"At the Beach" Storytime

I finally got to get back to the thing I truly love about being a librarian--storytime!!  After weeks of training and trying to figure out a new library (policies, collection, staff, expectations, etc) it felt so good to get back to something I felt totally comfortable with!!

Three times a month I will present an "all ages" storytime at Otis Orchards Library.  I am so excited to get to know the children and families and to share my love of books and the importance of early literacy!

However, in all the stress of a new job, I forgot my camera.

Books

Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Splash!  by Candence Fleming and G. Brian Karas

I loved this book...but it was a little long for this group.  They did really well during the story, but when I was finished one of the children commented, "That was a really long story!"   I'll probably try shorter stories and work my way up to longer ones!

The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water  by Gemma Merino

Songs/Rhymes/Fingerplays/Flannel Board

Repeating songs

Five Little Starfish  (source)
Five little starfish by the shore,
The yellow one got lost and that left four.
Four little starfish in the sea,
The blue one swam far away and that left three.
Three little starfish in the ocean blue,
The red one took a seahorse ride and that left two.
Two little starfish in the sun,
The orange one took a dive and that left one.
One little starfish swimming along,
The green one floated towards home and that left none!

Can't Wait to Celebrate on Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem CD
The children loved the "freeze" part!

Five Little Fishes
Five little fishes swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark, "You can't catch me!"
Along came Mr. Shark, as quiet as can be
And snap that fish right out of the sea!

Continue counting down to one.

Play and Learn Activities
I love that the new library system I'm working at includes activities at the end of storytime.  They call it "Play and Learn".  It is very similar to my "Enrichment Activities" I did at my old library.  I feel strongly about giving the children (and parents!) the opportunity to play--one of the five practices that build a foundation for reading.  Playing and exploring builds experiences and lends nicely to talking.  In my new position I hope to encourage other storytime presenters to be more "intentional" in their play and learn portion of storytime.  Instead of just putting out a bunch of toys and activities make the experiences meaningful.  And I firmly believe that less is more when it comes to activities.  Four or five choices is sufficient!

• Take a closer look at shells using magnifying glasses
• Octopus "craft" (source)
• Sink and Float "experiment"
• Parachute

Repeating Songs for Summer

Over the summer I will be presenting a weekly "all ages" storytime.  These will be the songs we sing each week.

Welcome Song...

My Hands Say Hello

(Tune: The Farmer in the Dell)

My hands say hello

My hands say hello

Every time I see my friends

My hands say hello.

Then we say hello with other body parts:

Nose (tap your nose)

Elbows ("wave" with elbows)

Knees (bend knees)

Feet (stomp)

Tongue (stick out tongue while we sing!)

Rhyme Time Song...

I'm so happy that you've come to storytime

Now listen very carefully to my rhyme

Stand up straight...

And stomp your feet...

Clap twice...

And take a seat

We'll be begin when I ring...

The rhyme chime.

Animal Good-byes

(chant)

See ya later, Alligator!

Blow a kiss, Goldfish!

Be sweet, Parakeet!

Take care, Polar Bear!

Too-da-loo, Kangaroo!

Give a hug, Ladybug!

See ya soon, Raccoon!

Bye-bye, Butterfly!

Out the door, Dinosaur!

B-I-N-G-O

“There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his name-o.”  As a child I hated singing that song because I could never remember which letters to say or when to clap or how many times to clap.  It was never a fun song for me, instead it caused me stress!  I have learned/developed four “tricks” that has made this song fun to sing with preschool children!

1. Think beyond just Bingo the dog!  What other words have five letters you can sing about?  I have sung about teddy, donuts, hippo, daddy, heart, green, and rainy using the tune to Bingo.  Some of the songs I found online and others I made up myself.

2.  Display the letters of the word.  This is a perfect time to discuss the importance of letter recognition with the parents and caregivers!  I like to put the letter on one side of a card—you can write it out, print it out, or use die cut letters.  Point to each letter as you sing.  I also review the letters before we sing the next verse.

3.  On the other side of the letter card glue a picture of hands clapping.  When we “take away” a letter and replace it with a clap we just turn the card over.  Now the children can visually see the letters to sing and the number of times to clap.  You can use magnets or strings to hang the letter/clap cards.

4. Sing the song “backwards”.  I saw this on a storytime blog and decided to try it—and it has worked extremely well.  Take the letters away from the back first.  Having the claps come at the end instead of the beginning helps the children sing the letters and then clap the correct number of times.  So the second verse of R-A-I-N-Y  goes like this:

There is a day when I get wet
And rainy is the weather
R-A-I-N-(clap)
R-A-I-N-(clap)
R-A-I-N-(clap)
And rainy is the weather!

Link to Teddy

Link to Heart