things that go...

Two posts in one week? Do I have a fever? :D

This week we did stories on things that go. I thought this theme would leave me open to use books with lots of different modes of transport, but I ended up reading two car books and a train book. I'll need to try harder next time to find books about bikes, scooters, unicycles, motorcycles, etc. :)

Here's the setlist*:

'Hello Everybody'

Welcome: I asked the kids to name things that go - car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, skateboard, scooter, etc. - and they came up with a great list. I reminded them that they, too, are "things" that go and let them know that they'd have a chance to do just that later! I also put all the books that I would be reading up on the windowsill so the kids could see them. One of my 4-year-olds always asks, "Are we done reading yet? I wanna do the craft." I hoped that *seeing* how many books were left would curb that question (it did for *him*; someone else asked). :D

Wiggles

Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root
I think the reason that this book was so well-received is that it is so silly. The family is HOT and wants to take a ride to the lake... problem is, there car is... uh... unreliable. Every member of the family pitches in and with a little help from chocolate marshmallow fudge delight, they get where they're going.




In the Driver's Seat by Max Haynes
I treated this story more like an activity than a book - because that's how it reads. You can see from the cover that the illustrations are drawn to put the reader behind the wheel of a car. We drive fast and get ourselves into some jams, but all's well in the surprise ending. I had kids starting the cars with their keys, turning the steering wheel, leaning left/right/back, and honking their horns - it was quite a ride!

Song: 'The Wheels on the Bus'

We really milked this song... we sang about the wheels, the wipers, the horn, the money, the driver, the baby, the momma, the storytime kids**, and - finally - the doors. :D

Game: Red Light, Green Light
This was a last minute addition but what a hit! None of the games lasted very long because the room is fairly small, but to some of the kids, this was a brand new game... and to some of their parents, it brought back some memories! The best part? Parents cheering their kids on during green lights and holding up open palms to signal "stop" during red lights.

Freight Train by Donald Crews

After the fun and ruckus of 'Red Light, Green Light', we needed something quiet - Freight Train totally fit the bill. I cannot put my finger on what I *love* about this book... the simple illustrations? The colors? The white space? The text? All of it comes together to create a peaceful feeling and the kids were definitely calmed by it.

Craft: Load Up the Bus!
Our Ellison die machine came in handy this week again! We used a large bus dies and I drew a background to glue them on. Each child received three small circles to begin with so that they could load up the bus with passengers. Pretty simple all around... just paper, glue, and markers.

'The More We Get Together'

Late Additions:
After going through this storytime twice (4-K, drop-in), I decided to call an audible and tweak the selections for the 2-3 year old crowd. These books replaced Rattletrap Car and In the Driver's Seat:

Froggy Rides a Bike by Jonathan London

I'm embarassed to admit it, but this is the first Froggy book I've ever read! I mean, I am very familiar with Froggy and he's done a lot of stuff... but this is the first time I read one of his stories. Boy was I missing out. This book was very fun. One word in the story I decided was NSFS*** - I replaced "butt" with "bottom".


Trucks: Whizz! Zoom! Rumble! by Patricia Hubbell



I was ready to skip this one for my little ones... there was a lot going on and I wasn't sure we'd be able to get everything in. I did, however, put the books on display and one of my guys noticed we'd skipped this one. SO, after we sang out goodbye song, we actually all sat down and read this book, too! The rhyming text and busy illustrations were great; there are so many different kinds of trucks, there's something for everyone to love here!

* I call my storytime plans "Setlists" because I actually carry a half sheet of paper into the Story Room with me to remind me what I'm doing. It's all keyword/notes, so that's what it looks like to me - a setlist. And, "setlist" cracks me up. We're rockstars! :D

** "The storytime kids on the bus say, 'Let us off!' :D

*** NSFS = Not Safe For Storytime