I saw a really fun storytime idea posted on the Internet - "Play With Your Food!" This sounded right up my alley - I have already posted storytime ideas for pizzas, vegetables, potatoes, and other foods. You could survey the kids to tell you their favorite foods - I heard a lot of "Pizza!" and "Ice Cream;" one kid yelled out "Jack In the Box," meaning the fast food restaurant! There are some fun songs you can sing, including Raffi's "Apples and Bananas" and the movement song "Peanut Butter and Jelly." For a craft idea, try necklaces make of Froot Loops, or Cheerios if you are healthy food -person, made by stringing the cereal on yarn or on thin licorice strings.
Hear are some popular "food" picture books:

• Sharmat, Mitchell. GREGORY THE TERRIBLE EATER.
  Unlike other goats, Gregory eschews tin cans and old shoes in favor of dining on fruits and vegetables.
• Steig, William. PETE'S A PIZZA.
  Pete and his dad have a great game where Pete is the pizza, and dad is the pizza maker who rolls him and tosses him.
• Freymann, Saxton. ONE LONELY SEA HORSE, DOG FOOD, DR. POMPO'S NOSE, and HOW ARE YOU PEELING?
  Photos of actual food items, especially vegetables with beans for eyes, star in these hilarious books.
• Hutchins, Pat. THE DOORBELL RANG.
  Kids learn some basic math when the same number of cookies need to be divided to serve more and more visitors.
• Numeroff, Laura. IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE.
  In this popular circular story, Mouse needs milk with his cookie, and has more and more requests.
• Barrett, Judi. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.
  Giant food items rain down in this funny weather story.
  

March 23, 2005