Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That’s what all the other numbers think of Zero. He doesn’t add anything in addition. He’s of no use in division. And don’t even ask what he does in multiplication. (Hint: Poof!) But Zero knows he’s worth a lot, and when the other numbers get into trouble, he swoops in to prove that his talents are innumerable.

This book just came in today and I think it's a great book to read to your kindergartner to help them learn about the concept of zero and place values.

Preschool Pretend & Play- Chickens Run Wild

I think I did chickens last year...

As I said to Library Friends- big and little- I don't like to repeat programs or themes because there are so many new ones to do always, but I had to do 'Chickens' because there are so many new, fun chicken books out!

We started by shaking our eggs to Laurie Berkner's I Know a Chicken and then we read Chickens Run Wild by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein.

Our regular weekly rhyme concentrating on the number 10- 5 Eggs and 5 Eggs fit right in!

Then we danced to the fun song- Chicken Fun by Mary Jo Huff! Hilarious!

Lots of Good 'Rainbow of Food' Books

Last week, in Tales for Twos, we talked about the rainbow of foods we should eat each day. There are a lot of good books out now about this and here are a few that I used.


Brand new from Anita Lobel, 10 Hungry Rabbits- colors, counting and good foods to eat all wrapped into one great book!

This fun pull-and-pop book worked great for colors and guessing what yummy foods there are with those colors! Everyone in the room was able to yell out guesses based on the pictures of what foods were blue, red, yellow, green, etc.

Fun Greeting for Little Ones

With this bumblebee glove puppet, I greet the little ones with this rhyme:

Tickle, tickle bumblebee, can you say your name for me? Bzz, bzzz, bzzz

Puppets always seem kind of scary for some little ones and really funny for other little ones, so I try to really be aware of that when using puppets. The first week everyone was pretty shy, but the second week, we heard a lot of names spoken!

Great Letter Rhyme

I am sure I got this out of The Mailbox Magazine. I love that magazine and their books! We use this in Tales for Twos. Each week we use a different letter. It's a very easy rhyme to learn and easy to do at home. We include colors in our exercise, too. You can add a lower case letter as well!

Where is P? Where is P?

Here I am!Here I am!

Can you say the p sound? Can you say the p sound?

p/p/p  p/p/p


Some New Books I Like

Well, I usually like two different types of picture books- silly and heart-warming. Here are some new books that I like.

I think Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books are just hilarious! I love the simplicity of the books and how much is shared with the reader through the subtle facial expressions of two main characters. I actaully laugh out loud when I read these books. His new one is no exception:

This is a Christmas book that we just got in and it is beautiful. I love Lauren Thompson. She is the author of the Little Quack books, Mouse's First Spring and more. This again is a simple book, but powerful in its message and the emotions that it evokes.

New Easy Readers I Like

These books concentrate on three word families in each book. They are bright and bold and simple, which I think are important for easy readers. There is a cutout that allows the child to see that the word has the same ending- the beginning changes- which I think is an important concept for them to understand. Check them out- there are several in the series so far.

Tales for Twos (age 2)

Scientists are regularly reporting new health benefits associated with fruits and vegetables. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a worthwhile goal. Eating a variety of different colors of fruits and vegetables every day is a new way of thinking about meeting the goal.

This is a great link for parents.

So, in TT this week, we are discussing nutrition, but more specifically eating a rainbow! The colors of vegetables and fruits that we should eat!

Mini- Storytime in a Book! Rookie Ready to Learn

I mentioned this series before, but I just got a bunch of new ones in and wanted to mention that they remind me of a mini-storytime wrapped up in a little package!


There is a story and then after, rhymes, critical thinking activities, maybe a craft idea or a game idea, etc. that is related to the theme of the book! So, some extended activities for parents and children to do together! I really like them.