Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Halloween

Last year's Halloween programs were so successful (one of my storytimes had over 200 people come to it!) that we expanded it to be a week-long event! Starting today and going until next Monday, which is actually Halloween, every storytime features Halloween books and activities. Each storytime will also end with a costume parade around the library as a finale.

Since there are a few more pieces and parts that go into hosting a huge event like this, I made very little variations from the Halloween program I did last year. One of my library assistants transferred to a different library where she is now full-time, so some of the flannels had to be remade. But, otherwise, our Halloween storytimes look the same.

The content may be the same, but the good thing about having done a huge program like this last year is that I learned from our mistakes! Since I can have large crowds on any day, let alone a special event, I finally got a microphone with a portable sound system this summer. It should make it MUCH easier if I do have a crowd that large at any of the storytimes this week. I also learned how to set-up the space so we do not have a bottle-neck like we did last year. 

I did not anticipate having crowds that large last year, so we bottle-necked wherever there were treat stations. I've spread out the treat stations and now they don't get a choice at each station. The station has one treat and every person that goes through the line gets that treat at that stop. 

Costumes and treats for the next week? Let the wild rumpus begin! 

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Music

Every day we do storytime, we sing! However, I wanted a whole week dedicated to books that are also music related or are songs. Luckily I am finally recovering from a bad cold, otherwise this week would have been a bear!


Books:

Toddler Books:
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep - Jane Cabrera
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star - James Dean
The Itsy Bitsy Spider - Rebecca Emberley
Old MacDonald Had a Truck - Steve Goetz

Preschool Books:
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More - Karen Beaumont
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep - Jane Cabrera
Old MacDonald Had a Truck - Steve Goetz
The Bear and the Piano - David Litchfield

Rhymes/Fingerplays/Songs:

BINGO 
There was a farmer had a dog 
and Bingo was his name-O,
B-I-N-G-O, 
B-I-N-G-O, 
B-I-N-G-O,
And Bingo was his name-O.

There was a farmer had a dog
and Bingo was his name-O,
*CLAP* I-N-G-O,
*CLAP* I-N-G-O,
*CLAP* I-N-G-O,
And Bingo was his name-O.

Keep repeating each verse, each time taking the following letter out and instead clapping for that letter. By the last verse it should go like this:

There was a farmer had a dog
and Bingo was his name-O,
*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*,
*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*,
*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*,
And Bingo was his name-O.
Source: Traditional
*My fabulous Library Assistant made a new flannel for our BINGO song this session. It's double-sided and has clip art of hands clapping on the backside of each letter. That way it helps us (and our caregivers) stay on track when we're singing the song.


The Wheels on the Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round, (roll hands)
Round and round, Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.

Repeat with:
The doors on the bus go open and shut (bring hands together and apart)
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish (move arms like wipers)
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep (make motion like honking horn with both hands)
The children on the bus go up and down (have kids move up and down with you)
Etc.
Source: Traditional
*The great thing about a song like "The Wheels on the Bus" is that the options for lyrics are limitless!


Two Little Blackbirds
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill,
One named Jack and the other named Jill.
Fly away Jack, Fly away Jill,
Come back Jack, Come back Jill.
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill,
One named Jack and the other named Jill.
Source: Traditional

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Celebrations

Our theme this week is Celebrations. I wanted to broaden celebrations to more than just birthdays, but also other types of celebrations like holidays and parties, to be more inclusive. In the case that birthdays are not celebrated by everyone, my early literacy tip was reminding parents that background knowledge is an important skill to have in being able to interpret what they read. If they've never experienced a birthday or a certain holiday themselves, at least they know what it means if they encounter it in the future.



Books:

Toddler Books:
Monster Party - Annie Bach
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - Jane Cabrera
Hooray for Fish! - Lucy Cousins

Preschool Books:
Mousequerade Ball: A Counting Tale - Lori Mortensen
If You Give a Pig a Party - Laura Numeroff
A Birthday for Cow! - Jan Thomas
Hooray for Hat - Brian Won

Rhymes/Fingerplays/Songs:

Pat-a-Cake:
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it (roll hands)
Pat it (pat knees)
And mark it with a "B" (trace the letter "B" on palm)
And put it in the oven for baby and me!
Source: Traditional

Five Cupcakes:
Down around the corner in the bakery shop,
Were five yummy cupcakes with sprinkles on top.
Along comes Ms. Kitten with a dollar to pay,
She buys a cupcake and takes it away.
Count down...4, 3, 2, 1
Source: Storytime Katie
* To do this flannel, I used five laminated cupcake flannels and had puppets come and take the cupcakes away. I alternated which puppet bought the cupcake (kitten, puppy, bee, mouse, ladybug) using the puppets that had the smallest fingers to grab onto the cupcake through the gloves best. The toddlers and preschoolers LOVED it. 

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Jungle

One of my storytime regulars requested that we do the letter "J". His name begins with "J", and in the year or two that he had been coming to storytimes, he kept waiting for his letter. So I planned a Jungle theme for him and all the other regulars whose names begin with "J". 

Unfortunately, I was only able to perform two of the six storytimes I normally do, since I was sick this week. I got hit early this year with the first cold of the season. I also leaned heavily on movement songs, because I could barely talk, so the activities below are limited.




Books:

Toddler Books:
Bedtime in the Jungle - John Butler
The Wheels on the Bus - Jane Cabrera
Tiny Little Fly - Michael Rosen

Preschool Books:
Where's My Mom - Julia Donaldson
Alan's Big, Scary Teeth - Peter Jarvis
Tiny Little Fly - Michael Rosen
Chengdu Could Not, Would Not, Fall Asleep - Barney Saltzberg

Rhymes/Fingerplays/Songs:

I Went to the Jungle One Day (Tune: "Mary Had a Little Lamb"):
I went to the jungle one day, jungle one day, jungle one day,
I went to the jungle one day and this is what I saw:  lion  
Repeat with: Elephant, Snake, Crocodile, Monkey, etc.
Source: Liberry Becca
*I just substituted "jungle" in for "zoo."
*I used puppets and, for each animal, I had the kids respond with what animal I was holding up. Then we made the animal noises that correspond with that animal.

Five Little Monkeys (puppet + flannel)