Ready to Learn Media Center

Hello Lucy Readers,

Make sure you come by and enjoy the PBS learning media center visiting our library.  Carmen Alvarez, our Early Childhood Project Specialist, was able to bring the center to our district EC libraries after attending a Ready to Learn seminar this year.  The center includes an iPad loaded with PBS educational apps, a Kindle tablet, and two iTouches.  The seminar emphasized "Leveraging Literacy & Math Resources for Community Impact." It's really cool!

Let it snow! Let it snow!

It's almost time for our winter break and we'll be getting in the spirit with a viewing of The Snowman!

In its original book version, Raymond Briggs tells a beautiful story of a boy and his snowman entirely without text.  The story is full of magic, wonder, and imagination.  It also has a healthy presentation of sadness and disappointment.  The movie tweaks the story a bit, but tries very hard to preserve the beauty and power of the illustrations. The result is a bit more playful, but just as effective.

There are a ton of enrichment activities for the story at The Preschool Toolbox Blog, some more rigorous than others. They look like a lot of fun, but my favorite thing to do with this book is to just show the children the illustrations and let them build the story.

So Thankful!

I am so thankful for children's books.  I'm thankful for libraries and common spaces where people might sit together and enjoy sharing information in any of its forms.  
I hope everyone has the opportunity to read a good book over the Thanksgiving Break.  

See you next week!

Turkey Time!

     Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we'll get in the spirit with Wendy Silvano's Turkey Trouble. The turkey in this story will do anything to avoid being the holiday meal, and kids will really enjoy his problem solving attempts.  It's a funny story, but the main character invites sympathy with a dilemma that students can really understand.  Silvano's writing is accessible to a large age base, but the nice balance of dialogue and predictability make it a great read for the Pre-K bunch. Students will find the surprise ending both comforting and funny. 

Check out a fun enrichment activity for the story at the Dresses n' Messes blog.

Fall Fun!

At your next visit we'll be reading The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri. 
This story is wonderful on so many levels!  It has a wonderful refrain that children will enjoy repeating, and plenty of autumn vocabulary.  Animals try to "talk" Squirrel into their favorite activity, but she is just too busy getting reading for fall. The animal sounds that accompany their speech are fun and sometimes unpredictable. Tafuri's images are bright and simple, with just the right amount of detail to make it realistic. 
This story lends itself well to many activities.  One of my favorite activity ideas is a Fall Sensory Tub filled with items from the story.  I found that idea at: http://delightfullearning.blogspot.com/2010/10/busy-little-squirrel.html

Week 37:  SUMMER FUN
Hello penguins!

This will be the last library day for students! 

Week 36:  We love you, Mom!
We'll read Before You Were Here, Mi Amor by Samantha R. Vamos and talk a bit about mother figures in our lives.

This will be our last week for student check-outs!