Storytime Share

Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

Talk about spiders and how they spin their webs. Each web is different. They use their webs to catch their food.
Read the book.
Put up pieces on a flannel board, having the participants retell the story as you put up the pieces.
Adult Aside: This book has lots of repetition so it is a good one for retelling. I have a handout with the same figures that I used on the flannel board. I will also pass out some yarn to make the web. You can cut out the figures and use the yarn to retell the story. 

Figures for flannel board and handout  verybusyspiderpatterns.doc
[For the flannel board, an alternative to using the cutout figure of the spider is to make a spider by stapling two small paper plates together. Cut strips of black construction paper and attach to paper plates for legs. Slip yarn between the stapled paper plates with a bit sticking out to start the web. Pull out the yarn as you make the web on the flannel board. If you need to you can use velcro or pins or tacks to hold the yarn to the flannel board. Tell the children that spiders don’t need that–the web itself is sticky.]
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont

 Aside: As I read this story, I am going to pause and have the children fill in the rhyming word. This is something you can easily do with rhyming books. Start off by using rhyming books that your child has read with you before.
Read the book: As you read the book, let the children chime in with some of the rhyming words, like head to follow red.
After the book activity: Everyone stand up! What’s a word that rhymes with head? Children give suggestions. Pick one–bed. OK, take your hand and dip it in red paint on the floor (pretend). Now take your hand and draw a bed. Good! What’s a word that rhymes with green? Perhaps the children say bean. OK, dip your foot in some green paint on the floor, and draw a bean. We all laugh together.
Submitted by Katie Ross, Kanawha County (WV) Public Library System

You Can Do Anything, Daddy by Michael Rex

Read the book.
Craft/Activity: In this book, the boy is thinking of bad things that might happen to him. His father is figuring out how to save his son. I am giving each of you [adults and children] a piece of paper. On one side I want you to draw something you think of that is scary for you. On the other side I want you to think of something your Dad or a grownup could do to help you. It is all pretend, make-believe. What can you think of?
Aside: Having your children draw and then tell you about what they drew develops their narrative skills. It also gives us a window into their thoughts.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting

The Art Box by Gail Gibbons

<Before reading the book: Ask the children to describe things they would put in a box. And in this box it will contain art supplies. What can you think of? They reply with crayons, paint, etc. This is a great way for children to use the vocabulary that they do know and also good for developing Narrative Skills, which is the ability to describe events and tell stories. Now let’s see how a book can help introduce children to new vocabulary.
Read the book.
You can have items like compass, protractor, etc. available for the children to see and use.
Submitted by Katie Ross, Kanawha County (WV) Public Library System