5 Hints for Planning Themed Story Times

Themes are a great way to organize a story time, keep variety in your repertoire, and draw in audiences. I don’t believe every story time should have a theme, but sometimes it’s fun to bring together like elements in one session. Here are some hints for maintaining high quality in a themed story time.

• Choose a theme based on available materials.
  Planning a themed story time is similar to selecting a research topic. Before you begin, you’ll want to know if there are enough quality materials related to your selected theme. You never want to choose something to share in story time based only on the fact that it fits your theme. If you wouldn’t ordinarily read that book, sing that song, or chant that rhyme in a regular story time, then you shouldn’t do so simply to fill a themed session. 
• Keep it general.
  To avoid painting yourself into a corner and forcing yourself to use poorly written materials, it’s best to stick with general themes. If you can’t find enough books about trucks, try vehicles with wheels. If you’re still not satisfied with what’s available, consider focusing on all modes of transportation. Every book fits some theme if you think broadly enough, and the more general the theme, the better the selection of quality books and activities. 
• Don’t become a slave to the theme.
  Even after you’ve chosen a theme and found a great set of materials to use, there is still no reason that every single activity in the story time has to adhere to the theme. I’ve done story times where the books share a common thread, but the fingerplays, action rhymes and songs are unrelated. I’ve also done story times where the first half of story time is themed and the second half is a collection of unrelated items. Sometimes you will have a complete roster of great activities on the same topic, but it’s okay if that’s not the norm. 
• It’s okay to keep the theme to yourself.
  In my experience, themes are most useful to the story time presenter and not as important to the children. I went through a phase where all my story times in a given week were on the same theme. This was so that I could systematically request books from other branches all at once, get everything out of them that I could and then send them back. On rare occasions, I told my audiences what a story time session was going to focus on, but as a general rule, I didn’t bother. Sometimes kids would notice a connection and point it out, but otherwise, they were just interested in hearing what I had to share, regardless of the subject. The themes were for me, and sometimes only discernible by me. 
• Themes are not for everyone.
  My core belief about story time has always been that every presenter should do what works best for him or her. For some people, themed story times provide needed boundaries and structure; for others, they may be too restrictive. There is nothing inherently wrong with story times centered on themes, just as there is nothing wrong with selecting a variety of unrelated materials and sharing them in a logical order. The important thing is to choose well-written books, kid-friendly songs, and rhymes with strong rhythm and wise word choice.

You can browse my themed story times here.

Do you use themes at story time? Why or why not? What are some of your favorites? Please share in comments!

Writing a Successful Piggyback Song

Normally, I'd post about Baby/Toddler Story Time this morning, but I'm on vacation this week, so while I'm away, I thought I'd leave you with my advice for writing piggyback songs. Enjoy!

Until recently, I didn't know there was a name for those songs I create for story time where I borrow a traditional tune and write my own lyrics to match it. Apparently, though, these are called piggyback songs, and they are used not just at story time, but also in classrooms to make memorizing facts easier, or to match particular themes and topics being taught.

I know some librarians don't like piggyback songs at all, but I actually think they are quite useful. I particularly like to introduce the original song and then build upon it to incorporate more vocabulary, and to add a little variety to my repertoire. I've done this with "Bumpin' Up and Down In My Little Red Wagon" and "How Much is that Doggie in the Window", as well as "May There Always Be Sunshine", and "If You're Happy and You Know It". Most of these songs have been well-received by my story time audiences, and since, in most cases, the adults know the tunes, they participate much more with my piggyback songs than with new recordings I might use.

Here are some tips for writing your own successful piggyback songs.

1. Stick to the rhythm of the original song. There is a certain number of beats in each line of a song, and trying to cram more syllables than beats into a line is a recipe for disaster. If the original song says, "The bear went over the mountain," it will still sound okay to sing, "the bird flew over the birch tree" or "the fish swam under the seaweed," because those phrases have the same number of syllables as the original. But if you sing, "The dinosaur stomped through the pine forest" or "The kangaroo ran around with the platypus," the song sounds forced, and it's easy for people's tongues to get tied trying to sing it. It's a good idea to stick to the rhythm and the pattern of the song so that anyone who knows the original can quickly learn the new one.

2. Use imperfect rhymes sparingly. Sometimes you can get away with ending two lines with words that almost but not quite rhyme. I did this recently with my piggyback song based on "How Much is that Doggie in the Window". All the animals I used in the song had tails, except the turtle. When I sang about him, I rhymed "shell" and "sale." It's okay to fudge a little bit now and then in the interest of time and sanity. But it's a bad idea to rhyme every line imperfectly, and/or to use words that sound awkward just because they rhyme. I think this issue comes into play a lot when I'm writing a "five little something" song or rhyme. Only so many words in the English language rhyme with numbers, so sometimes it can be tempting to try lines such as, "Five little girls wearing pinafores. One skipped away, and then there were four." The rhythm works, and the rhyme works, but it's clear that pinafore is a gratuitous choice based solely on how well it rhymes. It's better not to piggyback than to piggyback in a way that detracts from the audience's understanding of your song.

3. Don't overuse tunes. Piggyback songs can be addictive. When I write one I really like, my first instinct is to try and write five more. I love the sense of creativity and accomplishment I get from writing something I really like and am anxious to share. But there always has to be a point where I give in and agree that I've gotten all I can out of a particular tune. There is no need to adapt the same song to suit every theme, even if it looks feasible to do so. I am sure I could come up with many more vehicles to bump up and down in, but I only use "Bumpin' Up and Down In My Little Red Wagon" and "Bumpin' Up and Down on My Little Blue Sled" - one for Winter, and one for all the other seasons of the year. By limiting myself to just those two, I ensure that my audiences will learn both and will recognize and even enjoy the winter-themed deviation during that time of year. I do the same thing with a song called "One Little Finger". I sing the original song in every month of the year except October, when it becomes "One Little Monster" for Halloween.

Only two songs I can think of are versatile enough that I have adapted them for multiple themes. One of them is "Skip To My Lou", which is the tune for my baby/toddler hello song, and also the tune for many action songs I use with preschoolers. I've used it to sing actions associated with a castle theme, a community helpers theme, a shadows theme, and others. But even though the actions and context change each time, I never use this tune for anything other than action songs. I still limit it in a way that makes it easy for my audiences to know what to expect when they hear me sing something to that tune. The other song that works this way is "If You're Happy and You Know It". I've done "If you're a monster and you know it," If you're lucky and you know it," etc. But typically, the actions don't change very much, and it's essentially the same song with just one or two thematic elements added on. "Ten Little Indians" also offers a lot of possibilities, and it's a nice one to use for piggybacks, since it's not really politically correct to sing the original anymore.

4. Have a purpose. Writing piggyback songs is fun, and I fully believe they enrich story times when the songs relate to a book's theme, or provide the soundtrack for an interesting flannel board. But it's important to make informed choices about everything we share in story time, including songs we write ourselves. I often write piggyback songs to introduce richer vocabulary, to reinforce vocabulary from a story I've read, or to create opportunities for movement that relate to a particular theme or book. But sometimes there's no need to reinvent the wheel. I'll never need to write a piggyback song about riding the bus, because "The Wheels on the Bus" already exists. If I read a book about the sun, I'd sing "You Are My Sunshine" or "Mr. Sun" rather than writing a lesser song about sunshine. The purpose of story time is to promote early literacy and expose children to the joys of reading and language. Piggyback songs should always be used to enhance that experience, and never at its expense.

There are many sources for piggyback songs on the Internet. Not all of them are wonderful, but many serve as inspiration for my own ideas. Though they are out of print now, there have also been several books of piggyback songs compiled by Jean Warren, whose website, Preschool Express, has been a really useful resource for finding songs and other story time activities on particular topics.

There are also a number of picture books that have created piggyback songs out of well-known children's songs. A list of some of these titles is below:

• The Wheels on the Racecar by Alex Zane, illustrated by James Warhola 
• This Jazz Man by Karen Erhardt, illustrated by R.G. Roth
• Yankee Doodle by Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott
• The Aunts Go Marching by Maurie Manning
• Waking Up Is Hard To Do by Neil Sedaka, illustrated by Daniel Miyares
• If You're a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley
• If You're Happy and You Know It: Jungle Edition by James Warhola
• The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long
• The Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz
• Take Me Out of the Bathtub by Alan Katz, illustrated by David Catrow
• I’m Still Here in the Bathtub by Alan Katz , illustrated by David Catrow
• On Top of the Potty by Alan Katz , illustrated by David Catrow

And finally, here are some of my favorite piggyback songs. (Songs not otherwise credited were written by me.)

• Ten Little Icicles from Mrs. Jones' Room (Tune: "Ten Little Indians")
• Who is Knocking at My Door? (Tune: "London Bridge")
• Where is Big Toe? from The Complete Resource Book for Infants: Over 700 Experiences for Children from Birth to 18 Months via Mel's Desk (Tune: "Where is Thumbkin?")
• Bumpin' Up and Down on My Little Blue Sled (Tune: "Bumpin' Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon")
• Five Little Snowmen Riding on the Sled from Preschool Education (Tune: "Five Little Monkeys")
• Five Little Pumpkins Round (Tune: "Five Green and Speckled Frogs") 

Lessons Learned in a Year of Story Time

It's been over a year since I started performing weekly story times in a library setting, and almost a year since I started doing them in the new branch library I work in now. Since the year is winding down, and I'm on my first story time break ever, I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on some of what the past year has taught me. In no particular order, here are the ten most significant lessons I have learned from doing story time.

1. There is no one "correct" way to perform a story time. Some people are very bubbly; some are more reserved. Some like to dance and bounce off the walls; others like to keep things calmer and low-key. Whatever your personality, the important thing is to be yourself and do what you enjoy. Share songs you don't mind hearing over and over again, read books you can get excited about, and present crafts and other activities in the way that makes you the most comfortable. Not only does this remove the stress of trying to fit into someone else's mold, it also relaxes you and makes you more likely to engage your audience.
   
   
2. Combat stage fright with structure and routine. I am sure there are librarians who  feel perfectly at ease in front of their story time audiences all the time. I am not one of those people. If someone had told me two years ago that I was required to get up in front of large groups of toddlers and nannies and dance like a teapot and read in silly voices on a weekly basis, I would have burst into tears. I am not someone who naturally seeks the spotlight, and it has taken a lot for me to feel comfortable even standing at the front of a room full of people. The main thing that has helped me is that I have developed a structure for each type of story time that I do. This is not only great for the kids, who thrive on routine, but also for my planning. I know ahead of time how many rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and books I need to fill the allotted time slot, and I can plug anything into these slots, depending on the season, the theme of the books I'm reading, if there is one, and the age of the kids. I have found great comfort in starting the story time the same way every time. I do still get nervous, especially when I'm introducing something new, but by the end of that hello song, I'm usually calmed down and ready to go.
   
   
3. Have a story time persona. I don't think you have to have a funny name, or a puppet, or a special costume to do a good story time, but I do still think it's important that the kids and adults at your story times feel that they know you. I ask everyone to call me Miss Katie, for example, and when I provide handouts of songs and rhymes, or promote special events, I refer to myself by that name. I also have a very distinct way of speaking in story time - what my coworkers call "story time voice." It's not necessarily a sing-song voice, but it's louder and clearer than my normal way of speaking. I think it works well because my audience can tell when I'm just chatting quietly with one or two children versus when I'm trying to get everyone's attention. And stepping into that persona makes me feel less ridiculous and therefore less nervous.
   
   
4. Gain and maintain control. The hardest thing for me when I did my first story time at my new branch is that every adult in the audience had advice for me on how they would do it differently. And I made the mistake of trying to explain myself and make excuses to every single person who criticized me. Why? Because I was new,  and I forgot that I have been trained for this, and do know what I'm doing. In the intervening months since that first program, I have gone with my instincts on everything, from where I choose to sit, to how I hold the books, to when and if I shush chatty adults. And some of those initial complainers have stopped attending the story time, but many more have complimented me and even provided positive feedback to my manager. You truly cannot please everyone, so it's really important to remember that you are the librarian, and you ultimately decide what's right for you and your programs. Sticking to your guns can be difficult, but it's better to stand up for your decisions than allow people to constantly second-guess and undermine you.
   
   
5. Variety is the spice of story time. With groups of older children, it is often possible to read four or five books and limit the extension activities to a couple of stretches or action rhymes. With very small children, however, it's a whole different ballgame. One of the things I like most about my story times for babies and toddlers is that in addition to books, I can do flannel boards, rhymes, songs, dances, fingerplays, and other activities. Varying the types of activities really helps keep the little ones focused. Moving from one thing to the next keeps them constantly curious, and interested in what's coming up next. The use of props and hand motions also engages them in a visual and tactile way with more abstract ideas, helping them to understand and become invested in what the librarian is presenting. I've also found it useful to rotate much of my repertoire on a seasonal basis, to keep myself from burning out on one particular activity or song.
   
   
6. Teach adults how to behave in story time. It has amazed me to learn how little adults who care for children know about how to interact with them in a story time setting. I'm still working on ways to model story time behavior for them, but so far, using a baby doll prop has worked well for showing lap time parents how to engage their babies, and rhymes and songs sheets have helped the adults follow along during story time, as well as to repeat those activities at home.
   
   
7. Don't be afraid to repeat yourself. Children learn from repetition, so there is no shame in doing the same rhymes and songs for weeks at a time, or even all year round. There is also nothing wrong with reading the same book multiple times a year. Most of the time, my audience doesn't realize it's a repeat anyway!
   
   
8. Expect the unexpected. As much as I love routine, it's also important to be prepared to deviate from the plan if necessary. There will always be those days where more or fewer kids show up than you expect, or where a typically preschool story time is suddenly overrun with babies. I am always ready to leave out a story, or add in some extra songs or  rhymes depending on the climate of that particular day. This is where it really pays to know some rhymes and songs well enough that you can pull them out off the top of your head without any preparation. I've also found it necessary to have a back-up plan in case of laryngitis! Audiobooks work well in that situation, and familiar songs that everyone knows are a huge help as well!
   
   
9. Know your books. My first few story times last Fall were very slapdash. I picked books at the last minute and didn't necessarily know the text or illustrations very well before reading them. What I have learned since then is that the more familiar I am with a book, the better job I do reading it aloud, and the more I'm able to point things out in the illustrations and ask leading questions to help the kids see where the story may be headed. I can't say that I know every book this well, since I don't always have the planning time, but when I can, I do my best to read the books the night before the program to refresh my memory and look for interesting things to share with the kids.
   
   
10. Have fun! I know of some librarians who see story time as a chore to be completed each week, and because of that attitude, they dread their story time sessions and don't show the enthusiasm and excitement that grabs kids and makes them want to participate. Our job as children's librarians is to get kids excited about books. Choose books you love and activities that make you happy, and everything else truly will fall into place. 

Tomorrow, I'll count down my top ten favorite story time books of the year.