Tuesday, October 15, 2013

PreSchool Storytime: Taming Monsters (also works K-2 School Age)



PreSchool Storytime "Taming" Monsters (Also works as an age 3-9 story/craft program)
Easing Fears, "inoculating" children before scary things show up trick or treating at their door
(a fun storytime which includes music, numeracy,
participatory storytelling,and a big dose of empathy!)
Opening Music: “Monster Mash” – lots of good versions, I used the one from Mr. Ray’s Happy Halloween.

Book: Too Many Monsters – Eve Bunting A family finds the perfect way to scare the monsters  -- quack like ducks!  (and do we ever!!)
Singable Book: If you are a Monster and You Know it – Rebecca & Ed Emberley (stand up and act out the motions; also great art, perfect inspiration for kids to make their own cut-paper monsters!)
If book not available, sing: If You Are a Monster (Sung to: " If you're happy and you know it")

If you're a monster and you know it wave your arms
If you're a monster and you know it wave your arms.
If you're a monster and you know then your arms will surely show it.
If you're a monster and you know it wave your arms.
Continue with:
...show your claws
...gnash your teeth
...stomp your feet
...growl out loud

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Book: Leonardo the Terrible Monster – Mo Willems  -- Leonardo is a terrible monster…he can’t scare anybody!  (great book on friendship and empathy)

Song/Flannel: “It’s Monster Day” (From Linda Arnold's album "Peppermint Wings")  Tune HERE.
(easy flannel -- cut out simple "monsters" with a pair of pinking shears)
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Monsters short,  Monsters tall,
Monsters playing basketball,
Monsters clumsy,  Monsters cute, (made monster with spilled milk, baby monster)
Monsters in their bathing suits.
Monsters blue,  Monsters red,
Monsters standing on their heads,
Monsters try to comb their hair,
Monsters in their underwear!
It's Monster Day --hip hip horray,
And as they pass you can hear them say:
Chorus:
Ugga bugga ugga (children echo back to you)
Ugga bugga boo (echo)
Bleeleellle (echo)
Scooby Dooby Doo (echo)
Ugga bugga ugga (echo)
Ugga bugga boo (echo)
Monsters may be ugly,
Monsters need love too!

Monsters brave, Monsters shy, (made fencing monster, hiding monster)
Monsters eating pumpkin pie,
Monsters fast, Monsters slow, (made racing monster, turtle monster)
Monsters playing tic tac toe!
Monsters happy,  Monsters sad,
Monsters crabby, Monsters glad,
Monsters having lots of fun,
Monsters chewing bubble gum!   REPEAT CHORUS.
 
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Action Book: Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas (omitted 2017) – substituted The Very Worst Monster by Pat Hutchins since we had a lot of sibling pairs.

Song/Fingerpuppets/Numeral Cards: 5 Little Monsters Jumping on the Bed (variation on “Five Little Monkeys”) – subtraction – count down using numeral cards

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or use (Source Unknown):

5 little monsters sleeping in my bed
1 crawled out from under my spread
I called to Mama and Mama said
"No more monsters sleeping in your bed"
Continue until there are no little monsters and say
No little monsters sleeping in my bed
None crawling out from under my spread
I called to Mama and Mama said
"There are no more monsters, go to bed!"



Book: Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak  (mention Caldecott)  --  an absolutely perfect read-aloud -- delicious language (“sailed in and out of weeks!”), splendid illustrations and a wonderful narrative arc that speaks to children.  Participatory storytelling -- We all roar and gnash and act out the wild rumpus with great abandon!

Action Song: Horns and Fangs (Sung to: "Head and Shoulders")
Horns and fangs, knees and claws,knees and claws.
Horns and fangs, knees and claws,knees and claws.
Eyes and ears and tail and paws.
Horns and fangs, knees and claws,knees and claws.

Interactive Book: Go Away Big Green Monster – Ed Emberly – What could be more empowering than to build up a monster and then tell it to “GO AWAY”? – kids are positively shouting the words and we all love the ending “AND DON’T COME BACK…until I say so!”  Similar book: Tickle Monster – Edouard Manceau
 
Optional Book: The I’m Not Scared Book – Todd Parr – this reassuring yet funny book articulates children’s fears and gives them positive ways to deal with them (no time 2017)

Optional Video: There’s Something in My Attic (on Shelly Duvall’s Bedtime Stories) – nice, but some of the younger kids get worried
Optional Song: There’s a Monster in the Tree (source unknown.  Tune: “Spider on the Floor”)
(omitted, no time)
There’s a monster in the tree, in the tree.
There’s a monster in the tree, in the tree.
There’s a monster in the tree,
And he’s counting up to three
There’s a monster in the tree, in the tree.
2. There’s a monster at the door...
    And she’s dancing on the floor
3. There’s a monster in the hall…
    And he’s playing with a ball
4. There’s a monster in the kitchen...
    And she’s singing with a chicken
5. There’s a monster in the pot…
    And he’s getting very hot
6. There’s a monster in the bedroom..
    And he’s sweeping with a red broom
7. There are monsters in the bed…
    “Goodnight” is what they said.

Optional Craft: Monster pictures or face masks (using paper plates) inspired by the Emberleys’ book.  Great use of scrap pieces of construction paper, also fun to show kids how to twirl paper around a pencil, cut with pinking sheers, and zig-zag fold strips to get dimensionality!  Added craft 2017:
 
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School Age Version
 
Book: Monstore – Tara Lazar – Zach thinks he is buying monsters to help deal with his pesky sister, but it turns out the monsters (and his sister) have other ideas! (older groups)
Song/Flannel: “It’s Monster Day” (From Linda Arnold's album "Peppermint Wings") 
Book: Leonardo the Terrible Monster – Mo Willems
Singable Book: If you are a Monster and You Know it – Rebecca & Ed Emberley
Book: Too Many Monsters – Eve Bunting
Song/Fingerpuppets/Numeral Cards: 5 Little Monsters Jumping on the Bed
Book: Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak 
Action Book: Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
There are Monsters Everywhere by Mercer Mayer
Action Song: Horns and Fangs (Sung to: "Head and Shoulders")
Book: The I’m Not Scared Book – Todd Parr
Interactive Book: Go Away Big Green Monster – Ed Emberly
The Book with No Pictures – B.J.Novak
Bedm 10.15

Other monstrously good titles:
There’s a Nightmare in the Closet – Mercer Mayer (+others)
Where’s the Baby? – Pat Hutchins (+others)
The Monsterator -- Keith Graves
The Monster Bed – Jeanne Willis

BWL 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, 10.16 (small p.m. group below), 10.17 story/craft
 
 
“Ugga Bugga Ugga” – It’s Monster Day!
Doing the Chicken Dance with the bug in “Can You Make a Scary Face”
5 Little Monsters Sleeping in My Bed –> Where the Wild Things Are

Horns & Fangs Knees & Claws (Head Shoulders Knees & Toes)

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