Bedtime

Playing catch up on my blog is no fun when I don't have a copy of my storytime...here's what I know

Books

Bear Can't Sleep

by Karma Wilson; illustrated by Jane Chapman

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Car

by 

Bath Time

Time to get cleaned up!

Books

Sloppy Takes the Plunge

by Sean Julian

How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth

by Michelle Robinson and Kate Hindley

Flannel  
I Have a Little Turtle
I have a little turtle
His name is Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim
He drank up all the water
He gobbled up the soap
And when he tried to talk
He had a bubble in his throat
Oh, bubble, bubble, bubble
Bubble, bubble, POP!
Bubble, bubble, bubble
Bubble, bubble, POP!

Play and Learn

Special activity--Bubbles

Spiders

A pre-Halloween storytime

Itsy Bitsy Spider

by Keith Chapman, illustrated by Jack Tickle

Walter's Wonderful Web

by Tim Hopgood

Aaaarrgghh! Spider!

by Lydia Monks

Play and Learn
Spin a Spider Web

Toddlers

The Very Busy Spider

by Eric Carle

I'm Not Scared

Books

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams, illustrated by Megan Lloyd

Aaaarrgghh! Spider!

by Lydia Monks

Graph Question

I am very brave!  I am definitely not afraid of:
Spiders, Monsters, Snakes, the Dark
{winner:  Monsters}


Backup Book

Oh So Brave Dragon

by David Kirk

Last Minute Preschool Storytime--FALL

The person assigned to do storytime today had no voice so I quickly pulled an autumn storytime together.

Books

Little Elliot Fall Friends

by Mike Curato

One Red Apple

by Harriet Ziefert; illustrated by Karla Gudeon

WonderFall

by Michael Hall

Flannel

Apple Basket

The first apple in the basket was bright and shiny red
The second apply in the basket said, "My what a cozy bed!"

The third apple in the basket said, "Make room for me, you pair!"
The fourth apple in the basket said, "Please move over there!"

The fifth apple in the basket said, "Oh dear, oh me, oh my
This basket looks like a pastry--I think we're in a pie!"

Songs

Autumn Leaves
(tune: Have you ever seen a Lassie?)

Autumn leaves are hanging, are hanging, are hanging
Autumn leaves are hanging, are hanging today.

Autumn leaves turn colors, turn colors, turn colors
Autumn leaves turn colors, turn colors today

Autumn leaves are blown down, blown down, blown down
Autumn leaves are blown down, blown down today.

Autumn leaves are dancing, are dancing, are dancing
Autumn leaves are dancing, are dancing today.

Autumn leaves get raked up, get raked up, get raked up
Autumn leaves get raked up, get raked up today.

Autumn leaves get jumped in, get jumped in, get jumped in
Autumn leaves get jumped in, get jumped in today.

Scarecrow, Scarecrow
Scarecrow, scarecrow turn around
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch the ground
Dance on your toes
Touch your nose
Reach up high
Touch the sky
Bend down low
Touch your toe
Jump up now
Take a bow
Stomp your feet
Take a seat. 

Slightly Spooky Storytime

The Saturday before Halloween we had a "Slightly Spooky Storytime" where kids could wear their costumes and we could read Halloween books and do some Halloween crafts

Mother Ghost:  Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters

by Rachel Kolar; illustrated by Roland Garrigue

Boys and Girls Come Trick-or-Treat

Zombie Miss Muffet

Twinkle, Twinkle, Lantern Jack

Wee Willie Werewolf

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams, illustrated by Megan Lloyd

Click, Clack, Boo!

by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Activities

Witch's Brew

Song (tune: Farmer in the Dell)
The brew is boiling up
The brew is boiling up
Simmer, stew, this nasty goo
The brew is boiling up.

First we'll add the ___________
First we'll add the ___________
Simmer, stew, this nasty goo
The brew is boiling up.

Now we'll add the __________
Now we'll add the __________
Simmer, stew, this nasty goo
The brew is boiling up.

Bat Poop--Coco Puffs
Dried Flies--Chocolate chips
Drops of Dragon's Blood--M&Ms
Fish Guts--Goldfish crackers
Ghost Boogers--Mini-marshmallows
Cat Claws--Candy Corn

Scavenger Hunt

"Eyeball" Race

Spin a Spider Web

Bean Bag Toss 

Paper Plate Ghosts

Mr. Rogers

Internal Blog Post

With a newly published book “The Good Neighbor” and the recent documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” I have been thinking about Mr. Rogers and the impact and influence he has had on the education of young children and the example he has set for those of us who work with children. 

I remember watching Mr. Rogers as a preschooler and then off and on again with my younger siblings.  One of my favorite parts of the show was when he would use Picture, Picture so I got to see how things were made, such as colored constructions paper and crayons.  Those real life things fascinated me!  So I enjoyed when we went on a “field trip” with him too.

As I have reflected on Mr. Rogers and his television show I have come to truly admire him and thought about how I can emulate some of his traits during my own storytimes.

1. Slow  Mr. Rogers was never in a hurry.  He took his time—his speech was slower, his words in his song were slow and clear, he took his time showing us something. I never felt rushed during my time with Mr. Rogers.
2. Pause  Mr. Rogers would pause.  He would make a statement and pause so it could “sink in”.  He would ask a question and he would pause, waiting for me to respond.  He would pause while he was showing us something.
3. Quiet  Mr. Rogers wasn’t afraid of letting it be quiet for a few moments.  He didn’t fill every moment with action or talk, which goes right along with slowing down and pausing. 
4. Eye Contact  Mr. Rogers would talk to me and look straight in my eyes.  He would pause and look at me and wait. 
5. Words  Mr. Rogers put feelings and thoughts into words.  He acknowledges feelings—sometimes you feel angry, sad, or confused.  He taught me that those feelings are not wrong or bad but instead to learn to acknowledge those feelings and learn how to express them appropriately.  Mr. Rogers didn’t talk down to me.  He used clear, concise language but never in a demeaning way.  He also “narrated” what he was doing or thinking.  “Let’s feed the fish.”  He also expressed words of affirmation to each child—“You are special” and “I like you just the way you are”.

How can we apply some of these principles as we conduct storytime at the library? 

Two ways I am going to follow Mr. Rogers’ example:

1.       Slow down during storytime.  Give the children time to digest the story or song.  I’ll try not rush from one book, song, activity to another.  Enjoy the moment of learning!

2.       Be more attentive to children by looking them in the eye and pausing to let them say what they would like to say.  This may be easier during play and learn if the storytime is large.

How has Mr. Rogers had an influence on your own interactions with children?