Categories
Class Visits

My No Prep Time Class Visit Story Time (Large Age Range)

This is the story time I use if I have had absolutely no prep time for a class visit. I use my favorite, multi-age friendly most reliable book and some of my favorite songs.

Hello song 

Book: Shh! We Have A Plan by Chris Haughton.

I don’t usually comment on my book choices but I cannot stress enough how much I adore this book for reading aloud. I almost don’t want to share it and keep it my little story time secret but I suppose I will be nice and share in the spirit of library generosity. I have read this book for Pre-K up to 3rd graders and it has always been a joy. Of course the questions and interaction will change based on grade level.

Favorite or silly songs

Free time to read/play/explore library

 

Categories
Early Literacy Workshops

Early Literacy Workshop: Multi-Station Intro to 5 Foundations of Literacy

I conduct a version of this workshop every year for one of my favorite teachers. Parents and children come to the library and we do several things together:

  • Reveal children’s artwork on library wall
  • Hand out library cards and achievement certificates
  • Sing silly songs and/or read a silly book
  • Discuss benefits of library and library resources
  • Participate with children in multiple simple activities that enhance parental knowledge of read, write, talk, sing, play concepts and show parents how easy it can be to tackle at home.

Here are the details on the different stations we had available for the event. The stations contained a sheet of quick tips, and emphasized simplicity and collaboration between parent and child:

Dramatic Play Station:

Writing Skills Station:

More Dramatic Play:

More Writing Skills:

Even More Writing Skills:

Reading Skills/Collection Promotion:

And here you can see our silly song time and the children holding their certificates with their artwork behind them! (Apologies if they are blurry, I am a photography dumdum)

 

Categories
Class Visits

Fall Story Time (3k to Pre-K Class Visits)

I used this story time throughout the Fall season for several class visits. I used this same basic format, but edited my story time somewhat based on the age and size of the class. Enjoy!

Hello song

Book: Mouse Loves Fall by Lauren Thompson

Activity/Song: This was sort of a combined song and activity. I used a mystery bag. Inside the bag were different colored leaves, a felt mouse and a little mouse puppet. Below were some of my materials:

I think there are a lot of mystery bag songs out there but here is a very simple one I used. I actually made this up on the spot because I 100% forgot to look one up the first time I did this activity but then I think I just ended up using it for all my visits:

What’s In The Bag?

Oh what’s is in the bag?
Oh what’s in the bag?
I’d like to know what’s in the bag
What’s in the bag?

After each song round I pulled out a leaf (ending with mouse and mouse puppet) and we talked about color, shape etc a bit.

Puppet time: The last item I pulled out was always my little mouse finger puppet. Each child would then get a bit of time to pet/feed/hug him.

Goodbye song

Categories
Story Times

Fruit Story Time (Toddler)

Hello songs

Book 1: The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

Theme Song:

Apples & Bananas

I like to eat eat eat apples and bananas
I like to eat eat eat apples and bananas
I like to oot oot oot ooples and banoonoos
I like to oot oot oot ooples and banoonoos
Upples and banuhnuhs
Aypples and banaynays
Eeples and baneenees
Etc.

Re-focus song

Book 2: The Little Mouse, the Red Rip Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Favorite songs including the Bananas Unite! song and goodbye!

 

Categories
Story Times

Bear Story Time (Toddler)

Hello songs

Book 1: Polar Bear’s Underwear by Tupera Tupera

Theme Rhyme:

Two Little Black Bears

Two little black bears sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill
Run away Jack, run away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill
Two little black bears digging in the snow
One named Fast and one named Slow…
Two little black bears digging in the ground
One named Quiet and one named Loud..

Re-focus Song

Book 2: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

Finished with some of our favorite songs and goodbye!

Categories
Early Literacy Workshops

Early Literacy Workshop: The Power of Pretend

This is a workshop I conducted on the importance of playing pretend. The workshop was conducted with our regular Family Storytime crowd of grown-ups with children ages 0-5. I framed the workshop as a regular story time, but included early literacy tips at appropriate moments throughout the workshop.

Book 1: Not A Box by Antoinette Portis

Theme Song: This is a sort of made up song, I originally found a version of it in some strange YouTube video, but edited it to better suit our workshop. Of course we did some pretending for each line of the song.

The Pretend Song
It’s fun to be this
It’s fun to be that
To leap like a lamb
To climb like a cat
To hop like a frog
To swim like a fish
To trot like a horse
To eat from your dish (om nom nom nom nom nom)
It’s fun to pretend
To play make believe
It’s fun to pretend
Or just to be me!

Re-focus song

Book 2: Meeow and the Little Chairs by Sebastien Braun

We ended by using pretend to sing some of our favorites songs such as Tick Tock (pretending to be a cuckoo clock) and Snake in the Grass (pretending to be a snake). 

Tips:

The following are the tips we discussed throughout our workshop:

  • Playing pretend is important because it helps our child develop:
    • Vocabulary
    • Language
    • Social skills
    • Problem solving skills
  • What can we play pretend with at home or on the go?
    • Boxes
    • Clothes and costumes
    • Pots and pans
    • Stuffed animals and dolls
    • Subway cards and old credit cards
  • Encourage your child to tell a story by asking open ended questions while they are playing:
    • What is this character doing?
    • Where are they going?
    • How do they feel right now?

At the very end I also gave out this nice handout I found that summarized our workshop well: https://www.handyhandouts.com/pdf/271_PretendPlay.pdf

 

Categories
Story Times

Bug Themed Story Time (Toddler)

Hello songs

Book 1: Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi

Theme Song: The Insect Song

Sung to: “The Wheels on the Bus”

The firefly at night goes blink blink blink
Blink blink blink blink blink blink
The firefly at night goes blink blink blink
All around the town

The bees in the flowers go buzz buzz buzz….
The ants in the grass go march march march…
The crickets in the leaves go chirp chirp chirp…
The caterpillar in the field goes creep creep creep….

Re-focus song

Book 2: Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner

Favorite songs and goodbye song!

 

 

Categories
Story Times

Feelings Story Time (Toddler)

This story time was specifically about feeling GRUMPY!

Hello songs

Book 1: Hooray for Hat by Brian Won

Theme Song:

How Are You Feeling?
(tune of Hickory Dickory Dock)

How are you feeling today?
Oh how are you feeling today?
I’m happy and glad, happy and glad,
That’s how I’m feeling today.

How are you feeling today?
Oh how are you feeling today?
I’m grumpy and cross, grumpy and cross,
That’s how I’m feeling today.

How are you feeling today?
Oh how are you feeling today?
I’m sleepy and tired, sleepy and tired,
That’s how I’m feeling today.

How are you feeling today?
Oh how are you feeling today?
I’m frightened and scared, frightened and scared
That’s how I’m feeling today.

How are you feeling today?
Oh how are you feeling today?
I’m happy and glad, happy and glad,
That’s how I’m feeling today.

Re-focus song

Book 2: Grumpy Pants by Claire Messer

Favorite songs and goodbye!

Categories
Class Visits

Snow/Winter Story Time (3-K Class Visit)

Hello Song

Book: Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda

Theme Song:

See the little bunnies sleeping ’til its early noon
Come and let us gently wake them with a merry tune
Why so still
Are they ill
Wake up soon
Hop little bunnies hop hop hop! Hop little bunnies hop hop hop!
Hop little bunnies hop hop hop! Hop little bunnies hop hop hop!

Puppet time: Pets, hugs and “feeding” time with bunny puppet Carrots!

Activity time: With this class I always do an activity at the end of our story time. Sometimes it’s artistic, sometimes science-y, whatever fun I can think up that has to do with our theme of the day! For this activity we played with instant snow. We talked about how the snow feels before and after we add water. We touched it and smelled it, added food coloring to mix up different colors, and the kids were very entertained when they learned that we were really playing with the stuff that goes inside diapers! Here is the “recipe” we used.

Snow Activity:

1 lb bucket instant snow (purchased for $20 from Lakeshore, one bucket makes GALLONS so you can use it for many activities))

Water
Bowls
Spoons
Food coloring

Put snow in bowl, add water, then food coloring. Super easy and lots of fun!

 

 

Categories
Story Times

Shapes Story Time (Toddler)

Hello songs

Book 1: Brown Rabbit’s Shapes by Alan Baker

Theme Song: This was a combined theme song and activity. As we sang the song I held up felt shapes for the children to identify. We used four standard shapes and one squiggly crazy shape that we made up a name for!

Shape Song (to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you know what shape this is?
What shape this is, what shape this is
Do you know what shape this is…
I’m holding in my hand???

Re-focus song

Book 2: Shapes at Play by Silvia Borando

Finished with some frequently requested favorite songs and goodbye!