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