

4. Firmly press the item you want to imprint into the sand. Carefully lift it out. You should be able to clearly see the shape of the item you used. (If not, smooth the sand and try again.)

5. Mix the plaster of Paris according to the directions on the box.

6. Carefully pour the plaster of Paris into the mold. Fill the deepest part of the mold first so no air gets trapped in it.

7. Allow the mold to dry (at least 24 hours).

8. Over a garbage can, pop the mold out of the container. Gently brush the sand off the mold.

9. You can “age” your fossil by painting it with gray or brown watercolors.

As the Days Grow Shorter…

This is always my favorite time of the year. I like when the leaves change color. I love the way the light changes and everything shimmers and glows when the sun hits it. I adore wool socks and woolen sweaters and turtlenecks. Most of all, I enjoy curling up under a warm blanket with a hot cup of tea and a good book. I recently joined a new book club and got seven new books for the price of shipping. Needless to say, the dust bunnies have had a reprieve the last few weeks.

Now is a cozy time  of the year. Put your child in jammies, grab a blanket and a stack of books, and spend that last half  hour before bedtime reading. For preschoolers and early primary students, predictable books with a lot of repetition are fun for everyone.  They like being able to repeat phrases that happen throughout the story.

Be sure to read the books to yourself before you read to your child. Think about questions you could ask when you read the book together. Ask your child to point to particular colors, count figures in the illustrations, predict what will happen next, tell you their favorite part, or how they would change the story. All of these are essential skills that will help them when they start reading in school.

Below is a list of stories from last Monday and tomorrow.

Over in the Meadow by Louise Voce

 Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth

 Roar! A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Angelina Ballerina’s Colors 

Cleo the Cat by Caroline Mockford

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Kitten red yellow blue by Peter Catalanotto

 I Am an Apple by Jean Marzollo

Happy Halloween

Everywhere I turned last week there seemed to be an unending parade of ghastly ghouls, lovely princesses, wicked witches, superheroes, and zombies. Scary stuff until you remember that Halloween is right around the corner.

Halloween in our neck of the woods usually means those wonderful costumes are hidden under winter coats, warm gloves and hats. Such is the price we pay for treat bags full of chocolate bars and gummy worms. I think it’s worth it…

Story times last week were chockful of Halloween stories. The children (and the adults, I think) really enjoyed them. As quoted in one book, “it’s fun being scared when you know it’s just pretend”.

Below is a list of the stories and songs from last week. I hope you use them today and file them away for next year.

Happy Halloween!

 One Dark Night by Lisa Wheeler

Go to Bed, Monster! By Natasha Wing (This is especially fun!)

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

Inside a House that is Haunted by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Halloween Night by Elizabeth Hatch

A Visit to the Haunted House (a pop-up book)

 The Hallow-Weiner by Dav Pilkey

Here They Come! by David Costello

The Haunted House (Tune of "Wheels on the Bus")
The ghost in the house goes "Boo! Boo! Boo!"
"Boo! Boo! Boo!, Boo! Boo! Boo!"
The ghost in the house goes "Boo! Boo! Boo!"
On Halloween.
The steps in the house goes "Creek, creek, creek..."
The cats in the house go "Meow, meow, meow..."
The mice in the house go "Squeak, squeak, squeak.."
The people in the house go "Eek, eek, eek..."

TRICK OR TREATING  (Tune: Are You Sleeping?)
Trick or treating, trick or treating.
BOO BOO BOO!
BOO BOO BOO !
Trick or treating, trick or treating.
I scare you, I scare you.

One Little Bug

So, my daughter came home from college on Friday. I cannot tell you how happy that made me! She brought her schoolwork, her laundry, and a little bug. A germ actually. And that germ made a cozy home for itself in me. So please accept my apologies for having to cancel the library story times today. I love to share stories and songs and my love of reading with you. I thought this little germ should stay with me. I am on the mend and looking forward to seeing everyone next Monday.

Dinosaurs Roar!

The children certainly were “digging the dinosaurs” Monday at our first after-school program.

Five children attended. We read one dinosaur book that discussed the names of dinosaurs. We all agreed that some of the names are very difficult to pronounce! We also talked about how scientists learn about dinosaurs and how  they sometimes make mistakes. Be sure to ask your child about the iguanodon's “nose”!  We also discussed how fossils are made.

The children decorated their dinosaur research folders, chose a dinosaur to research, and examined all the packets in their folders. We already have a plan for next week and the children seemed very excited!

I am really looking forward to working with this group. They are interested in the topic and very enthusiastic. I can't wait for us to make fossils of our very own!

Such Busy Bees

Our first official “Bees Knees” story time was Monday afternoon. There were 12 children present, and they were a wonderful group! Thanks to all the parents and caregivers for helping to keep your children interested in the stories and fingerplays. Your active involvement makes all the difference. Children definitely mimic adult behaviors so keep up the enthusiasm you showed. Because the youngest children were so involved, we will try to include them for 20 minutes next week!

I will list the stories and songs we do each week on this site so you can refer back to them. Although it can drive an adult to distraction, children thrive on repetition. We will return to the same songs and fingerplays at various times throughout the year.

Remember to check in at the Junior Room when you arrive. Any books you need to return may be returned there. I will come downstairs about 12:55 PM to collect everyone. When we get upstairs, please check your child’s name on the attendance sheet and look for any parent newsletters (on the same table). There will definitely be one this coming Monday about our Halloween party! Also look for your child's name tag. We will use them until I learn everyone's name. It shouldn't take too long!

Thanks again for making this story time so much fun!

 

Story Titles:

Across the Stream by Mirra Ginsberg

Have You Seen My Duckling? By Nancy Tafuri

Do Like a Duck Does by Judy Hindley

Nine Ducks Nine by Sarah Hayes

 Fingerplays:

Little Ducks (The Wheels on the Bus) 

All the little ducks go quack, quack, quack 

quack, quack, quack; quack, quack, quack

All the little ducks go quack, quack, quack 

All around the pond.

(splash, splash, splash; waddle, waddle, waddle)

I’m a Duck (Are You Sleeping?)

I’m a duck, I’m a duck

Watch me waddle, watch me waddle

Hear me when I talk, hear me when I talk

Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack.

Ready, Set, Begin

Monday will be the first day of story times at the library. Once the Busy Bees and the After-School program are in place, I will be conducting 17 story times per week. It is a wonderfully hectic schedule and I am enjoying every minute of it!

I recently did several programs with stories about colors. After we read, the children really enjoyed playing the color game:

If you can see some red, shake your head.

If you can see some red, shake your head.

If you can see some red and you know what I said,

If you can see some red, shake your head!

I then added: blue/touch your shoe (you know what to do); pink/give me a wink (you know what I think); green/look real mean (the favorite) (like a lima bean); white/dance all night (it will be all right); any color/ shout hurray (then you know what to say)

You can make up your own verses. Don’t mind if they seem silly or don’t rhyme exactly. The children love it!

Busy Bees

I will start storytime programming on October 11th at 1PM. The first 15 minutes will be a lapsit program for children ages birth to three (older siblings are welcome). Parents are required to stay for this part of the program.  There will be fingerplays, songs, and stories (no crafts, although I will post craft ideas on the blog from time to time).

I know it seems like a short amount of time, but developmentally, this is appropriate for the age group. I will evaluate the length of the program after the first six-week session and decide whether to stay with 15 minutes or gradually lengthen the time to 30 minutes.

After the lapsit program, children ages 4-6 are invited to stay for a 30 minute program with more songs and stories.

Space is limited to 15 children. Please call or stop in the library to register. Spaces are filling up quickly.

I am looking forward to meeting you and your children!

And So It Begins…

My name is Amy Dittman and I am the new children’s librarian for Franklin Public Library. I am very excited about beginning this new adventure…

I have always been a storyteller. As a young girl, my family would all be finished eating and my dinner would be long past cold because I was still talking about my exciting day. I have told stories at daycares, nursing homes, the Boy Scout Jamboree, birthday parties, Christmas parties, George Junior, elementary schools, and numerous community events. I have been in love with the storytelling aspect of the theatre since I was cast as a rag doll in the first grade Christmas pageant  (ask me about it and I might sing the song, motions included). I love developing a character and presenting her on a stage. And I love books. All kinds of books. I have a beautiful library in my home to house all my books. Loving books and theater and telling stories makes me a natural for this position. I also have a varied background in teaching (Montessori, vocational, special education, elementary education, daycare, after-school, summer programming---you name it and I have probably taught it) that provides a springboard for working with children of all ages and abilities.

This site will provide information about programming at the library, ideas for activities you can do at home to promote literacy and a love of learning, booklists for all age and interest levels, child development tips, and other topics/ideas/themes that I think you might find useful. I will update the site weekly, although you may see posts more often. I hope you will find it informative and useful.

I look forward to seeing you at the library!