CATERPILLARS Are Beautiful!

"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

"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

"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!

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

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

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!

"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!