DOOR 2 DOOR STORYTIME

EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY SKILL: Narrative Skill

BOOKS TO DISPLAY

Goodnight Dragons by Judith L. Roth
Hiding Hoover by Elise Broach
Little One’s Do! by Jana Novotny Hunter   
The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle 
Flight of the Last Dragon by Robert Burleigh
Oh No, Little Dragon! By Jim Averbeck
Argus by Michelle Knudsen
There’s No Such Things as a Dragon by Jack Kent
Dragon Tooth by Cathryn Falwell
Waking Dragons by Jane Yolen
Dragons Love Tacos  by Adam Rubin  
Who Wants a Dragon by James Mathew
Hush, Little Dragon by Boni Ashburn  
Not Your Typical Dragon by Dan Bar-el

BASIC TIMELINE

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

READ-A-LOUD BOOKS

The Baby Dragon-Tamer by Jan Fearnley
When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore  
Elvira by Margaret Shannon

ACTIVITIES

Flannelboard: Five Little Dragons (via Jacksonville Public Library Blog)

One little dragon with scales of blue;
Ran to meet the green one,
And then there were two.   
Two little dragons sitting under a tree; 
The red dragon joined them,  
And then there were three.  
Three little dragons, wishing there were more;
Along came the purple dragon,
And then there were four.
Four little dragons, happy to be alive;
Found a yellow dragon,  
And then there were five.
Five little dragons all out to play;  
“Watch out, they breathe fire,” is all I have to say.

Movement Rhyme: Little Dragon (via Jacksonville Public Library)

Little Dragon counts to three,
Little Dragon bends one knee.
Little Dragon touches his toes,
Little Dragon touches his nose.
Little Dragon makes a funny face,
Little Dragon runs in place.
Little Dragon lays on the floor,
Little Dragon starts to snore.

Movement Rhyme: Swing Your Dragon Tail (via Jacksonville Public Library Blog)

Turn around once and swing your dragon tail.
Turn around twice and flap your wings like sails.
Turn around three times, stomp your feet and roar.
Jump up high, then sit down on the floor.

CRAFT: Dragon MASKS!

This storytime craft was inspired by a mask I saw on Kaboose.com. Using the original as a starting point, I created a free-hand copy and then added embellishments and additional features. I used a permanent marker to color in external negative space, and scanned a copy of the original.  I printed multiple copies on pieces of old manila file folders (which were cut-down to size to fit my printer)  and cut out the masks prior to storytime. I purchased a jumbo pack of craft sticks from Michaels ($4.99 for a box of 200), and 2 sets of multi-colored curly ribbon bows from The Dollar Tree (3 bows to a pack for $1 a piece). I deconstructed the bows and cut the ribbons in half. Masking tape was used to attach the craft sticks and ribbons. Crayons and color pencils were provided instead of markers.

REVIEW

I decided to celebrate Chinese New Year (2013) by presenting a dragon themed storytime. Strong winds and cold weather were an issue, so I only had three children who attended storytime at GBL on Saturday. Those in attendance were thrilled to read picture books about dragons. The read-a-loud books were a big hit. The kids giggled uproariously at Jan Fearnley’s purple smoke farting dragon, and were fascinated by the notion of a dragon who liked to wear dresses and hangout with princesses (Elvira). The craft was a big hit, and during this portion of storytime I was able to chat with the kids and impart some facts about dragons and their connection to Chinese culture.

Storytime Chinese New Year crafts Door 2 Door Storytime dragons early childhood literacy home school library masks narrative skill