Book Character Pumpkins

For the first time ever, our families were invited to paint and decorate a pumpkin to look like a book character.  This was a voluntary project, and we had a great turnout of some very creative pumpkins.  Thank you to everyone who submitted a pumpkin to display in the library!  We may have to make this an annual tradition.

Scary Stories, anyone?!

The younger kids might get some thrills out of books like Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear, but our big kids get to really have some fun with scary stories around Halloween time.  The third, fourth, and fifth graders get to take part in an annual tradition of going into the library closet and sitting in the dark to read scary stories.  They love it and look forward to it every year!  Here is a picture of our fourth graders getting ready to read some of the short stories that could cause goosebumps to break out on their skin and the hair on the back of their necks to stand up.  Spooky!

Creepy Carrots!

As Halloween approaches, we like to really get into the spirit of things and listen to spooky stories, even if we're some of the younger kids at Sunshine Cottage!  Our Kindergarten classes heard a story about a rabbit named Jasper and some of the weird carrots he encounters in a book called Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown.  After listening to the book, the students were able to create some creepy carrots of their own.  Here they are showing off their finished products.

Book Fair Time!

Each year, the Sunshine Cottage library hosts our annual Scholastic Book Fair.  Students get to preview the book fair using videos and the online book fair website as well as taking home flyers that include some of the most anticipated books.  Here are our third graders showing their surprise to one of the books that really caught their eye.

Ms. Holly and Ms. Alicia's Preschool class had a blast visiting the book fair for the first time ever!

Our book fair was a huge success!  We earned a good amount of Scholastic dollars which will be used to support the library program and to buy some books for the kids to build their own libraries at home.  Thank you to all of our families for the great support!

Library Orientation

The first few weeks of school are the perfect time for the kids to take part in library orientation, and using the interactive trivia game called Kahoot! is a favorite way to review all the information about our Sunshine Cottage library.  Cheers abound when the kids bring their iPads to the library and excitedly ask the question, "Are we playing Kahoot! today?"  It's a great way to get all the kids involved and to have them practice their technology skills while reviewing some information and learning new things.

All About Me

At the beginning of the year, Preschool and Pre-K students learn all about themselves in their "All About Me" unit.  During library time, the students listen to a story, sing some songs, and use the iPads and a mirror to draw themselves.  We display the iPad onto the board using our AppleTV so that the whole class can enjoy the artwork.

Parts of a Book

First and second graders worked in groups to play a fun game while they were reviewing the parts of a book.  They had to take turns and work cooperatively to figure out the title, author, illustrator, and call number of their book while also describing the picture on the front cover.  They learned about some of our new books, reviewed some important book information, and had a little bit of fun, too!
*Click on the video below to view the slideshow.

Blackout Poetry 2018

April is National Poetry Month.  One of our projects to go along with this was to create our own Blackout Poetry.  Third, fourth, and fifth graders viewed different examples of Blackout Poetry online and then chose a book from our Calico Illustrated Classics book collection to create a Blackout Poem of their own.  Some chose to create using a more abstract approach while others used their artistic ability to form a picture around their words.  I'm impressed with how many of these turned out!  Take a look, and be sure to read the poem they created!

Book Character New Year's Resolutions

The beginning of the year brought around a favorite activity that we've done in the past. Since many of the students discuss and set new year's resolutions in their classrooms, it's always fun to see what kinds of resolutions they would set for book characters if those book characters were able to talk. Here are a few for you to enjoy!

**The still picture of the videos looks blurry, but it will clear up once you play the video.**

Iggy Peck, Architect

The fourth graders had a lot of fun with today's lesson!  First, we read the book called Iggy Peck, Architect written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts.  It's about a boy who is crazy about building things, but has some trouble when he gets to second grade.  Don't worry because in the end, he saves the day!  After reading the book, the students got to try their hand at building something by using only toothpicks and marshmallows.  Check out their awesome structures!
*Click on the pictures to enlarge them, and click on the videos to play them.*

Ice Skating and Building Snowmen

The Pre-K classes had a lot of fun participating in some winter activities.  After reading a book or two about having fun in the snow, the students were able to do a little ice skating around the library using wax paper.  We even took turns building snowmen, on the iPad of course. Take a look at our video showcasing a couple of the classes.