Crunch by Leslie Connor

 
Crunch by Leslie Connor, HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.

I got this book for a possible book club choice and couldn't believe how fast I read it, Dewey Marriss and his siblings are taking care of their bike shop and farm while their parents are away celebrating their wedding anniversary.  Everything is going okay until there is a sever "crunch" for gas and their parents cannot make it back home.  The little Marriss bike shop takes off with everyone needing a new set of wheels or repairs in order to commute. Dewey has to figure how to manage the shop and help his younger siblings deal with their parents absence. In top of everything else small thefts are taking place and no one is more surprised that Dewey to find out who the culprit is.  Love this book.   

Crawlers & Totally Tots- Dinosaurs

This week we had dinosaurs roaring throughout storytime. Our Crawlers enjoyed reading



Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
Dino Bites! by Algy Hall
Stomp! Little Dinosaur by Jo Lodge


Our Toddlers enjoyed



Dini Dinosaur by Karen Beaumont
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light
Dino Bites! by Algy Hall

We used our regular opening song, and Wiggles song.

No More Room

Five huge dinosaurs ( hold up 5 fingers)

Sleeping on the cave floor (pretend to sleep)

Woke up and started to roar ( stretch arms)

There’s no ore room, there’s no more room

There’s no more room on this floor! (stomp feet)

Well, they tossed and they turned

And they pushed galore (pretend to push)

Till one poor dinosaur was pushed out the door!

Repeat with 4,3,2…

One huge dinosaur (hold up 1 finger)

Sleeping on the cave floor (pretend to sleep)

Woke up and started to roar (stretch arms)

I’m lonely, come back, it was better before

It’s more fun, crowded together on the floor!

Credit: Perry Public Library Storytime

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs lived long ago

Some walked (stomp feet)

Some swam (pretend to swim)

Some flew, you know (flap arms)

Some were big (hold hand high)

Some were small (hold hand low)

Some were gigantic (stretch arms out wide)

And very tall! (stretch arms up high)

Credit: Perry Public Library Storytime

 
And ended with bubbles & our regular closing song

Firefighters Week

This week I had to change some of my original storytimes but overall I was happy with how it turned out.  I have tried Firefighter's theme before and it just doesn't seem to work for this age group.   This time around I read



Maisy's Fire Engine by Lucy Cousins
Hugo the Flying Firefighter by Lorette Broekstra * perfect for this age group.
Firefighters and What They Do by Liesbet Slegers

Opening Song- Everybody say…

Wiggles

I Can Hug

I can hug, hug, hug

I can hop, hop, hop

I can kiss, kiss, kiss

I can stop, stop, stop

I can nod my head for yes,

And I can shake my head no,

And I can sit down very slow.

Runaway Engine

Runaway engine, rickety rack, (pump arms like a train)

Running around the railway track (draw large circle with finger)

All the way there and all the way back (point at child and at self)

Runaway engine rickety rack (pump arms like a train)

Repeat slow, then faster

Credit: Sunflowerstorytime.com

Ten Little Firemen

Ten little firemen sleeping in a row, (extend both hands, fingers curled)

Ding dong goes the bell (pull bell cord with one hand)

And down the pole they go (close both fists, put one on top of other, slide down pole )

Off on the engine, oh, oh, oh. (steer engine with hands)

Using the big hose, so, so, so.

When all the fire's out, home so-o slow (steer engine with hands)

Back to bed, all in a row. (extend both hands with fingers curled)

Firetrucks Flannel

Bubble Time

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

Crawlers & Totally Tots- Fish

This week our theme was Fish, all sorts of fish, little, big, colorful, and silly. Our Crawlers were very active this week and not really interested on little fish or on counting fish eyes.  For the Toddlers I changed it up and used Blackout from our Bedtime Stories since it engaged kids and the illustrations alone can tell the story.  Both Totally Tots groups were small this week so we got to use some of our musical instruments~ sticks & maracas~ we were quite loud, enough to scare the fish away!

Crawlers

 

Hooray For Fish! by Lucy Cousins
Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert
Big Fish, Little Fish by Ed Heck

Toddlers



Hooray For Fish! by Lucy Cousins
Blackout by John Rocco
Little White Fish by Guido Van Genechten


Here is the rest of the plan

Opening Song- Everybody say…

Wiggles

Nursery Rhyme: Patty Cake

Rhyme: My Kite

My  kite is up so high,

My kite is up so high,

Oh my, just watch it fly,

My kite is falling down,

My kite is falling down,

Oh no, it’s down so low,

My kite is falling down.

The wind has caught my kite,

The wind has caught my kite,

What fun, I’m on the run,

The wind has caught my kite

Repeat first verse.

Teddy Bear

Give teddy a hug (hug baby)

Give teddy a squeeze (squeeze baby gently)

Give teddy a tickle on his knees! (tickle baby’s knees)

Give teddy a kiss (kiss baby)

Give teddy a drum (drum fingers on baby’s tummy)

Give teddy a tickle on his tum (tickle baby’s tummy)

Credit: Baby Storytime Magic

 

Flannel: Four Little Fishes

Four little fishes swimming out to sea,

One met a shark!....

And then there were three.

Three little fishes wondering what to do,

One hid in a great big shell…

And then there were two.

Two little fishes looking for some fun,

One chased after a wave…

And that left one.

One little fish with all his friends gone,

Went back home to find his mum…

And that left none!

Credit: Perry Public Library Storytime

Bubble Time

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

 

Bedtime Stories- Families

We had a very rambunctious group Tuesday night. They liked No Go Sleep and where interested on Blackout, by Peekaboo time they were ready for some music and stretching.  We read

 

Peekaboo Time by Rachel Isadora
No Go Sleep! by kate Feiffer
Blackout by John Rocco

From our Tumblebooks subscription we watched



  
Bebe Goes Shopping by Susan Middlenton Elya

I use my regular opening song and Wiggles to get some of the "wiggles", and my regular closing song.  We tried a couple of new rhymes:

Hands Go Up

Hands go up and hands go down

I can turn myself around

I can stand up on one shoe

I can listen so can you

I can sit, I’ll show you how

Storytime is starting now

 What the Animals Do

We’ll hop, hop, hop like a bunny

And run, run, run like a dog.

We’ll walk, walk, walk like an elephant,

And jump, jump like a frog.

We’ll swim, swim, swim like a goldfish,

And fly, fly, fly like a bird.

We’ll sit right down and fold our hands

And not say a single word.

 
 

Baby Bloomers- What Do I See?

Today, our babies shared a mix of books about big brothers, and things they see, and can do. We had a small group so I decided to use some of our musical instruments. It is always fun when you can mix things a little bit. We read




My Big Brother by Valerie Fisher
Baby Can Bounce! by Lynne Chapman
I See by Rachel Isadora

Opening Song-

Wiggles

Nursery Rhyme: Patty Cake

Little Cat

Creeping, creeping , creeping,

Comes the little cat.

Meow, meow, meow, meow

Just like that!

Creeping, creeping, creeping,

Comes the little bunny.

Hop, hop, hop, hop

Do you think that’s funny?

Credit: The big Book of Stories, Songs, & Sing-Alongs

Up & Down

Up, up in the sky like this

(lift baby in the air)

Down, down for a great big kiss

Up like this

Down for a kiss

You’re my special baby!

(hug & cuddle)

Bubble Time

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This