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