{"id":5150,"date":"2016-02-07T00:02:17","date_gmt":"2016-02-07T00:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/kids\/?p=5150"},"modified":"2016-12-06T19:27:11","modified_gmt":"2016-12-07T03:27:11","slug":"preschool-storytime-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/kids\/2016\/preschool-storytime-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Preschool Storytime: Space!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We read books about space in today’s preschool storytime. First we did a song to learn everyone’s names:<\/p>\n

Zoom Zoom Astronaut
\nCan you say your name or not?
\nWhat’s your name? _____________
\nLet’s all say it together!
\n(from Jbrary<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We started with Sheep Blast Off<\/a> by Nancy Shaw and illustrated by Margot Apple. It’s a funny book about sheep who wander into a UFO and take it for a spin!<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Then we learned a bit about our solar system:<\/p>\n

\"planets<\/p>\n

\"planets<\/p>\n

We sang a song: <\/p>\n

One little, two little, three little planets
\nFour little, five little, six little planets
\nSeven little, eight little beautiful planets
\nOrbiting our Sun!<\/p>\n

Mercury, Venus and the Earth
\nMars, Jupiter and Saturn
\nUranus and here is Neptune
\nOrbiting our Sun!
\n(source: Miss Meg’s Storytime<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We read Light Up the Night<\/a> by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine. This is a cumulative story, similar to “The House that Jack Built<\/a>.” It’s about a young astronomer exploring his own “piece of the universe.”<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Then, using one of the library’s iPads, we turned the storyroom into a preschool planetarium! We have an app called SkyView<\/a> which allows you to see the locations and images of stars, planets, galaxies, satellites and other celestial objects surrounding the Earth by simply pointing the iPad in any direction. <\/p>\n

Why I decided to do this was so that the kids could see something that’s probably very hard for them to see, and something they won’t get another chance to witness for at least ten years! Currently, and for only a very limited time, all five visible planets are in the same part of our sky, and can be seen with the naked eye just before dawn. But since very few of us are actually up that early, especially preschoolers who need their sleep, I found another way to show them just how close the planets are to each other right now.<\/p>\n