Dragon Storytime

You can never go wrong with a DRAGON storytime!  I did this one with two different groups and I changed up the books to better meet the children's needs.

Books

Oh No, Little Dragon!
by Jim Averbeck

I Will Not Eat You
by Adam Lehrhaupt; illustrated by Scott Magoon

There was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight
by Penny Parker Klostermann; illustrated by Ben Mantle

The 2nd time using this theme was for an all-ages (2-5) storytime

Little Wing Learns to Fly
by Calista

How to Dress a Dragon

Oh No, Little Dragon!

Graph Question
The best thing about being a dragon would be...
Flying, Breathing Fire, Playing with Knights, Treasure!

Songs/Rhymes

ABC Welcome

Dragon, Dragon

Dragon, dragon turn around
Dragon, dragon touch the ground

Dance on your toes
Touch your nose
Bend down low
Touch your toe
Jump up now
Take a bow
Stomp your feet
Take a seat

Animal Goodbyes

Play and Learn

Rise and Shine Storytime

We're ready for some SUN around here!!

Books

Millie Wants to Play!

by Janet Pedersen

Wake Up, City!

by Erica Silverman; illustrated by Laure Fournier

Wake Up, It's Spring!

by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Graph Question
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Make your bed, eat breakfast, play, get dressed

Songs/Magnet Board

ABC Welcome

Are You Sleeping?
Crocodile
Fish
Lion
Cat
Cheetah

Hello, Springtime
(tune Goodnight Ladies)

Hello blue skies, hello blue skies
Hello blue skies.  We're glad you're here today.

Green grass
Sunshine
Raindrops
Rainbow
Flowers
Blue bird
Bunny
Butterfly
Springtime

Play and Learn

We have been instructed by our supervisor to not do arts and crafts every week (due to the prep time).  So this week I invited the children to trace a cardboard circle and create a sun.  For many this was the first time they "traced".

Blocks
Puzzles
Balance Bears
Crazy Straws and felt circles

Lego Night

A local elementary school invited the library for their 3rd annual Dad & Sons Lego Night!  We have attended all three years, but I didn't get to go last year, so I was excited to be back!

I took 16 tubs of Legos and 4 tubs of Duplo.  Next year I will plan on taking 24 tubs of Legos and 8 Duplo!  It was a great turn out with just over 100 in attendance!

This year I made up 8 different Lego Challenges and had a few on each of the tables.  Several kids enjoyed doing the challenges!

• Build something with a "handful" of Legos
• Build something in less than a minute
• Build something using only one color
• Build something using only 2x2 bricks
• Build something using just one hand
• Build a bridge
• Write your name in Lego
• Build a tic-tac-toe game and play it with someone

Here are some photos from the event

Three challenges in one!

Baby Animal Storytime

You know how sometimes one child can change the whole feel of storytime?  Well, I had one today who would just on cooperate (with me or her parents).  It really threw the first half of storytime 'off'.  Her parents took her out half-way through...I do hope they try again another time!

Books

Baby Swap

by Jan Ormerod; illustrated by Andrew Joyner

Animal Babies in Rain Forests (selections)

Jennifer Schofield

Look Inside a Robin's Nest

by Megan Cooley Peterson

Songs/Magnet Board

Are You Sleeping?
**the kids loved the song**

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Baby crocodile, baby crocodile?
(snore)
Wake up baby crocodile
Wake up baby crocodile
Chomp, chomp, chomp!
Chomp, chomp, chomp!

Continue with other baby animals:  elephant (stomp), tiger (grrrr), cheetah (run), bird (fly)

Little Bird (Magnet Game)

Little Bird, Little Bird
Come out and play!
What color nest are you in today?

Graph Question
Which baby animal is the cutest?
Penguin (5)
Monkey (3)
Chick (3)
Kitten (9)

Play and Learn

Build a Nest

I got the idea from Buggy and Buddy, but I didn't make any kind of sample, just had circles punched out for the birds and the half circle traced for them to cut out so it became more of a process art activity.  They loved the feathers!

Puppets

Egg Puzzles

Baby Animal Matching Game

Train

Grumpy Storytime

My grumpy themed storytime went over so well I decided to take it to an all ages storytime and a outreach storytimes this month.  I added some additional books to the mix.

Books

The Very Grumpy Day

by Alison Edgson

Grumpy Pants

by Claire Messer

The Grumpy Pets

by Kristine A. Lombardi

Hooray for Hat!

by Brian Won

* The kids loved to cheer "Hooray for hat!"

Songs

If You're Ever Feeling Grumpy

(tune: Did you ever see a lassie?)

If you're ever feeling grumpy, so grumpy, so grumpy

If you're ever feeling grumpy just stomp your feet

Stomp this way and that way and this way and that way

If you're ever feeling grumpy just stomp your feet.

Jump up and down

Flap your arms

Spin around

If You're Happy and You Know It

Traditional

Clap your hands, stomp your feet, shout hooray!

Celebrate Any Day at Storytime!

I got an awesome calendar for Christmas called “Every Day’s a Holiday”.  

It has been fun to explore all the weird, wacky, and unique holidays out there!  I’ve found that some of these “holidays” can easily translate into a fun, interactive storytime theme!

April 10th is Sibling Day so I’m putting together a storytime about brothers and sisters.

When was the last time you did a storytime featuring turtles?  Well, Turtle Day is May 23rd! 

There are lots of fun pirate picture books out there, so why not celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th?

Some holidays lend themselves to multiple possibilities such as Lost Sock Day on May 9th.  You could do a “Shoes and Socks” theme or a “Lost Items” theme.

And don’t forget all those yummy food “holidays”! 

  

January 27th is Chocolate Cake Day (Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson)

Watermelon Day is August 3rd (Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli)

Cookie Day on December 4th (Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington).

Check out this website for lots of other interesting “holidays” you could celebrate!

What days will you be celebrating in storytime this year? 

Guessing Books Storyitme

Outreach Storytime
(one class it went over really well; then next not so much)

Books

Who Has These Feet?

by Laura Hulbert; illustrated by Erik Brooks

Guess Whose Shadow?

by Stephen R. Swinburne

I Spy in the Sky

by Edward Gibbs

Songs

I Can Walk on Two Feet

I can walk on two feet
On two feet, on two feet
I can walk on two feet
All day long.

Run, jump, tiptoe, march
Hop on one foot

My Hands

My hands upon my head I'll place
Upon my shoulders, on my face
At my waist and by my side
And then behind me they will hide
Then I will raise them way up high
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly
Then clap, clap, clap
And 1, 2, 3
Let's sit down, quietly.