Summer 2012 Family Story Time - Moon and Stars

Family Story Time - Moon and Stars
Wednesday, July 11, 2012, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Attendance: 33 (23 children, 10 adults)

Starting Activity:  "Alphabet Soup" with moon and stars (adapted from Lucy's In the Children's Room blog post for 1/6/12)

Book:  Moonlight by Helen V. Griffith

Board Stories:  "Star Cookies" from Moon Stories by
                       "When the Moon Fell from the Sky" adapted from
                       "The Milky Way" from Story Puzzles: Tales in the Tangram
                        Tradition by Valerie Marsh

Draw and Tell Story: "Anansi Gets into Trouble" from Terrific Tales to Tell by Valerie Marsh

Game:  "Find the Moon" (from the Dream Big Read! 2012 Collaborative Summer Library Program Manual, Chapter 4 - "Night, Night," pp. 126 -127

Craft:  Moon with Star (Inspired by the clip art used for the starting activity)

Moon and Stars pieces for Alphabet Soup
(Clip art from Microsoft Publisher)

Moon and Clouds Guessing Game

(I drew my own figures and printed and then pasted the numbers on the clouds.)

Craft

Notes:  I had planned to do a "Finish the Pattern" game in addition to the "Find the Moon" game but ran out of time. I will use it for my Pajama Story Time instead. This game is also from the CSLP manual (same citation). "Alphabet Soup" was a perfect opening because it engaged the older children as well as providing letter recognition for the younger ones. I had the letters all mixed up as I took them out of the pot. I then took the "clues" (moon and stars) out of the pot. I rearranged the letters to the correct words with help from the older children. This was a great activity for a group with a large age range and I will definitely be using it again for family story time. "Star Cookies" was perfect for the younger children. The other stories went over well for the older children and adults. (I got carried away making "ocean" pieces for "When the Moon Fell from the Sky." I won't be using all of them the next time I tell this story.) Using all 10 clouds made the guessing game more challenging which engaged the audience. Eight clouds were selected before the correct one was picked. (Fewer clouds can be used with younger children.) The children enjoyed the craft. I had all the pieces pre-cut and the holes punched. I put the ribbon and sequins in sandwich bags so they were easy to give out. The children colored the pieces with crayons, glued on the sequins and tied the star to the moon with ribbon. Parents and volunteers were there to help. (In the summer I have student volunteers so the craft and clean-up went very smoothly.)