Author Archives: worldsloudestlibrarian

Music to My Ears: A Storytime About Songs

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I’ve been trying to incorporate more early literacy tips into my storytimes lately, so I thought I would try to actually build each of my storytimes around a literacy tip. Last week, I focused on the idea of pointing out common sight words that kids are likely to see out in the world, by doing a storytime around the word “STOP!” This week, I decided to talk about the importance of using songs and rhymes to build pre-reading skills.

I started by talking about how sharing songs and rhymes with young children is one of the easiest ways to help them become strong readers later on. And a fun way to incorporate music into daily life is to make up your own versions of popular songs. To demonstrate this idea, I shared books that were all based on traditional rhymes and children’s songs.

Here’s what we did for Outdoor Musical Storytime (I’m also including a book we read in Family Storytime that fit the theme):

Books:

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

I love this picture book because it combines a traditional lullaby with construction vehicles. Based on the song Hush, Little Baby, this book features a mother describing how she will search for her son’s lost toy truck using a wide variety of other machines. The kids enjoyed calling out the names of the different vehicles.

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

This is one of my all-time favorite storytime books: a parody of It Ain’t Gonna’ Rain No More about a little boy who defies his mother by painting different parts of his body. I gave out the play scarves before we read it, and I had the kids pretend they were paintbrushes. They loved trying to guess which body part we were painting next, based on the rhyme.

Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird; illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi

I actually did this book last week for Family Storytime, and I enjoyed it so much that I used it for Outdoor Musical Storytime this week (I also read it to two T/K classes, who both kept singing “Pop, Goes to Weasel” long after I stopped reading). It features several famous nursery rhymes (Jack and Jill, Pat-a-Cake, Twinkle, Twinkle) that all get interrupted by a weasel popping out to sing, “Pop! Goes the Weasel.” The kids still had the play scarves from the previous book, so I had them throw their scarves in the air every time we got to the word, “Pop!”

Here We Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones by Susan Lendroth; illustrated Bob Kolar

Cute, informative picture book based on the song Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, all about excavating dinosaur bones. I had the kids act out the motions: digging the bones, brushing them off, wrapping them up, and assembling them. Each page has additional facts about paleontology.

Songs:

We Are Scary Ghosts

I was originally going to do The Wheels on the Bus to go with the book Hush, Little Trucker (I love to have the kids suggest animals, Pokemon, or superheroes to go on the bus, like “The Pikachu on the bus goes, “Pika! Pika!”). But since we had the play scarves, and it was close to Halloween, I decided to do one of my favorite Halloween storytime songs instead. I had the kids put the scarves on their heads, and pull them off on the “BOO!”

We are scary ghosts 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!

Pop, Goes the Weasel

We did this song with the parachute. I put a few small stuffed animals on the parachute so we could make them pop up in the air (I just wish I had a toy weasel!) Here’s a Rock N Learn video with the tune, in case you aren’t familiar with it.

All around the cobbler’s bench,
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey thought ’twas all in fun,
“Pop!” Goes the weasel!

Down by the Bay

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. I had the kids suggest ideas for what the mother says in each verse. We had “Did you ever see bananas wearing pajamas?” and “Did you ever see a cat wearing a hat?”

[C] Down by the bay, where the watermelons [G7] grow,
Back to my home, I dare not [C] go,
For if I [F] do, my mother will [C] say,
“Did you ever see a whale with a polka dot tail
[G7] Down by the [C] bay?”

Stay & Play: Paper Plate Maracas

For the Stay & Play, I put out paper plates, markers, & washi tape. Each of the kids decorated the bottoms of two plates. My coworker and I helped them put a small amount of rice on top of one of their plates, then we put the other plate on top and stapled them both together (we did all the stapling). I also showed them how to put washi tape around the outside of the plates to cover any gaps. NOTE: I know using food items as a craft supply can be problematic, but we had an old, open bag of rice in the supply closet, so I made an exception this time. You can also use beads or other small objects.

What are your favorite early literacy tips, or your favorite picture books based on songs? Please share them in the comments below.

Stop and Go: A Storytime

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In our library system, we’ve recently been discussing making more of an effort to incorporate literacy tips for caregivers into our storytimes. I’ll admit that I often struggle to find a natural way to include them. So, this week I decided to build my storytime around a common sight word (“Stop”) and encourage families to look for it together out in the world.

I began by holding up a paper stop sign, and talking about how a great way to prepare for learning to read is to look for words that you encounter a lot in your daily life. I then asked the kids what the sign said. A number of the older ones recognized it as a stop sign.

Here’s what I did for the rest of the storytime (a combination of the books I used for both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime). For Family Storytime, I also included the words “Go” and “Pop” (see below).

Books:

Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper

This is a great book for modeling pointing out prominent words in a picture book, and getting the kids to call them out. The story is about Little Green, who can only say the word “Go!” At first the construction vehicles find him very helpful, but things quickly become too chaotic. Luckily, Little Red rolls into town and says the word, “Stop!” and the two learn to work together to help the vehicles finish building the bridge. One of the toddlers in my Family Storytime kept pointing to the different construction vehicles on each page and expounding at length on each one. I had no idea what he was trying to say, but he was VERY excited!

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

I had to include this one for Family Storytime, both because of the word “Go” and because it’s close to Halloween. I love how kids of all ages are mesmerized by the way the parts of the monster’s face disappear on each page. I usually have them make a “whoosh” noise and waive their hands after each “Go Away” page. I once saw a children’s performer use this book to teach the words for the parts of the face in Mandarin, which I thought was clever, although it was funny that the main Mandarin phrase the kids came away with was “Go away!”

Stop That Mop! by Jonathan Fenske

This rhyming easy reader feels like a Dr. Seuss version of The Gingerbread Man. A mop gets tired of mopping up a pig’s glop and slop, so he runs away. He is chased by a bunny, a horse, and is finally confronted by a Stop sign, who tries to save him from falling off of cliff (luckily he lands on top of a bird). A cute, simple story with fun illustrations.

Stop Snoring, Bernard! by Zachariah Ohora

Simple story about an otter who can’t find a place to sleep where his snoring won’t bother any of the other animals. But eventually his otter friends and families tell him that they miss him. Lots of fun opportunities for the kids to snore and yell, “Stop snoring, Bernard!”

Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird; illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi

I read this at Family Storytime, even though it doesn’t include the word “Stop” at all. But it did provide an opportunity to talk about rhyming words. This is a really fun book featuring a series of popular nursery rhymes that all get interrupted by a weasel yelling, “Pop! Goes the Weasel.” I gave out the play scarves before we read it, and had the kids throw their scarves in the air each time we yelled “Pop!” I also read this at a preschool the next day, and one boy begged me to read it again.

Songs & Activities

Stop & Go

For this activity, I held up a paper Stop Sign and a paper Go sign. We all did different actions together (clapping, stomping, running in place, etc.) while I was holding up the Go sign, and then stopped when I held up the Stop sign.

Head and Shoulders, Knees & Toes

We sang this after reading Go Away, Big Green Monster in Family Storytime. I always start by having the kids point to the different body parts before we sing (I always say, “Did you bring your head today?”). But midway through this process, one little girl shouted, “Elbow!” So, the second time we sang it, I sang “elbow” instead of “nose.” They thought it was hilarious! I used this trick again yesterday at a couple of preschools, and threw in “eyebrow” instead of “nose” the third time we sang it. It’s so much fun to catch kids by surprise.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
And eyes and ears, and mouth and nose.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

We Bounce and We Bounce and We Stop

This is similar to the Stop & Go activity above, but in song form. It’s one of my all-time favorite storytime songs, because it’s so versatile. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, we sang it with the parachute as “We shake and we shake and we stop!”

[C] We bounce and we bounce and we stop!
[C] We bounce and we bounce and we stop!
[C] We bounce and we bounce and we bounce and we bounce,
[C] And we bounce and [G7] we bounce and we [C} stop!

Dance Like You’ve Got Ants in Your Pants by Eric Herman

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. It’s such a fun song. Each time we spray our imaginary spray, I usually say, “And the ants (bees, bears) say, ‘Ewww! Ewww! Ewww!” and run away!

[C] Dance like you’ve got [G7] ants in your pants.
[F] Dance like you’ve got [G7] ants in your pants.
[C] Dance like you’ve got [G7] ants in your pants,
Now [F] STOP! And spray some ant spray!

[C] Dance like you’ve got [G7] bees on your knees.
[F] Dance like you’ve got [G7] bees on your knees.
[C] Dance like you’ve got [G7] bees on your knees,
Now [F] STOP! And spray some bee spray!

[C] Dance like you’ve got a [G7] bear in your hair.
[F] Dance like you’ve got a [G7] bear in your hair.
[C] Dance like you’ve got a [G7] bear in your hair,
Now [F] STOP! And spray some bear spray!

[G7] Bop! Bop! Bop! [F] Until you [C] drop!
[G7] Hula, Hula, Hula! [F] Until you [C] drool-a!
[C] Jump like you got [G7] bumped on your rump.
[F] Jump like you got [G7] bumped on your rump.

[C] Jump like you got [G7] bumped on your rump,
Now [F] STOP!
[G7] Dance anyway, [F] Dance any [C] how,
[G7] Dance any night and day.

[F] Keep on dancing [C] now.
[G7] Dance any way you want to.
[F] Dance any way you [C] can.
[G7] Dance like you got ants [F] in your pants a- [C] gain!

[C] Dance like you’ve got [G7] ants in your pants.
[F] Dance like you’ve got [G7] ants in your pants.
[C] Dance like you’ve got [G7] bees on your knees.
[F] Dance like you’ve got [G7] bees on your knees.

[C] Dance like you’ve got a [G7] bear in your hair.
[F] Dance like you’ve got a [G7] bear in your hair.
[C] Jump like you got [G7] bumped on your rump.
[F] Jump like you got [G7] bumped on your rump.

[G7] Bop! Bop! Bop! [F] Until you [C]drop!
[G7] Dance, Dance, Dance, [F] don’t ever [C] STOP!

Stay & Play: Stop Sign Collages

Before storytime, I printed and cut out paper stop sign templates. I also cut red tissue paper and origami paper into small pieces. For the Stay & Play, I gave the kids the template, along with glue sticks, red washi tape with different patterns, a variety of colored sequins, the paper pieces, popsicle sticks and tape. Some of them got really into decorating their stop signs, and they all loved being able to hold them up and yell, “Stop!” when they were done.

What are your favorite literacy tips to share with families and caregivers, and how do you incorporate them into your programs? Please share in the comments below.

Get Your Ducks in a Row: A Storytime About Ducks (And Chickens!)

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I haven’t had as much time to write up my storytimes lately, but this was one I had fun with recently. I used the theme for both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime, so here’s a combined list of the books and songs that I did.

Books:

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuen Chen

This is an older title, and a bit too long for my Outdoor Musical Crowd, but my Family Storytime kids were mesmerized. When a strange egg rolls into a duck’s nest, it hatches into a crocodile named Guji Guji, who grows up believing he is just like the other ducks. When a trio of crocodiles tells him the truth, Guji Guji has to decide whether to join them or save his adoptive family.

Truck Full of Ducks by Ross Burach

Hilarious story about a company called Truck Full of Ducks, who sets out one day in search of a customer whose address was accidentally eaten by the ducks. Along the way, they meet a number of other odd truck-based businesses: a tow truck towing a flying saucer, a duck removal service, and a mail truck requested by a girl who wants to ship her brother far away. They finally find their customer deep in the forest: a fox who wants a few ducks for his evening bath. The book got laughs from both kids and grown-ups, especially the page showing a row of bathroom stalls, with a set of duck feet showing under each door.

Ducks Away! by Mem Fox, illustrated by Judy Horacek

Cute, simple story about a mother duck who is dismayed when each of her five babies slip off of a bridge into the water below. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I used the ducks from the Monkee Mitt and tossed a duck into the crowd each time a duck in the story fell off of the bridge. For Family Storytime, I read this book after our play scarf songs, and had the kids toss their scarf in the air each time a duck fell.

The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog by Mo Willems

My coworker and I read this book together at Outdoor Musical Storytime. The first Mo Willems book featuring The Duckling, this story involves the Pigeon preparing to enjoy a hot dog he just found, but being repeatedly interrupted by the Duckling’s questions.

Chicken Butt! by Erica S. Perl; illustrated by Henry Cole

I couldn’t resist including this book for Family Storytime, even though it’s about chickens rather than ducks. I’ve been having a great time reading it at my preschool and Transitional Kindergarten outreach classes. It’s basically an extension of the old “Guess What?” “Chicken Butt!” joke, in the context of a young boy joking with his father. The line “Guess where?” “Chicken underwear!” got an even bigger laugh than “Chicken butt!”

Songs

Five Little Ducks

We sang this song with the five little duck set and the Monkee Mitt. Although the song always seems sad to me (at least until the last verse), the kids seem to enjoy singing the “Quack Quack Quack Quacks.”

Five little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck cried, “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack!”
But only four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks went out one day…

Three little ducks went out one day…

Two little ducks went out one day…

One little duck went out one day…

Sad Mother Duck went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck cried, “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack!”
And all of the five little ducks came back!

Six Little Ducks

We actually have two different Monkee Mitt sets for the Five Little Ducks, so for Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put six of the ducks on the parachute and we waved the chute up and down in time to the song.

[C] Six little ducks that I once [G7] knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, [C] fair ones too.But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back.
He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

Chorus:
[G7] “Quack! Quack! Quack! [C] Quack! Quack! Quack!”
[G7] He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

[C] Down to the river they would [G7] go,
Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, [C] to and fro.
But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back.
He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

Chorus

[C] Home from the river they would [G7] come,
[C] Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, ho hum hum.
But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back.
He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

Chorus

Two Little Duckies

We sang this with the play scarves at Family Storytime. I gave each child two scarves, so they could hold one in each hand to be the two duckies. Adapted from the traditional Two Little Blackbirds fingerplay.

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

Two little duckies sitting on a gate.
One was early, and the other was…late!…

Rubber Ducky by Jeff Moss

I couldn’t resist ending with Rubber Ducky as our instrument play-along song at the end. The song uses some less-known chords, so rather than including the lyrics and chords here, I’m just attaching the link to ukulele-tabs.com, which helpfully provides the chord charts: https://www.ukulele-tabs.com/uke-songs/sesame-street/rubber-ducky-uke-tab-67701.html

Stay & Play: Duck Collage

For the Stay & Play, I put out some paper duck templates (that I had pre-cut before storytime (I used this one from SimpleMomProject.com), along with glue sticks, dot markers, eye stickers and googly eyes, and craft feathers. The kids had a great time decorating their ducks.

What are your favorite books or songs about ducks? Please tell me in the comments below.

Library Programs for Homeschoolers

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Homeschoolers playing with the Super Space and
getting help on the computer at the Homeschooling
Open House.

We recently hosted a couple of programs at our library to connect with local homeschooling families and people who were considering homeschooling as an option. It’s been a fun and educational process for me, and I’ve learned that there are far more homeschooling families in our area than I thought.

Here are the two programs that we offered:

Homeschooling 101: A Virtual Presentation

One of the first in-person programs that we had to cancel back in the early days of the pandemic was a presentation by Jamie Heston, a local homeschooling consultant. At the time, she asked if it would be possible to offer the program online via Zoom instead, but we hadn’t really offered programs that way (other than a couple of author talks). Now, however, it seemed like a great way to connect to families who were considering homeschooling, but wanted to learn more.

Jamie often offers free presentations on behalf of the Homeschool Association of California. This was the same hour-long presentation, which covered the basics of how to register as a homeschooler, what the different options are, what documentation is required, how to transition back into traditional school if necessary, and a wide variety of recommended resources. I was surprised to learn how easy it is to register as a homeschool, and that families can start at any point, even in the middle of the school year. As a parent, I have been incredibly grateful for our local public schools, and the wonderful teachers my kids have had along the way, but it was still reassuring to know that it would be relatively easy to switch to homeschooling (at least from a legal perspective) if the school environment was not working well for some reason. Jamie also recommended this list of books about “unschooling” from Amber Dos Santos’ blog.

Homeschooling Open House

In order to convey that our libraries are interested in working with local homeschooling families, I advertised a Homeschooling Open House. A few months ago, I posted on a couple of Facebook groups for local families asking homeschooling parents to message me if they would be interested in being added to a mailing list specifically for homeschooling events. Once I had that mailing list, I sent them this simple survey, which asked them which days and times would work best. Based on the results of that, I ended up scheduling the Open House on a Monday afternoon from 1pm to 2:30pm.

My goals for the open house were pretty simple. I wanted to provide a space for the families to connect, to share information about library resources that might interest them, and to solicit feedback about what services and resources they would find most helpful. I prepared some handouts about our online databases and tips on using our library catalog, along with a basic library scavenger hunt (see below). I also created a more detailed printed survey, based on one that Kitty Murphy from the Medina County District Library in Ohio had shared with me when I asked for ideas from the Programming Librarian Interest Group on Facebook. And I set aside a table for a Curriculum Exchange, and advertised on the flier that participants were welcome to bring any materials they would like to share.

I really had no idea what to expect in terms of attendance. I thought we’d maybe get three or four families, so when people started pouring in, I was shocked! Within the first half hour, there were almost sixty people, with clusters of kids and parents all over the library. One of our interns helped the kids make pin-back buttons, and we put our two SuperSpace sets (giant Magna-Tiles) out in the children’s area. Several of the older kids clustered around a boy playing a video game on the computer (in retrospect, I should have set-up one of our Nintendo Switch games on the projector). A couple brought in boxes and boxes of materials for the Curriculum Exchange, although some of it was wildly outdated (including a book about Christopher Columbus from 1967). Other people brought in more current materials to share, and many of the parents hovered around that table the whole time. I did end up with a lot of leftover curriculum, which I offered to hold on to for a homeschooling meet-up that a local parent has just started.

In the end, I didn’t really get much of an opportunity to present our library resources, because people kept arriving at different times. They did take my handouts though, and if they had specific questions about our databases, I gave them a personal demonstration on a laptop I had set up on the table with the handouts and surveys. I did get a number of responses to the survey. From those, I learned that most of the parents were primarily interested in opportunities for their kids to interact with other homeschoolers, and rather than with students from traditional schools. There was a great deal of interest in STEM programs, and access to scientific equipment, like microscopes, so I have been talking to some of my coworkers about offering some science programs specifically for that community. A lot of them were also interested in Homeschool Graduate Panels (a chance to learn from the experiences of recent homeschooling graduates), which is something I haven’t explored yet.

Here are a few take-aways I took from these two homeschooling-focused events:

  • The homeschooling community is much larger and more networked than I thought, and families are also willing to travel long distances. Most of the families at the open house belong to the same two local homeschooling networks, and many of them live in San Francisco, or down the coast towards Half Moon Bay. I am excited to have the ability to connect with so many new families through these networks, and to promote our programs and services to them.
  • The homeschooling parents seemed genuinely happy to see the library reaching out. In the end, the Homeschooling Open House was more about providing an opportunity for families to connect with each other, which is a really easy thing to offer. One of the parents has just reserved our community room to schedule a regular meet-up for homeschooling families, something that requires no effort from us at all, other than providing access to the space.

Have you offered any programs for homeschoolers or about homeschooling? Please share your experiences in the comments below.

Book scavenger hunt (1)Download

Disability Pride Month: A Storytime

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I’m finally catching up on posting some of the storytimes I did over the summer. July is Disability Pride Month, so a few weeks ago I did a Family Storytime featuring a variety of disabilities. I opened by talking very briefly about how everyone has different abilities, and things that they find easier or harder than others, and how some people rely on different types of tools to help them.

For this post, I’m experimenting with writing out everything we did in order, instead of breaking it up into books, songs, and Stay & Play activity. Please let me know if you prefer this format.

OPENING SONG: The Wheels on the Bus

For Family Storytime (which is on Wednesday nights, and tends to get a smaller crowd) I always put out a variety of animal puppets around the storytime area. When we sing the wheels on the bus, the kids hold up different animals they would like us to sing about: The cat on the bus goes “Meow, Meow, Meow!” etc. We always end by singing “The wheels on the bus go round and round” as fast as we can.

[C] The wheels on the bus go round and round.
[G7] Round and round, [C] Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
[G7] All over [C] town.

OPENING BOOK: Best Day Ever by Marilyn Singer; illustrated by Leah Nixon

A dog describes the “best day ever,” which is spent with a little boy who happens to be in a wheelchair. This is an adorable, simple story that captures the way everyday moments can change your view of how good or bad the day is, especially for an energetic dog who sometimes gets into trouble. The wheelchair is never mentioned in the text, and the illustrations clearly demonstrate that kids who use wheelchairs can do most of the same day-to-day things as kids who don’t. A great example of a book that shows different life experiences without presenting them as a “problem.”

SONG: B-I-N-G-O

This is an old standby, but here’s a video from Super Simple Songs, just in case you’re not familiar with it. Traditionally, you leave out a letter each time you sing it, and clap instead. Sometimes, I have the kids bark instead of clapping. I also like to use the American Sign Language signs when I explain which letters we will be leaving out, for example, “This time we’re going to clap instead of singing the letters B and I.”

[C] There was a farmer [F] had a [C] dog,
And Bingo [G] was his [C] name-o.
[C] B-I- [F] N-G-O
[G] B-I- [C] N-G-O
[Am] B-I- [F] N-G-O
And [G] Bingo was his [C] name-o.

There was a farmer had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(Clap)-I-N-G-O!… etc.

My City Speaks by Darren Lebeuf & Ashley Barron

A visually impaired girl describes how she experiences a day in the city, including the sounds, smells, tastes, and feel of the world around her. The kids enjoyed pointing out details in the illustrations.

DEMO BOOK: DK Braille Books: On the Move by DK Publishing

I didn’t actually read this one, but I passed it around so the kids could touch the Braille letters, and explained that it was written in a special language that you read with your fingertips instead of your eyes. The kids were fascinated!

ACTIVITY: CAN YOU GUESS THE ANIMAL?

To go along with the idea of using senses other than sight, I put plastic animals in individual paper bags. The kids took turns reaching into the bag and trying to guess which animal it was, just based on their sense of touch. They got all of them wrong, except for the sheep, which has a distinctive knobbly coat.

THIRD BOOK: Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus & Polly Dunbar

A bear is confused when people keep asking him “Can bears ski?” and also when he doesn’t understand jokes that his friends are laughing at. But then one day, he is fitted with hearing aids, and discovers people have really been asking, “Can you hear me?”

SCARF PLAY: Snowball Fight

I usually do another song with the play scarves before we sing Popcorn Kernels (which we do every week), but this week, we had a pretend snowball fight with the scarves instead, bundling them up into balls and throwing them at each other. Always a hit!

SCARF SONG: Popcorn Kernels
To the Tune of Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)

Popcorn Kernels, (hold scarf bunched up in one hand)
Popcorn Kernels,
In the Pot,
In the Pot.
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em, (shake hand)
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
Till they POP! (throw scarf in the air)
Till they POP!

FINAL BOOK: Oona and the Shark by Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Raissa Figueroa

I was planning to end with this book, and talk briefly about how some people have a hard time with loud sounds (we have a bin of headphones for kids with sound sensitivity). Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we got to it. It’s a cute story though, where Oona, the Mermaid, tries to befriend a shark, but discovers that her loud activities and the party she throws are scaring him away, and comes up with new activities instead.

INSTRUMENT PLAY: Baby Shark

Even though I didn’t get to read my final book, we still had time to hand out the egg shakers and sing Baby Shark.

[C] Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
[F] Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
[Am] Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
[G] Baby shark!

Mommy shark…

Daddy shark…

Grandma Shark…

Grandpa Shark…

Let’s go hunt!…

Run away!…

CLOSING SONG: The More We Get Together

I always end Family Storytime with The More We Get Together, which we do with the ASL signs. Here’s a Miss Rachel video to demonstrate:

The more we get together,
Together, together,
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.
‘Cause your friends are my friends,
And my friends are your friends.
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.

Stay & Play: Watercolor Painting

I just realized I didn’t get any photos of the watercolor painting, but the kids really enjoyed it. It always takes the little ones a few minutes to get the hang of dipping the brush in water before dipping it into the paint, but once they do, they don’t want to stop. It didn’t exactly tie-in to the theme, but it’s such a peaceful, sensory-filled experience, and everyone loves it.

RELATED BOOKS:

I did a similar theme at my Outdoor Musical Storytime this past week, and we asked a local agency called AbilityPath to table. AbilityPath is a nonprofit that provides free services to people who are neurodiverse or have developmental disabilities.

For this storytime, I focused more on books about neurodiversity, and how to respect other people’s individual differences and sensitivities. Here are the books I read:

Autism: Through the Eyes of a Child: Brayden’s Story by Jennifer Zuniga & Pia Reyes

I have a regular volunteer (a college student) who accompanies me on guitar for Outdoor Musical Storytime. She is on the autism spectrum, and had asked me if she could read this book aloud at storytime. Unfortunately, she able to read that day due to illness, but I’m hoping she will be able to share it this week, as part of our Friendship Week theme. The book is told from the point of view of a child who has just learned about autism, and is reminded of a classmate named Brayden, who would probably love to make friends.

This Beach is Loud by Samantha Cotterill (Part of the Little Senses series)

A boy who is excited to go to the beach with his Dad discovers that it is much too loud and crowded. His Dad helps him cope with the sensory overload by telling him to count to three and tap his fingers. The kids loved his monologue on the drive to and from the beach, which ends with “I have to pee!” both times. I like that this book, and the others in the series, provide real life scenarios for families with children with sensory processing disorders or similar conditions, but keep the stories general enough to apply to any child. I wanted to give a shoutout to the Storytime Solidarity group on Facebook, where I got this recommendation (from Sheri Shumaker), along with other great book suggestions from other members.

Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison; illustrated by Daniel Wiseman

This book isn’t specifically about disabilities, but since many kids with sensory processing disorder or autism may be upset by unsolicited hugs, it seemed like a good one to include. It’s also just a great, funny, rhyming story for everyone about the importance of consent. I also read it at a lot of my preschool outreach sites, where it’s always a hit. The kids love giving Doug a high five on the last page.

Do you have any favorite books or songs about disabilities or neurodiversity? Please share them in the comments below.

Let’s Pretend: A Storytime About Imaginative Play

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I’ve gotten behind on my blog posts this summer, and we’ve also had a number of performers in place of storytime, but this was a fun theme I did a few weeks ago about pretending and imaginative play.

Books:

I’m a Frog by Mo Willems

In this Elephant and Piggie book, Gerald is shocked when Piggie announces that she is a frog. At first, he worries that he might turn into a frog too, until Piggie explains that she is just pretending.

Alphabreaths Too by Christopher Willard & Daniel Rechtschaffen

I used this book more as an activity between books than a read-aloud. It’s a collection of mindful breathing exercises that are fun to do together. I did the first three at storytime: the Astronaut breath, the Bunny breath, and the Chocolate breath. The kids especially loved the Chocolate breath, where you pretend to breathe in the smell of hot chocolate and then breathe out like you are blowing on it to cool it down. I’ve been sharing this book at my preschool outreach storytimes too.

Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig

This is an old favorite of mine, about a father who decides to cheer up his son Pete by imagining he is a pizza: putting him on the kitchen table, kneading the dough, whirling and twirling it in the air, and adding toppings. Always a hit! The dedication at the end suggests that this is a game William Steig used to play with his own daughter.

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

Adorable, simple picture book featuring a conversation between a rabbit and an invisible narrator, who keeps asking what he is doing with a cardboard box. The rabbit insists that it’s not a box, while the illustrations show what the box is in his imagination: a rocket ship, a mountain, a burning building. The kids enjoyed guessing what the rabbit was imagining the box to be each time.

Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis

After I read, Not a Box, the kids were eager to hear this companion book, which features a pig pretending to do a variety of activities with a stick.

Songs:

The Silly Pizza Song

This song by Rachel de Azevedo Coleman from her Signing Time series is one of my absolute favorites. See the YouTube video below for the tune and the signs. I usually just teach the kids the sign for pizza and the sign for cheese, and we do those signs together each time we sing those words. I ask the kids for topping ideas, and we add a new topping each time we sing it. It’s fun to choose silly toppings, like cookies or ice cream.

I like pepperoni on my pizza.
I like pepperoni pizza, please.
Put the pepperoni on my pizza,
Don’t forget the extra cheese!

I like apples on my pizza,
I like apple pizza, please.
Put the apples on the pepperoni,
Put the pepperoni on my pizza.
Don’t forget the extra cheese!

Down By the Banks of the Hanky Panky

This is a lapsit rhyme I used to use for baby storytime, where you bounce the baby from knee to knee. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put some frog stuffed animals on the parachute, and we lifted the parachute up and down in time with the rhyme to make them “jump” around.

Down by the banks of the hanky panky,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,
With a hip, a hop,
A hippity-hop,
Jump off the lilypad and kerplop!

Wishy Washy Washer Woman

We did this song with play scarves for Family Storytime. I use the version in this video from Imagine More Story Adventures:

Way down in the valley where nobody goes,
There’s a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes.
She goes “Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh!”
And that’s the way she washes her clothes.

Repeat with drying her clothes (we blow on the scarves), folding her clothes, and wearing her clothes.

Abracadabra

This was one of the first songs that I ever wrote. Click on the triangle for the tune.

One day [C] I found a magic wand (C G)
Out floating in a stream. (F C)
I waved it at my dinner plate, (C G)
And my beets became ice cream! (F G C)

I said, “Abracadabra! (C G)
Alakazaam! (F G)
Abracadabra!” (C G)
And my peas turned into jam. (F G C)

So then I took my magic wand
To school with me one day.
When Teacher said, “It’s time to work.”
I said, “I’d rather play.”

I said, “Abracadabra!
Hocus pocus!” too.
“Abracadabra!”
And my class was at the zoo!
Being taught by a kangaroo.

So if you find a magic wand
Out floating in a stream.
I hope that it will bring to you
Whatever you may dream.

You’ll say, “Abracadabra!
Presto chango!” too.
“Abracadabra!”
Many things will come to you.
Like a treehouse with a view,
And a unicorn or two,
And a chocolate mansion too.
May your every dream come true.

Stay & Play: Magic Wands

For the Stay & Play, I gave the kids two different options for making magic wands: adding pony beads to a pipe cleaner, or decorating a stick with a piece of star wire garland. Some kids combined the two, wrapping their beaded pipe cleaners around a stick, or attacking the wire garland to the pipe cleaners. It was fun to see them waving their wands around at the end.

Do you have favorite books or songs about pretending? Please share them in the comments below.

Satellite Libraries: Books Beyond the Branch

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This year, our library staff has been expanding our outreach efforts to reach people in our communities who may not be able to come to the library. One of the approaches we have been trying is to create Satellite Libraries in different locations, including local preschools, special needs classrooms for teens, senior centers, rehab facilities, food banks, and school aftercare sites.

For each location, we create a separate library account, and provide a plastic bin (we’re currently using heavy duty plastic transit bins that were retired when our system switched to a different type). We stock the bins with 30 to 40 books that we swap out once a month or so.

The books we supply are often duplicate copies, or low-circing items that might otherwise have been weeded. It’s been a great way to circulate some of our world language books to communities who will get the most use from them: for example, we bring picture books in Tagalog in Spanish to one of the local preschools where a number of the children come from families where those languages are spoken at home. We will also take requests for particular types of books if possible.

We make it clear to the staff at each location that they do not need to keep track of the books in the bin. People are welcome to bring the books home, and we are not overly concerned if they don’t get returned. In my experience though, most of the books have come back.

The kids at the school aftercare sites are always especially excited whenever we bring new books for the bin. They immediately start pulling books from the bin, which is always fun to see.

If you have any questions, or if you’ve tried a similar program you would like to share, please let me know in the comments.

Bugs and Slugs and Other Creatures: A Storytime About Creepy Crawlies

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Last week, we had a fun time celebrating the little creatures we see around us (worms, bugs, slugs, etc.) for both Outdoor Musical and Family Storytime. We have a collection of large toy insects that are popular with kids in the library, so I brought those out for the kids to look at during Stay & Play at the end.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Worm Makes a Sandwich by Brianne Farley

This book was so much fun to read aloud, especially because I got to try out my “worm voice” (I made it slightly squeaky). A friendly worm offers to make you a sandwich. All he needs is some garbage, which is not for your sandwich, but for him to eat, and then he will poop (the poop is not for your sandwich either) and help make compost to create dirt (also not for your sandwich) to grow a tomato (which IS for your sandwich). Such a cute, funny way to share the importance of earthworms, with tips at the back about composting.

Slug in Love by Rachel Bright; illustrated by Nadia Shireen

I shared this book largely because one of my regular storytime kiddos comes to the park before storytime every week in order to count the banana slugs. Although this book doesn’t feature a banana slug, it is about a lonely slug named Doug, who desperately needs a hug, but no one wants to hug him, until he meets a friendly lady bug.

A Good Place by Lucy Cousins

Sweet, simple, colorful book about four insect friends looking for a safe place to live. But every place they find comes with problems: the flowers are on a busy sidewalk, the puddle is on a car-filled street, the plant is sprayed with something that makes them cough, etc. Finally, a butterfly leads them to a beautiful garden owned by a boy who loves insects.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

I had to include this one, because it’s such a classic, and the kids always get excited when I read a book they have at home. The story of a caterpillar who eats a variety of foods all week in order to become a beautiful butterfly.

Songs:

The Butterfly Song

I learned this song from my former coworker, Angela, and it’s become one of my favorites, especially because somewhere along the way our library acquired a really cool Life Cycle of the Monarch puppet from Folkmanis, which allows you to switch between the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. You can also sing it with play scarves, as described below.

First comes a butterfly (Wave scarf or move your hands like a butterfly)
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 in your hand or make a fist).
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Out of the chrysalis, my, oh, my!
Out comes a beautiful butterfly! (Open up hand and wave scarf).

Shoo, Fly!

There are lots of different versions of this song, but the one I use is closest to the one in this video by Greg and Steve. I asked the kids for suggestions of what animals they would like to be. For Family Storytime, I passed out the play scarves before we sang it, and we waved them in the air on the “Shoo, Fly” line.

CHORUS:

Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me! (Wave hands 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.

CHORUS

I roar, I roar, I roar like a lion…

Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. There are lots of different versions of this song, including the gruesome camp version where the poor bumblebee gets squished. The version I do is closest to the one in this video by Dr. Jean. I had the kids suggest different animals, and we created new verses on the spot for them, which is always a bit of a challenge: I’m bringing home a baby elephant, won’t my Mommy say, “Oh, no! I can’t!” etc.

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!

I’m bringing home a baby elephant…

Stay & Play: Fun with Stamps

This was the simplest Stay & Play, but the kids LOVED it! I just put out white paper, ink pads, and our large collection of stamps (which include a number of bugs and other animals) and the kids had a blast covering their pages with different pictures. One little boy kept saying, “I made a picture!”

What are your favorite picture books or songs about small creatures? Please share them in the comments below.

A Month of Favorite Picture Books

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Sorry for the long gap between posts. Since Children’s Book Week is in May, I decided to ask local families to share their favorite picture books, and build my weekly storytimes around them.

At the end of April, I asked my storytime audiences for book suggestions, and also posted the question on the Facebook page for our local Families Club. I got a LOT of recommendations, including many standard favorites, but also some titles I wasn’t familiar with.

It was a really fun month, and the families were excited to have their favorite books shared at storytime. I mostly stuck to a lot of traditional songs and rhymes as well (Old McDonald, The Wheels on the Bus, etc.).

The Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz

Adorable adaptation of The Wheels on the Bus, featuring a busload of babies.

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

Beautifully illustrated, rhyming story about a bear who wakes up hungry after hibernating all weekend. I taught the kids the ASL signs for Bear and More, so they could sign along with the repeated “Bear wants more!” line.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

One of my own kids’ favorite books, this simple pop-up features different animals that the zoo sends as potential pets for the narrator: an elephant, a giraffe, a lion, etc. The kids loved guessing the animals and lifting the flaps.

Don’t Worry, Little Crab by Chris Haughton

I loved this picture book about a crab who is worried about leaving the tide pools to go into the deep ocean. I ended up bringing it to all of the preschools that I visit too. The illustrations are adorable.

Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison; illustrated by Brianne Farley

Cute, rhyming story about a bear who makes lots doughnuts to prepare for hibernation, but keeps being interrupted by hungry friends. The kids enjoyed joining in on the “Ding Dong” sounds on each page.

Grace and Box by Kim Howard; illustrated by Megan Lötter

Sweet, colorful picture book about a little girl and her friend Box, who can become whatever she imagines: a house, a rocket ship, a skyscraper, and more.

I Say Please and Thank You by Rachel Isadora & Robie Rogge

This was one of my favorite recommendations: a lift the flap about what to say in different situations. The illustrations are charming, and the book even covers what to say when you accidentally fart in public, which was huge hit!

The Hike by Alison Farrell

A story about a group of kids who hike to the top of a mountain together, and notice lots of animals and other natural sights along the way.

It’s a Tiger by David LaRochelle and Jeremy Tankard

An adventure story about journeying through the jungle and constantly being surprised by a tiger. The part where the sea captain ends up being a tiger always gets a laugh. It’s a fun book to pair with the traditional Going on a Bear Hunt rhyme (I substituted a tiger).

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Such a fun read-aloud about a monster who can’t scare anyone. The kids always laugh at the ending when Leonardo says, “Boo!”

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Most of the families were already familiar with this one, but they loved hearing it again. A cute, rhyming story about a friendly Little Blue Truck, whose many friends come to the rescue when he gets stuck in the mud while trying to help a self-important dump truck. The kids enjoyed all of the animal sounds.

No More Naps by Chris Grabenstein; illustrated by Leo Espinosa

This one was a bit too long for my Outdoor Musical Storytime crowd, but worked well for the older kids at my Family Storytime. When a little girl refuses to take a nap, everyone around her asks to take one instead until all of the naps are gone. The kids liked joining in on the “Waaaaaaaa’s.”

The Scariest Book Ever by Bob Shea

This is technically a Halloween book, but my Family Storytime kiddos loved it anyway. A timid ghost warns the reader not to go into the scary woods, and is skeptical when he hears that it is full of friendly animals.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

This is such a beautiful, interactive picture book that follows an apple tree throughout the year, asking readers to do help things along by blowing the tree a kiss, touching the blossoms, etc.

Where Is My Nose? by Lucas Zanotto

I’ll admit that this book caught me by surprise because (spoiler alert!) the dog never finds his nose! Instead he learns to love trying out different types of noses (clouds, trees, etc.) and wondering what he will find next. The kids enjoyed guessing what his nose was going to be each time, based on the piece of the picture you can see on the previous page.

Who Has Wiggle Waggle Toes? by Vicky Shiefman; illustrated Francesca Chessa

Very cute action book for toddlers and preschoolers, asking them to move different body parts.

Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood

When a curious owl stays awake all day, he is astonished by all of the different colors he sees. The kids enjoyed joining in on the “Wow’s!” and calling out the colors.

Stay & Play Activities:

In keeping with our month of favorites, I did some of my favorite easy process art activities for the Stay & Plays each week. They were:

Flower Painting

Flower Painting is so easy and fun! You just bring flower petals (preferably nontoxic ones like nasturtiums and geraniums) and the kids squish them into the paper.

Tissue Paper Painting

Another super easy (if messy) activity. The kids arrange pieces of tissue paper on cardstock and then lightly spray it with water until the color bleeds onto the page.

Sticky Note Resist Art

For this one, I put out sticky notes, dot markers, and white paper. The kids arranged sticky notes of different sizes on the white paper, and then covered the page with the dot markers. The fun part was peeling the sticky notes off to reveal the white space.

Beaded Bracelets

Beaded bracelets with Pony beads and pipe cleaners are always a huge hit!

Your turn: what are your favorite picture books? Or favorite process art activities? Please share them in the comments below.

Going Out on a Limb: A Storytime About Trees

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Last week, we enjoyed celebrating trees in both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Hilariously over-the-top story about a boy whose kite gets stuck in a tree, so he tries to get it down by throwing increasingly large objects at it: his shoes, a ladder, a firetruck, the house across the street, etc. This one always gets laughs.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

One of my favorite interactive picture books, which asks readers to tap an apple tree to make leaves appear, rub the leaves to make buds, etc., as it follows the cycle of growth throughout the course of a year. With my larger groups, I have the kids tap an imaginary tree in the air, but with smaller ones, I bring the book around and let each child interact with a page.

Ol’ Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein

Ol’ Mama Squirrel guards her babies fiercely by chanting “Chook! Chook! Chook!” at any potential predators. But when a big bear threatens her family, she gathers all of the Mama squirrels in the park to scare him away. The kids enjoyed joining in on the “Chook, Chook! Chooks!”

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell; illustrated by Patrick Benson

This is one of my all-time favorite picture books: the story of three baby owls waiting for their mother to return to the nest. It’s such a sweet, relatable story, and the part where the mother owl returns always gets big smiles from both kids and grown-ups.

The Starry Giraffe by Andy Bergmann

The hungry Starry Giraffe picks apples from a tree, but ends up giving each one to a hungrier animal, until they are all gone. I love the twist at the end.

Songs & Rhymes:

I Bought Me a Rooster

I love this traditional cumulative song, because it gives the kids a chance to suggest their favorite animals for each verse.

[C] I bought me a rooster and the rooster pleased me
I fed my rooster on the [G7] bayberry tree
[C] My little rooster goes, [F] “Cock-a-doodle doo!
Dee [C] Doodle, Dee [F] Doodle, Dee [G7] Doodle, Dee [C] Doo!”

[C] I bought me a dog and the dog pleased me
I fed my dog on the [G7] bayberry tree
[C] My little dog goes, [F] “Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!”
[C] My little rooster goes, [F] “Cock-a-doodle doo!
Dee [C] Doodle, Dee [F] Doodle, Dee [G7] Doodle, Dee [C] Doo!”

I bought me a cow and the cow pleased me…etc.

I’m a Wide Eyed Owl

You can sing this to the tune of Turkey in the Straw, or just chant it as a rhyme:


I’m a wide-eyed owl (make circles with your fingers to look like eyes)
With a pointed nose (make a V with your index fingers and hold it up to your nose),
I have pointed tufts (hold your index fingers up on either side of your head),
And claws for toes (wiggle your fingers like claws).
I live in a tree,
And I’m looking at you (point your finger).
When I flap my wings (flap arms),
I say, “Whoooo! Whooo!”

Way Up High in the Apple Tree

We did this rhyme with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. I put two apple-shaker instruments on the parachute, and we lifted it up and down. For Family Storytime, I gave each child two play scarves to bundle up in their hands like apples. Then I asked them to suggest other foods they would like to pick from a tree. They suggested mangos, oranges, and sandwiches.

Way up high in the apple tree,
Two little apples smiled at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could!
Down came the apples.
Mmmm! They were good!

Under a Shady Tree

We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end of both storytimes.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the breeze blow by?
Can you [C] feel it on your face?
This is our [F] special [G7] place.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the soft cool grass?
Can you [C] feel it with your toes?
We can [F] sit here while it [G7] grows.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

If you want to [G7] close your eyes,
And [C] sleep beneath the tree,
You can [F] rest your head on [G7] me.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Stay & Play: Mixed Media Trees

This was a really simple Stay & Play. Before storytime, I printed out tree templates from CraftsOnSea, and picked a variety of leaves from trees and plants. For the Stay & Play, I put out the templates, leaves, glue sticks and markers. The kids really enjoyed gluing the leaves on their tree, and decorating it with the markers.

Do you have any favorite books or songs about trees? Please share them in the comments below.