TURTLE Tuesday

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

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

"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

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!

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

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

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!