(Not So) Flannel Friday: Ribbon Sticks

I don’t have any new felt boards to share this week, but I do have a take on the popular ribbon sticks. Sometimes these involve a dowel rod or a shower curtain ring (all genius), but I had neither of those on hand when I decided I REALLY REALLY needed some about an hour before my music and movement storytime.

So hot glue + scraps of ribbon + craft sticks became…

My very own ribbon sticks!

I put a line of hot glue on each stick, pressed the ribbon into it until it hardened, and then put a layer of hot glue over it.

Not the fanciest, but it took twenty minutes from start to finish and they are holding TIGHT. It was a great way to start working through our billions of spools of ribbon and naturally a very fun addition to “Shake Your Body Down.”

I also have a bonus activity! Animal Yoga has quickly become one of my favorite activities for any storytime. We draw a card, imitate the animal pose (like stretching up as tall as we can to be a giraffe- some are easier than others!) and take a few deep breaths while holding the pose.

On the last breath, we either make the animal sound nice and loud or do the animal action (trumpeting for an elephant, hopping for a frog). This works well as a transition or calm down between books or as a game down all at once.

You can catching the whole Flannel Friday round-up at Mel’s Desk!

Books I’m Enjoying Catch-Up: Picture Books

Perhaps a more apt title this month would be Books I’ve Enjoyed…

Since I’m so behind, I’m going to break this into a few different posts. First up are my favorite new storytime titles!

One Family, George Shannon, ills. Blanca Gomez: Shannon takes on the traditional family book and does an amazing job expanding on such a common concept. Words and illustrations really work together to show families of all shapes and sizes, and really emphasize diversity. Parents who are gay, families who are mixed-race, families where grandparents or other relatives live with them, single parents… There are so many opportunities for children to see themselves and their families in the pages of One Family.

Sea Rex, Molly Idle: I love Molly Idle’s T-Rex series (starting with my favorite, Tea Rex), and this one is no exception. Funny, clever, and beautifully illustrated, Sea Rex tells the store of Cordelia’s day at the beach with her dinosaur friend (which also makes me wonder- how many dinosaur stories star a little girl?). Sea Rex is ideal for a slightly older audience than I usually gather at my storytimes (kindergarten+).

This is My Rock, David Lucas: I’ll be upfront that my deep love of goats more or less requires me to give any book featuring one on the cover a shot. It’s absolutely deserving of that attention! This is My Rock is a simple story about sharing and friendship that uses repetitive language both for laughs and to drive the message home. The bold, bright illustrations make it perfect for sharing with a group.

Interstellar Cinderella, Deborah Underwood, ills. Meg Hunt: Oh gosh, who wouldn’t love a classic fairytale set IN SPACE? Why aren’t we doing this with more stories? In this futuristic retelling of Cinderella, Cinderella is re-imagined as a mechanic who uses her skills to to get to know and help out the prince. When he proposes marriage, she turns him down (she’s too young, of course), but offers to be his chief mechanic. The rhyme scheme is a little forced at times, but it doesn’t take away from the charm of this TOTALLY AWESOME book.