Moms Club Story Time, 4/28/16

At the April social for my Moms Club, I performed a story time in a church gym for a group of about 12 kids ranging in age from 3 weeks old up to 4 years old. It was probably the biggest turn-out I have ever had for a non-library story time, and it was the only one I've ever done without the ukulele. (I left it home because I had to walk to the story time location in the rain with a double stroller and didn't want an extra thing to carry.) This session was also unique in that almost everything I did was new to my story time repertoire. Here is my full set list.

Opening Song: Story Time is Starting
I have been sick of my traditional "Hello, how are you?" hello song for months. It is especially awkward to use at Moms Club gatherings, because the story time is never at the start of the meeting. So, I wrote a new opening song, which is sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It." It goes like this:

Story time is starting, clap your hands
Story time is starting, clap your hands
Story time's begun, 
I hope that you have fun! 
Story time is starting, clap your hands

We did three verses: clapping, stomping, shouting hooray. It was so much better than "Hello, how are you?" 

Book: When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes

This is the latest book from Kevin Henkes and his wife Laura Dronzek. I don't like it as much as Birds, which is one of my favorite nature picture books, but it was well-suited for establishing the theme of the story time. (I set out to plan an unthemed program, but a Spring theme ended up naturally emerging anyway.) I wouldn't say the kids loved it, but it went over fine, even despite the fact that Little Bo Peep spit up on the floor in the middle of it, prompting Miss Muffet to yell, "Mama! Spit up! Mama!" 

Song: Springtime is Here
I found a version of this song on YouTube, performed by a librarian from King County Library System. Some of her verses either didn't make sense, or had too many syllables, so I changed those, and added some more of my own. The kids were really good at acting out the song, and because they knew the tune, it was easy for them to pick up each verse quickly and sing along. Here are my verses:

The ducks in the pond go quack, quack quack... springtime is here! 
The eggs in the nest go crack, crack, crack... springtime is here! 
The birds in the sky go flap, flap, flap... springtime is here!   
The bunnies in the grass go hop, hop, hop... springtime is here! 
The wind in the air goes whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.... springtime is here! 
The rain coming down goes drip, drip, drip... springtime is here! 
The boots in the mud go stomp, stomp, stomp... springtime is here! 

Rhyme: See, See, See
I have had this rhyme on file for years, but it does not appear that I have ever used it. This audience was especially interested in moving around, so it was a perfect choice, and a perfect segue into a story about three ducks.

Book: Three Ducks Went Wandering by Ron Roy, illustrated by Paul Galdone
This book was long for the littlest kids, and even the bigger kids seemed to fade in and out a bit as I was reading. I probably would not choose this again unless all of the kids in the group were four or five. They were most interested in the snake, but didn't seem to follow the plot all that well. (It was also during this book that Miss Muffet, who normally loves this story, started playing with sound equipment at the back of the room and had to be rescued by another mom.)

Book: Leap, Frog, Leap by Douglas Florian
This is a new board book of which I just received a review copy from Little Bee Books a few days prior to the story time. The size of the book was just a little bit larger than From Head to Toe, and because I knew the kids would be able to see the pictures, I decided to use it as a movement activity. The biggest kids in the group acted it out really well.

Song: Head and Shoulders, Baby
I just recently taught this song to Little Miss Muffet, so I put it into the story time in the hopes of engaging her a little bit. It worked! She did most of the motions, as did a whole line of little girls seated right in the front row. I had planned to do Tony Chestnut, but I think this was the better option.

Book: A Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Though this book is sort of an odd note to end on, the kids were interested in talking about where bunnies might live, and they agreed that places like  bogs, nests, and crowded logs would not be good places for a rabbit. The ending seemed to satisfy them, but I knew they didn't have much of an attention span left, so I started wrapping things up.

Sing-Along Songs: Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Since I didn't have the ukulele, I didn't do my usual ABC medley to signal the end of story time. Instead, we just sang a couple of favorite songs I knew everyone enjoyed. The moms all sang along and did the motions with their kids, which was great.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big
This makes a better ending rhyme for story time than I ever realized. One boy in the audience has been a big fan of this rhyme ever since he first came to story time with me, so even though he's getting older now, I was still glad to be able to share it with him. The other kids also did a nice job with it.

Closing Song: Story Time is Over

Goodbye songs are even more awkward than hello songs because we never end story time and leave immediately. So I changed the words to my opening song a bit to come up with a non-goodbye closing song. It goes like this: 

Story time is over, clap your hands

Story time is over, clap your hands

Story time is done

I hope that you had fun!

Story time is over, clap your hands

This story time really renewed my excitement about performing. I put another story time on the calendar for May, so check back later in the month for another brand-new plan.

Moms Club Story Time, 2/25/16

This morning I did story time for my moms group at a fellow member's house. I approached this story time as less of a performance and more of a gathering with friends where I happened to be reading and singing. There were 7 moms in all, including me, and the kids ranged in age from 5 mos. (Little Bo Peep was the youngest) to age 3. It was a cozy and informal session, and we all had fun. Here is my set list:

Opening Song: Hello, How Are You?

Song: If You'd Like to Read a Book

Book: To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda, illustrated by Janet Stevens
I had the kids make some of the animal sounds as we read this book. They didn't seem that amused by the plot, but it's hard to tell sometimes.

Fingerplay: This Little Piggy

Book: Potato Joe by Keith Baker
I have yet to meet an adult who likes this book, but I do, and kids sort of do, so I continue to use it. It was not the hit of the session, but it was okay.

Action Rhyme: One Potato, Two Potato
I found this on YouTube, but apparently it's originally from Sesame Street. I modified the motions a little bit because I was sitting down, and the kids didn't really do the motions, but the moms all seemed into it.

Action Song: Go In and Out the Window
I think this is the one everyone participated in the most.

Book: The Missing Tarts by B.G. Hennessey, illustrated by Tracey Pearson Campbell
Apparently this book was mine as a kid, but I don't remember it. I like it because it is similar to Each Peach Pear Plum, but it does not require one-on-one interaction with the book for kids to get the full reading experience.

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

Book: Mother Goose's Pajama Party by Danna Smith, illustrated by Virginia Allyn
This was the best book of the session. I did it last because it ends by saying goodnight, but it probably would have been a wiser choice to place it earlier in the line-up. Read my review of the book here.

Song: Moon Moon Moon
I did this song mainly for Little Miss Muffet who stood up and applauded and shouted, "Yay!" Totally worth it.

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Moms Club Ukulele Sing-Along, 7/22/15

Instead of story time, this past month I performed a ukulele sing-along for my moms group. It was pretty well-attended, and there were a good number of kids ranging in age from a few months old to four years old. Below is my set list from the performance, along with the chords for each song in the key in which I played it.

Hello, How Are You?

• Tune: Skip to My Lou 
• Key: C
• Chords: C, G7 

The Wheels on the Bus

• Key: D 
• Chords: D, A7 
• Notes: For the first time ever, Little Miss Muffet did all the motions to this song! 

Bumpin' Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon 

• Tune: Available on Spotify.  
• Key: C 
• Chords: C, G7

Row Your Boat

• Key: F 
• Chords: F, C7

The Itsy Bitsy Spider 

• Key: A 
• Chords: A, E7

You Are My Sunshine

• Key: C 
• Chords: C, F, Am, G7
• Notes: This is the song during which all the children old enough to walk got up and left the pavilion and headed for the playground. Apparently this is not that much of a favorite after all. 

Butterfly Gals

• Tune: Buffalo Gals; also available on Spotify. 
• Key: C
• Chords: C, G7 
• Notes: We acted this one out, and most of the kids did at least half of the motions. I was originally going to play this in G, but at the last minute decided to play it in a key I am more comfortable in. 

Aikendrum 

• Tune: Available on Spotify.
• Key: A 
• Chords: A, E7 
• Notes: I did this as a cumulative song, since I knew most of the kids wouldn't know it and wanted them to have enough repetitions of each verse that they could learn it quickly and start to sing along. Not all of the kids were into it, but the oldest among them were definitely with me until the end. 

ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

• Key: G
• Chords: G, C, D7 
• Notes: One of the moms signed the alphabet and Twinkle Twinkle for her daughter, which I loved. 

Chickadee

• Tune: Available on Spotify.  
• Key: C 
• Chords: C, F, G7 
• Notes: This didn't work for me on ukulele, and had this not been a ukulele sing-along, I'd have preferred to sing it a cappella. One of the kids and his mom were really into it, but I had pretty much lost the other kids by this point. 

Moms Club Story Time, 6/29/15

My June story time for the Moms Club got rained out earlier in the month, but we had a beautiful day for this rescheduled date. We had a great turn-out; our only complication was that the pavilion where we met was also being used by a local kids' tennis club. Thankfully, we were able to sneak in just after their snack time and before parents started coming to pick up their kids, so we didn't disturb them too much, and they didn't get in our way. (I do wish there was a way to know when that pavilion is being used. I don't think it can be reserved, so we are always guessing!)

The kids in attendance ranged in age from 1 month to 4 years, and I aimed for the middle of that age range, since most of the kids hovered between 18 months and 2 years. This is what I performed:

Hello Song with ukulele: Hello, how are you?

Song: If You'd Like to Read a Book

Book: Stanley the Farmer by William Bee
We have had this book for months, and I've been itching to spread the word about Stanley to my mom friends. I don't think anyone is as excited about this series as I am, but I was glad to be able to share it!

Flannel Board Song: Stanley's Tractor 
I used clipart from the publisher's website to make flannel board pieces to accompany Stanley the Farmer, then wrote up some lyrics to the tune Mary Wore Her Red Dress and shared it on my homemade handheld flannel board. The kids were probably the most interested in this one, and Little Miss Muffet only cried a little bit when I said she couldn't hold Stanley until we got home.

Book: Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham
The oldest kids in the group liked this one a lot, and one little boy eagerly called out the names of the animals.

Song with Ukulele: Five Rowers in a Boat 
I learned this one for ukulele after hearing it on Spotify. The original song starts with eight rowers, but I cut it down to five for the sake of everyone's sanity.

Flannel Board Rhyme: Seven Snazzy Aunties
This rhyme used to work for me a few years ago, but at this story time, as in others toward the end of my time at the library, it was met with silence. I am not using it anymore. Really this time.

Book: The Bus is for Us by Michael Rosen
I don't like this quite as much as The Bus for Us by Suzanne Bloom, but I wanted to try it out since it's new. The kids seemed fairly into it, though I think it was too basic for the preschoolers and one book too many for the little guys.

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Song with Ukulele: ABCs
This was going to be my usual medley but the tennis kids returned to the pavilion just as the ABCs were coming to an end, so I cut us off and went right into the goodbye song.

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This 

I will have two more programs to post about in the month of July. This Friday, I'm doing a school-aged nature story time for the summer camp where my mom works, and later in the month, I'm hosting a ukulele sing-along for the Moms Club. I look forward to sharing those plans here on the blog!

Moms Club Story Time, 5/13/15

As in April, the date I chose for our May story time was chilly and breezy, despite being surrounded by 80-degree days. This time, though, I did have the story time outside, and though people seemed to enjoy it (including a grandmother who was not part of our group!), it was not an experience I am eager to repeat any time soon. Book pages and flannel board pieces were flying everywhere in the breeze, my hair was in my face when I played the ukulele, and the kids were cold and not shy about saying so. This time, there were three babies under one, 4 toddlers in the 18-20 mos. range, and one almost three-year-old. Here's what we did.

Opening Song with Ukulele: Hello, How Are You?

Song: If You’d Like to Read a Book

Book: King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey and Don Wood
I don't think anyone in the group loved this book as much as I do, but it is just so much fun to read aloud. I think slightly older kids would have liked it better.

Flannel Board Song: Royal Crowns (based on Daddy's Ties)
I had four members of a royal family - king, queen, prince, princess - and four felt crowns, which kept blowing away. We sang about each one, while trying to keep warm.

Book: Titch by Pat Hutchins
I love Titch, as does Miss Muffet. This book was better received than King Bidgood.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Book: Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek
Pop-up books are always a hit. I had to actually purchase this book in order to get a copy where the butterfly had both wings, but it was worth it.

Song: Fly Like a Butterfly
We flapped our arms like wings when we sang this song. The toddlers were into it.

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

Song with Ukulele: The Little Bird 
I have been singing this song a lot to Miss Muffet and now I'm pretty tired of it, so it probably won't appear in my repertoire over the summer. Still, it's a great winding down song, since the final verse says goodbye.

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This 

My June story time is scheduled for this coming Monday, when the forecast is predicting clouds and warmth. I have 7 moms signed up, and I'm hoping for a more pleasant experience!

Moms Club Story Time, 4/23/15

It was pretty difficult to find easily accessible public places to have story time during this past winter, which was exceptionally cold and snowy for our area. Therefore, I took a little break from story time in February and March and scheduled this one to be held at the park in late April. Unfortunately, though we had some warm days in and around my chosen date, the actual day itself was not one of them! Fortunately, one of the moms graciously opened her living room to the group at the last minute and we were able to have story time without freezing or blowing away. The theme was Spring, there were five kids in attendance (4 mos., 17 mos., 18 mos., 20 mos., and 3 years). This is what we did.

Opening Song with Ukulele: Hello, How Are You?

Song: If You’d Like to Read a Book

Book: How to Grow a Friend by Sara Gillingham

This book is a little bit abstract for toddlers, as it compares friendship to a garden, but the illustrations are so appealing, and it's a good mom-pleaser. I would use this one again for a spring, friendship, or flowers theme.

Song: One Seed

The motions for this are really too hard for toddlers, but they all seem to liked watching their moms do them.

Book: Mary Had a Little Lamb illustrated by Salley Mavor 

It was fun to share this book because everyone knew the song, but not everyone knew there were so many verses.

Song Rhyme: Hands Up High

The tune for this song is London Bridge, but I had trouble singing it on the heels of Mary Had a Little Lamb, so we just wound up doing it as a chant. 

Rhyme: Hop Your Bunnies

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

After this medley, one of the moms added another verse which came from a lullaby CD her son likes. (I think it's this one. The name of the song is simply "ABC Song.") The verse has to do with counting - if anyone is looking for a counting song to this tune, I have transcribed the lyrics and will happily share them by email. I have started singing it to Miss Muffet every day at nap time.

Book: Over in the Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats

I didn't think the kids had the patience for two singable books, so I read this one as a poem. Most of their focus was gone by this point, since there were exciting toys around, but we made it through to the end.

Song: Chickadee 

We got some decent flying action from some of the kids on this one.

Song with Ukulele: The Little Bird 
I really wanted to play this song for an audience, so even though the kids were playing with toys by this point, I played it as background music anyway. (I didn't have a flannel board, so I just played and sang.)

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This 

I feel awkward doing a goodbye song at these story times, since we never leave right afterward, and yet I feel like I am not done unless I do one. I'm still working on finding a closing song for this group that is a little less final. 

Moms Club Story Time, 11/9/14

My November story time for my Moms Club was held in one of the local public libraries, which has a Discovery Room. This is an early literacy area for use by children up to age 8 and their caregivers. We did our story time in the first half or our allotted hour and played with the toys during the second half. (Note: It would not be my first choice to hold story time in a room with toys freely available, but there are few free public spaces available, so I make do. Interestingly, Little Miss Muffet (my daughter, then 11 months) was the only child who was distracted by toys the entire time.

Hello Song: Say Hello to Your Toes

Song: If You’d Like to Read a Book

Book: The Grumpalump by Sarah Hayes
This is still one of my favorites. Everyone - two year olds and babies alike - was into it.

Song: Row Row Row Your Boat

Song: Way Up in the Sky

Book: The Bridge is Up by Babs Bell

Song: My Hands Go Up Up Up
I rewrote Here We Go Up Up Up to make it more suitable for the babies who can't stand yet. Here are the new words:

My hands go up, up, up
My hands go down, down, down
My hands go clap, clap, clap
My hands turn round and round

Flannel Board Rhyme: Seven Snazzy Aunties
I love this poem, but I think I am the only one in the world. I might have to retire it from future use.

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Book: Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia
I had hoped for more audience participation on this one. I probably should have put it earlier in the lineup.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Songs: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / ABCs

Goodbye Song: Open Shut Them Goodbye Song 

Story Time in the Park (MOMS Club), 10/9/14

I'm a little behind in posting story time plans, but it is still technically Fall, so this one is still fairly timely! After the success of my September story time, I decided to return to the park for one more before the weather got too cold. Unfortunately, the pavilion that we used in September was unexpectedly occupied by a local group of senior citizens who were performing aerobics when we arrived, so with no other options readily available, we decided to move to the tennis court. The group was larger than in September - probably 8 moms and a dozen kids or so - and the tennis court proved to be a tricky place to keep toddlers from running all over the place, but even so, we had a nice time.

Hello Song: Say Hello to Your Toes

Song:  If You’d Like to Read a Book

Book:  Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall 

Song:  Autumn Leaves

I made a few minor alterations to this song which I assumed was to be sung to the tune of Mary Wore Her Red Dress. I changed orange to red to make the syllables fit the rhythm and I changed "in the wind" to "all around" to preserve the rhyme scheme. I also left out the laying verse because I just didn't like it.

Book: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

Song: Brown Squirrel 

I have never felt so ridiculous swooshing my bushy tail. It's a lot harder to look silly in front of mom friends than it is in front of random story time moms!

Book: A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

Song: Five Little Pumpkins Round
I used a homemade handheld flannel board for this song, and changed each pumpkin to a person's face as they were purchased and carried off to bake a pie.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

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

Goodbye Song: Open, Shut Them Goodbye Song 

Story Time in the Park (MOMS Club), 9/11/14

Story Time in the Park (MOMS Club), 9/11/14 

Since leaving my job at the public library last September, I have been on an extra-long story time hiatus. Before today, my last story time was this one, from September 27, 2013. To say that I was missing it would be a definite understatement! Luckily, my moms club loves story time and was very receptive when I asked if they would like me to perform one for them. 

We met at a local park this morning at 10:00. There were seven kids total - 3 boys, ages 3, 2, and 1 and four girls, ages 13 months, 9 months (that was Little Miss Muffet!), 8 months, and almost five months. This ended up being a perfect age range, and the other 5 moms in attendance were model story time participants. 

Here is what I shared with them:

Hello Song: Say Hello To Your Toes

I decided against using my old stand-by hello song, Hello, How Are You? It has always struck me as clunky, and I always had a hard time getting people to participate when I played the ukulele. Since the uke was sort of my security blanket for this session, I wanted to lead with it to get everyone to pay attention. It was a huge hit - we said hello to our toes, knees, tummy, nose, and all of our friends.

Song with Stick Puppets: When Cows Get Up in the Morning

I made quick and easy stick puppets using clip art from My Cute Graphics and some cardstock so we could sing this song. The oldest two kids were able to name all of the animals and tell me what those animals said, and every mom was singing along by the last verse. 

Book: Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel

Everyone was puzzled, as I usually am, by the suggestion that a rabbit makes a sound like "pr-pr-pr," but we just went with it. The kids were enthralled by the pictures and many of them made the animal sounds with me. We own this book, so I have read it a million times, which also helps with my performance. 

Song: Moon Moon Moon

The final illustration in Hello, Day is a big full moon in a dark blue sky, so I like to pair it with this song. We only sang through it once because people seemed sort of puzzled by it, but the two-year-old boy picked up on the motions right away and stuck right with it to the end.

Book: Monkey See, Look at Me! by Lorena Siminovich

This book is a new favorite that we discovered at one of our local public libraries, and because the monkey in the story looks almost exactly like Miss Muffet's beloved stuffed monkey, it has become a household favorite. A couple of moms commented on how captivated their kids were by the illustrations, and the two older boys were able to make some of the animals' motions with me. 

Rhyme: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

This rhyme is always a favorite with every audience, and this group was no exception. I opted to chant rather than sing as I normally would, just to give us some variety. 

Rhyme: This is Big Big Big 

I love sharing this rhyme with people who haven't heard it before. We did this one twice, and though only one child did the motions, all the grown-ups did. "Fast, fast, fast" was everyone's favorite part. 

Book: Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker 

This was the first book Miss Muffet ever smiled at, which is why we own it. Everyone recognized One, Two, Buckle My Shoe and got a nice laugh out of the additions made by Keith Baker.

Ukulele Medleys:

• Itsy Bitsy Spider / It's Raining It's Pouring / Rain Rain Go Away
• ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

These songs were all familiar, so everyone happily sang along. Moms were especially pleased to have the alphabet song included.

Goodbye Song: Open Shut Them (Goodbye Version)

Doing story time for  moms I know is way easier than doing story time for a room full of strangers. This was a great experience, and I hope to have more to share with you soon!