Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown - This would probably have been a better lap book than story time book, but since it was the first story I did, the kids paid a lot of attention to Lucy and Squeaker. The older kids in the group really liked it.
A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan - I think the kids thought this was a bit too weird haha. The rhymes are cute and the illustrations are fun, but at this point the wiggles were starting to show on the younger ones...
Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont - this was a HUGE hit! I told the kids they had to help me out and shout "Move over, Rover!" at the end of each page. Oh they LOVED it! Def. remembering this one for a repeat performance.
BINGO (Children's Favorites Volume 2 - Walt Disney Records) - I picked this recording because it's the same one I had as a kid (except mine was on a bright orange cassette instead of a CD). BINGO is a HUGE crowdpleaser. Might save this CD for emergencies when I'm losing the crowd and just need to burst into some sort of movement/song.
Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier - Librarian favorite, great illustrations and silly story. I was worried it might be too long to do this far into the story time but the kids really liked it!
YUCK! by Mick Manning - Another good one when you want audience participation. The kid's got to scream "YUCK!" at the end of each page, which describes something a baby critter might eat (beetles, spiders, rats) and then ends with a human baby drinking milk (YUM!) They seemed to enjoy this too.
Felt a lot of wiggles still so I decided to do my old standby, which I love to sing and dance to:
Clap Your Hands by David Ellwand - It's "If You're Happy And You Know It"! I've done this one so many times but it's always a big hit. Helped the kids get out their wiggles and then we did the craft.
Looking back, I could probably have gotten away with one more story/song, but the littlest members of the group were getting a bit too loud and I didn't want to have to read over them again. I had a few more in my bag (5 Little Monkeys, Bear Went over the Mountain, Nobody's Nosier Than a Cat) so if I repeat this storytime again, I will remember to just keep going!
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
storytime - just plain weird!
For my final storytime of 2010, I took all the weird books that I ran out of time for or did not fit into a theme and did them as one big old weird storytime! I think it went well. Here are the titles:
Barry, the Fish with Fingers by Sue Hendra - All the other fish are bored until Barry shows up with his amazing FINGERS! The kids seemed to enjoy this one, though now I wish I had played up the "what can you do with fingers?" page and had the kids do it with me. I'll remember that for next time.
Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty - Jeremy is a bit of a shut-in so one day he draws himself a companion - a big blue monster. Unfortunately, the monster is REALLY bossy! He demands that Jeremy draw all kinds of things to keep him amused. I gave the monster a kind of goofy voice so the kids wouldn't be too worried about him.
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems - oh you knew this was coming! I can't do a storytime without Mo! I brought my Leonardo puppet down to the storytime with me. He tried to scare everyone by popping out from behind the book every now and then. He also spazzed out any time he was spazzing in the book. They really liked that.
SONG: I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (with feltboard!) - used a recording that I think it Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul, and Mary) but I think I should have just acapella'd it.
I'd Really Like to Eat a Child by Donnio Sylviane - Achilles the Crocodile is fed bananas for breakfast every day but one morning he wakes up and tells his parents he wants to eat a child. They try to feed him other (non-living) things but Achilles insists. Eventually he encounters a child, but things don't go as planned. I think some of the kids thought this was hilarious while others were mortified.
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer - classic picture book time! Might as well go out with a guaranteed hit! As usual, the kids loved this one. By the end, I had them helping out by shouting out which animal the doctor would pull out of George next.
Craft: Silly Masks on paper plates.
Next up: Babies in Bloom!
Barry, the Fish with Fingers by Sue Hendra - All the other fish are bored until Barry shows up with his amazing FINGERS! The kids seemed to enjoy this one, though now I wish I had played up the "what can you do with fingers?" page and had the kids do it with me. I'll remember that for next time.
Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty - Jeremy is a bit of a shut-in so one day he draws himself a companion - a big blue monster. Unfortunately, the monster is REALLY bossy! He demands that Jeremy draw all kinds of things to keep him amused. I gave the monster a kind of goofy voice so the kids wouldn't be too worried about him.
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems - oh you knew this was coming! I can't do a storytime without Mo! I brought my Leonardo puppet down to the storytime with me. He tried to scare everyone by popping out from behind the book every now and then. He also spazzed out any time he was spazzing in the book. They really liked that.
SONG: I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (with feltboard!) - used a recording that I think it Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul, and Mary) but I think I should have just acapella'd it.
I'd Really Like to Eat a Child by Donnio Sylviane - Achilles the Crocodile is fed bananas for breakfast every day but one morning he wakes up and tells his parents he wants to eat a child. They try to feed him other (non-living) things but Achilles insists. Eventually he encounters a child, but things don't go as planned. I think some of the kids thought this was hilarious while others were mortified.
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer - classic picture book time! Might as well go out with a guaranteed hit! As usual, the kids loved this one. By the end, I had them helping out by shouting out which animal the doctor would pull out of George next.
Craft: Silly Masks on paper plates.
Next up: Babies in Bloom!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
storytime - BFFs!
Kind of a random theme for today's storytime - Best Friends! Yes, it may have just been that I wanted to read Elephant & Piggie because I LOVE READING ELEPHANT & PIGGIE! You get to be so OVER the Top with them. But it wasn't all Mo!
Duck and Goose by Tad Hills - they may start out as strangers but after a harrowing few days together guarding an abandoned "egg", Duck and Goose end the story as buddies. The kids seemed really into this one but it is quite a long story which is why I started off with it. Should have created some better voices for Duck, Goose, and Blue Bird. Maybe next time.
Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories by Laura Vaccaro Seeger: Three short stories (really short, it's a picture book!) about Dog & Bear. But even though they are short, there is a lot of humor. Just make sure the kids can see the illustrations as a lot of the jokes are in the pictures.
Won't You Be My Hugaroo? by Joanne Ryder: Very sweet story about hugs! I prefaced the book by saying that some of the best things about friends is that you can get free hugs from them. Heard lots of "aawww" sounds like reading and I know some of the kids were getting hugs as I went through it.
My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems: One of my favorite Elephant & Piggie books. These are always a bit tricky to do because they are very small books. But I love to read them because Gerald (the elephant...get it, Elephant Gerald...just say it outloud) and Piggie (that's her name) are so EXPRESSIVE! I had the kids identify what Piggie dressed up as to cheer up Gerald so it there was a bit of interaction.
SONG TIME! John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (his name is my name too, so we MUST be friends...I was surprised the kids did not know this one) and Knick-Knack Paddy Whack (which has very little to do with friends, but if an old man is playing Knick-Knack Paddy Whack on your toes, knees, 'hind etc., I should hope you are at least acquaintances!) I used the Disney Children's Favorite Songs Vol 1 & 2 for this...mostly because I realized I had the exact same album on cassette when I was a kid...
Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems: It's my storytime so I can read all the Mo Willems I want! Plus, I wanted to see how the kid's reacted when the snake crawled onto the page and asked to play. It went over well, but they were starting to get the wiggles so that means CRAFT TIME!
I downloaded a picture of Elephant & Piggie from Elephant & Piggie Event Kit on Mo Willem's official website. I enlarged the images and then photocopies Gerald on a lavender paper and Piggie onto pink paper. I made an example with clothes colored onto them and stuck them on popscicle sticks. I told the kids that they should put them in their favorite outfits and think of a new story/adventure for them to go on! It actually went over really well!
Duck and Goose by Tad Hills - they may start out as strangers but after a harrowing few days together guarding an abandoned "egg", Duck and Goose end the story as buddies. The kids seemed really into this one but it is quite a long story which is why I started off with it. Should have created some better voices for Duck, Goose, and Blue Bird. Maybe next time.
Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories by Laura Vaccaro Seeger: Three short stories (really short, it's a picture book!) about Dog & Bear. But even though they are short, there is a lot of humor. Just make sure the kids can see the illustrations as a lot of the jokes are in the pictures.
Won't You Be My Hugaroo? by Joanne Ryder: Very sweet story about hugs! I prefaced the book by saying that some of the best things about friends is that you can get free hugs from them. Heard lots of "aawww" sounds like reading and I know some of the kids were getting hugs as I went through it.
My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems: One of my favorite Elephant & Piggie books. These are always a bit tricky to do because they are very small books. But I love to read them because Gerald (the elephant...get it, Elephant Gerald...just say it outloud) and Piggie (that's her name) are so EXPRESSIVE! I had the kids identify what Piggie dressed up as to cheer up Gerald so it there was a bit of interaction.
SONG TIME! John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (his name is my name too, so we MUST be friends...I was surprised the kids did not know this one) and Knick-Knack Paddy Whack (which has very little to do with friends, but if an old man is playing Knick-Knack Paddy Whack on your toes, knees, 'hind etc., I should hope you are at least acquaintances!) I used the Disney Children's Favorite Songs Vol 1 & 2 for this...mostly because I realized I had the exact same album on cassette when I was a kid...
Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems: It's my storytime so I can read all the Mo Willems I want! Plus, I wanted to see how the kid's reacted when the snake crawled onto the page and asked to play. It went over well, but they were starting to get the wiggles so that means CRAFT TIME!
I downloaded a picture of Elephant & Piggie from Elephant & Piggie Event Kit on Mo Willem's official website. I enlarged the images and then photocopies Gerald on a lavender paper and Piggie onto pink paper. I made an example with clothes colored onto them and stuck them on popscicle sticks. I told the kids that they should put them in their favorite outfits and think of a new story/adventure for them to go on! It actually went over really well!
Friday, October 08, 2010
Storytime - Food
Too Many Cooks by Nate Wragg & Margaret McNamara - picture book inspired by the Disney/Pixar animated film Ratatouille. Not many of the kids had seen the movie (I didn't really expect them to have seen it) but they all seemed to really enjoy the book. It's a large book with very cool illustrations and the rhyme makes it a quick and fun read.
On Top of Spaghetti by Paul Brett Johnson - Johnson's story about a small diner owner who decides he has to spice up his menu and creates the perfect meatball, but it gets away! Includes a story and the song lyrics too. By the time I was done reading this, the kids were ready to sing the song
Sesame Streets: Kid's Favorite Songs 2 - we used the Snuffulupogus version of On Top of Spaghetti. Since there aren't any actions to go with the song, I just held up the story book again and bounced along.
Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems - Because it's not storytime with Miss Sam without a Mo Willems book, this one snuck into the pile. I over-acted as much as I could and the kids seemed to be pretty amused (though one child was already in the middle of a meltdown so we were a bit distracted during this book).
Big Blue Bowl: Sign Language for Food - this one I just used the text of the book and read it while having the kids do the signs along with me (though I deleted the squash from the story since the book had them fingerspell...and these kids can't even spell anyway so that would have been a lost cause). I got SO MANY positive comments about this after storytime. I need to find more books in this series.
Too Pickley by Jean Reidy - I played up this one a lot, as we went through each of the food descriptions, and then made sure to emphasize how, in the end even though the kid was labeling everything - he still ate it all (at least, that's how I interpret the story).
Craft: paper plate pizzas! I talked to all the little chef's while they glued down their pasta sauce, cheese, pepperonis etc.
On Top of Spaghetti by Paul Brett Johnson - Johnson's story about a small diner owner who decides he has to spice up his menu and creates the perfect meatball, but it gets away! Includes a story and the song lyrics too. By the time I was done reading this, the kids were ready to sing the song
Sesame Streets: Kid's Favorite Songs 2 - we used the Snuffulupogus version of On Top of Spaghetti. Since there aren't any actions to go with the song, I just held up the story book again and bounced along.
Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems - Because it's not storytime with Miss Sam without a Mo Willems book, this one snuck into the pile. I over-acted as much as I could and the kids seemed to be pretty amused (though one child was already in the middle of a meltdown so we were a bit distracted during this book).
Big Blue Bowl: Sign Language for Food - this one I just used the text of the book and read it while having the kids do the signs along with me (though I deleted the squash from the story since the book had them fingerspell...and these kids can't even spell anyway so that would have been a lost cause). I got SO MANY positive comments about this after storytime. I need to find more books in this series.
Too Pickley by Jean Reidy - I played up this one a lot, as we went through each of the food descriptions, and then made sure to emphasize how, in the end even though the kid was labeling everything - he still ate it all (at least, that's how I interpret the story).
Craft: paper plate pizzas! I talked to all the little chef's while they glued down their pasta sauce, cheese, pepperonis etc.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Storytime - FROGS!
Let me tell you, FROGS are the way to go with preschoolers. All the stories about frogs are silly and the frogs are always getting into trouble of some sort. Plus, jumping!
The Frog with the Big Mouth by Teresa Bateman, Illustrated by Will Terry
Kicked things off with this story, which is a little on the long side, but it has a very simple pattern as the frog jumps from place to place to brag about his big mouth. The kids identified the big cat at the end as a cheetah, but the book called him a jaguar (since we're in the Brazilian rainforest). I probably butchered the names of some of the other animals native to Brazilian jungles, but the kids didn't seem to notice...
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, Illustrated by Jon J. Muth
This was the first storytime I had used this book for. I think the older kids enjoyed it, but the the littler kids got bored pretty quickly. Halfway through I started to panic about the ending (since Frog does not appear after winter) but I just put the emphasis on Dog finding a new friend.
Jump! by Scott M. Fischer
By this time, the kids are getting pretty wiggly, so I tell them to stand up because I need their help with this book! I have them practice "JUMP!" on my cue and it goes well, so then I have them jump along with the story (which happens at every page turn). THEY LOVED IT! This might need to live on the storytime shelf.
Jumping & Counting (Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem and more Salutes to Nonsense)
My co-worker LOVES Jim Gill when it comes to storytimes. I asked her for some jumping songs and she handed me this CD. The only issue I had was that the little girl was SO much quieter and she counted REALLY SLOW so the kids were usually done the "Counting" portion of the song before she was. But they were totally into it, as there was a collective "AAAAAAAAWW!" when Jim tells them all to "sit down again" after counting to ten! LOL!
A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson; Illustrated by Joan Rankin
A bit more counting in this one as the Frog in the Bog on the Half Sunk Log stuffs her face with all the bugs. Got a few "eeeewww!"s from the kids as I read about the frog "slurping slugs".
Five Green and Speckled Frogs by Priscilla Burris
So, this was a bit embarrassing -- I had never heard this song before. Heather sang it for me really quick the day before and I thought I remembered the melody, but from the "wtf?" looks I got from the kids, I realized I was WAY off. Whoops! Sorry kids! They endured though.
And I rewarded them with a craft!!! Making their own frog puppet!
The Frog with the Big Mouth by Teresa Bateman, Illustrated by Will Terry
Kicked things off with this story, which is a little on the long side, but it has a very simple pattern as the frog jumps from place to place to brag about his big mouth. The kids identified the big cat at the end as a cheetah, but the book called him a jaguar (since we're in the Brazilian rainforest). I probably butchered the names of some of the other animals native to Brazilian jungles, but the kids didn't seem to notice...
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, Illustrated by Jon J. Muth
This was the first storytime I had used this book for. I think the older kids enjoyed it, but the the littler kids got bored pretty quickly. Halfway through I started to panic about the ending (since Frog does not appear after winter) but I just put the emphasis on Dog finding a new friend.
Jump! by Scott M. Fischer
By this time, the kids are getting pretty wiggly, so I tell them to stand up because I need their help with this book! I have them practice "JUMP!" on my cue and it goes well, so then I have them jump along with the story (which happens at every page turn). THEY LOVED IT! This might need to live on the storytime shelf.
Jumping & Counting (Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem and more Salutes to Nonsense)
My co-worker LOVES Jim Gill when it comes to storytimes. I asked her for some jumping songs and she handed me this CD. The only issue I had was that the little girl was SO much quieter and she counted REALLY SLOW so the kids were usually done the "Counting" portion of the song before she was. But they were totally into it, as there was a collective "AAAAAAAAWW!" when Jim tells them all to "sit down again" after counting to ten! LOL!
A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson; Illustrated by Joan Rankin
A bit more counting in this one as the Frog in the Bog on the Half Sunk Log stuffs her face with all the bugs. Got a few "eeeewww!"s from the kids as I read about the frog "slurping slugs".
Five Green and Speckled Frogs by Priscilla Burris
So, this was a bit embarrassing -- I had never heard this song before. Heather sang it for me really quick the day before and I thought I remembered the melody, but from the "wtf?" looks I got from the kids, I realized I was WAY off. Whoops! Sorry kids! They endured though.
And I rewarded them with a craft!!! Making their own frog puppet!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
random babble about eBooks
We had an assignment for work to read articles about eBooks, eReaders, and their growing popularity then post about it. Well, as usual, my long-winded self went on too long so I had to edit my official reply down to a few short paragraphs. But I'm going to post all my thoughts here, if only for my own amusement:
I was a Page back when we had our first “eReaders” – which were so bulky and unmanageable, it was no surprise they died out pretty quickly (plus, I think they only ever had the Dictionary, Alice in Wonderland, and a random James Patterson book loaded on them). So, needless to say, I am very skeptical when it comes to this new crop of eReaders.
My biggest issue right now is that the Kindle, Sony eReader, Nook etc. are all Uni-taskers – all they do is download reading material. If I ever felt the need to purchase something that allowed me to read eBooks on-the-go, I would mostly likely opt for an iPad or less expensive PC tablet so that I can do more than just read. Because, let’s face it, these devices appeal to people who travel a lot and does that person really want to pack an eReader AND a laptop, or just take a single device that does it all? I agree with the ‘Race to the Bottom’ article from Crunch Gear – these devices have a finite lifespan because computers themselves are getting smaller, lighter, and cheaper and as more companies put out eBook programs, allowing you to read on your computer or phone. I think eBooks are here to stay, but I think the readers themselves will disappear as soon as Windows launches whatever their answer to the iPad will be.
I think it is great that the library provides eBooks and eAudiobooks – patrons are asking for them and want them. The biggest drawback is the librarians’ ability to help patrons with these formats, which we’ve really never had to do before. No one ever asks “well, how does this book work?” or “how do I get this CD into my player?”. But now the phone rings and patrons want to know how to transfer the PDF file to their Kindle – and the librarian has to do one of the hardest things for a librarian to do (at least for me) : tell them they can’t. I HATE that. With any other request, I will FIND materials for them, but when it comes to these devices, until the DRM war ends, I have to tell patrons “Sorry, you can’t do that” and it bugs me.
I know this is not Overdrives’ fault – it is Amazon trying to wage a war with the rest of the eBook world. They want the Kindle to be the iPod of books and they will not release the .AMZ format to the public until they have cemented that position. It’s a sound marketing strategy (that’s $100 for the reader and another $10 for the book) but like so many DRM-related issue, it’s the consumer that suffers the most. I think with library patrons, the eReaders that can handle Adobe Reader files will win the day, but the early adopters that jumped on the Kindle bandwagon will be stuck buying books until Amazon gives up the .AMZ file battle.
But this seems to be a constant theme right now. Movie studios are attempting to bring down Netflix because they think people are not buying enough DVDs because they can rent them (they don’t realize that number of crap movies they put out every year is really what’s slowing down sales). Video Game companies are fighting with Gamestop and other retailers that sell used items because they say it is hurting their revenue (again, they should stop making crap games and charging $60-$70 for them). And ePublishers are putting different DRMs on far too many books and they say it’s to keep the titles from being pirated (but really it’s to make people buy their specific eReader) and consumers are getting frustrated.
As the NPR article pointed out, people feel that digital editions should cost less because there is no physical item being created and publishers are freaking out because they want that money from the initial release. But why are publishers acting shocked and apauled by this? Were they not paying attention when iTunes released downloadable music? Did they not watch as people went from paying .99 cents per song to $1.99 with very little fuss? It’s not too big of a stretch to see people paying less for the book now and then raising the price back up after you’ve lured enough people into the eBook market.
The real question is how flustered we, as librarians, should be over this whole thing. eBooks are popular but the patrons percentage that is using them can’t compare to people who are using the library for physical books, newspapers, magazines, databases etc.. As the Mobile Opportunity blog post pointed out, only 2% of book buyers have these devices and these book buyers clearly have some disposable income or they would never have dropped the money for the device in the first place. And I still deal with patrons on a daily basis that are shocked we have computers in the building and DVDs to borrow! We are stereotyped as the quiet place for children, students, and seniors. Perhaps this is our chance to get our names in the papers again and use this new format to promote libraries as keeping up with the times (something we know we do but that people in our service areas might not be aware of) and full of new technology that appeals to more than the elementary school set.
I was a Page back when we had our first “eReaders” – which were so bulky and unmanageable, it was no surprise they died out pretty quickly (plus, I think they only ever had the Dictionary, Alice in Wonderland, and a random James Patterson book loaded on them). So, needless to say, I am very skeptical when it comes to this new crop of eReaders.
My biggest issue right now is that the Kindle, Sony eReader, Nook etc. are all Uni-taskers – all they do is download reading material. If I ever felt the need to purchase something that allowed me to read eBooks on-the-go, I would mostly likely opt for an iPad or less expensive PC tablet so that I can do more than just read. Because, let’s face it, these devices appeal to people who travel a lot and does that person really want to pack an eReader AND a laptop, or just take a single device that does it all? I agree with the ‘Race to the Bottom’ article from Crunch Gear – these devices have a finite lifespan because computers themselves are getting smaller, lighter, and cheaper and as more companies put out eBook programs, allowing you to read on your computer or phone. I think eBooks are here to stay, but I think the readers themselves will disappear as soon as Windows launches whatever their answer to the iPad will be.
I think it is great that the library provides eBooks and eAudiobooks – patrons are asking for them and want them. The biggest drawback is the librarians’ ability to help patrons with these formats, which we’ve really never had to do before. No one ever asks “well, how does this book work?” or “how do I get this CD into my player?”. But now the phone rings and patrons want to know how to transfer the PDF file to their Kindle – and the librarian has to do one of the hardest things for a librarian to do (at least for me) : tell them they can’t. I HATE that. With any other request, I will FIND materials for them, but when it comes to these devices, until the DRM war ends, I have to tell patrons “Sorry, you can’t do that” and it bugs me.
I know this is not Overdrives’ fault – it is Amazon trying to wage a war with the rest of the eBook world. They want the Kindle to be the iPod of books and they will not release the .AMZ format to the public until they have cemented that position. It’s a sound marketing strategy (that’s $100 for the reader and another $10 for the book) but like so many DRM-related issue, it’s the consumer that suffers the most. I think with library patrons, the eReaders that can handle Adobe Reader files will win the day, but the early adopters that jumped on the Kindle bandwagon will be stuck buying books until Amazon gives up the .AMZ file battle.
But this seems to be a constant theme right now. Movie studios are attempting to bring down Netflix because they think people are not buying enough DVDs because they can rent them (they don’t realize that number of crap movies they put out every year is really what’s slowing down sales). Video Game companies are fighting with Gamestop and other retailers that sell used items because they say it is hurting their revenue (again, they should stop making crap games and charging $60-$70 for them). And ePublishers are putting different DRMs on far too many books and they say it’s to keep the titles from being pirated (but really it’s to make people buy their specific eReader) and consumers are getting frustrated.
As the NPR article pointed out, people feel that digital editions should cost less because there is no physical item being created and publishers are freaking out because they want that money from the initial release. But why are publishers acting shocked and apauled by this? Were they not paying attention when iTunes released downloadable music? Did they not watch as people went from paying .99 cents per song to $1.99 with very little fuss? It’s not too big of a stretch to see people paying less for the book now and then raising the price back up after you’ve lured enough people into the eBook market.
The real question is how flustered we, as librarians, should be over this whole thing. eBooks are popular but the patrons percentage that is using them can’t compare to people who are using the library for physical books, newspapers, magazines, databases etc.. As the Mobile Opportunity blog post pointed out, only 2% of book buyers have these devices and these book buyers clearly have some disposable income or they would never have dropped the money for the device in the first place. And I still deal with patrons on a daily basis that are shocked we have computers in the building and DVDs to borrow! We are stereotyped as the quiet place for children, students, and seniors. Perhaps this is our chance to get our names in the papers again and use this new format to promote libraries as keeping up with the times (something we know we do but that people in our service areas might not be aware of) and full of new technology that appeals to more than the elementary school set.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Storytime - Silly Dinosaur Stories
I think the crowd I had for this storytime was a bit too young for the books I started out with. But I also had 30+ kids so the age range might have just been too big to keep everyone focused. Had a lot of wanderers circling the room. But they all seemed happy at the end so all's well that ends well, right?
Brontorina by James Howe; illustrated by Randy Cecil
Brontorina knows one thing for sure - she wants to be a dancer! So she goes to Madame Lucille's Dance Academy in the hopes of being trained to be a ballerina. The little girls were interested because she was a ballerina, I think the boys were unsure if it was okay to like that or not.
Edwina, the Dinosaur that didn't know she was Extinct by Mo Willems
Everyone in town loves Edwina, the local dinosaur - everyone except Reginald Von Hoobie Doobie, who KNOWS that Dinosaurs are extinct! Reginald tries to tell the world that Edwina should not exist, but no one will listen...well, almost no one. I think the parents might have enjoyed this one more than the kids. Probably too long for the younger ones that trickled in about halfway through this book.
Hokey Pokeysaurus (CD: Most Amazing Dinosaur Songs)
I wish I had printed out the words to this because I had only listened to it a couple times and I wasn't sure what dino-parts they were putting in and putting out during each verse. We winged it though, went pretty well.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
Why did the dinosaurs disappear? This book has an unusual theory: their downfall was an unhealthy obsession with underpants! Two of the kids had read this story already and liked it, it's a really quick read and I think even the younger ones enjoyed this silly story.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen
Read about dinosaurs getting ready for bed - do they throw tantrums or heave a sigh? Or do they just give mom and dad a kiss and get under the covers...a lot of the kids were familiar with this book.
Going on a Dinosaur Hunt (Activity)
The kids were getting pretty restless and the room was just getting louder, so I decided I would give this a try. I did it as spazzy as I could and it got a lot of the wanderers attention. But in the end, it wasn't enough to bring them back to the stories so I let them do their craft.
Craft: Dinosaur stick puppet (cut-out of a long necked dinosaur, round stickers, crayons and a popsicle stick)
Brontorina by James Howe; illustrated by Randy Cecil
Brontorina knows one thing for sure - she wants to be a dancer! So she goes to Madame Lucille's Dance Academy in the hopes of being trained to be a ballerina. The little girls were interested because she was a ballerina, I think the boys were unsure if it was okay to like that or not.
Edwina, the Dinosaur that didn't know she was Extinct by Mo Willems
Everyone in town loves Edwina, the local dinosaur - everyone except Reginald Von Hoobie Doobie, who KNOWS that Dinosaurs are extinct! Reginald tries to tell the world that Edwina should not exist, but no one will listen...well, almost no one. I think the parents might have enjoyed this one more than the kids. Probably too long for the younger ones that trickled in about halfway through this book.
Hokey Pokeysaurus (CD: Most Amazing Dinosaur Songs)
I wish I had printed out the words to this because I had only listened to it a couple times and I wasn't sure what dino-parts they were putting in and putting out during each verse. We winged it though, went pretty well.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
Why did the dinosaurs disappear? This book has an unusual theory: their downfall was an unhealthy obsession with underpants! Two of the kids had read this story already and liked it, it's a really quick read and I think even the younger ones enjoyed this silly story.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen
Read about dinosaurs getting ready for bed - do they throw tantrums or heave a sigh? Or do they just give mom and dad a kiss and get under the covers...a lot of the kids were familiar with this book.
Going on a Dinosaur Hunt (Activity)
The kids were getting pretty restless and the room was just getting louder, so I decided I would give this a try. I did it as spazzy as I could and it got a lot of the wanderers attention. But in the end, it wasn't enough to bring them back to the stories so I let them do their craft.
Craft: Dinosaur stick puppet (cut-out of a long necked dinosaur, round stickers, crayons and a popsicle stick)
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