More than flannel this Friday!

sNOw!  sNOw!  sNOw!
It is undeniably beautiful in Connecticut today yet we grow weary from the storms.  A March snow storm has become the "norm".  It's now grouped with March Madness, "In like a Lion..." and St Paddy's Day here in New England!  We just expect it.  Look! The view from my front door:

And the back:

And one more...

just down the street...

Okay, you know I had to do that!  

Please understand, I am demonstrating true restraint...by not showing you all the pics I clicked this morning from the warm comfort of my family room. (lady bug in the snow, wagons racing down the snowy hill, Clip Clop Mr Horse frolicking in the snow with pig chasing behind)  Thank goodness for digital cameras.  Delete. Delete.  Delete

Silliness aside, as if that's possible, I want to suggest promoting narrative with the kiddos in story time or at home.  Take photos with your cameras or Smart phones and be really smart with them.  Have your little one tell the story right back to you as you go through a slide show of your snowy day photos.  Insert a photo that doesn't match...like Grammy's birthday party and see how that changes the story.  Use technology to build vocabulary, sequencing and story telling skills.  

We've only done this once in story time and the success was eye-opening for everyone.  The idea came to me from my Every Child Ready to Read training.  I snapped some photos along this idea at the end of the Black Cat Black Cat post.  Take a look, really, do it!  Because that familiar phrasing from Brown Bear is a great introductory for you and your little ones to story tell.  What's better than little Cassie telling the e-story to daddy tonight titled Cassie, Cassie, what do you see?  You can even let her snap the pictures.  How empowering! Oh, it's the International Day of the Woman...hear me roar!  Invite your daughters to create an e-story today!  Yes! I love it when the universe aligns while I type!!  Another tip:  I have been experimenting with Shutterfly books - both with and without words.  You can publish that e-story into a very professional paperback book using Shutterfly. Words or Wordless! 

There is another post that allows you to practice narrating, check this out  especially if you love dinosaurs.  Now with that said...there is probably nothing better than getting on the rug and playing dinosaur attack with your kids.  So, by all means, do that!  This techie approach I am going for is firing-up different parts of the brain.  And it's all good.

       

Now if there are no cardinals to be seen in the snow at my house, (and there aren't because bird feeders are prohibited due to bears) then please let me see and hear this when the snow melts:

Two little dickey birds sitting on a cloud

One name soft and ONE NAMED LOUD

Fly away soft

FLY AWAY LOUD

Come back soft

COME BACK LOUD

Thanks so much for visiting Piper Loves the Library.  Piper is actually out in the snow.  She loves it.  She also loves birds...in a different way than I do.  She wants to chase them.  That's what labs do!  

Here's a tip from a favorite blog on making a cardinal in the snow.  I adore Kathy Barbro's blog.  You should follow her!