Out of This World - Preschool Storytime Plans

Recently I mentioned a space themed storytime.  Since then I learned how to share the PDFs of my preschool storytime plans.  So...here's a blast from the past (2009) and one from a few weeks back (2012).

My storytime plans continue to evolve - even in recent years.  As we moved from using the terminology listed in the original Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) to the new and improved terminology listed in the second edition of ECRR, the early literacy information shared changed.  

One thing that hasn't changed has been the opening and closing songs.  While I no longer use a CD for them, I still sing the same three songs for all of my storytimes.  They are all fun songs to share with the children and the repetition is great for promoting early literacy skills.  


To view the files, you will need a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (get it free here).

Supernatural Survival Skills 101

The theme for the teen summer reading program this year is Own the Night. Of course, creatures such as vampires, werewolves and zombies come to my mind when I hear this theme. That is why I planned the Supernatural Survival Skills 101 program for the tweens and teens. 

At our smallest branch location we had nine kids register for the program. Eight of them came. This was the perfect size group, since there are only 8 chairs in the teen area! We went through several quizzes on topics such as vampires, ghosts and werewolves and went through a PowerPoint about various supernatural creatures. For snacks we munched on powered donut eyes, sour patch zombie victims, witches’ fingers (Bugles), witches’ broomsticks (mini-peanut butter cups and pretzel sticks), ghost poop (mini-marshmallows) and had zombie juice (dyed lemonade) to drink.

 After the quizzes, PowerPoint and snacks, I gave the kids face paints so they could make themselves into zombies. We then went outside to have a Zombie Apocalypse Drill. The Zombie Apocalypse Drill was essentially a game of tag, but instead a person being tagged as the new “it”, each person tagged also becomes a zombie until no one is left. The kids really enjoyed this part of the program! They played several rounds, coming up with new ways to make it more of a challenge, such as the zombies having to crawl, walk slow or even hop. The youngest of the group – a fourth grader – was the fastest. He also was great at the whole “human body shield” concept of surviving a zombie apocalypse. 

 

A lot of the ideas I used for the program are ones that I found on Pinterest.  Of course, I made a whole board just for planning this event.  

Campfire Stories Preschool Storytime Plan

Campfire Stories Preschool Storytime Plan

To view the file, you will need a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (get it free here).

Reading Resolutions - a long overdue update

Back in January I stated seven reading resolutions for 2012.  It has been more than six months and I’m long overdue in posting an update.  Here are those goals and an update on each.

• Read twelve Newbery books this year I have to check my notes.  I think I’ve read 5 so far. 
• Read twelve Printz books this year I have to check my notes.  I think I’ve read 4 so far. 
• Join or start a new youth literature discussion group I finally did it! Recently we had our first meeting, which was fantastic.  I started a group on Facebook so we can discuss when and where to meet – and I can send reminders more easily. Since most of the group members are youth librarians, we are going to meet again after Summer Reading finishes – so in August.
• Keep track of picture books read I’ve been doing this on GoodReads.com
• Up my social media usage (in regards to books) Yeah….not so good at this yet.
• Participate in at least one official 48-hour Reading Challenge in 2012 Missed the one that was a few months ago.  Maybe in the fall?
• Take the time to read the blogs, journals, and other news sources to keep up with libraryland. This has totally fallen to the wayside. Must change that!! I need more hours in the day…and the drive to use those hours in the way I really should.

Desired – Virginia Henley

This review is by guest reviewer/blogger Sharon. 

Desired – Virginia Henley 

This book takes place in the olden days when the King ruled the land. The main character in the book is Brianna who is one of the many wards of the King who is approaching marriage age. She starts dreaming of a mysterious handsome stranger. When he shows up in court one day, her breathe is taken away. What she does not know is that he has been dreaming of her too. Circumstance finds her betrothed to her mystery man’s brother but she quickly realizes that she must be with her mystery man instead. What follows is a story of the fight between her head and her heart and how she deals with it. 

Likes 

While my description seems a bit superficial, there truly is a lot going on in this book that keeps it interesting. There is a story line with the King going to war and all that entails as well as a secondary love story with Brianna’s friend Joan, which is similar but who loves the Kings son who is destined to make a political marriage. This book captivated me and made me want to keep reading. A book of 430 pages, I was done in less than a week. When you consider my reading time is limited, this is a pretty good turn around.

Dislikes

The war scenes were a bit hard to read mainly as they did not interest me. I think I did skim some of them though. There were quite a few as they were common in the books time and they added to the intrigue of the storyline.

Fun at the Farm Preschool Storytime Plan

Since I now know how to share PDFs of my storytime plans, here is another one!  

Fun at the Farm

To view the file, you will need a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (get it free here).

The Women in his Life – Barbara Taylor Bradford

This review is by guest reviewer/blogger Sharon. 

 The Women in his Life – Barbara Taylor Bradford 

This book is an anthology of the life of Maxim. It starts with him in his 50’s and almost being killed by a burglar. We then go back in time and follow him through his life up until that point – from a little boy of four in pre-war Berlin to the multi-millionaire business man he is. As the book gets closer to the end, it picks from when he is almost killed as it forces him to examine his life and make some decisions. He is also forced to deal with information about himself he never knew. 

Likes

 It was a book told from a different viewpoint. It focuses on Maxim’s life from being a happy boy in Berlin to having to escape as WWII progressed and adapting to his new life in England. Through the various events of the book, we see what happens to those who stayed in Berlin and area during WWII and how they coped after the war was over. 

Dislikes 

 At points the book was a bit dry and hard to get into.

Mommy and Me Preschool Storytime Plan

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm trying something new.  Here's my latest attempt at sharing my storytime plans - this time as a PDF link. To view the file, you will need a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (get it free here).

Mommy and Me preschool storytime

Edited to add: 

Yay! It works!  So expect more storytime plans in the future. 

Out of the World - Picture Book Promos

Summer Reading madness has begun!   My first preschool storytime theme for the summer was Out of the World.  Our craft was a spaceship made out of various shapes with ribbon flames.  

I read three stories:

 
Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli

The Aliens are coming! By Colin McNaughton
I Want to be an Astronaut by Byron Barton

I'm trying something new...sharing my storytime plans on the blog.