Baby/Toddler Story Time, 5/31

We continue to hold story time in the meeting room while the painting is done. People are starting to really like it there, and it's becoming more and more difficult to tell them we have to go to back to normal soon! But we do have to, as we have taken over the adult area, and it's really inconvenient for the adult patrons. C'est la vie.

In any case, here is what we did this morning:

Opening Song: Hello, How Are You?

Book: One Pup's Up by Marsha Wilson Chall, illustrated by Henry Cole (2010)
This book counts puppies as they wake up, go through the events of their day - including eating, piddling, and playing - and then go to sleep again. The story ends as it begins, with one puppy waking up, creating that silly cyclical effect that makes kids laugh. Though not these kids. It was so hot today, all these little guys were grumpy and it was tough snapping them out of it.

Rhyme: Ten Little Doggies (from Canton Public Library)
Not much enthusiasm for this one, but I think that was a result of the heat.

Ten little doggies went out one day, (hold up ten fingers)
To dig in the dirt and play, play, play. (pretend to dig, slap knees on each 'play')
Five were spotted, and five were not, (hold up one hand, then the other)
and at dinnertime they ate a lot!(pretend to eat)

Flannel Board Song: How Much is that Doggie in the Window?
I was expecting that people would know this song, but I was surprised to see that most in attendance did not. But we forged ahead anyway, and by the end, most of the grown-ups had learned the tune, and the kids were barking right along with me. I like the idea of substituting other things for the window, even if people did seem confused as to why I would do that. (This will be my Flannel Friday for this week, hopefully!)

How much is that doggie in the [window]? (Bark twice)
The one with the waggily tail.
How much is that doggie in the [window]? (Bark twice)
I do hope that doggie's for sale!
(Repeat, substituting other things for window. We used basket and wagon.)

Song: One, Two I Love You (Numbers Are Our Friends)

Book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambeault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert (1989)
It says a lot about my progress as a librarian that I actually read this in public. I have a weird phobia of saying silly words and phrases in front of people, and for the longest time, I avoided this book so I wouldn't have to say "Skit skat skoodle doot. Flip flop flee." But apparently I have changed, and everybody seemed to enjoy this one today, so it was worth it.

Song: ABCD Medley by The Laurie Berkner Band (from Whaddaya Think of That?)

Book: (session 1): Color Dance by Ann Jonas (1989)
Initially, I chose this book because I wanted something about colors, and I thought it was visually appealing. And the kids did think it was pretty, but the concept of mixing colors and creating new ones was way too complicated, and I felt myself losing them after the novelty of the pretty colors wore off. So I traded it in for the second session.

Book (session 2): Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle (1983)
This book needed no introduction, and apparently I didn't even need to read it, since all the nannies in the room basically took over and read it for me!

Flannel Board Song: Baa Baa Black Sheep
I got the idea for this from Mel's Desk, but instead of pop stick puppets, I just stuck the sheep on the felt board. We did black, green, blue, and red. During the second session, I kept forgetting what color I was on and singing black when I didn't mean to, which was a source of entertainment for some of the grown ups.

Baa baa [black] sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
One for my master
and one for my dame
and one for the little [boy/girl] who lives down the lane
Baa baa [black] sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Song: Monkeys on the Bed

Song (session 2 only): There's a Little Wheel a-Turnin' in my Heart

Goodbye Song: Skinnamarink

Baby/Toddler Lap Time (White Theme), 7/27/12

I continued my color-themed series yesterday with a story time all about the color white.

Opening Song (with ukulele): Hello, how are you? 

Rhyme: Blue is the Lake

Book: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
This book is too long for toddlers. I didn't think so, but I was wrong.

Song (with stick puppets): Dance Like Snowflakes 
I didn't look up the words prior to story time so I changed the last "in the air" to "everywhere." It worked just as well. 

Song: Head and Shoulders, Baby

Rhyme: Hop Your Bunnies
This worked so well for settling the kids at the main library the other day, I gave it another try. It didn't have quite the same calming effect, but the kids did enjoy doing it. 

Book: Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes (2011)

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

Book: It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw (1988)
I was shocked at how much everyone - adults and kids - paid attention to this book. It's so simple and yet, they were nearly silent and clapped loudly at the ending. 

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song (with ukulele and flannel board): Mary Had a Little Lamb
At the last minute, I decided I wanted to use the new set of sheep I made for Baa Baa Black Sheep, so I adapted the words of this song as follows:

Mary had a little lamb,

little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
His fleece was... 

...white as snow

...red as a rose

...green as grass

...blue as the sea

...black as night

Book: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes (2010) by Eric Litwin and James Dean
I have read this book several times to this group, and finally, they have started saying "Goodness no!" along with me. 


Song: One Little Finger 

Songs (with ukulele): ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle
Next time, I'll include Baa Baa Black Sheep in this medley too.

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Ten Creative Ways to Share Nursery Rhymes at Story Time

Nursery rhymes are a great way to expose young children to vocabulary, rhythm, and rhyme. (PBS Kids has a great post explaining exactly how and why.) While reading them aloud without any special props is perfectly fine, sometimes it's fun to get a little bit creative. Here are ten unique ways to share nursery rhymes with your story time audiences and/or your own kids at home.

• The Colorful Itsy-Bitsy Spider
  The itsy-bitsy spider is usually portrayed as a black or brown spider, but wouldn't it be fun if he was a bit more colorful? The rhythm of the song makes it easy to substitute a color combination for the words "itsy-bitsy." You could have "the red and orange spider," "the blue and yellow spider," or "the green and purple spider." Use a template like this one to make a two-toned spider out of felt, or to print and color a paper version.  Have the kids name the colors, then sing the new words along with  you.
• Baa Baa _________ Sheep
  Another nursery rhyme song that lends itself to a lesson in colors is Baa Baa Black Sheep. Sing the traditional song one time through, then change the color of your sheep. I have done this activity on the flannel board countless times,  but Mel's Desk gets the credit for the original idea.
• Mary Had a Little Lamb
  If the black sheep can change colors, so can Mary's lamb. Here are the verses I use for each color:
  
  Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was...

• blue as the sea
• red as a rose.
• green as the grass.
• black as the night.

• Old King Cole
  I did an entire Flannel Friday post about the Sharon, Lois, and Bram version of this song, which introduces the names of three musical instruments (fiddle, clarinet, and trumpet) and the people who play them.

• Hey Diddle Diddle with Puppet
  I have always done this rhyme for babies using a cloth cow hand puppet. I lift the cow way up into the air when she jumps over the moon and invite the caregivers to lift the babies up, too. Sometimes, this also works with toddlers if they like to put their arms up and wiggle their fingers.

• Little Boy Blue Magic Envelope
  Not every nursery rhyme lends itself to a magic envelope, but this one works nicely. Read my story time post from last May that explains how I did it. Learn how to make and use a magic envelope from Sharon at Rain Makes Applesauce.

• Two Little Blackbirds Variations
  There are so many ways to adapt Two Little Blackbirds  to suit different themes. Here are just a few: 
• Two Little Black Bears
• Two Little Bunnies
• Two Little Firefighters
• Two Little Fireflies
• Two Little Kittens
• Two Little Teddy Bears

• Sing the Nursery Rhyme Rap
  This song, which goes to the tune of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, is taken from The Bilingual Book of Rhymes, Songs, Stories, and Fingerplays. 
• Shake to the Rhythm
  It can be tricky to know what to do when there are no obvious hand gestures associated with a rhyme. Remedy this by handing out shaker eggs or other instruments and having everyone help keep the beat as you chant the words. For a fun twist, try this song by MaryLee.
  

• Read Nursery Rhyme Retellings
  Kids who are well-versed in their nursery rhymes will love these picture books, which expand upon and poke fun at the original rhymes:
• Mary Had a Little Lamp by Jack Lechner
• Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop by Lisa Shulman
• The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out by Troy Cummings
• The Bear Went Over the Mountain by Iza Trapani 
• Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker
• Knick Knack Paddy Whack by Steve Songs

For more nursery rhyme activities, check out my story time plans for babies and toddlers and preschoolers.

Drop-In Story Time, 9/4/12

There really is nothing better than a three-day weekend. I finally caught up with both my blogs (mostly), and I didn't think about library work at all on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. I came back to work this morning refreshed and ready to go. As far as story time, I stuck with the same routine that I established on Friday - no chairs, room locked until ten minutes before, highly interactive books - and again, it was a success. I have to admit that I think part of the success can also be attributed to my attitude. Only doing one story time a day is so much more manageable than two or three, so I can once again get excited about it and really include all the materials I want to use. Before, I really held back on what I would use in a single story time because my voice wouldn't make it through all the sessions, otherwise. Now I'm actually including what I want to include and that makes me feel more confident in my presentation.

Opening Song (with ukulele): Hello, how are you?

Book: Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jeff Mack (2007)
I asked the grown-ups to repeat each statement on each page after me. I paused to point out some of what was happening in the pictures before reading the text. 

Song (with puppets): Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big
I have stopped saying, "Now let's do a rhyme. It's called Big, Big, Big." Now I say, "Show me realllly big" and I stretch out my arms, then jump right into the rest of the rhyme. It works so much better because the adults don't know what's coming so they can't decide right up front not to participate.

Rhyme: Wiggle Fingers
I take the same approach to this rhyme. I say, "Show me how you wiggle your fingers!" Then I start saying the rhyme.

Book: Meeow and the Pots and Pans by Sebastien Braun (2010)
This book isn't especially interactive, but I made it work by having the audience repeat certain phrases such as, "Be careful, Baa!" I wouldn't say this call and response format is doing anything for the overall story - but it keeps the adults engaged enough that they don't prevent the kids from paying attention.

Letter of the Day: Letter C

• Clock - Hickory Dickory Dock (with motions)
• Four Red Cherries
• Royal Crowns (Flannel board based on Grandpa's Ties)
• Chickadee 

Songs (with ukulele):  ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: Sing a Happy Song

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

12 Picture Books About Sheep & Goats

"Baa" and "maa" along as you share these picture books about sheep and goats with your little ones!

Sheep

• Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox, illustrated by Judy Horacek
  There are sheep of all colors and persuasions on the pages of this book, but the location of the green sheep remains a mystery until the very end. 
• Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple
  This silly rhyming story shows what happens when a herd of sheep try to drive a jeep. 
• When Sheep Sleep by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by David McPhail
  This story recommends other animals to call upon if you want to count sheep, but they have all fallen asleep! 
• Baa Baa Black Sheep by Iza Trapani
  In Iza Trapani's expansion of this favorite nursery rhyme, the black sheep is generous with her wool, even when her friends are somewhat ungrateful. 
• Mary Had a Little Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale, illustrated by Salley Mavor
  This illustrated version of the favorite nursery rhyme includes all of Sarah Josepha Hale's original words accompanied by Salley Mavor's signature hand-stitched scenes. 
• Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep by Mo Willems
  In this simple story, Cat the Cat must inform all of her friends - including Sheep the Sheep - that bedtime has arrived. 

Goats

• G is for Goat by Patricia Polacco
  There is a goat for every letter of the alphabet in this preschool-friendly book by Patricia Polacco.
• Oh, Look! by Patricia Polacco
  In a style similar to Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt, a herd of goats escapes from its pen and runs all the way to the county fair, where the goats are startled by an ogre! 
• Let’s Count Goats by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jan Thomas
  On each page of this silly book, the reader is invited to count goats who are distinguished by various clothing styles and specific actions. 
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
  This classic adaptation of a favorite fairy tale features a trio of wide-eyed, realistic-looking goats and a scary (but not too scary!) troll. 
• Grumpy Goat by Brett Helquist
  The new goat on the farm wants to be left alone to eat in peace, until one day a dandelion changes how he sees the world. 
• Gregory, The Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey
  Gregory, a picky young goat, refuses to eat trash like the other goats and instead prefers fruits and vegetables. 

Let's Read About Pets! Drop-In Story Time, 2/1/13

  Let's Read About Pets! Drop-In Story Time, 2/1/13

Today's group was pretty small, so I kept their attention pretty well. Some of the letter Y songs didn't go over as well as I expected, but the dog books and songs were very well-received. In retrospect, I realize we didn't make a lot of dog sounds this time - if we do this theme again, I'll have to get some more barking in there!

Book: Dogs by Emily Gravett

Song: BINGO

Song: Bingo’s Doghouse

Book: Domino by Clare Masurel 
This book has previously been a flop, but today it was the favorite.
Song: How Much is that Doggie in the Window?
For this one, I made up some motions for us to do to represent "window," and then "basket" and "wagon". Strangely, the kids picked them up right away and the adults kept squinting at me like they couldn't figure out what I was doing.

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song: Shake My Sillies Out 

Letter of the Day: Letter Y

• Song: Twelve Months of the Year Song
• Song with ukulele: Oh, Yellow Flower
• Song: You Are My Sunshine

Songs with ukulele: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: Wheels on the Bus

Song: Rum Sum Sum
I heard a nanny in the front row say to her friend, "It's supposed to be Ram Sam Sam." I've heard it both ways, but this is the way I memorized it. And it's also the way Laurie Berkner sings it. So I'll stick with it, but maybe next time I'll mention something about the other version, too.

Song: Sing a Happy Song
This song kind of fell apart - the nannies kept clapping faster and faster, making it harder for me to keep the tempo when I was singing.

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Music! Music! Music! Drop-In Story Time, 4/19/13

 Music! Music! Music! Drop-In Story Time, 4/19/13

Book: Knick Knack Paddy Whack by Steve Songs and Christiane Engel
I normally sing this book all the way through, but since I was using three singable picture books, I decided to read the verses and ask everyone to sing the chorus. It was my best story time experience with this book, and since I have to step in and do the toddler story time this afternoon, I'll be using it again then.

Flannel Board Rhyme: There is Music
See yesterday's Baby Lap Time post for the words to this simple flannel board rhyme.

Book: The Wheels on the Bus  by Maryanne Kovalski
This song is a perennial favorite, and the end of the textual part of the story, where they sing so much they miss the bus got a good laugh.

Song: Hands Are for Clapping
I used the recording of this song because of the instrumentals and whistling at the end of each verse. It used to be a favorite back when I regularly used recordings, but it was not as well received today as I would have expected. I think there were just more people here than usual.

Book: Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera
This one also has a great surprise ending that everybody liked. The only problem is that there are so many verses and I never know whether to skip a few in the middle.

Letter of the Day: S

• Song: Shake My Sillies Out
• Song with foam stars: Stars Shining Bright
• Song with puppet: Mr. Sun

Songs with ukulele: ABCs/ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star/ Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Baby Lap Time, 8/5

Opening Song: Clap Along With Me

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big (twice)

Rhyme: Dance Your Fingers (twice)

Book: Five Little Ducks by Raffi, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Arlene Dewey (1988)

Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider (a cappella)

Song: You Are My Sunshine (a cappella; with sunshine puppet; sung twice)

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Song: Head and Shoulders

Book: Red, Blue, Yellow Shoe by Tana Hoban

Flannel Board Song: Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: Flutter, Flutter Butterfly

Song: ABCD Medley

Song: Wheels on the Bus  

Song: Chickadee

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Dig Into Reading (Mud): Drop-In Story Time, 6/14/13

 Dig Into Reading (Mud): Drop-In Story Time, 6/14/13

What an amazing story time! It was a huuuge group, but a lot of nannies I haven't seen all year are back for the summer, as well as a lot of preschoolers who are in that in-between stage after school lets out and before summer camp begins. I can't remember the last time an audience sat quietly for books and actually seemed to enjoy them, and this was, by far, the best reception I have had for the magic envelope. I hope this is a sign of pleasant Friday mornings all summer long! 

Book: Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car by John Burningham
Since the group was so interested in this book and the adults were so well-behaved, I was able to really get into reading it with a lot of expression and  a lot of dramatic pauses. I can always tell when I'm performing a book well, and this was probably one of my top ten read-alouds ever.

Song: I Like to See the Raindrops Fall
I added a verse to this song to make it more suitable for the mud theme.


I like to feel the squishy mud, 
the squishy mud, the squishy mud. 
I like to feel the squishy mud 
on a stormy day.

Book: One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
I wish I had remembered to ask everyone to quack at the end of each page. That's a tip I picked up from Saroj Ghoting and have used in the past, but I was so shocked by how well things were going, I basically just forgot. 

Song: Pigs in the Mud
This is not my favorite song, but it has simple motions that I find most of the kids pick up pretty quickly. They really got into it, and the adults actually seemed to think the song was cute.

Magic Envelope: Dog
I think it was hugely helpful that all the kids know what a dog is. Sometimes I think they might not know what to expect from the magic envelope even when I tell them what is supposed to come out, but this time, there was excitement all around. We put a collar, a dish, a leash, a doghouse, a bone, and "woof woof!" inside the envelope and pulled out... Bingo the dog!

Flannel Board Song: BINGO
I used yellow letters to spell BINGO then changed them to purple one by one. We clapped the purple letters and sang the yellow ones. It was definitely the best performance of BINGO we have ever had.

Ukulele Medley: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider

Song with Puppet: Mr. Sun

Song: The Wheels on the Bus


Song: If You're Happy and You Know It


Song: The More We Read Together
I have decided to definitely keep using this at the end of the story time, but possibly not in place of If You're Happy. I know it might not make a difference, but ending on a reading-related note makes me feel like I'm doing more of my part to remind the adults that story time is as much about reading as it is about singing, etc.


I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Summer Baby Lap Time #2, 7/19/12 & 7/20/12

Opening Song: Please Tell Us Your Name

Rhyme: Cheek Chin

Song with Puppet: Sing a Song of Sunshine

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Book: Higher, Higher by Leslie Patricelli (2009)
This was surprisingly not well received. I couldn't get the adults to join in on the refrain at all!

Song: Tony Chestnut
I think it's hilarious that the moms have started calling my baby doll prop "Tony" because of this song.

Song: Head and Shoulders Baby

Rhyme: Jack Be Nimble
We recited this nursery rhyme three times, emphasizing the rhythm, and each time we said "over" we lifted the babies up into the air. This is my new favorite story time concept. We used the same idea with Hey Diddle Diddle the last time.

Book: Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming (2010)
Song with Puppets: Goodnight by the Laurie Berkner Band (sung a cappella)

Song with Stick Puppets: Baa Baa, Black Sheep
We sang about the black sheep, then several sheep in other colors.

Song: Where is Big Toe?

Song with Shaker Eggs: ABCs

Song with Shaker Eggs: Shake My Sillies Out 

Song with Shaker Eggs: Can You Shake Your Egg With Me? 

Goodbye Song: Shaker Egg Goodbye Song

Fun with Nursery Rhymes Drop-In Story Time, 9/20/13

 Fun with Nursery Rhymes Drop-In Story Time, 9/20/13

This group is never completely silent, and never totally responsive, so it's often hard to gauge the success of a particular set of activities just by their reaction. Throughout the room, I noticed pockets of engaged kids and distracted ones, quiet nannies and chatty ones, and there were moments where I don't think anyone was really listening to me. Still, though, this set of books and songs is a keeper. 

Song with ukulele: Nursery Rhyme Rap
We sang the ABCs as the chorus for this song, and each verse was one of the nursery rhymes for which I had a book version.

Book: Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker
I had a bad experience with this book early on in my tenure at this library (so long ago, that it's not even in this blog, or on Goodreads), but I don't think it was the book's fault. Today's reading was much better received, and even though the text is a bit on the long side, most of  the kids were with me until the end. 

Song: Go In and Out the Window
I like this song, and I came up with some basic motions that even the smallest kids can do so that everyone could participate. We sang all three verse twice through.

Book: To Market To Market by Anne Miranda
One nanny was very excited to discover this book, and she checked it out at the end of story time. I tried to make it interactive by asking everyone to make animal sounds with me, but that didn't really catch on.

Song with stick puppets: Mary Had a Little Lamb
The preschoolers like to call out the names of colors, so this song - where Mary has various lambs of assorted colors - is always a hit.

Book: Row Row Row Your Boat by Iza Trapani
The adults pay better attention when I sing, so I sang this entire book. They seemed confused by the new verses, even though I warned them they would be different.

Rhyme with Cow Puppet: Hey Diddle Diddle

Book: 1 2 Buckle My Shoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines

Song: I’m a Little Teapot
Since this was my second-to-last story time, and this song is an old favorite of this group, I decided to sing it at least one more time. The kids were really into it, so we sang it three times.

Songs with ukulele: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Yummy in my Tummy Drop-In Story Time, 4/26/13

 

 Yummy in my Tummy Drop-In Story Time, 4/26/13

Book: Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch by James Dean
I don't normally read easy readers at this story time, but I thought they would like this one. I was half right - some of the kids really were attentive to it, but the ones who weren't into it really weren't into it. Some of the adults really liked it, though. I might use it again in a smaller group - either preschool or pajama story time.

Flannel Board: Going on a Picnic
I used food and kitchen clipart from kizclub.com to make this flannel board.

Book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This book got a great reaction at the beginning and end, but no one seemed to be listening in between. 

Song with ukulele and flannel board: Aikendrum

Letter of the Day: T

• Song: I’m a Little Teapot
• Rhyme: Way Up High in the Apple Tree
• Rhyme: I Have Ten Little Fingers
  I have never  used this rhyme in story time, other than with preschoolers, but it was surprisingly very well received.

Song with ukulele: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song:  Hands Up High

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It



I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Dig Into Reading (Gardening): Drop-In Story Time, 6/21/13

 

Dig Into Reading (Gardening): Drop-In Story Time, 6/21/13

We had a bit of a difficult morning, because two nannies in a row complained to me on their way into story time that the other adults are too noisy so they can't hear me when I'm reading. So I did try to crack down a bit more on the chattiness during the first book, only to find one of those self-same nannies talking to her neighbor not five minutes later. Honestly, I think I do a good job of keeping the chaos to a minimum in a room of 100 toddlers, and it annoys me when someone acts like I'm not trying. But aside from the somewhat contentious start, this story time was perfectly fine, and the kids seemed to have a lot of fun.

Book: This is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer and Donald Crews
This book is always a crapshoot. Today was one of its better days, even though I did have to stop twice to ask the adults to stop talking.

Flannel Board Song: My May Garden
I put the sun, rain, and seed up on the flannel board and also showed the kids some motions to do for the sun shining, the rain dripping, and the seed growing. They did so well, we did it twice.

Book: Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
I have always liked this book, and the kids seemed mostly into it. I might even think about using it again in this afternoon's toddler session instead of What Does Bunny See?

Song: So Many Plants (based on Stars Shining Bright)
So many plants growing in the ground!
Tell me what color plant I found.

I neglected to come up with a suitable verse to sing after the color had been identified, so we sang: 

Red plant grow! Red plant grow! 
Red plant grow in the deep, deep ground.

That's pretty awful. I will come up with something else before I use this again. The kids did like identifying the different colors, though, and the only tricky ones for them were orange and yellow.

Book: Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
This book is another one that can sometimes flop, but not today! I saw a couple of moms who even seemed to be enjoying it.

Song: Sunny Day
Part of me just wanted to keep doing this song over and over, because it has such a calming effect on the whole room - adults and kids. But we just did it three times.

Magic Envelope: Bird
Today, we had a bird come out of  the magic envelope. We put in feathers, wings, a nest, a beak, and a "tweet tweet!" sound. The kids couldn't quite name the objects  this time, but I don't think that's a problem, as it gave them some exposure to some new vocabulary. The nannies also actually helped me name the objects the kids didn't know, which made it feel more like a group effort.

Song: Way Up in the Sky
I feel like the "big reveal" in the magic envelope has been pretty anti-climactic, and that there hasn't been a real sense of what we're doing with the final product once it comes out of the envelope. This time, the item that came out of the envelope - the bird - was actually a flannel board piece, so I was able to put it on the board and we sang this bird-related song. After  the song, we put the bird away and sang goodbye to the envelope. It wasn't perfect, but it's getting closer to working the way I want it to.

Songs with Ukulele: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: Hands Up High 

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

Song: The More We Read Together 
I have to start out this song higher because I'm hitting the low notes at a point lower than my singing range, and I don't think everyone can hear me.  They also don't listen when I talk, so half  the room thought we were singing The More We Get Together.


I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Baby Lap Time, 10/4/12

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here. 

It's hard to believe we have already been offering lap times at my branch for a year. They have become so popular, this time around we actually divided them into two groups - Toddler Lap Time for walkers and Baby Lap Time for non-walkers. I'm alternating weeks between the two groups, but this week it was my turn to be with the babies. I will miss the continuity of being with them every week, but I'm looking forward to also having a turn with the toddlers, many of whom were in my first lap time group last year.

I introduced a new hello song for this session, to the tune of London Bridge, where we sing hello to our toes, knees, tummy, hands, head, and then to all of our friends. The words are posted on the hello and goodbye song page along with all the others.

This session had a theme - Up and Down - which I forgot to actually announce to the group, but I doubt anyone noticed. Almost everyone is new to lap time at our library, so it was a very awkward start for me, as I could feel them sort of looking at me, sizing me up and wondering if what I'm doing is legitimate or just foolishness. I did a great job, but for  the first time ever, no one clapped or said thank you when I finished  the session. Such a weird feeling.

Anyway, here are my baby lap time activities for Up and Down. 

Rhyme: Cheek Chin 

Rhyme: Dance Your Fingers

Song with Puppet: Mr. Sun

Book: The Bridge is Up by Babs Bell

This is the perfect audience for this book. Lots of repetition and a very simple plot.   

Rhyme with Puppet: Hey Diddle Diddle

Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider

Song: Tony Chestnut

Song: Head and Shoulders 

Book: Subway by Anastasia Suen, illustrated by Karen Katz
Another with one with repetition, and bright colorful pictures. It also has a good rhythm. I mentioned these things to the parents, who stared at me blankly. 

Song: Bumpin' Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon 

Song with Puppets: I'm a Little Monkey

Songs: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Book: All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury

Song: This is the Way We Clap Our Hands

Toddler Lap Time, 10/12/12

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here. 

This session was extremely chaotic. One of the moms helped her son get into my shaker egg bag, and all the kids ended up grabbing them. She also moved my books and my set list, which threw off the momentum of the whole thing. I'll have to make a lot of changes for my remaining two Toddler sessions this Fall.

Action Rhyme: Way Up High in the Apple Tree

Song: Way Up in the Sky

Song: Bumpin' Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon

Action Rhyme: Here We Go Up, Up, Up

Book: The Bridge is Up by Babs Bell 

Song: Ring Around the Rosie
For this one, we just turned our hands instead of going around in a circle. Then we all fell down!
  

Book: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

Song: Brown Squirrel

Book: A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

Song: Sunny Day

Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
 
Song: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle / Baa Baa Black Sheep 
 
Songs with Shaker Eggs:

• Shake Your Eggs (based on Sing a Happy Song)
• Shake My Sillies Out
• Can You Shake Your Egg with Me?
• Shake Your Egg Down Low (Goodbye Song)

Sending You My Love Drop-In Story Time, 2/15/13

 Sending You My Love Drop-In Story Time, 2/15/13

The problem with Valentine's Day falling on a Thursday is that none of my Valentine's Day repertoire will work for my Friday story times! Thus, this morning's drop-in story time had a love theme instead. This picture was taken after story time in our staff kitchen, which is why the lighting is better than usual!

Book: Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon
This story is pretty short and sweet, but for babies and  toddlers, it is somewhat long, so I wasn't sure how they would like it. I think the preschoolers who were at story time enjoyed it, and I know the adults did, as there was spontaneous thunderous applause after the last line. It's also kind of a tearjerker, but no one really teared up. 

Song with flannel board: Five Little Penguins Riding on a Sled
This song is based on Monkeys on the Bed. I used the flannel board to force myself to slow down and count the penguins.

Book: The Way I Love You by David Bedford
I really like the way I read this one today. My husband pointed out to me once at home that my voice is always the same when I'm reading, and I started noticing it, too. It's not that I was reading without inflection, but that when I read certain recurring phrases that appear in a lot of books, I was always reading them with the same inflection without regard for the context. So today when I read this book, I really thought about how to make it interesting to the kids. And it worked! The kids seemed really interested in the main character and her dog, and  the adults actually were quiet for almost the entire book.

Song: Love My Puppy, Yes I Do
We sang this song about a puppy, and then about a kitty. We did each verse twice, and I sang the first  time through as though the pet was a boy, and the second time with female pronouns.

Book: Grandma Calls Me Gigglepie by J.D. Lester, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
I have read this at story time in the past, but not in a while, so when I found it this morning, I was excited. There was one grandmother I noticed who seemed really pleased by it as she sat with her twin toddler grandsons.

Song with Poster: Old MacDonald
I've found that the adults do better when they have a visual aide to help them know what to sing and when to sing it. Since I wanted to play this on the ukulele, I decided it would be easier to make a poster than  to manipulate flannel board pieces. I tried taping the poster to the whiteboard, but it fell on me twice, so in the end, I asked a nanny to hold it for me. She did a great job, and I actually think people paid better attention when one of their own was up front with me.

Letter of the Day: C

• Drive Your Car 
• Sing a Happy Song (Clap)
• I Have a Cat 
  

Songs with ukulele: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

This was the best drop-in story time I've done in a while. The others have been good, but this one stood out somehow, possibly because of the great participation from the adults. I was also exhausted when it was over, which is always a good sign that a program has gone well!


I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Down on the Farm Drop-In Story Time, 3/22/13

Down on the Farm Drop-In Story Time, 3/22/13

Book: Who Am I? Farm Animals
The thing I love most about this book is the suggestions for ways the kids can move. Unfortunately, there were so many people at story time on Friday morning, I had to skip that part so none of the kids would hurt themselves!

Rhyme with Stick Puppets: I Went to Visit the Farm One Day


Book: Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
This would have been better as the first book. The rhythm and rhyme are spot-on, though, and the large-sized board book actually made it possible to share with a large group.

Flannel Board Song: The Farmer in the Dell
"The cheese stands alone" is my favorite line from any children's song. I'm always bummed when we get to that part, and I'm the only one who laughs.

Book: Moo Moo Brown Cow by Jakki Wood
This would be the perfect toddler lap time book, but I didn't have toddler lap time this week, so I tried it here instead. The adults didn't really count with me as they normally do, and  that seemed to keep the kids from being that interested either.

Letter of the Day: M

• Song with Puppets: I’m a Little Monkey
• Song: Moon Moon Moon
• Song with ukulele: Muffin Man
• Flannel Board Rhyme: Down Around the Corner (with muffins)

Song with ukulele: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big
The kids love this rhyme. I might start using it every week. 

Song: Monkeys on the Bed

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It 

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Drop-In Story Time, 11/6/12

This is the first time in a long time I have been able to focus mainly on books. I've almost completely removed the phrase "the end" from my vocabulary. Since I no longer signal to them that the book is done,  the adults now actually pay attention and stick with the story. Because they pay attention, they spend more time pointing things out to the kids and helping the kids engage with the story. I've also noticed many of the one-year-olds (graduates of last year's Baby Lap Time) have really started participating with the motions on a lot of the songs. This was one of the best story times I've had all Fall. 

*Note: I did not have the ukulele for this story time.

Book: First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
I get more comfortable with this book the more times I use it in story time. The group seemed really engaged with it this time, and lots of the little ones were pointing at the illustrations.

Rhyme: Five Eggs and Five Eggs

Book: Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
I personally do not enjoy Lois Ehlert that much, but I do appreciate that kids are drawn to her brightly colored illustrations, and the text is at just the right level for my toddler-heavy story time groups. I also used this book with great success with a group of three-year-olds during an outreach visit last week.

Flannel Board Song: I Like Soup
I started out thinking I would use Laurie Berkner's "I Feel Crazy so I Jump in My Soup" but then realized it was a little bit too physical for my little guys. So then I played with it a little bit and came up with a similar song to the same tune.


I like carrots, so I put them in my soup.
I like carrots, so I put them in my soup.
I like carrots to I put them in my soup.
And then I stir up my soup!

I printed out some vegetables from kizclub.com's clipart section, found an image of a soup pot on Clker.com and had an instant flannel board. The kids seemed to like stirring. The adults were not very impressed, however, with a soup made of potato, corn, onion, carrot, and mushrooms. Oh well.

Book: A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

Song: Sunny Day

Song: Way Up in the Sky

Song with Puppets: Do You Know...?

Book: Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambeault, illustrated by Ted Rand 

Song: Head and Shoulders

Letter of the Day: Letter K

• Song: Cuddly Koalas
• Flannel Board: Five Little Kisses
• Rhyme with Puppets: Two Little Kittens

Songs: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

Song: Where is Big Toe?

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Down on the Farm Baby Lap Time, 3/21/13

 Down on the Farm Baby Lap Time, 3/21/13

Rhyme: Cheek Chin

Book: I Love You a Bushel and a Peck illustrated by Rosemary Wells
I opted not to sing this one, and I have no idea whether people even realized it was a song. My grandma used to sing this to me when I was little, and I always got a kick out of it. Alas, I think these folks just thought it was a poorly written picture book.

Song with Stick Puppets: Baa Baa Black Sheep
I did this song stick puppets and changed the color of the sheep each time through. This particular group of babies LOVED puppets.

Rhyme with Puppet: Dickery, Dickery Dare
This was surprisingly well-received and at least one person in the room besides me seemed to know it. 

Book: Animal Sounds by Aurelius Battaglia
I know these types of books seem lame to adults, but the babies were wide-eyed the whole time.

Song with Puppets: All the Cows Say...

Song: Tony Chestnut

Song: All the Little Babies

Song: ABCs

Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider

Song: Row Your Boat

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.

Outreach Round-up, 9/19/12 - 9/28/12

I haven't done one of our regular drop-in story times in over a week, which is why there haven't been many blog posts, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I just sat down to count them up and realized I have read to seven different classes or groups in the last eight weekdays! I've been to the local rec. center and two elementary schools, and I've had three Catholic school classes and one after care group come to me. Every single one of the groups has been lovely, but since I repeated a lot of the same material, it would have been too redundant - not to mention time-consuming -  to post about each of the eight sessions individually. Therefore, I present my first Outreach Round-Up. Depending on how busy my outreach schedule becomes, this might be a regular feature from here on out.

Rec. Center Cooperative Play Program: Wednesday, 9/19

• Books:  Ten Little Caterpillars, The Busy Little Squirrel, My Farm Friends, The Bus for Us
• Songs: One, Two, Three Caterpillars, Gray Squirrel, Baa Baa Black Sheep, The Wheels on the Bus, These Are My Glasses
• Notes: It's fun to sing Gray Squirrel three times, once with gray, once with brown, and once with black, for the three colors of squirrels we have here.  

Catholic School Pre-K: Thursday, 9/20

• Books: Teeny Weeny Bop, Click Clack Moo, Bark, George
• Flannel Board: Silly Sally
• Songs: If You'd Like to Read a Book, These Are My Glasses
• Notes: Teeny Weeny Bop has a flat ending, and Silly Sally didn't really get a reaction.

Public School Pre-K: Monday, 9/24

• Books: A Visitor for Bear, Otto the Book Bear, May I Bring a Friend? 
• Songs: If You'd Like to Read a Book, These Are My Glasses
• Action Rhymes: Book Bear, Book Bear
• Notes: During the last verse of If You'd Like to Read a Book,  I changed "shout hooray" to "whisper hooray" in the final line to get the kids quiet for the story. I started lowering my voice slowly as we approached those words so they'd have to quiet down to hear me, and they seemed to enjoy the surprise change from loud to soft.

Public School Kindergarten After Care: Thursday, 9/27 

• Books: Ling and Ting Not Exactly the Same, George and Martha, My Friend is Sad 
• Songs: If You'd Like to Read a Book, The Banana Dance, Shake My Sillies Out, These Are My Glasses
• Rhymes: This is Big, Big, Big, Book Buddies, Book Buddies (based on Book Bear, Book Bear) 
• Notes: Ling and Ting makes a wonderful read-aloud, and it opens up great discussions, especially when the girls make dumplings and eat with chopsticks. A huge hit with boys and girls. This is Big, Big, Big is perfect for calming a large, wild group, no matter how old they are.

Public School Pre-K: Friday, 9/28 

• Books: A Visitor For Bear, Taking a Bath With the Dog, I Am Not Going to Get Up Today 
• Songs: If You'd Like to Read a Book, Shake My Sillies Out, These Are My Glasses
• Notes: The kids loved the Seuss book, and they giggled like mad over the mouse in A Visitor for Bear.

Catholic School First Grade: Friday, 9/28 

• Book: Ling and Ting Not Exactly the Same
• Notes: The kids didn't know this one, and they all immediately wanted to check it out. Thank God I had multiple copies!

Catholic School Third Grade: Friday, 9/28

• Book: Apples to Oregon
• Notes: 100% perfect for this age group. The kids were engaged from beginning to end, and they laughed in all the right places.