Bedtime & Books- I Can't Sleep!

They came in their pjs, with their stuffed friends and blankies. They came to the library for Bedtime & Books!

We read:
Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio- funny book about a family of pigs all snuggled together in bed!
Can't Sleep Without Sheep by Susanna Leonard Hill- the sheep are exhausted from jumping over the fence so Ava can count them and go to sleep, so they try to find replacements!
"I'm Not Sleepy!" by Jonathan Allen- little owl is back and doesn't want to go to bed!
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up! Late by Mo Willems
Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? by Barney Saltzberg
We had a Wee Willie Winkie Rhyme-Off- yes, the girls won!
We went bananas, of course, with our Go Bananas! song and then we ended with some bedtime crafts!

I had fun with my Little Library Friends and my Big Library Friends!

Family Literacy Play Date

Play Literacy supports the idea that children learn best through play. Young

children can learn the fun, as well as the importance, of reading and writing

in everyday life through imaginative play.This new program is based on the work of early childhood educator Gretchen Owocki, author of

Literacy Through Play (Heinemann, 1999).

At each Family Literacy Play Date, there will be manipulatives and literacy materials related to a theme, such as Restaurant, Doctor's Office, or Ice Cream Stand. We will read a story related to the theme and then model the activities that go along with the theme.

Pretend reading and writing are incorporated into the program through group-based and individual literacy activities. For example, parents might write a grocery list or a letter and read a menu or a fishing map, and then help the children to do the same. Children and adults then have the opportunity to play with the toys ("go shopping," "take pizza orders," "play post office.")

We stress purposeful play which incorporates literacy.

Our first event was Bank Night which was generously sponsored by Franklin's Bank Mutual.

We read about what bank tellers do and a short story by Mercer Mayer, Just a Piggy Bank. We looked at different coins with this fun little rhyme...

Penny, penny,
Easily spent.
Copper brown
and worth one cent.

Nickel, nickel,
Thick and fat.
You're worth five cents,
I know that.

Dime, dime,
Little and thin.
I remember,
you're worth ten.

Quarter, quarter,
big and bold.
You're worth twenty-five
I am told.

Then we played! Fun and learning go together!

Free Educational Ideas

Another great freebie off Kiz Club!

Word family worms! Simply to make- just print off the templates and fold them according to directions. Then practice word family words with your child.

Love this site! Check it out!

Free Educational Ideas

I've mentioned earlier that I love the website- Kiz Club
So many fun things are available for free!

Love this phonics foot fun because it gets the kids up and moving. Now, if you go to their site, they will give you wonderful ideas about how to use these feet. But I just like the idea of taping them on the floor and giving the kids access to letters. So, if they pick a B, they can go to as many feet that will make a word with the letter B.

Print these feet for free and have some Footy Phonics Fun!

Free Educational Ideas

Lakeshores also has a cookie jar toy to learn the numbers 1-10. Each chocolate chip cookie has a number on one side and that same number of chips on the other side. Another easy idea- paper and an empty container- that's it.

Sing the song "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar", read the book of the same title.

Use Cookie Monster's voice to have fun eating the cookie with 5 chocolate chips- yum, yum, yum. Me love cookies!!!!!

Free Educational Ideas

I saw something in the Lakeshores catalog with a bunch of small items of the same color in a colored container as a manipulative for children to learn their colors. But the cost was crazy! So, I decided to make one!

Pringles can, found objects around the library and voila!

You can do it, too! It's simple and easy and cheap! Plus, BONUS, you clean out your junk drawer.

Now learning colors is obvious, but you can do so much more! Counting, language and descriptions, I Spy, size, etc...
Also, make it a treasure hunt! Have your little one help you find the objects! Fun, fun , fun!

Franklin School District Three-Year-Old Screening

In early October each year, the Franklin School District, in collaboration with the Franklin Health Dept., holds a screening for all 3 yr.old in the district. Known as Child Development Days, the program combines a play-based observational screening of children with a "Child Fair" for parents to learn more about child and family related services in the area.

This free event takes place at the Franklin Public Library the first week of October.


Please take advantage of this by making an appointment-
call 414-525-7626 now!

Preschool Pretend & Play (3-5)

The Letter of the Week is DDDDD as in Dinner! Who's Coming to Dinner? Pig, Chicken, Egg?

We have read stories about crazy dinners that don't go exactly as planned!

The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza
Foxy and Edd by Alex Smith
20 Hungry Piggies by Trudy Harris

We went bananas with our Go Bananas song and we danced to the Fun Thing by Eric Litwin!

We took home origami foxes and fox tails, too!

Music & Motion

Here is the list of songs we danced to in our 1st Music & Motion!

Go Bananas! from The Learning Station
Egg Shaker Songs- I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner, Shake the Rattles by Kindermusik, Shaker Hop by Carole Peterson
Peanut Butter & Jelly on the Silly Favorites CD
Wiggle & Freeze by Cathy Bollinger

Waddlers & Walkers (WW) Ages 23 months and younger

Thurs. at 9:00am (Enter library on Loomis side by flags)

Choo, Choo Train
Here is My Book
Open and Shut Them
1 Potato, 2 Potato
Do You Know the Muffin Man?
Followed by some new rhymes.

Extended activities handout will be available.

Tales for Twos (TT) Age 2 with an adult

Mice are Nice
Mon.-Wed. at 10:30 am

We will practice counting with 5 Little Ducks. Did you take your ducks home last time so you can sing and play at home, too?

We will read Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley and Eeney Meeny Mouse Big Book.

Besides our Letter Song and our activity song, Slippery Fish, we will also pretend to be mice with Carole Peterson's song, The Little Mouse Goes Creeping.

We will practice our colors with our flannel board, Little Mouse, Little Mouse.

Again, there will be a take-home craft and an extended activities handout. Hope to see you there!

Out Sick

Well, our first week of Preschool Pretend & Play was off to a sickly start! Monday was a holiday. Tuesday, I was sick. For those of you that came today, I hope you had fun.

I hope you enjoyed the smores...and liked our new Go Bananas! song.

Hopefully, next time we meet, things will be back to normal!

Miss Debbie (sniff, sniff)



Very Cute Book!

As I was cataloging new books today, I came across this gem! Roly-Poly Egg by Kali Stileman. Very cute!

Geared toward younger readers, Splotch the bird gets so excited when she sees her spotted egg that she jumps up and down on the tree branch. This sends the egg off on a rolling adventure with different animals.

After reading it with your little one, follow it with some creative fun by making a Splotch Birdie on your own! They will love it! Check it out at the library soon!