Monthly Archives: October 2021

High Spirits: Halloween Storytime at the Park

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Two days ago, the whole Bay Area was drenched by an atmospheric river, so I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to hold storytime today. Luckily, the ground at the park was fairly dry, and surprisingly, we had a pretty big turnout. Not only that, the kids seem to finally be getting comfortable moving around and interacting with us, which is a big relief.

It had been such a long time since we had done in-person storytimes, that many of the kids had never attended a storytime before, or at least not since they were too young to remember. Plus, sitting apart on blankets, instead of in the cozy crowd at the library, seemed to make them feel a bit shy and uncertain. But today we had kids dancing and calling out suggestions, and it was almost like old times. Here’s what we did:

BOOKS:

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara

One of my favorite Halloween books for younger kids, this not-so-scary story is about a girl who lives in a haunted house. Luckily, the girl is a witch, who knows how to catch ghosts and put them to work being curtains and blankets and other useful things. We aren’t handing out play scarves right now, but when we were, I used to love having the kids pretend to catch their own “ghosts” in the air. Today, we took the time to count the ghosts together. Always a hit!

Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

This isn’t technically a Halloween book, but I included it because it’s about a spider. The spider (who is adorable) really wants to be a family pet, but all of her attempts to get the family’s attention end with them screaming, “Aaaarrgghh, Spider!” and putting her outside. The kids loved joining in on the screams. They also loved the page of sparkly webs.

Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

The perfect monster book for younger kids, and a brilliant book design that makes the different parts of the monster’s face seem to magically appear and disappear. One challenge with doing storytime in the park is making sure the kids can see the illustrations, so my coworker, Claire, usually walks around with a second copy of the book. For this one, we happened to have an adorable puppet version, with Velcro eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and hair you can easily stick to the face. I think the next time I do this, I’ll ask for volunteers to put the different parts of the monster’s face on the puppet and take them off again.

SONGS:

ON HALLOWEEN:

This is a versatile, easy song, and provides a great opportunity for kids to suggest their own verses. Today we had bats saying “Eeee!”, zombies saying “Brains!”, and skeletons saying “Boo!” I always end with “The kids at the door say ‘Trick or Treat!'”

To the tune of The Wheels on the Bus. The ukulele/guitar chords are in bold:

The [C] ghosts in the house say “Oooooooo!”

[G7] “Oooooooo! [C] Oooooooo!”

The ghosts in the house say “Oooooooo!”

[G7] On Hallo-[C]ween.

WE ARE SCARY SKELETONS

This is a fun, spooky song that also allows kids to suggest spooky (or not-so-spooky) things to be. Today we were werewolves, witches, and cats.

Here’s a video of a version I did for virtual storytime (although I used ghosts instead of skeletons), so you can hear the tune. I usually sing this one without the ukulele, so that I can use my whole body for the motions.

We are scary skeletons floating down the street,

Walking down the street,

Walking down the street.

We are scary ghosts walking down the street,

We’ll scare you…BOO! 

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 and I both acted it out with toy spiders, and I encouraged the kids to make spiders with their 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?…

HALLOWEEN SHARKS

I was ridiculously excited to sing this spooky version of Baby Shark by PinkFong. I gave out shakers for the kids to play along, and played it on the ukulele (chords and lyrics below):

Baby [Am] Shark, Doot [Em] doo, doo [Dm] doo doo doo.

[Em] Baby [Am] Shark, Doot [Em]doo, doo [Dm] doo doo doo.

[Em] Baby [Am] Shark, Doot [Em]doo, doo [Dm] doo doo doo.

[Em] Baby [Am] Shark!

BOO!

Repeat with Mommy Shark, Daddy Shark, Grandma Shark, Grandpa Shark, and Halloween.

STAY AND PLAY:

I’ve been trying to find simple activities for the stay-and-play that allow kids to explore things around the park, so I was really excited to find this Magic Nature Wand activity from Mini Mad Things. I put out pipe cleaners, multicolored yarn, and scissors for the kids, and encouraged them to look around for sticks (not too big or too pointy) to make into wands, and leaves to attach to them. They turned out beautifully! Here is one example:

I have Toddler Storytime on Thursday (if the weather holds), and for that one, I’m hoping to have the kids make Leaf Monsters with leaves, glue sticks, Googly eyes, and markers. I got the idea from this great list of Halloween Nature Crafts from Mother Natured. Here is my example:

What are your favorite Halloween books, songs, or crafts? Please share them in the comments.

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Some-Body Loves Me: Storytime About Parts of the Body

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Well, my Toddler Storytime this week got rained out, but we luckily the weather held for our Musical Storytime. Our libraries are participating in a program called San Mateo County Reads, sponsored by the County Office of Education, so our featured book was Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison. We had copies of the book to give out, along with copies of Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes for older kids.

On a side note our library system recently purchased portable PA systems for each branch, and these have made a HUGE difference for outdoor storytime. I can put the speaker on one of the picnic tables closer to the audience, and use a headset mic when I read and sing. At the first outdoor storytime, I had to use a microphone on a stand, which was really awkward for reading aloud. But now I can move around freely.

Here are the books and songs that we used:

BOOKS:

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry; illustrated by Vashti Harrison

Our featured picture book, and this year’s picture book selection for San Mateo County Reads, this is a beautiful story about an African American father and daughter, and their struggles to recreate a special hairstyle for a very special day. The book is actually based on an Oscar Award-winning short film, which was originally funded by a Kickstarter pitched by the author. (Warning: the film will make you cry!). The book was a bit longer than the ones I usually read for my musical storytime audience, but since we had given out copies to each family, they could follow along as we read, giving the kids a really clear view of the illustrations. It was sweet to see all of the caregivers and kids sitting on their blankets and looking at the book together.

Who Has Wiggle-Waggle Toes? by Vicki Shiefman and Francesca Chessa

This is a really cute book, reminiscent of Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe, but featuring children instead of animals. It begins by asking who has different body parts (wiggle-waggle toes, hokey-pokey heads, and big, bold bottoms), and then asks the kids to move each part in different ways. I’ve noticed that the kids in the outdoor storytime tend to stay seated on their blankets, and this was a great way to encourage them to move around a bit more. Since the families were spread out, my coworker, Claire, walked a second copy of the book around to help the kids see the illustrations (she says it’s fun to hear the caregivers talking to their kids about things they see in the pictures. This has turned out to be an unexpected bonus of outdoor storytime, and a new way of promoting interactions between parents and kids.

There Is a Bird on My Head? by Mo Willems

This is one of my favorite Elephant and Piggie books, where Gerald the Elephant is unhappy to discover that a couple of birds have decided to build a nest on top of his head. Claire drew a pig nose on a face mask and read the part of Piggie, and I put on a set of elephant ears to be Gerald. We had a bird puppet, and even a nest of baby bird puppets to put on our heads, which was an extra challenge, but hilarious for the kids, since they kept falling off. Lots of fun!

SONGS:

I LOVE MY HAIR

I came up with this one to go with Hair Love. It’s to the tune of Love Somebody, Yes, I Do.

I love my hair, yes I do! (nod)

Love to wash it with shampoo (Mime washing your hair)

Rinse it, dry it (shake head vigorously), style it too.

Don’t you love my new hairdo? (fluff your hair with your hands)

AIKEN DRUM

This old Scottish song is one of my favorites to sing and play. I often have the kids suggest their own foods for the different parts of Aiken Drum’s face, but this time I printed out large pictures of meatballs, cheese, pizza, and spaghetti noodles, and taped them to the back of the large notepad I use to display song lyrics. The ukulele/guitar chords are in brackets:

[C] There was a man lived [F] in the moon
[C] In the moon, [G] in the moon.
There [C] was a man lived [F] in the moon,
And his [C] name was [G] Aiken [C] Drum.

Chorus:

And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle,
He played upon a ladle, and his name was Aiken Drum.

Verse:

His eyes were made of meatballs, meatballs, meatballs,
His eyes were made of meatballs, and his name was Aiken Drum

His nose was made of cheese….

His mouth was made of pizza…

His hair was made of spaghetti…  etc.

THE HOKEY POKEY

This one worked perfectly as a follow-up to Who Has Wiggle-Waggle Toes. Here are the chords:

[C] You put your right hand in,

You put your right hand out.

You put your right hand in,

[G] And you shake it all about!

You do the Hokey Pokey

And you turn yourself around,

That’s what it’s all [C] about!

HEAD AND SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES

This one needs no explanation, except that I like to sing it three it times, getting faster and faster, and I always add a “beep beep” after the word nose. I also point to each body part before we sing the song the first time, and make the inevitable joke, “Did everyone bring their heads today?,” which usually gets a laugh from the grown-ups.

NO ONE LIKE YOU by Andra Willis Muhoberac:

For years, my manager Thom Ball and I used this as an opening song for Musical Storytime, and we recorded it with two storytime volunteers (Ellen Ron and Sue Beckmeyer) on a CD we created to give away to families. It’s such a sweet and beautiful song.

I like your [C] eyes.

I like your [F] nose.

I like your [G] mouth.

Your ears, your hands, your [C] toes.

I like your face.

It’s really [F] you.

I [Dm] like the things you say and [G] do.

There’s not a [F] single [G] soul

Who [C] sees the [Am] skies

The [G] way you see them.

Through your [C] eyes.

[F] And aren’t you [G] glad.

[E]You should be [Am] glad.

There’s [C] no one, [G] no one

Exactly like [C] you.

STAY AND PLAY ACTIVITY

For our stay and play activity, I printed out these adorable Nature Collage Critters from The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Camping on TommyJohn.com (the link includes a bunny, a bear, and a raccoon). I gave out glue sticks, so the kids could gather leaves and other small objects from around the park to glue onto their picture. This was a big hit!

Any other favorite books or songs about parts of the body? Please share them in the comments.

Out of the Ordinary: Storytime in the Park

Posted in Rhymes and songs, Storytime themes by
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted about storytime, and that’s because it’s been a while since I’ve done one, even virtually. Our library system opted to hold in-person camps over the summer, to help offset some of the learning loss from the pandemic, so most of our other kids programs were put on hold. But now we are moving into a new phase of holding outdoor storytimes.

Unfortunately, neither of the libraries where I work have an outdoor space suitable for a large, socially-distanced storytime, but this opened up the opportunity to partner with our County and City parks. I was excited to be able to lead a series of Outdoor Musical Storytimes in a picnic area at San Pedro Valley Park, one of my favorite places. We had our first one earlier this week.

It was so great to see all of the families in person. Several of my regular parents showed up with babies or toddlers who had been born during the shutdown. We asked that everyone bring a blanket or seating for their family, and that everyone over the age of 2 wear a mask (we had extra adult and kids masks on hand just in case, but everyone seemed to already have one).

Since sound is an issue outdoors, I brought our branch karaoke machine and a mic on a stand, but sadly the karaoke machine battery died midway through. Before that though, I was having a good time playing kids songs from my phone while families settled in, and using sound effects from Spotify (like quail sounds) to go along with my books. Once it died, I had to just be loud.

I brought two copies of each book: one for me to read from at the front of the group, and one for a coworker to walk around with, so the kids had a chance to see the pictures up close. Weirdly, even though I only read three books (instead of my usual four), the storytime ran for 40 minutes, which was longer than I had intended.

Here’s what we did:

BOOKS:

Queenie Quail Can’t Keep Up by Jane Whittingham; illustrated by Emma Pedersen

One thing I’m excited to do with this storytime series is introduce kids to the wildlife they might see in the park. And San Pedro Valley Park has LOTS of quail. This is an adorable book about a young quail who always falls behind her large family, because she often stops to look at treasures along the way. The family is constantly fussing at her to keep up, until one day her curiosity saves them from a sneaky cat. The repeated “bob, bob, bobbing” and “hurry, hurry, hurrying” throughout the book were an easy way to keep the kids moving and engaged.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont and David Catrow

One of my very favorite picture books to read/sing aloud, this parody of the folk song It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More tells the story of a kid who just can’t help painting different parts of his body, even after his mother tells him not to. There is always a page break before each body part, allowing the kids to guess what it is based on the rhyme (“I see some red, so I paint my…head”), and they enjoy miming painting their own bodies. (In the “before times,” I used to hand out play scarves for the kids to use as paintbrushes). Always a hit!

It’s a Tiger by David LaRochelle; illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Another favorite read-aloud, this book takes readers on an adventure through the jungle and over the sea, where a tiger suddenly appears in the most unlikely places. The book includes lots of opportunities for kids to run in place or pretend to climb a ladder, as well as to yell out “Tiger!” on every other page.

SONGS:

Put Your Mask on Your Face (to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)

My coworker Adrienne Gass came up with this song, which is an easy reminder to throw in at the beginning of storytime:

Put your mask on your face, on your face,
Put your mask on your face, on your face,
Put your mask on your face,
Not on your toes or out in space!
Put your mask on your face, on your face.

Put Your Finger In the Air by Woody Guthrie (Here’s a link to a YouTube performance by Miss Nina, which uses different lyrics than I do, but basically the same tune)

This was my traditional opening song for musical storytime, which I inherited from my former coworker Mike Eppley. It’s fun to come up with different verses each time, and also to ask participants if they know how to count to three in different languages (we usually go through five or six different suggestions, depending on the crowd).

Put your finger in the air, in the air,
Put your finger in the air, in the air,
Put your finger in the air,
And now hide it in your hair,
Put your finger in the air, in the air.

Put your finger on your nose…
And now see how long it grows!…(mime making your nose grow long, and then short again)

Put your finger on your knee…
And now can you count to three?…1,2,3 (uno, dos, tres; un, deux, trois, etc.)

Point your finger at the ground…
And now make a spooky sound!…

Put your fingers all together, all together… (clap)
We we will all be friends forever!

Little Bird

A traditional folk song. I played it on the ukulele (chords and lyrics below), and asked the kids to suggest different birds for each verse. We sang “Owl, Owl, fly through my window,” and “Chickadee, Chickadee…”

C
Little Bird, Little Bird,
C
Fly through my window.
G7
Little Bird, Little Bird,
G7
Fly through my window.
C
Little Bird, Little Bird,
C
Fly through my window.
G7                       C
Find molasses candy.

Chorus:
G7
Fly through my window, my sugar lump!
C                            G7            C
Fly through my window, my sugar lump!
G7                        C
Find molasses candy!

Jay bird, Jay bird, fly through my window…etc…

Chorus

Repeat the verse and chorus, asking kids for the names of different birds (robin, parrot, etc.) to sing in place of “Little Bird” each time.

Two Little Blackbirds

One of my favorite songs/fingerplays. I usually sing it a cappella, so I can do the hand motions.  Click on the triangle to hear how it goes:

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 f-l-e-w s-l-o-w!…

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.)

Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

For this one, I asked the kids what animals they might find at the park, and we came up with our own verses. We had “I’m bringing home a baby raccoon,/ Won’t my Mommy fly off to the moon?” and “I’m bringing home a baby bunny,/Won’t my Mommy really think that’s funny?”


I’m [C] bringing home a [F] baby [C]bumblebee.
[G7] Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
‘Cause I’m [C] bringing home a [F] baby [C] bumblebee.
[G7 ]Ouch! It stung me!

For the last two songs, I handed out shakers, and the kids played along to Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton and Under a Shady Tree by Laurie Berkner (I’m planning to make that my ending song for the whole series, since it fits so well with our outdoor setting).

STAY AND PLAY: Scavenger Hunt

Family Scavenger-HuntDownload

As a final activity for families to do on their own, I handed out small pencils and a scavenger hunt, featuring things that could be easily found near the picnic area. We also passed out stickers as a memento.

Have you performed or attended any outdoor storytimes? If you have any recommendations for things that worked well, please leave them in the comments.