Growing Vegetable Soup, BRIT's storytime

Have you met this beautiful book?  Lois Ehlert creates wonderful and vibrant illustrations, and in Growing Vegetable Soup her vegetables are almost enough to make you hungry.  This was the featured text at BRIT's storytime this week.  As always, the follow up activities were perfect for young children, engaging and playful, and highly educational.  I firmly believe Bella's book club is the best story time around!

 Activities were laid out on the tables in the library, including a fun pumpkin counting/ matching game that the children were drawn to immediately.

 We also looked at photos of vegetables, and categorized which part of the plant each one was before hearing the story, and singing a song about seeds.

 Ms. Pam cut some ripe tomatoes and cucumbers for the children to see and smell, and we admired how different they look when cut different ways.

Downstairs, in the "tree-house" room, there were vegetables to scoop...

 ... and to sort.

 Art supplies were available for children to create a vegetable plant mural.

 My group spent the most time at the seed scooping center, filling and emptying various containers for so long, that I got our seeds out back at the house, so we could continue the play later.

 There was also sand to scoop and pour, with seeds and letters hidden in the mix, and pumpkin seed planting.

I love Bella's book club and BRIT, and am so glad I get to take my kiddos and learn in such a hands on environment!  If you are in DFW, please check out First Saturdays at BRIT, 8am - 1pm on the first Saturday of the month.