Cats and Dogs

Today’s early literacy skill is print motivation, or a child's interest in and enjoyment of books.

Tip: Pick out books on topics your child is interested in, such as cats, dogs, dinosaurs, trucks, etc.

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

First we'll clap our hands just so.

Then we'll bend and touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Book: Pete the Cat:  I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

As he walks down the street, Pete the cat sings about his brand new white shoes as they change from red to blue to brown to wet.

Aside: Check out YouTube for a great video of the author reading and singing this book aloud to a group of families.

Action Rhyme: I Have Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: A Cat and A Dog by Claire Masurel and Bob Kolar
A cat and a dog are enemies until a crisis brings them together as friends.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Book: Where's Spot by Eric Hill

A mother dog finds eight other animals hiding around the house before finding her lost puppy. Flaps conceal the animals.

Rhyme: Hands

My hands upon my head I’ll place

On my shoulders, on my face.

At my waist and by my side.

Then behind me they will hide.

Then I'll raise them way up high,

And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.

Then clap, clap, clap,

And one-two-three.

Now see how quiet they can be.

Book: Catnap by Dawn Bentley
This large hardcover book has bright illustrations and pop-up flaps so readers can count all sorts of things like butterflies, bees, ducks, fish, ladybugs and more.

Craft: C for Cat
Kids colored, cut out and pasted shapes to create a sleeping cat.
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/animals/pets/cat_2.htm

Attendance: 23, 21 (Ages 0-6 with caregivers)
Evaluation: Great program!  The short stories worked extremely well with all the younger attendees and were interactive enough to keep the attention of the older ones.  I did dialogic reading with a couple of the books, just focusing on a page or two.  I didn't explain what I did to the parents, but should have mentioned after each story ended.  When introducing the craft, I pointed out that the parents could discuss the different shapes with their child, as well as how the letter "c" forms the cat's tail and that cat begins with "C."  The craft was flexible enough for all families.  Some took it home to do, others colored it here and then took it home, and still others finished the whole thing.

Hugs

Today’s early literacy skill is print awareness, or being aware of how books work and how we follow the words on the page.

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

First we'll clap our hands just so.

Then we'll bend and touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Book: Hugless Douglas by David Melling

Douglas the bear wakes up one morning wanting a hug. He unsuccesffully tries hugging a rock, a tall tree, and an odd-feeling bush that runs away. Won't anyone give him a hug?

Aside: Holding the book upside down and backwards to see if the children notice is a great way to test what they know about book mechanics.  Children need to know how to hold a book, which part is the front, and which is the back of the book.

Action Rhyme: I Have Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Snappy Little Hugs by Dugald Steer

Aside: Run your finger under the words of the title as you say it.  This helps children understand that you are reading the text, not the pictures.  Do this only with the title or a repeated phrase so it doesn’t get in the way of sharing the story.

Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Rhyme: Hands

My hands upon my head I’ll place

On my shoulders, on my face.

At my waist and by my side.

Then behind me they will hide.

Then I'll raise them way up high,

And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.

Then clap, clap, clap,

And one-two-three.

Now see how quiet they can be.

Book: Hug by Jez Alborough

Bobo the chimp seeks hugs among various jungle animals and their young, but he does not get what he wants until he is reunited with his own parent.

Aside: Wordless or nearly wordless picture books are great for trying dialogic or interactive reading at home with your child. Simply ask questions about what you’ve read. Possible questions are "What else do you see?" "Tell me about." "What if..." and "I wonder how...." or "How did that happen?" or "What do you think?". Try to ask questions that cannot be answered with yes or no, or just by pointing to the pictures.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Puppet Story: Kitty’s Cuddles by Jane Cabrera

Kitty tries out hugs from all different animals but finds he likes the hug from his baby brother the best.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.


Attendance: 14, 39 (Ages 0-6 with caregivers)
Evaluation: The first program went much, much smoother than the second, mostly due to the size of the crowd.  I wasn't really able to sneak in any of the asides in the second program as the kids were just too, too squirrelly and the parents wouldn't have been able to hear them anyway.  That being said, the stories worked extremely well with all the age groups.  I definitely would do this program again with no changes necessary.

Dirty and Clean

Today’s early literacy skill is phonological awareness, or the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

First we'll clap our hands just so.

Then we'll bend and touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Book: Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup

Big Fluffy Bear insists that Big Smelly Bear visit the pond for a bath before she will scratch the itch he cannot reach.

Action Rhyme: I Have Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm by Joy Cowley

Tired of being washed by Mrs. Wishy-Washy, a cow, pig, and duck leave her farm and head for the city.

Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Rhyme: Hands

My hands upon my head I’ll place

On my shoulders, on my face.

At my waist and by my side.

Then behind me they will hide.

Then I'll raise them way up high,

And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.

Then clap, clap, clap,

And one-two-three.

Now see how quiet they can be.

Aside: As I read this next story, I am going to pause and have the children fill in the rhyming words. This is something you can easily do with rhyming books. Start off by using rhyming books that your child has read with you before.

Book: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont
In the rhythm of a familiar folk song, a child cannot resist adding one more dab of paint in surprising places.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Book: Ten Dirty Pigs/Ten Clean Pigs by Carol Roth

In rhyming stories printed back to back, pigs from one to ten take baths to clean up and then get dirty again.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.

Attendance: 12 and 34 (ages 0-6 and parents)
Evaluation: This was a fun program to do.  The first three stories worked really well.  Many of the kids were too young to really help out with the rhyming words in I Ain't Gonna Paint No More but the parents helped.  Ten Dirty Pigs/Ten Clean Pigs didn't flow as smoothly so I wouldn't use it again.  It's cute, but may work better one on one then in a group setting.  Of course the one time I don't have books displayed, I had a parent ask for suggestions of great rhyming books.  Displaying books that highlight the early literacy skill of the day is a much better idea then displaying those that meet the theme, so I'll definitely add that to further programs.

Glorious Gifts

Today’s early literacy skill is narrative skills, or the ability to understand and tell stories.

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

First we'll clap our hands just so.

Then we'll bend and touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Book: Perfect Gift by Mary Newell Depalma

Lori the lorikeet wants to give her grandmother a present, but after dropping her beautiful red berry into the river, she and her friends must try to retrieve the berry or find another gift.

Aside: In this story, Little Lorikeet retold her adventures by creating a book for her grandma.  Help your child do the same thing.  Telling an event in sequences helps build a child’s narrative skills.  Good narrative skills lead to good reading comprehension.

Action Rhyme: I Have Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr

After rushing through the snow to get to their friend's birthday party, two mice realize that they forgot to bring the present.

Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Rhyme: Hands

My hands upon my head I’ll place

On my shoulders, on my face.

At my waist and by my side.

Then behind me they will hide.

Then I'll raise them way up high,

And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.

Then clap, clap, clap,

And one-two-three.

Now see how quiet they can be.

Aside: With this next book we are going to focus on what we call “dialogic” or “interactive reading.” This just means that I will be discussing the book with the children and asking them questions as I go along. I will be asking questions that cannot be answered with just a yes or no. This technique of sharing a book helps develop their narrative skills, their ability to describe things and experiences.

Book: Ivy Loves to Give by Freya Blackwood

Ivy loves to give presents, and although they are not always appropriate, they are always given with enthusiasm and generosity.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Book: Giving by Shirley Hughes

A little girl and her baby brother experience the various aspects of giving, finding that it is nice whether you are giving a present, a smile, or a kiss.

Book: Fran’s Friend by Lisa Bruce

Fran's dog Fred wants her to play with him and does not understand why she is so busy working on something special--for him!

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.

Attendance: 12 and 19 (ages 1-6 plus parents)
Evaluation: Good mix of stories.  Including lots of shorter stories and rhymes worked well with all the younger ones that attended.  Ivy Loves to Give worked well with dialogic reading, but I should have just chosen one page to showcase it instead of the five or so I chose.  Pip & Squeak would also be a great book to showcase dialogic reading.