Tag Archives: Food

Flannel Friday: Going on a Picnic

22 Nov

I have to credit Melissa for this one as she was super generous in sharing her library system’s storytime training plans with me when my library was revising ours recently. This flannel is a part of that plan. So I’ve only used it as a training tool, but can certainly work in storytime! You’d probably need a few more pieces of food, though…

This is intended to be used with Raffi’s song “Going on a Picnic”, although he mentions different food. But it’s a great call-and-response song that can be easily learned by the whole group.

Put the picnic basket up on the board. Hand out flannel food pieces to the audience (only do this if you have enough for EVERY CHILD). Tell the group, we’re going on a picnic so we need to fill our picnic basket with yummy food!

Going on a picnic, leaving right away.

If it doesn’t rain we’ll stay all day.

Call: Did you bring the …. [strawberries]

Response: Yes, I brought the … [strawberries] (child brings strawberry up and puts it on the picnic basket)

etc….

picnic2

Continue until all the felt foods are in the picnic basket.  Next is your opportunity to really grow those early literacy skills. Talk about how two of the foods have words on them – Juice and Jam – and run your finger under the words. Notice how “juice” and “jam” both start with the letter J, that makes a “juh” sound. Ask the kids what color the strawberry is.  What else on the board is red? What color is the cheese? Why does the cheese have holes? It’s SWISS cheese. Ask the kids about their favorite picnic foods.

picnic

We used this in our storytime training to demonstrate how we extend early literacy skills learning – talking about letter knowledge, background knowledge (colors, cheese words, picnic words), etc. I’m hoping to find the time to make more foods and really use this in my food storytime! What fun! I love picnics!

The roundup today will be hosted by Bridget. To see all past flannels organized for your easy access on pinterest, click the icon on the right side of the screen.

Happy Flanneling!

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Go! Bananas! Go! Go! Bananas!

7 Nov

On Monday I read Miss Amy’s wonderful post about rhymes to use when your storytime group gets the wiggles. I especially liked how she divided them by wiggle-level – low, medium, and high – and the great rhymes she shared. It was especially timely as that afternoon I was co-teaching a
Bananastorytime training, and part of our curriculum was on dealing with disruptions – like the wiggles. I printed copies of the post and shared them with all attendees. Thanks, Amy!

One of the songs she mentions is the one that begins “form a banana…” and it reminded me of one I heard from a friend at Denver Public Library. I went looking online for that one, and instead found this gem. I’ve since used it with several classes and it’s been a hit with both kids and teachers. Love that it includes the word “shuck” – yay for new vocabulary! Plus, it’s just darn fun (and this woman gets an A+ for enthusiasm!) – the mashed potato part is my fave!:

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Flannel Friday (WHAT!? A Post? REALLY?): Watermelon Contest

14 Jun

Hey! Long time no blog! Yes, I realize it’s been 3 MONTHS since my last post. I apologize for neglecting this blog; I plead busyness. I’ve been busy with a bunch of projects, some of which I will post about here, soon, and haven’t made any new flannelboards or felt inspired to write on anything else.  I promise I’ll do better. PLEASE don’t break up with me!

This flannel is a result of reading Greg Pizzoli’s new story The Watermelon Seed and feeling inspired to create a “summer foods” storytime. You know, all those things we like to eat especially in summer? Hot dogs, popsicles, ice cream, watermelon. If you haven’t read Greg’s book, DO IT NOW. It’s delightful, and accurate. I know I worried about things growing in my belly when I was a kid.

I found this on Making Learning Fun:

(tune: London Bridge is Falling Down)

Find the largest watermelon, watermelon, watermelon

Find the largest watermelon at the fair.

Give it a blue ribbon, blue ribbon, blue ribbon

Give the largest watermelon a blue ribbon.

watermelon

I made 5 watermelon and 5 ribbons, so 5 kids at a time can come up and award prizes to the largest, next largest, etc. I think I would switch it up and perhaps ask the kids to award the first place to the smallest, next smallest, etc. Maybe I’ll make strange shaped watermelon and ask them to award prizes to the squarest, silliest, etc.. Endless possibilities!

watermelon2

The roundup today will be hosted by Katherine.  Check out all past flannels via our pinterest page (click the icon on the right sidebar).

Happy flanneling!

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Flannel Friday: Yellow Butter, Purple Jelly, Red Jam, and Brown Bread

18 May

I was introduced to this tongue-twister by my friend Carol Edwards. You start with an outstretched palm (the bread), and use the other hand as a pretend knife to spread the butter, jam, and jelly. Then, we say this (as I put each piece on the board):

Yellow butter

purple jelly

red jam

brown bread.

Spread it thick, say it quick!

I use it as another opportunity to put words on my flannelboards:

We  say it again a little faster, ending wtih: “spread it thicker, say it quicker!”

And again, ending with: “now repeat it, while you eat it!” (pretend to eat your sandwich)

And finally, slowly, like you have a mouthful of food:

Nyallough budddder

peurpell yelllieeee

hred jammmm

brohwwwn bread.

Yum! (rub your tummy!)

Here’s a template of my bread, butter and jar shapes if you’d like to use them: Bread/Butter/JellyJar

Flannel Friday today will be hosted by Linda at Notes from the Story Room. Be sure to check out everybody’s posts there! And also click on the icon to the right to see all past boards on our Pinterest page!

For more information about Flannel Friday visit our new website!

Happy flanneling!

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Flannel Friday: Aiken Drum

11 May

I really really really wanted to be part of the first flannel friday of the new website, so I went into my archives and found this flannel that I made years ago. Aiken Drum seems to be the original version of what became Flip Flap Jack (in my opinion). Here are the parts: A moon, spaghetti hair, broccoli ears, meatball eyes, cheese nose, pizza mouth, and a ladle (you can use different foods, but the moon and ladle are standard):

Here’s the song:

There was a man lived in the moon, in the moon, in the moon

There was a man lived in the moon and his name was Aiken Drum.

And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle,

He played upon a ladle and his name was Aiken Drum.

(continues with these additional verses:)

His hair was made of spaghetti…

His eyes were made of meatballs…

His ears were made of broccoli…

His mouth was made of pizza…

His nose was made of cheese…

We add each food piece with each verse and here’s how it looks all put together:

The spaghetti hair is yarn glued to a piece of felt. For those of you playing ukulele or guitar, you can find the chords here.

The round up will today be hosted by Sharon at Rain Makes Applesauce. If you have a flannel friday post to share, be sure to add the link in the comments to her round up post, as, per our new procedures, that’s the ONLY place it’ll get picked up. Thanks! Click the icon to the right to see ALL past flannels on our pinterest page.

Happy flanneling!

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What Do Storybook Dinosaurs Have in Common?

25 Jan

I was reading dinosaur stories to my preschoolers yesterday, and I noticed a common theme between three books we read. I wonder if you can figure out what it is? One of the teachers got it. The books were:

  • Waddell, Martin. The Super Hungry Dinosaur.  I love this book – especially for Hal’s bravery when defending his family and how he makes the dinosaur apologize.
  • Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food.  All these dino books are favorites of the kids. Even if they won’t admit that YES, sometimes, they DO bubble their milk. But NEVER stick beans up their noses.
  • Shea, Bob. Dinosaur vs. Bedtime. ROOAAARR! Dinosaur wins! Except when it comes to bedtime. Bedtime ALWAYS wins.

Have you figured out what these books have in common? I mean, besides DINOSAURS, obviously. It is…..

Spaghetti. Yes, spaghetti. In The Super Hungry Dinosaur, after Hal makes the dino apologize and clean up, he declares he’s still hungry. So Hal’s mom makes him a Super Hungry Dinosaur Dinner, which happens to be spaghetti and meatballs. In How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food we are asked if a dino would “flip his spaghetti high into the air?” And finally, in Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, the dino goes up against a bowl of spaghetti. Who will win? Dinosaur, OF COURSE.

*SLURP*

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Flannel Friday: Stone Soup

14 Oct

Hi all! An old folktale today, one that many of us know/have used: Stone Soup. The version I use is from Judy Freeman’s Once Upon a Time: Using Storytelling, Creative Drama, and Reader’s Theater With Children in Grades PreK – 6, however, there are lots of other retellings and versions.

A beggar shows up in a village asking for food. One by one, the villagers tell him they don’t have enough to share. But the beggar tells them if they let him borrow a pot, he will show them how to make soup from a stone. He puts the stone in the pot, stirs it, and pretends to taste. He tells them it’s good, but would taste even better with a potato. A villager brings a potato, and that goes into the pot. This continues, and he one by one adds an onion, carrot, tomato, and broth. In the end, of course, he has a delicious soup for all to share. And the villagers will, from then on, always share what they have.  Nice message, eh?

I made a giant black pot and a stone, to start:

And then, all the veggies (and a bowl of broth) to go in:

To make it interactive, I attached a second piece of felt to the backside of the pot, leaving the top open. Kids can bring the vegetables up, one by one, to put in the pot, if the group allows. Or I can make them “disappear” into the pot:

Mmm, soup!

How have you used folktales like this in storytime? Have you ever used a variation on Stone Soup?

Check with Andrea later today for the full Flannel Friday roundup! And click on the FF icon to the right to go to our Pinterest page and see all the flannels helpfully categorized in an easy-to-browse picture format!

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Flannel Friday: 5 Hungry Ants

12 Aug

I’ve posted this one before, as part of my food storytime, but that was long before Flannel Friday started so I thought I would share it again! It’s one of my preschoolers’ favorites, especially since after every sneeze I toss the ant over my shoulder.

Mmmm....cake...

We start by counting the ants, and then, one by one, they march into the food:

5 hungry ants,

marching in a line,

came upon a picnic

where they could dine.

They marched into the salad,

they marched into the cake,

they marched into the pepper….

Uh oh, that was a mistake!

AHHHH-CHOOO!

4 hungry ants….etc….

The ants are ready for their close up.

I like to add words to my flannel pieces where possible, and point out the word as I’m saying it. I have asked the kids what words they think are on the cake, and they can usually guess correctly. Also, this is a vocabulary builder – we talk about what the word “dine” means (not to be mistaken for DIE, which the kids often think I’ve said. It’s good to clarify. Dine is a fancy word for eat! Like “dining room!”)

Check out the full Flannel Friday round up later today; hosted by Cate at Storytiming

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Flannel Friday: Flannelboards Inspired by Others

5 Aug

Hi all! No new flannels for you today; I wanted, instead, to share my excitement with all the wonderful bloggers/librarians who have joined in Mel’s Flannel Friday endeavor and have inspired me greatly! Here are MY version of some of their friday flannels:

Both Anne and Sharon have a version of Flip Flap Jack, and it’s a great fun song! I really liked how Sharon’s co-worker used pictures of real food, so I replicated that:

My clerk and I decided he needed a nose, so he has a cherry nose. Each item is covered in clear contact paper, with a piece of double-stick tape on the back, and we covered a piece of construction paper with contact paper. The food sticks very nicely to that – and can be easily removed!

I got “Little Mouse” from Anne also. I had heard the rhyme before, but Anne’s post is what finally motivated me to make it! My kids LOVE these kinds of guessing games. It also inspired me to create this color spinner for big crowds.

Ahhh...flourescent lighting gives it such a lovely glow, doesn't it?

The mouse pattern is here.

I have loved these owls from the moment Katie posted them and have been itching to make them! The original idea, though, comes from Leah at Sunflower Storytime (where the template lives!) Although I wont be doing my bird-themed storytime for a few months, I finally made them last week and have them ready to go.

Hooo!

I lucked out in that a co-worker who plans our teen programs happened to have a bag of colored feathers, so mine got a little addition. They’re so cute, and I love how colorful they are!  Storytime Moxie also created a version.

What has Flannel Friday inspired you to make?

Visit Anna later today for the full Flannel Friday roundup! And if you’re on Pinterest, look for Flannel Friday there too! You’ll find all of the past flannels organized into categories! It’s a great visual way to find the flannel you want (and get some new inspiration!).

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More! More! More! A Storytime to make you hungry.

6 Mar

It’s been far too long since I posted! I’ve been “performing” a couple of awesome storytimes lately so I’d best get to sharing!

My penguin friend, Frosty, introduces this theme with me.  What does a Penguin have to do with a food storytime? Nothing, really. He just comes along and tells me he’s hungry. He wants fish popsicles. I promise to get him some when we get back to the library, and on we go to the stories!:

  • Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  No food-themed storytime is complete without this classic tale of a caterpillar’s transformation (after a week of gorging himself) into a butterfly! What makes this one even more special, because the kids have heard the story a million times, is that we have the POP-UP BOOK! Yay!
  • Salerno, Steven. Harry Hungry! The kids have LOVED this one, about a baby who can’t stop eating until he’s eaten most of a town.  There are lots of opportunities to use your voice, too, with a growling belly sound, whispers, plops, and more.
  • Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food=¿Cómo comen los dinosaurios? Do they burp? Do they belch? Stick beans up their nose? Of course not! Dinosaurs behave perfectly at dinnertime (as do preschoolers, if what they tell me in storytime is any indication. I have my doubts).
  • Flannelboard/rhyme break!  5 HUNGRY ANTS This is a great silly one that gets lots of laughs.  I made it into a flannelboard, with salad, cake, pepper, and, of course, 5 hungry ants.  When the ants sneeze, I toss them over my shoulder which elicits crazy giggles (especially if one gets stuck somewhere silly).:

    Hungry Ant Picnic

5 Hungry ants, marching in a line,

came upon a picnic where they could dine.

They marched into the salad, they marched into the cake,

They marched into the pepper. Uh oh, that was a mistake!

AHHH-CHOO!

4 hungry ants… etc.

  • Petricelli, Leslie. Yummy Yucky. There’s a lesson in this book, as we compare yummy things (spaghetti, cookies) to yucky (sand, mommy’s coffee). And the lesson is: BOOGERS ARE YUCKY! YUCKY! Take note, preschoolers!  After we read this we take turns saying something we think is yummy. I choose to skip the yucky. I don’t even want to IMAGINE what the kids would say.
  • Other titles I might use:
    • Wilson, Karma.  Bear Wants More. Great refrain for the kids to help with!
    • Pan, Hui-Mei.  What’s In Grandma’s Grocery Bag?=¿Qué hay en la bolsa de la abuelita? A fun guessing game book to share if you can get your hands on it. It’s also pretty small, so not so great if you’ve got a big group. The kids have to guess what item of food is in grandma’s bag, knowing only what color it is. There are tabs to pull each item out of the bag, and as we all know, novelty books like this are a big hit!

And with that, I’m hungry. Going to look for a fish popsicle.

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