Bear Story Time

The librarian came to our school for story time and focused on bears. 

She used the bear and the bee puppet for this rhyme:

Here is a Bear

Here is a bear, the bear is fuzzy; Here is a bee, the bee is buzzy.

The bee makes honey in a hollow tree.

The bear likes to eat honey you see.

Here comes the bear, Oops! There he goes.

The little bee stung the bear right on his nose.

She's reading Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough

This book was really cute and wonderful for predicting.

She also used laminated bear stick puppets for each child to sing the song, The Bear Went over the Mountain:

Oh, the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain.

The bear went over the mountain, to see what he could see.

And what do you think he saw? And what do you think he saw?

The other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain.

The other side of the mountain, was all that he could see.

So, he went back over the mountain, he went back over the mountain,

He went back over the mountain, so very happily.

She also used some props to go on a bear hunt:

Going on a bear hunt, leaving right away,

Gonna find a bear if it takes all day.

1. Did we bring the map? Yes, we brought the map.

2. Did we bring the flashlight? Yes, we brought the flashlight.

3. Did we bring our lunch? Yes, we brought our lunch.

4. Did we bring the honey? Yes, we brought the honey.

5. Did we bring the camera? Yes, we brought the camera.

Ready for a bear hunt! Now, let's go!

And, we also sang the song, If you're happy and you know it doing these actions:

Clap your claws...

Stomp your paws...

Give a growl...

Do all three!

And one last rhyme:

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around. Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground.

Teddy bear, teddy bear, show your shoe. Teddy bear, teddy bear, that will do.

Teddy bear, teddy bear, climb the stairs. Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers.

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the light. Teddy bear, teddy bear, say goodnight.

Below are some of the books that she read and/or recommended about bears. 

Storytime Sunday: All About Me

So, the kiddos start back to Head Start this Wednesday! Our first study topic is going to be All About Me. Here are the books we will be reading (all big books):

Love Joy Cowley and all her leveled readers. Also, big books are great for talking about print concepts because it's easier for the children to see.

 This book talks about the differences and similarities of people from around the world. I like the page with the hands so the children can compare the shade and size of their hand with the ones in the book.

The illustrations in this book are great and I totally LOVE the mirror at the end, so children can look in and say something about themselves. This book focuses on the fact that everyone is unique and has some interesting feature about them. I like it because it encourages children to embrace the things about them that are different and be proud of it instead of embarrassed or self-conscious.

Storytime Sunday: 10 Favorite Children's Books

Here are 10 of my favorite children's books. I am going to purposely leave out all the Eric Carle books because you all know how much I love those already. So here goes...

This book I read while in college in a children's lit class. It is great, especially for older kids who can read or the teacher can read with the help of another adult if you have younger children. The poems are meant to be read aloud by two people, sometimes seperately and sometimes together (the book will indicate when it's your turn to read). All of the poems are about insects. This is such a great book and the imagery is awesome. I think your kids will like it!

LOVE this book. All about feelings and the pages open up, so the kids can use it like a mask. So much fun! My kids always have a blast with it and want another turn.

I love Lois Ehlert books. The shapes and colors are wonderful. It's a good introduction to abstract art for young children as the pictures are mostly made of symbols.

This book as well as How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight are 2 of my faves. I love the detail in the illustrations. Also, I love how you think the dinosaur is going to be trouble, but at the end, he ends up doing exactly what he's supposed to do!

Rhyming words, fun imaginary creatures, and faraway lands, what more could you ask for in a children's book? But of course, the legend that Dr. Suess is, there is so much more in this book. It is a great inspiration for children. All kids should have this book!

This book as well as the next one were childhood favorites of mine. Not only does this book have rhyming and great vocabulary, it also has a rebus format, substituting images for words in the text. This helps children read along. Great for pre-reading skills.

I know, I know. They are giving moose muffins and pigs pancakes now, but back in my day, it was If you Give a Mouse a Cookie and I so loved the cute little mousie! This book is perfect for predicting.

This book is good for science. It not only talks about houses for animals and different people, but objects and vehicles too. It makes you think because you don't normally think of all these different things as having a house, but more like a place where it belongs.

This book definitely teachers kindness and patience because I know I wouldn't be sharing my pizza with a bunch of people who wouldn't help me make it, but the little red hen did. A different take on the classic book The Little Red Hen in which she makes pizza instead of bread, this book is nice for doing with a nutrition lesson, writing recipes and sequencing the order of events (or ingredients used for the pizza).

And last, but certainly not least, The Water Hole. This book is a whole lot more than just a counting book. The illustrations of the animals in the rain forest are amazing! It uses onomatopoeia when the animals speak to each other and address the topic of droughts.

So here are my top picks, more exciting story times coming up every Sunday. Most likely I will be discussing books that I will be reading in my classroom for the upcoming week.