Drop-In Story Time, 12/4/12

For this story time, our meeting room was still closed, so I did another set of back-to-back sessions. Considering the crowded conditions in the room, everyone was very attentive and cooperative. The  theme was feet.

Book: Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert, illustrated by Erik Brooks
This was a new book, and a huge hit. The adults were as into as the kids, and we had one little preschooler who played along and guessed with me, while the babies and toddlers stared on.

Song: Head and Shoulders

Book: Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown
I was surprised at the lack of response to this book. Farmyard Beat seems to be the better story time book by this author/illustrator pair.
 
Song: Where is Big Toe?
I always have good luck with this one, and it was a nice alternative to having to stand up again in our  tiny confined space.

Book: Whose Toes are Those? by Jabari Asim, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
They always love it when I turn the book around for the last page of this story. Applause all around!

Song: Sing a Happy Song
 
Letter of the Day: Letter P 

• Song with stick puppet: The Polar Bear Lives in Alaska 
• Song with flannel board: All the Pigs (we also sang about Puppies, Peacocks, and Polar Bears)  
• Song with flannel board: The Three Pigs Song (This song was a total dud, and I skipped it during the second session.) 
• Rhyme: One Potato, Two Potato
  I wrote a new ending to this well-known rhyme, which we counted off on our fingers. 
  One potato, two potato, three potato, four.
  Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more!
  Eight potato, nine potato, ten potato, then...
  Count those potatoes all over again!
  
  The second time through, the last line is:
  Clap your hands, 'cause that's the end!    

Song: The Wheels on the Bus 
 
Song: Monkeys on the Bed
 
Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
 
Song: Rum Sum Sum (I skipped this one in session 2 because my voice was totally shot.)

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.

Preschool Story Time (at another branch), 11/29/12

This was my second session in a row at the branch where I filled in, but these kids were in preschool. We started out the same way as the baby/toddler group, but then we read some longer and more involved stories.

Song with Puppet: Hello, Mrs. Chicken, how are you?

Book: Chicken Big by Keith Graves
This book was the hit of the story time, especially with the boys. The sense of humor would work just as well for early elementary school as for preschool.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Book: Chicken Little by Rebecca and Ed Emberley

I did something between these two books, but never took note of what it was! I'm sure it was either an action rhyme or Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.

Book: Bob by Tracey Campbell Pearson

Song: I Had a Little Rooster
I have never sung this song at story time, and it didn't go over all that well. The only plus was that the kids helped me decide which animals to sing about it. I'd like to try it again with the ukulele and a lot more practice. 

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/Toddler Story Time (at another branch), 11/29/12

I was asked to fill in for a children's librarian at another branch during the week after Thanksgiving. I'm always excited to visit other libraries, so this was a great opportunity. I had two groups - babies and toddlers first, followed by preschoolers. For both groups, I did a chicken theme. Here's the repertoire I presented for the baby/toddler group.

Song with Puppet: Hello, Mrs. Chicken, How Are You?

Book: First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Rhyme: Five Eggs and Five Eggs 

Book: Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker

Song: Los Pollitos 
This was my first time ever singing this song a cappella, and I flubbed the last line of the Spanish lyrics. Thankfully, the teachers in attendance were very forgiving. 

Book: Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jeff Mack

Song: Over in the Barnyard 

Book: Minerva Louise and the Red Truck by Janet Stoeke

Song with puppets: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Letter of the Day: Letter C
Since I was "on the road" and didn't know whether I'd have a flannel board, I decided to play with the letter C. I showed all the kids that they always have the letter C with them, and they can always make the C shape with their hands. Some of  the older toddlers tried to do it with me, and the adults did it for the babies.

• Chickadee
• This is the Way we Clap our Hands (This song is to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush." We sang "this is the way we clap our hands," followed by "this is the way we clap up high" and "this is the way we clap down low.")
• Drive, Drive, Drive the Car 

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.

Pajama Story Time, 11/28/12

 For some reason, I only took notes on scrap paper for this story time, not in Google Docs as I usually do, and I threw that scrap paper away, so I can't really remember the order anything went in. The list below shows the books I read and the songs we sang, but in no particular order.

Book: Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb, illustrated by David McPhail

Book: Tell Me About Your Day Today by Mem Fox, illustrated by Lauren Stringer

Book: Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling, illustrated by Greg Newbold

Song: Sing a Happy Song 
Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Song: Moon Moon Moon 

Song: Five in the Bed

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

Song: Goodnight 


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.