Thanksgiving Bits & Bytes
posted in programming, technology, youth services, storytelling |
I posted a Thanskgiving Storytime Plan earlier this month, but, this here’s a little bit different, a bit and a byte different one might say.
Today, I began helping out at Mindscapes, a local technology education center, with the Bits and Bytes storytime sessions. The basic idea underpinning Bits and Bytes is to be a session full of discover learning for young children and their caregivers.
To this end, Bits and Bytes moves beyond the traditional book and song-based themed story time by also incorporating hands-on exploration of age-appropriate technology tools, web sites, and software! For instance, today the technology showcased included Starfall.com, KidPix drawing software, and Bee-bot (which, for the purposes of the session, was decked out as a highly colorful turkey-bot). You can find out more about each of these tech tools by visiting the freely available Starfall.com, Amazon’s KidPix pricing and use information, and Terrapin Logo’s home pages for its pricing and information related to Roamer and Bee-bot robots.
At any rate, the basic outline of today’s Bits and Bytes session was as follows:
STORY BITS:
Song:
I’m a Little Turkey (to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)
I’m a little turkey,
My name is Albuquerque. (a turkey puppet was used)
Here are my feathers
Here is my head
Gobble, gobble, gobble,
Is what I say,
Quick! Run! It’s Thanksgiving Day!
Book: Ten Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston and Richard F. Deas
Song: I’m a Turkey (To the Tune of: “Yankee Doodle”)
I’m a turkey, big and fat.
[Action: Spread arms wide]
I spread my tail. I walk like that.
[Action: Spread fingers like a turkey’s tail and waddle]
Each day’s corn I will not miss,
[Action: Pat and rub stomach]
And when I talk, I sound like this:
[Action: Point to mouth; Cup hand behind ear]
GOBBLE! GOBBLE! GOBBLE!
[Action: Shout]
TEÇHNOLOGY BYTES: Introduction to Starfall.com–where children have fun learning to read
STORY BITS:
Book: Over the River: A Turkey’s Tale by Public Domain and Illustrated by Derek Anderson
TECHNOLOGY BYTES:
Use the KIDPIX drawing software to draw the turkey to go along with the book, Over the River
STORY BITS:
Book: This is the Turkey by Abby Levine and Paige Billin-Frye
Song: If You’re Thankful and You Know It (Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you’re thankful and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re thankful and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you’re thankful and you know it,
Clap your hands.
Other verses: Stomp your feet, Shout “I am!”, Do all three (Clap your hands, Stomp your feet, Shout “I am!”), add other verses as desired
Departing Song (optional):
It’s time to go home, It’s time to go, home, Wave good-bye to everyone, It’s time to go home.
We had a happy day, We had a happy day, Wave good-bye to everyone, We had a happy day.
We’ll see you next time, We’ll see you next time, Wave good-bye to everyone, We’ll see you next time.
Parents Handout:
A parents handout was also provided in order to reinforce the resources used during the storytime session and to offer suggestions for at-home Bits and Bytes discovery exercises that children and parents would be able to enjoy together. To give you and idea, here’s a good portion of the handout:
This handout includes the storytime plan from the Bits and Bytes session so that, if you wish, you will be able to repeat some of the story hour activities at home. Also included are are some additional resources for your and your child to enjoy together this Thanksgiving and beyond. You will find suggested websites, crafts, and recipes). Enjoy!
More Information about Starfall.com
It’s fun to use Starfall.com with your child at Mindscapes, but Starfall.com is such a multi-purpose educational tool and it includes so much content that the fun never has to end. Starfall.com can be accessed through any internet connection, so you can continue to use anytime with your children to make learning to read motivating and fun.
In addition to enhancing reading development, Starfall.com helps children master necessary technological skills such as using a mouse (hotspots are extra-large to help little hands), clicking and dragging, and employing technology in creative ways.
As a language arts tool, Starfall.com aids reading comprehension, vocabulary enhancement, phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, and motivation. Starfall.com encourages play and the creation of one’s own unique stories. As the Starfall.com website states, Starfall helps kids recognize the relationship between letters and sounds (the “Alphabetic Principle) which is the foundation of learning to read. To find out more about how you can use Starfall with your children (or how they can use Starfall by themselves) visit Starfall’s Parent site. For pre-readers, the Starfall ABCs section is a great place to begin.
Craft and Recipe Websites:
Bethany Robert’s Thanksgiving Page
Bethany Roberts is the author of the charming, fun Holiday Mice series, and her Thanksgiving pages are equally fun. She includes numerous kid-friendly crafts, activities, and recipes.
Child Fun
The Child Fun site is a treasure trove for child fun (aptly named, is it not?). Just click on the Thanksgiving link under the holidays section to garner ideas for enhancing your holiday.
Enchanted Learning
The Enchanted Learning site includes many crafts and activities such as the Thankful Leaf Wreath, Thankful Tree, and Paper Scarecrow.
The Teacher’s Corner
The Teacher’s Corner site includes many crafts and activities such as the Thankful place mat and Thanksgiving hand poem.
101 kidz.com
The 101 Kidz site includes many links to all sorts of Thanksgiving information–start here for links to Thanksgiving history information, jokes, poems, clipart, activities, and more.
Recipes (just two simple and simply yummy Thanksgiving treats to get you started):
Cornucopia
Bugles corn snacks
Trix cereal
white frosting
Put a small dab of frosting in a bugle. Put several trix in each “cornucopia”.
Turkey Toast
Use a large turkey shaped cookie cutter to cut out shape from wheat bread. Spread the whole shape with peanut butter (for those who have peanut allergies you can substitue another condiment such as marshmallow creme…whoa, sugar rush), Use a raisin for and eye, a slice of a red gummy worm for the wattle, and fruit loops for the tail feathers. Tastes good, and kids love it!
Both of these recipes are from Child Fun under the Thanksgiving section.
And that basic outline sums up a bit of what Bits and Bytes is about. At a later date, I may be posting more on Bits and Bytes sessions, perhaps even including some pictures and/or a movie. For now, you can see the handout in all of it’s glory as well as the promotional material by clicking on the links below:
- Bits and Bytes Promotional Flier [pdf document]
And if you happen to be in Wichita, next Tuesday, November 20th at 10am, then feel free to stop by for Thanksgiving Bits and Bytes Take 2 (with alterations to content, of course).
