After Friday's group was so badly behaved, I was worried about doing two story times today, but both were surprisingly excellent.
Opening Song (with ukulele): Hello, how are you?
Rhyme: Blue is the Lake
Book: Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff (2012)
This book is more wordy than most of the books I share with babies and toddlers, but the length wasn't a problem. They really stuck with it, and the rest of my books were so so short, they sort of balanced each other out.
Song (with flannel board and ukulele): Bluejay, Bluejay, Through My Window
I used the Elizabeth Mitchell tune for
Little Bird, Little Bird, but changed her words slightly based on another version I found online. In the end, it went like this:
Bluejay, bluejay, through my window
Bluejay, bluejay, through my window
Bluejay, bluejay, through my window
You make me so happy.
I used the birds I cut out of
Highlights High Five Magazine and sang verses about four different ones. This was maybe the best flannel board / ukulele combination I have done so far. Every adult sang along, and when I asked them to say the name of each bird with me, they happily repeated bluejay, robin, goldfinch, and pigeon.
Song: Here We Go Up, Up, Up
Book: Blue Sea by Robert Kalan, illustrated by Donald Crews (1979)
I had terrible luck with this book at a previous story time (a baby lap time back in February), but decided it wasn't the book's fault and gave it another shot. I was right - it went over much better this time, and seemed to enthrall most of the kids.
Song: This is the Way My Fingers... (from
Hartstrings Preschool Ideas; Session 1 only)
I had higher expectations for this one, but it was really kind of a flop. I think I need to work on making the movements more interesting. For the second session, I skipped it and went right ahead to One Little Finger, which got a much stronger response.
Song: One Little Finger
Book: Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett (2010)
This was the weak link in the line-up today, which kind of surprised me, even if this isn't my favorite Emily Gravett title. I think the pictures are eye-catching, but a lot of the kids lost interest quickly.
Song: Head and Shoulders, Baby
I am starting to get sick of this song since we've done it every week all summer, but I was amazed when I looked out at the kids today and saw so many of them finally doing the motions with me. I will keep doing it through August just for that reason.
Song: Sunny Day
This song somehow just commands silence. I like to use it right before the last book so everyone can calm down and listen.
Book: Blue Sky by Audrey Wood (2012)
The last time I shared this at story time, I said I didn't think it was a great story time book, but as with
Blue Sea, I wanted to give it another chance. The first session adults didn't pay a bit of attention to it, so in the second session I had them repeat each line of text back to me as a way of keeping them engaged and helping the kids get interested too. Still not a huge success, but it was sort of nice to involve everyone in that way.
Song: Did You Ever See?
I sang this song about a ladybug, a bumblebee, and a butterfly, changing the words slightly to go with the blue sky story we had just read.
Did you ever see a ladybug, a ladybug, a ladybug?
Did you ever see a ladybug flying in the blue sky?
Flying this way, and that way, and this way, and that way.
Did you ever see a ladybug flying in the blue sky?
Everyone really liked this one. I think next time I'll ask everyone to sway back and forth - I saw one little girl doing just that, and it was the perfect movement to go along with the song.
Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
Lately, I have stopped announcing that we're going to sing this one, and I just started with a long note on the "If" to build some suspense.
Song: ABCs
We clapped along with our ABCs. Just that simple action fills the room with such happiness - it's fantastic.
Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This
