Storytime: Worms

My science storytimes have been much more successful than the separate science club program I attempted to do. Here's what we did for worm storytime.

Opening Rhyme: Open them, shut them

Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds

Book: Worm Weather by Jean Taft

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: Bob and Otto by Robert Bruel

Felt Board: Dinosaur, Dinosaur

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng

Closing Rhyme

Activity
Instead of a craft, we made worm habitats. Googling "DIY worm habitat" will yield plenty of ideas, but I gave each family an empty 2-liter bottle which had had its top cut off, a 20 oz water bottle to sit in its center, and a bunch of sand and soil to spread in layers in their bottles. Once the sand and soil are in the layers, the kids were able to choose their worms.

Next, while the worms were settling in, we made "curtains" for the outside of the habitat. Worms don't like sunlight, so they need a barrier around the bottle. I cut black construction paper so it would fit around the bottle and let the kids decorate it with chalk, then we taped it into a "sleeve" that would slide on and off the bottle with ease.

I sent home directions for caring for the worms along with suggestions for ways to "free" the worms when the families were done with them. This program was a huge mess and took much longer to clean up than a standard storytime, but it was definitely worth it. I do science-related storytimes once a quarter, and this one definitely got the best response so far. I have had parents and kids coming up to me and giving me updates on their worms throughout the week.

Storytime: Crayons

I did a storytime about crayons for my "back to school" storytime this year. Our craft involved making "crayons" out of colored craft sticks and pipe cleaners, so these crayons could be used by the children to reenact the stories about anthropomorphic crayons that we read.

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them

Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds

Book: Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Felt Board: Dinosaur, Dinosaur

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall

Closing Rhyme

Storytime: Forts

My final "building" themed storytime for the summer had to do with forts. We read books about forts, then I brought out two giant cardboard boxes that I had available for kids to color on or play in or read in as their own forts.

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them
Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds
Book: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"
Book: Harry's Box by Angela McAllister
Rhyme: Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Are You Behind the [Color] Door?
Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"
Book: The Tree House by Marije Tolman
Closing Rhyme

Storytime: Boats

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them
Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds
Book: Sail Away by Donald Crews
Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"
Book: Boats by Byron Barton
Rhyme: Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Are You Behind the [Color] Door?
Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"
Book: Little Tug by Stephen Savage
Closing Rhyme

Our craft today was actually a science experiment. I gave each child a sheet of aluminum foil as well as a variety of craft supplies: craft sticks, crayons, string, pipe cleaners, straws, etc. They were to construct a boat that would float when we put it in water. For an extra challenge, I had a bag of pennies to use as "passengers" on our boats. If their boat floated, we added passengers to see how many it would hold before it sank.

This is a great project to demonstrate to parents that science learning can be simple and is something they can do in their homes with supplies they probably already have on hand. Kids were encouraged to make multiple versions of their boat as well, and most of them chose to take them home at the end of storytime.

Storytime: Frogs

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them
Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds
Book: One Frog Sang by Shirley Parenteau
Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"
Book: Ribbit by Jorey Hurley
Rhyme: Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Are You Behind the [Color] Door?
Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"
Book: Fabulous Frogs by Martin Jenkins
Closing Rhyme

Craft: We made clothespin frogs. You can find the original file via Google, but basically I took a frog picture, changed it to a coloring page, then put a line down the middle so it could be cut in half. We colored them, cut them out, then glued them to a clothespin. This is a great activity for small motor control for preschoolers!

Storytime: Houses

With the "Build a Better World" theme this summer, I thought it important to do at least one storytime on building. We read all about houses and completed a house craft that I had used early for a Three Little Pigs storytime.

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them
Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds
Book: Whose House by H.A. Rey
Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"
Book: The House that's Your Home by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Rhyme: Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Are You Behind the [Color] Door?
Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"
Book: Building a House by Byron Barton
Closing Rhyme

The house we made for storytime was very simple. It's just a piece of paper with lines to divide it in fourths both ways. When kids were done coloring, we cut the outside flaps and taped them together to make the sides of the roof. The best part about this craft is that it is easy for parents and caregivers to replicate when they go home, so they could make an entire village if they want to.

Storytime: Trains

I did a train storytime recently, and not only was it a lot of fun to read books on a very popular topic, but I had the opportunity to provide lots of literacy skills practice during our craft.

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them

Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds

Book: Trains by Patricia Hubbell

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: Train Man by Andrea Zimmerman

Rhyme/Game: Dinosaur, Dinosaur, are you behind the [color] door?

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Freight Train by Donald Crews

Closing Rhyme

Craft: For our craft, we made name trains. I found a train coloring page online and copied the engine picture, then shrank it to a quarter sheet. Each child colored an engine, cut it out, and glued it to their paper. Then we added square "cars" behind the engine with our name letters on them. This was a great opportunity for my young patrons to practice cutting, pasting, and writing, and they all pointed to the letters in their names and told me what they were. I love being able to demonstrate this type of activity for the parents and caregivers, as it models a literacy project they can do in their own home as well.

Science Storytime: Three Little Pigs

After attempting, without much success, to bring my science club programming to my current library, I decided to begin incorporating science activities into my regular storytimes. This allows me to bring science programming to my preschool patrons in a way that doesn't require them to come to the library on an additional day for a separate program.

At my previous library, another librarian ran STEAM times for toddlers after their regularly scheduled toddler storytime. I decided that this method would make for a too-long morning for my patrons, so I adjusted my regular storytime and replaced the craft with our science experiment.

I did a standard storytime, complete with rhymes, songs, and of course stories, but for the stories I read two different versions of The Three Little Pigs. At the end of storytime, when I usually introduce the craft, I explained that we would be doing a science experiment instead.

I had three tables set out, and each table had a different item on it: standard drinking straws, craft sticks, or DUPLO blocks. The kids and their caregivers collected a worksheet from me and went to each table to construct a house and then attempt to blow it down. It was really neat to watch the kids and their caregivers working together on this project, and I will definitely do something similar again.

Storytime: Families

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them

Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds

Book: One Family by George Shannon

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: The Family Book by Todd Parr

Rhyme/Game: Little Mouse

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O'Leary

Closing Rhyme

Craft: Draw a picture of your family.

Storytime: Monsters

After our love-themed storytime last week, I decided to go in a different direction this week. Our theme is monsters, which could be interpreted in a lot of different ways. For my storytime, I'll be reading three monster books where the monster is not scary at all; I don't want any of my storytime kids to have nightmares! I could also see this theme working well with an older group, perhaps during an evening storytime.

Opening Rhyme: Open them, shut them

Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds

Book: The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Rhyme/Flannel Game: Little Mouse

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Go Away, Big Green Monster by Rebecca Emberley

Closing Rhyme

The order in which we place our activities in storytime is just as important as the activities we do. In this case, I left the simplest book toward the end because the shapes listed can easily pave the way for the kids to make their craft: paper bag monster puppets.

Storytime: All about Love

It's that time of year again, and again, instead of focusing on Valentine's Day, my story time theme this week was love. My commitment to being a #StorytimeJusticeWarrior this year means that whenever possible I am including diverse titles or books with nonwhite characters. With some themes this is more difficult than others, but it was easy to do this week.

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them

Rhyme: 2 Little Blackbirds

Book: My Heart Fills with Happiness - The characters in this book are First Nations, and the simple words and colorful illustrations make it perfect for my young storytime audience.

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: Hands Say Love - The main characters in this book are all Caucasian, but I like how this book ties in with learning to say "I love you" in sign language.

Sign Language: Learn the sign for "I love you"

Rhyme: Little Mouse

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Love Always Everywhere - This is another book with simple text that features a diverse cast of young children.

Closing Rhyme

Craft: We made heart-shaped suncatchers with contact paper and tissue paper squares. This simple craft is a good one that allows children to practice small motor control as they pick up and stick the squares of tissue, but doesn't involve glue or lots of cutting.

Next week's theme is monsters, and doesn't lend itself as easily to including diverse characters, but the week after that is family, and again I have an opportunity to promote kindness and acceptance with my young patrons.

Storytime: Robots

I haven't been posting my storytime lineups because I have been reusing themes I already did at my previous job, many of which I already posted on this blog. However, today was a brand-new theme for me: robots.

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them

Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds

Book: Big Bot, Small Bot by Marc Rosenthal

Book/Song: If You're a Robot and You Know It by Musical Robot (We sang the song and I made the pop-up pieces in the book move as the kids did the actions.)

Book: Boy + Bot by Amy Dyckman

Rhyme: Little Mouse, Little Mouse

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Beep, Beep, Go to Sleep by Todd Tarpley

Craft: We made robot vests using paper grocery bags. Our local grocery store donated the bags, I had a volunteer cut out the head and arm holes, and the kids went to town decorating them.

You may have noticed that my lineup style has changed quite a bit from when I was at my previous library. This is because my patron base is quite different. In my last library, storytime was attended by mostly K-2nd graders with some younger siblings. Here, storytime happens during the school day, so usually the oldest children are 4 and many are 2 or 3. I've reduced my books from five to three and added in more action rhymes and songs, because these things hold the kids' attention the best. We also repeat the rhymes and songs each week, so they don't always (or usually) match the theme. This consistency helps my young patrons to become used to the routine and learn the songs and rhymes so they can participate more fully in storytime. 

Storytime: Pirates!

I haven't posted a storytime lineup in a while, mostly because I am at a new library, which means I've been systematically recycling my old storytimes and programs from my previous library. However, last month I was able to do a pirate-themed storytime during the week of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: The Pirate Princess by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Are You the Pirate Captain? by Gareth P. Jones

My previous storytimes had this pattern: rhyme, book, song, book, rhyme, book, song, book, rhyme, book, rhyme, craft. That's five books total. My current crowd is considerably younger than my previous crowd, and they are used to much shorter storytimes, so I follow the same pattern I have for the pirate storytime above and just switch out the books. We repeat songs because repetition is comforting to kids and easy for me.

For our craft we made paper plate pirates. I supplied the half-circles for the pirates bandana and the black eye patches. The kids colored in the faces and added spots to the bandanas.

Storytime: Spots

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: Spectacular Spots by Susan Stockdale

Rhyme: 
Five blue polka dots lay on the floor,
One sat up and then there were four.

Four blue polka dots got on their knees,
One tipped over and then there were three.

Three blue polka dots stood on one shoe,
One fell down and then there were two.

Two blue polka dots started to run,
One stopped quickly and then there was only one.

One blue polka dot rolled toward the door,
When it disappeared, there were no more!

Book: The Big Blue Spot by Peter Holwitz

Song: "If You’re Happy and You Know It"

Book: Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier

Rhyme:
Around we go and around we go
A-whirling with the wind.
Around we go and down we go
A (color) spot to find.

Book: Whose Spots Are These? by Sarah Wohlrabe

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Spots in a Box by Helen Ward

Goodbye Rhyme

Craft: This craft was much more open-ended than I typically do at the end of storytime. I had BINGO paint markers and die-cut circles set out, as well as glue sticks, markers, and paper. I let the kids make a freeform "spot" craft out of whatever they wanted.

Storytime: Llamas

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: In the Llama Yard by Patricia Stockland

Song: "If You’re Happy and You Know It"

Book: The Littlest Llama by Jane Buxton

Rhyme: Happy Llama, Sad Llama
Happy llama, sad llama
Totally rad llama
Super llama, drama llama
Big, big mama llama

Camel; nice camel.
Happy camel, sad camel
Totally rad camel
Super camel, drama camel,
Big, big mama camel.

Moose, fish, turtle.

Book: Chico the Brave by Dave Horowitz

Book: Maria had a Little Llama by Angela Dominguez

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino

Goodbye Rhyme

Craft: Clothespin Llamas! I did this for a couple of reasons. First, it required no purchase of extra materials - we already had clothespins and paper and markers available at the library. Second, using clothespins helps small children with their fine motor control, and most of the children at my storytime put more than the requisite two clothespins on their llamas, which was fine by me. The more they take those off and put them on, the stronger their fingers are, which will make so many aspects of school - writing, cutting, etc. - much easier for them. 

Storytime: Pajamas!

One of my regular outreach locations was having a pajama day for the kids, and they asked me to bring a pajama-themed storytime.

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: Pigs in Pajamas by Maggie Smith

Rhyme: Five Little Monkeys

Book: The Napping House by Audrey Wood

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz

Rhyme: Pajama Party
Welcome to our pajama party,
Come on, let's have some fun.
First we'll hop on slippered feet,
And then we'll run and run.
Now we'll stretch and stretch our arms,
And then we'll sigh and yawn.
Soon we'll all be fast asleep,
And we'll stay that way until dawn.

Book: Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson

Goodbye Rhyme

Storytime: Libraries

We just wrapped up library week, so this is what I did at my library-themed storytime:

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: Library Lion by Michelle Knudson

Rhyme: My Book
This is my book; it will open wide
To show the pictures that are inside.
I read about a ball, so big and so round
That is tossed in the air and rolled on the ground.
I read about an umbrella to keep me dry
When raindrops fall from the cloudy sky.
I read about a kitty with a loud, loud purr.
I'd love to stroke her soft, warm fur.

Book: Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: Biblioburro by Jeanette Winter

Rhyme: Books to the Ceiling
Books to the ceiling, books to the sky!
My stack of books is ten miles high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.

Book: Library Day by Ann Rockwell

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk

Goodbye Rhyme

Craft: At the end of Library Mouse, the kids in the library write their own stories on "mouse-sized" books. I made small books (1/4 a standard sheet of paper) for kids to use to write their own stories.

Storytime: Bunnies

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: Chloe by Peter McCarty

Rhyme: Bunny’s Bedtime
My bunnies now must go to bed
The little mother rabbit said.
But I will count them first to see
If they have all come back to me.
1 bunny, 2 bunnies, 3 bunnies dear
4 bunnies, 5 bunnies, yes all are here.
They are the prettiest things alive.
My bunnies 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Book: Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman

Song: "If You’re Happy and You Know It"

Book: Mine! by Susie Jin

Rhyme: Bunny Bunny
Bunny, Bunny, turn around!
Bunny, Bunny, touch the ground!
Bunny, Bunny, wiggle your nose!
Bunny, Bunny, touch your toes!
Bunny, Bunny, rest your head!
Bunny, Bunny, jump in bed!

Book: Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes

Goodbye Rhyme
Craft: We made paper cup bunnies. 

Storytime: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: The Three Bears and Goldilocks by Margaret Willey

Rhyme: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Book: Goatilocks and the Three Bears by Erica S. Perl

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

Book: Goldilocks and the Three Martians by Stu Smith

Rhyme: Five Little Monkeys

Book: Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson

Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Book: Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins

Goodbye Rhyme

Craft: I found a mini book version of the Goldilocks story, which we assembled and colored so the kids could take the story home and read it. 

Storytime: Spring

Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them

Book: Spring by Cynthia Amoroso

Rhyme: Five Little Flowers
Five little flowers standing in the sun
See their heads nodding, bowing one by one?
Down, down, down comes the gentle rain
And the five little flowers lift their heads up again!

Book: When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes

Song: "If You’re Happy and You Know It"

Book: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano

Scarf Play: Give each child a scarf. Have them bunch it up in their cupped hands like their hands are an egg. Have the egg hatch and pull out the scarf, pretending it's a bird that can fly high, fly low, fly in circles, etc. Have kids raise their scarves by color.

Book: The Thing About Spring by Daniel Kirk

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand

Goodbye Rhyme

Craft: Muffin paper flowers. Supplies: muffin papers, preferably colored ones, craft sticks, paper, buttons, white glue, scissors, markers.