Monday, September 12, 2011

Story Mix for Three to Six: School is Cool!

September is upon us at the Gail Borden Public Library!  The temperature outside is cooling down and children are going back to school.  Perhaps your child attending this week's Story Mix just started preschool or kindergarten this year!  In the second week of the fall program, we are going to read the book, The Little School Bus by Carol Roth, a story about an assortment of animals who ride the bus to and from school.  We will also read the book, We Love School by Marilyn Janovitz, which uses simple rhymes and illustrations to describe to a young kitten what it's like going to school.    

Reading together incorporates all those great new ideas your child is learning in preschool or kindergarten by using rhyming, repetition, story structure and critical thinking.  Stories and songs in rhyme encourage new vocabulary, listening and oral language skills.

Sharing songs and stories together also encourages talking and conversation between you and your child.  For example, talk about what he or she learned in school that day asking questions about favorite songs and playtime activities. You can even have your child re-tell the story or song to you, using his or her own creative flair to help make learning fun!

Another idea would be to have your child draw a picture of their favorite schooltime snack or toy.  Helping your child write captions for the picture connects the spoken words to the ideas, and creates a visual representation of your child's imagination to share.

Below is a "school" themed song and rhyme we performed at the Story Mix program this week:

The Wheels on the Bus Song
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round all through the town.

Repeat the song using different parts of and people on the bus: 
The children on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down...
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep beep...
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish...


Ready for School Rhyme
This little girl is going to bed
Down on the pillow she lays her head
She covers herself with the blankets so tight
And this is the way she sleeps all night
Morning comes and she opens her eyes
Throws back the covers and up she flies
Soon she is up and dressed for the day
Ready for school and ready for play

Check catalog availability of The Little School Bus by Carol Roth

Check catalog availability of We Love School by Marilyn Janovitz

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