F is for FROG

FROGS are popular characters in children's literature and one prolific author in particular loved to write books about them, Mercer Mayer.

With his recent passing, we've been reading more of his books lately and the wordless ones from the boy/dog/frog series in particular. If you enjoy wordless books, do not miss these! Frog Goes to Dinner and Too Many Frogs are my other favorite titles in this series, but also be sure to check out Where Are You, Frog? from his Little Critter series (love, love, love Little Critter).

Anyway, as a personal tribute to one of my favorite authors and his love of FROGS; and also inspired by Leap Frog class at the Milwaukee Zoo (pretending to swim like an aquatic frog with 2 year olds is time well spent) as well as my face-to-face meeting with a giant but calm bullfrog out at Fox Brook Park last week, it only seems fitting that...

Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 7th at 10am at the Little Red Store-ytime, we will celebrate our fine amphibian friends, FROGS!

AMERICAN Animals

Come soar with us tomorrow, July 3rd at 10am at the Little Red Store as we read this and other books about AMERICAN ANIMALS.

In lieu of adult registration, we are accepting donations for our American animal friends at Elmbrook Humane Society. There are many interesting things needed so be sure to check out their wish list.

Sarah is making red, white & blue M&M cookies for snack, and we will also have coffee.

The weather will be hot but the a/c will be on, so come join us!

Animal Daddies and My Daddy

Daddy Giraffe is tall as a tree.

My Daddy is tall.

He's twice at tall

as all of me.

from Animal Daddies and My Daddy by Barbara Shook Hazen

Comparing fathers to animals is fun! Beavers, porcupines, polar bears and elephants; what do they have in common with Dad?
Come join us this Tuesday, June 5th at 10am for a storytime at the Little Red Store as we find out while reading this book and others about FATHERS. If your dad can make it, great bring him along! If not, don't worry, we'll learn a fun counting game you can play with him later. Sing a song about an animal father you can teach him to sing with you. Make him a quick, thoughtful craft you can give him on Father's Day. There will be cookies and coffee inside, and chalk and water painting outside afterwards on the circle. Hope you can join us!

FLOWERS and BEES

Birds and bees,
and these,
and these
sip NECTAR from the FLOWERS.
- from The Reason For A Flower by Ruth Heller

Tomorrow, is May 1st, May Day! Come join us at The Little Red Store at 10am as we celebrate the symbol of May Day, FLOWERS. And the animals that help make more flowers, BEES!

In Wisconsin Animals, an outreach program I teach at the Milwaukee Zoo, we talk about BEES. How they are social insects and live in big groups in a special home called a HIVE where "200-200,000 bees can be living and working together! Imagine living with that many people in your house?!" The boy bees are called DRONES and the girl bees are called WORKERS. Which ones sting? And who is the one special girl BEE in the hive??? That's right, the QUEEN BEE! And then the teacher stands up, and we say "Hello, Queen Bee," and discuss some other fun bee facts and why bees are so important, "They give us honey and help make more FLOWERS!"

Let's get back to FLOWERS and May Day...

Tomorrow we will ring, sing, rhyme, and count about flowers. We will talk about stems and petals and how flowers need water to grow. Speaking of water, we will have a vase filled with it. If you are able to, please spend a little time in the yard tomorrow morning with the little one(s) and clip a few flowers to bring along to storytime and contribute to the group bouquet! All flowers are welcome, even dandelions :)

We will pretend to be a seed that grows into a flower as we sing a song Nancy taught us (to tune of I'm a Little Teapot, but sung much, much slower)...

I'm a Little Seed in the deep, dark, ground - crouch down and be a seed.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round - make a big circle with your arms.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow - make raindrops with your fingers.
Up I come now, grow, grow, grow - sprout up from the ground.

We will have a simple (much simpler than last month - no scissors required!) flower craft in the craft corner.
Sarah is baking up some Beehive Bar Rice Krispie Treats for snacktime, and serving up some Spanish vocab and counting practice.

And of course let's not leave out one of my very favorite fingerplays, "This is a beehive, but where are the bees??? Hidden away where nobody sees..."

Looking forward to seeing those of you that are able to buzz on down to the Village on May Day!

B is for BIRD

"I hear birds singing through the open window."
-from Birds, By Kevin Henkes

Spring is the perfect time of year to break out this book!

Tomorrow, Tuesday April 3rd at 10am, please join us at the Little Red Store for a storytime about BIRDS.

Let's celebrate our feathered friends and fellow vertebrates. We will read, sing, rhyme, and count all things birds: eggs, nests, feathers, and beaks. B is for BEAK!

B is also for BUNNIES... a fun time to review the comparison that MAMMALS HAVE FUR while BIRDS HAVE FEATHERS. Also a great segue to let you know that Sarah is baking Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies!

Wiggle your noses if you love to eat carrots like a bunny? Can you balance like a bird? Have you noticed all the bunnies and birds outside lately? They are fun to watch. What else can you think of that starts with the letter B?

Also, if you are in the midst of spring cleaning and come across some unmatched mittens or gloves (child or adult), please bring them along to repurpose into an easy-to-make BIRD/BUNNY CRAFT to bring home!

Finally, as we transition from mammals to birds this month, let us also remember and pay tribute to beloved storytime regular, devoted grandmother, zoo class enthusiast, and bird lover, Grandma Jan, who recently made her own transition. I was blessed to have her as my friend and faithful fan.

M is for March and Mammals

And Man's best friend...

Join us Tuesday, March 6th at 10am (doors open at 9:30) at the Little Red Store for a storytime in which we celebrate all three!

Inspired by a Zoo to You program I teach called Critter Covers, and my work in general with 2-6 year olds at the Karen Peck Katz Conservation Education Center, I believe that no one is too young to learn, or too old to be reminded that..."MAMMALS HAVE HAIR OR FUR." I enjoy repeating this with class participants of all ages as we rub our heads and notice the eyelashes and eyebrows of our neighbors. Afterall, WE are mammals too!

And who is a special, furry mammal many children know and love both at home and in books?? The one who rolls over for belly rubs and cleans up the mess on the floor the children make?? The dog! Therefore we'll spend some extra time talking and reading about Man's best mammal friend, THE DOG.

Brush up on your "Knick knack paddy whack give a dog a bone..." We'll count some bones as we sing it.

We'll read some doggie books and rhyme some doggie rhymes. Hang around after storytime and make a simple doggie craft to bring home to a canine friend in your life, or make a doggie puppet.

Sarah has baked up some M&M cookies in honor of our letter of the month, M! I've had these cookies and they are mmmmm, mmmmm good. Back to the letter M...

What other words can you think of that begin with the mmmmmmmmmmmm sound???

Animal Friendship

An unlikely friendship between mammal and bird, this is a beautiful book about being friends despite your differences!

So join us this Tuesday, February 7th at 10am at the Little Red Store, for a storytime inspired by Fluffy and Baron by Laura Rankin.

We'll continue exploring animal friendships as we read a book about a prickly mammal searching for his friend in Where is My Friend? by Marcus Pfister. Good opportunity to practice some left to right sequencing on the feltboard with the prickly objects the main character encounters - a pin cushion, a brush, a cactus - until finally he finds his friend!

So come down for the books and activities about friendship, and stay for the coffee and snacks with friends.

Speaking of friends, a big thanks in advance to my friend Sarah for baking by request some of her yummy mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, that may, or may not, have a Craisin in the middle??? I like a little mystery when eating a mini muffin and hers certainly are delicious!

Come early (doors open at 9:30) or stay late (until 11:30) with storytime from 10-10:30.

Looking forward to those mammals that can make it this Tuesday at 10!

For info or questions on registration, please email tuesdaysatten@gmail.com.