SEPTEMBER

POND LIFE

All our Story Time programs in September were about pond life.  Each week we read a book and then had an activity/craft to go along with our story.

WEEK ONE

Denise Fleming's book gives young readers a frog's-eye view of life in a pond throughout the seasons.

 

In the Small, Small Pond is a 1994 Caldecott Honor Book. (from publisher)

 WEEK TWO

It’s Little Frog’s first autumn, and she doesn’t like it one bit. It is not the green world she loves so much, but something scarier and ominous, filled with red and gold and yellow. And noise! WHIRRRRR. CHIRRRR. BAROOOOOOM. But encouraged by her Mama, who reminds her that "Most things that are scary are just new," Little Frog bravely sets out into this world. When her courage waivers, she starts to run and soon is lost, miserably lost. She finds her way to Papa Frog and he shows her what Mama Frog means. (from publisher)

In a warm and satisfying ending:

At last, arm in arm,
Little Frog and Papa Frog
happily hopped and danced
all the way home to The Pond
where Mama Frog had made
a fresh shoo-fly pie for dinner,
something all three of them knew well.

 

 

 WEEK THREE

The third week in September we took the children outside to our courtyard and told the story The Ugly Duckling using a flannel board and felt pictures like the ones above.

 WEEK FOUR

Two best friends, a minnow and a tadpole, are practically inseparable until the tadpole grows legs and decides to explore the world beyond the pond. When the tadpole, now a frog, returns to tell his friend of the extraordinary things he’s seen, the minnow, now a fish, tries to follow in his footsteps, but quickly finds that land is not what he expected. Friendship truly saves the day in this imaginative tale of a fish out of water. (from publisher)

 

Playing with rubber ducks in the courtyard water tables after listening to The Ugly Duckling.

Story Time is every Wednesday and Friday morning at 10:30 a.m.  (Choose Wednesday or Friday).  Our Story Time programs are meant for children ages six and under.  Every week we sing songs, read a story, read a poem, have snack, and either play a game or make a craft.  We would love to have you!  Please call 256-386-9212 or email ksherron@muscleshoals.lib.al.us for more information.

AUGUST

BUGS & INSECTS

All our Story Time programs in August were about bugs and insects.  Each week we read a book and then had an activity/craft to go along with our story.

WEEK ONE

Open your ears to the wonderful concert happening every warm day and night in our yards, fields, and woods nearby. Who are making those sounds? Can you sing along? (from publisher)

WEEK TWO

They crawl up walls, they hide in cracks, they flip, they fly, and sometimes . . . crrrash. Beetles come in all shapes and sizes, and they are everywhere in this thoroughly buggy, beautifully designed book.

There are striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles--and don't forget the noisily gnawing beetles! Whether you love bugs or whether the sight of them makes you itch, you'll adore this infested offering from the beloved Denise Fleming. (from publisher)

 WEEK THREE

Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a perennial favorite with children and adults alike. Its imaginative illustration and clever cut-out detail charts the progress of a very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through the week. (from publisher)

 

 WEEK FOUR

Get the buzz on bugs in this picture book from Angela DiTerlizzi!

Grab your magnifying glass!
Find your field guide!
And come hop, hide, swim, and glide
through this buggy backyard world!

Featuring insects including butterflies and moths, crickets and cicadas, bumblebees and beetles, this zippy rhyming exploration of backyard-bug behavior is sure to have insect enthusiasts of all ages bugging out with excitement! (from publisher)

Releasing the butterflies we raised.

 Story Time is every Wednesday and Friday morning at 10:30 a.m.  (Choose Wednesday or Friday).  Our Story Time programs are meant for children ages six and under.  Every week we sing songs, read a story, read a poem, have snack, and either play a game or make a craft.  We would love to have you!  Please call 256-386-9212 or email ksherron@muscleshoals.lib.al.us for more information.