Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers -- sweet little story, had a small group of kids today so this worked well since some of the pictures are only half a page. But they seemed interested in what would happen.
Little Beauty by Anthony Browne -- I wish I knew the sign-language for "I did it, I broke the televison". Might have made the ending a bit more interesting for the kids. But they enjoyed the tale of the monkey and his pet kitten.
Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner -- They def. responded to this one, especially when I started unfolding that final page.
[song] Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill
I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems -- you could tell the kids were familiar with Elephant & Piggie by how quiet they got when I picked up this book. Always fun to read his stuff out loud and the small crowd made this easier to present during storytime.
A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom -- this one just didn't do it for them, I don't think they quite understood bear's plight as Goose ran around him asking all kinds of questions.
[song] If You're Happy and You Know It -- one of my favorites. I use the book Clap Your Hands to read the words and actions.
Don't Worry Bear by Greg Foley -- big on pictures, short on text. Some of the kids knew what was coming but a few hadn't learned that basic caterpillar to butterfly story yet.
[craft] make little bear and butterfly puppets to take home and continue the story!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Storytime - imagination!
Me and My Dragon by David Biedrzycki -- great story to start off with since it's a bit morei involved. The kid's really seemed to like it and you could tell which of them had pets and saw the similarities between the relationship between the Dragon and the boy and them and their own pets.
Not A Box by Antoinette Portis -- I could hear them already getting wiggly (lots of little kids) so I went with this book which I always try to make interactive and have the kids shout out what the bunny is imagining the box to be. Kept some of their attention.
[song]The Irrational Anthem by Jim Gill -- great action song, the kids were giggling by the end. Good times. Will def. use this one again!!!
Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow by Susan A. Shea; paintings by Tom Slaughter -- this was my first storytime using this title and the kids LOVED it! I'm convinced that any time a child is given permission to shout "NO!" they are happy. Great illustrations made it easy for everyone to see.
Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas -- Jan Thomas is quickly becoming a storytime favorite of mine and this might be my favorite book so far. I had the kids stand up and we did all the actions the cows did. It's perfect since the last thing they do is sit down and take a nap. :)
What Little Boys Are Made Of by Robert Neubecker -- I wanted to feature a little boy because I was worried the next book might turn them off. This book has a lot in common with "Not A Box" in that you can encourage audience participation by asking the kids what the little boy is playing.
Princess Super Kitty by Antoinette Portis -- This was a HUGE hit but part of that was because I put on MY OWN Princess Super Kitty outfit as I read the book. I had my ears from Dragon*Con, a towel for a cape, and then my crown (which would be our craft at the end of storytime). Everyone enjoyed the little girl's antics.
[craft] Decorate a Crown so you can be Prince or Princess Super Kitty at home! (thank you Accu-Cut!). I put out crayons, stickers, and puffy balls for the kids to attach to the crowns. I also had my stapler so they could come to me to have their crown "fitted". A HUGE HIT FOR BOYS AND GIRLS!
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
storytime -- jungle critters
I Love It When You Smile by Sam McBratney -- Good story to start with, I think we actually had a "grumpy Roo" in the room, his brow was furrowed when he arrived with his little sister. The kids thought the mud puddle ending was funny.
I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge -- Cute little rhymes, moves quick, and most of the kids new the animals names.
(song) The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera -- this one was fun. I modified some of the "noises" they made to make it easier for the kids. They had a really good time!
(fingerplay) Five Little Monkeys -- found some felt board monkeys and stuck them to our fingerplay glove. I had the kids stand up and jump with me, then we all called the doctor and wagged our fingers. They knew the rhyme already and I think it made them feel good after the tricky "Wheels on the Bus" revision.
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle -- classic. They acted out all the movements perfectly and they I told them shout out "I CAN DO IT!" each time.
I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs -- got them to sit back down and do this one. The older kids knew a lot of the animals and had fun shouting out the answers.
Peek-a-Zoo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti -- this book, I want to like it but it never seems to go over as well in storytime. I think it's because the animals are so uncommon when it comes to making noises so they kids stumble. I think the Seal was the biggest winner of them all.
Craft: Hippo paper bag puppet -- a big hit! I had them all come up and talk to my puppet with their puppets after they were done.
I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge -- Cute little rhymes, moves quick, and most of the kids new the animals names.
(song) The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera -- this one was fun. I modified some of the "noises" they made to make it easier for the kids. They had a really good time!
(fingerplay) Five Little Monkeys -- found some felt board monkeys and stuck them to our fingerplay glove. I had the kids stand up and jump with me, then we all called the doctor and wagged our fingers. They knew the rhyme already and I think it made them feel good after the tricky "Wheels on the Bus" revision.
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle -- classic. They acted out all the movements perfectly and they I told them shout out "I CAN DO IT!" each time.
I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs -- got them to sit back down and do this one. The older kids knew a lot of the animals and had fun shouting out the answers.
Peek-a-Zoo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti -- this book, I want to like it but it never seems to go over as well in storytime. I think it's because the animals are so uncommon when it comes to making noises so they kids stumble. I think the Seal was the biggest winner of them all.
Craft: Hippo paper bag puppet -- a big hit! I had them all come up and talk to my puppet with their puppets after they were done.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
storytime - ducks!
Come Along, Daisy by Jane Simmons -- My first time reading this for storytime. I had the kids help with Mama Duck's "Come Along, Daisy!" line. They seemed to enjoy that. This was a hit.
Little Quack by Lauren Thompson -- Another first for me. Kept the older kid's attention when I asked them to count the ducks, but the little guys lost interest since counting to five is still pretty tricky for them. Plus, the older kids would just yell out "2 DUCKS!" but the little kids needed me to count with them. Just have to be prepared to do that next time. Maybe a flannel board version of this book would work best.
SONG: Six Little Ducks by Raffi -- I had the kids stand up and we flapped our duck "wings" and waddled while this song played, then during the "quack quack quack" part, we said it out loud and made "ducks" with our hands.
Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic -- I think this might have been a little to old for my crowd. This is a better lap book than storytime. The older kids were keeping up but it lost most of the little guys.
The Ducklings Gets a Cookie?! by Mo Willems -- Probably would have been more effective if I had the pigeon puppet...these are always fun to read but the little were getting wiggly and I had one wander up and grab a toy from behind me and it threw off my reading groove.
SONG/FINGERPLAY: Five Little Ducks -- I had Mama Duck get a little cranky by the end, it brought some LOLs from the kids and parents.
Ducks Don't Wear Socks by John Nedwidek -- Probably should have ended it with the fingerplay, but I really wanted to give this book a try! The kids that could still sit still enjoyed it but by this far into the storytime, most of them had a case of the wiggles!
CRAFT: Duck in a Pond (duck cutout, paper plate, popsicle stick)
Little Quack by Lauren Thompson -- Another first for me. Kept the older kid's attention when I asked them to count the ducks, but the little guys lost interest since counting to five is still pretty tricky for them. Plus, the older kids would just yell out "2 DUCKS!" but the little kids needed me to count with them. Just have to be prepared to do that next time. Maybe a flannel board version of this book would work best.
SONG: Six Little Ducks by Raffi -- I had the kids stand up and we flapped our duck "wings" and waddled while this song played, then during the "quack quack quack" part, we said it out loud and made "ducks" with our hands.
Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic -- I think this might have been a little to old for my crowd. This is a better lap book than storytime. The older kids were keeping up but it lost most of the little guys.
The Ducklings Gets a Cookie?! by Mo Willems -- Probably would have been more effective if I had the pigeon puppet...these are always fun to read but the little were getting wiggly and I had one wander up and grab a toy from behind me and it threw off my reading groove.
SONG/FINGERPLAY: Five Little Ducks -- I had Mama Duck get a little cranky by the end, it brought some LOLs from the kids and parents.
Ducks Don't Wear Socks by John Nedwidek -- Probably should have ended it with the fingerplay, but I really wanted to give this book a try! The kids that could still sit still enjoyed it but by this far into the storytime, most of them had a case of the wiggles!
CRAFT: Duck in a Pond (duck cutout, paper plate, popsicle stick)
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
story time - silly animal encounters
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!
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!
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!
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