Feeling crafty

I’m preparing for a Halloween storytime and a couple of Teen programs, and I’ve been looking for some fun crafts.  For the teen program, I needed a skull template for decorations  (they’ll be cutting out black skulls for decor).  I found the perfect template on the Hello! Lucky blog.  Once I had copied it onto cardstock to use as a tracing template, I realized it made a very nice template for Day of the Dead skulls.  So I made one! Inspiration for these is easy to find, just do a search for “Day of the Dead Skulls” and you’ll find lots –a Google image search yielded many ideas.  I think it could work with preschoolers if you pre-cut the skull shapes, and let them go with glue and collage materials, maybe glitter, too. For school-age, I’d have them do the cutting, and have them search for images in books or online. It took me about 20 minutes to do mine (including a search for beads and yarn). A perfect craft for the end of  October, and you can add some multicultural into the program by sharing what these skulls & Dia de los muertos are all about.
So– how I did it:  Photocopy 4 skulls onto brightly colored cardstock. Cut out (for preschool). Use collage materials — yarn, beads, glitter, sequins, paper, etc to decorate. I glued mine onto another piece of paper just to make it more finished looking. You could make several and they’d be great decorations hung all around the room.

Storytime Books

This week we had a whole stack of nice picture books arrive! Here are some of the best:

 

All by Myself by Geraldine Collet

A short little tale of independence that toddlers will eat right up, just like the little chicks in the story.

 

Little Lamb, Have you any Wool? by Isabel Minhos Martins

Combine with Mac Barnett’s Extra Yarn and Woolbur by Helakoski for a very woolly storytime. Great for discussions about where yarn comes from, too. Bring in a ball of wool for craft time!

 

Who Made this Cake? by Chihiro Nakagawa

Construction crew builds a cake? Yes! Pair this with Emberley’s The Red Hen for a fun cooking-themed storytime. Make construction-paper cakes and let the kids decorate with collage materials and markers for an easy craft extension.

Odd Dog by Claudia Boldt

If you have a group that will sit for a slightly longer story, share this tale of sharing. The cheerful retro-style illustrations are just right for this story.

Animal Masquerade by Marianne Dubuc

A whole parade of disguised animals happily scamper across the pages of this little gem. Lots of new vocabulary as you meet the silly members if this wee animal story.  Kids will have fun trying to guess what the animals will be disguised as next.

Old Robert and the Sea-Silly Cats by Barbara Joosse

Just a good old-fashioned story to share! So many picture books are one-concept, simplistic idea books, but this one is actually a story. Who can resist dancing cats and a grouchy old sea captain? Find a fun sea-shanty to sing after you share this book!

Hop Hop Jump by Jarrett Krosoczka

A wild romp for active storytimes, this book will have kids flapping their arms and wiggling their toes.

The Cat in the Rhinestone Suit by John Carter Cash

Rhymes and new vocabulary abound in this very silly story of a Wild West-style conflict between a cat and a snake.

I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs

Cut-away holes reveal a secret in this oceanic counting and guessing book. Develop those talking skills by asking children to predict what is on the next page.

 

 

Storytime books!

A new batch of books just went out! Here are my picks from the new book shelf.
For teachers and those of you who have an audience a bit older, I have a few new books to mention. Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett is a lovely little book about happiness, and maybe magic, too. In this story a young knitter never seems to run out of yarn, but when her yarn box is stolen, the yarn disappears. Can anyone spot a familiar bear in this book? Jon Klassen’s illustrations are a perfect fit for the story. Mudkin by Stephen Gammel is a fun nearly wordless romp in the dirt. It would be a great book for classroom storytelling. E-Mergency by Tom Lichentheld plays with acronyms and letters.

Baby storytimes get a boost with Big Hugs, Little Hugs by Felicia Bond, All Kinds of Kisses by Nancy Tafuri, and Animal Baths by Bob Barner. This last title is a nice little lesson in nature as well.

And for preschool storytime, you’ll make the boys happy with The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer. This fun little book actually has a tiny bit of story to it as well as some participation. Bright colors and snappy rhyme make it well worth a place in your next transportation-themed storytime. Get creative and develop a rap with this one! And my final choice is The Belly Book by Fran Manushkin. A celebration of all sorts of bellies, with a chance to get everyone up and bellydancing right in the middle of the book! Add this to your dance-themed storytimes for a little body-knowledge spice.