TUESDAYS AT TEN storytime

New Location, Same Mission!

2012-01-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Children. Books. Coffee and snacks. Same concept, different space...

THE LITTLE RED STORE

It's red. It's historic. It's charming. It's centrally located - a hop, skip and jump off the Oak Leaf Trail and the beautiful Menomonee River Parkway - calling all nature lovers, bicyclists, train enthusiasts, and local historians!

"As the only remaining building in the original Wauwatosa Village settlement, spared by the 1895 village fire because of its location south of the river," it was first a dwelling and then a general store, at one time a post office, a train station, a harness shop, and even a library. But this year, on every FIRST TUESDAY of the month, it becomes our official new meeting space!

After much support and interest from so many, I am looking forward to a return to Tuesdays in a place we can call our own, at least one Tuesday a month for a year!

Here are the details...

Instead of weekly, we'll meet monthly. Previously we ment every TUESDAY AT TEN. Just tack on a FIRST in front of it and you get FIRST TUESDAYS AT TEN. I strive to keep it easy to remember. This quaint, convenient (with easy free municipal parking directly behind it and a ramp that makes stroller access a breeze) spot is booked every FIRST Tuesday of the month for the remainder of 2012. We have a year to continue the fun that began at the Parkway Cafe and continued on at Cranky Al's. How I see it, the Little Red Store is Chapter 3. When one door closes...

Another one opens, and in this case there are two doors that will open! One in the front of the building, and one in the back. Both will open at 9:30, so come early and get settled in. Storytime will begin at 10am, but the place is ours for 2 whole hours! As before, we'll have 30 minutes of whole group time and then free time to read, or snack and socialize. Whatever you choose to do, you are free to stay until 11:30, at which time Ken, the wonderful volunteer with the Historical Society, comes to move things back to their original spot; he rearranges things in a special way with the safety of the kiddos in mind. I like Ken!

And I also like the continued efforts of the Wauwatosa Historical Society. Do you know a student that's had the privilege of attending their Schoolhouse program? I do, and she came home talking about it for weeks. Which is another something special about the Little Red Store, it has history and a story to tell.

A quick story I'd like to share is how much I've personally struggled with the decision to PAY for a space. Tuesday mornings were always free, and I really wanted to keep it that way. However, because the Little Red Store has so much to offer and is such a unique space (designated one of Wisconsin's Top Ten endangered historic places in 2005), and because our rental funds will help support the on going efforts of the Wauwatosa Historical Society, I've decided to take a leap of faith by renting this special space and asking adults to pay a small fee to cover our costs. At year's end, procedes will be donated as books to the Wauwatosa Children's Library - a good way to share the love of books with other children in our community (if you have any other questions about the adult registration fee or process, please feel free to contact me at tuesdaysatten@gmail.com).

Now that we've covered that, here are the rest of the details...

As always, kids are free! There will never be a charge for children to attend. However, an adult $5 fee will be asked off all grown ups in attendance. This is how we will cover the rental of the space as well as refreshments and supplies. Feel free to come that day and pay at the door (as long as we haven't reached maximum capacity - you are in!), or you may reserve your spot now by registering online with the adult registration link in the upper left hand corner.

What your $5.00 Adult Registration Includes:

2 hrs (9:30-11:30am) of playtime and learning in a clean, comfortable space of our own for as many children as you bring with you. Themed storytimes which include books, movement activities, rhymes, fingerplays, feltboard stories and song, with special appearances by Nancy. Alterra Coffee. Sweet home baked snacks by Sarah; she'll teach us some Spanish too! Simple, easy clean-up crafts. Special time connecting with others who love children and books.

So please join us! Make a morning of it. Invite a friend. Make a friend. Support local services. Read. Sing. Socialize. So many great reasons to share a First Tuesday together.

There are eleven more opportunities in 2012. I'm looking forward to them!

TURTLE Tuesday

2012-01-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

T is for Tuesday and Turtle...

After a year's hiatus from Tuesday mornings - and being on holiday break from Zoo classes with some extra time on my hands - I realized that there was a one-time opportunity to come together for the "First Tuesday of 2012."

Before I knew it, I had called and rented the Little Red Store (not to be confused with the Little READ Book Store, which is not far from there and another great place I highly recommend going!).

Nancy and I have done a handful of Saturdays outside the Little Red Store during Tosa Farmers Market, but never INSIDE before!

Because the plans were very last minute, I asked Cassandra to schedule a meetup on the Milwaukee Happy Mama Meetup calendar (a group that faithfully had Tuesday mornings on their calendar throughout the Cranky Al days, thanks ladies!). Because many mamas signed up so quickly (and because the name of the place does have "little" in it) we decided to keep it intimate for the trial run in a brand new space. And it was GREAT!!!

A warm, sunny morning and we had the whole place to ourselves! Nancy brought her guitar and playlist, and Sarah brought the coffee and the sweet treats.

And since T is for Tuesday and T is also for Turtles (I have an abundance of inspiration from teaching Turtle Class to 2 year olds at the Zoo this past December and have been looking for an opportunity to use my turtle puppet and to tell a feltboard story about where turtles go in winter, "Turtle, Where are you???"), we decided to celebrate TURTLES!

I find that talking about turtles is also a great opportunity to practice opposites...

IN/OUT

UP/DOWN ("When the weather changes, Turtle must swim down, down, down to the bottom of the pond and dig into the mud to sleep for the winter... Turtle, where are you????")

FAST/SLOW

We slowly and leisurely enjoyed our turtle time together. We sang some songs, read some books, did the Hokey Pokey, drank some coffee and chatted. And then everyone went on their way....

It was a wonderful Tuesday morning! One that reminded me so much of ones from long ago. A bit dramatic to say I know since it's only been a year since we've met on a Tuesday, but I am pretty nostalgic about all the wonderful friends both old and new that I've met on Tuesday mornings.

Stay tuned for more details coming soon about future meetings of First Tuesdays at Ten at the Little Red Store!

SOUP in January

2011-12-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

JANUARY is right around the corner and what a great time to enjoy soup and explore the months of the year!

No better book for celebrating both than Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak.

Combine Sendak's words with the singer/songwriter talent of Carole King (a voice that was a huge part of the soundtrack of my childhood) and you get I'm Really Rosie a record which included Chicken Soup With Rice in song. By the time I was my daughter's age, I had read, listened, and sung them both a million times.

Of course we have the book, but (despite still having a record player to play it) had long ago given the album away to a little girl I met named Rosie. So I was beside myself with joy while Christmas shopping for Zoe this year to find the Maurice Sendak Scholastic Video CD Collection (which includes 4 songs off the Really Rosie album, including Chicken Soup with Rice!!) Words, song, AND artwork come together in the best $5.99 ever spent! My favorite gift to my daughter this Christmas.

Easy to sing and engaging rhyme means fun for all ages. So whether you remember it or not, please turn up the volume and enjoy reading, singing, and rhyming about the months of the year to Chicken Soup With Rice!

And then go have some warm soup...

Peace and love to all this holiday season!

Molly

A COLOR of his own

2011-04-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

"If I remain on a leaf
I shall be green forever,
And so I too shall have a color of my own."

I love this story of transformation and friendship by Leo Lionni. Read it and then enjoy some fun CHAMELEON facts together...

Chameleons are REPTILES and members of the LIZARD family. Like all reptiles (such as turtles, snakes, alligators and crocs) they have hard, dry scales.

Their tongues are twice as long as their bodies. Show me your tongue! How long would your tongue be if it were "twice as long" as your body?? What do they use their sticky tongues to do? Catch bugs! Pretend to catch bugs with tongue, while rocking back and forth...

"They move very slowly with a rocking movement grasping a branch with feet and tail." * Their tails are PREHENSILE which means they can grip with them. Continue rocking back and forth and then grip the branch with your tail - reach back with one arm and pretend to grip branch!

They have "flattened" bodies with bulging eyes that move independently. Make binnoculars with your hands around your eyes and move them around separately.

And of course, chameleons change color! Insert fun color activity here such as: using different colors of construction paper, have your child stand in front of each while you ask, "What color are you now, Chameleon??"

Side note for grown-ups about color change in chameleons:

The changes in skin color, seen in certain other lizards as well, are under hormonal and nervous control. They are not affected by the color of the background but by stimuli such as light, temperature, and emotion and are used most dramatically in contests between rivals and to attract a mate. *

Fascinating!

Finish things off with a craft by making polka dots on something, anything, the possibilities are truly endless, but if you want to tie-in to the resolution of the story, make sure your dots are white on something red..

"And so they remained side by side.
They were green together
and purple
and yellow
and red with white polka dots.
And they lived happily ever after."

sources: zoo curriculum and *encyclopedia.com

I Love You, Sun, I Love You, Moon

2011-03-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

I love you, stars.
I love you, water.
I love you, wolf.
I love you, moon.

The simple structure of this book will have you hooked the very first time you read it.

Read it very, very slowly before nap or bedtime. Or read it chorally and pause to talk about the topics that interest you.

We love this book and think you will too...

Some of our favorite act-along moments after first reading once through, uninterrupted:

Sun - rise and set your sun overhead.
Sheep - learn sign for sheep, make sheep sound.
Wind/Tree - make wind sound while bending your tree branch arms.
Bird - learn sign, fly like a bird, balance like a flamingo.
Fish - sign, breath like a fish, opening and closing your gills.
Flower - be a flower growing from a seed.
Rabbit - sign and talk about how they can't move their feet separately but have to jump everywhere they go, jump like a rabbit.
Stars - shine stars above head and sing Twinkle
Wolf - learn sign and howl like a wolf.
Moon - sing a moon song, rise and set moon over head.

Have fun reading and being!

IMPORTANT Announcement!

2010-12-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

WE WILL NO LONGER BE MEETING AT CRANKY AL'S...

Last week before closing, I announced that next month, we will transition from meeting EVERY week, to only meeting on the FIRST Tuesday of each month. This means we would've met next week, 12/7.

However, after everyone left last week, I was told that Cranky Al's is no longer able to host our meetings due to the size of the group and liability concerns. I thank them for the two years that they have hosted us and leave with many wonderful memories of our time there.

The way I see it, we've been homeless before and maybe new doors will open for us again in the future. I am certainly open to continuing to meet once a month if we are able to find a new space. Please contact me at tuesdaysatten@gmail.com with any suggestions.

Until we meet again...

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

2010-11-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks Dan, Dawn, Anna, Grandma Gigi and Cassandra for being a "voice" with me this month!

This unique book "in two voices" uses traditional reading techniques - rhyme, rhythm, and repetition - to invite young children to read along with an adult. Featuring childlike themes such as friendship, family, and pets, and full of clever wordplay and humor, this book is a unique celebration of the joys of reading together. --from the blurb

Yes, the joys of reading together!

I like puppies.
I like kittens.
I like gloves.
And I like mittens.
I like apples.
I like pears.
I like tigers.
I like BEARS.
I like to slide.
I like to swing.
We don't agree on anything!

How great it is when they discover...

There's something else I like a lot.
But if I like it, you will not.
There's something else that I like, too.
But you won't like it if I do.
Tell me yours and I'll tell mine.
I like reading. Reading's fine!
You like reading?
Yes, I do.
Why, reading was what I picked, too!
Well, then, at last
We both agree!
I'll read to you!
You'll read to me!

BEAR With Me

2010-11-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Dearest Storytimers,

My sincerest apology for missing last week!

I've never had to cancel the morning-of like that. When I called to let Susie know, she assured me that everyone would understand. Still, the thought of people getting the little ones ready and out the door for books and such and then me not being there! So sorry.

But, as I said to Audra when I ran into her today at the library, I know if there is ANY group of people that would understand me needing to be home with my child, it is all of you! Audra then conveyed that, although I was missed last week, everyone seemed content eating treats and being together, which of course makes me so happy to hear! So just a final thanks to everyone for BEARing with me on this.

Having said that... November is BEAR month! Inspired by my work at the zoo, I'm excited to share some fun bear facts with you.

So, as the seasons change and the earth slows down for winter, let's learn and read about the slumbering animal we know and love, the BEAR!

Storytime Cancelled Today, 10/26

2010-10-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. We will be back up and running next week, 11/2. See you then...

Tuesday Morning Summer Break!

2010-07-05T10:13:00.002-07:00

We will be on summer break from Tuesday mornings for the months of July and August.

During this time, Nancy and I will be at the following free, local, Saturday events...

July 31 at 1:30 pm - Neighborhood Share Fair festival, Corner of 73rd & Center

August 7th at 10 am - Tosa Farmers Market, Little Red Store

September 4th at 10 am - Tosa Farmers Market, Little Red Store

October 2 at 10 am - Tosa Farmers Market, Little Red Store

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer, and we'll return to our regular Tuesday morning schedule on September 7th at 10 am at Cranky Al's. Hope to see you then...

Tosa Farmers Market

2010-06-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Going to the market,
Leaving right away.
If it doesn't rain,
We'll stay all day...

-our adaptation of Raffi's "Going on a Picnic"

Join us this Saturday, June 5th at 10am in front of the Little Red Store for a Happy Hour for the whole family at the opening day of the Tosa Farmers Market! It was fun last year for the one day kickoff event, and it's sure to be a blast again this year! With 40+ vendors and a recently opened pedestrian bridge, come on down! The market runs every Saturday from 8am to noon, June through October. We will be there every first Saturday of the month (with no market on July 4th weekend) in front of the LRS at 10am. What will we doing? Reading, singing, and rhyming about GROWING of course! And if a train happens to go by, or even if one doesn't, there's sure to be a round of Little Red Caboose! Photo courtesy of Anne Ullsperger. Thanks, Anne!

Little Birds & Vigilant Sleep

2010-05-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

Way up in the sky, the little birds fly.
Way down in the nest, the little birds rest.
With a wing on the left, and a wing on the right,
The little birds sleep all through the night.
Shhhhhh, they're sleeping ...
The bright sun comes up!
The dew goes away!
Good morning, good morning, the little birds say.

Thank you Cassandra and Alexander for sharing your bird song/fingerplay that Dad taught you!

I love how this song captures the magical moments of dawn and the important role that birds play in it. Cassandra mentions how much Alexander enjoys the anticipation in the song! Also a fun way to practice opposites: up/down, left/right, quiet/loud. This song also reminds me of an interesting bird fact I learned, that many birds use a form of sleep called "vigilant sleep" in which they have periods of rest with moments of "quick eye-opening peeks" to check for safety.

Then we talk about nests - how they come in different shapes and sizes (use your hand to make these shapes): some are like a little cup, some are like a bowl, some are flat like a plate, some are a mound, and others are a burrow. And some, like the albatross's nest, are simply a scratch on the ground (scrape foot on ground).

All this talk of birds coincides with some pretty interesting bird events in my life...

A mother mourning dove built her nest in my hanging Boston fern and laid two eggs! We've learned some pretty interesting mourning dove facts such as that the mourning dove is the Wisconsin State Symbol of Peace. And that the mother and father take turns keeping the eggs warm. The father usually has the morning shift and the mother takes over in the afternoons. They are dedicated parents and rarely leave the eggs unattended. We are excited when we see the ceremonial changing of the shifts. They have grown so accustom to us, I can even water my plant now without startling them. We will soon have squabs on our front porch!

Also, while we were gone camping a few weeks ago, there were reports of a wild turkey on our roof! The neighbor took a photo of it with its wings outstretched. Spring is a good time to see turkeys because it is mating season. I think it must've been eyeing our many ant hills for its morning "dusting."

And finally, while searching for the smallest eggs I could find in the aviary at the Milwaukee Zoo, I was handed a small, clear case with two tiny finch eggs no bigger than blueberries inside of it! The most beautiful and delicate little things I've ever seen.

The morning after a nice rain, we sit on the porch and watch the robins pluck their worms from our lawn. Exciting free entertainment right outside the door.

Kevin Henkes sure does have it right, BIRDS ARE EVERYWHERE!

photo credit

Birds

2010-04-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

"If birds made marks with their tail feathers when they flew, think what the sky would look like...

Sometimes, in winter, a bird in a tree looks like one red leaf left over.

If there are lots of birds in one tree and they all fly away at the same time, it looks like the tree yelled, SURPRISE!"

- BIRDS by Kevin Henkes

Madison author, Henkes, collaborates with illustrator and mother of his children, Laura Dronzek, on this recently-published book that takes an interesting look at our fine feathered friends.

We may not be able to fly like most birds, but read this book to find out what we do share in common with BIRDS!

Join us this May as we read this and other books about birds...

BABY BIRD'S FIRST NEST by Frank Asch
WHOO GOES THERE? by Jennifer Ericsson
FEEDING THE GULLS by Deanna Calvert
THREE DUCKS WENT WANDERING by Ron Roy
PENGUINS, PENGUINS, EVERYWHERE! by Bob Barner
DO LIKE A DUCK DOES! by Judy Hindley
SILLY LITTLE GOOSE! by Nancy Tafuri
HAVE YOU EVER DONE THAT? by Julie Larios
OWL BABIES by Martin Waddell
ARE YOU MY MOTHER? by P.D. Eastman
WHAT'S INSIDE? by May Garelick

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2010-04-25T21:16:00.001-07:00

"When I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

I remember reading once that books can be like a good friend to a child. If so, this one was a friend to me. Even as an adult in the midst of a bad day I sometimes recite to myself, "I think I'll move to Australia." And as a parent now, I've relied on Alexander plenty of times to help soften the edges of my daughter's misfortunes. The more disappointing the misfortunes, the more dramatic the read aloud; and we both feel better for having read it. The power of literature!

So after countless readings for both of us, I can hardly wait to sit beside my child on Mother's Day and watch as First Stage Children's Theater brings it all to life for us!

Stay tuned for a review...

Above Us, in the Sky

2010-04-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

The sun shines.
Rainbows shimmer.
Airplanes fly.
Rain drips.
Clouds float.
Snow falls.
The moon glows.

-from ABOVE US, IN THE SKY, part of the three never-before-published board book set, ALL AROUND US by Eric Carle

Inspired by the beauty and simplicity of this book, this month we look up to celebrate the SKY!

Other books we'll read:

LITTLE CLOUD by Eric Carle
WAITING FOR WINGS by Lois Ehlert
BIRDS by Kevin Henkes
GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown
THE STARS WILL STILL SHINE by Cynthia Rylant
LIKE A WINDY DAY by Frank Asch
UP! by Kristine O'Connell George
FLYING by Donald Crews
RAIN by Manya Stojic
A RAINBOW OF MY OWN by Don Freeman
IT LOOKED LIKE SPILT MILK by Charles Shaw

Stars, birds, wind, and clouds... There's so much above us to read, sing, and rhyme about this April! Hope you can join us...

A Flyer's Lullaby

2010-03-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

This month we learned that a mother kangaroo is a FLYER. A father kangaroo is called a BOOMER. And a baby kangaroo is a JOEY, of course!

Miss Sarah taught us "kangaroo" in Spanish, EL CANGURO. And that MI CANGURO means "my kangaroo." In February she taught us, "I love you." TE AMO. So that became The Flyer's Lullaby, (to the tune of Oh My Darlin' Clementine)...

Mi canguro, mi canguro, mi canguuuro, te amo.
Te amo, mi canguro.
Mi canguro, te amo.

And our I'm a Kangaroo Mum song, to I'm a Little Teapot...

I'm a kangaroo mum, long tail and FLAP.
Here is my joey and here is where he'll NAP.
When he gets really sleepy, he'll crawl inSIDE.
What a great place to nap and RIDE.

What a fun month it's been!

Photo credit

KANGAROOS Have Joeys

2010-03-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

"Seals have pups
Pigs have piglets
Deer have fawns
Eagles have eaglets"

With a simple rhyming text and vibrant illustrations, KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS is the perfect introduction for children to animals and their offspring. Zimbabwean artist Philippa-Alys Browne has created a stunning series of full-page images, each with a border design that reflects one of the cultures to which the animal belongs. For parents and older children, the book also features fact-filled notes on the lifestyle and breeding patterns of each animal.

- KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS by Philippa-Alys Browne, blurb (just learned this term today from Evelyn the Tosa librarian)

Spring is around the corner and soon nature will be teeming with new life! This month we'll read, sing, and rhyme about ANIMAL BABIES. Can't wait to share some interesting animal baby facts I've learned from this book.

A big thanks to the Milwaukee Zoological Society Education Department for the use of their copy of KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS this month!

A Good CUDDLE

2010-02-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

"Everybody likes a good cuddle...
Monkeys cuddle gently
and turtles cuddle slowly.
Ducks cuddle with their beaks
and elephants cuddle with their trunks."
- THE CUDDLE BOOK by Guido Van Genechten

Join us this month as celebrate the joy of cuddling!

We'll read:

THE CUDDLE BOOK by Guido Van Genechten
CAN YOU CUDDLE LIKE A KOALA? by John Butler
A NAP IN A LAP by Sarah Wilson
KISS KISS! by Margaret Wild
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE YOU by Liza Baker
THE MOST PRECIOUS THING by Gill Lewis
MY BEAUTIFUL CHILD by Lisa Desimini & Matt Mahurin
ONLY YOU by Robin Cruise
HOLD MY HAND: FIVE STORIES OF LOVE & FAMILY by Charlotte Zolotow

Nothing says "come cuddle" like a warm, wonderful book. Hope you can join us in February...

The YEAR OF THE TIGER

2010-01-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

Who is the beast?
Who can it be?
I see no beast,
I just see me.
- WHO IS THE BEAST? by Kevin Baker

The lush illustrations, the tiger's ever-changing facial expressions, and the beautiful message of finding similarities in those who seem different...I adore every inch of this book!

What fun we had this month reading it as a way of bringing in the Chinese New Year of the Tiger! We anticipated the rhyming words, we counted paws, and we learned the sign for tiger!

And a great big thank you to my book holders who helped me manage the big book version (available for check-out at the Tosa Library!).

A YEAR Goes Round

2010-01-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

"The days go dancing, one by one. When seven pass, a week is done...

The moon comes up, the sun goes down, and month by month a year goes round."

- from Month By Month a Year Goes Round by Carol Diggory Shields

It's hard to believe that we're at the top of another new year together. Looking back at photos such as this one from last January, it is exciting to see how much the little ones have grown!

This month we'll celebrate the passage of time by reading, rhyming, and singing about the days of the week and the months of the year.

BOOKS WE'LL READ:

Month By Month A Year Goes Round by Carol Diggory Shields
In the Town All Year 'Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner
A Year in the Country by Douglas Florian
A Kitten's Year by Nancy Rainies Day
Calendarbears: A Book of Months by Kathleen Hague
Today is Monday by Eric Carle
Turnover Tuesday by Phyllis Root
One Windy Wednesday by Phyllis Root
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen
Molly's Seasons by Ellen Kandoian

And in honor of the Chinese "Year of the Tiger"...

Who Is the Beast? by Keith Baker (big book version!)

Looking forward to another year of reading, rhyming, and singing with you!

Daddy & Maddie: On a WINTRY NIGHT

2009-12-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

"Daddy swirl your arms around, up and down and all around. Make an angel on the ground..."

This was her first time playing in the snow, and just the experience of walking and listening to the crunching sound was excitement in and of itself!

Making the snow angels was her favorite part, but they also constructed a family of 3 snowmen AND accomplished some shovelling! Busy, busy. Thanks for sharing, Mom.

All this daddy/daughter snow fun means one thing for me...time to read ON A WINTRY MORNING; Dori Chaconas makes midwestern winters so much warmer!

SURPRISE Snowman!

2009-12-21T12:16:00.001-08:00

Her very first snowman!

On the morning of Megan's 20-month birthday, Daddy surprised her with this fine fellow that they decorated together with Mommy later that day; Dad is Canadian and must be used to creating gifts out of snow. They used prunes, tomatoes, pretzels, licorice...and a party hat, of course. How creative!

If you have any fun snow photos you'd like to share, please email them to me at tuesdaysatten@gmail.com, and I will post them for everyone's enjoyment and inspiration!

THE BEST GIFT of All

2009-12-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

He liked his new hat and wore it even while he ate dinner.

During dessert, he thought of something. "What about our friends?" he asked. "Shouldn't we make hats for them, too? We could give them as Christmas presents!"

This holiday season, get lost in the illustrations of this warm, wonderful story of a mother and son rabbit who secretly measure and make hats for their animals friends. Each hat is cleverly crafted for the individual traits of each creature...

The goose's hat will have a long scarf that wraps around her neck. The horse's hat should be part blanket so he can sleep in the snow. And the dog's hat must have an extra-long tail that looks pretty when it blows in the wind.

After a very special presentation of the gifts in the town market, the first snowflake falls. Mother and son know they must return home before the blizzard. On the sled ride home, rabbit has a sudden realization...

"Oh, no!" he said. "Tomorrow is Christmas, and I forgot to make a present for you, Mother."

His mother squeezed him tight.

"Little Rabbit," she said, "being with you is the best gift of all."

What beautiful messages to share with your little one this holiday season... that giving IS better than receiving, that handmade presents really ARE extra special, and that time together truly IS the greatest gift.

Wishing everyone lots of snuggly reading and crafting time together this holiday season!

Animals in the Snow

2009-11-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

"Do you think birds know when it's going to snow? I do."

So begins another colorful, nature-filled story by Milwaukee's own Lois Ehlert. Peanuts in the purse and raisins for eyes. With edible features and accessories, it's fun to watch how winter animals interact with this family of snowmen!

Join us this month for stories about ANIMALS IN THE SNOW...

WE'LL READ:

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
In the Snow: Who's Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
Sailing Off to Sleep by Linda Ashman
Names for Snow by Judi K. Beach
Love Songs of the Little Bear by Margaret Wise Brown
OH! by Kevin Henkes
Snow by Manya Stojic
Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky
On a Wintry Morning by Dori Chaconas

FINGERPLAY:

A chubby little snowman had a carrot for a NOSE.
Along came a bunny and what do you SUPPOSE?
That hungry little bunny
was looking for his LUNCH.
So he grabbed that snowman's carrot nose,
Nibble...nibble....CRUNCH!

SING:

Start way up high on your tip toes and end gracefully on the floor...

Snow is falling, snow is falling,
All around, all around.
Oh so very gently, oh so very gently,
To the ground, to the ground.

And by all means, if you make a snowman this winter, please include some treats for the creatures in your design!

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

2009-11-23T18:31:00.000-08:00

With a bubblebath scene, a grand entrance from the top of a staircase for a tap dance, some furniture rearranging for a photo shoot, and the building and decorating of a TREE HOUSE - this one just may be my favorite!

We'll conclude our Laura Numeroff month by celebrating pigs and pancakes.

FINGERPLAYS

TWO MOTHER PIGS:

Two mother pigs lived in a PEN.
Each had four babies and that made TEN!

These four babies were as black as NIGHT.
These four babies were pink and WHITE.

But all eight babies loved to PLAY,
As they rolled and rolled in the mud all DAY.

At night with their mother they curled up in a HEAP,
And squealed and squealed until they went to SLEEP.

Shhhhhhh...

MAKING PANCAKES:

Mix a pancake, stir a pancake,
Poor it in a PAN.

Fry a pancake, flip a pancake,
Catch it if you CAN!

A great big thanks to Diana and Lauren for lending me their book this week. I'm off to purchase my own copy!

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake

2009-11-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

...he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it. When you give him the sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor.

After cleaning up his mess, this hard-to-stay-focused feline spends the remainder of the day sporting a pair of tropical swim trunks as he visits the beach, the gym, a merry-go-round, and the science museum; only to return home with an appetite for more cupcakes and sprinkles!

What fun we had last week sharing this book together and substituting the cat's actions into our repeat-after-me moose song from the previous week.

The cat! The cat!
Sprinkling the sprinkles...
Eating his cupcake...
Putting on his swim trunks...
Going to the beach...
Building some sandcastles...
Lifting some weights...
Doing karate kicks...
Where did he go?
Heeeeeeeee went to sleep!

At one point the cat becomes a captain and directs the little girl to row, so we sang...

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a DREAM!

Rock, rock, rock your boat gently side to side.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is such a RIDE!

Walk, walk, walk your feet gently through the sand.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is very GRAND!

Did anyone create their own verse?

I had a few other cat-related fingerplays that we never had time to share...

FIVE LITTLE CATS

Five little cats all black and WHITE (show five fingers),
Sleeping soundly all through the NIGHT (close fist).

Shhhhhh...

It's time for them to wake up NOW.
Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow! MEOW! (raise up each finger)

And finally, I love the simplicity of this one called SOFT CAT in which you make a fist with one hand and then pretend to pet it with the other hand.

Soft cat, warm cat,
Little ball of FUR.
Sleepy cat, pretty cat,
Purr, purr, purr.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

2009-11-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

This hungry traveler fixes loose buttons, makes sock puppets, paints scenery, and scares himself so much that he falls flat on the ground!

In Laura Numeroff's sequel to IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE, it's fun to see how a BIG animal visitor wreaks havoc!

We'll rhyme and fingerplay this old Boy Scout song originally titled "Da Moose," which I've reworked back into proper pronunciation as "The Moose." We'll also spare the little ones the final verse in which the moose dies! Done in call-and-response...

The Moose! The Moose!
The Moose! The Moose!
Swimming in the water.
Swimming in the water.
Eating his supper.
Eating his supper.
Where did he go?
Where did he go?
He went to SLEEP!
He Went to SLEEP!

We'll also sing The Muffin Man...

Oh do you know the muffin man,
the muffin man, the muffin man?
Oh do you know the muffin man
who lives on Drury Lane?

Oh, yes I know the muffin man,
the muffin man, the muffin man?
Oh, yes, I know the muffin man,
who lives on Drury Lane.

We all know the muffin man,
the muffin man, the muffin man.
We all know the muffin man
who lives on Drury Lane.

We'll also sing our counting song with everyday objects from the text: jars of jam, buttons, leaves, and socks.

Looking forward to more Laura Numeroff fun!

The Joy of Being Five

2009-11-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

Once again First Stage Children's Theater brings literature to life!

Yes, Junie B. Jones is naughty and self-centered and lacking a verbal filter. She displays the kind of behaviors most of us are working hard to minimize in our own children. So why then is her character so important, important enough to be adapted into a play?

Dorothy Butler says in Babies Need Books: Sharing the Joy of Books with Children from Birth to Six,

"Parents and children who share books come to share the same frame of reference. Incidents in everyday life constantly remind one or the other - or both, simultaneously of a situation, a character, an action, from a jointly enjoyed book, with all the generation of warmth and well-being that is attendant upon such sharing."

For the over-four child (whom these books and this play are recommended), Junie provides a frame of reference with plenty of situations and "incidents from everyday life" that will lead to meaningful conversations with your school-aged child...the stress of having to produce something interesting for show-and-tell, how telling lies can backfire, why it is not okay to make people give you things in exchange for friendship, what feelings come with a having a new baby in the family, how the truth will set you free, etc.

In the director's notes, John Maclay explains, "With our production we have attempted to create a world - in true Junie fashion - that is at once fantastical and grounded in reality."

Everyday settings with a big dose of fabulous is exactly what you'll get - the scenery, the lighting, the costumes, the songs! And of course the school bus that MOVES! We felt as if we'd been transported right into the pages of the book. And how mesmerizing that the actors' movements and gestures made them look just like the Denise Brunkus illustrations.

And then there's those cool moments when Junie snaps her fingers...the lighting changes, other characters freeze, as she directly addresses that audience with her inner thoughts. My five year old was beyond fascinated with this concept and, as a result, now has a heightened awareness of her own internal dialogue! After seeing the play, one day after school she shared with me: "I was going to say something to someone but knew it wouldn't be nice, so I snapped my fingers and kept it in my head."

Between all the fun and high drama, there's also some really special moments between Junie and Grampa. Another "frame of reference" that illustrates how wonderful it is to have a grown-up in your corner to help you with your problems. They sing a song together that I admit made me cry.

As the director concludes in his notes, "Junie B. is not perfect. And neither are any of us. But with the care of our families and an honest attempt to do better, we can all hope to make better choices in life - while still retaining some of the joy of being five. May we all remember the Junie B. that we once were."

Thanks FIRST STAGE for another oustanding live theater experience with my child!

JUNIE B. JONES and a LITTLE MONKEY BUSINESS runs through November 14 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

Cooperative Children's Book Center

2009-11-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, for one day only, two librarians are coming from the Cooperative Children's Book Center in Madison to present "Great New Books for Children and Young Adults" in the FIREFLY room at the Wauwatosa Public Library.

Today while hunting down more Laura Numeroff books for the book box, Ann, the wonderful librarian from the children's department reminded me of their visit and assured me that ALL ARE WELCOME AND NO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. There is a presentation at 1:30pm and again at 5:15.

The CCBC is a vital gathering place for books, ideas, and expertise of children's and young adult literature. The CCBC is a noncirculating examination study and research library for Wisconsin school and public librarians, teachers, early childhood care providers, university students, and others interested in children's and young adult literature. The CCBC is part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education.
- from the CCBC website

Let's check out what's new in children's literature with the visiting librarians!

Photo courtesy of Belle Vining, age 3. Thanks, Belle!

Hungry Little Traveler

2009-11-02T20:24:00.002-08:00

"If a hungry little traveler shows up at your house, you might want to give him a cookie. If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim...The consequences of giving a cookie to this energetic mouse run the young host ragged, but young readers will come away smiling at the antics that tumble like dominoes through the pages of this delightful picture book." - from the jacket cover of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff.

The moose and the muffin, the cat and the cupcake, the pig and the pancake... Whatever the combination of demanding animal and willing human host, Laura Numeroff certainly has the formula for fun! Her words just roll right off the tongue as Felicia Bond's illustrations bring the characters to life. It doesn't take long for little ones to memorize and anticipate the sequence of her stories.

So when I discovered that First Stage Children's Theater will be performing If You Give a Mouse a Cookie from November 7 through the 22, I knew it was time for a LAURA NUMEROFF MONTH!

We'll READ:

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake
If You Give a Pig a Pancake

We'll SING:

Since the characters tend to make messes, we'll sing some songs about cleaning up...

"This is the way we sweep the floor, sweep the floor, sweep the floor. This is the way we sweep the floor, all through the house..."

"Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere..."

We'll FINGERPLAY:

This one ends with some tickling!
Round and round the garden goes the little MOUSE.
One step...two steps...into his little HOUSE.

Quiet Mouse
Once there lived a quiet mouse.
In a quiet little house.
When all was quiet as can be...
Out popped HE!

Stellaluna

2009-10-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Wait! Wait! Let me look at this child." A bat pushed through the crowd...sniffing Stellaluna's fur, she whispered, "You are Stellaluna. You are my baby." My favorite moment from Stellaluna by Janell Cannon.

Although this book is too lengthy for us to enjoy in our whole group setting, I'm glad to see that the little ones are enjoying picture-walking through Stellaluna. Such great illustrations of the beautiful animal that is the fruit bat!

Thanks to the Tervoorts for sharing this photo from storytime.

Mothers and Pups

2009-10-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

A mother bat carries her pup until it is too heavy to cling to her. Then she must leave it to roost in the "nursery colony" while she flies at night to find food.

"She places her baby in a cluster of other young bats, where it stays until she returns several hours later. When the mother comes back to the cave, she calls out to her youngster. Each bat has its own distinctive sound, and a mother bat is able to recognize her baby's cry even when there are hundreds of other bats nearby. When the mother bat gets close to her baby, she smells it carefully to make sure that it is hers. After letting her pup nurse, she cleans and grooms it."
-- From BAT by Caroline Arnold

This month we use our counting song as a way of exploring different places the bat pup would be roosting while mama is away.

One little, two little, three little bat pups...
roosting in a CAVE.
roosting in a BARN.
roosting in an ATTIC.

We also sing this song to Frere Jacques while pretending to be a zookeeper holding a bat (remember to emphasize to NEVER, EVER touch a real bat, that a zookeeper is specially trained for this!)...

Bats are sleeping.
Bats are sleeping,
Upside down.
Upside down.
Sleeping in the daytime.
Sleeping in the daytime.
Waiting for the nighttime.
Waiting for the nighttime.
To Fly Around.
To Fly Around.

As the world's ONLY flying mammal, bats are truly amazing, beautiful creatures!

Photo courtesy of David Wilbanks. Thanks, David!

NIGHT Fliers

2009-10-05T10:06:00.001-07:00

Now she unhooks her toes and drops into black space.
With a sound like a tiny umbrella opening,she flaps her wings.
Bat is flying.
- Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies

Then the owl pumped its great wings
and lifted off the branch like a shadow
without sound.
- Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

They're both nocturnal. One perches, while the other hangs. Both can fly, but only one has feathers. This month we celebrate these amazing creatures of the night!

We'll sing to I'm a Little Tea Pot...

I'm a little owl up in a tree.
Here are my big, round eyes that help me see.

I can turn my head like this and that.
I like to fly at night like a bat.

So,when the sky turns dark and the moon comes out,
I'll lift my wings and fly about.

Then, like owls with their special, scalloped wings, we'll try to mimic silent flight.

Twenty-Four FEET!

2009-09-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Up in the air feet
Over a chair feet
More and more feet
Twenty-four feet...

- Dr.Seuss, The Foot Book

It was fun counting 24 feet with you each week this month!

All the marching, stomping, tapping, jumping, balancing, tracing, turning...I will miss September!

Photo courtesy of Robyn Beckley Vining, Ticklebugs Photography. Don't miss more of her photos that she graciously allowed me to post in my gallery. Thanks, Robyn!

Little Red Caboose

2009-09-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

How fun it was to gather in front of the Little Red Store to celebrate the return of the Tosa Farmers Market with all of you!

We read Market Days by local author Lois Ehlert. We sang "Going to the Market," our own version of Raffi's "Going on a Picnic". We enjoyed an energetic round of "Hokey Pokey," and practiced our counting with the "Here is a Beehive" finger play in honor of the honey vendor. There was a honey vendor, right?

And then, how exciting and dramatic when a train came through right in the middle of our HAPPY HOUR! Nancy was ready with Little Red Caboose! We formed a train of our own and chugged in circle as we sang this infectious song together.

What I liked the most was the opportunity to see many moms and dads together! I love Saturday gatherings, and I can't wait for next year's weekly market at this location, my new favorite spot in our village!

TOSA Farmers Market!

2009-09-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Going to the market,
Leaving right away...
If it doesn't rain,
we'll stay all day!"

This Saturday, September 26th, down in the Village, below the Harmonee Bridge, in front of the Little Red Store, we'll be having a special storytime as part of the TOSA FARMERS MARKET Kick-off event!

This one day harvest festival will create awareness for the weekly market coming next year. There will be farm vendors and lots of friends and neighbors coming out to show their support for the long awaited market in our community!

The festivities run from 8am to noon, but join us at 10am in front of the store for what's sure to be a great time!

Sweet FEET!

2009-09-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's Robyn Beckley Vining's fun photos of our storytime feet... Maybe it's the afternoon I spent with Nancy singing the Hokey Pokey... "You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out..." Maybe it's related to my exhaustive search for the perfect pair of back-to-school shoes for my child! Whatever the reason, this month we're celebrating FEET!

We'll READ:

NEW SHOES, RED SHOES by Susan Rollings
READY, SET, SKIP! by Jane O'Connor
ONE, TWO, ONE PAIR! by Bruce McMillan
FEET by Dana Meachen Rau
JUMP! by Steve Lavis
A PAIR OF SOCKS by Stuart Murphy
HELLO SHOES! by Joan Blos
HOW DO I PUT IT ON? by Shigeo Watanabe
TINY TOES by Donna Jakob
I WENT WALKING by Sue Williams
BABY SHOES by Dashka Slater
WALK ON! A GUIDE FOR BABIES OF ALL AGES by Marla Frazee

We'll SING:

KNEES UP MOTHER BROWN (I know this is not specifically about feet, but we sure do a lot of foot stomping when we sing it!)

THE HOKEY POKEY (at least we had one week of this with Nancy!)

We'll FINGERPLAY (or FOOTPLAY):

TWO LITTLE FEET

Two little feet go TAP, TAP, TAP!
Two little hands go CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!
A quick little leap up from the CHAIR...
Two little arms reach high in the AIR.
Two little feet go JUMP, JUMP, JUMP!
Two little hands go THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
One little body turns round and ROUND...
One little child sits quietly DOWN.

I'm also working out the details for an interesting foot-related storytime visitor to close out the month! Stay tuned for details...

STOP! DROP! and ROLL!

2009-08-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

A great big thanks to Captain Aaron from the Milwaukee Fire Department, Company #8 for another fabulous storytime visit!

How many seconds did it take this time for him to get geared-up? I can't remember the exact number we counted to, but I do remember that he was REALLY fast! He read a Clifford book to an attentive group of children that had gathered up front to sit Indian-style on the floor (don't ever remember THAT happening before!). They were truly captivated. We practiced his fire safety rhyme, and learned a new fingerplay together:

This brave fireman is going to BED.
Down on the pillow he lays his HEAD.
Wraps himself in his blanket TIGHT,
And plans to sleep this way all NIGHT.
But the fire alarm rings! He opens his EYES!
Quickly he dresses and down the pole he SLIDES!
Now climb up on the firetruck, don't be SLOW!
Drive really fast...GO! GO! GO!

Also a great big thanks to MADDIE who gave us a perfect demonstration of the STOP! DROP! and ROLL! I will be sure to make sure we do a run-through of this from time to time - a fun, active way to practice fire safety.

I'm so glad we'll always have the photos to remember this morning, taken by Christine Schubert and posted in our storytime gallery...

Back by Demand

2009-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

We've had many requests for Captain Aaron to come back for a repeat performance during the summertime for the school-aged ones...

Remember "sounding" the fire alarm and counting to see how many seconds it took him to get geared-up? Remember the room full of bright, shiny fire helmets? He read to us. Gave us coloring books and taught us a rhyme.

Well, tomorrow, he's back just in time before school starts! Hope you can join us for what's sure to be a fun morning!

Goodnight Moon

2009-08-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

How lulling it is to say
"goodnight" to ordinary objects! And no one says it quite like Margaret Wise Brown in her bedtime classic, Goodnight Moon.

The magic of the final page: the green and yellow striped curtains framing the moonlit sky, the glowing of the fire and the windows of the dollhouse.

Since most of us own a copy, and because Clement Hurd's illustrations can not be given proper attention with the size of our group (and because I think it would be really fun!), let's enjoy a collective reading of Goodnight Moon tomorrow morning to close-out our bedtime theme for this month*!

So, if you're able to come and you own a copy, bring it along! Share it with a little one in your lap, or gather in a group with others that don't have a book.

We'll read it, talk about the pictures, and finally fingerplay it out with the I AM THE MOON fingerplay from last week...

I am the moon,

Big and round and BRIGHT.

By the time you see my face,

day has turned to NIGHT.

* Next week, August 25th, Captain Aaron is back with an encore firefighter storytime for the "bigger" kids before school starts!

** Photo by Liz Scopel. I love it, Liz!

Sweet Dreams

2009-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Orangutans doze in a bed of leaves.

Lions sleep wherever they please.

Sharks rest with eyes open wide.

Black bears go into dens and hide.

-- Sweet Dreams: How Animals Sleep by Kimiko Kajikawa

I love the fun rhymes and great photography in this week's featured book, but it's all the interesting facts about how animals sleep that make this one of my favorite bedtime reads!

"A shark doesn't sleep like we do. It never closes its eyes to rest. Instead, it goes through resting cycles where it slows down its movements. The wide-eyed shark remains aware of sights, smells, and sounds, so it does not miss possible food, mates, or predators."

It's fun to pretend to be a sleeping shark with eyes open wide!

And did you know that horses don't dream??? "Because dreaming requires muscle movement...and a standing horse can't move its legs when it sleeps, it can't dream." Fascinating stuff.

So join us this week to learn more about animal sleeping habits!

We'll also practice how humans prepare for sleep with this bedtime fingerplay from last week...

Are you ready? It's time for BED.
Fluff up the pillows.
Lay down your HEAD.
Pull up the covers.
Tuck them in TIGHT!
Now close your eyes,
and sleep allllll NIGHT.

Shhhhhh....

The Whole Night Through

2009-08-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

"The moon still beams its milky light

Where NO one's staying up tonight!

Now I know what we should do

Let's sleep and dream

the whole night through..."

-- by David Frampton

Summer is a busy season! With more daylight, more activities, more visitors, more travelling...the sleep schedule tends to fly out the window! If you're like me and your bedtime routine needs a little attention, join us this month to celebrate the snuggliest time of day...BEDTIME!

We'll READ:

The Whole Night Through by David Frampton

The Sleepy Book by Charlotte Zolotow

Goodnight Moon (of course!) by Margaret Wise Brown

To Sleep by James Sage

The Noisy Way to Bed by Ian Whybrow

Won't You Be My Kissaroo? by Joanne Ryder

Snug in Mama's Arms by Angela Shelf Medearis

Sweet Dreams by Kimiko Kajikawa

Star Baby by Margaret O'Hair

Time For Bed by Mem Fox

Birdsong Lullaby by Diane Stanley

This week our featured book will be The Whole Night Through, story & woodcuts by David Frampton. Yes, that's right, WOODCUTS! Each page in this book is made from 4 SEPARATE WOODCUTS! Here is what Frampton writes in the jacket notes below a photo of him with stacks of woodcuts...

"This is me with the wood that I carved to make the woodcuts for this book. What is a woodcut? It is a picture that is cut into a pice of wood, then covered with paint and squeezed against a piece of paper. Each picture in this book is made from four separate woodcuts, one for each color. Did you ever step in a puddle and then leave footprints as you walked along? Well, making woodcuts is a bit like that and just as much fun.

New Hampshire is where I have been living and working on woodcuts for the past twenty-five years. We (my wife and two children) love our small town with its quiet ways and friendly people. Our house is near the town center, where you will find one store, a firehouse, and the town library that used to be a one-room schoolhouse. To complete the picture, add a moose, a bear, and a million trees. I have been making woodcuts for children's books for many years, but this is the first one that I have written and illustrated. Our kids grew up without a television. No TV, but there were so many wonderful books. It was by reading to them night after night that I learned about the words and sounds and rhythms that kids love to hear. These are the sounds in my own stories."

And his words, sounds and rhythms are just right for our gathering - plenty of rhyming opportunities for crowd participation! If you're able to stay for book box time, be sure to take a closer look at his work!

I also love what he says about stepping through puddles and leaving footprints. Consider it a home extension activity to walk through puddles... And to do potato prints!

Sleepy songs and fingerplays to be announced...

Under the Big Tree

2009-07-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ever wished for a little Tuesdays at Ten experience outdoors? On a summer Saturday morning? In the grass? Under the shade of a big tree?

Well this Saturday, August 1st, that's just what you'll get from 11:30-12:30 on the corner of 73th & Center!

Nancy & I have been invited to READ, SING, and "SHARE" at the Neighborhood Share Fair festival. We'll be leading a children's HAPPY HOUR! (the taking-the-show-on-the-road version of Tuesdays at Ten) and hanging out to enjoy the festivities ourselves. Local and FREE!

Looking forward to seeing those of you that can make it!

Summer Vacation

2009-07-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays at Ten will be on summer break for the month of July. We will return to business as usual on Tuesday, August 4th. In the meantime, enjoy whatever SUMMER brings your way: swimming pools, sandboxes, parks, playgrounds, the zoo, the beach...and BOOKS, of course!

CATERPILLARS Are Beautiful!

2009-06-29T09:48:00.001-07:00

"Now he wasn't hungry any more — and he wasn't a little caterpillar any more. He was a big, fat caterpillar."
--The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Last week, it really was all about the caterpillars! And talk about a HANDS-ON experience...

Heather's little green friends truly stole the show! Once she introduced them, there was no returning to "the originally scheduled program."

But that didn't matter, because instead what evolved was a sea of children gathered close, sharing in the experience of REAL LIVE CATERPILLARS! They watched them, pointed at them, touched them, even gently squeezed them a little (how can you not?!). A room full of wide eyes and anxious hands!

So although Heather never had a chance to read her book or share more information, everyone DID have a chance to witness first-hand just how beautiful and fascinating luna moth caterpillars are!

And what an interesting fact she shared that Eric Carle's caterpillar was actually modelled after the luna moth caterpillar!

It was fun learning and practicing with our bodies some of the differences between moths and butterflies that she taught us:

Moth antennae are fanned (open fingers), whereas butterfly antennae are clubbed (closed fists). When moths are resting, their wings are spread (arms out). Butterflies rest with their wings up and closed (elbows and hands together).

We learned a new song/fingerplay about caterpillars (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle):

Little Arabella Miller (hands cupped together)
Found a wooly caterpillar. (open hands)
First it crawled upon her mother. (crawl fingers up arm)
Then upon her baby brother. (crawl up other arm)
All said, "Arabella Miller! (point finger)
Take away that caterpillar!!! (wave hands away)

A huge thanks to Heather and her caterpillars from the Blue Bungalow for the memorable morning they gave us!

And a big thanks to Robyn Beckley Vining of Ticklebugs Photography for capturing this photo from our very special time together!

Moths Are Beautiful

2009-06-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Many people think moths are ugly pests. Not Luna moths. They are as colorful and amazing as the most beautiful butterflies."

So begins, Heather Zydek's informative and simply written book about luna moths, Moths Are Beautiful.

I'm excited to announce that Heather - a Wauwatosa resident, nature-lover, educator, urban environmentalist, and moth expert - will be joining us this week to share her knowledge and love of these exquisite creatures. She will read from her book, bring photos of moths, explain the differences between moths and butterflies, and will also have REAL LIVE caterpillars for us to view. She may even have a big, fat caterpillar that will rest on her hand while we touch it!

Of course it wouldn't be a storytime about caterpillars without a reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. If you own a copy, bring it along for your little one to read in your lap while I read aloud to the group. Always cool to be able to see the holes in the pages up close! And to point to all the crazy foods that the little guy eats before getting a tummy ache!

I'm especially excited about Heather's visit because this month is the one year anniversary of our first storytime. A year ago (give or take a week) we were at the Parkway reading...

"In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf..."

Hope you can join us!

Island in the Sun

2009-06-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

"On an island in the SUN,
We'll be playing and having FUN..."
-- Weezer

FUN in the SUN! I love that these words rhyme. And what great images you conjure up just by saying them: the beach, the park, a grassy meadow, flying a kite, or maybe just frolicking about with cute animals!

Shine, Sun!

2009-06-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Make flowers grow.
Make birds sing.
Make butterflies dance.
Shine on me, sun.
Make me dance too.
-- Shine, Sun! by Carol Greene

Here's a book I've read a gazillion times and still LOVE through every single reading! Also provides a great explanation for why we slather them with sunscreen this time of year.

Ahhh...this time of year. Bright, happy sunshine! Let's celebrate!

This month we'll...

READ

Shine, Sun! by Carol Greene
One Light, One Sun by Raffi
My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson
Greetings, Sun by Phillis and David Gershator
Sunny Day by Claire Henley
What the Sun Sees by Nancy Tafuri
A Sunny Day by Lola M Schaefer
Under The Sun by Ellen Kandoian
An Island in the Sun by Stella Blackstone

SING

An opportunity to sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider! "Out came the sun and dried up all the rain..." Song and fingerplay - I love it! And of course...

SING-A-LONG WITH NANCY:

She'll teach us the words and the sign for "sun" to this song - perfect to sing on a cloudy June day...

Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on ME.
Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a TREE.

All of us are asking you,
To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me!

FINGERPLAY

Zoe and I made this one up as a way of combatting the - some days mundane, other days frustrating - task of sunscreen application:

One, Two, Three, Four....
Rub it in, LET'S GET SOME MORE!

Five, Six, Seven, Eight...
Rub it in, THIS IS GREAT!

Sun dots on the cheeks, don't forget your NOSE...
Rub it in! Rub it in! Cover all the skin that SHOWS!

Your ears. Your forehead. And don't forget to CHECK...
That all the skin is covered, even on your NECK!

Okay, I reallllly need to get a day job! :)

SARAH'S SPANISH WORDS of the WEEK:

Thanks Sarah for the great, LAMINATED visual aids (available every week in the book box)!

EL SOL=SUN
LA PLAYA=BEACH
EL LAGO=LAKE

Get ready for our counting song by brainstorming with your child, "What fun sun things can we count???"

To a month of celebrating the star that is the center of our solar system!

A Year With Susan & Nile

2009-05-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

They've been coming since the beginning of time, and this week will be their final storytime. They're moving to Chicago.

I know our friendship will continue, but can't deny the sadness I feel when I think of not having them regularly at storytime. Looking out into the audience and seeing their faces always gave me extra motivation!

I first met Susan & Nile last June when storytime began at the Parkway. This was back in the day when our group was small enough that each week we would go around the room and introduce ourselves. From our first meeting, I fell in love with them!

Anyone who knows this pair can confirm how Susan (on her own) lights up the room with her beaming smile and warm personality, but with Mr. Blue-Eyes in tow, you can't help but feel happier around them!

Because they lived a few blocks away from the cafe (and attended every possible story hour within a 10 mile radius!), they would stroller it to Tuesdays at Ten regularly. On the way, Susan would try to keep Nile awake so that he'd catch his morning nap on the return trip home. I can only imagine what techniques she must have used; Susan is the Mary Poppins of mothers, truly!

She always has a song up her sleeve, or a bottle of bubbles, or a Ziploc full of finger puppets, or a random rubber farm animal, or an assortment of tiny carpet swatches to entertain Nile (and any other children in their presence). She had us over for a playdate once in which we roasted marshmallows in her fireplace and made S'mores. She doesn't let below-zero weather (that's caused school closings) prevent her from bundling Nile up for a trip to the library. Midwestern can-do spirit! She's showed up at my house equipped with a tent, big wands of bubbles and a refill of bubble fluid (in case anyone spilled). She makes and distributes May Day baskets! Susan - always prepared and always ready to have fun.

And then there's Nile! He's social and curious, sometimes intently focused, other days playful and carefree. As long as he wasn't too busy investigating his mother's ears or practicing his fine motor skills with a fork, he'd greet me each time with a smile and a hug.

My favorite memory of him is one winter morning we shared when he sat on my lap for a full hour while I chatted with Susan. Granted this was before he began walking, but nonetheless, not one wiggle or moment of discontent - just a nice, warm bundle of baby happily hanging out for a SOLID HOUR!

What a year with Susan & Nile. We've been so fortunate to have them as regulars and as friends. Some lucky story hour in the Chicago metropolitan area stands to inherit two exceptional human beings.

So best of luck, Susan & Nile, as you begin a new chapter in your lives. I look forward to the next time we are together again!

Reminds me of the Jim Gill song we used to sing...

"We clap our hands when we get together.
Clap our hands to celebrate!
We clap our hands when we get together.
My friends and I can hardly waaaaaaaaaait!"

The Happier We'll Be

2009-05-11T11:53:00.001-07:00

The lighting may not be perfect, the foreground is a little cluttered, the view of one subject's face is obstructed; but regardless, this is one of my favorite shots because of it what it symbolizes about storytime - people coming together for the shared experience!

For those of you that missed the Michael J. Fox ABC Special mentioned at last week's storytime, it was all about optimism and happiness. During one segment Fox travelled to Bhutan, a small country in the foothills of the Himalayas where the government monitors the happiness of its citizens. There was an underlying theme here about the correlation between happiness and having strong connections with people - family, neighborhood, community. The importance of having "shared experience!"

It made me think about storytime, and how I always feel especially happy on Tuesdays. Starting my day off with whatever unique mix of people may have come together on that particular morning -- regulars, newcomers, stay-at-home parents, working parents with the day off, grandparents, neighbors, out-of-town visiting relatives, preschool playmates, meet-up groups, a first-time parent with a newborn -- every Tuesday is brand new and special!

If you're there, it means your morning went well enough, no one was sick, your schedule was open, and ultimately you had the desire to come and be TOGETHER! I believe you show up not just for the books or songs, but for the connection we share. "The more we get together, the happier we'll be..." really does say it all.

Transport Me!

2009-05-04T11:47:00.001-07:00

"And an ocean tumbled by with
a private boat for Max
and he sailed off through night and day
and in and out of weeks
and almost over a year
to where the wild things are." -- Maurice Sendak

My time with Jeremy Jacobs and his voyage at sea, reminded me of Max's voyage, which made me remember that it was time for me to book our yearly passage across Lake Michigan by high-speed ferry!

Since this big event happens only once a year, each time we board feels like a new experience for my daughter. Boarding a ferry as a 2-year-old can be very different than boarding a ferry at 5! Some years excited, some years trepidatious; either way it's great to prepare for travel through reading!

So, with the upcoming travel season upon us, let's explore all the ways we get from HERE to THERE! Planes, trains, automobiles...and BOATS, of course! This month we'll...

READ

The Bridge is Up! by Babs Bell
Away We Go! by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Emma's Vacation by David McPhail
Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
Night Train by Caroline Stutson
The Bus For Us by Suzanne Bloom
The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort
First Flight by David McPhail
Boats Afloat by Shelley Rotner

FINGERPLAY

I'M A LITTLE AIRPLANE to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot
I’m a little airplane... I can fly! (arms shoulder height)
Here are my instruments - low and high. (turn dials)
When I get all revved up, (spin arm in front like a propeller)
Watch me fly... (both arms up again)
Off the runway to the sky! (up on tip toes)

CHOO-CHOO TRAIN
This is a choo-choo train, (bend arms at elbows)
Puffing down the track. (rotate forearms in rhythm)
Now it's going forward, (slowly walk forward)
Now it's going back. (slowly walk back)
Now the bell is ringing, (pretend to pull cord with closed fist)
Now the whistle blows. (hold fist near mouth and blow "toot, toot")
What a lot of noise it makes, (cover ears with hands)
Everywhere it goes! (stretch out arms)

SING

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT
Row, row, row your boat gently down the STREAM.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...Life is but a DREAM.
Drive, drive, drive your car gently down the STREET.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...Life is such a TREAT.
Fly, fly, fly your plane way up in the AIR.
Merrily, merrily merrily merrily... Life without a CARE.

Finally, how excited I am to announce the debut of OUR VERY OWN RESIDENT MUSICIAN! Once I learned that this storytime regular sings, plays guitar, and is studying music education; it wasn't long before I convinced her to share her music with us. I requested one of my favorite songs from childhood and coincidentally it fits the travel theme perfectly. So get ready for some call-and-response fun! This month (Phin's nap schedule permitting) Nancy will lead us in song...

THE WORLD IS BIG, THE WORLD IS SMALL by Ella Jenkins

O the world is big,
And the world is SMALL.
So there's lots of room
For the short and the TALL.

O the world is far,
And the world is WIDE.
But there's many different ways
To see the other SIDE.

You can travel on a BOAT.
You can travel on a PLANE.
You can travel in a DANCE.
You can travel in a GAME.

You can travel on a BUS.
You can travel on a TRAIN.
You can travel in a SONG.
You can travel in a NAME.

Can you and your little one think of any OTHER interesting ways to be transported???

Looking forward to MAY'S ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL!

Pirates & Positive Behavior

2009-04-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Pirates never wear sunblock, nor do they brush their teeth, or ever use manners. They don't have to listen to their mothers telling them to clean their rooms. They don't have to bathe or do homework. And when they're hungry they just say, "HAND OVER THE MEAT!"

Braid Beard, the captain of the pirate ship in First Stage Children's Theater's production of How I Became a Pirate, was explaining all of this to Jeremy Jacobs, the young boy who had suddenly been transported from everyday life to the deck of a ship filled with lively pirates.

As I sat with my daughter in the darkness of the audience on this rainy Sunday afternoon of live theater; I was laughing with the rest of them on the outside, but biting my lip on the inside. How would this affect the rules of decency and manners that I had been working so hard to impart on my daughter since toddlerhood?

"And pirates NEVER say PLEASE or THANK YOU!" Braid Beard emphasized. My heart sort of skipped a beat here as I looked down at my daughter's wide-eyed, 5-year-old face.

Nothing like high-quality children's theater to transport you... The lights! The set! The costumes! The actors! These crazy characters, the pirates, with their different way of talking and their don't-have-to-answer-to-authority ways. She was completely taken!

I imagined the days ahead - of her testing the boundaries and using the pirates as justification for anarchy! But alas, the plot twist that turns things in my favor is that, all the excitement and novelty of freedom and adventure fade as Jeremy Jacobs begins to miss home (ala Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are) - his own bed, reading books, goodnight kisses from Mom and Dad.

"Can someone tuck me in?" Jeremy Jacobs asks the pirates with a longing in his voice. The pirates are unable to fulfill his request but do sing a wistful song with him about missing home. Touched by the message of It's Good to Be Home and the thought of no love at bedtime, my daughter is transformed again and reaches out to hold my hand for the duration of the song.

It's worth mentioning here how fabulous the music is! Some of the actors are also well-known local musicians (from bands such as Frogwater and Random Maxx) playing guitars, keyboard, drum, flute and violin. Is there a CD soundtrack available? I'd love to know, because I'm ready to buy it!

John Maclay, the director, writes in his director's notes...

How I Became a Pirate was one of the first books that I read to my son and it has become a staple in our reading list. As we now bring the story to life for your enjoyment I hope that, upon leaving the theater, the tunes stay with you and you remember a few good laughs.

Mission accomplished, John!

But by far, the greatest, lasting benefit of spending an afternoon with the pirates at First Stage, is that my daughter and I now have a new inside running joke that promotes positive behavior:

"I'm going to go live with the pirates!" she'll say to me when she's disappointed because I tell her she SHOULD or CAN'T do something.

Then I'll respond, "THAT'S RIGHT! I'm going to send you off to go live with the pirates if you don't do what I say!" Very tongue-in-cheek, and then we both laugh and the struggle of the moment is dispelled. Lesson learned: living with all the benefits and comforts of home means following rules, remembering our manners, and listening to our parents. What a perfect learning moment How I Became a Pirate has given us!

So although the pirates wouldn't approve of my manners in saying this...

THANKS First Stage Children's Theater!

And a huge THANKS to Nancy (of "Nancy & Phinlee" - storytime regulars and mateys of mine) for the gift of the tickets! Nancy's husband, Jared, is Production Manager for First Stage. How lucky we are that they recently relocated here to Milwaukee from Manhattan!

How I Became a Pirate is a world premiere, original musical adapted by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman from Melinda Long's book by the same title. The production runs through May 17 and is recommended for ages 3 and older.

Also, check out the First Stage website for more information on the 2009-2010 season with more upcoming productions that are adaptations based on some fabulous books including:

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
If You Give A Mouse a Cookie
If You Take a Mouse to School

THEATER BASED ON BOOKS! It just doesn't get any more exciting than that...ARRRRRRGH!!! (Couldn't resist...that darned pirate-speak is beyond addictive!)

Big Red Barn

2009-04-20T11:23:00.001-07:00

"By the big red barn
in the great green field,
There was a pink pig
Who was learning to squeal."

So begins Margaret Wise Brown's Big Red Barn. Talk about music to the ears - I love this book! My cousin gave me the small board book version when my daughter was born, and I've read it a million times.

Brown's poetic words combined with Felicia Bond's sweet illustrations perfectly capture the simple bliss of farm life from sun-up to sun-down: the baby pig squealing towards the rising sun, a tomcat jumping out of the barn window, puppies "all round and warm," horses stomping in "the sweet warm hay," animals nestled together (even a piglet curled up with a foal) sleeping "all night long," the reflection of the moon in a pail of water...makes you want to pack up and move out to the country!

With this month's theme, I've been so excited to share it with you; but have had to wait patiently for the big book version to come down the inter-library pipeline.

It has arrived, and tomorrow we'll read it!

Fire & Smoke

2009-04-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

"Fire and smoke go HIGH...
Kids get LOW!
Run for the door...
GO! GO! GO!"

He even writes his own fire safety rhymes!

A great big firehouse, "THANKS!" to Captain Aaron for a wonderful morning of entertaining and educating the children!

Down on the Farm

2009-04-05T21:11:00.001-07:00

"THE BARN...often had a sort of peaceful smell - as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the world."
-- from Charlotte's Web

With my daughter's recent obsession with horses, and my involvement with the Tosa Farmers Market group , a monthly theme about farm life seemed like a natural choice! For the month of April we'll...

READ

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Farmer Will by Jane Cowen-Fletcher
Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri
Early Morning in the Barn by Nancy Tafuri
Down on the Farm by Merrily Kutner
There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch by Clare Beaton
Wake Up, Farm! by Alvin Tresselt

SING

I WENT TO VISIT A FARM ONE DAY
I went to visit a farm one day.
I saw a pig along the way,
And what do you think I heard it say?
OINK! OINK! OINK!

(Repeat with horse, cow, duck, sheep, etc.)

"Mary Had a Little Lamb"

"Old MacDonald Had a Farm"

...And lots of fun animals to sing about in our counting song!

FINGER PLAY

HERE IS THE BARN

Here is the barn (form a roof shape with hands)
Where I like to GO. (walk in place)
It’s as tall as a tree (point up overhead)
And cozy, you KNOW! (hug body with arms)

Here is the barn (form a roof shape with hands)
I’ll go there with YOU (walk in place)
To pet a sweet ____ (pretend to pet)
And cuddle it TOO! (pretend to hug)

HERE IS THE BEEHIVE

Here is the beehive... (Hold up right hand with fingers curled under)
But where are the bees? (hold other hand, palm up)
They’re hidden away where nobody sees. (shake your head)
Here they come buzzing out of the hive...1,2,3,4,5! (Raise thumb and fingers one at a time)
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

FIVE LITTLE FARMERS

Five little farmers get up early each day...(yawn and stretch)
For there is work to be done and no time to play! (shake head)
The first little farmer goes to milk the cow. (make milking motion)
The second little farmer gets ready to plow. (pretend to drive)
The third little farmer feeds the hens and chicks. (pretend to scatter corn)The fourth little farmer has gates to fix. (make hammering motions)
The fifth little farmer sells vegetables in town. (fan hand out in front)
Five busy little farmers work 'til the sun goes down.... (yawn, stretch, sleep)

Looking forward to hearing everyone's animal sounds!

Calling All Fans of Firefighters!

2009-03-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

"The firefighter is a person in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood...

Oh, the firefighter is a person in your neighborhood, a person that you meet each day!"

-- Sesame Street

This Tuesday you'll get to meet firefighter, Captain Aaron, from Engine Company 8 of the Milwaukee Fire Department! Here he is (on our far right, photo courtesy of MFD website) with his teammates who this February...

"...participated in the American Lung Association’s Climb Wisconsin. The firefighters, who placed fourth in the competition among other city firefighters, wore full turnout gear while climbing their way up the U.S. Bank Building’s 47 stories, 94 flights of stairs, and 1,034 steps. The MFD firefighters were the only firefighters in the Climb Wisconsin Firefighter’s Challenge to make the climb on air—wearing full masks and breathing from their SCBAs." -- from the MFD website (Yes, I googled him, and I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow what a "SCBA" is!)

Captain Aaron will come to storytime dressed in his gear. By referencing a few pages from a giant Curious George book, he'll show/teach us about the equipment a firefighter uses. He has books about firefighting to share in our book box, and firefighter hats and coloring books for the children to take home. It should be a fun and informative time for little ones and grown-ups alike. Hope you can join us!

Leprechauns & Broccoli Brooms

2009-03-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

From our St.Patrick's Day morning together, as promised...

SONGS we sang:

HI! HO! ST.PATRICK'S DAY! (The Farmer In The Dell)

The shamrock is green, the shamrock is green...
Hi, Ho! St.Patrick's Day! The shamrock is green!

...Or whatever other creative phrases you can come up with to substitute into this verse! The rainbow's in the sky...The leprechaun is small...The pot is full of gold...You caught the leprechaun...And now the gold is yours...

MARCHING LEPRECHAUNS
The leprechauns are marching!
They're marching down the HALL.
They're marching on the ceiling.
They're marching on the WALL.

Now they're marching two by two,
And now it's four by FOUR.
What? You say you can not see them?
Look out! Here come some MORE!

FINGER PLAYS we learned:

ARE YOU A LEPRECHAUN?
Do your ears point up? (tug on top of ears)
Do you have a lot of luck? (cross fingers on both hands)
For gold, do you dig? (pretend to be digging)
Can you dance the Irish jig? (dance)
If you answered YES, (nod head)
You're a leprechaun I guess! (hold hands out, palms up)

A LEPRECHAUN IS SMALL
A leprechaun is small & green. (hold hand down low to floor)
He hides where he can not be seen. (cover eyes with hands)
But if you catch one on this day, (pretend to catch)
He must give his gold away! (pretend to throw gold up in air)

GREEN VEGETABLE FUN...

This week while focusing on the color GREEN, we talked about loving our green veggies. Here are some ideas I had to share - my daughter not only eats these, but requests them!

BROCCOLI BROOMS
Steam broccoli. Have your child help you sprinkle parmesan cheese on an empty plate. Make a big deal that the "floor is messy and needs to be swept!" Model for your little one the use of the broccoli spear to sweep up the parmesan cheese. Finally, "eat the broom!" Be silly and have fun with it. Create a purposeful mood, "Oh NOOOO! The floor is soooo MESSY! Who is going to clean that up???"

EDAMAME
The Japanese word for soybean. Can be found in the frozen food section of both Sendik's and Outpost. Be sure to buy the ones that are still in the shell. Steam those babies up, then deshell and eat. Sometimes we like to hold them up to the light to see the dark shadow of the beans inside the shell. We count the bumps and sort them into piles according to how many beans in each. Fine motor skills fun and a great source of protein!

KALE CHIPS
You won't believe how great these are! Wash and chop kale. Be sure to devein the tough center stalk. Toss with olive oil and a little salt or parmesan cheese. Spread onto a cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Turn them and then roast for 7 more minutes. Eat them like chips or crumble over mac and cheese. Good on top of soup too. Enjoy the nutty taste and the crispy, melt-in-your-mouth texture!

If you have any green vegetable ideas that go over well at your house, do share!

The Rainbow Connection

2009-03-02T13:28:00.001-08:00

"Someday we'll find it,
The rainbow connection...
The lovers, the dreamers and me."
-- Paul Williams

Droplets of water and sunlight come together to give us the amazing gift of rainbows! So for the month of March, and during these dreary days of recession, let us celebrate the natural phenomenon that is legend to lead us to prosperity!

We'll explore the colors of the rainbow through:

READING...

Duckie's Rainbow by Frances Barry
The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
White is For Blueberry by George Shannon
A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

SINGING...

I'm a Great Big Rainbow (sung to I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a great, big rainbow in the sky...
See my pretty colors way up high!

Red, orange, and yellow, green and blue...
Now watch what rain and sun make me do!

When it starts to rain and the sun comes out...
Watch my colors all come out!

FINGERPLAY:

Color Soup! (we'll substitute different fruits and colors in this verse)

Take some cherries, put them in a pot. (pretend to put something in a pot)
Stir them up, stir them up, stir them up a lot! (use both hands for stirring motion)
Pour it out. Now, what will it be? (pretend to pour and then shoulder shrug)
The prettiest RED - you ever did see! (point to something red)

Because we'll be identifying colors in this fingerplay, be inspired to dress colorfully this month! Matching rules don't apply.

Also, if you have any fun rainbow art ideas from home, please feel free to bring and share!

Finally, sorry to disappoint any Kermit fans out there, but Jason Mraz's is my recent version of choice...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggdoi0rgSjI&feature=related

To a color-filled month!

PLEASE NOTE: On our final Tuesday in March, in lieu of our regular format, we will have a special storytime visitor!

Raffi and My Inner Child

2009-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about being a parent, is the opportunity it provides me to reconnect with childhood. Raffi is a constant source of entertainment for my inner child!

A children's singer and activist, his voice is like honey and instantly makes me feel five again. What a bonus that my daughter is equally as entranced by him! She likes to listen to him in the car on the way to preschool; and on more than one occasion, after drop-off, I find myself alone in the car continuing to listen and sing-along with him. I have a pandora.com Raffi station! I find Baby Beluga running through my head in the check-out line at Sendik's..."Baby beluga in the deep blue sea...swim so wild and you swim so free..." At the dinner table, we often sing a round of Thanks A Lot, substituting our own words and experiences from the day. He's been the soundtrack to some of the most playful and sweet moments I've shared with my child.

And how lucky am I that I get to sing The More We Get Together every week with you?! Or that Knees Up Mother Brown has been so well received with with the little ones?!

So it's always surprising to me how many parents have said, "Who???" when I ask if they know of him. I recall one conversation when Bonnie thought I was talking about Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitarist. How funny! And then, last week after storytime, neither Jessica nor Susan had heard of him. Therefore, it is my intention that no one goes without a personal invitation into the RAFFI INNER CIRCLE of PARENTHOOD...

On the left, you'll find RAFFI in concert. This is a series of consecutive youtube clips from his Young Children's Concert from the 70s. Watch them (the shots of the children in the audience are so great!), or just shrink the clips down and enjoy listening, singing, and dancing to the music with your child. Either way, be sure not to miss "Thanks A Lot," my absolute favorite!

I hope your inner child enjoys him as much as I do!

www.raffinews.com

Only You

2009-02-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

"When sunlight shimmers, warm and gold...

I love your hand in mine, to hold."

That beautiful line from this month's Only You by Robin Cruise reminds me of this photo from the Parkway storytime days. How lucky I was to capture this special, candid moment between them. Little Ari's hand in Lola's as they share a book together - priceless.

Love and Friendship

2009-02-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." - Unknown

This February, we'll celebrate LOVE and FRIENDSHIP! What an exciting theme for our group considering there always seems to be so much of both in the room every Tuesday morning!

We'll read...

Will You Be My Friend? by Nancy Tafuri

Only You by Robin Cruise

Somethings Go Together by Charlotte Zolotow

My Bear and Me by Barbara Maitland

Mommy Loves Her Baby/Daddy Loves His Baby by Tara Jaye Morrow

What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best by Laura Numeroff

I Love You As Much by Laura Krauss Melmed

Animal Daddies and My Daddy by Barbara Shook Hazen

Corduroy by Don Freeman

I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson

We'll sing...

Besides our counting song, we'll have fun substituting different names of our friends in this song. Does anyone else remember this fun one from childhood?

"Move Over and Make Room"

Move over and make room for ____,

He/She doesn't take very much space,

Since ____ is one of our very best friends

We surely can find him/her a place!

Our February Fingerplay...

"Heart Shape" (more of a whole-body slow stretch than a fingerplay)

My hands are on my heart. This is where I'll start...

Up and out...around and down.

Now make the point right on the ground!

Now bring them back out...up and in.

Back on my heart, right under my chin!

We'll also learn/practice how to say "I love you" in sign language.

Finally, we'll have plenty of books for you and your child to choose from for one-on-one reading after our whole-group session.

Looking forward to warming up in February with everyone!

Paige's Wintry Morning

2009-01-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

Paige and Noel enjoyed a winter hike together at Lapham Peak (part of the Kettle Moraine State Forest out towards Delafield). She's walking now, so it won't be long before Dad has her on cross-country skis!
www.laphampeak.com

Jelly Bean Eyes

2009-01-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Look who's enjoying inside snow play! Kay emailed me this photo of Peyton and his mini snowman! Jelly beans for eyes, push-pin buttons, and...is that a Mr. Potato Head hat??? Great ideas! With our latest mini snowman, we used whole cloves to make a mouth and toothpicked-raisins for eyes. If you have any interesting snow play photos or ideas to add to the mini snowman concept, be sure to email me!

Inside Snow Play

2009-01-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

With more snow on its way, I wanted to share a fun activity my daughter and I have enjoyed since she was a wee babe...

Playing outside in the snow is ideal. However, there are those days when you may not have the time or energy for the big bundle-up. So, bring the snow INSIDE! Fill a large shallow container with snow, gather some cups and spoons; and allow your little one to scoop, fill, and dump. Babies will enjoy the simple activity of touching and squishing the snow. A great sensory experience for all ages, and a wonderful way to reinforce the concept of MELTING! Susan and Nile tried it, and give it their endorsement!

As an extension of this, bring in a fresh batch of snow and quickly form it into a mini snowman. Put the snowman in the freezer while you find fun things from inside to decorate him: scraps of felt or material to make a scarf, cut the toe part off of an old colorful sock for a hat, ball-up small pieces of aluminum foil for eyes, widdle a tiny piece of carrot for its nose. Place him outside on a windowsill or in a window box where it will be easy for you and your little one to view him from inside.

Then cuddle up and read a great snowman book such as Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. What a magical, imaginary explanation for why snowmen look different the following morning! Be sure to check on your mini snowman daily to see how he has changed. Something about the small size and close proximity make for a much more intimate child/snowman relationship than the traditional version!

Enjoy the snow!

Winter Warm-Up!

2009-01-05T12:35:00.001-08:00

Rage against what is potentially the bleakest month of the year by joining us for some rhythm, rhyme, and repetition. All through January we'll celebrate the joy of winter by...

READING ALOUD:

On a Wintry Morning by Dori Chaconas

The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming

When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan

SINGING:

Our counting song, "Ten snowflakes floating to the ground...icicles melting in the sun... snowballs flying through the air..."

For some active fun, get ready to march and bounce to "Knees Up Mother Brown!"

FINGER PLAYING: In honor of snowmen everywhere...

"Three Balls"

Here's a ball, (make ball with thumb and index finger)

And here's a ball. (make ball with arms stretched out in front and fingertips touching)

A great big ball, I see! (put arms up and touch fingers over head)

Shall we count them?

Are you ready?

One, Two, Three! (make all three balls in succession)

Finally, available after our group session, we'll have plenty of winter themed books for you to read with your child including, one of my favorites from childhood, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

New Year, New Venue!

2008-12-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

We're no longer homeless...

Al and Suzie of CRANKY AL'S (69th & North, http://www.ilovecrankyals.com/) have graciously adopted us. Although we will forever miss our original space at the Parkway Cafe, I'm excited at the similarities Crank's has to offer: the warm feeling of a locally owned neighborhood spot, big windows with lots of natural light (even a northeast corner entrance!), and great coffee!

The other day I stopped in for a visit and Suzie commented, "I'm amazed at how many of your storytime parents are already customers!" I'm so excited over their enthusiasm in hosting us.

So mark your calendars for the first Tuesday of the year, January 6th at 10 am (of course)!

Like Music to the Ears

2008-12-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

"The ups and downs of our voices and our pauses and points of emphasis are like music, literally, to the ears of young children, and they love music. Simple tunes also make anything easier to remember, so it’s useful to read a book in exactly the same way every time, and to read the same book over and over again. The more quickly children pick up the "tune" of the words, the more they’ll remember the words and the more quickly they’ll have fun trying to ‘read’ the story themselves, with the same expression as we do."

I love this quote from READING MAGIC: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, by Mem Fox.

Reminds me of the "music" we made when reading On a Wintry Morning (by Germantown author Dori Chaconas) together that day. The audience participation was fabulous! We'll have to read that one again this winter when we reconnect.

Hope everyone is enjoying this snow!

One Tuesday Morning in June

2008-12-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

Less than a mile off the beautiful Menomonee River Parkway (where the border of Milwaukee and Wauwatosa mingle so much, it doesn't even really matter where you are!), we began our first storytime one Tuesday morning in June on the corner of 92nd & Center at a charming little neighborhood establishment, the Parkway Cafe.

Armed with: Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a real-live caterpillar we harvested from the neighbor's dill, and a stack of construction paper circles and glue sticks; we began our Tuesdays at Ten story group!

Each week we met. Soon the caterpillar hardened into its chrysalis, and then became a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly. Our group grew steadily as the summer progressed. How fun it was to watch through the big windows as everyone came rolling up in strollers!

We had story times about: clouds, water, farm animals, zoo animals, our feelings, our five senses (I think we only made it through four senses because the big red bag became due at the library, and we became sidetracked on other things...oops!), the moon, the leaves, and dressing for winter weather... "Thumb in the thumb place, fingers all together! This is the song we sing in mitten weather!"

We had our momentary tantrums, spilled milk, clunked heads, and stepped-on toes; but we shared it all together. We read, we sang, we used our fingers! We were genuinely happy to be together.

Unfortunately, we lost our original home when the cafe closed its doors in mid November. Though, as they say, "When one door closes, another door opens."

As we search for a new home for our group, let's stay connected. I'll continue to share ideas, links, and photos. Be sure to stay tuned for our new venue!