Toddler Story Time: Stories we Love!

I love looking through the shelves of any library or bookstore! I almost always come across a book I remember fondly and think, "Wow, I really love this book!" Some are books my parents read with me, some are books I read on my own, and others are books I have read with my own children. 

Books create wonderful memories when shared, and so I am sharing some of my favorite stories with you all today. Some are brand new "favorites" and others are those that have stood the test of time. I hope you enjoy them all and I encourage you to find some of your favorites to share with your children as well!

Stories I love:
 The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak is a read-aloud like no other! It was an instant "favorite" when I first heard of the book! Our principal, Ms. Redd, shared this book with our group today!

 Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is one of my favorite stories to read aloud. Every child has had a moment when they wanted to sail away from the "troubles" at home, and the sound effects and rollicking fun can't be beat! Listen to the author read it to you here (from Barnes and Noble.)

 Brown bear, brown bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle is a book that many children learn to "read" on their own simply because the repetition and predictable text are great for developing readers.

 Flip-a-Face Series: big little by SAMi Niko's mom brought his favorite book to read to us today! We got to see BIG and little parts of a face!

If you want to read one of my favorite holiday stories, try this one!  The Hat by Jan Brett is one of my favorite stories to read during the holiday season. It doesn't matter what holiday you celebrate, all friends enjoy the happiness they bring to one another by sharing something special.

Songs and videos:
Read a book today from Between the Lions
Brown Bear Rap by Miss Nina: what a fun way to experience this song in an interactive way!
One Fine Face was a favorite song at our house when my children were little, and Niko's book made me think of it so I had to share!

Until next week, keep reading some special memories with the children you love most!

Toddler Story Time: Thanksgiving

The Kingdom of Reading book fair has come to Meadow Wood this week! And with it there are several great holiday books, including some great Thanksgiving books! I am so thankful for my little reading buddies who come join me every week to read, sing, and share time together. I hope you enjoy time with your family and find many things to be thankful for!

Books:
 Pete the Cat: The first Thanksgiving: you can make this fun Thanksgiving activity to share with your family! 

 llama llama home with mama

 Splat says Thank You!

Suggested title: Pinkalicious: Thanksgiving Helper

Videos:
Miss Nina: "The more we get together"

Kimboo Kids Songs: "Over the river and through the woods"

Out of the Box: "Goodbye Song"

Until later, friends. Be sure to spend time reading with someone you are thankful for in your life! 

Toddler Story Time: DOGS

Dogs really are a man's best friend, and you can't help but love them! We loved these wonderful canine adventures last week!

 Bow-wow wiggle waggle by Mary Newell DePalma

 Patch by David Slonim

 Mogie by Kathi Appelt

We spent some time with our stuffed animal dog friends in the library and "took them for a walk" while listening to this Sesame Street song.


It was a dog-gone good time! Keep reading, friends!

Toddler Story Time: Trains

Even though my "little boy" is now 12 years old, his eyes still twinkle when his younger cousins or neighbors come to our house and ask him to help them build a train track on our playroom floor. The wooden tracks and metal trains we bought him for Christmases and birthdays when he was 3, 4, and 5 years old are still well-loved toys in our house! I honestly don't think it is a love many boys out-grow, as my dad and his older brother are still model train enthusiasts! 

Two summers ago we were able to take a train along the coast of Washington state, and it was a marvelous way to travel! I don't know who of our family was most excited to be at a real train station and traveling on a real train! It was a great memory to make together. I loved it as much as my little conductor did!

So this edition of Story Time is dedicated to the train-lover in all of us! All aboard!
Today's Books:
How to Train a Train by Jason Carter Eaton; Illustrated by John Rocco


Shark vs Train by Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld


Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown

Today's Videos:
Kids Love Trains
I've been working on the railroad by Miss Nina
Blue Zoo Train by Choo Choo Soul

Until next time, keep reading!

Toddler Story Time: Pirates and Princesses

Our Pirates and Princesses

Today we explored our imaginative sides by finding out what it takes to be both a PIRATE and a PRINCESS by reading these books:
 Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail



 Pirates Guide to Recess by James Preller




 Princess Penelope by Todd Mack

 Do Princesses wear hiking boots? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle

Then we all "walked the plank" to create our PIRATE or PRINCESS hat to wear home while listening to Sofia the First sing "I'm not ready to be a princess." We left the library ready to take on the world with our imagination!

Toddler Story Time: Monsters

Monsters can be scary, but today we read a collection of stories about the most lovable monsters! Be sure to give these monsters a chance!

Books from today:

 Monster Musical Chairs by Stuart Murphy

 Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett on Barnes & Noble Online Storytime

And a classic Golden Book story: "A Monster at the end of this book" with our furry friend Grover!

You might also like:
 Spike the Mixed-up Monster by Susan Hood

  Monster Math by Anne Miranda

Videos from today:

Sesame Street: "Monster in the Mirror" 

Disney Junior: "Happy Monster Band" playlist including "Get Up and Go Go Go", "Do the Monster Stomp", and "Scare Up Some Fun"

Here's hoping you find more friendly monsters in the pages of your books!

Remember to.... keep reading until next time!

Toddler Story Time: FALL

Fall is one of my favorite seasons! It means that temperatures might start getting cooler, and Houston's summer heat will soon loosen its grip on its inhabitants. Plus it means that leaves rustle under our feet and pumpkins are EVERYWHERE!

Books we read today:
 Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley

 Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka

 Pumpkin Harvest by Calvin Harris

Videos and songs from today:
Guess the Seasons by Sesame Street

Husky in leaves - who doesn't live watching the pure joy of a dog playing?

I leave you with a beautiful video about Autumn:



Remember to keep reading!

Toddler Story Time: Hugs

This week's theme reminds us that no matter who you are or what you're feeling, a hug is something that's worth giving. Hugs make you smile from the inside out, so make sure you share some today and so you don't pout!

Books we read together:
 Hug Machine by Scott Campbell

 Time for a Hug by Phillis Gershator

 Hop, Hop, Jump! by Lauren Thompson


Videos we watched:
"Kristen Bell needs a hug" from Sesame Street
"The Hug Song" by The BopBops

Remember to share a book and a hug with those you love!

Toddler Story Time: Mo Willems

This week we had tons of fun with one of my very favorite authors, Mo Willems!

Books we read this week were:






We played "Bathtime Boogie" while listening to a classic Sesame Street bathtime song "Rubber Duckie, Your'e the One" by Ernie. Everyone walked around in a circle until the music stopped, and then froze to be picked to get a prize during the song.  Everyone left with a prize, a Pigeon tatoo, and a Pigeon maze activity sheet.

We also sang the song "If you're happy and you know it" with Miss Nina.



What a great time we had together laughing and smiling and having fun! I hope to see everyone back to play, sing, and listen to more stories next week!

Constitution Day 2014

Today is Constitution Day, which is a celebration of the day the United States Constitution was signed in 1787. Find out more about our founding fathers and the work they did to form our great country at ConstitutionDay.com. 

Our third graders enjoyed hearing the story House Mouse Senate Mouse by Peter W. & Cheryl Shaw Barnes read by a local attorney, Elizabeth Lockett with the Houston Bar Association. The Houston Bar Association donated the book to the MWE Library for us to read throughout the year to help our students learn more about our government.

Our Meadow Wood students did a great job listening to the story and asking thoughtful questions. Ms. Lockett complimented them on their good behavior and responses. Just one more reason for us to be so proud of our Meadow Wood students!

Toddler Story Tiime: Dot Day 2014

It was so nice to see so many new and familiar faces for Toddler Story Time today! We had lots of fun reading, singing, and creating with dots and circles.

Books we read today:
 Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier - we learned that there are dots everywhere! See how many you can find all around you!

 Skippyjon Jones shape up by Judith Byron Schachner - you can read it again on We Give Books (click here).

 Press Here by Herve Tullet - our very favorite one of the day!

Songs we learned:
From Miss Nina:
"The more we get together"
"There's a little wheel a-turning in my heart"

Other songs we sang:
"Three Primary Colors" by OK Go (on Sesame Street)
"Goodbye Song" from Out of the Box

Then everyone was invited to design their own dot with circle stickers. Here is one proud artist's finished picture:

*bonus: Parents, you can see your child's creation come to life in 3D by downloading the iOS app colAR and using it to scan his/her picture. Have fun!

Toddler Story Time: Summer

Today was our final story time of the year! We invited our incoming kindergartners to join us, and we had so much fun! I am already gathering books and ideas for next year's story times!

Today we read:

 Heat wave by Eileen Spinelli

 Blackout by John Rocco

 I'm bored by Michael Ian Black

We sang:
"The more we get together" by Miss Nina
"We're going to Kentucky" by Miss Nina
"The good-bye song" from Disney's "Out of the Box"

I am looking forward to more fun times reading during the summer, and hope to see everyone back in September!
Until then, check out the Summer Reading page for lots of links to fun things to keep your students busy reading and having fun all summer long!

Toddler Story Time: Animal Poems

Disney Junior: "A Poem is... Ducks" by Mary Ann Hoberman; read by Owen Wilson

Today we enjoyed more fun poetry books about animals! Poems are so fun to read aloud, and are great for our little learners to hear and help read. The books we read from today were:
 Quick as a Cricket  by Audrey Wood; illustrated by Don Wood

 bow wow meow meow: it's rhyming cats and dogs by Douglas Florian

 Eric Carle's Animals Animals: "Mother Doesn't Want a Dog" by Judith Viorst and "Sparrow" by Kaye Starbird

We also had fun watching these fun videos:
Billy Collin reads poetry on "Martha Speaks"
Disney Junior: "A Poem is... Ducks" by Mary Ann Hoberman; read by Owen Wilson (see video above)
Miss Nina sings "The ants go marching" - and we marched right along with her, too!

Playing with rhymes and words is so much fun! try reading some nursery rhymes together this week and keep the celebration of Poetry Month going!

Until then, keep reading!

Spine Poetry Take 2

I love teaching a lesson multiple times! Each group brings a different dynamic, a new perspective, and a unique experience.  After a week of STAAR testing, two more classes of Fourth Graders came to the library ready to create poetry together.
I went over the process of picking out books to make a poem with book spines, showed them several examples, and previewed the tellagami app. Then I let them loose in the library to have fun!

These groups really had fun creating their avatars!

Their final poem videos were fun and creative. Since they had to make a group poem, I hope they all come back to the library and make their own soon!

I love how easy tellagami is to use and learn! It is a great tool for students to know how to use.

On a side note... In creating my blog posts about their poetry creations, I have found 2 great apps that easily and quickly transfer videos and pictures from Apple devices to my computer. 

I have successfully used:

 Simple Transfer Pro by Rambax, LLC (2.99)

 Image Transfer by Capable Bits (Free or 2.99)

Keep creating and sharing, everyone!