Ribbit!

I'm getting tired of "This Week at the Library."

Preschool Storytime

Yes, our theme this week was "Frogs." My daughter and I went down to a nearby pond to look for tadpoles to bring in for the kids. Either they're late, or I'm doing Frogs earlier than usual. There were no tadpoles, only eggs! So Lauren held on to one hand, I stuck my foot into the firmest mud I could find and I reached out to pluck a wad of eggs out of the muck. I actually didn't fall in! This was Monday afternoon. The eggs were just tiny round pinhead dots in a ball of clear jelly. Tuesday I showed them to the group. The eggs spent the night on the library office shelf, and when I came in Wednesday they had already grown into little black curls. Today (Thursday) I can even see heads and tails and they're starting to squirm. I'm amazed! I won't be surprised if they're hatched by tomorrow.

I'll bring them in each week until they develop into frogs so the kids can watch the process. I do this every year and it's very fun. This is the first year, though, that we've gotten to start with eggs.

Our books were:

From Tadpole to Frog, by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. We just looked at the pictures in this book, which do a great job of illustrating tadpole development.
Jump, Frog, Jump, by Robert Kalan. It was fun shouting "Jump, frog, jump!" at the top of our lungs. Reading this cumulative story can be exhausting, however!
The Wide-Mouthed Frog, by Keith Faulkner. A fantastic pop-up book. I was pleased that many of the kids remembered learning this story a few weeks ago.
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog, by Joy Cowley. Wonderful photography - and suspense too!
Frog and Toad Together, by Arnold Lobel. I read "The Story" from this book. Got a lot of giggles when Toad poured water over his head and banged his head on the wall.

The flannelboard story was Froggy Gets Dressed, by Jonathan London. Anytime you can use the word "underwear" will be a hit with the kids.

Toddler Time

Where was everyone this week? Very small groups!

It's been fun lately to see some children who have been silent and shy in the past find their words and blossom! Downright chatty! I love it.

Our stories were:

The Chick and the Duckling, by Mirra Ginsburg. Every time I asked "What will the chick say?" one little boy said "Quack, quack!"
Cookie's Week, by Cindy Ward. One group said "Ewww" every time I turned the page, and another group said "Boooom!" on every page. Funny!

Baby Time

Today we all got to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear to the babies. I pointed out what a valuable book this is in so many ways, and how it grows with your child. First, it teaches colors and animal names. Then the repetitive and rhythmic text helps your child memorize the words and anticipate what is coming next, an important pre-reading skill. Finally, because there are so few different words in the book, it is easy for a beginning reader to master. Simple genius!