Family Night Week of July 2nd

Happy 233rd birthday America! We wish you many more! Family Night was so patriotic with books like You’re a Grand Old Flag by George M. Cohen and Pippa at the Parade by Karen Roosa!

Don’t forget to bring your family to “Para Los Niños Workshop/For the Children Workshop,” (conducted in English), on July 8th, 2009. This program is a partnership with the Houston Children’s Museum and Target. If you’d like more information follow this link:

http://www.cmhouston.org/losninos/

Toddler Time for the Week of June 29th

Hip, hip hooray for the U.S.A.! We celebrated our country’s birthday this week by reading WOW! America! by Robert Neubecker. This book contains awesome landmarks and symbols of America. After that, we counted some firecrackers, we pretended to march in a parade, sang Happy Birthday America, and created some patriotic hats that we can wear this weekend!

See you next week, and have a safe and fun 4th of July!

Preschool Storytime Week of June 29th

Happy Birthday America!

We enjoyed books having to do with the 4th of July during storytime. Books included:

Hats Off for the 4th of July by Harriet Ziefert

You're A Grand Old Flag by George M. Cohan

Wow! America! by Robert Neubecker

Songs we sang today included the book You're A Grand Old Flag, 5 little Firecrackers, and We are Marching, Marching, Marching and In the Summer It is Hot.


5 little firecrackers standing in a row

1 gets lit and off it goes

It zips up high with a zoom, zoom, zoom

Here it goes with a boom, boom, boom

(then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1 firecracker)

Join us next week: Cowboys & Cowgirls

Preschool Storytime Week of June 22nd

Boy it is getting hot outside! We enjoyed books about the Texas Summer this week in storytime. Books included:

Trout, Trout, Trout: A Fish Chant by April Sayre

Beach Day by Patricia Lakin

Ms. Elizabeth told a string story about a pesky mosquito that disappeared with a clap of her hands!


Songs included "Five little hot dogs frying in a pan..." and "In the Summer it is Hot."

Next week: 4th of July

Preschool Storytime Week of June 15th

This week we celebrated Dads! Books read included Daddy is a Doodlebug by Bruce Degen, My Father, the Dog by Elizabeth Bluemle, and The Daddy Book by Todd Parr. The songs we sang included "Happy Father's Day to You," "Five Little Ducks," and "If You're Happy and You Know It!" Our craft was a special card to give to Dad on Father's Day! Happy Father's Day to all you Dads!

Join us next week for: Beat the Texas Heat

Preschool Storytime Week of June 8th

Cowboys and Cowgirls Need Cows was this week's theme! We started storytime off with the funny tale of The Cow That Laid An Egg by Andy Cutbill. Next we helped a hoarse rooster out with Cock-A-Doodle-Moo by Bernard Most. Storytime ended with Wake Up, Big Barn by Suzanne Chitwood. Songs sung today included our DAISY rendition of "Bingo" - There Was a Farmer Who Had a Cow and Daisy Was Her Name-o and "Down on Grandpa's Farm" sung along with Raffi (from Raffi's Box of Sunshine CD, 2000). We ended storytime with parachute play!

Next Week: Join us as we celebrate Dads!

Toddler Time Week of June 8th

Moo! This week's theme was about cows! We read, Moo Moo, Brown Cow by Jakki Wood, had a blast with the parachute activity! Join us neek week for Father's Day stories.

Summer Reading Program

Just a reminder - our Summer Reading Program begins on June 5 and runs through August 8. You can begin registering online on June 5 @ www.hcpl.net. There are reading programs for children, teens and adults so don't forget to sign everyone up!

On Saturday June 6, Greyhound Adoption Information will be available here between 12pm-3:30pm. If you're considering a pet, come find out about adopting a retired greyhound.

Monday, June 8, we will be celebrating our 5th Birthday (in the current building)! There will be a crown craft for kids, Biscuit and Corduroy will be walking around saying hello, and Luxury Jazz Trio at 6:30pm for the whole family. Come by and celebrate with us!

Preschool Storytime Week of May 25th

Mercer Mayer was the focus of our storytime this week. We started with our opening song "The More We Get Together" and dove into There's a Nightmare in My Closet. We sang "I Can Work With One Hammer" along with Greg & Steve from their CD Fun and Games. We also sang "Five Little Speckled Frogs." We ended storytime with a movie based on Mercer Mayer's Frog Goes to Dinner. This story is available on a DVD that includes Diary of a Worm (Dorin Cronin), Anatole (Eve Titus), and I Lost my Bear (Jules Feiffer) titled Diary of a Worm, published by Weston Woods.

Next week: Rosemary Wells movie

Kids in the Kitchen, May 26th

Our final (until the Fall) Kids in the Kitchen was "Beach in a Cup." The children put some vanilla pudding in a clear cup, crunched up some vanilla wafers to go on top (sand), added some colorful candy (rocks and shells), a round gumball (beachball), and an umbrella to make their own beach in cup that was super-delicious to eat!

Kids in the Kitchen is one of our afterschool programs held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 4:30pm. It is recommended for school-age children who can work independently. It includes hands-on experience reading basic recipe instruction and preparing a simple food item. Due to our summer programs, Kids in the Kitchen will return in the Fall.

Book Babies

Enjoy your own Book Babies program at home:



Uploaded on authorSTREAM by bettysplacefm

Preschool Storytime Week of May 18th

This week the spotlight was on David Shannon, children's author and illustrator. We read Duck on a Bike and No, David! We sang "Old MacDonald Had A Bike" and "I've Got Music in Me" by Greg & Steve (from the CD titled Fun and Games.) We had tremendous fun with the parachute after the stories! Here's one of the songs we sang:

The Noble Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again
And when they're up, they're up
And when they're down, they're down
And when they're only halfway up
They're neither up nor down

Next week we will be watching a Mercer Mayer Movie. Please join us again!

Knitting Program for Children

We are very excited to share with you that two beginning knitting programs for children will be offered this summer! Each session is limited to 20 children.

Session I, Wednesdays
June 10th, 17th & 24th*
5-6 PM, Children's Activity Space

Session II, Wednesdays,
July 15th, 22nd, & 29th*
5-6 PM, Children's Activity Space

Suggested ages: 10 and up

Registration is available online on our Events Calendar for either session beginning Tuesday, May 26th. All supplies will be provided by the Friends of the Freeman Library.

*Due to knitting being a step-by-step process, children are expected to attend all three classes of the session in which they register.

Feel free to contact the Children's Department at 281-488-1906 for more information.

Summer Reading Program

Our Summer Reading Program will begin Friday, June 5th and last until Saturday, August 8th! You can register online at www.hcpl.net.

Visit our Events Calendar to see what we have planned for the summer.

Toddler Time Week of May 18th

This week we celebrated another of our favorite authors and illustrators, David Shannon!!! We read, “No, David!” and sang a new song called, “Wake Up,” along with some others. We finished with an awesome parachute activity!



Wake Up

Wake up *hands,
Wake up *hands,
Wake up *hands,
And wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!

*feet
*ears
*toddlers

Family Night Thurs. May 14, 2009

This week's theme was Pigs. The stories were:

Hogwood Steps Out: A Good,Good Pig Story by Howard Mansfield
Pigsty by Mark Teague
Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore by David McPhail

The craft this evening was making pink pigs from playdough.

We also had our Para Los Ninos program on Estimation. The children and their families had fun estimating several different items in jars and completing three activity sheets.

Preschool Storytime Week of May 11

Classic stories were enjoyed this week! Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey and The Boy Who Cried Wolf retold by B.G. Hennissy were read. A fingerstory about Mr. Brown and Mr. Black was also told. Songs included Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee and the L-I-B-R-A-R-Y cheer! The library cheer sung today is a shortened version written by Garrison Keillor (A Prarie Home Companion on NPR).

Join us next week for a spotlight on children's author/illustrator David Shannon!

Teen Volunteers

Do you want to keep busy this summer, help the community and make new friends? (Or know a teen who you think would enjoy volunteering?) Come to the Teen Volunteer Open House to learn how you can have a great summer volunteering at Freeman Library!

We will be having a Teen Volunteer Open House on Saturday, May 16th at 2:00PM. Just show up if you are interested.

Teddy Bear Sleepover

The bears had so much fun at Teddy Bear Sleepover! Here are pictures of our awesome adventure at the library:

Toddler Time Week of May 11th

This week we sang our favorite songs and read one of our favorite books! "Hi, Pizza Man," by Virginia Walker is Ms. Chris’s favorite book, and the “Five Little Monkeys,” song is Ms. Dileyda’s favorite song! We also cheered for the library and took home some awesome bookmarks!


Here’s another great song you can practice at home:

Baby Bumblebee

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Cup hands together as if holding bee)

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
(Shake hands as if just stung)

I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
('Squish' bee between palms of hands)

I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It's yucky!
(Open up hands to look at 'mess')

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Wipe hands off on shirt)

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won't be mad at me!
(Hold hands up to show they are clean)

See you next week when we read books written by David Shannon!

Family Night 5-7-09

Tonight's theme was "Teachers." We read the following stories: No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks by Diane deGroat, and Carl Goes to Daycare by Alexandra Day. The craft tonight was mini memory books made with fun foam covers which the children decorated with stickers and markers.

Afterschool Programs: Krafty Kids

Join us Tuesday, May 12, for Krafty Kids. The children will be making Patriotic Fans to get in gear for the summer heat!

Krafty Kids is held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 4:30pm. It is recommended for children 5-8 years old. This hands-on make and take is designed for children who can work independently and are able to follow instructions. Program tickets are free. Space is limited. Tickets are available at the children's desk 30 minutes prior to the program.

Preschool Storytime Week of May 4th

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! Our preschool storytimes were full of books and songs about, who else? MOM! Books read this week may have included The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill, The Mommy Book by Todd Parr, My Mom by Anthony Browne, Piglet and Mama by Margaret Wild, and Who Will Tuck Me In Tonight? by Ruth Carol. There was some variety in our books this week between the storytimes. Make sure to check out any of the other Mommy themed books you didn't get to hear. We also sang our MOMMY rendition of "Bingo" and "Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee."

I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee, won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee, Ouch! It stung me!!

I'm squishing up my baby bumble bee, won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm squishing up my baby bumble bee, EWWW! It's yucky!

I'm wiping off my baby bumble bee, won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wiping off my baby bumble bee, now my mommy won't be mad at me!

Join us next week for classic stories

Art Club: Sand Art

This month's Art Club project was Sand Art. We filled baby food jars with layers and layers of colorful sand to create patterns that looked like mountains and valleys.

Art Club is held the third Tuesday of every month at 4:30PM and is recommended for children ages 5-8 who can work independently. This program is designed to teach children about art and inspire creativity through the use of different techniques and various media.

Next month's Art Club on Tuesday May 19 will be Japanese Paper Dolls.

Art Club: Sand Art Program created by Elizabeth Hunt

Preschool Storytime Week of April 27th

Construction week! We told the story of the Three Little Pigs as a flannel board story. Most of the children were familiar with the story and huffed and puffed as the big bad wolf. They even acted out the piggies - "not by the hair on my chinny, chin, chin!" The morning storytime group read Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming. The afternoon storytime group read Jack's House by Karen Magnuson Beil and Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop by Lisa Shulman. The craft was a hard hat and toolbelt, which seemed to be a real hit with the children.

One of the rhymes was "Johnny Works With One Hammer"

Johnny works with one hammer, one hammer, one hammer,
(make hammering motion with one hand)
Johnny works with one hammer, then he works with two.

Johnny works with two hammers, two hammers, two hammers
(make hammering motion with both hands)
Johnny works with two hammers, then he works with three.

Johnny works with three hammers, three hammers, three hammers...
(make hammering motion with both hands and one foot)

Johnny works with four hammers, four hammers, four hammers...
(make hammering motion with both hands and both feet)

Johnny works with five harmmers, five hammers, five hammers,
(make hammering motion with both hands, both feet and head)
Johnny works with five hammers, then he goes to bed.

Teddy Bear Sleepover

Here are the details about the Teddy Bear Sleepover we are having in May



Uploaded on authorSTREAM by bettysplacefm

Afterschool Programs - Kids in the Kitchen

Our Afterschool Programs are regularly scheduled each Tuesday at 4:30pm. Tuesday, April 28, we will be having our "Kids in the Kitchen." The children will be making a "cookie rocket."

Kids in the Kitchen is every 4th Tuesday of the month. This program is designed for school-age children who can work independently. It includes hands-on experience reading basic recipe instructions and preparing a simple food item. It is limited to 30 children. Tickets are free and required. Tickets can be obtained at the children's desk 30 minutes prior to the event.

Preschool Storytime Week of April 20

Boungiorno! We went on a new adventure in Europe this week to Italy! Stories included The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges, On Top of Spaghetti retold by Paul Brett Johnson, Hi Pizza Man by Virginia Walter and we got to ooooh and aaah over the pop-up book Brava, Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola. The Little Red Hen provided a surprise ending as the duck, the cat, and the dog all pitched in to help wash the dishes after gobbling up their slices of pizza. We learned how to sing "Frere Jacques" in Italian and then we sang it in Italian, English and French. It was great fun listening to the kids sing the song in all three languages. The morning storytime learned how to say hello and goodbye in Italian - boungiorno and cioa! They also learned how to sing "The More We Get Together" in Italian and sang it in Italian, English and American Sign Language.

Piu noi siamo insieme, insieme, insieme
Piu noi siamo insieme, piu felici noi siam
I tuoi amici sono i miei, i miei amici sono i tuoi
Piu noi siamo insiemo, piu felici noi siam

Join us next week as we make our way into the construction zone!

Toddler Time Week of April 20th

Ciao everyone! This week we traveled to Italy! We read Brava, Strega Nona! by Tommie De Paola and we sang the Italian version of Brother John:

Fra Giovanni, Fra Giovanni,

Dormi Tu, Dormi Tu?

Suona la campana, suona la campana,

Din, dan, don! Din dan, don!

Have a great week and Happy Earth Day!!!

Toddler Time Week of April 13th

We celebrated the author Audrey Wood this week!

We read one of Ms. Elizabeth's favorite stories:

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear.

We followed this storytime with faboulous parachute games!

Family Night: April 9th

The bunny stories continued!

We read:

Little Bunny Foo Foo by Paul Brett Johnson
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Denise Fleming

Afterwards, we presented Para Los Niños; a workshop sponsored by the Houston Children's Museum and Target. This workshop encourage families to get a library cards and use the resources of the library. The parents also learn some simple inexpensive activities to do with their child to help their child learn. Other take home community resources besides the library are offered to parents. We will continue to have these workshops until November, and they will be every second Thursday of the month.

Toddler Time Week of April 6th

This week we had fun with bunnies!!! One of our favorite songs was:

Funny Little Bunny

Funny little bunny goes

hop, hop, hop!

Funny little bunny please

stop, stop, stop!

Wiggle your ears,

and crinkle your nose!

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
right down to your toes!

Preschool Storytime April 13, 2009

This week's theme was a spotlight on children's author Audrey Wood. What fun it was to read The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear, The Napping House, King Bidgood's in the Bathtub and Silly Sally! We kept things silly by singing "I like to eat, eat, eat, apples and bananas." We also sung If You're Happy and You Know It and Frere Jacques.

The fun continued as we had the children do the parachute. Shake, shake, shake, now stop! Listening skills and teamwork are key skills in the use of the parachute and the kids have so much fun shaking, hopping, and going under the parachute.

Join us next week as we take a visit to Italy and add to our language skills by learning Frere Jacques in another language!

Preschool Storytime Week of April 6

Hoppy Easter! This week in storytime we read books about chicks and bunnies. We read about three slick bunnies in Candice Fleming's Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, sang along with Little Bunny Foo Foo: Told and Sung by the Good Fairy and made animal noises in This Little Chick by John Lawrence. The morning storytime included Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker. Rhymes and songs included Funny Little Bunny, If You're Happy and You Know It and a Old MacDonald Had a Farm with puppets.

Join us next week for spotlight on children's author Audrey Wood!

Family Night April 2, 2009

We read:
Rain Stomper by Addie K. Boswell
Who Likes Rain by Wong Herbert Yee
I Love the Rain by Margaret Park Bridges

The children helped tell a flannel board rhyme: Three Little Raindrops. This was a new activity which they enjoyed very much.

The craft was a coloring sheet adding clear plastic drops for a three dimensional effect.

Toddler Time Week of March 30th

Bonjour everyone! Our storytime this week had a French twist to it! We read, Everybody Bonjours by Leslie Kimmelman, and sang Brother John in French. We also sang about pommes frites (french fries) and at the end, we "packed" our bags and went to France! It was lots of fun!


Frere Jacques


Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,

Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?

Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!

Din, dan, don. Din, dan, don.



Toddler Time is every Monday, Wednesday & Thursday at 11:15 a.m. It is recommended for children from 18 months to 3 years.

Preschool Storytime Week of March 30

Our preschoolers went on an adventure this week to France! From singing Frere Jacques and Happy Birthday in French to learning how to say hello "Bonjour." Books read this week included Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, Crictor by Tomi Ungerer, A Spree in Paree by Catherine Stock, and Everybody Bonjours by Leslie Kimmelman. We even learned how to say french fries in French - pommes frites. Join us next week for chickens and bunnies.

Preschool storytimes are on Tuesdays at 11:15am and 1:30pm and Wednesdays at 1:30pm. They are recommended for children ages 3 years - 5 years.

Welcome to our Blog

We are so excited to be starting our children's department blog here at HCPL Freeman Branch Library! We'll begin by blogging about children's events and storytimes for the week. We hope to add some other fun stuff too. Welcome and come back to visit us soon!