Mother Knows Best: A Storytime for Mother’s Day

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Yesterday at our Outdoor Musical Storytime, we did stories and songs about mothers. Here’s what we did:

Books:

Toad on the Road: Mama and Me by Stephen Shaskan

This is a really cute story about a Mama toad who drives a tow truck, accompanied by her little one. As they drive along, they rescue a goat who has run out of gas, a fox with a flat tire, and a moose in the muck. Finally, they arrive at a party, where they discover where all of their newfound friends have been going.

Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke; illustrated by Angela Brooksbank

Adorable book about a mother and her baby, who are shopping in a Nigerian market. The vendors can’t resist giving Baby different foods: bananas, oranges, chin-chin biscuits, and more. Each time, Baby eats one, and puts the rest in the basket on Mama’s head, without her knowing. Eventually Mama notices how heavy her basket is, and is shocked all the additional food. The crowd laughed at the ending, when the mother says Baby must be very hungry, since he’s had nothing to eat.

Everything is Mama by Jimmy Fallon

Very simple but funny book that shows a variety of baby animals who call everything they see “Mama.” Claire read the part of the babies, and I read the other parts. The kids enjoyed chiming in on the “Mama’s.”

Songs:

We Bounce and We Bounce and We Stop

One of my all-time favorite storytime songs. It works so well for different ages, and you can do different motions for each verse. We did clapping, turning, leaning, and stomping. The kids always love it!

We bounce and we bounce and we stop!

We bounce and we bounce and we bounce and we bounce,

C G7 C

And we bounce and we bounce and we stop!

Five Dinosaurs by Nancy Stewart

This one was a fun tie in to Toad on the Road: Mama and Me. I have the kids pretend to drive the car as we sing.

[C] There were five dinosaurs, [F] driving in cars,
[C] Having a really good [G7] time.
They said, [C] “We’ll step on the gas, and [F] go really fast!”
And they [C] did…until one [G7] had a flat [C] tire.
Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk!
She said, “Go on without me!”

Then there were four dinosaurs…

Repeat, until the last dinosaur has a flat tire, then say,

“She said, ‘I know! I’ll fix the tire! and then I’ll pick up all my friends!”

Then there were five dinosaurs,
Riding in a car, having a really good time.
They said, “Step on the gas, and go really fast!”
And they did, and down the road they went flying.

ROAR!!

Five Days Old by Laurie Berkner

We sang this after Baby Goes to Market. It’s a fun action song, and very catchy! Here’s Laurie Berkner’s video:

[C] I’m sitting here, I’m [F] one day old, and [C] I’m sitting here I’m [F] two [G7] days [C] old.

[C] I’m sitting here, I’m [F] three days old, and [C] I’m sitting here I’m [F] four [G7] days [C] old.

[F] One [C] day, I’ll [F] be a [C] year, then [F] I’ll be [C] two, then [G7] three, then four.

[C] As for now I’m [F] sitting here, I’m [C] five days old and [F] no [G7] days [C] more!

I’m jumping up, I’m one day old…

I’m clapping my hands, I’m one day old…

I’m kicking my legs, I’m one day old…

Getting really tired, I’m one day old…

I’m jumping up, I’m one day old..

Skiddamarink-A-Dink-A-Dink

This song is always a favorite with both kids and caregivers. I go over the sign language for “I Love You” before we sing the song together. Here’s a link to a YouTube video from Super Simple Songs with the tune:

Skidamarink a-dink, a-dink
Skidamarink a-doo
I love you.
Skidamarink a-dink, a-dink
Skidamarink a-doo
I love you.
I love you in the morning
And in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening
And underneath the moon.
Oh, skidamarink a-dink, a-dink
Skidamarink a-doo
I love you.

Circle of the Sun by Sally Rogers

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. It’s a pretty folk song, that works well because you can add your own verses about different “firsts” in the life of a child. We sang, “Babies take their first steps in a circle of the sun,” and “Babies say their first words…”

[C] Babies are born in a circle of the sun,

Circle of the sun on their [G7] birthing [C] day.

[C] Babies are born in a circle of the sun,

Circle of the sun on their [G7] birthing [C] day.

CHORUS

[C] Clouds to the North, Clouds to the South,

[F] Wind and [C] rain to the [F] East and the [G7] West,

[C] Babies are born in a circle of the sun,

Circle of the sun on their [G7] birthing [C] day.

Stay & Play: Dot Paint Hearts

I intended this to be a resist type project, where the kids used the dot markers to color all around different sized hearts, and then removed the hearts to reveal the heart-shape in white, like the example on the right. But the kids seemed to be more caught up in decorating the paper hearts, and some of them turned out really well (the kid on the right was VERY enthusiastic about the dot markers!).

In any case, to prepare, I cut several paper hearts out of cardstock, and then covered the back with restickable glue stick. For the Stay & Play, I put out the paper hearts, sheets of cardstock, and dot markers.

I think if I did this again, I would either just have the kids decorate paper hearts, or pre-stick the paper frames of the hearts I cut out onto the cardstock, so they could enjoy decorating a big heart, and still have the magic moment when they peeled the frame away.

OTHER FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT MOTHERS

Where’s My Mom? by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

At my preschool visits this month I’ve read sharing this fun rhyming story about a monkey who can’t find his mother. A butterfly tries to help by pointing out various animals (an elephant, a frog, a snake, etc.), but none of them are the monkey’s Mom. The monkey complains that none of the animals the butterfly has found look like him, but the butterfly points out that her baby caterpillars look nothing like her either. The kids love yelling out, “No, that’s an elephant!” etc. on each page, and the book has a wonderful message about how not all children look like their parents.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell; illustrated by Patrick Benson

One of my all-time favorite books for toddlers. An adorable family of baby owls wake up to discover that their mother is missing. At first they reassure themselves that she’s probably gone hunting, but then they start to worry. Luckily, their mother arrives just as they are starting to panic. The beautiful illustrations and repeated lines for kids to chime in on, along with the reassuring message make this perfect for storytime.

Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Sweet, funny story about a little girl who puts her Mommy to bed, with all of the usual negotiating and stalling tactics.

Hush, Little Trucker by Kim Norman; illustrated by Toshiki Nakamura

Another book I’ve been reading at the preschools lately is this truck-themed version of Hush, Little Baby. When a little boy loses his toy truck, his mother helps him look for it using a variety of construction vehicles.

What are your favorite stories, songs, or crafts for Mother’s Day? Please share them in the comments below.

29Apr2023

Hitting the Right Notes: Using Music in Storytime

Posted in Rhymes and songs by worldsloudestlibrarian

This week, we had a musical guest (Mr. Daniel) in place of my regular storytime. He did a wonderful job getting the kids moving and singing, and playing along with shakers and bells. He also did a number of songs in Spanish and Portuguese, and it was moving to see the faces of some of the parents and caregivers when they heard him singing some of the traditional songs of their native countries. (One family even followed him from one library to another, because they were so excited for their kids to hear songs from Brazil).

Watching him reminded me of all of the reasons why it’s so important to encourage families to sing and make music together, and why I make it such a focus in my own storytimes. So I wanted to share some of my tips for choosing and adapting songs for storytime.

Why Use Music in Storytime

Apart from the fact that songs and rhymes provide an easy way to regain the attention of wandering toddlers, and give sitting kids a chance to get their wiggles out in between books, they also help parents and caregivers get used to singing with their kids.

I’ve found that some parents are uncomfortable singing to their children, because they think that they “can’t sing.” I always tell them it doesn’t matter how well they sing, but singing itself is really important.

A few of the benefits of hearing songs in early childhood are

Phonological awareness: a fancy way of saying that singing teaches kids to recognize the sounds that make up the words in their native language. This is a key pre-literacy skill that can make it easier for young children to learn to read later on. Because songs (especially kids songs) use rhyming words, they are especially good for reinforcing this knowledge in a fun and memorable way.
Vocabulary: Songs also offer a fun and memorable way for kids to learn new words in their native language. The more words a child is exposed to in their early years, the easier it will be for them to learn to read once they enter school. As a children’s librarian, I was used to hearing that kids who were regularly read aloud to were more likely to become successful readers in school, but I didn’t fully understand why until my own kids were learning to read. When kids first start sounding out words on their own, it’s important that the words they are trying to read are words that they already know. That’s what gives them that “Aha!” moment when they recognize what the word in front of them is. And it far easier to remember words that are set to music. My kids’ middle school teacher uses songs to help her students memorize the names of the U.S. Presidents and the U.S. States in order, and my oldest daughter’s high school Spanish teacher started each week with the “Cancion de la Semana,” (song of the week), which my daughter still remembers.
Listening Skills: A lot of popular children’s songs, like If You’re Happy and You Know It and I’m a Little Teapot, require kids to watch and listen in order to follow the directions or copy the motions in the song.
Motor Skills: Most children’s songs involve some kind of movement, either large motor (clapping, stomping, jumping, etc.) or fine motor (fingerplays and songs like The Itsy Bitsy Spider). This helps them develop coordination, balance, and the kinds of fine motor skills required for writing later on.

What Songs to Use

The best storytime songs are simple and easy to remember. They are frequently based on familiar tunes, like Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star (I’m embarrassed to say that I was an adult before I realized that Twinkle, Twinkle, The Alphabet Song, and Baa Baa, Black Sheep all use the same tune).

Two things I look for in a storytime song are:

Opportunities for kids to suggest ideas. This is a great thing to model to parents and caregivers, since it provides them a way to extend the song-play into their daily lives. I recently read the book The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani, which includes lots of additional verses about the spider’s adventures. The day after that storytime, a parent called our library to ask if she could borrow the book, because after hearing it, her son had started coming up with his own verses to the song. Some of my favorite songs for kids to suggest ideas are: Old MacDonald Had a Farm, If All the Raindrops, Rainbow ‘Round Me, and Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee. (See the links at the bottom of this post to hear the tunes).
Opportunities for kids to move their bodies. Although some kids are shy about participating, most of them are excited to get a chance to move around. My favorites of these are Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!, The Wheels on the Bus, If You’re Happy and You Know It, and We Bounce and We Bounce and We Stop.

Keeping It Interesting

Surprisingly, kids never seem to tire of the old standbys like Wheels on the Bus. But I still like to find ways to surprise them with some simple changes like:

Changing the tempo. An easy way to get kids engaged in a song is to vary the speed. I often start off a class visit by singing The Alphabet Song. We start off at a normal tempo and then sing it again slightly faster, and again as fast as we can. I usually end The Wheels on the Bus by singing the first verse fast as well.
Changing the words. With older kids, I love to switch the babies and grown-up verses on the Wheels on the Bus, so the Grown-ups on the bus cry, “Waah! Waah! Waah!” and the kids say, “Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!” I usually add in a Tyrannosaurus Rex or a tiny kitten on the bus too. With The Itsy Bitsy Spider, I like to do a verse about the “great big giant spider.” For If You’re Happy and You Know It, I like to add verses about other emotions (“If you’re sad and you know it, cry, ‘Boo hoo!'”) It’s great for kids to realize that they can change songs and make them their own. Changing the words is also an easy way to come up with a song to go along with a picture book. I’m A Little Teapot can become I’m a Little Dinosaur or I’m a Little Kitty Cat. The Wheels on the Bus can become The Waves at the Beach, with verses all about things you see near the ocean.
Adding props. I always end my Musical Storytime by handing out shakers, so the kids can play along. But I also love to use play scarves and other props when I can. There are a lot of great scarf songs, but my favorites are probably Popcorn Kernels, Icky Sticky Bubblegum, and The Wishy Washy Washer Woman (see the links at the bottom for more info).

Adding Instruments

For years I sang all my songs a cappella, or played music on a CD, but then our staff CD player broke, and I finally worked up the nerve to play my ukulele. To my surprise, it was pretty easy. Most kids songs only require one or two chords, and you can use a very simple strumming pattern just to add a basic accompaniment. If you have a small group, it’s really empowering to carry a ukulele or guitar around and let the kids strum along to a song while you change the chords. For more about learning the ukulele, check out my post Uke Can Play.

My Favorite Storytime Songs

Here are a few of my all-time favorite songs, with YouTube links where available, or my own recordings. Where available, I’ve also linked to past posts that include the lyrics, chords, and any notes on how I adapted the song for storytime.

Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

I use a variation of the version performed here by Dr. Jean, where we sing about a different animal for each verse (I take suggestions from the kids). Unlike the old camp version of the song, nobody gets squished!

Brush Your Teeth by Raffi

Icky Sticky Bubblegum

I do this one with play scarves, and have the kids suggest different body parts for the gum to stick to. Then we count 1, 2, 3…and throw the scarves in the air as we shout, “Unstuck!” Click on the triangle below to hear the tune.

If All the Raindrops

I have the kids suggest foods that they wish would fall from the sky, and I choose two or three to sing about for each verse.

If You’re Happy and You Know It

I sing about a different emotion for each verse: If you’re sad and you know it, cry, “Boohoo!”; If you’re angry and you know it, say, “I’m mad!”, etc.

Popcorn Kernels

I do this one with play scarves, as demonstrated in the JBrary video below:

‘Rainbow Round Me by Ruth Pelham

For each verse, I ask the kids to suggest things that they might see outside their window.

Silly Pizza Song by Rachel de Azevedo Coleman

I teach the kids the signs for pizza and cheese, as shown in the Signing Time video below. Then, for each verse, I ask the kids to suggest different foods they would like on their pizza.

These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner

I do this one pretty much the same way that Laurie Berkner demonstrates in her video below.

Two Little Blackbirds

I do this one as a fingerplay, with each thumb representing a blackbird. When they “fly away,” I hide them behind my back, then bring them back out in front of me when they “come back.” Each verse uses a different opposite: two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud. One was quiet, and the other was loud… Two little blackbirds sitting on a gate. One was early, and the other was…late!

We Bounce and We Bounce and We Stop

I add in different motions for each verse, then vary the speed, or add in pauses before the “Stop” to keep the kids on their toes. This song works really well for a wide range of ages.

The Wheels on the Bus

I like to add in silly verses about lions or dinosaurs or mice on the bus, then sing the first verse again, making the wheels (And o

The Wishy Washy Washer Woman

I do this one with play scarves, as demonstrated in the Imagine More Story Adventures video below:

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

I do a slight variation on the Jiggle Jam version below, and have the kids crouch down at the beginning, then jump up when we say, “Blast off!”

I’m always looking for new storytime songs, so if you have any favorites, please share them in the comments below.

Happy Singing!

20Apr2023

Don’t Worry, Be Hoppy! A Storytime About Frogs

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

April is National Frog Month, which made for a fun theme for Outdoor Musical Storytime this week.

I started by showing pictures of two frogs that live in our area: the Pacific Tree Frog and the California Red-Legged Frog. Then we moved on to our celebration of frogs through books, songs, rhymes, and puppets.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley; photos by Nic Bishop

This is such a beautiful book, and it worked perfectly for my storytime group. The photos follow an adorable red-eyed tree frog as he wakes up one night and looks for food in the rain forest (while trying to avoid becoming food himself). The kids were mesmerized!

Ah Ha! by Jeff Mack

This book appears to be out of print, which is a shame, because it’s so much fun to read aloud. The story, about a frog who narrowly escapes a boy with a jar, a hungry turtle, a flamingo, and an alligator, alternates between “Aaahhh!” when the frog is in danger, and “Ah ha!” when he thinks he’s found an escape. The kids loved joining in, especially on the “Aaahh’s!”

The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner; illustrated by Jonathan Lambert.

It’s always fun to do a pop-up book, because the kids are usually fascinated. (I once had a toddler fall down flat on his bottom when he saw me pull a pull-tab on a pop-up that made something move on the page). This is a hilarious retelling of the old joke about the wide-mouthed frog who enjoys asking other animals what they like to eat, until he meets an alligator who eats “delicious wide-mouthed frogs,” and the frog makes his mouth very small and hops away. The large mouths of the animals are the real draw here. I read the part of the frog while holding up a frog puppet, and my coworker Charlotte read the rest of the parts.

Songs & Rhymes:

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Charlotte and I each held up a frog puppet for this one, while holding up our other hand to show the number of frogs remaining. I like to stop between each verse to ask the kids how many frogs are left. I also like to have the puppet pretend to slurp up an imaginary frog on a child’s head after the “Yum! Yum!”:

Five green and speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log.
Eating the most delicious bugs! Yum Yum!
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are four green speckled frogs!

Four green and speckled frogs…etc.

Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky

This is a great lap-sit rhyme, as well as a fun movement rhyme for toddlres and preschoolers. For babies, I tell the caregivers to bounce them from knee to knee, and then pick them up and swoop them down between their legs at the end. For older kids, I have them jump forward and backward, or side to side, and then crouch down on the ground at the end.

Down by the banks of the hanky panky,

Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,

With a hip! A hop! A hippety hop!

Jump off the lily pad and

KER-PLOP!

Mmm-Ahh! Went the Little Green Frog

This is a silly camp song that’s always a lot of fun. There are LOTS of different versions, and additional verses. The one I do is fairly close to the one in the JBrary video below:

MMM-AHH! Went the little green frog one day. (blink your eyes and then stick out your tongue)

MMM-AHH! Went the little green frog.

MMM-AHH! Went the little green frog one day.

And they all went MMM-AHH- AHH!

But we all know frogs go “Flow-do-di-o-di-oh! (wiggle your fingers)

“Flow-do-di-o-di-oh!

We all know frogs go “Flow-do-di-o-di-oh!

They don’t go MMM-AHH-AHH!

Caribbean Amphibean

I couldn’t find the composer of this song, but if anyone knows who it was, please tell me in the comments. This song is a hilariously horrible earworm, but perfect for the theme. We did it as our instrument play-along at the end.

[G]I know a [D]tropical [C]is[G]-land,
Where the [C]mango moon and [Am]banana sun [D]shine.
[G]And on this [D]tropical [C]is[G]-land,
[C]There lives a [D]cousin of [G]mine.

[Am]Sometimes he lives in the [D]water,
[Am]Sometimes he lives on the [G]land.
[C]Sometimes he likes to go [G]sun himself,
On [C] soft Ca[D]-ribbean [G]-sand

He’s a [C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian
He [D]likes to hop in the [G]tropical sea.
[C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian,
A [D]frog in a coconut [G] tree.

[G]The flying [D]fish and the [C]tur[G]-tles,
They’ve seen him[C] hop where the [Am]pineapples [D] grow.
[G] He likes to see [D] all [C]is[G]-lands,
[C]So island [D] hopping he’ll [G] go.

[Am]Sometimes he hops to Ja[D]-maica.
[Am]Sometimes to Haiti he [G] hops.
[C]Sometimes a warm Puerto [G] Rican beach
Is [C] where he [D] finally [G] stops!

He’s a [C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian,
He [D]likes to hop in the [G]tropical sea.
[C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian,
A [D]frog in a coconut [G] tree.

[Am]Sometimes he lives in the [D]water,
[Am]Sometimes he lives on the [G]land.
[C]Sometimes he likes to play [G] music in
An [C] all am[D]phibean [G] band.

He’s a [C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian.
He [D]likes to hop in the [G]tropical sea.
[C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian,
A [D]frog in a coconut [G] tree.

Everybody!

He’s a [C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian.
He [D]likes to hop in the [G]tropical sea.
[C]Caribbean Am[G]-phibian,
A [D]frog in a coconut [G] tree.

Ribbit Ribbit!

Stay & Play: Watercolor Frogs

I went really simple for this one, and just brought a frog coloring sheet and watercolor paint sets. (I used this coloring sheet from ColoringBay.com). I also gave them option of painting whatever they wanted on the back side of the coloring sheet.

The beauty of doing a frog painting is that frogs come in all different colors, and we had some beautiful rainbow-colored frogs in the end. It usually takes the kids a few minutes to figure out the logistics of watercolor painting (dipping the brush in the water, and then into the paint), but once they get the hang of it, they never want to stop!

Hoppy Frog Month! If you have favorite frog books or songs, please share them in the comments below.

11Apr2023

Spidey-Sense: A Storytime About Spiders

Posted in Storytime themes, Uncategorized by worldsloudestlibrarian

I had planned on doing this storytime way back in March, in honor of National Save a Spider Day on March 14, but since it’s an outdoor storytime, it kept getting cancelled due to rain. I had fun doing it today though, especially because we had a couple of older preschoolers, which allowed for some longer books.

I started by sharing photos of three types of spiders that are common here in the Bay Area: the California Tarantula, the Johnson Jumper, and the Cellar Spider (Daddy Long Legs). I also showed the kids how to do the ASL sign for Spider, which is a fun one to do.

Here’s are the books and songs that we did:

Books:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani

This is one of my favorite nursery rhyme adaptations. It takes the traditional “Itsy Bitsy” song and adds additional verses about the spider’s attempts to climb a wall, a pail, and a rocking chair, before finally spinning a web at the top of a maple tree. The illustrations are adorable.

Aaaargh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

Another all-time favorite picture book of mine. In this one, a lovable spider tries to become a family pet, but keeps getting put outside, until finally one of the family members notices her beautiful sparkling webs. The kids enjoyed joining in on the repeated “Aaaargh, Spider! Out You Go!” refrain. (The large text provides a great opportunity to point out the big words on the page, and help them make the text to speech connection). The ending got lots of laughs (and shudders!).

Are You a Spider? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries

I love this Backyard Books series, which uses a simple conversational approach to teaching young kids about the life-cycle of small creatures like spiders and snails. In this one, the author explains that if you’re a spider, you will hatch out of an egg, spin a web, eat flies, and have to be very careful to avoid birds and wasps. It was a much longer book than I usually read for this storytime, but I was happy to hear the families talking about how spiders have eight legs and eight eyes during the Stay & Play at the end.

Songs:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

When I do this song with toddlers and babies, I usually tell them that they can do the traditional finger motions (as shown here in this video by Katie Cutie Kids TV), or just wiggle their fingers like spider legs, or creep their hands up their bodies (it’s fun to have the grown-ups do this with babies, which gets lots of giggles). I usually do a second verse about the “Great Big Hairy Spider,” which we sing in a low voice, and sometimes add in a verse about the “Teensy Weensy Spider” in a high voice.

The [C] itsy bitsy spider went [G7] up the water [C] spout.
[C] Down came the rain and [F] washed the spider [C] out.
[C] Out came the sun and [G7] dried up all the [C] rain,
and the [C] itsy bitsy spider went [G7] up the spout [C] again.

I’m a Hungry Spider

To the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot” (If you don’t know the tune, here’s a video by Sing With Bella). We used the ASL sign for Spider for the first line.

I’m a hungry spider (Sign for Spider)

Look at me! (Point to yourself)

Eight legs to walk on, (Wiggle eight fingers)

And eight eyes to see (Point to your eyes).

When a bug gets caught in my web (Move your finger in the air like a fly),

Here I come!

I wrap it up tight (Move your hands in circles),

And YUM! YUM! YUM! (Mime eating).

There’s a Spider on the Floor

To the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It. This is an old Raffi song, although I usually change the lyrics a little. Claire mimed the actions with a spider puppet, while the rest of us made spiders with our hands.

There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Who could ask for any more than a spider on the floor?
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.

Now the spider’s on my leg, on my leg.
Now the spider’s on my leg, on my leg.
Oh, he’s really, really big, this old spider on my leg.
There’s a spider on my leg, on my leg.

Now the spider’s on my tummy, on my tummy…
Oh, I feel so very funny with this spider on my tummy!…

Now the spider’s on my neck, on my neck…
Oh, I’m gonna’ be a wreck, I’ve got a spider on my neck!…

Now the spider’s on my face, on my face…
Oh, I’m such a big disgrace. I’ve got a spider on my face!…

Now the spider’s on my head, on my head…
Oh, it fills my heart with dread to have this spider on my head!…

Spoken: But it jumps off!

Now the spider’s on the floor, on the floor…

Who could ask for any more than a spider on the floor?…

Un Elefante

This is a traditional Mexican children’s song, which you can hear below in this video from VideoKids TV Canciones. The Spanish lyrics mean “An elephant balanced on a spider’s web. When he saw that it ‘resisted’ (held his weight), he called another elephant.”

If you’d like an English version of the song (with a slightly different meaning to the lyrics), here’s a video of a cute one from Canticos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1XC8cuio24)

[C] Un elefante se balanceaba,
sobre la tela de una a-[G]raña.
Como veía que resistía,
fue a llamar a otro ele-[C]fante.

Dos elefantes se balanceaban,
sobre la tela de una araña.
Como veían que resistía,
fueron a llamar a otro elefante.

Tres elefantes…

Stay & Play: Paint Splotch Spiders

This was really simple and fun! Before the storytime, I folded pieces of white cardstock in half lengthwise (like a book). For the Stay & Play, I put out the folded cardstock, two colors of tempera paint, googly eyes (the kind with sticker backs), and markers.

To make the spider shape, the kids opened their folded cardstock and dropped a small drop of paint of each color along the center fold (it helps to have an adult supervise this, so they don’t end up with too much paint). They then folded the cardstock again, and pressed down on it to spread the paint. When they opened the cardstock again, they had a symmetrical shape that they decorated with googly eyes and markers.

In the two examples above, the kids (both preschoolers) were making an effort to count out eight eyes, although they got a little carried away on the legs. It was great to hear them counting though!

What are your favorite books about spiders? Please share them in the comments below.

4Apr2023

Sprouting Up: A Storytime About Growing Things

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Today was the first Outdoor Musical Storytime I’ve been able to hold in a month, because it’s been so stormy every Tuesday for the past three weeks. So, in honor of the first day that actually LOOKED like spring anyway, we did a storytime about flowers, plants, and gardening.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Mathiesen

Like Tap the Magic Tree by the same author, this colorful picture book provides interactive motions for kids to do: counting to three to plant the seeds, tapping the cloud to make it rain (I just have them pretend, rather than actually touching the book), clapping to bring the sun, etc. The kids were thoroughly engaged.

First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Sweet, simple book with colorful cut-outs showing how different living things transform: an egg hatches into a chicken, a seed grows into a flower, a tadpole turns into a frog, etc. The kids enjoyed calling what each one was going to turn into on the next page.

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

This is a little longer than the books I typically read for this storytime audience, but it’s such an imaginative, whimsical book, and kids always seem to enjoy it. It describes a little girl’s dreams of having her own garden, where the rabbits are made of chocolate, jelly beans grow into jelly bean bushes, and flowers always bloom.

Songs:

Ring Around the Rosy

This traditional nursery rhyme usually has kids hold hands and walk in a circle, but I just had them spin around in place. We did the song three times, and the kids loved it! I can’t remember who taught me the second verse years ago, but it’s nice for getting everyone back on their feet again. Here’s a video from Little Baby Bum with the tune:

Ring around the Rosy, (spin around in place)

A pocket full of posies, (spin around in place)

Ashes, Ashes,

We all fall DOWN! (drop to the ground).

Fishes in the water,

Fishes in the sea,

We all jump up with a

One, Two, Three! (jump up)

Oh, Mister Sun

A great song for welcoming the sun after all the rain we’ve been having. I do the Raffi version, which is shown here with the motions:

Oh, [C] Mister Sun, Sun, [F] Mister Golden Sun,

[C] Please shine [G7] down on [C] me!

Oh, [C] Mister Sun, Sun, [F] Mister Golden Sun,

[G7] Hiding behind a tree.

[C] These little children are [G7] asking you,

[C] To please come out so we can [G7] play with you,

Oh, [C] Mister Sun, Sun, [F] Mister Golden Sun,

C] Please shine [G7] down on [C] me!

Butterfly Song

My coworker Angela taught me this one. We handed out play scarves before we sang it, and had the kids bundle them up to be chrysalises and wave them in the air to be butterflies. My coworker Claire also showed the different stages of the butterfly lifecycle with this cool puppet. The song is to the tune of Up on the Housetop. Here’s a video by Colleen Niedermeyer:

First comes a butterfly (Wave scarf)

Who lays an egg. (Make a circle with your thumb and index finger).

Out comes a caterpillar (Wiggle your finger like a caterpillar)

With lots of legs.

Now see the caterpillar spin and spin (Spin the scarf),

A little chrysalis to sleep in (Bundle scarf up in a ball).

Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…

Out of the chrysalis, my, oh, my!

Out comes a beautiful butterfly! (Wave scarf).

Shoo Fly

One of the first songs I learned when I started out as a children’s librarian was this variation on the traditional Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me song, originally by Thomas Bishop. I had the kids wave their scarves for the “Shoo Fly” parts, and took suggestions for what animal the kids would like to be for the other verses. We ended up purring like a cat, and flying like a butterfly.

Here’s a recording of this version of this song, by Greg & Steve, who I think may have written it:

Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me! (Wave hands or scarf as if shooing a fly)

Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me!

Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me,

I’ll tell you what I want to be.

I wiggle, I wiggle,

I wiggle like a wiggling worm.

I wiggle, I wiggle,

I wiggle like a wiggling worm.

Oh, Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me…

The Lollipop Tree by Burl Ives

This song fit perfectly as a follow-up to My Garden, so we did it as our instrument play-along at the end. Here’s the recording by Burl Ives:

[C] One fine [G] day in
[C] early [G] Spring, I [C] played a [G] funny [C] trick.
[C] Right in the [G] yard
[C] behind our [G] house I [C] planted a [G] lollipop [C] stick.
[F] Then every day I watered it well,
And watched it [G] careful-[C]ly.
I [G] hoped one day that [C] stick would [C] grow
[F] To be a [G] lollipop [C] tree.

[C] Ha, Ha, Ha, [F] Ho, Ho, Ho!
[C] What a place to [G7] be!
[C] Under my lollipop, [F] lollipop, lollipop,
[C] Lolli-lolli-[G] lollipop [C] tree.
[C] Under my lollipop, [F] lollipop, lollipop,
[C] Lolli-lolli-[G] lollipop [C] tree!

[C] Then one [G] day I [C] woke to
[G] Find a [C] very [G] lovely [C] sight:
A tree all [G] full of [C] lollipops
Had [G] grown in the [C] dark of the night.
[F] I sat beneath that wonderful tree,
And looked up [G] with a [C] grin.
[C] And when I [G] opened up [Am] my [C] mouth,
[G] A pop would drop right [C] in!

[C] Ha, Ha, Ha, [F] Ho, Ho, Ho!
[C] What a place to [G7] be!
[C] Under my lollipop, [F] lollipop, lollipop,
[C] Lolli-lolli-[G] lollipop [C] tree.
Under my lollipop, [F] lollipop, lollipop,
[C] Lolli-lolli-[G] lollipop [C] tree!

[C]Winter came and days grew cold,
As Winter [G] days will [C] do.
On my tree, my [Am] lovely [C] tree,
Not [G] one little lollipop [C] grew.
[F] From every [C] branch an [F] icicle hung,
The twigs were bare as [C] bones.
But when I [G] broke the [Am] icicles [C] off,
They [F] turned to [G] ice cream [C] cones!

[C] Ha, Ha, Ha, [F] Ho, Ho, Ho!
[C] How I laughed with [G7] glee!
[C] Under my lollipop, [F] lollipop, lollipop,
[C] Lolli-lolli-[G] lollipop [C] tree.
Under my lollipop, [F] lollipop, lollipop,
[C] Lolli-lolli-[G] lollipop [C] tree!

Stay & Play: Flower Painting

I’ve posted about flower painting before, but it’s one of my favorite process art activities. This morning before storytime, I picked a bunch of flowers from my yard. I tried to stick to edible flowers, just in case anyone tried to sample one, so I had nasturtiums, geraniums, borage, oxalis (sour grass), lavender, and oregano leaves. For the Stay & Play, we just put the flowers out on the tables with some blank paper, and the kids smashed them to explore the different colors that they made. Always a hit, and so simple. There’s not even very much to clean up at the end.

Happy Spring! What are your favorite books about plants and growing things? Please share them in the comments below.

9Mar2023

Cover to Cover: A Storytime for Read Across America Day

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

I was originally planning to do this storytime last week, in observance of Read Across America Day on March 2, but it was too rainy for our outdoor venue, so I did it yesterday instead.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier and Suzy Lee

This is a really simple book, but it always gets a great response. The book instructs you to “Open this little red book and read about ladybug, who opens her little green book and reads about frog…” etc. Each time the “book” you are opening gets smaller and smaller, until finally you get to Giant’s little rainbow book, which is too small for her to read, so her friends read it to her, and then close up each book. The kids enjoyed calling out the colors of the book covers, and I had them say, “Shoop!” every time we closed a book.

We Are in a Book by Mo Willems

This is one of my favorite Elephant and Piggie Books. My coworker Charlotte read the part of Piggie and I read Gerald, and it got a lot of laughs. In this one, the two friends realize that they are in a book, and have fun getting the reader to say the word “Banana.” It reminds me a lot of The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak, which is one of my all-time favorite books to read aloud.

Hooray for Books by Brian Won

This one worked really well for the theme, because it has a lot of different animals and colorful illustrations, and ends with a storytime (Yay!). The story is about a turtle who can’t find his favorite book, because it keeps getting borrowed by one of his friends. In the end, the animals all decide to share their books with each other. The kids enjoyed calling out, “Hooray for Books!” on every other page.

Songs:

Rainbow Round Me by Ruth Pelham

This one was especially appropriate because there was a big, beautiful rainbow in town earlier that morning. We sang it after reading Open This Little Book, and I asked the kids to suggest things they might see outside their window. We had a purple butterfly, an orange butterfly, a yellow cat and a pink cat:

When I [C] look outside my [G7] window,
There’s a world of color I [C] see.
Fiddle-dee-dee, [F] outside my [C] window
There’s a [G7] world of color I [C] see.

CHORUS:
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.

And the [C] butterfly outside my [G7] window,
Is as purple as purple can [C] be.
Fiddle-dee-dee, [F] outside my [C] window
It’s as [G7] purple as purple can [C] be.

CHORUS:
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.

And the [C] cat outside my [G7] window,
Is as yellow as yellow can [C] be.
Fiddle-dee-dee, [F] outside my [C] window
It’s as [G7] yellow as yellow can [C] be.
And the butterfly is [G7] purple as purple can [C] be.

These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner

This song is so much fun to sing, and it fit perfectly with the theme. Laurie Berkner has a great YouTube video where you can see the motions.

The lyrics are:

These are my glasses,

This is my book.

I put on my glasses,

And open up my book.

Then I read, read, read,

And I look, look, look.

I put down my glasses and whoop! close up the book.

If You’d Like to Read a Book

I got this one from Miss Katie’s Story Time Wiki. It’s to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It:

[C] If you’d like to read a book, clap your [G7] hands (clap, clap)

If you’d like to read a book, clap your [C] hands (clap, clap)

If you’d [F] like to read a book, listen up [C] and take a look,

If you’d [G7] like to read a book, clap your [C] hands! (clap, clap)

Reading Rainbow Theme Song by Steve Horelick, Dennis Neil Kleinman, and Janet Weir

I couldn’t resist doing this song as our instrument play-along, if only for the nostalgia factor. Plus, it’s so catchy!

[G] Butterfly in the sky,
[G] I can go twice as high.
[C] Take a [D] look, it’s
[C] In a [D] book, a
[C] Reading [D] Rain-[G]bow!

[C] I [D] can go [G] anywhere!
[C] Friends to [D] know, and
[C] Ways to [D] grow, a
[C] Reading [D] Rain-[G]bow

[C] I [D] can be [G] anything!
[C] Take a [D] look, it’s
[C] In a [D] book, a
[C] Reading [D] Rain-[G]bow!
[C] Reading [D] Rain-[G]bow!

Stay & Play: Handmade Books

I was looking for an easy way to make a paper book for the kids to decorate that didn’t involve staples, and I found this really fun one from Teach Beside Me.

Before the storytime, I folded together three pieces of 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper in half width-wise, and punched two holes along the folded edge about three inches apart. Then I folded different colors of paper in half for the covers, and punched two holes in the same place.

For the Stay & Play, I put out the folded paper, the folded covers, some rubber bands, some popsicle sticks (I used the wide kind, but the thinner ones work really well too), some stamps and stamp pads, and some stickers. I meant to bring markers, but forgot to get them from the library when I was packing up to go to the park.

I showed the kids (and really the parents) how to choose a cover that they liked, fold it over a pack of blank paper, and then feed each end of the rubber band through each of the holes and wrap it around either end of the popsicle stick to hold the book together. The kids had a great time decorating their books with stickers and stamps.

What are your favorite books and songs about reading? Please share them in the comments below.

22Feb2023

Birds of a Feather: A Storytime About Birds

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

We’ve had so many birds flying around for the past few weeks that I wanted to do a storytime in honor of the Great Backyard Bird Count (February 17-20), but with a focus on nonfiction, in honor of National Science Day on February 28.

I love nonfiction picture books, but don’t usually get to read them at storytime, since they tend to be geared towards older kids. Luckily, there are some fairly simple books about birds, eggs, and nests that worked really well for our storytime families, especially since the schools are out this week, and we had some older siblings in attendance.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward and Steve Jenkins

Short rhymes describe the nests of a wide range of birds (woodpeckers, flamingos, hummingbirds, etc.), with large illustrations of each one. This book was longer than the ones I typically read for my storytime audience, but the families really seemed intrigued by all of the different types of nests, especially the cowbird (who lays its eggs in other birds’ nests) and the hornbill (who gets sealed inside a hollow tree with her eggs until they hatch).

Tiny Dino by Deborah Freedman

When a hummingbird insists that he is a “tiny dino,” the other animals don’t believe him. But he gives several arguments to prove that birds share many characteristics with dinosaurs, including scales, hollow bones, and feathers. Claire read the part of the hummingbird, and I read the other animals. A cute way to use a story (and beautiful illustrations) to explain the connection between dinosaurs and birds.

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long

This book, describing the different colors, textures, and shapes of different types of eggs, is absolutely stunning, and includes a wide variety of birds, as well as turtles, and insects. Before we read the book, we gave each child a plastic egg with a picture of a local bird inside (see file below. It’s a double-sided document with a picture of the adult bird on one side, and the egg and nest on the other). As I read, I asked the kids about the shape and texture of their plastic eggs.

birds-of-san-pedro-valley-park Download

Songs:

Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill, (Hold up both thumbs)
One named Jack, and the other named Jill.
Fly away, Jack! (Put one thumb behind your back)
Fly away, Jill! (Put the other thumb behind your back)
Come back, Jack! (Bring the first thumb out in front).
Come back, Jill! (Bring the second thumb out in the front).

Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud,
One was quiet, and the other was loud (I make my voice as loud and obnoxious as possible each time I sing the word “Loud!”)
Fly away, Quiet!
Fly away, Loud!
Come back, Quiet!
Come back, Loud!

Two little blackbirds sitting in the snow.
One flew fast!
And the other flew slow!…

Two little blackbirds sitting on a gate.
One was early,
And the other was…late!… (I like to drag the pauses out as long as possible before saying “Late!” until the kids are all yelling it out.)

This Is the Way We Flap Our Wings

To the tune of The Wheels on the Bus. I told the kids we were going to pretend to be birds, and then we sang the song, acting out the different motions. I asked the families to suggest things that birds do. We ended up pecking the ground, standing on one foot, swimming around (we talked about the types of birds that swim, like ducks and penguins), and shaking our tails.

This is the way we flap our wings,

Flap our wings, flap our wings,

This is the way we flap our wings,

All day long!

This is the way we peck the ground… (peck ground with your fingers in a “beak” shape)

We Bounce and We Bounce

I was originally planning to sing Six Little Ducks, but it was so chilly at the park that I did this one instead, just to give the kids a chance to move around. This is one of my very favorite storytime songs, and the kids love it. I like to do different motions for each verse, and vary the speed as we go.

We bounce and we bounce and we stop!

We bounce and we bounce and we bounce and we bounce,

C G7 C

And we bounce and we bounce and we stop!

We clap and we clap and we stop!…

We run and we run and we stop!…

We lean and we lean and we stop!…

I’m a Little Bird

To the tune of I’m a Little Teapot:

I’m a little bird inside an egg, (crouch down into a ball)

Here is my head (point to your head)

And here is my leg (point to your leg).

While I’m in the egg, I’ll grow and sleep (close your eyes),

Then I’ll POP right out (jump up)

And go, “Peep! Peep! Peep!”

When the Red, Red, Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along by Harry Woods

This is an old song from 1926 that my Dad sang a lot when I was a kid. Here’s the version sung by Bing Crosby:

When the [C] red, red robin comes
[G7] Bob, bob, bobbin’ [C] along, along.
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when
[G7] He starts throbbin’ his [C] old sweet [C7] song:

[F] Wake up, wake up you sleepy head!
[C] Get up, get up get out of bed!
[D7] Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red!
[G7] Live, love, laugh and be happy.

[C] What if I’ve been [G7] blue,
Now I’m walking through
[C] Fields of flowers.
Rain may glisten but
Still I [G7] listen for [C] hours and [C7] hours.
[F] I’m just a kid again [Fm6] doing what I did again,
[C] Singing a [Am] song.
When the [C] red, red robin comes
[G7] Bob, bob, bobbin’ a-[C]long.

Stay & Play: Paper Bowl Nests

This was a fun tie-in with the plastic eggs we handed out earlier in the storytime.

Before storytime, I shredded brown construction paper in our library shredder. For the Stay & Play, I put out paper bowls for each kid, along with bowls full of the shredded paper, glue sticks, and feathers. The kids had fun putting glue all around the bowl, and lining their nests with the shredded paper, feathers, and also some leaves and grasses from around the park. They put their plastic eggs in their nests at the end.

What are your favorite nonfiction books for younger kids? Please share them in the comments below.

15Feb2023

Love Somebody: A Storytime for Valentine’s Day

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

It was a chilly day in the park today for our Outdoor Musical Storytime, but we still had a great time celebrating Valentine’s Day with stories and songs.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

If You’ll Be My Valentine by Cynthia Rylant; illustrated by Fumi Kosaka

Short poems describe what a little boy will do for different loved ones if they will be his Valentine: scratch his cat behind her ears, take his little sister for a ride in a wagon, make a special letter for Grandma, etc. Most other books that are explicitly about Valentine’s Day are a bit too long for my storytime toddlers and young preschoolers, but this one worked well. A sweet book that celebrates shared experiences with family.

If Animals Said I Love You by Ann Whitford Paul; illustrated by David Walker

Adorable book that imagines how different animals might say, “I love you.” The kids loved calling out the names of the animals and mimicking their motions: beating their chests like gorillas; stomping their feet like secretary birds, etc.

Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Very simple, rhymed story about a girl who plants a kiss, which grows into a glittery treasure she shares with the world. We had handed out play scarves for a song before we read this one, so I had the kids hide the scarves in their hands and then pull them out slowly to mimic the sprouting kiss. Claire threw small paper hearts out into the crowd at the end.

Songs:

There’s A Little Wheel a’Turnin’ in My Heart

This is a traditional song with lots of versions, but I used a variation of the one by Laurie Berkner in the video below.

There’s a [C] little wheel a-[G] turnin’ in my [C] heart, (rotate your hands around each other)

There’s a [C] little wheel a-[G] turnin’ in my [C] heart.

In my [F] hea-a-[C] art, in my [G] hea-a-[C] art, (put your hand on your heart)

There’s a [C] little wheel a-[G] turnin’ in my [C] heart.

Additional verses:

I hear two hands a clapping in my heart…

I hear two feet a stomping in my heart…

Oh, I feel so very happy in my heart… (make the ASL sign for Happy)

There’s a little wheel a-turnin’ in my heart.

Love Somebody, Yes I Do!

There are several different versions of this song, but the one I used was closest to the one in this video from Musicaliti:

Love somebody, yes I do! (ASL sign for LOVE, ASL sign for YES)

Love somebody, yes I do!

Love somebody and it’s you, you, you! (point to different people)

You, you, you!

Old MacDonald

We sang this after If Animals Said I Love You. I asked the kids for animal suggestions for each verse. We sang about a cow, a duck, a pig, a chicken, and a goat.

C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm,

E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!

And on that farm he [F] had a [C] pig,

E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!

With an oink-oink here, and an oink-oink there,

Here an oink, there an oink,

Everywhere an oink-oink.

[C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm,

E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!

You’ll Sing a Song by Ella Jenkins

We sang this song with play scarves, and I added verses so the kids could move the scarves in different ways: you wave a scarf; you throw a scarf, etc. It’s a wonderful song for storytime, because you can add in whatever motions suit your group best: jumping up and down, clapping your hands, etc. Plus, it is incredibly catchy!

[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,

And [C] we’ll sing a [Dm] song toge-[G]ther.

[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,

In [G] warm or [C] wintry [G] wea-[C]ther.

You’ll wave a scarf, and I’ll wave a scarf, and we’ll wave our scarves together…

You’ll peek-a-boo, and I’ll peek-a-boo… (put the scarf over your face, then pull it away)

You’ll throw a scarf, and I’ll throw a scarf…

Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

I’ve always loved this song from Sandra Boynton’s Philadelphia Chickens book and album. There is also a stand-alone board book version of the song. We did it as our instrument play-along, and Claire carried around a dog puppet to “lick” the kids.

Well, [G] I have a thing to tell you
And it [C] won’t take long.
The [D] way I feel about you
Is a [G] kind of a song.
[G] It starts with an ooh and [C] ends with a kiss,
And [A] all along the middle it goes [D] something like [D7] this:

CHORUS
We go, [G] ooh, Snuggle [C] Puppy of mine,
[D] Everything about you is [G] especially fine.
[C] I love what you are, [G] I love what you do,
[A] Fuzzy little Snuggle Puppy, [D] I love [D7] you!

I say, [G] ooh, Snuggle [C] puppy of mine,
[D] Everything about you is [G7] especially fine,
[C] I love what you are, [G] I love what you do,
[D] Ooh, I love [G] you!

Well, I [G] wanted just to tell you
And it [C] didn’t take long,
The [D] way I feel about you
Is a [G] kind of a song.
[G] It started with ooh, [C] I gave you a kiss.
I [A] hope you like the middle now we’ll [D] end like [D7] this:

CHORUS

We go, [G] ooh, Snuggle [C] Puppy of mine,
[D] Everything about you is [G] especially fine.
[C] I love what you are, [G] I love what you do,
[A] Fuzzy little snuggle puppy, [D] I love [D7] you!

I say, [G] ooh, Snuggle [C] Puppy of mine,
[D] Everything about you is [G7] especially fine,
[C] I love what you are, [G] I love what you do,
[D] Ooh, I love [G] you!

Stay & Play: Tissue Paper Painted Hearts

The kids had a great time with this process art (or process heart?) activity, and several of the parents commented on how engaging it was.

Before the storytime, I cut large hearts out of white card stock, along with lots of squares of different colored tissue paper. For the Stay & Play, I put out the paper hearts, tissue paper squares in bowls, small cups of water, and paintbrushes. The kids arranged the tissue paper squares on the paper hearts and then painted them with the water. I told them they could peel the tissue paper off immediately or let it dry first. Either way, it makes cool, colorful patterns.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

8Feb2023

Local Color: A Storytime About Bay Area Children’s Authors & Illustrators

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Last week was Children’s Authors and Ilustrator’s Week, so for Outdoor Musical Storytime, I decided to highlight some local (or formerly local) children’s book authors and illustrators. (If you’re interested in doing a similar theme, here’s a list of some children’s authors from each state on http://authorbystate.blogspot.com/).

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff

I discovered too late that Ashley Wolff has moved back to her native Vermont, but she used to live in San Francisco. The kids really enjoyed this story about from the Baby Bear series, describing the different things that Baby Bear sees for the first time (leaves, the sun, butterflies, etc.) to introduce him to different colors.

A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris

Both Mac Barnett (who lives in Oakland) and Shawn Harris (who lives in Half Moon Bay) have done author programs for our libraries. This is a really simple book that follows a polar bear, who starts out invisible against the snow and then emerges to go on a trek down to the water to play with friends. The families all enjoyed the illustrations, and it was a lot of fun to read aloud.

Lion Lessons by Jon Agee

Jon Agee, a San Francisco author/illustrator, has also done author visits at our libraries and local schools. This story follows a little boy as he tries to learn his Lion Diploma in seven easy steps. The kids had fun roaring, stretching, and showing their claws along with the book.

Songs & Rhymes:

Rainbow Round Me by Ruth Pelham

We sang this one after reading Baby Bear Sees Blue. I asked the kids to suggest things they might see outside their window. We had a green tree, a blue jay, a red pizza, a pink bird, and a blue dog:

When I [C] look outside my [G7] window,
There’s a world of color I [C] see.
Fiddle-dee-dee, [F] outside my [C] window
There’s a [G7] world of color I [C] see.

CHORUS:
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.

And the [C] tree outside my [G7] window,
Is as green as green can [C] be.
Fiddle-dee-dee, [F] outside my [C] window
It’s as [G7] green as green can [C] be.

CHORUS:
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.
[F] Rainbow, [C] rainbow, [G7] rainbow ’round [C] me.

And the [C] bird outside my [G7] window,
Is as blue as blue can [C] be.
Fiddle-dee-dee, [F] outside my [C] window
It’s as [G7] blue as blue can [C] be.
And the tree is [G7] green as green can [C] be.

Going on a Bear Hunt

This is a great way to give the kids a chance to move around in between books. I like to ham it up by pretending to get a grasshopper stuck in my shirt, wiping the mud off my feet, and shaking myself dry from the lake. There are lots of variations, but this the script I use, with the kids repeating every line:

We’re going on a bear hunt!
(We’re going on a bear hunt!)
It’s a beautiful day!
(It’s a beautiful day!)
We’re not scared!
(We’re not scared!)

We’re coming to some grass.
(We’re coming to some grass).
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go through it.
(Have to go through it.)
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! (Rubbing hands together)

We’re coming to some mud.
(We’re coming to some mud.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go through it.
(Have to go through it).
Squilch! Squelch! Squilch! Squelch! (Clapping hands together).

We’re coming to a lake.
(We’re coming to a lake.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to swim across it.
(Have to swim across it.)
Splish! Splash! Splish! Splash!

We’re coming to a cave.
(We’re coming to a cave.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go inside.
(Have to go inside.)
Tiptoe…tiptoe…tiptoe…tiptoe…
It’s dark in here…
(It’s dark in here…)
It’s cold in here…
(It’s cold in here…)
Two big eyes…it’s a bear!

Run!
Swim across the lake!
Run through the mud!
Run through the grass!
Into the house!
Slam the door!
Lock it!
We’re never going on a bear hunt again!

The Lion Sleeps Tonight by Solomon Linda

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. Here’s a YouTube link to the version by The Tokens if you’re not familiar with the tune (there are lots of variations):

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

[C] In the jungle, the [F] mighty jungle,
The [C] lion sleeps to- [G7]night.
In the [C] jungle the [F] quiet jungle,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

Near the [C] village, the [F] peaceful village,
The [C] lion sleeps tonight.
Near the [C] village, the [F] quiet village,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

Hush, my [C] darling, don’t [F] fear, my darling,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.
Hush, my [C] darling, don’t [F] fear, my darling,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

Stay & Play: Salt and Paint Winter Scene

I got this idea from Stay At Home Educator. Before storytime, I printed and cut out polar bears from this page on Coloring Home.

For the Stay & Play, I put out white paper, sponge brushes, and bowls with a small amount of white, purple, and blue tempera paint. I also put out the polar bear pictures, and bowls of Epsom salt.

The kids painted their paper with the sponge brushes, then stuck their polar bears on while the paint was wet, and sprinkled the salt on top. A few kids also added the stickers we gave out at the end of storytime (like the snowman in the picture above). Anything with paint is always a bit hit (although also very messy!)

What are your favorite books by the local authors and illustrators in your area? Please share them in the comments below.

3Feb2023

Valentine’s Day Books for Elementary School

Posted in Books for First Grade, Books for Kindergarten, Books for Second Graders by worldsloudestlibrarian

Today I was invited to read Valentine’s Day books to a Kindergarten class, and since I always struggle to find holiday books I actually like, I thought I’d share the ones I read. Although none of them specifically mention Valentine’s Day, they all fit the theme of love and friendship. The kids seemed to enjoy all of them, and when I asked them to vote for their favorite at the end, all four books got at least a few votes.

Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox; illustrated by Lydia Monks

Hilarious rhyming story about a prince who calls up to Rapunzel to “let down her hair.” The problem: he’s too far away for Rapunzel to hear, so she tosses out underwear, dirty socks, a cantaloupe, pancake batter, and finally, her maid. I started out by asking the kids about the Rapunzel story, to make sure they would get the joke. The twist at the end got lots of “Ohhhh’s!”

Love Monster and the Last Chocolate by Rachel Bright

When Love Monster returns from vacation, he is surprised to find a box of chocolates on his doorstep. Although he is dying to open the box and eat them, he can’t decide if it would be better to share them with his friends or keep them for himself. Finally, he decides he has to share, only to discover that there’s only one chocolate in the box: the ones his friends have saved just for him as a welcome home present. The story is similar to Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems. This book works well for preschoolers too.

The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise; illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

An unsigned love letter causes a misunderstanding, and lots of happy, helpful feelings, for three animal friends. Sweet story, with a nice message about the value of friendship.

Love, Z by Jessie Sima

When Z, the robot, finds a bottle with a message inside that says “Love, Beatrice,” he asks the other robots what “love” means. But none of them can explain, so he sets off to find the answer. Along the way, he hears lots of different descriptions of love, and, when the other robots worry and come looking for him, he discovers it’s a feeling he’s known all along. Very sweet book with adorable illustrations.

Other Recommended Books

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Paul Yalowitz

Mr. Hatch is a lonely man who keeps to himself, until the postman delivers an enormous box of chocolates with a note that says “Somebody loves you.” Excited to find that somebody loves him, Mr. Hatch begins to open up and do kind things for the people around him. When he learns that the chocolates were meant for somebody else, he is sad, and goes back to his lonely ways, but all the people he has helped join together to let him know that everybody loves him. I love this book, and it’s perfect for elementary school. I would have read it today, but all of the copies in our library system were checked out.

Love, Splat by Rob Scotton

Splat has made a special Valentine for Kitten, even though she doesn’t seem to like him at all. Even worse, Spike, another cat in his class, also likes Kitten. But when Kitten finds the Valentine Splat has thrown away, he learns that she actually really likes him too. Cute story with adorable illustrations.

Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat; illustrated by Marc Simont

It’s Valentine’s Day and Nate the Great and his dog Sludge find themselves faced with two mysteries: who left the mystery Valentine on Sludge’s doghouse, and what happened to the Valentine his friend Annie made for her brother? His investigation reveals that the two mysteries are connected in a surprising way. Funny addition to the Nate the Great series of early chapter books, with jokes and activities at the end.

What are your favorite Valentine’s Day books (for elementary school or other age groups)? Please share them in the comments below. Happy Valentine’s Day!