Chronicles of Summertime: Day 29

Day 29:
Not much to blog about today. We made it to library storytime. First was toddlers and they did books about cars and vehicles. There were a LOT of kids there today, so it was kinda hectic and Snugglepuppy got a little distracted. But he participated more than he has before. I let him play for a bit in the play area afterward while I picked out some books for him. Then, we ended up going home instead of staying for baby laptime as Ladybug was getting fussy.

That was about the extent of our learning for the day. Mommy had to get some things done like grocery shopping, but Snugglepuppy was a big help and Ladybug slept through it all. Mommy tried taking a nap in the evening, but Snugglepuppy kept crawling on me, LOL. Also, we read Froggy Goes to Camp. Snugglepuppy has been really getting into the "Froggy" books. He likes to read along on the "Frooooogy!" part.

That was pretty much our day!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 19

Day 19:
Today was library story time for both toddlers and babies. Aunt M came with us. We had lots of fun and read books about clothing. Then, we went out to eat at BW3. Snugglepuppy took a nap amazingly, then I took him to the playground, where we played with our new air rocket. Mostly, I shot it and Snugglepuppy ran after it.

Later on tonight, I worked on getting more of my children's books into my database. This has been a goal of mine for a while and when I heard about an app that scans the UPC of the book and puts it into a database, I was on it! This is the best invention ever. It is called BooksApp and it is available for Android for free. So, far, I am getting close to 400 books. Really had no idea I had that many. I am so excited because they are organized by category and it will be a great resource for doing lesson plans.

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 14

Day 14:
Today, we went to Toddler Storytime and Baby Laptime at the library. Snugglepuppy didn't interact a lot at storytime, but he really got into the baby laptime. Which was good because Ladybug decided she was hungry about halfway through, so I nursed her. Anyways, they did some songs and books about baby chicks and the toddlers did some feltboard stories. Afterward, I let Snugglepuppy play in the kids play area and Ladybug was acting very social and I got some good pics.

Here are the books we checked out from the library or renewed. We were excited that they finally had a copy of Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes!

Then, right when we were ready to head home, we heard an announcement they there was free lunch being served on the front lawn for kids, so we stayed and Snugglepuppy got a cheese quesadilla!

For more ideas of things to do at the library, see my other post:

After we came home, Snugglepuppy laid in his room for a while and rested although I didn't make him stay there long. He had a bad night last night of screaming and crying and not wanting to go to sleep after a long late nap.

Snugglepuppy did a few puzzles and played with legos and the train table. Also I am working on a weekly schedule for him that we are going to laminate. I will post it as soon as it's finished and we start using it.

7 Ways to Get the Most out of Your Local Library

I realize not all public libraries are the same or have the same resources available, but you won't know what they have until you check it out. Here are some things to help you get started, some may apply to you and some may not, but these are some things ours offers.

1. Join the Summer Reading Program! Often there are prizes you can win for reading a certain number of books or number of hours. Any age can join at our library, 0-Adults. Parents can read to little ones who aren't reading yet.

2. Check the library's website or call for schedule of events. We went for storytime yesterday and ended up getting a free lunch for Snugglepuppy that we didn't even know about!

3. Go to storytime or baby laptime. They usually make it interactive and have songs and movement activities as well to keep your little ones from getting bored or antsy.

4. Download their app on your phone or tablet. I LOVE this feature at our library, you can check your account to see what books you have out, renew books, search the catalogue and reserve books. It's so convenient!

5. Sign your child up for a library card and teach them how to use the online catalogue to find books/videos. Begin to teach kids responsibility by letting them have their own card and teaching them how to take care of books. Also, some libraries have a program where you can "borrow" e-books. 

6. Let your kids play in the kids play area. Ours has a play farmer's market, a puppet show, blocks, and much more!

7. Use it as a quiet place to READ! Keep the distractions to a minimum and take time to actually read those books you or your kids love.

I'm sure there are many more things to do there. Comment if you have any to add!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 9

Day 9:
We slept in this morning due to the storms keeping us awake last night, so we missed storytime at the library. We played in the basement this morning. Snugglepuppy jumped on his trampoline, built with blocks, and played golf. Squeaker really had fun watching him run around. After lunch, we went out to run some errands and while we were out, I stopped to get Snugglepuppy and I some ice cream.

When we got home, I fed Squeaker and tried to put Snugglepuppy down for his nap, but he wouldn't sleep. Then, after dinner, we took a walk. Snugglepuppy took some sidewalk chalk down to the neighbor's house and played with their 3 year old daughter for the longest time. They played with rocks, sticks, glowsticks, and pretty much anything they could find.

Thinky Linky Thursday

<a href="http://preschoolteacher81.blogspot.com/search/label/thinky%20linky%20thursday"><img alt="Preschool Teacher" src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r103/loriajones/ThinkyLinkyThursButton.jpg"/></a>

Here were the most clicked links from last week's Thinky Linky Thursday:


The first 2 links both come from Mama of Many Blessings!

5 Fun Sensory Table Ideas

5 Easy DIY Father's Day Gifts

And this link comes from School Time Snippets:

Storytime and Craft: Playdough Monsters

Thanks to everyone for linking up!

Animal Homes Books for Toddler/Preschool

We have been going to the library toddler storytime this week and I wanted to share some of the books we heard. Unfortunately my sweet little boy was being not-so-sweet today and we didn't get a chance to write down the names of the books that were read, but nevertheless, here are the ones I did remember:

Also, I have come across 2 great sites with lists of more books about houses/homes:

Family Reading Partnership

The Miss Rumphius Effect

Have fun reading!

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHERE I LINK UP

Storytime Sunday: I Love You, Stinky Face

This is actually a book I checked out from the library for my son.

 "But Mama, but Mama, what if I were a super smelly skunk, 

and I smelled so bad that my name was Stinky Face? 

Then I'd plunk you in a bubble bath! But if you still smelled stinky, I wouldn't mind. I'd whisper in your ear, I love you, Stinky Face."

This book is super sweet and all kids should have it read to them so they will know, there is always someone who will love them no matter what! I wish I could buy a copy for every kid in the world.

Storytime Sunday: Hearing and Sounds

The children in my class have shown interest in the 5 senses which we introduced 2 weeks ago, so we are now going to break it down and study a different sense each week. This week we are starting with hearing. So, here are some excellent books we will be reading that are about sounds.

Of course, you know I will include my requisite Eric Carle book. This is a great book where all the animals make their sounds, but the baby cricket can't figure out how to make his wings rub together to make his sound until the end where the book actually makes a cricket sound (if your batteries aren't dead like mine are, LOL)

Another good Eric Carle book about sounds is The Very Busy Spider. Here is a Youtube video of someone reading it with all the animal sounds included.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Sandra Boynton. This book is about the animal sounds too, but one animal says la la la instead. This book is great especially for younger kids because there are very few words and it's a board book.

Awesome for ABC recognition and the descriptive words provide a lot of imagery and allow the students to use their creativity and imagination when listening to the story.

Great book for rhyming and sounds. Includes things children might hear in everyday life. It also has great illustrations that lend themselves to discussion.

 

This book I was a little worried about when I picked it up from the library (I had ordered it online), because it was so thick and looked like a book for older children, but look below at some of the poems in it. Very short and use wonderful sound words.

HAPPY READING FRIENDS!

Storytime Sunday:Fall Leaves

Lots of changes are coming to Preschool Teacher blog! First of all, I've purchased a domain name: cacheymama.com! I am so excited! Right now I am just redirecting to the blog, but eventually I may make a website as a HQ for everything Cacheymama like the blog, my etsy shop, geocaching, etc. Also, my Etsy Banner is done thanks to Kampie Mana. It is displayed at the top of this blog, so please click and check it out!!! Also, Kampie Mana is working on the new design for Preschool Teacher blog. She is a wonderful artist, so please get in touch with her for custom graphics and designs!

Ok, on to storytime! Well, it may not be fall yet, but it won't be long until those leaves start to change and fall. So, here are some books about leaves!

This book is great! It shows leaf animals you can make for an art project. It goes into detail about many artistic concepts in a child-friendly way such as size, shape, contrasting colors, edges, and layering. It is more than a craft because it teaches the kids how to think about the art they make and what types of media they want to use and make their own choices about how they want it to look. It also talks about other projects you can do with leaves and the life cycle of a leaf. 

It tells about different seasons.

There is a field guide in the back to help the children identify leaves they find. Great science activity!

Here are a couple other fall leaf books I love:

HAPPY READING!