Dinosaurs!

Hey everyone!

I know that it has been awhile but I hope you are all still with me. These past few months have been busy, busy!

You can not go wrong with a storytime about Dinosaurs!

Preschool:

Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct
by Mo Willems

I love Mo Willems! Like his other titles, this book does not disappoint. Edwina is a dinosaur that everyone loves, except for Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie who tries to convince everyone that she is extinct.

Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus

This is a great realistic story of a frog growing up in a prehistoric swamp surrounded by gigantic dinosaurs. The rhyming text and impressive artwork make this a great read-aloud!

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp

by Carol Diggory Shields

This is a fun book with bright illustrations about a group of dinosaurs and what they do to get ready for the big dance party at the end of the book.

I’m Bad! by Kate and Jim McMullan.

The creators of the books I’m Dirty! and I Stink! come back to tell the story of a very BIG and HUNGRY dinosaur who can’t seem to catch his dinner.

Toddler:

Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

This book was a HUGE hit (even with the parents!). Dinosaur has to face each challenge with a few good roars (the children love to chime in here), including “a pile of leaves”, “a bowl of spaghetti”, and (my personal favorite) “talking grownups!”. Finally his roars become smaller and smaller as bedtime nears…

Dinosaur Roar!

By Paul and Henrietta Stickland

This book is a good introduction to opposites, with words and pictures on each page such as “Dinosaur Clean, Dinosaur Slimy.”

I got my ideas for the following flannel board and songs from this website: http://www.geocities.com/mystorytime/dinosaurs.htm

Flannel Board:

Nine little dinosaurs

To the tune of: Ten Little Indians
1 Red, 1 Pink, 1 Green Dinosaur
1 Blue, 1 Purple, 1 Yellow Dinosaur
1 Orange, 1 White, 1 black Dinosaur
9 Little Dinosaur ROAR

With the preschoolers you can also play a guessing game by removing one color and seeing if they can remember which one you removed.

Songs/Rhymes:

Stomp, Stomp, Stomp!
The first big dinosaur went stomp, stomp, stomp
I said to the first dinosaur, "Stop, stop, stop!"
The second big dinosaur went run, run, run,
I said to the second dinosaur, "Fun, fun, fun!"
The third big dinosaur went thump, thump, thump.
I said to the third dinosaur, "Jump, jump, jump!"
The fourth big dinosaur went whack, whack, whack
I said to the fourth dinosaur, "You stay back!"
The fifth big dinosaur went creep, creep, creep.
I said to the fifth dinosaur, "It's time to sleep!"

Good Night!

Dinosaur, Dinosaur
Dinosaur,dinosaur, turn around.
Dinosaur, dinosaur, touch the ground.
Dinosaur, dinosaur, shut the door.
Dinosaur, dinosaur,jump and roar.
Dinosaur, dinosaur, tie your shoe.
Dinosaur, dinosaur, stomp in goo.
Dinosaur, dinosaur, turn off the light.
Dinosaur, dinosaur, say "Good night."

Other Recommended reading:

How do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?

By Jane Yolen

This book teaches manners by showing inappropriate behavior (ie: “Do dinosaurs spit our their broccoli partially chewed?”) and ending with appropriate behavior. Other books in the series include How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, How Do Dinosaurs go to School?, How do Dinosaurs go to the Doctor?, and How do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?

All Aboard the Dinotrain

by Deb Lund and

Dinosaur Train by John Gurney

When Dinosaurs take a train ride, many unexpected things happen along the way. Dinosaurs and Trains in one book is a preschool boy’s dream.

Dinosnores by Kelly DiPucchio

A tale that attempts to explain the world’s natural wonders (i.e. Rivers, the Grand Canyon) on the loud snores of the dinosaurs. Kids love to make snore noises along with the story.

If the Dinosaurs Came Back

by Bernard Most

“If the dinosaurs came back, they could take people to work and back” and other silly ideas occur in this classic dinosaur book.

Music Listened to today:

Latin Playground

By Putamayo Kids

I LOVE the Putamayo Kids music CDs, and this one is one of my favorites :)

Thank you for visiting!

<3,

Ms. Jen

Book Review: Rapunzel's Revenge

Book review: Rapunzel’s Revenge

Since the semester is finally over and we are on story time break, I actually get some free time to read again (imagine that!). In addition to my *usual* vampire/paranormal/creepy fluff reads, I spent the last week reading Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale. This was one of the most enjoyable graphic novels I have read in a long time. This is not the typical Brother’s Grimm Fairy tale in which a helpless girl locked in a tower is forced to wait until prince charming comes to her rescue.

Rapunzel’s Revenge is part fractured fairy tale, part American Wild West fantasy. The book starts off similarly to the typical Grimm’s story in which Rapunzel is taken from her parents after her father stole from a witch’s garden. Rapunzel lives with the witch “Mother Gothel” in a lush garden villa with anything she could ever want, until an act of rebellion lands her in her tree-top prison. She spends her time practicing tricks with her unbearably long hair that she braids into two long pigtails, until she finally manages to lasso her hair around a tree to freedom.

After meeting a lovable scallywag named Jack, the action never stops as they travel back to Mother Gothel’s Villa to rescue her real mother from the slave mines, and save the townspeople from Mother Gothel’s wrath.

This is a great juvenile chick-lit story with beautiful illustrations. Recommended ages 9-12

Starry Night Storytime

Today we read stories and sang songs about night time, stars, bedtime, and the moon.

Books Used:

Preschool:

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

In this story a little boy loves stars so much, that he decides to take one down from the sky to be his friend.

There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star by Charise Mericle Harper

This is a fun twist to the traditional song about the old lady who swallowed a fly.

Moonkey by Mike Thaler
A story about a monkey who loves the moon, but finds that the love for his friends is more powerful.

Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle

A father climbs the tallest ladder he can find to get the moon for his daughter, and finds out that the moon is too big to carry.

Toddler:

Time for Bed by Mem Fox

Many different animals go to bed in this delightful bedtime book.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

A classic bedtime book that needs no introduction :)

Songs/Rhymes:

Flannel Song:

Five Little Fluffy Sheep
(to the tune of Five little Speckled Frogs)

One little fluffy sheep
Trying to get you to sleep
Jumping over the meadow fence
Jump, Jump, Jump!

Then it looked and saw the moon
And it hummed a sleepy tune
While you were drifting off to sleep…
(optional- snore snore snore [noises])

(Continue until five…)

Five little Fluffy Sheep
Trying to get you to sleep
Jumping over the Meadow fence
Jump, Jump! Jump!

Then they looked and saw the moon,
And they hummed a sleepy tune,
Now you have drifted off to sleep.

Goodnight!

Fingerplay:

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little star
How I wonder what you are.

Rhyme:

Star Light, Star Bright

Star Light, Star Bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Take this wish I wish tonight

Other Suggested reading:

When the Wind Stops by Charlotte Zolotow

A beautifully illustrated story about how everything in life is cyclical. Day turns into night, winter into spring, and every end is also a beginning to something else.

Star Shapes by Peter Malone

Beautiful Illustrations and simple lyrical text describe some of the constellations in the night sky.

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman

An unobservant zookeeper is followed home by a group of zoo animals when a gorilla unlocks the cages behind him as he closes up for the night.

Sleepy Book by Charlotte Zolotow

A nicely illustrated book that describes different ways that animals sleep, from hibernating bears to curled up kittens.

Music Played Today:

Jack Johnson and Friends: Sing-a-longs and Lullabies for the Film CURIOUS GEORGE

Thank You for Visiting!

<3

Ms. Jen