Preschool Storytime 5-25-17: Fish and the Ocean

This is the first storytime I've ever done at the library that is not for babies! I've been to tons of trainings, but I had never run a Preschool Storytime solo before this session. At my old library, I did the Baby Lapsit every Friday, and didn't stick around long enough to rotate into another age group before I got the job in Mesa and moved across the valley. So here we go!

I modified my hello for a slightly older crowd. Found a new song, "Hello Friend," added in some sign language, but kept the other two introduction songs the same. You can see the whole intro and goodbye by clicking the link above.

Today's theme was fish and the ocean, so after we got the initial wiggles out, I asked the kids whether they had ever been swimming in the ocean, been fishing, or seen a live fish at the aquarium. Then, we learned the signs for "fish" and "water."

fish

water

Our first story today was Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count by Lois Ehlert. In addition to counting how many fish on each page, I asked the kids to shout out what color each pages fish were. Some people have a different read-aloud style, but I think it's okay for the kids to be shouting things out, and even up and walking around a little bit, while I'm reading a story to the group. Asking them questions about the book keeps them engaged.

Next we did two movement songs, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Octopus (Slippery Fish)." In both of these songs, it's really easy to figure out what movements you should lead the kids in doing just by listening to the lyrics. They have a blast rowing their imaginary boats and pretending to be different sized fish. Also, they always get a kick out of the giant burp at the end of "Slippery Fish."

Our second story of the day was Over the Ocean by Taro Gomi. This book is a really mellow little story about a girl wondering what else is out in the world beyond what she can see from the beach where she lives. The kiddos got a little wiggly during this one, but most of them at least tolerated this book that was not funny and had no opportunities to count or identify colors. In hindsight, I would have done this book first and saved Fish Eyes for second.

 

Our next movement song was the incomparable "The Goldfish" by Laurie Berkner. Before we sing this song, I teach the kids the line, "Wait a minute, we're fish!" so they know it when it's time to shout it during the song. This is another one with very self-explanatory movements, and one that neither the kids nor I ever get tired of.

I read one more book to the group today, because we had a little extra time near the end and the Goldfish song effectively got out most of the wiggles. The Pout Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Diesen served the dual purpose of going with the fish/ocean theme and reminding everyone in the room to have high self esteem and believe in themselves. The Pout Pout Fish gets frustrated because he's not able to do anything at school on his very first day, until he finds the classroom for new fish where you can learn to do everything from square one. At the end, I had the kids repeat his mantra with me: "You are smart! You can get it! You belong! So don't forget it!"

 

This book also gave us a chance to practice our sign for "fish" that we learned earlier, as well as learn "smart."

After the final book, we sang our goodbye song and had bubbles, which is my post-storytime ritual and the way most kids know we're really done. Here is a list of books I displayed for the fish/ocean theme:

• Fish School—Poydar
• Faucet Fish—Robinson/Anderson
• Rain Fish—Ehlert
• Fish—Walsh
• The Specific Ocean—Maclear
• Whale Shines—Robinson
• Ugly Fish—LaReau
• Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale—Pfister
• The Pout-Pout Fish—Diesen 
• The Legend of Sea Glass—Noble 
• Ocean Whisper—Rockhill 
• Over the Ocean—Gomi 

Baby Lapsit 5-24-17: Fish and the Ocean

Today I started out with my standard introduction, which you can view here (along with the goodbye at the end).

Since the theme of the day was fish and the ocean, the first book I read was Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count by Lois Ehlert.

I like this book for babies because it teaches counting and colors. Lois Ehlert is always great for unique and colorful art in picture books.

For the lap bounce portion of Baby Lapsit, I always start with the same non-musical chant called "Bumpy Road." Grownups are instructed to seat their baby facing forward on their laps and bounce along with me as I demonstrate with a roughly baby-sized teddy bear. Here is the chant:

Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Smooth road, smooth road. (Move baby smoothly back and forth)
Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Smooth road, smooth road. (Move baby smoothly back and forth)
Rough road, rough road! (Bounce baby higher than before)
Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Rough road, rough road! (Bounce baby higher than before)
Hole! (Hold baby under armpits and let them fall between your legs)

The two lap bounce songs with music today were "Octopus (Slippery Fish) and "The Goldfish" by Laurie Berkner. Neither of these are ideal lap bounce songs, but I wanted to keep with the ocean theme and these were the songs I used for Preschool Storytime this week also. A learning experience that putting on a quality storytime should trump sticking to the theme every time. Even if the songs were over the babies' heads, the grownups seemed to enjoy them.

After the lap bounce portion, I read Smile, Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen. I like to read board books in Baby Lapsit, because they tend to have fewer words on a page and the babies usually pay attention for the whole time because it only takes about five minutes to get through a board book.

Then it was time for a couple more songs with gestures before we said goodbye. Sticking with the ocean theme, we sang "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

Finally, we sang "Peek-a-Boo," and then concluded with "Skidamarink" and bubbles for all!

Here are the books I had out on display during the ocean theme storytimes:

• Fish School—Poydar
• Faucet Fish—Robinson/Anderson
• Rain Fish—Ehlert
• Fish—Walsh
• The Specific Ocean—Maclear
• Whale Shines—Robinson
• Ugly Fish—LaReau
• Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale—Pfister
• The Pout-Pout Fish—Diesen 
• The Legend of Sea Glass—Noble 
• Ocean Whisper—Rockhill
• Over the Ocean—Gomi 

Toddler Time 5-17-17: Colors

Today's theme is colors!

After saying hello, I asked the kids to shout out their favorite colors. Then we read our first (adorable) story, Penguins Love Colors by Sarah Aspinall. In this story, a group of six penguin siblings try to make their mom the perfect Mother's Day gift. Each penguin has a favorite color, and together the family's signature colors make up the whole rainbow. To make it interactive, I asked the kids to identify the color of each penguin on the pages when all the siblings appear.

 

After the story, I passed out colored scarves to all the kids and any grownup who wanted one. 

I encouraged the kids to dance and play with their scarves while we listened to "The Color Song."

(vid to come)

For a second movement song, I played "It's Time to Stand Up" and we all followed the directions. This is a fun one to do with toddlers because just when they think they've followed the last direction, a new one is fired at them. It keeps their brains moving, and keeps them laughing the whole time.

Our second story was Freight Train by Donald Crews. For some reason, a lot of toddlers are very interested in trains. I don't know why, but it is a fact of life. So between the trains and the rainbow colors, this simple book was enjoyed by everyone.

My last, and best, color idea was one I got from a training last year. Before Toddler Time began I taped different colored die cut stars around the room. The kids wondered what they were for all through storytime, and I finally told them for our last song of the day before saying goodbye: I was going to play a song that mentioned colors, and when they heard a color mentioned they had to run around the room and find a star of that color. They absolutely lost their minds about this song, and it was a lot of fun watching them scamper around hunting for colored stars. A lot of them ripped the stars right off the wall and handed them right to me, which was unexpected but really cute.

If you look closely in this picture, you can see the colored stars stuck to the table.

Here is a list of picture books about colors that I displayed:

• Mouse Paint—Walsh
• Lunch—Fleming
• Color Chaos!—Reed
• Color Zoo—Ehlert
• Purple, Green and Yellow—Munsch
• Red is Best—Stinson
• Green is a Chile Pepper—Thong
• Elmer—McKee
• Elmer and the Rainbow—McKee 
• Little Green Peas—Baker
• The White Book—Borando
• Little Blue and Little Yellow—Lionni
• Ain’t Gonna Paint No More—Beaumont 
• Monsters Love Colors—Austin 
• Dog’s Colorful Day—Dodd

Toddler Time 5-10-17: Friends

This was, very excitingly, my first storytime as a real live Librarian!

I started out with my standard introduction, which you can view here (along with the goodbye at the end).

Our theme today was friends, so we started out by talking about where we usually meet friends (the answer was mostly at home because their siblings are their friends, or at daycare/preschool), and what we like to do with our friends (play and eat, said the almost-three-year-olds). 

The first movement song of the day was "Hokey Pokey." The version in the video is not the one I use, but I feel like most/all versions of the hokey pokey are pretty similar.

Click here to listen to the version of "Hokey Pokey" that I use. 

After getting some wiggles out we listened to our first book, Bird, Balloon, Bear by Il Sung Na. This is a sweet story of friendship with just the right amount of words per page for toddlers to stay interested. 

For another momevent song, I played "It's Time to Stand Up" by Susan Salidor. This is a fun one to do with toddlers because just when they think they've followed the last direction, a new one is fired at them. It keeps their brains moving, and keeps them laughing the whole time. 

Next, because it's friend day, we sang an a capella version of "Happy and You Know It," substituting the word "friendly" for "happy." Each verse below is the full, usual verse of the song with some of the words substituted:

If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're friendly and you know it, stomp your feet.

If you're friendly and you know it, turn around.

If you're friendly and you know it, sit right down.

If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands. 

I'll admit, I did trick a room full of toddlers into thinking we were still singing when they were, in fact, sitting down and getting ready to pay attention to a story. 

We read Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won.

With this book, we learned two signs and recalled one from our hello song. The repeating phrase is, unsurprisingly, "Hooray for hat!" So every time the characters said this, I had all the kids repeat the signs. 

hooray

hat

At the end, the phrase is changed slightly to "Hooray for friends!" and we recalled the sign for friends that I teach during the opening song. 

friend(s)

After that story, it was time to say goodbye until next time. Here is a list of books about friends that I displayed today.

• Will I Have a Friend?—Cohen 
• May I Bring a Friend?—DeRegniers 
• Best Friends—Nilsen 
• I Want a Friend—Ross 
• My Friend is Sad—Willems 
• Little Blue and Little Yellow—Lionni

My Baby Lapsit Hello and Goodbye

I like to do the same introduction and conclusion to every Baby Lapsit, so both babies and parents/caregivers can get used to the songs and sing along with me.

Artist tip: I love Laurie Berkner for everything, but especially for the babies because most of her songs have clear movements that go along with the words. She has a lot of albums and most of her songs are winners for kids under five because she speaks clearly and has a voice that makes them want to listen!

Hello: "The More We Get Together"
I like to tell parents that it's never too early to learn to clap on the beat, because learning about rhythm helps stimulate the language center of the brain. They clap on the beat today, and they're better readers tomorrow! During this song we clap on the beat, point to our fellow storytime goers on "your friends," and point to ourselves on "my friends."

Warming up Motor Skills: "Open, Shut Them"
On this song we do the movements described in the lyrics: open our hands, close our hands, clap three times, put our hands in our lap, creep our fingers up to our chin, and don't let them in our mouths.

Stretch: "Tall/Small"
For this song, I make sure to emphasize that grownups and babies should stretch at whatever level they are currently operating on. The grownup can keep the baby on their lap and help them stretch their arms up. The grownup can stand themselves and hold they baby while they stretch. The grownup can balance the baby while the baby stands on the floor, and help them stretch there. Wherever both are most physically comfortable is where I encourage them to try this gentle stretch.
Click here to listen to the version I use

This is where the rest of storytime comes in. And then...

Transition Song: "Peek-a-Boo"
For some reason, this song makes babies and younger toddlers drop whatever they're doing and pay attention. It's great. I sometimes use it with the preschoolers because you're never too old for a silly game, but I use it every single week with the babies. Their grownups love it too; I've heard back from a few moms that they sing it at home!
Click here to listen to the version I use

Goodbye: "Skidamarink"
I use this song for the babies' goodbye rather than one that actually says "goodbye" because it promotes positivity and love between baby and grownup. In storytimes with the older kids I'm giving them an opportunity to say goodbye to me and the program room, but the babies aren't operating on that emotional level yet. They're still working on forming bonds with their caregiver, and I think this song promotes that.
Click here to listen to the version I use

Also, I found this video from an adorable vintage kids show I've never heard of. They do the movements just like I do in storytime.

Bubbles!

The last thing I do at every storytime is blow bubbles. The kids go crazy over them! I play the same songs every time so they get to know that after we say goodbye, we have bubbles for the duration of two songs, and then storytime is over until next time. Our regulars know this is the way it always goes, which is a great introduction to establishing routines in other aspects of life as they grow.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Bubbles

Yo Gabba Gabba Bubbles Song

Community Play Time

Baby Lapsit is unique in that the families are encouraged to stay for 15-20 minutes after storytime for a special playtime. I bring out a bin of toys and play some quiet background music, and it's just a fun, unstructured play session where babies can socialize with other little beings close to their age, and caregivers can also chat with each other and make connections. I've seen many friendships and even play groups or preschool co-ops get started this way!

My Music and Rhythm Time Hello and Goodbye

Hello: "Hello, Hello"
Since Learn & Grown with Rhythm & Flow and Shake, Boogie, and Bop are so high energy, I like to start these programs with a more mellow good morning song than other storytimes. I like this one because it has built-in movements and stretches.

Warming Up Motor Skills: "Open, Shut Them"
On this song we do the movements described in the lyrics: open our hands, close our hands, clap three times, put our hands in our lap, creep our fingers up to our chin, and don't let them in our mouths.

This is where the rest of the storytime comes in. And then...

Goodbye: "Until We Meet Again"
Before singing this song at the end of Learn & Grow, we learn a vocabulary word: clave. Clave is a type of rhythm used mostly in Afro-Cuban music, characterized by it's three-two beat. When I teach the word to preschool-age kids, I have them count to three, pause, and count to two, then do it again with clapping. The Out of the Box goodbye song is to a clave pattern, so after we learn what the word means, we practice clapping the clave pattern as we say goodbye to our friends.

In Shake, Boogie, and Bop, I stick to my usual American Sign Language signs as we sing the song.

Friend(s)

Meet

Goodbye

Bubbles!

The last thing I do at every storytime is blow bubbles. The kids go crazy over them! I play the same songs every time so they get to know that after we say goodbye, we have bubbles for the duration of two songs, and then storytime is over until next time. Our regulars know this is the way it always goes, which is a great introduction to establishing routines in other aspects of life as they grow.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Bubbles

Yo Gabba Gabba Bubbles Song

My Preschool Storytime and Toddler Time Hello and Goodbye

I like to do the same introduction and conclusion to every Preschool Storytime, so both babies and parents/caregivers can get used to the songs and sing along with me.

Hello: "Hello Friend"

Before turning on the music, I teach the kids (and grownups) the American Sign Language sign for "friends." Then we boogie, wave, and sing hello to all our friends! 

Friend(s)

The song is pretty repetitive with four identical verses. I used to use all four verses, but before moving to the Mesa system I edited it down to only two. They still catch on to the signs and movements by the end, without getting bored. 

Click here to listen to the version I use

Warming Up Motor Skills: "Open, Shut Them"

On this song we do the movements described in the lyrics: open our hands, close our hands, clap three times, put our hands in our lap, creep our fingers up to our chin, and don't let them in our mouths.

Stretch: "Tall/Small"

This is a short, easy stretch the preschoolers get a kick out of. While we're stretching, I like to encourage them to reach for the ceiling, touch their toes, then make themselves into a tiny ball.

Click here to listen to the version I use

This is where the rest of the storytime comes in. And then...

Goodbye: "Until We Meet Again"

I was thrilled to finally find this song. Since I started doing storytimes, I wanted it to be my goodbye song. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find in a non-pirated, reliable format! The kids at the library are too young to remember this show, but I watched "Out of the Box" religiously as a kid and always loved the song they sang at the end. 

When we sing this song, I help them recall the sign for friends, and teach them a couple others as we sing. After a while, storytime regulars start to look like native signers!

Friend(s)

Meet

Goodbye

Bubbles!

The last thing I do at every storytime is blow bubbles. The kids go crazy over them! I play the same songs every time so they get to know that after we say goodbye, we have bubbles for the duration of two songs, and then storytime is over until next time. Our regulars know this is the way it always goes, which is a great introduction to establishing routines in other aspects of life as they grow.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Bubbles

Yo Gabba Gabba Bubbles Song