Saturday Storytime February 2019: Rainbows

This storytime is for ages 0-5, but I've decided to structure it as a combination of Toddlertime and Preschool Storytime.

My formula for Saturday Storytime is:

Intro and Hello
Learn Theme Signs
Book #1
Movement Songs
Felt Story/Song
Book #2
Movement Song
Goodbye Song
Bubbles
Take-Home Craft

Intro and Hello
Hello Song
"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

Warming Up Motor Skills

"Open, Shut Them"

Stretching
"Tall/Small"
This is a short, easy stretch the preschoolers especially get a kick out of.

Learn Theme Signs
Our theme this week is rainbows, so we learned the signs for "colors" and "rainbow."

Rainbow

Colors

Book #1
Hideaway Hedgehog and the Magical Rainbow by Lisa McCue
A super cute tale of a mama hedgehog who stumbles into a leprechaun's golden pot to have her babies, this story can easily be brought to a toddler or preschool level depending on how much dialogic reading you incorporate. It's also adorable that each baby has a different magic power corresponding to their unique color.

Movement Song

"I See Something Blue"

I like to play this song and encourage the kids to find things around the room that match the color the singers mention. This song is pretty mellow and slow-moving, which is good for two reasons. One, it gives even the youngest storytimer a chance to find something of that color and point it out. Two, we all get a chance to practice the signs for the four colors named in the song as well as "color" and "rainbow" at the end.

Felt Story/Song

Today we did a felt story that I didn't make up myself, but tweaked from Rainbow Stew and made my own version. I'm probably over-analyzing, but it really bugged me that everything going into the rainbow stew pot was, in fact, a fruit. So Rainbow Fruit Salad was born. Since the chant was the same for each verse, I encouraged everyone to chant and do the motions along with me.

Red fruit: apple

Orange fruit: orange

Yellow fruit: banana

Green fruit: pear

Blue fruit: blueberries

Purple fruit: grapes

(Put apple and red part of rainbow on felt board)

Chop up an apple, put it in the dish. (mime chopping fruit)

Stir and stir as much as you wish. (mime stirring a large bowl)

Look inside, what color will it be? (hand above your eyes as if looking)

The prettiest red that you ever did see! (ASL sign for "red")

~repeat with all other fruits in rainbow order~

(All fruits and rainbow pieces should be on the board)

Chop up all the fruit, put it in the dish. (mime chopping fruit)

Stir and stir as much as you wish. (mime stirring a large bowl)

Look inside, what color will it be? (hand above eyes as if looking)

The prettiest RAINBOW that you ever did see! (ASL sign for "rainbow")

Movement Songs

Today we did our movement songs with scarves, starting with an a cappella rhyme that ends with everyone throwing their scarf into a pile to make a rainbow:

Wave your scarf high, wave your scarf low.

Wave your scarf fast, wave your scarf slow.

Crumple up your scarf and throw it on three.

One, two, three, whee!

"Color Song"

(vid to come)

"The Freeze" by Greg and Steve

This one has nothing to do with colors, but it was so much fun to make up dances with scarves in between freezes!

Goodbye Song

"Until We Meet Again" from Out of the Box
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!

Goodbye

Friend

Meet

Bubbles
I like to play the two following songs while I blow bubbles for the group.
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Bubbles
Yo Gabba Gabba Bubbles Song

Take-Home Craft
Since this is a monthly storytime with a theme, I thought it would be fun to provide families with a craft based on the theme to work on when they get home. I put everything needed for the craft in baggies, including an instruction sheet so they know how to do the project once they get home. It's a rainbow fish that helps the child's fine motor skills develop as they practice going over, under, and over again.

Giving a take-home craft as families leave the storytime room is a good way to extend the learning experience after families have left the library. Also, it's a great way to provide a literacy-based craft without having to clean up afterward.

Books to Display:

• How the Finch Got His Colors—Guertin
• Princess Rosie’s Rainbows—Killion
• Elmer and the Rainbow—McKee
• Ava and the Rainbow (Who Stayed)—Adamson
• Curious George Discovers the Rainbow—Cherrix
• The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow—Callahan
• The Greedy Rainbow—Chandler 

Toddlertime 12-5-8: Penguins

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book

I Am Small by Emma Dodd

An adorable story that explores the concept that even if you're young and small, there are still things you can do to help your family and community.

Movement Song

"Clap Your Hands"

Fun directed movement song that sneakily helps young kids develop gross motor skills. 

Felt Story

"Pippa's Penguin"
This is a longer felt story, but the kids stay engaged because they want to help you figure out why each penguin isn't correct and what makes each one unique. I got the biggest laugh when I pulled out the penguin in the glittery suit.

Movement Songs

"Doin' the Penguin" from Sesame Street

A classic from 1993! This is actually a directed movement song if you listen carefully. The kids loved pretending to fall on the ice.

"Follow the Leader" by Ella Jenkins

My favorite song to get attention back from wiggly kiddos.

Toddlertime 11-21-18: Thanksgiving

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book

All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin

This book didn't go over great with the toddlers, and I think it was because it's too long. I would probably paperclip some of the pages together to make it shorter if I used this book again. However, it is a very cute story about families of different sizes and species sharing pie together and definitely gets you in a Thanksgiving mood.

Movement Song

"Happy and You Know It" by Mr. Jon

Has nothing to do with the theme, just a fun song that most kids know.

Felt Story

"Five Little Turkeys"
[A good way to get kids involved is to ask them to help you count how many turkeys are left after each verse, and invite them to chant with you if they pick it up]

Five little turkeys at the barn door
One waddled off and then there were four

Four little turkeys out under a tree
One waddled off and then there were three

Three little turkeys with nothing to do
One waddled off and then there were two

Two little turkeys in the noonday sun
One waddled off and then there was one

One little turkey--better run away!
It's almost Thanksgiving Day!

Movement Songs

"Follow the Leader" by Ella Jenkins

"Peek-a-Boo"

Both of these songs have a strange hypnotizing effect on small children. Even if they're mid-tantrum, most littles will stop what they're doing and follow my motions until the song is over.

Welcome, Fall! Leaf Art

As the deadline to plan October programs approached, I realized I wasn't doing anything seasonal except the big Halloween storytime we do yearly. In the interest of trying to make myself more excited about Fall (it's getting cold and the trees are dying...yay?) I decided to put together a fun Fall craft program.

We had three stations: crayon rubbings, torn paper trees, and painted leaf prints. I structured this program as a drop-in for an hour and a half, and over 30 people came to make leaf art with me! This was a fun, easy program that I put together with things we already had in our supply room. If you want to recreate it, here is a supply list:

Crayon Rubbings
Crayons
Paper
Leaf Rubbing Plates

Torn Paper Trees
Torn construction paper in Fall colors
Brown construction paper for trunk
White paper for background
Glue sticks
Scissors

Painted Leaf Prints
Washable paint in Fall colors
Paper
Artificial Leaves

Also, it's becoming a wonderful theme that the kids who come to my programs are more creative than I am. Some of them figured out that the Leaf Rubbing Plates also make great paint prints! Here are some of the gorgeous finished products they made.

Torn paper tree and rubbings examples and supplies

Leaf print example and supplies

Artists at work

Artists at work

Finished torn paper tree

Finished leaf prints and paintings

Finished torn paper tree

Finished crayon rubbing

Finished torn paper tree

Finished torn paper tree

Finished art drying after the program

Toddlertime 9-5-18: Grandmas

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book
I Really Want to See You, Grandma by Taro Gomi
Taro Gomi is a hidden gem in the world of children's literature. He has so many books, and they are all written in sparse, simple language with fantastic illustrations and gentle, positive messages. This one is about a child who wants to see their grandma, and the grandma wants to see them, so the two keep passing each other on the road across town to visit the other one. They finally meet in the middle and have a picnic!

Movement Song

"Baby Shark" by The Kiboomers
After all this time, I've finally found out who sings the version of Baby Shark I've been using for years, and located a YouTube video for it! Now you get to hear the actual version I use in storytime. I like it because it's slower than the version that's recently gone viral, giving the kids more time to figure out their movements and sing along. I used it for grandma storytime because there's a grandparent shark... I think they're actually saying "grandpa," but it's hard to tell for sure, so I just went with it.

Felt Story
"Grandma, Grandma, Look and See"
(Start with the flowers already up on the board.
Bolded text is the part kids can be encouraged to chant along with you.)

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
I brought a butterfly home with me (put butterfly on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my butterfly free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
I brought an inchworm home with me (put worm on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my inchworm free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see!
I brought a songbird home with me (put bird on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my songbird free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
I brought a slimy frog home with me (put frog on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my slimy frog free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
Dad brought a kitten home for me (put kitten on board)
Grandma approves and I agree--seems like the perfect pet for me!

Movement Song
"Peek-a-Boo"
I went simple with this song today. It's very short, and somehow magically quiets a crowd of restless toddlers with very little effort.

Toddlertime 8-8-18: Monkeys

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story (or Book #2)
• My favorite felt stories are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book
Monkey and Me by Emily Gravet
This book repeats a chant on almost every page: "Monkey and me, Monkey and me, Monkey and me, we went to see." I taught the chant before starting the book, and then encouraged the kids and caregivers to chant with me while practicing the ASL sign for "monkey." It was a great way to keep everyone engaged in the story and avoid wiggles.

Movement Song
"Five Little Monkeys"
I like to do this song in sign language. It includes several every-day signs, like the numbers up to five, "mom," "call," "hurt," and "no more" which doubles as the very useful sign "all done."

Monkey

Jumping

Fall off

Hurt head

Mom

Call

No more/All done

Book #2
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
This is a classic that I grew up with, and is timeless in my opinion. It's short and fun, and the kids get to help you guess where the animals are hiding. And of course, there are monkeys.

Movement Song
"Peek-a-Boo"
I went simple with this song today. It's very short, and somehow magically quiets a crowd of restless toddlers with very little effort.

My Baby Lapsit Hello and Goodbye 2018

I'll share my revelation about toddlers again on this post: Toddlers are not small preschoolers; they are big babies! (I want this slogan on a t-shirt). I have recently realized that toddlers, at my library defined as age 16-36 months, have much more in common with babies than they do with preschoolers. Toddlers are babies who can run away.

For this reason, in 2018 I am working on making Baby Lapsit and Toddler Time more similar to each other. I am using the same three hello songs in Baby Lapsit as I am for the toddlers, with some changes to the parent tips to acknowledge that the infants aren't quite as physically developed as the toddlers.

Click here to see my 2018 Toddler Time hello and goodbye.

In Baby Lapsit, we now begin with an a cappella greeting song instead of one with recorded music. I changed it because I feel the baby and toddler age groups benefits the most from chanting and singing without musical accompaniment. Even though the kids may not be verbal yet, this makes it easier for their grownups to sing the songs to them at home.

Hello: "This Is the Way We Wave Hello"

(Wave both hands)
This is the way we wave hello,
Wave hello, wave hello.
This is the way we wave hello,
Hello, hello, hello!

(Clap hands to the beat)
This is the way we clap hello,
Clap hello, clap hello.
This is the way we clap hello,
Hello, hello, hello!

(Stamp feet to the beat)
This is the way we stamp hello,
Stamp hello, stamp hello.
This is the way we stamp hello,
Hello, hello, hello!

(Wave both hands)
This is the way we wave hello,
Wave hello, wave hello.
This is the way we wave hello,
Hello, hello, hello!

This video shows the melody we sing to, but it uses different lyrics.

The other two hello songs are the same as 2017. They are good for baby, toddler, and preschool audiences.

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

My parent tip: 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.

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

Goodbye: "This Is the Way We Wave Goodbye"

Know what's great for tiny, developing brains? Repetition.
Know what's great for tiny, developing brains? Repetition.
(Typed it twice to make a point.)

I like to use "One, Two Hands" and "Peek-a-Boo" as an unofficial signal that the end of Baby Lapsit is coming. Added bonus, it's never too early to start naming body parts with this Laurie Berkner classic or figuring out object permanence by playing peekaboo.

The version of "Peek-a-Boo" I use.

Our goodbye song for Baby Lapsit and Toddler Time is now also a cappella, and a repeat of our new hello song. We just substitute "hello" for "goodbye." Doing this song twice per storytime gets the melody and movements in the kids' heads that much quicker. If they're not scream-singing "This is the way we blankety-blank" about everything they do for the rest of the week, I haven't done my job.

(Wave both hands)
This is the way we wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye.
This is the way we wave goodbye,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!

(Clap hands to the beat)
This is the way we clap goodbye,
Clap goodbye, clap goodbye.
This is the way we clap goodbye,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!

(Stamp feet to the beat)
This is the way we stamp goodbye,
Stamp goodbye, stamp goodbye.
This is the way we stamp goodbye,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!

(Wave both hands)
This is the way we wave goodbye,
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye.
This is the way we wave hello,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!

Bubbles! "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Bubbles" and the Yo Gabba Gabba Bubbles Song

The last thing I do at every storytime is blow bubbles. The kids go crazy over them! The best part is when a baby sees bubbles for the first time. It blows their mind and they make the best face.

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 week. 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!

National Pet Day

This program started out as a small idea, and morphed into a pretty big deal by the time it was planned and ready to go. I follow several "daily holiday" web pages that list all the local and national silly holidays, because this sometimes gives me program ideas. It's how I thought of Make a Grandparents Day Card, for example. A few months ago I noticed that National Pet Day was coming up in April. We had done dog toy making as a teen activity last summer and it went over pretty well, so I thought about combining that with a few other stations and having a National Pet Day celebration at the library.

Because the library is a city entity, I contacted the City of Mesa Animal Control Department to see if they had any advice, resources, or even a representative they could send out on the day of the program. They got really excited about the program, and said they would send one human representative from their department and at least one furry friend. Of course, the exciting idea of a dog or cat in the library got the community buzzing.

My mom also happens to be a professional dog toy maker. She knows the exact right size and type of fleece strips to make the perfect long-lasting tug toy. Luckily she was available to help, so she set up at a table and guided kids in braiding their colorful creations. At the end of the night, we had over 30 tug toys to donate to homeless dogs at Animal Control.

The best part was, the Animal Control department totally came through with their furry friends! Their rep brought three seven-week-old gray kittens! I'm a dog person, but the kittens were the best thing that has happened to me this year. Adorable. 

In the end, we had an attendance count of 94 people! In my previous experience this is almost unheard of for a weekday evening program. The Vice Mayor of Mesa even stopped by and featured us on his Twitter, and Nearby News was back to photograph for another feature. 

Also, enjoy these pictures I took during the event (with parent permission, of course). I especially love the action shot of the two kittens wrestling.

One of our librarians cuddling a kitten

Showing off a finished pet toy

KITTEN BATTLE!

Showing off a finished pet toy

This guy was so excited to meet a kitten!

One of our regular patrons meeting a kitten

One of our pages cuddling a kitten

Watching the kittens play

Vice Mayor Luna meeting people

I even made it into a picture!