Once Upon a Story... Summer Story Times Week 3 and 4

     Still in catch-up mode, but I think I am going to accomplish my goal!  Hopefully I will be caught up by the time August comes to a close!  I can’t believe I just said that!  Where in the world did August go?!  Oh well, let’s get back to the task at hand, Summer Reading Story Times weeks three and four!

Week 3- SLUMBER PARTY!

     No, we didn’t really have a slumber party!  But believe me when I say I think the kids would have loved it!  Instead of having a slumber party, the kids were told to come to the library in their pajamas.  We made slumber party crafts and read books about pajamas!  It was a lot of fun and fit perfectly with the “Once Upon a Story,” theme.

This book is SO CUTE!  It is great for both boys and girls.
I was able to discuss colors and patterns and the kids were able
to yell out the answers!  Nothing is better than yelling out an answer!

The kids made these sleep masks out of
felt and sequins.  Our weren't as fancy as these,
but the kids still seemed to enjoy them.

Oh My Goodness!  This book is TOO CUTE!
It has a great moral lesson about listening to one's
parents and all the kids in class loved it.
One little girl wouldn't leave the library unless I let her check it out.

I had the bigger kids make something similar to this.
I gave each kid a piece of felt rolled to look like a bag.
They were then able to add hair, googly eyes, and a smile
to make it look like themselves in a sleeping bag!

Week 4- GLOW IN THE DARK!

     I don’t know about you, but I was always interested in things that can glow in the dark.  When I found out that Summer Reading was a night theme, I just knew that I needed to end Story Times with this theme!

This book went PERFECT with our summer theme.  It also
had both fireflies and owls to go with our crafts!
WARNING:  This book is faith-based.  However, I was
able to gloss over the faith-based portion by only
reading the letter and what it stood for.

What kid doesn't love Band-Aids?
Glow in the dark Band-Aid fireflies!  Enough, said!

I stuck with the glow in the dark theme for our second craft.
I had each kid color an owl.  Afterwards, they brought the owl
to me and I painted around its eyes with glow in the dark paint.
The kids LOVED it and we couldn't keep the bathroom lights on
with all the kids desperate to see their owls glow! :) 

Lastly, I just couldn't find that perfect glow in the dark book.
So, I went the easy route, a back to school book.  The kids at my last Story Time
were headed back to school and this book was great for getting them excited
to go back, and for some, start school for the first time! 

     Well, that seems to be the end of Summer Reading Story Times.  For those of you who don’t know, this is also the end of my time here at the Mooresville Public Library.  I will be posting one more “Goodbye” blog with a few more details about my newest adventure.  Don’t worry, though, the new Early Literacy Assistant will take over right where I left off!

     I hope you have enjoyed all of the hard work I have put into this blog.  My biggest wish is that this blog was able to spark an idea with someone, somewhere!  Stay tuned for Miss Jaymi’s LAST INSTALLMENT!

Once Upon a Story... Summer Story Times Week 1 and 2

     Things around MPL have been a bit CRAZY since summer began!  As I write this, summer is already OVER and the kids have gone back to school.  Thus, I am going to play a quick game of catch-up!

     At MPL, we have Summer Story Times every other week.  This means that instead of having eight, or one per each week, we only do four.  This gives me a bit of a break, as well as giving parents more time to enjoy the GREAT outdoors with their kids.  In attempt to get this posted before August finishes, I am going to show you what we did in Weeks 1 and 2 of Summer Story Time with my next post wrapping summer up!  I hope you enjoy the new format!

Week 1- MONSTERS!

     What kid doesn’t love monsters?  Sometimes they are scary and sometimes they are nice, but I have yet to meet a child that isn’t a little bit interested in monster tales.  Monsters also go GREAT with our Summer Reading theme.

The kids loved this book.  They thought it was funny
that the little girl annoyed her brother ALL DAY!

What kid doesn't like monster feet?
I know mine LOVED walking around in these.
Find this craft here.

To the tune of, "If You're Happy and You Know It."
No kid I know can sit through this story without
wanting to get up and dance!

Another fun craft.  The kids liked making these,
but they enjoyed chasing each other around
as monsters more!

Week 2- OUTERSPACE!

     Just like monsters, children love learning about the unknown, and space is definitely an unknown frontier.  Yes, scientists and astronauts have learned a lot about space, but kids still seem drawn to learn more.  What a better time to teach them a few things about space than Summer Reading!

This book was cute.  It covered quitea bit of basic
space terms and the kids really enjoyed it.

We did this craft a little different than described,
mostly because I have too many kids to let play with paint.
Instead of paint, we colored our rockets then glued
them to an outserspace themed paper.
Find this craft here.

This book is quite tricky!  It explains that we
all live in space, even humans!  The kids were a little
confused, however once explained, they began to understand
that humans live on Earth, which is a planet in space!
This leads into the solar system craft smoothly!

The solar system craft was quick and fun. The kids liked it and their
parents liked that they were making something educational.
Find it here.  My suggestion?  Make the planets a bit larger!

     That seems to be it for the first two sessions of Story Time.  I can tell you, the kids absolutely loved both of these themes.  The stories were fantastic and the crafts only enhanced the experience.  Summer is a great time to try something new, so don’t be afraid and jump right in!  I know the kids you work with will appreciate it!

Summer Reading 2012 is HERE!

     SUMMER READING IS HERE!  From newborns to adults, there is a summer reading program for everyone at the Mooresville Public Library!  Interested in getting involved in a reading program or event?  Visit our website at www.mooresvillelib.org or give us a call at 317-831-7323!