Community Helpers Librarian Theme for Preschool

Community Helpers Librarian as a theme? Absolutely!

In a world of PDF files and E-books, we have the opportunity to introduce children to books and their home- the Library!

Most of us have a library in our preschools, and now we can introduce them to our local librarians and teach what a wonderful resource our librarians are!

This community helper librarian preschool theme page is filled with preschool activities and ideas for all areas of your classroom.

Let the Theme planning begin!

You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your theme or click the link below to go to specific preschool activity types you are looking for.

You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page.

LIBRARIAN Art Activities Block Area Circle Time Activities Cooking Recipes Dramatic Play Ideas Easel Ideas Gross Motor Games Library and Literacy Math And Manipulatives Activities Music and Movement Sand and Water Table Science Activities Writing Activities Miscellaneous Ideas

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Art Activities

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Art

I Spy Books-Preschool Style!

Materials Needed: the book Look Again by Tana Hoban; old magazines; plain white paper; scissors; stapler

In advance, fold the sheets of white paper in half (one for each child). On the fold, cut out a 1" square and unfold.

Read the book Look Again by Tana Hoban to the children.

Have the children choose a picture from the magazine and tear out the page.

Have the children position the cut-out square over the object from the magazine.

Staple the white paper to the picture on the top and bottom to secure it.

Help the children trim away any excess edges of the magazine.

Each child displays his or her picture.

The class tries to guess the object from the small portion that is visible through the square.

The child then shows the complete picture.

EXTENSION: Place these in a binder in your library for the children to enjoy over and over!

Freight Train

Read Freight Train by Donald Crews.

Provide the children with finger paint to create their own freight trains of different colors and shapes.

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Block Area

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Block Center Ideas

Add different colors and shapes of tag board. Encourage the children to set up a library using the blocks and sorting the colored "books" into different sections of the block library.

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Circle Time Activities

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Circle Time Ideas

Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!

Puppet Shows

Model to the children how to use puppets to present a favorite story. For example, tell the story Popcorn by Frank Asch.

Place the puppets and the book in the library area for use later in the morning.

Fingerplays and Songs

At The Library

Teacher:

There's a place in your town where you can go

To find out anything you want to know.

Where books on everything are arranged just so. Where?

Children: At the library!

Teacher:

Do you need a car repair book? Or maybe a new recipe to cook?

Directions for a model car? the names of each and every star?

The one place to find this and more, Where?

Children: At the library!

Teacher:

Do you wonder how bridges are built? How to make a patchwork quilt?

Or what made the Leaning Tower tilt?

Find the answers, if you will, Where?

Children: At the library!

Teacher

Do you love to read the tales of cowboys riding the western trails?

Cinderella, peter Pan and Tinker Bell?

Find poetry, fables and stories to tell. Where?

Children: At the library!

The Librarian

The librarian helps the visitors find

Many good books to strengthen their minds.

Magazines and movie and music are stored on a rack.

You can take some things home

But you MUST bring them back!

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Cooking Recipes

Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your Theme!

Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!

Baby Pizzas

Ingredients and Items needed: English muffins (split); margarine or butter, 1 lb. ground meat and or sausage, 2 eight ounce cans of tomato sauce; grated mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground meat and sausage in advance. Drain well.

Toast the muffins.

The children spread half with butter.

They add 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce.

They sprinkle on meat or sausage.

They top with grated cheese.

Broil until the cheese is melted.

This is best done when set up assembly line style. The children choose what they want on their pizza!

Serve. While the children are eating, read CURIOUS GEORGE AND THE PIZZA by Margaret and H. A. Rey.

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Dramatic Play Ideas

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Librarian

Place a table and chair in your center. Provide pencils, erasers and a stamp at the table.

Place some books in the area on a shelf or in a box. (In advance, place a sticky note in each book).

Place some bean bag chairs, pillows or carpet squares in the dramatic play area.

The children take turns sitting at the table to be the librarian.

The other children, one at a time, pick out a book or to, take them to the table and print their name on the sticky note that is in the book.

The librarian places a stamp (if you have a date stamp, that would be awesome!) next to the child's printed name to remind them when the book is due!

The children read their books in the dramatic play library area.

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Easel Ideas

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Ideas for your Easel--More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)

Books, Books, Books!

Encourage the children to illustrate a favorite part of their favorite book!

Write down the story they tell for each page as they paint!

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Gross Motor Games

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Large Group Games that help build their muscles while they have fun together

I Spy A Book With….  (thank you, Renae, for this idea!)

In advance, place some board books (they stand up better) with different and distinctive covers outside; on for each child.

Tell the children that the library is missing some books, encourage them to pretend they are librarians and go on a book hunt to find the missing book you spy.
Say, “I spy a book with a _____ on the cover”, hand a child a card that shows an image of the cover. Do this for every child so they are each finding a different book. This eliminates potential pushing, shoving and arguing over who got the book first.

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Library and Literacy

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Ideas for Your Library and Literacy Activities for your Preschool Classroom

Find The Letter

Place magnifying glasses and index cards with laminated letters (one letter on each card).  Provide a few cards each day.  The children search through the books to find as many letters of the day that they can find!

Book Suggestions for the Library

(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website.  If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )

I Want to Be a Librarian by Carla Greene

LOOK AGAIN! by Tana Hoban

Quiet! There's A Canary in the Library by Don Freeman

Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola

Click the link below for information on how to set up a Library area in your Preschool Classroom!

Library Interest Area in Preschool

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Math And Manipulatives Activities

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Activities to help your Preschoolers develop those small muscles in their hands!

Sorting Books (Thanks Kira S. for submitting this activity!)

The children will learn how to shelve library books in the classroom by sorting the first letter of the title of the book.  They can also sort the little books from the big books (I used to be a children's librarian and used to teach children how to return books to the shelves). 

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Music and Movement

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!

Go To The Library

Have the children act out the following song/chant!

Verse 1

"Goodness Gracious" said the lion.

"I must do something with my hair.

I need a book on hair styles,

But where can I go, oh where?"

CHORUS--sing the first 2 lines loudly

Go to the library, the library!

You'll find just what you want at the library!

"Shhh!" said the librarian (whisper)

"Be quiet so others can read!" (whisper)

Verse 2

"Doggone it!" said the dog.

"I've got a whopping case of fleas.

How can I make them go away?

Somebody tell me, please!"

REPEAT CHORUS

Verse 3

"Wiggle, wiggle!" said the bookworm.

"I don't have a thing to read!

I'm tired of reading newspapers.

Real books are what I need!"

REPEAT CHORUS

Verse 4

Now the dog has no fleas,

The lion has a perm.

They both love the library,

And so does their friend, the worm!

REPEAT CHORUS

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Sand and Water Table

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Activities for the Senses!

Book Shape Textures

Cover book shapes with different textures (suede, sandpaper, fabric, etc.). Make 2 of each. The children can describe each one by touch and match them.

EXTENSION: Provide a bag. Place one of the shapes in the bag. The child feels it without looking and tries to choose which of the other cards in front of them matches the one in the bag.

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Science Activities

Community Helpers Librarian Theme Science Activities--for your Preschool Scientists in Training!

Repair Center

Provide rolls of tape and a box for books that need to be repaired.  Help children to repair ripped pages or bindings in books.

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Writing Activities

Writing Activity Ideas for Your Community Helpers Librarian Theme!

Community Helpers Alphabet Book

Make this book in advance.

Print one letter of the alphabet and a corresponding word on white piece of construction paper along with a picture of each item.

Assemble in a loose leaf notebook and display at the Writing center with dry erase markers and tissues.

The children can then "read" the book and practice printing their letters.

Here are suggestions for the words/pictures for each letter:

• Aa apron (carpenter or bakers apron)
• Bb books
• Cc car
• Dd dentist
• Ee equipment (i.e. equipment for a fire fighter)
• Ff firefighter
• Gg garbage truck
• Hh hospital
• Ii instrument (doctor or dentist instrument)
• Jj janitor 
• Kk keys
• Ll library
• Mm mail carrier
• Nn nurse
• Oo office
• Pp police officer
• Qq quarter (for a grocery store, cash register, etc.)
• Rr red (fire truck)
• Ss school
• Tt teacher (pictures of you and your teachers!)
• Uu uniform (many different uniforms)
• Vv vehicle
• Ww whistle
• Xx x-ray
• Yy yellow (school bus)
• Zz zip code (draw an envelope with a stamp and circle the zip code)

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Miscellaneous Ideas

Miscellaneous Activities for Your Community Helpers Librarian Theme!

Field Trips

Of course, set up a trip to the children's room of the local library!

Classroom Visitors

Invite the local librarian to come to you classroom. Many will come with books, crafts and activities to do with your class!

Invite a parent to come and read a story or two to your class!

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Go to COMMUNITY HELPERS MAIN THEMES page

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Go to MAIN THEMES page from this page

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Go to Preschool Plan-It's Home Page