Planting a Rainbow of Reads

The time has come for a new Spring display.  I created this with butcher paper as the background and construction paper cutouts for the flower garden.  It is directly based on Lois Ehlert's Planting a Rainbow.  The banner about six feet long to give an idea of the scale.  I wanted to put something up that would last for more than a month like our typical holiday displays, and I am hoping that this one will take us well into summer! I can use this space to display books about Spring, books by Lois Ehlert, or simply colorful books... the opportunities for this one are boundless.

St. Patrick's Day Storytime

Long ago, St. Patrick's day began as a religious holiday that celebrated the arrival of Saint Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland. Today, it is celebrated in many parts of the world in the spirit of Irish heritage, culture and good luck! St. Patrick's Day celebrations of today include parades, feasts, Irish folklore and wearing the color green!  We got to celebrate it here at the library with a special storytime and craft.

Stories I read:

• Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie DePaola (the board book shortened version)
• St. Patrick's Day by Anne Rockwell
• Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley

Songs/ Flannels:

• Five Green and Speckled Frogs
• Leprechaun, Leprechaun, Have you any Gold? (sung to the tune of Baa Baa, Black Sheep) ....Yes sir, yes sir, three pots full!  One for St. Patrick...
• Find the Leprechaun (A variation of Mouse in the House, where Leprechaun is hiding underneath on of the felt houses)

Craft materials:

• Green, Yellow, and Orange construction paper hearts
• Green strips of construction paper
• Hole puncher
• Gold brads
• Glitter glue or other decor

Directions: Punch holes at the bottom tips of each heart.  Do the same on a strip of green construction paper- this is your shamrock's stem.  Layer the pieces as pictured, and insert a brad through the holes to fasten the pieces together.  Decorate as you wish!

Erin Go Bragh! (Ireland Forever!)