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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Yummy Fiesta - ¡A Comer! - A Storytime Outline

 ccHispanic Heritage Month spans across September 15 to October 15. To celebrate and add some culture to my library's storytime programming, I did my third storytime that revolved around it all. This year I focused on food (last year it was a Fiesta y Siesta theme that went OK) and it went great!

Typically, I find it hard to weave Spanish words into my readings. I can slaughter the English language just fine so I'm not always gung-ho on going into another language. However, perhaps the third time the charm! I wasn't corrected once! I had a mom help me pronounce "anaranjado" - the one color that always trips me up despite all the practice that I do! All in all I ended each program feeling happy and accomplished!

I think a big tip for handling a storytime like this, for someone who isn't very familiar and does not normally speak the language, is go forth with... baby steps. Don't plan on doing too much, especially for toddlers. Preschoolers can handle a little bit more. Do what you feel comfortable with doing!

T = Toddler Storytime
P = Preschool Storytime

BOOKS
1, 2, 3 to the Zoo written and illus. by Eric Carle (T) 
I did the English version of this book. I wanted to focus on the counting in Spanish with story. I'm a firm believer that start with the basics with toddlers, especially young toddlers like what attend my programs. 

Spicy Hot Colors = Colores Picantes written by Sherry Shahan and illus. by Paula Barragan (T, P)
This was a book that I recently discovered in my library's Spanish collection. It was perfect for my theme. I did come across the word "pardo" as a version of brown. None of my Spanish-speaking acquaintances knew this word, but from what I could figure out is that it could be Barzillian and referring to a skin tone or it could mean "brownish". Interesting. I changed it to "café". 

The Three Little Tamales written by Eric Kimmel and Illus. by Valerie Docampo (P)
I read this last year and it was a hit, especially since it's a piggyback of the Three Little Pigs. This year the preschoolers got to hold a wolf (Señor Lobo) prop and help recite his huffy and puffy refrain. 

The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred written by Samantha Vamos and illus. by Rafael Lopez (P)
OK, so I didn't get to do this book because we had so much fun during The Three Little Tamales story, but I was read to go on this one if time had permitted. 

SONGS & RHYMES
Open, Shut Them (T, P)
follow actions
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap
Creep them, creep them up to your chin
Open your mouth wide, but don't put your fingers in!
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a big clap
Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap

Five Empanadas (P)
Five empanadas sizzling in a pan (hold up five fingers)
One went POP! (clap!)
and then it went BAM! (slap knees!)

Four empanadas sizzling in a pan (hold up four fingers)
One went POP! (clap!)
and then it went BAM! (slap knees!) 

countdown to one...

One empanada sizzling in a pan (hold up one pan)
It went POP! (clap!)
and then it went BAM! (slap knees!)

Now there are no empanadas in the pan.
Ask the children what happened to the empanadas. Did we eat them anyway or did they explode all together?
You can also change out the food to something else, like Tamales.

I'm a Piñata(T, P)
I'm a piñata colorful and bright,
Beautiful ribbons make me look just right,
But, alas, I have none,
So step right up and give me a (color name) one!
Source: Me! (Dorothy WP-CC)
Touch Your Nose (T, P)
follow actions
Touch your nose
Touch your chin
That's the way this game begins
Touch your eyes
Touch your knees
Now pretend you're going to sneeze!
Aaachooooo!
Touch your hair
Touch one ear
Touch your two red lips right here
Touch your elbow where it ends
And that's the way this touch game ends.

ACTIVITIES
Egg Shakers (T, P)
The toddlers and the preschoolers used their imagine when we played with our egg shakers. Today they were maracas! During Preschool Storytime the children got the opportunity to help come up with movement ideas beyond the usual (high in the sky, down low by our toes, by our tummies, behind our backs, really fast and really slow, and jumping jacks). They came up with: turning around and around (a very dizzying experience!), jumping really high, and dancing. 

FLANNEL BOARD
Piñata Streamers (T)
I made a donkey-shaped piñata and the children spent a few minutes placing little ribbon streamers to its body and surrounding board area. The ribbons liked to fall off and added an extra level of dexterity practice for their little fingers. I created the rhyme "I'm a Piñata" to go a long with the activity.

Five Empanadas (P)
I couldn't help but make my own empanadas for this rhyme. To make them, I cut my felt with a circle die cut and folded them in half with a little bit of stuffing in the middle to make it full looking. Then I glued little strips around the seams to make it look like the "dough" was crimped with a fork. Not too bad!

CRAFTS
Red Apple = Manzana roja Coloring Page (T)
This was a simple coloring sheet that has an apple tree and a die cut apple shape that the toddlers could glue and color. 

One Little Tamale Coloring Page (P)
To tie into the story The Three Little Tamales the preschoolers got to glue a picture of a wolf, a cactus, and a rectangle to a sheet of construction paper. They got to create their own tamale character. 

PICTURES


Piñata Streamers flannel board, Toddler Storytime,
created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2012

Five Empanadas, Preschool Storytime, flannel board,
created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2012

Señor Lobo props for The Three Little Tamales,
Preschool Storytime, created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2012

Red Apple = Manzana roja Coloring Page, Toddler Storytime,
created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2012

One Little Tamale Coloring Page, Preschool Storytime,
created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2012

MORE BOOKS 
Fiesta Babies written by Carmen Tafolla and illus. by Amy Cordova (T) 
Let's Eat! = ¡A Comer! written by Pat More and illus. by Maribel Suarez (T) 
The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle's Wedding: A Latin American Folktale retold by Alma Flor Ada and illus. by Kathleen Kuchera (P)
Mice and Beans written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illus. by Joe Capeda (P)

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