Storytime: SNOW!

I'm currently doing a 2s Storytime at one library, and a 3-5 Storytime at another. So in order to maintain some sanity, I'm trying to pick one theme for both each week and adapt it for the different ages. Some of my 2s are REALLY little and some of my 5s are already in school.

Books:

Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant
Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Snowy Sunday by Phyllis Root
Winter Is Here by Kevin Henkes

Songs/Fingerplays:

'One Little Snowflake'
'Chubby Snowman'
'Winter Hokey-Pokey'
'Two Little Hands'

Flannelboard:
I found one game in the files that I used - a simple counting rhyme "One Little Snowflake".

One Little Snowflake

One little snowflake with nothing to do

Along came another and then there were two.

Two little snowflakes playing in a tree

Along came another and then there were three.

Three little snowflakes looking for some more

Along came another and then there were four.

Four little snowflakes that finally did arrive

Along came another and then there were five.

Five little snowflakes having so much fun

Out came the sun and then there were none!

2s Activity:
I made this activity from the book Snowy Sunday. I hid the hats around the room and each child had a turn to bring theirs up, tell us the color, and add it to a snowball.

3-5s Craft:

Found this cute idea on Pinterest from:
A Dab of Glue will Do

I had a few younger siblings join for the craft so I abandoned the idea of the snowman and we just taped the circles to make snowballs instead. A little glitter at the end didn't hurt!

Thank You, John Burningham

While I have many favorite author/illustrators, none resonate with me quite as much as the late John Burningham. Leaving behind a legacy of amazing children's books, he passed away earlier this month at age 82. The managing director of his publisher called Burningham, "a true original, a picture-book pioneer and an endlessly inventive creator of stories that could be by turns hilarious and comforting, shocking and playful."

I find it no coincidence that probably my all-time favorite title of his was born the same year as I. I can't recall a time I didn't know this story, and it is still a favorite of mine to use in storytime.

When I went back to school to get my Masters degree, these two titles were fairly new. A friend I made in school introduced me to Avocado Baby, saying that it was one of his young son's favorite bedtime stories. As a soon-to-be children's librarian, I made it a point to get to know Burningham's work.

My oldest daughter was born around the same time this book came out. It was a bedtime favorite, the gentle lyrical prose is such a delight and a perfect match to the pictures, without being too sweet.

                                           

These next three were all published in the last ten years and I adore each of them, as a librarian, as a mom, as a human. I don't even have cats or dogs and I'm excited about the prospect of a party with the Queen of the cats! Picnic is perfect for storytime, and I swear I was Sylvie from The Way to the Zoo when I was a kid.

Motor Miles came out in 2016 and I remember being so excited when it came in at work. My guess is that's John Burningham, zipping around in a car or a plane with his dog, thinking up more wonderful adventures.

                                            

 More Favorites:

The Magic Bed

There's Going To Be a Baby

Come Away From the Water, Shirley

Tug-of-War

Mouse House

Where's Julius?

Harvey Slumfenberger's Christmas Present

Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car