Tea, talk and therapy!

26 Acts of Kindness
Act # 14

Last Friday I learned that my amazing physical therapist loves Starbucks Chai Tea Latte. This happens to be one of my favorite things as well, maybe that's how we got to talking about it.

 I have done the rounds of physical therapy in the past, as many people have, but never with a therapist this good, this dedicated or this caring.   I see her 3-4 times a week since my accident and she works wonders, (she won't let me call it a miracle).

She is incredibly smart, very positive and listens patiently.  She graciously hands out healing hugs along with  homework exercises!

Act of Kindness #14 
In honor of Mary Sherlach, School Psychologist
Sandy Hook Elementary School

I have a feeling that Mrs Sherlach and my therapist would have many things in common.  Amen.

I dropped this off for my physical therapist.  

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Flannel Friday - BRRRRRR

Bundle Up!
It's cold out there!

Yes!  The weather outside is frightful - yet, here in New England we know how to handle that.  Layers!  We wear layers of clothing.  

Yesterday I came across an old post-it with words written on it.. for what must be a flannel board song but I had no idea of the source.  Since I am not the confident-singing or talented-song-writing sort...I knew these words were copied from someone, somewhere.  I visited our FF pinterest page and checked out the Clothing and the Winter boards to no avail.  And then, the very talented sotomorrow gal, Anne - sent me an email to let me know that she located the words on Mel's Desk!  Yay!  Once I linked I completely remembered reading the song there.  Many thanks to Anne and Mel. And here is another version that Anne found.  Oh, how I love our FF family. 

And now...my vision/version includes these items:

I picked up a sparkly purple/blue heavy paper from the scrap booking section at Michael's and added magnets to the back.  (my flannel board is magnetic)  I already had all the other colors!  

Here's the song  (to the tune of London Bridge is falling down)

Parka, boots and scarf and hat

Scarf and hat

Scarf and hat

Parka, boots and scarf and hat

In wintertime we dress like that!  

(then, you KNOW you just have to do this)

OH NO...BRRRR my hands are freezing!

DON'T FORGET YOUR MITTENS!!

Here we go...are you ready?  It's cold outside.

What do we need to wear to go for a walk in the winter?

Parka

Boots

And scarf and hat

Scarf and hat

Scarf and hat

Parka, boots and scarf and hat

In winter time we dress like that!

OH NO!  BRRRRR 

My hands are freezing!

(big pause here...shrug your shoulders, look at all those little ones...and just wait for it...they will tell you)

"YOU NEED MITTENS!"

Don't forget your mittens!!

Sing it again (and again, and again) Use your hands to motion to where each item belongs on the body.

And there you are!

All set for a cold day in Connecticut

P.S. (Piper Script)  We hope you are warm and cozy and cuddled up with a book.  We're reading Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia.  What are you reading?  

26 Acts of Kindness
Sing, sing a song

These are currant buns, and they're made of felt to be placed on the flannel board when you are singing the song Five Currant Buns.  They provide a visual for the children as you sing together.  I discovered the Currant Buns and their song on  Loon and Quines at Library Time .  Please link to the blog to sing the song!  You will note that I changed the cherry on top to a heart and took the liberty of writing that into the song.  (sing to the tune of Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play)

Five currant buns in the bakery shop

Big and round with a heart on top

Along came a boy with a penny one day (or on Valentine's Day)

Bought a currant bun and took it away!

Four currant buns ....

Three currant buns....

Two...

One....

A dear friend and former colleague of mine has taken a new library position in another town.   We "do lunch" regularly and she was feeling a bit glum about not having a fancy new Valentine flannel story...hmmm.  I just made myself a set of these currant buns and I knew I could make another readily - so, I did!  

It's heart warming to know that she will sing the song with many children over the years.  

As I packaged things up I just knew something was missing...

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

Act # 13

In honor of Ana Marquez-Green

Student, Music Lover

Sandy Hook Elementary School

I will drop these off on Monday, weather permitting.  If you would like to follow 26 Acts of Kindness of facebook, please click here.

Inspired Valentines!

Inspiration from FF
When genius strikes!!

It doesn't happen much..truly hardly ever....that genius flash of light...but sometimes it strikes.    And Amen if you are actually awake and paying attention...because WOW...the happy dance is sure to follow!  But, hold on, you need to think Super Slow Motion Happy Dance with no jumping or bouncing, no helicopter head, no attitude bounce, no gangnam style pony dance motion because this post-concussive brain thing of mine prohibits any sort of Ellen DeGeneres moves.  I'll just keep my seat on the sofa and send my right fist up in the air with a softly spoken celebratory, "YES"!  We'll call that my dance.

Here's the 411 on the flash of genius:
I was completely inspired by the adorable Sock Sorting Game on Miss Mary Liberry's blog recently.  I pinned it to my "Flannelizing Soon" pinterest board and planned to make socks with heart designs.  Fast forward to today- I remembered that I have mittens with hearts ...already made - see photo from a previous  post!!  So my laundry basket will have Mittens to Match!!  Genius!!  *pretending to do a happy dance*




So, I have small plastic tub for my laundry basket:  It looks like this:

I'll place the mittens in here, but they're at the library now, and I am still at home. (hence pretty felt in my mini laundry basket)  I can't wait to do this game!   

Inspired thinking continues!  Library Quine's Currant Buns, (check here) are dressed up for Valentine's day at the bakery shop!  Please follow her link for the song, it's great...and new to me.  Library Quine has a template as well - very cool.  Have to love our Flannel Friday Family. 

Five Currant Buns in the bakery shop

Big and round with a heart on top

Along came a boy with a penny one day

Bought a currant bun and took it away

Yum!  

Four Currant Buns in the ....

Alrighty then...maybe I have overreacted a tad!  Maybe this was an Ah-ha moment and not Genius.  But the temperature is ridiculously cold in Connecticut and the wind is howling and all things came together after my physical therapy appointment today!  I am thinking, ahhh.... 

Grateful Genius!  

Thanks for visiting Piper Loves the Library.  She's all snuggled in bed for this deep freeze and waiting for me to read her a good book.  Any suggestions for Valentine books?  

This week's Flannel Friday host is misssarahsstorytime.blogspot.com

Sweet Kindness

26 Acts of Kindness
Act #12

Yesterday a friend gave me a bag of lollipops to use in my 26 Acts of Kindness.  It's very cool when others join in.  Love it!  So I took one of those cute little green buckets that I picked up at Target and filled it with the lollipops, placed a pretty ribbon on it and wrote out the card. 

Act #12
I am calling this one Sweet Kindness...a little sugar goes a long way!  
In honor of Victoria Soto, Teacher
Sandy Hook Elementary School

Today I stopped into a friend's restaurant in Waterford, CT - Filomena's.   And that is where I placed this bundle of sweetness, at the host/hostess stand.  

If you think about this one...3 friends put it together.  I bet Victoria Soto would like that.  (My thanks to my friends. xoxx))   

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Purple Butterfly Kindness

26 Acts of Kindness
Act # 10 and #11

I maintain an image of something dear in all the misery of Sandy Hook.  I read that a child was found in the arms of a loving teacher, protector.  I keep this image in both my mind and my heart whenever Sandy Hook thoughts become too painful.

Dylan Hockley's favorite color was purple and I read that he told his family that he was a beautiful butterfly.
Today I would like to honor Dylan Hockley by doing something my nephews asked me to do.  I will leave $5.00 in each of two envelopes and  tape them to gas pumps.

Act #10
In honor of Dylan Hockley
(Although I can't help anyone fly like a butterfly, I can help them make their cars go! )

So, that image of a loving teacher holding a child had my brain trying to find inspiration in something where two things go together.  You know, like peanut butter & jelly, milk & honey, Fred & Ginger.  While running this through my head - I came to Good & Plenty...the candy!  So tomorrow I will leave a box of Good & Plenty with each of the envelopes with the $5.00.  

Act # 11

In honor of Anne Marie Murphy, Teacher
Sandy Hook Elementary School

I have no doubt that her love for her school family was both Good & Plenty.

Tomorrow I will bring my tape and attach the candy with the envelopes to the gas pumps.  (I have to pick up the candy first.)  I will try to take a photo when I get this done!

Thanks for visiting Piper Loves the Library.

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Mr. Sun, Sun

...Mr Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me!

I love this song and yet I never seem to use it.  It's too long for me to sing without the CD and almost too short to need the CD.  But if you know me, you know I can not carry a tune...so - I think I will use the YouTube video from Cullen's ABC's in story time because I like everything about it....happy, positive, energized, fun, and it makes me smile! My story time moms are much more comfortable with their singing ability...so, they will catch on to this quickly.  I think it will be fun with the hand motions..  Take a look, click here:  Mr Golden Sun

I am in love with snowmen, snowdogs, snowbears, etc.  When I saw the adorable snowmen on their sled on last week's Flannel Friday post for Lisa @ Libraryland, (click and check it out), I just knew I needed to do my own twist on it.  I wanted to make the heads fall off.  I call it funny and I am sticking with that!!  Take a look!

Okay....here they go...give the sled a push! 

Good job!! 

Three little snowmen sliding on a sled,

one fell off and...

lost his head!!  

Frosty called the doctor and the doctor said

No more snowmen sliding on the sled!  

And so it goes!  

Predictable and silly - I love it!

Oh, here's a part I hadn't anticipated...

Where's my head????

Can you match them up?

In case  Mr Golden Sunshine melts your snowmen you might need Carole  Peterson's I'm a Little Snowman from her CD H.U.M. (Highly Usable Music)  Highly suggested by Piper!!  We have great dramatic fun with this song.  

There are many beautiful snow and winter books...but here, for reading aloud,  I am quite classic,( if I say so myself!)  Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day is wonderful.  Word by word, a perfect book, with pink and purple and blue snowflakes.  I just adore reading it again and again.  

I like this one too. 

 It reads with a snowy... peace - full - ness. 

It's magic!  (great job Kevin Henkes!)

Piper wants to be sure that you remember the indoor snowball fights from last winter!  So I will provide the link to an earlier post here, a tutorial on making  indoor snowballs and a song to accompany your snowball fights!  What?!!  You don't play music when you have snowball fights?!  You will now!!

Thanks for stopping by Piper loves the library.  Do you have a favorite winter book that we can "flannelize"?   Just let us know in the comments.  Maybe we can make flannel pieces to tell the story of your favorite book.  

This week's Flannel Friday host is Katie - http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com

Kind and Brave

Animal Lovers = Kind 
Teachers = Brave
26 Acts of Kindness


Today I prepared two acts of kindness and they both make my heart smile.  I love animals, especially dogs.  Piper feels the same, I assure you.  We are also very partial to a black & white kitty named Speedo as well.

We are honoring six-year old Catherine Hubbard, animal lover, today.   I placed some beginner reader books featuring dog characters inside the bag.  I am looking forward to meeting a child to take this bag away and enjoy the stories.

 Act # 8  animal lovers 
In honor and memory of Catherine Hubbard, Student 
Sandy Hook Elementary School


And then... there is this: A Magical Moment!

Just last evening one of my colleagues asked me if I had my Acts of Kindness all mapped out or do I wait for inspiration?  In my "A" game days I would have these mapped out because my creativity would be inspiring me.  But currently, with this post concussive syndrome, my "super-power", LIST MAKING, has disappeared along with the daily dusting of  magical fairy inspiration!  So, my colleague called it - I wait or I look for inspiration.  As stated in an earlier post, I find info in the on-line bios of the students and that guides me in a way to make the Act somewhat related to the person.  I also adore my Barnes & Noble book store where ideas jump off the shelf.

This next act of kindness includes the last of my purchased books.  I did not have a person in mind to honor but I knew where NEW BOOKS were needed.  I had just said to my co-worker that I find it harder to do Acts in memory of the adults.  I set out the books in front of me and pulled up the camera...snapped a few shots and checked the digital screen.  WOW...Sheila Rae...a book I love, an author I adore, (Kevin Henkes), spoke to me loud and clear...Sheila Rae The Brave.  And it is even in the center of the photo!  Thank you magic fairy dust!

So I filled out a card and tied the books with a ribbon, took their photo again...and here we have:

Act of Kindness # 9

In honor of Lauren Rousseau, Teacher

Sandy Hook Elementary School

This little stack of books is headed to the East Lyme Starbucks - they have a basket of books for children to read while visiting...and it is in dire need of replenishing.  

Thanks to Sheila Rae for inspiration to honor the beautiful Lauren Rousseau.  My heart holds dear all 26 brave souls from Sandy Hook Elementary School

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Ten Timid Turtles

Turtle Splash!
Some people just love turtles - my daughter is one of them.  Maybe because an ancient turtle once crossed into our yard to get to the brook out back.  Oh, and Piper loves turtles too!  Of course she can't figure out where they go when they tuck into their shell.  And then...why do they move so slowly...Piper would like to know!

Perhaps I should read Fun Facts About Turtles to Piper.  

But first we'll take a look at Cathryn Falwell"s Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond with a few of my flannel friends.  Look!

Oh but there's more!

Yes!  Ten timid turtles bask in the sun and one by one they splash into the pond .  This gentle book, written in verse has clear numerals followed by the written word and the matching number of turtles on the page.  I love this for teaching counting and numbers.  

5

Five

idle turtles

lolling by

the shore.

Polliwogs

swirl by

their log...

Now there are four

4

I haven't had a chance to read this book in story time yet, but I am looking forward to doing the countdown to one last splash and then where do we find the turtles?  Under the water, all 10

Ten

 tired turtles

  settle for

the night.

Sleep tight.  

The final pages are filled with facts on the animals we encounter around the pond throughout the book - butterflies, chickadees, rabbits, deer and more.  This is an excellent bedtime story and no doubt it compliments the Common Core teaching method.  

It will be fun to see the turtles up on the flannel board when I return to regular hours in the library.  But for now, they are quite comfy at my house where Piper and I can keep a close eye on them!  

Oh, one more book!

p.s. good night turtles, good night moon!

She loved to read

26 Acts of Kindness
Act #7  Reading 



This act of kindness is one of my favorites because it's books.  And Piper and I love books.  Madeleine Hsu, a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was an avid reader.

Twenty (beginning reader) books, representing the twenty children at Sandy Hook, are ready to be delivered to the Charter Oak Academy Family Resource Center in West Hartford, CT tomorrow afternoon.  This Act of Kindness is done in memory of Madeleine Hsu, age 6.  Here are the books!

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Kindness counts

26 Acts of Kindness
Kindness comes in quarters

Tomorrow morning after my physical therapy appointment I am headed to town to leave quarters at the parking meters.  A beautiful boy from Sandy Hook Elementary School, James Mattioli, made a point of telling people that he was 6 and 3/4 years old. This will be my 6th act of kindness and it will be in honor and memory of James Mattioli.  I will tape 75 cents to 6 parking meters.  

I do remember telling people when I was 8 and 3/4 years old.  Those quarters count!!

20 more acts to go.  

Ladybug Ladybug!

Ladybug Hello
     Ladybug Goodbye!

Recently Piper and I had time to listen to lots of music - in search of something new for story time.  And we found cute songs with ladybug music

The ladybug hello track and the ladybug goodbye are great new songs for a few of our story time groups.  I decided to make the felt ladybug to announce the new songs. (plus she's just so darn cute)  I'll let Piper put her up on the flannel board...fun!  Piper loves ladybugs...there will be barking!!!   I have some little plastic ones...I am thinking a ladybug invasion in the story time room.  Most of you know I will be doing a ladybug craft...a ladybug on a paint-stirrer-stick-puppet,(one of our favs!), for the little ones to take home.  

Fortunately for parents and librarians ladybug music has a website providing song lists, lyrics, and even video tips on how to present many of the songs.  Please click here to join the silliness!  If you are lucky enough to live in CA, you can  attended ladybug music classes with your kids.  Check out the photos on the website. 

Another song I discovered on the CD, an easy one to use for story time...Little Red Wagon.  I instantly  knew I needed to make wagons in different colors. 

The song is great but a bit crazier than I am...my plan is to use only the" bumpin' around in my little red wagon" verse.  Each child will have one rectangle of felt in either red, blue, green or purple...and when I ask "won't you be my baby" those with the red rectangles will bring them up to place on the flannel board.  Then we'll sing " bumpin' around in my little blue wagon..." -  we'll do color matching ! I don't plan on using the CD.  We'll just sing and, of course, we'll have to bump around on our bottoms!! 

You may purchase the CD's through the website I linked above or check out itunes.  The music makes you want to move and laugh.  Totally fun!  

Do you have a favorite ladybug music song?  Piper and Jane would love to know!!

Thanks for visiting Piper Loves the Library.