Balloons

Balloon Storytime has been brewing for awhile now, so I'm glad I finally had an open week to do it.  It was a very large storytime, which made the day a bit challenging.

Books

Brown's Rabbit's Shapes

by Alan Baker

Perfectly Percy

by Paul Schmid

Don't Wake Up the Tiger

by Britta Teckentrup

Songs and Movement

Hello, Hello

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Can You?

A Very Simple Dance

My Hands say, "Let's Play!"

Imagination

Dig in the box and find a balloon that's your favorite color!  What color balloon did you pick you?

Let's blow it up!

Bigger, bigger, bigger

Let it go!  Whoosh!!

Get another balloon.

Let's blow it up!

Bigger, bigger, bigger

Just a little bigger

POP!

Art

Painting with Balloons

I'm Not Scared!

Preschool Storytime Books

Bear Feels Scared

by Karma Wilson; illustrated by Jane Chapman

Aaaarrgghh! Spider!

by Lydia Monks

Snip, Snap! What's That?

by Mara Bergman; illustrated by Nick Maland

Family Storytime Books

Let's Play Monsters

by Lucy Cousins

Aaaarrgghh! Spider!

Songs and Movement

The Monster Boogie

Laurie Berkner

There's a Spider on the Floor

I'm a Little Kitty Cat (Family)

Itsy Bitsy Spider--5 Ways (Family)

Flannel Board

Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree

Art

Create your own monster

(paper and paper scraps, scissors, glue, googly eyes, crayons, dot stickers)

Additional/Optional Books

The Mouse Who Wasn't Scared

by Petr Horacek

This was supposed to be my 3rd book in Family Storytime, but we ran out of time.

November Passive Craft

I cut a bunch of pattern block shapes in a variety of colors so kids can make their own turkeys!  (I'm so glad we have the pattern block die cuts!)

I hope the kids have fun with it and create some amazing turkeys!

STEAM Themed Thursday

We started a new weekly afterschool program.  The three youth librarians take turns planning and running the program each week.  Because of special programs and schedules I finally got to do my first event on Oct 17.

Ramps and Rollercoasters

We had a nice turn out and the kids (an any adults with them) had a great time!

Spooktacular Storytime

We hosted a Halloween Storytime for kids PreK-3rd grade.  I did one on a Saturday afternoon (Oct 18) and another one (at a different library) on Tuesday afternoon (Oct 29).

Books

The Little Ghost that Lost Her Boo!

by Elaine Bickell; illustrated by Raymond McGrath

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams; illustrated by Megan Lloyd

At the Old Haunted House

by Helen Ketteman; illustrated by Nate Wragg

Flannel Board

Fall Riddles

Five Little Pumpkins

Songs and Movement

Monster Boogie

Laurie Berkner

Activities 

(I was not on the planning committee for this one) 

Emoji Jack O' Lanterns

Water Color black cat

(blow the water color with a straw to make a hissing cat)

Hanging, Whirling Ghost 

Spider Web

(walk the masking tape web and pick up spiders)

Baby Storytime--Fall

Books

The Busy Little Squirrel

by Nancy Tafuri

The Very Busy Spider

by Eric Carle

Baby Loves Fall

Karen Katz

Song/Rhymes/Bounces

You Ought to See My Baby

Good Morning

Little Bear

I Have a Little Cow

My Body

On my face I have a nose,

And way down here I have ten toes

I have to eyes that I can blink

I have a head to help me think.

I have a chin, and very near,

I have two ears to help me hear

I have a mouth with which I speak

And when I run I use my feet.

Here are my elbows and my knees

Here are the cheeks my mom loves to squeeze.

My Pony Macaroni

Jack and Jill

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Toast

One Bright Scarf

Flannel Board

A small pumpkin,

A large pumpkin,

The biggest pumpkin I see

Now help me count them

1, 2, 3!

A brown leaf

An orange leaf

A yellow leaf I see

Now help me count them

1, 2, 3!

Family Storytime--Fall

Books

Pumpkin Cat

by Anne Mortimer

Who Loves the Fall?

by Bob Raczka; illustrated by Judy Stead

The Busy Little Squirrel

by Nancy Tafuri

Songs and Movement

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

(clap the syllables)

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bread

loaf shape with hands

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin head

point to head

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie

hands form a circle

pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin eyes

point to eyes

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin  cake

make a tall cake with hands

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin shake

shake

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin stew

make pot with one hand and stir with the other

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin BOO!

Silly Dance Contest

Jim Gill

I Can Walk on Two Feet

Flannel

Fall Riddles

Five Little Pumpkins

Art

White and colored chalk on dark paper

Optional Books

Mouse's First Fall

In the Middle of Fall

Ten Little Squirrels

Red Storytime

I've been out a few weeks sick...  So I combined my Apple Storytime and my Red Storytime...which actually makes a lot of sense.

Books

The Starry Giraffe

by Andy Bergmann

Doris

by Lo Cole

Flannel Story

Polar Bear's Underwear

Songs and Movement

If Your Happy and You Know It

A is for Apple

A Very Simple Dance

Colors in Motion

Magnet Board

10 Apples Up on Top

Find the worm (play and learn)

Open Ended Art

Paint Dotters

Optional Books

Holly's Red Boots

Finders Keepers

The Mouse Who Reached the Sky

Baby Storytime--Jane Cabrera

Books

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

(monkey, elephant, crocodile, lion, dog)

Kitty's Cuddles

(mouse, peacock, bear, frog, monkey, elephant, brother)

Peek-a-Boo Zoo!

Rock-a-bye Baby

robin, owl, spider, mouse, bunny

Shapes

Songs/Bounces/Rhymes

You Ought to See My Baby

Hello!

When Cows Get Up in the Morning

Baby Hokey Pokey

Tiny Little Babies

Humpty Dumpty

The Wheels on the Bus

The Elevator Song

Flannel

Five in the Bed

Parachute

Alabama, Mississippi

Friends Storytime

Books

A Best Friend for Bear

by Petr Horacek

Pug & Pig and Friends

by Sue Lowell Gallion; illustrated by Joyce Wan

I Got a New Friend

by Karl Newsom Edwards

Is this book from the child's point of view or from the puppy's point of view? Hmmm

Songs and Movement

Hello, Friends

with sign language

Two Little Friends

Driving in my Car

Goodbye, Friends

with sign language

Open Ended Activity

Parachute--you need a lot of friends to play with the parachute!

Preschool Mash-Up Storytime

I filled in for Preschool Storytime today.  They got a "here's what I have" Storytime...

Books

Go and Get with Rex

by David LaRochelle; illustrated by Mike Wohnautka

Even though it was a preschool storytime it skewed rather young.

 I probably should have passed on this book.

What Do They Do With All That Poo?

by Jane Kurtz; illustrated by Allison Black

Songs and Movement

Bean Bag Song

Hap Palmer

If I was a Bird

Open Ended Activities

Stamp a Zoo

Playdough

Zoo Storytime

A fun family storytime!

Books

Stop Snoring Bernard!

by Zachariah OHora

Still a Gorilla!

by Kim Norman; illustrated by Chad Geran

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

by Bill Martin Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle

Songs and Movement

Are You Sleeping? Zoo Edition

If I was a Bird

Magnet Board

Guess Who?

They are big and they are gray,

And their trunks swing and sway.

Who is it?  An Elephant

Bananas are their favorite thing,

And they like to chatter and like to swing.

Who is it? A Monkey

They have necks that are long, long, long

If you guess a turtle, you'd be wrong, wrong, wrong

Who is it? A Giraffe

They are a kind of cat

But they have a mane and (roar) like that.

Who is it?  A Lion

These birds can't fly and they eat fish so yummy

They're black all over except a white tummy.

Who is it? A Penguin

Guessing Game

Find the Ladybug at the Zoo

Open Ended Activity

Stamp a Zoo!

Bugs - Family Storytime

Books

A Good Place

by Lucy Cousins

Sleepyhead Bear

by Lisa Westberg Peters; illustrated by Ian Schoenherr

Ran out of time for...

Fly!

by Karl Newsom Edwards

Flannel Board

Four Hungry Ants

Songs and Movement

The Ants Go Marching

Dancing Butterflies

(with scarves)

tune:  Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Once I saw a butterfly

Dancing in the clear blue sky

Flying high and flying low

Through the meadow he did go

Once I saw a butterfly

Dancing in the clear blue sky.

Flying left and flying right

Through the meadow, what a sight!

Flying circles round and round

Through the meadow with no sound.

Bumblebee (Buzz, Buzz)

Laurie Berkner

(with scarves)

Play and Learn

Create a bug

construction paper, round stickers, scissors, glue, crayons

Additional Ideas

Here is the Beehive

Itsy Bitsy Spider (5 ways)

Summer Theme Storytime

Books

Penguin on Vacation

by Salina Yoon

Pignic

by Matt Phelan

The Watermelon Seed

by Greg Pizzoli

Flannel Board

Ice Cream Cone

First we need a cone, nice and crunchy.

Then we need some ice cream, sweet and yummy

Scoop 'em on; stack 'em on, up to the sky

We love ice cream; my, oh, my!

First comes vanilla, cold and sweet

Then comes chocolate, a delicious treat

Here's some strawberry, chocolate chip too

A super-duper scooper cone just for you!

One scoop, two scoops, three scoops, four

We love ice cream, let's have some more!

Songs and Movement

Two Little Friends

Silly Dance Contest

Jim Gill

Play and Learn

Sand, hula hoops, ring toss outside!

Parachute, tunnel, and cars inside!

Optional Book

Ice Cream Face

by Heidi Woodward Sheffield