Strong Start Story Time

Mouse Count

This week I brought out one of my favorite math books for littles Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh. In this fun book with simple cut paper illustrations 10 mice are captured by a hungry snake and put in a jar. I have a jar full of mice and usually a snake to bring this story to life as I read it. Kids love to see and play with the mice counting them forward and backward.

You could do this activity at home with a jar drawn on paper and paper mice, or get creative with a real jar and 3-D mice, maybe pine cones or cookies.

Ellen Stoll Walsh has a whole series of books of her papercut mice. Check them out at the Public Library or search for them online.

We visited the famouse mouse poem Hickory Dickory Dock.

I intended to read the book If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff, but completely forgot. I recommend any of Laura Numeroff's, If you give .. books kids love them and they can lead to great language play with your littles. It is always fun when kids bring language patterns from the books you share into everyday life. My son said to me the other day " If you give a kid some spinach he is going to want some ranch to go with it"

There Was a Little Mouse

There was a little Mouse

Who sat upon a chair

When the cat said "Miaow"

He ran right up the stair.

Flight School

Our first book this week is Flight School by Lita Judge. In this story, a penguin is determined to fly despite the fact that he is a penguin and not built to fly. Some out-of-the-box thinking by his teachers helps him to realize his dream.

On the theme of penguins, we will be singing The Penguin Song.

Our second book is Penguin and Pinecone by Selina Yoon. Selina Yoon has written a whole series of books with a penguin as a main character who steps out of his icy home to adventure in the world. One such book is Penguin and Pumpkin which unfortunately our library does not own as it is a perfect fictional connector between autumn and penguins. You may want to check out this online read-aloud from Happy Cultivated which is a YouTube channel that does an excellent job of presenting picture books to bring literacy to children.

Thank you to all the caregivers who brought their littles to our first storytime. Sharing books and literacy with children has so many benefits check out readaloud.org for information on the benefits of reading aloud to your child from birth.

5 little penguins standing in a row.
5 little penguins standing in the snow.
Brrrr, it’s cold! I cannot stay! (Hug self and shiver.)
And one little penguin waddled away. (Waddle in place.)

- kidsparkz.com

Mouse Count

Flight School

Pumpkin's, Pete the Cat and Monsters - Happy Halloween

Book exchange schedule

Alexander Park Library