DOOR TO DOOR STORYTIME

EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY SKILL(S): Narrative Skills

BOOKS TO DISPLAY

Knut, The Baby Polar Bear by Isabella Hatkoff
The Polar Bears’ Home: A Story About Global Warming by Lara Bergen
P. Bear’s New Year’s Party: A Counting Book by Paul Owen Lewis
Little Polar Bear by Hans De Beer
Polar Bears by Emilie U. Lepthien
Polar Bears by Timothy L. Biel
A Pair of Polar Bears: Twin Cubs Find a Home at the San Diego Zoo by Joanne Ryder
Polar Opposites by Erik Brooks
The Lonesome Polar Bear by Jane Cabrera

BASIC TIMELINE

1. Intro
2. Read-a-Loud Book
3. Finger Puppet Rhyme
4. Read-a-Loud Book
5. Flannelboard
6. Read-a-Loud Book
7. Craft

READ-A-LOUD BOOKS

Big Bear, Little Bear
Hush Little Polar Bear by Jeff Mack
Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson

ACTIVITIES

Finger Puppet Rhyme: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr.  

Flannelboard:  Five Little Polar Bears (via: Artfelt.net)

Five little polar bears,
Playing near the shore.
One tumbled in,
Then there were four.

Four little polar bears,
Swimming in the sea.
One chased a seal,
Then there were three.

Three little polar bears,
Wondering what to do.
One went swimming,
Then there were two.

Two little polar bears,
Playing in the sun.
One took a nap,
Then there was one.

One little polar bear,
Standing all alone.
He went to find someone,
Then there was none.

 

 CRAFT: Polar Bears!

This week’s polar bear craft was inspired by an Accordion Fold Polar Bear Craft Kit I found on PlatypusCrafts.com. I used printer paper to draw the polar bear. Then, I scanned the original and made numerous copies, which I then cut out prior to storytime. Left over scrapbook paper, and gray faux-vellum printer paper was used to to create the sky (circle) and snow (half circle) background. I used a handheld hole punch to create snow from the leftover faux-vellum paper. I purchased a ten pack of glitter glue from The Dollar Tree for $1, to add a festive and sparkly touch to the craft. Googly eyes, washable markers and color pencils were provided as well.

REVIEW

This week’s storytime was originally scheduled for last Saturday. Unfortunately, the weather has been so wet and chilly patrons have been unwilling to venture out, so I ended up with zero attendance! Luckily, I had two families brave the weather this Saturday, so I was able to present this polar bear themed storytime for three kids at GBL. If I’m being totally honest, my performance was a bit lackluster this time around…probably due to the fact I took it easy this week and did NOT practice reading a-loud. Lesson learned. Luckily, the kids were forgiving and thrilled with the craft. Who doesn’t LOVE glitter (especially at Dollar Tree prices)?

On a serious note: I know glitter can be a terrifying medium for some parents, but these glitter sticks were pretty self-contained. Truth be told, the kids had a lighter touch than some of the adults. I had to choke back a laugh when one father took the glitter stick from his son and said, “this is how you do it,” and then processed to make a glittery mess by squeezing too hard.

Storytime crafts Door 2 Door Storytime early childhood literacy narrative skill polar bears