American Girl: Melody Ellison (September 2016)

For my fall kick-off, I picked Melody Ellison to celebrate. I’ve known since last Spring that I would like to create a program around her.Melody’s books are full of different ideas and approaches. I decided to focus on her singing and gardening.

Melody is active in her church. An element of many churches, not all, are stained glass windows. I immediately decided to tie-in stained glass artwork. I gave the participants examples of different stained glass windows. Some of them were religious while others were just pretty windows. I did do a traditional template of church window to keep it some what tied to Melody, but I let the kids go wild with their designs.

The second portion of the program was the gardening aspect. I really struggled with what I wanted the kids to plant. Do I do flowers or something easier? What about the cold weather? I actually decided to do grass! It’s fairly easy to grow in cups, and I told them if they took care of their grass they could cut and style it. I ended putting out sharpie paint pens and allowed to them decorate their cups.

Our snack was pretty simple. POPSICLES! I let the kids and parents have at least two of them.

Crazy Hair – Preschool

Opening Song

We Clap and Sing Hello

We clap and sing hello,
We clap and sing hello,
With our friends at storytime,
We clap and sing hello!

We wave and sing hello…
We stomp and sing hello…

Books

24762390 1012325 15814439 17262791

Book-O-Beards by David Lemke
Cowlick by Christin Ditchfield
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos
Mo’s Mustache by Ben Clanton

Flannel

Mustache Flannel

There once lived a man named Mr. Lou,
He had a mustache that grew, and GREW!
By Monday, it was as tiny as his nose,
By Tuesday, on and on it grows!
By Wednesday, it stretched as far as his ears!
By Thursday, it looked as if it had grown for years.
But on Friday Mr. Lou caught the flu…
ACHOOOO!
and off went the mustache—it flew and FLEW!
Source:PPL Kids Blog

I did something different with this flannel. Instead of making a face, I just made flannel mustaches that I put up to my face.

Actions Rhymes

Ten Little Mustaches (I used mustaches on sticks and slowly added them with each phrase)
Tune: Ten Little Indian

One little, two little, three little mustaches
Four little, five little, six little mustaches
Seven little, eight little, nine little mustaches
Ten little mustaches under your nose
Source:Literary Hoots

Hands on Shoulders

Hands on shoulders, hands on knees,
Hands behind you, if you please.
Touch your hair,
Now your toes.
Hands up high in the air,
Down at your sides, now touch your hair.
Hands up high, as before.
Now Clap your hands, one, two, three, four!
Source: Toddler Storytime Programs by Dianne Briggs

Barber, Barber, Shave a Pig

(Sung to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)

Barber, Barber, shave a Pig
How many hairs will make a wig?
Four and twenty, that’s enough
Then pat the pig with a powder puff
Source: Book Besotted Librarian

Charley Needs A Haircut

Charley needs a haircut, (make scissor fingers on hair)
Doesn’t want to go (shake head “no”)
Even though the barber
Has three chairs in a row (hold up 3 fingers)
One for Charley’s father (fold down one finger)
One for brother Ken (fold down second finger)
Another chair for Charley
Will he go, or has he been? (wiggle finger back & forth)
Source: Perry Public Library

Activity Songs by Joe Scruggs

Walking Walking by Songs for Wiggleworms
Hokey Pokey by Songs for Wiggleworms

Take Home Craft

A fellow blogger did something like this, but I decided to change it up and cut out the center so the kids could put their faces through it.

Closing Activities

The Alphabet Song.
Counting to 10.

Closing Goodbye Song

We Clap Goodbye Like This

We clap goodbye like this,
We clap goodbye like this,
With our friends at storytime,
We clap goodbye like this.

We wave goodbye like this…
We stomp goodbye like this…

Observations

Book-O-Beards is awesome! It’s short and funny. The kids also loved the flannel. They requested that I do it several times.

Crazy Hair – Toddlers

Opening Song

Well Hello Everybody, Can You Touch Your Nose

Well hello everybody, can you touch your nose,
Touch your nose, touch your nose?
Well hello everybody, can you touch your nose,
touch your nose?

Well hello everybody can you touch your toes,
touch your toes, touch your toes?
Well hello everybody, can you touch your toes,
touch your toes?

Well hello everybody, can you rub your tummy,
rub your tummy, rub your tummy?
Well hello everybody, can you rub your tummy,
rub your tummy?

Books

719078 24762390

No Haircut Today by Elivia Savadier
Book-o-Beards by Donald Lemke

Flannel

Mustache Flannel

I did something different with this flannel. Instead of making a face, I just made flannel mustaches that I put up to my face.

Traditional Rhymes

This is Big Big Big

This is big big big
This is small small small
This is short short short
This is tall tall tall
This is fast fast fast
This is slow slow slow
This is yes yes yes
This is no no no
Source: Mel’s Desk

Clap, Clap, Clap Your hands

Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap them now with me
Clap your hands, let me see
Clap your hands with me

Beep, beep, beep your nose
Touch, touch, touch your shoulders
Tap, tap, tap your knees
Shake, shake, shake your feet

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy.
Was he?

Action Rhymes

Ten Little Mustaches (I used mustaches on sticks and slowly added them with each phrase)
Tune: Ten Little Indian

Hands on Shoulders

Activity Songs by Joe Scruggs

Walking Walking by Songs for Wiggleworms
Hokey Pokey by Songs for Wiggleworms

Take Home Craft

A fellow blogger did something similar to this. If I recall correctly, we decided to cut out the center so the kids could hold it up to their face.

Closing Activities

The Alphabet Song
Counting to 5.

Closing Goodbye Song

The Goodbye Train is Leaving
Oh the goodbye train is leaving see you soon, toot, toot.
Oh the goodbye train is leaving see you soon, toot, toot.
Oh the goodbye train is leaving, the goodbye train is leaving
Oh the goodbye train is leaving see you soon, toot, toot

Observations

The kids LOVED the flannel especially when I acted like I was sneezing and had the flannel fly at them. The No Haircut Today was a meh read. However, the kids got a kick out of the Book-O-Beards. I actually had several parents who wanted to know who wrote it.