This morning I had the opportunity to visit yet another school to do story time and promote summer reading. Interestingly, the regular teacher who had asked me to come was absent, and the substitute did not know I was expected, so my arrival initially upset the classroom dynamic quite a bit. I actually thought about offering to leave. But then I noticed the substitute was just having a terrible time getting the kids under control. Understandably, the kids are wound up because it's the last week of school, and probably more so because their teacher was out. I looked around the room, and found myself thinking, "I can fix this." I don't mean that I was thinking ill of the teacher who was trying so hard to get the kids to listen. Rather, I am surprised - and pleased - by the level of confidence it took for me to say, "I know how to do this, and I'm going to make this situation better."
I greeted the class with a loud, "Hello, boys and girls!" and then invited them to sing with me. They were being served snack at the time - not the ideal story time environment, but also not impossible, because by the end of that song, the kids had put their food down and were singing and moving along with me. And from there, we really had a wonderful time.
Afterwards, another pre-K teacher in the room across the hall asked me to come over and read to her group as well. Since I had more than an hour to kill before I had to be at work, I agreed to read to her group as well. Below are the two sessions, which varied slightly from each other.
Session 1:
Opening Song: Hello, how are you?
Book: I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Blanche Sims (1990)
This group thought this book was hilarious, and they were constantly begging me to turn the book more toward one direction or another so they could see more closely. They laughed the hardest at the punchline of any group I've read it to this entire Spring season.
Book: Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2011)I wished so much that I had brought a less poetic and more interactive book, but I didn't need to worry. There is something about this book - maybe the universality of seeing stars in the sky - but it hooks them. I think it helped when I told kids what my favorite parts were, and tried to connect the text to their experiences.
Song: Moon Moon Moon by the Laurie Berkner Band
The line at the end of this song, which says that the moon looks like a pizza pie got another great laugh out of these kids. They're the only kids who have laughed at that so far this season, and it made me really happy!
Book: Please Try to Remember the First of Octember by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Art Cumings (1977)This book was too long for this antsy class, but we powered through it anyway. A few of them got annoyed with me for saying Octember, because they thought I meant October, and only a couple of the more savvy girls seemed to understand that the whole thing was tongue in cheek. One little girl did raise her hand to tell me the book rhymes, though, and another group got all excited when they realized the kite on one of the pages was colored with a pattern.
Song: These Are My Glasses by the Laurie Berkner Band
They loved this song, too! I suspect they were just so desperate for a break from being yelled at, that they would have been willing to do anything.
Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This
Session 2:
Opening Song: Hello, how are you?
Book: I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Blanche Sims (1990)
This class liked this book, but they weren't quite as mesmerized as their neighbors across the hall. They were much more interested in talking to me than in actually listening to the story. They didn't seem to "get" the joke at the end, either.
Book: Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2011)
This group also really got interested in this book, and they wanted to tell me about every time they had ever seen a star, or gone to see fireworks. The teacher seemed puzzled by my choice of story, but I think even she would agree it was a hit by the end.
Discussion: If you could wish upon a star, what would you wish for?
I intended to ask this question of the first group, but decided not to rile them up anymore. This group was sitting in a circle, though, which lent itself very well to a quick discussion. Three girls said they wanted costumes -two princesses and one mermaid. Other wishes included toys, a dirtbike car, some kind of house (I couldn't understand some of the kids), a daily trip to Disneyland, and to be allowed to watch Cinderella every day. I love asking this question, and I plan to turn the idea into a display at my branch in July.
Book: Please Try to Remember the First of Octember by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by Art Cumings (1977)
This book went over a little better with this class, but they still couldn't help correcting me every time I said Octember. I think this is more of a kindergarten or first grade book, than a Pre-K book. It requires just a little more life experience than these kids had yet.
Song: These Are My Glasses by the Laurie Berkner Band
We sang this three times. They really enjoyed it, and by the end, they knew pretty much all the words.
Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This
