Tools

Tools has been one of my favorite storytime themes so far this year.  Boys liked it, because, duh, tools.  Girls liked it because their dads and moms have tools that they used.  The craft was easy and super engaging to the kids (and promoted imaginative play), and everyone had an all around good time.

BOOKS:

We read Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem by Chris Monroe and Tap Tap Bang Bang by Emma Garcia.

Monkey with a Tool Belt was funny and helped get the kids thinking.  How did that elephant get in the laundry chute?  I like the illustrations – they’re detailed and tell a little bit more story if you’re at the age where you can “read” the illustrations.  Tap Tap showed tools and what sounds they make which happily led us right into our song.

SONG:

I saw on Storytime Katie’s blog that she used a book called Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop that I really really really wanted to use, but neither our library nor our neighbor city’s library had it.  I did find that Lisa Shulman (the book’s author) had an extension activity on her website that had most of the song’s words, so we were able to use this as a song.  The combination of the familiar song plus the tools made this just perfect for the groups I’ve been having at storytime.

CRAFT:

We made our own tool belts!  (Inspired by Storytime Katie) HOW AWESOME!  I got out the foam letter stickers and the kids had a blast putting these together and then playing with their tools.  I had a bunch of kids who were pretending to pound nails into the walls and sawing on the tables and chairs.  Fabulous fabulous fabulous craft.