Talk Like A Pirate Day - September 19th (for the young buccaneers)

30 minutes

Intended for 20 guests, ages 3-5 with an adult

Supplies

"A is for Arrr!: A Pirate Alphabet" by Laura Purdie Salas
"Pirate Nap: A Book of Colors" by Danna Smith
20 pieces of white card stock
20 red foam squares (flag)
20 brown paper squares (treasure chest)
20 black ship shaped pieces
20 popsicle sticks
20 blue crayons
20 paper book cutouts
Bingo markers (Do-a-dot Art: Sponge Tip Applicator)
Jewel stickers

Program

With programs for the littler ones, I always have to remember to break up the story time with some finger plays.  Kings County Library System has a great wiki where they have an awesome collection of finger plays, rhymes and songs for the little ones.  Also, I tend to structure my programs a bit more for the little ones.  Not as much free time, more bing-bang-boom one thing to another to keep them entertained.  That being said, the program goes as follows:

Hello Song (Pirate style)

Hello, Hello!
Hello and how arrrrrrrrrrrrrr you?
I'm pirate-y, I'm pirate-y!
And I hope that you arrrrrrrrrr too!
(x2)

If you're a pirate

Tune: If you happy and you know it!

If you’re a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (Swish, swish)
If you’re a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (Swish, swish)
If you’re a pirate and you know it, then you’ll hear the sea winds blowin’.
If you’re a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (Swish, swish)
(Repeat the song with “Walk the plank” (Stomp, stomp) & Say ahoy: Ahoy! (Wave hello)

Well blow me down mateys!  You all sound like formidable pirates to me!  This first book I have you ye all is "Pirate Nap: A Book of Colors" by Danna Smith.  Do you all think that you landlubbers can help me with the colors in this book?  Say "arrrrrr" if you think you can!  

"Pirate Nap: A Book of Colors" by Danna Smith

That was g-arrrrrrrr-eat ye landlubbers! Perhaps yer more pirate-y than I thought!  Let's do a little ditty together about Five Pirates on a ship!   

Five Pirates

Five pirates heading out to shore
One jumped overboard and now there are four.
Four pirates heading out to sea
One stole all the Captains's gold
And now there are three.
Three pirates with not a lot to do
One was made to walk the plank
And now there are two.
Two pirates having lots of fun
One drank all the first mate's juice
And now there is one.
One pirate sitting in the sun
He decides to abandon ship
And now there are none.

Well done me mateys!  Seems to me ye all know yer counting, but do ye know yer alphabet?  Let's practice it together to prep-arrrrrr-e for the next book!  (Sing the alphabet together.)  Well done! Does any one know what letter is a pirate's favorite? RRRRR!

"A is for Arrr!: A Pirate Alphabet" by Laura Purdie Salas

Well done again!  Let's sing one more pirate-y song before we do our craft for the day! 

I'm a Little Pirate

Tune: I'm a Little Teapot

I’m a little pirate, short and fat.
Here is my eye-patch, here is my hat.
When I pull the plug, the boat it sank,
That’s why they made me walk the plank!
(x2)

Arrrrrrr!  Let's go and make our craft! 

Once they have completed their craft, the program is concluded and the little pirates can go out and explore the open sea!  

Wishing Stones

45 minutes

Intended for 25 guests, grades K-3

Supplies

"Ella May and the Wishing Stone" by Cary Fagan
25 smooth stones (North Shore beaches are the best place to gather stones)
Paints
Glue
Glitter
Stickers

Program

This past summer, the theme of the 2012 Summer Reading Club was "Dream Big: READ!" and so in line with dreaming, I created a program that encouraged wishing.

The idea for this program is taken from the book "Ella May and the Wishing Stone."  It is about a little girl, Ella May, who stumbles upon a wishing stone that just so happens to make her wishes come true.  She brags to her friends about her wishing stone's powers and becomes just a tad bit rude with her new found power.  No spoilers about how it ends though, you'll have to check it out for yourself! 

For the program, I read this book.  And then I let all the children make their very own wishing stones!  (Disclaimer:  These wishing stones hold no "real" power and should not be treated as such.)  It's fun to wish and hope and dream, and if there is something that can encourage that in the children, then by golly, I'm for it!

They were given smooth stones, and paints, and glue, and stickers and a whole bunch of glitter!  I mean a lot of glitter.  Because what's a wishing stone without mass mounts of glitter on it?  The glitter makes it extra special!  And they were encouraged to just create and decorate!

Here is a wishing stone that I made:

And although I have had no wishes come true (yet!), it's pretty, and I will still keep wishing and hoping!  Because that is what is important. 

Painting with Grandparents - Grandma Moses and Grandparents Day! September 7 & 9

1 Hour

Intended for 25 guests, grades K-5 with grandparent(s)

Supplies

"The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds
25 water color sets
25 paint brushes
75 pieces of watercolor paper or card stock
Lovely classical music
Printings (from a color printer) or Grandma Moses's art

Program

As a Children's Librarian, we often become aware of obscure holidays and then find ways to celebrate them in programs.

September 9th is Grandparents Day. 

September 7th is Grandma Moses Day.  It was designated so because September 7th is the birthday of Anna Mary Robertson Moses.  She started a successful American folk painting career late in her life (when she was already a Grandma) which is why she was affectionately named Grandma Moses.  She commonly painted scenes from America's rural past.  Her paintings were used to publicize numerous American holidays.  During the 1950s, her exhibitions were so popular they broke attendance records!

Why not combine these two holidays, since they are so close in date and have a Painting with Grandparents program to celebrate them!

Grandma Moses, Halloween, 1955

I printed out some of Grandma Moses's art work and hung it in the program room to create a galleria.  Very simple yet totally refined. ;)

On one half of the room, there was a story corner set up, and on the other half, tables and chairs with water colors and paints.  

At the beginning of the program, I read a brief description of who Grandma Moses was and why it is celebrated on September 7th and also explained that Grandparents day is only 2 days after.

I then read a book to inspire the creativity of the group and warm their hearts.  Peter H. Reynold's "The Dot" is just a lovely story that teaches everyone they can be an artist.

After a reading of the story, I put on the classical music (a lovely mix of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms) and told everyone to go out to the tables and paint and be free!  The results were amazing.  Beautiful works of art from the children and the grandparents alike.  All in all, it was just a lovely, and very simple program to do.

These are two paintings that were made for me by two little guys who love the Titanic!  Truly made my day!