Crawlers & Totally Tots- Pirates

My original plan was to do a "Pirates"  theme in honor of the International Talk  Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19, 2016). I have tried this theme in the past, and it hasn't worked out, not sure if it was me or the books I choose or what, but I thought I would give it another try.  Well, I changed the plan as the week went on.

 

Books:

Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett  Krosoczka

Penguin’s Big Adventure by Salina Yoon
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen
A boy, a dog, and a frog by Mercer Mayer

I realized Tuesday with our Crawlers group that a couple of the books were to long for them.  Wednesday & Thursday I started with Penguin's Big Adventure, followed by Bubble Bath Pirates, and Friday My Radio Flyer Flew.  Thursdays' group enjoyed A boy, a dog, and a frog one of the first wordless books I have used with these groups.

Opening Song- Everybody say…

Wiggles

Nursery Rhyme: Smiling Girls, Rosy Boys * We have been skipping this section.

Rhyme: Here Are My Ears

Here are my ears. Here is my nose.

Here are my fingers. Here are my toes.

Here are my eyes both open wide.

Here is my mouth with white teeth inside.

Here is my tongue that helps me to speak.

Here is my chin and here are my cheeks.

Here are my hands that help me to play.

Here are my feet for walking today.

Pirate Ship
Sail, sail, sail your ship
Gently over the sea
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
A pirate’s life for me.

Credit: Fingerplays & Action Rhymes Blog

The One-Eyed Pirate * Some of the toddlers really liked this rhyme.
The one-eyed pirate (cover one eye)
He’s fierce, and he’s tough (clench fists & scowl)
He digs for buried treasure (digging motion)
But it’s never enough. (shake head)
He lives on a ship (hold up flat hand, thumb out)
Way out on the sea. (rock hand in curvy motion, other hand under it)
His parrot is his only friend, perch hand on shoulder)
Except for me. (point to self)

Flannel: This Old Pirate
This old pirate, has a hat
Where a skull and crossbones sat.
With an Ar, Ar, Ar, and an Ay Matey!
This old pirate sailed the sea.
This old pirate has a hook, uses it to hold a book.
This old pirate has a map, keeps it handy in his lap
This old pirate has a bird, barely knows a single word.
This old pirate has a ship, travels the world in a single trip.
This old pirate looking for treasure, more than anyone could measure!

Bubble Time
After Bubble time we have been playing/exploring our storytelling using fingerpuppets and flannel board items. This week we used Old MacDonald farm animals, and our community helpers.  

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

Bedtime Stories- Adventure

This week our Bedtime stories turned out to be a mix of stories~ some about going to bed rituals, some adventure, and a wordless picture. We read

Go To Sleep, Maddie! By Maureen Wright
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen * Love the big illustrations on these book.
A boy, a dog, and a frog by Mercer Mayer * I tried this wordless book hoping the kids would be interested on telling their own story.  Tuesday's group was a bit young and a bit distracted with some of the toys, so we decided to dance instead.

We watched



Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

We used our regular Opening Song and Wiggles

Twinkle Here and There
Twinkle standing up ( wiggle fingers)
twinkle sitting down (sit while wiggling fingers)
twinkle while you're hoping
around and around and around
twinkle at the ceiling (wiggle fingers high)
twinkle at the door (wiggle fingers towards door)
twinkle at each other (wiggle fingers at each other)
and twinkle on the floor (sit and wiggle fingers) 

Rhyme: Here Are My Ears

Here are my ears. Here is my nose.

Here are my fingers. Here are my toes.

Here are my eyes both open wide.

Here is my mouth with white teeth inside.

Here is my tongue that helps me to speak.

Here is my chin and here are my cheeks.

Here are my hands that help me to play.

Here are my feet for walking today.

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

Emily's Fortune a Bluestem Nominee with possibilities

Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2010. 

Emily has been sheltered all of her life living in big Ms. Luella’s house until her crazy driving kills her and her mom. Now all Emily has is little Rufus, her little pet turtle as she is trying to figure how to get to her Aunt Hilda’s house.  Traveling by stagecoach is not fun especially when you have never done anything outdoors or been wild. Moreover, there are the Child Catchers and her evil Uncle Victor trying to get her after finding she has a large inheritance from Ms. Luella.  During her travels, Emily meets Jackson, also an orphan who will try to teach her how to survive in the Wild West, but can she really trust him?  Could he be working for Uncle Victor?    

This historical fiction is a great read for American Girl followers.  I liked this book a lot more than I thought I was going to and found myself cheering Emily and little Rufus.  Naylor does a fantastic job at creating remarkable characters with distinct personalities and traits. The book includes lovely sepia drawings and each chapter end with big bold cliffhangers. Check it out at our library. 

Road Trip Listening Adventures

Last week it was spring break and we decided to get away for a few days and enjoy the semi-spring weather. In preparation for the trip, I decided to check out some audiobooks to make the best of our two hour drive. I used to listen to audiobooks all through grad school thanks to my hour long drive to and from school, it was great and I missed it. Here are the titles we listened too:

 
Wonder by  R. J. Palacio, Books for Young Readers, 2012. This is a double nominee both on the Bluestem and Caudill list and after listening to it I can see why. It is an amazing book. We loved  the story, the characters, the growing and transformation that takes  place throughout the book. It is a powerful book. There were moments when we found ourselves parked on the hotel parking lot listening to Auggie's (August Pullman) story without been able to stop.  Auggie is a 5th grader born with a facial deformity. All of his life his parents and sister have protected him, but this year, his parents decided that he should attend school like every other kid. This is a terrifying thought for Auggie, and while some of his fears will come true, there will be lots of ways his new friends will surprise him.  Readers, or listeners in this case, get to experience Auggie's life through his experiences but also through those close to  him with alternating chapters told by his family and friends.


Time Warp Trio #1 Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Sciezka, illustrated by Lane Smith, Puffin Books, 2004.  I loved the humor on this book and can see why boys loved this series. The audio was engaging and entertaining with the language descriptive enough to allow you to imagine this three "amigos" traveling through time.


 Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee, Disney-Hyperion, 2006.  I liked the main character and her enthusiasm. She is that happy, outgoing, confident little girl that I wasn't. Overall we enjoyed listening to Clementine's not so good week from principal's office visits, awful haircuts, and pigeon relocation.