Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Theme: Bunnies

Theme: Bunnies

PR: Little Listeners - Reading with the Rabbits
Springtime is bunny time! Share songs, stories and rhymes during this bunny-approved preschool story time.

Suggested stories:
Hush, Little Bunny by David Ezra Stein
Wee Little Bunny by Lauren Thompson
Everybunny Dance! by Ellie Sandall
Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky
In My Meadow by Sara Gillingham

New words introduced:
Waterproof, soaked, hedge, bravo

Rhymes, fingerplays and songs:

If You're Hoppy and You Know It...

If You're hoppy and you know it...
...hop around
...Wiggle your tail
...Stomp your feet
...Eat a carrot
...Wiggle your nose

 




Craft:
Supplies needed: Black construction paper, bunny pattern, chalk





Friday, March 28, 2025

Theme: Dogs

Theme: Dogs

PR: This preschool story time, co-hosted with Licking County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center, includes animal-themed stories, finger-plays, crafts and the opportunity to meet some adoptable animals. 

Story suggestions:
How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs by Yolen, Jane
This Little Pup by Bryant, Laura J.
Sniff! Sniff! by Sias, Ryan
We Want a Dog by Cole, Leo
10 Dogs by Gravett, Emily

Songs/Rhymes:

B-I-N-G-O






Craft:
Supplies needed: Pre-cut ears, nose, eyes, tongue, markers, glue and small paper bags



Thursday, March 6, 2025

Theme: Pigs

Theme: Pigs 

PR
Little Listeners: It's Pig Day! "Here's a chance to learn about the importance of fine swine and learn pre-literacy skills at the same time."

Snoreytime Pig Party: "Set aside an evening of stories to celebrate an intelligent, charming and misunderstood pig."

Book ideas - There are SO MANY pig books, but most are cartoons.
This Little Piggy by Jarvis
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
Edward Gets Messy by Rita Meade
I Really Like Slop by Mo Willems
Pug Meets Pig by Sue Lowell Gallion
Pug & Pig and Friends by Sue Lowell Gallion
Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure by Derek Anderson
I'm a Frog by Mo Willems
Pigs and a Blanket by James Burks

Rhymes and Fingerplays

5 Pigs
Five pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest that you’ve ever seen
Wanted to outside and play (IN THE MUD)
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a great big thud
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs (Oink, oink!)


Two Mother Pigs
Two mother pigs lived in a pen (show thumbs)
Each had four babies, and that made ten (show fingers & thumbs)
These four babies were black as night (thumb in palm, wiggle fingers)
These four babies were black and white (switch hands, repeat)
But all eight babies loved to play
And they rolled and rolled in the mud all day (roll hands)
At night, with their mother, they curled up in a heap (clasp hands)
And squealed and squealed till they fell fast asleep.
Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Activity
Painting pigs with pudding
Supplies - any pig outline on pink paper OR use white card stock so the kiddos can color it
One pudding cup for each child
Something to spread the "mud" - I just used plastic spoons.
LOTS of paper towels/baby whites


Theme: Pigs

PR:

Most Famous Pigs in History

"If you are jumping up and down in muddy puddles you must wear rain boots!" -Peppa Pig

Wilbur, from the children's book Charlotte's Web, is a classic example of a pig who was famous for being very smart. He was able to learn how to spell many words and even had a conversation with Charlotte.

Piglet from Winnie the Pooh is another beloved pig character. He is known for being very timid but also very loyal to his friends.

Babe is perhaps one of the most famous pigs of all time. He was the star of the movie Babe, which told the story of how he learned to become a sheepdog.

Miss Piggy is a well-known Muppet character who is known for being bossy and vain.

Peppa pig is a cartoon character who is loved by children all over the world. She is a regular pig who loves to play and have fun.

Three Little Pigs is a classic fairy tale that is famous for teaching children the importance of being careful with their money.

Porky Pig is a Looney Tunes character who is known for being very clumsy but also very lovable.

Pumbaa from The Lion King is a warthog who is best friends with Simba. He is known for being very funny and carefree.

Fun Facts About Pigs

Although they enjoy rolling in the mud, pigs are actually clean animals. Pigs are extremely clean. They even have a toilet located a long way from their living quarters.

Because it keeps them cool, pigs enjoy getting covered in mud! Pigs have little sweat glands, so they find another method of cooling down, which is why they bask in the mud and roll about in it so much.

The Eurasian wild boar is the common ancestor of all pigs.

Pigs, like their wild cousins, are omnivores. Pigs will root around and consume everything from leaves and fruit to small reptiles and rodents in the wild! Pigs are omnivores, which means they'll eat plants as well as meat. They aren't choosy in general and will eat just about anything! Hint, they don't hunt!

The average full-grown pig weighs between 300 and 700 pounds, and the world record for the heaviest pig has not been surpassed since 1933. Tennessee's Big Bill weighed in at 2,552 pounds. That is one heavyweight hog!

Pigs are one of the most intelligent domesticated animals, surpassing even dogs! 

Pigs are smart, adaptable, and loyal. The pig is a symbol of good fortune, honesty, pleasure, virility in the Chinese zodiac.


Thursday, February 27, 2025

Theme: Stuffed Animal Clinic

Theme: Stuffed Animal Clinic

PR: Have a teddy bear with a tummy ache or a dinosaur with scraped knees? Never fear! This pretend and play story time includes everything kids need to know about doctor and hospital visits. Feel free to bring your favorite stuffy.

Stories Shared:
Veterinarians on the Job by Anne Forest
Digger and Daisy Go to the Doctor by Judy Young
Fish are Not Afraid of Doctors by J. E. Morris
At the Hospital (a Shine-A-Light book) by Carron Brown

Songs:
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
5 In the Bed (and the little one said...)


Activity:
We had 10 pictures of a dog and had the children add one spot, the next page was two spots, etc. They used craft balls of various sizes and larger tweezers.

We did pretend play with doctor kits, vet office sign-in sheets and the kids were the vets.

  


Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Theme: Cookies!

PR - Snoreytime: Cookies!  Put on your pjs, grab your blankie or favorite stuffie and get ready for "snorey time!" In this sweet treat family story time, we will share delicious stories, sweet songs and stir up some activities.

Book ideas
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
May I Please Have a Cookie? by Jennifer Morris
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchens
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies? by Jane Yolen
Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems

Rhymes/Songs

“C” is for Cookie

“C” is for Cookie, that’s good enough for me.

“C” is for Cookie, that’s good enough for me.

“C” is for Cookie, that’s good enough for me.

Oh, cookie, cookie, cookie starts with “C”.

____________________


_______________________

Making Cookies

We are making cookie dough;
Round and round the beaters go.
Add some flour, just two cups.
Stir and mix the batter up.

Roll them, cut them, nice and neat.
Put them on a cookie sheet.
Bake them, cool them on a rack.
Share them with my friends for snack!

________________________________________________

Five Little Cookies

Five little cookies, with frosting galore!

First, I ate the purple one, and then there were four.

Four little cookies, two plus two you see.

I at the green one, and then there were three.

Three little cookies, and before I knew,

I ate the M&M one, and then there were two.

Two little cookies; oh, what fun!

I ate the brown one, and then there was one.

One little cookie, yum-yum-yum!

I ate the last one, and then there were none.

______________

Activity
- Sequencing - How to make cookies

- Focused on the letter C. Had several images of items beginning with the letter.

- What else could we use to make cookies? Showed other cookie ingredients and tools. I also included images of non-cookie-related items; tree, shovel, dump truck, a red flower, etc.

Craft
Cookie decorating, of course! Use plain sugar cookies or gingerbread men.

Theme: Hearts

Reason for theme: Seasonal

New words and phrases introduced:
"find your wings", "Milky Way"

Books used:
My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith
I Love You, Blankie by Sheryl Haft
I Love Your Face! by Karma Wilson
How Big is Love? by Emma Dodd
I Love My Baby by Sebastien Braun

Rhymes and Songs:

Colors, Colors

Colors, colors,
what colors do you see?

So many colors!
Take a look with me.

Red hearts, orange hearts,
yellow hearts, too.

So many colors!

Let’s start with _________.
(Children guess the rhyme.)

__________

10 Little Hearts

 1 little, 2 little 3 little hearts.

 4 little, 5 little, 6 little hearts.

 7 little, 8 little, 9 little hearts.

 10 little hearts right here.




Crafts/Activities:
Heart Necklaces 
Materials needed - Pre-cut hearts, hole punch, crayons, string/ribbon, crayons/markers/glitter, etc.



Friday, January 31, 2025

Theme: Penguins

PR: Little Listeners: Penguins are Cool!  Chill out at the library and enjoy stories, rhymes, fingerplays and a craft-all centered around penguins.

Book suggestions:

There are so many penguin books! I used these:
That's Not My Penguin
Penguin Says Please
by Michael Dahl
Five Flying Penguins by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
10 Little Penguins by Kate Toms

New Words Introduced:
Waddle, glide

Discussion about penguin attributes and qualities.
I had many pictures of different penguins. Various colors, what they eat, teeth are on their tongue, etc.

Songs:

Boom, boom, ain't it great to be crazy?
Boom, boom, ain't it great to be crazy?

Silly and foolish the whole day through
Boom, boom, ain't it great to be crazy?

Way up North where there's ice and snow
There lived a penguin and his name was Joe
He got so tired of black and white
He wore pink slacks to the dance last night!

Boom, boom, ain't it great to be crazy?
Boom, boom, ain't it great to be crazy?

Silly and foolish the whole day through
Boom, boom, ain't it great to be crazy?

The kids chose some of their favorites:
"Wheels on the Bus"
"Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes"

Craft:  Waddling penguins
Materials needed:  Pre-cut penguin pieces, glue, small paper plate