Flannel Friday Chick Week! Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!

Here a chick, there a chick...

Chicks, listen up! Shake a tail feather!  It's chick week.  We're loud! And plentiful!  Birds of a feather...and all that!!

Lucy Cousins book, Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep! inspired chickens in every story time this week.  

My plan: a white hen with blue dots, like Maisy has!
My flannel supply: green or pink with white dots. Bummer. Balk! Balk! Balk!  I really wanted a blue and white mama hen named Dottie!

Plan B:
Pull out the flannels in all the colors I "was feelin" and start from there.  And that's how I have a blue hen with paisley patterning. The baby chicks are rather traditional.  They probably get fancy feathers later!

Count with Maisy has flaps to lift and chicks to place on the flannel board now.  Participation heaven.  A chick week "must have" is Chicken Little.  I adore telling this story

 

And we added the book The Cow who Clucked from one of my most favorite author/illustrators, Denise Fleming.  I love reading aloud the moment when the cow is ultimately defeated and ..."and she headed for the barn" I hold that page for a few extra beats.  Drama!  You gotta know when to hold 'em!  The next page is equally as dramatic...don't say a word for about 8 seconds!

Our Yoga for 2 attendees had time to make their very own Chicken Little.  I have this saying...color like you mean it...and using the oil pastels surely gets a lot of pigment on the paper.  Satisfying color, much more fun than markers.  One of the little Yoga chicks wanted to make her Chicken Little ((((crazy))))  I think she succeeded!  This is my "kinda" art!

P.S. (Piper Script): Jane's Chicken Little story telling rendition is pretty shout-out ((((Crazy)))).  "Oh my goodness, oh my gracious...the sky is falling....run for your lives!!!"  

Drama....chick!

Flannel Nests for Spring Stories

Time to make the nest...

Nest building began and ended in our YOGA for 2 - Mindful Movement program but found it's way into Prime Time with Piper and Saturday Pop-up Art as well.  Seemed that adults and children enjoyed this craft.  Perhaps it was the challenge of making something beautiful from a mess.  Organization from chaos always appeals to me.

Our supplies: random card stock, strips of old book pages, ancient color-aid paper (circa 1972  college days), glue sticks, a pattern for bird, pencils, scissors.

We started with a flannel board story from the book In My Nest by Sara Gillingham  We talked about all the things we'd need to make a nest for a baby bird...a warm safe spot, twigs and leaves. We discussed the need for mud to hold it together and the feathers to make it soft.  We thought about layers on top of layers to make it comfortable and pretty and to protect the family.

Sharing stories mindfully allows for science, nature, imagination, caring and heartfelt moments.  Everything moves in a gentler way.  Children have crafting freedom although sometimes moms have the scissors.  Mindfully safe!

Nesting in early spring brings new and joyful moments.  Be good at nesting!  That's what I share with the children.  Rest, feel your feelings, cuddle, be safe.  We have gratitude beads in YOGA for 2 and this week I heard, "I am grateful for green lima beans" and "pink lollipops"  So much to be grateful for...does a heart good!

Mama built a little nest written by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Steve Jenkins is a stunningly beautiful book with sidebars on how the nests are built.  I adore science facts.  This will satisfy your nature-child.

Piper selected Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard for Prime Time with Piper because she loves being silly.  It's excellent for experimenting on how to change your mood and a great shout out for supportive friends.  Piper is both silly and smart.  Love my girl.

Once during each 6-week session of YOGA for 2 we make a gratitude bracelet.  We mindfully select beads to represent things we are thankful for.  

This week after our families went home to their warm and safe nests Piper and I sat down to make my bracelet.  My colors are for Belgium.  I am grateful for their love and courage in these days of loss and suffering.  I will wear them on my wrist and carry them in my heart.

I am always grateful for Flannel Friday.  If you would like information on joining and participating please visit our nest!

For more on Mindfulness in Storytime, click here.
The original post for In My Nest is here 

P.S.(Piper Script) We love bird watching, do you?

 

To Grace Lin and Flannel Friday with Love

Borrowing from Oprah, an A-ha moment

Why I do what I do?  Like so many of you...my list is endless...love kids, love books, creative soul, literacy advocate... The good news is that I am mostly passionate about everything I do.  One of the lucky ones...a loving family, lifelong friendships, I know my strengths, I've worked in children's librarianship for 28 years, I volunteer with an amazing national non-profit.  My professional friendships are vast and varied.  The professional organizations I belong to inspire me.  Life is good.  Amen to that, humble pie and a healthy sense of humor!

Recently, Sarah Lynch, Wolcott School librarian extraordiniare invited me to attend author/illustrator Grace Lin's presentation.  And here...sitting behind the second grade students I experienced a moment, a message, an idea...so clearly meant for me that my heart filled with gratefulness.  An A-ha moment and I recognized it.

Already of fan of Ms Lin's work I was prepared to enjoy myself.  Grace Lin's presentation began and ended with the word IDEA.  I adored the complete full circle of her style and message.  She told me, and the entire second grade, we needed a-take-everywhere-IDEA-book.  Not a new concept but it was the absolute best delivery. Perhaps I am a second grader at heart!  She kept everyone involved in her presentation in a very creative, curious way.   She is now my personal rock-star on how to present...anything and everything...to preschoolers, families, colleagues...the world! (I do tend to think big)  And now I have a fancy idea book to take on my worldly travels. I picked it up at Michaels that very day.  It is exactly what I need as my life moves on. 

During Grace Lin's presentation she taught everyone to draw the dog from her book the Year of the Dog.  I had the chance to meet her, she signed this drawing and I brought it to my little library because I had an idea!!!  A Saturday pop-up craft and a book display featuring Grace Lin's work.

It's always rewarding to join hands: school library and town library.  The children are so excited to be the expert on a display like this in the public library.  They get to show, tell and demonstrate for their parents.  Very cool.  Write that down in the Idea Book, really!  Thank you Sarah Lynch and Wolcott Elementary School for making Faxon shine!

Grace Lin is an artist of the most generous sort.  She has a facebook page, a twitter handle @pacylin and a newsletter GraceNotes - sign up for this, you'll be happy you did.  (if you can't sign up now write it down in your IDEA book! I mean it)

Why I do what I do? Giving and receiving are big parts of why I maintain this blog and my Flannel Friday participation.  The other day FF member, Sharon Lawrence Hrycewicz posted on FB "how long have you been involved?" I joined just about 4 years ago following a very similar A-ha moment.  My colleague Kari Ann and I discovered Mel's Desk and Storytime Katie while looking for flannel inspiration. Needless to say - jackpot!  And a perfect place to share IDEAS.

Flannel Friday is about to celebrate 5 years! Oddly enough I feel like I have been with them for much longer than my 4years.  I suppose that is a sign of a good fit.  Good people, good work...good brings good. 

I made flannel cupcakes here - please take a look.  Easy no-bake recipe!  Celebrate!

Thank you Grace Lin and thank you Melissa Depper.  You inspire curiosity, creativity and ideas.

Namaste ~ jane & piper 

Update 3.20.16  Grace Lin's Ted Talk posted last week and I thought I should add it here.  Please click

Holiday Drama not from the Llama!

Once again The Connecticut Concert Ballet charmed the Faxon community with The Nutcracker!  This is, by far, the prettiest event we host each year.  Our patrons, young and old adore the music, the costumes, and the dancing.  And the little ones wait ever so patiently for their chance to hold hands and dance at the end of the evening.  It's magical!

The program is planned for ages 4 and older with an adult, yet all are welcome.  We set up big chairs and little chairs.  We give out free tickets starting a week in advance.  We wrote a "how to" on hosting a ballet company in your library.  Please take a look for ideas.  

The young dancers pull tender heart strings.

The teen dancers in the company take your breath away!

Piper and I love it when they stop everything to read!  Yes, a couple of cool cats!

Colorful

joyful

happy

  

                               

confident READERS

Bringing E.T.A. Hoffman's The Nutcracker drama to life with Tchaikovsky's amazing music and the Connecticut Concert Ballet dancers is an honored tradition in our little library. Holiday joy is shared beginning with jingle bells and ending with candy canes on one magical night.  We do our best to continue the joy in the month of December with coloring pages 

                           .....and  Saturday "pop-up" crafts - Torn Paper Nutcracker

Thanks for visiting Piper Loves the Library.  Please check out our Flannel Friday Friends.  They are a fantastic creative resource.   Lisa is this week's host.  Go take a peek!

Tween Programming that works!

Creative Arts in our little branch.  Wow!

We run our Summer Reading Programs in the afternoon.  Traditionally they are all drop in programs so we never know just how wild things might be.  But this summer I knew that all those growing Tweens and Teens needed a place to hang and stay out of trouble , a place of their own among the afternoon offerings. 

I planned a program, TWEEN GALLERY- Eat your Art!, just for them. It was advertised for ages 10 through 14 with registration required.  I knew I had to hold firm to saying NO younger siblings, and no to the "my child is very mature" etc., requests from insistent parents.  I wanted to provide our older crowd a place to draw, paint, talk, play "their" music and enjoy their library.  Registration was put in place for my control of the group as well as allowing me to budget materials.  Because as the name of the program indicates: FOOD would be a big part.

I've recognized over the many years of working with the older group that too often we allow the younger students to join in and the entire dynamic changes. We tend to make this decision because the program hasn't filled - we feel it's best to fill the program but I now say NO to that as well!   When we do accept younger students into a tween or teen program this often leads to the older students dropping out because it's just not their's any longer. It's been "younged down".  This summer our TWEEN GALLERY was not full by week one and I held firm.  By week two we were full and by week three we had to turn teens away.  The tweens and teens spread the word.  Amazing! Our tweens and teens need age specific programs.   I mean really - I can't book talk Teen books with an 8 yr old in the room!  And you know I must just have to promote books whenever I have a captive audience!  All of these students completed their summer reading requirement.  YAY!

TWEEN GALLERY - Eat your Art    Week #1: Donuts
Buy the donuts
sketch the donut
draw the donut
paint the donut (water colors)
create a background for the donut! (scrap book paper)
EAT THE DONUT!!!  (they each got two donuts!)
Followed by Sugar Rush - which I had not even considered!  Live and learn.

Week #2 was cupcakes and #3 brought us fruit and sunflowers.  We ate oranges, strawberries and sunflower seeds!  I love the sunflowers.  They loved the sunflowers!  Chalk pastels with black glue outline.

 The intention in the title TWEEN GALLERY is that we'll display their art through September.  We are a very colorful library currently.

Yesterday was our last date and I think our rowdiest day!  The students had divided into boy's table and girl's table and the boy's were unbelievably talkative.  I know!  I sat at their table! 

Week #4 Ice cream cones - a challenging project!  We started with sketches of Baymax, (Big Hero 6),to practice cross hatching.  Our only ode to the Super Hero Summer!

I've not yet had a chance to add these to the gallery.  So it's one Baymax and one chocolate cone for now - stay tuned for the gallery photo shoot!

P.S. (Piper Script): I nap in the afternoons. 

Thanks for visiting Piper Loves the Library.  We'd love to hear about your arts program in the comments.  Flannel Friday brings creativity and community to our blog and my career.  Visit Flannel Friday here 

  

Yoga for 2

Bringing Yoga to Preschool Story Time!

Two words: mindful parenting

Mindful parenting is the driving force for bringing yoga to story time. 

The world around us is big and fast and full. Levels of anxiety and stress have skyrocketed. In order to work successfully with an ever-changing group of patrons, libraries provide training for their staff.  Thankfully the entire country is becoming more educated in the field of mental health. In children's services we continue to be concerned about screen time and all things that children are sensing in their environment.  

How can I help?  Mindful parenting.  How can I do that?  Mindfulness in movement, bring the calm, thoughtful, grateful, peaceful way.  Yoga for 2.  (preschool child with an adult)

I found an on-line program to become certified to present preschool yoga.  This was outstanding for me.  I needed to learn a child's approach to yoga poses and then add my flannel stories to create something unique. I did a tremendous amount of reading on the subject of yoga for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and elementary level children.  I am all about child development - it's my world

Many children do not recognize when their bodies or minds are stressed.  Learning to provide opportunities to draw your child's awareness away from the overwhelming chaotic world is a valuable skill.  Hopefully something we are all developing with deep breathing, mindful movement, nature and a calm space in the library on Thursday mornings.  

Truth be told I was extremely nervous when the program began this week.  Thank heavens for a gracious group of children and adults. I brought in a little bit of nature from my garden. (my garden always calms me)

The bell chimes for Mountain Pose and the "Magic Mist" is for everyone's feet.  Yes!  We have mindful feet...I love it

The program began with a few familiar songs and props because I needed a quick assessment on just what words and motions the children knew.   We did a flannel story about Turtles awakening before the sun comes up...and they slowly stretch and walk one way and then the other until the sun rises and they stand to greet her.  Good morning sun!  This is our very modified sun salutation - we all welcomed the sun!

We practiced our yoga poses becoming quiet mountains, barking dogs, neighing horses, mooing cows, meowing cats and roaring lions!

  

We used our scarves for breathing exercises and later collected pom poms with our toes.  We had wonderfully calming music for child's pose and happy baby!

I shared a detailed, very mindful, flannel story of going for a nature walk on a beautiful day with the warm sun on my arms and feeling the breeze on my face.  I felt happy.  I discovered three little caterpillars that day with little tiny legs and they wiggled when they walked!  And of course we went into butterfly pose for the end of the story.  

I had a wonderful time in this program. It was a full house - yoga mat to yoga mat across the room! We asked families to bring their own mat or a towel.  FYI: I purchased 6 mats just in case and they were all used.  Mindful planning!

The meaning of mindfulness for my program is this: the ability to attend to the present moment with curiosity and no judgement.  I clearly see this as a skill, a life skill, that promotes well being, concentration, resilience, empathy and self-regulation.

Flannel Friday is a creative, supportive place to explore and try new ideas in children's services.  For information please visit the official blog

Thanks for visiting Piper Loves the Library   ~ Namaste ~