The Three Bears by Byron Barton

Who's been sleeping in Baby Bear's bed? In a rhythmic text with striking pictures, Byron Barton retells the classic fairytale of the three bears and a little girl named Goldilocks. This book is not too big, not too small, but just right for toddlers.

Yoga and Play Storytime

We lost our Yoga instructor last month, and rather than cancel the events or try to hire someone, I decided to try yoga and play storytime. This morning we had four kids and four adults all participating in the yoga stories, games, songs, and cards, helping each other playfully try to stretch and move our bodies. 

Our First book was Good Morning Yoga by Mariam Gates, and was a great way to get loose and moving. We went right into The Yoga Game by the Sea by Kathy Beliveau. While it was challenging to try to hold the book and try the pose, the small group made it work, and we all took turns trying a pose and showing others how to do it. 

We then each took a card from the yoga deck I have and tried to illustrate the pose to the group.

We were flexible and ready to move using Steve Jenkins and Robin Page's Book MOVE! Which was a fun way to run around and pretend to be animals. 

Then I pulled out the parachute. The secret to the parachute is that you can do the song "Parachute Up" 10 times and the kids will ask for it again. 

"Parachute Up, Parachute Down, Parachute dancing all around the town. Shake it at your shoulders, shake it at your head, shake it at your knees, then tuck right into bed!"

We also did "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"

Finally we did "Popcorn, popcorn sizzling in a pan. Shake it up, Shake it up, and POP it if you can" The kids hung out underneath and loved to have the parachute lift high for the POP!

We then brought our energy down by using the parachute to calmly lift and fall with our breaths. 

For our final calming down we used some breathing and mindfulness exercise cards from my Yoga Pretzels Deck. 

We also read some short selections from this beautiful book of mindfulness poems. Breathe and Be by Kate Coombs. This is the book that a parent loved so much, she took home to help her wiggly four year old work to practice quieting down. 

The caregivers were very enthusiastic about the program and we talked a little bit about how the books I used were available to check out and that you (and I) do not have to be a professional to engage kids in exercise and play like this. Another thing I liked about using this format for storytime is that I was able to talk about the early literacy tools of moving bodies being important for calming down and a bit about the research that shows that exercises and stretches that cross the mid-line of the body help engage a kid's brains for reading, math, and other concept work. Also, I loved this program because my endorphins are flowing and I got a fun 40 min workout in the beginning of my work day. 

Dots and Storytime

We really like to create connections between our programs and our displays. This allows us to draw our patrons in on many levels. Currently our favorite kind of display is the collaborative art project. We loved the gratitude tree experience, we are trying to repeat it in as many manifestations as we can.  Here is our growing dot collage. Using the die cut machine we made a stack of rainbow dots and are encouraging our patrons to design them and put them up in the window. (We do keep the tape at the desk because tape and three year old's are a bad combination) 

                                                            

To help launch our dot display, I hosted a preschool storytime focusing on creativity and imagination. 

We started with Maybe Something Beautiful by Isabel Campoy. It is a little long, but with some quick edits, it worked as the first book. 

Also included were Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier, The Dot by Peter Reynolds, and Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.

We did songs about art (This is the way we paint the wall) and the hokey-pokey with scarves. 

For my flannel board I just cut out many colored flannel dots and encouraged the children come up and help create a design with dots. Mostly they just wanted to put a flannel piece up, but we did get one lovely flower, a stop light, a mouse, and a car. 

For our craft I put out paper plates with three dots of poster paint (red, yellow, and blue) and put out paint brushes and q-tips for dot painting. I brought in some window dots, and a few of the children painted them and put them up in the window! The next thing we are going to add to our window display is some pictures of artrisits who use dots, and some books that families could use 

Teddy Bear Storytime

Teddy Bear Storytime

I love doing a bear storytime.  I love it even more when I mix Teddy Bears into my storytime.  I have a huge bin of Teddy Bears that I use for songs with the children at the end.  If you ever want to borrow my big bin of bears, please let me know.  I've been collecting teddy bears throughout my career and they are all different and unique and some not-a-bear teddy bears.  I always talk about how it's winter time and the bears are now hibernating (great word to boost their vocabulary) before the reading books.  It's so much fun!  

 Bedtime for Bear by Brett Helquist

This was the favorite for storytime this morning.  Poor bear is so tired, but his friends, two raccoons, really want him to play in the snow with them before he sleeps all winter long. 

 Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand

This was a fun one to read.  It's spring and Mole wants his friend Bear to watch up.  He tries everything and it's not until makes him a big pancake breakfast before Bear wakes up.  Poor Mole is so tired from trying to wake up Bear that he gets back to sleep at the end. 

Where's My Teddy?  by Jez Alborough

I really like this story.  Poor Eddie has left his teddy in the woods, when he goes to find Eddie he finds that his teddy is now HUGE.  

Songs I use doing my teddy bear storytime:

Two Little Brown Bears, Sitting on a Hill, One Name Jack and One Name Jill

Run away Jack....

Two Little Brown Bears, digging in the Snow, One Name Fast and One Name Slow

Run away Fast....

Two Little Brown Bears feeling quite proud, one name Quiet and one name Loud

Run away Quiet...

Teddy Bear Playhouse by Hap Palmer "So Big" CD

Dance With Your Teddy Bear by Greg & Steve "Jumpin & Jammin" CD

Dance with your Teddy Bear!

Sharing and a Parachute

Thankfulness and Sharing

We had so much fun with a sharing and thankfulness storytime. Sometimes having a group of 8-10 small three-year-olds is perfect. 

"Bow Wow Wow, whose dog are thou? You are _______'s dog. Bow Wow Wow."

As people walked in we wrote down the names on our Dry Erase board, so at each child's name we passed the stuffed dog around the circle until it got back to me. 

We skipped adults, so the small group of kids on the carpet worked out beautifully. 

We had the best conversation with Should I Share My Ice Cream by Mo Willems, many preschoolers had strong feelings about Gerald sharing or not sharing. 

I made a Stone Soup Flannel and handed out the vegetables to the children so that they could each add a vegetable to the soup pot. 

We then shared the Parachute and the songs we came used were:

• If you're happy and you know it shake the chute...jump around
• Popcorn, popcorn sizzling in a pan. We started this with the children holding, but once they got underneath at the end, we had to sing it 2-3 times with them underneath. 
• Parachute up, parachute down, parachute dancing all around the town. Shake it on your shoulders, shake it near your head, shake it at your knees and tuck right into bed. (We all got under the parachute at this last line. We had to sing this three times also. I think the preschoolers could have played with the parachute for the whole half hour!
• We did a round of ring around the rosy, but this was not nearly as popular, and so was harder to coordinate properly; our circle got smooshed and lopsided. 

For our craft we made bookmarks to give as gifts with stickers, since we have a crazy drawer full of stickers, and they had fun. 

We're Going on a Bear Hunt Activity

This book is a favorite of many and very fun to read to groups large and small.  While planning my bear storytime I came across an activity made for this book that is perfect for preschool storytime. When the kids color the page and cut out the figures they can retell the story to others, make up their own related story or practice inventing sounds for the different environments mentioned in the book.   Here is the handout:

Found on PinkStripeySocks.com

Halloween Storytime

Halloween Storytime...BOO!

Every year we do an annual Halloween Storytime and it's by far one of my favorite storytimes to do. 

Books:

You can read this anytime of year, but I like to present it at Halloween Storytime, or during my "monster" storytime.  The kids can yell "GO AWAY".

I like that this book has ghosts, but the ghosts are not scary.  I also like the point out that there are only three colors used to make this book, white, black and orange.  

This is Bill's favorite Halloween Book and we cannot have a Halloween Storytime in Windsor without reading this book.  It's not in the"Halloween" collection, but it fits nicely with our storytime.

Fingerplays:(Ask for the Words, if you want)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin Sitting on a Wall (I do this bounce/fingerplay every week starting in October until Thanksgiving)

Two Little Bats

Flannel:

Brown Bat, Brown Bat, What do you See?

Songs:

We are Monsters by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael on the Bouncy Blue CD

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Hap Palmer on the Early Childhood Classics

There's a Spider on the Floor (with Scarves) by Raffi

Happy Halloween!

Apple Storytime

Apple Storytime

I love doing Apple Storytimes this time of year.  I always look forward to reading my favorite apple book, The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall.  I point out the pictures, talk about the changing of seasons, and show how important bees are at the end.  I usually follow it up with Buzz, Buzz, Buzz by Laurie Berkner.  I also always use this poem, that I found a long time ago and still use it.  I have the flannel and I use hand motions.

Apples

Apples, apples, one, two, three,

Apples for you,

Apples for me.

Apples big,

Apples small,

Apple trees tiny,

Apple tress tall.

                                                 Apples sour,

                                                 Apples sweet,

                                                 Apples, apples, are nice to eat.

Happy Fall!

I Spy with My Little Eye books By Edward Gibbs

I Spy with My Little Eye books
By Edward Gibbs

I love this series of books by Edward Gibbs! I incorporate animal puppets into this by using a piece of cardboard with a whole in it. After I read one of these books, I put the piece of cardboard between me and the storytime cart and show the kids different parts of an animal puppet and ask them to guess what they think it is as I describe the texture and colors.

Usually, as the final animal I sometimes choose a dinosaur or a dragon, sometimes I use the plush letters of the alphabet to give the kids a funny surprise. 

Commotion in the Ocean

Commotion in the Ocean Storytime

I've been doing Preschool Storytime at the local Preschool Summer Camp through the Town of Windsor.  Every week they have a new theme and I try to pick my books around the theme.  This week's theme was Commotion in the Ocean.

 

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

One afternoon Cailin from Petaluma told the librarians that her favorite book to share at storytime is "The Pout-Pout Fish" by Diesen.  I immediately checked it out and it was a huge hit with my kids. So, I decided to give it a try for storytime.  The kids LOVED it.  It was by far their favorite.

I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Another hit and it fit into the them.

We also read Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins.  We talked about all the different types of fish and our favorite one.  

If you do an ocean storytime you must do "The Goldfish Song" by Laurie Berkner.  If you don't know "The Goldfish Song" you need to check it out now!

Noisy Night by Mac Barnett

Noisy Night by Mac Barnett. I used this book in a family storytime last Friday, and it was so great! It really worked for all ages, because it has simple, colorful illustrations, repeating sounds and rhymes, and is also a guessing game! The older kids really loved trying to guess what was making all the noise; there are some difficult answers and some simple answers, so the toddlers could participate too. I'm definitely adding this one into my rotation.

Dance of the Violin by Stinson

This new book just came in and I love it! I am planning to pair it with the recording of the song the boy in the book plays in his competition.  It is super easy to read and does a great job of turning music into a visual experience. I might have the kids listen to music and draw what it shows them. I think I will ask them what color the music feels like and what shape or form it might look like in a picture.  What other music books would go well with this for a storytime?

Picture Book Review

Bear and Squirrel are Friends by Deb Pilutti

The first time I read this book I was really confused at the moral or purpose of the story, so I read it again.  The story left me feeling uncomfortable and still confused.  I gave it to another staff to read, and they returned it with a similar reflection about the moral of the story.

Thinking of amphomorphic characters, there is the standpoint that people of different races have to struggle to be friends and no one will support them.

From another even more disturbing vision of the world, friends eat friends. And you can make blueberry pancakes to save yourself from being eaten by your bestfriend. Cannibalism is expected and accepted.
CLOV has the only copy of this book.  Are we reading too much into it? Wanna read it? I'd love your perspective.

Potato Joe by Keith Baker

Storytime started back up and I chose one of my favorites to share today Potato Joe by Keith Baker.

There is counting forwards and backwards and there is a special guest appearance by a guy named Watermelon Moe. This is a fun and unique picture book that makes kids laugh!

Farm!

My story time theme was "Farm" today! We read:

Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee
A classic favorite of mine that works well for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz
A fun twist on the traditional song. Instead of cows and sheep, Old MacDonald has an excavator and a steam roller!


Farm Songs:

Down on Grandpa's Farm (I used puppets)


Farm Rhyme:

Five Little Eggs

Five little eggs and
Five little eggs
That you see makes ten
Sitting on top is the Mother Hen
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
What do you see?
Ten fluffy chickens!
Yellow as can be



A few weeks ago, we were bombarded by teens needing volunteer work. In desperation to keep them busy I said, "Come up with a cute farm craft that preschoolers could do." They came up with this cow hat, which turned out great.

Bears!

For a Bears themed story time I used the following books and they worked great:

Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Beautiful illustrations with lots to look at. Opportunities for counting, colors, & fruit classification

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
Even though the bear does not make an appearance in the story, I love this one!



A Little Brown Bear Rhyme:

A little brown bear went in search for some honey
Isn't it funny, a bear wanting honey?
He sniffed at the breeze (sniff, sniff)
He listened for some bees (buzz, buzz)
And wouldn't you believe, he even climbed trees!

(I used a bear puppet for the rhyme)


'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Action Rhyme

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear reach up high
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the sky
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear shake your hips
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear blow a kiss
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear tap your knees
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear sit down please


I found this craft on East Coast Mommy. I used cardstock. You can even download the template for the ears!

Cats!

I wanted to nail my first story time here at Sebastopol, so I picked a theme I would be especially excited about: Cats! I used my favorite cat books for preschool story time:

Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun:
I love this book because it covers a variety of concepts, like shapes, colors, handling scissors carefully, prediction, and imagination. And the protagonist, Meeow, is adorable. The book gives us as readers opportunities to ask the audience side questions. When Meeow shares his favorite color is red,  I ask the kids what their favorite color is, or if they can name some red things. When Meeow cuts a hole in the box with scissors, I invite the kids to make a scissor shape with their pointer and middle fingers and pretend to cut, so they can practice their fine motor skills.

Pete the Cat, I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin:
A no brainer choice. The original Pete the Cat books are the best!

I'm still learning how to pick the best books for baby story time. I used Pete the Cat for the preschoolers and the babies, and that seemed to work well. I thought Meeow and the Big Box would be too much for the babies, so I tried to pick a sweet story that would also appeal to the adults.

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
I think this book is really sweet. One parent seemed to really enjoy the story. I felt like I was losing the audience a little bit: I had a majority of babies and a few toddlers. The toddlers started getting very wiggly.

I learned this cute song:

I'm a Little Kitty Cat 

(To the Tune of I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little kitty cat, soft and sweet (pretend to pounce)

Here are my whiskers (hand motion whiskers)

Here are my feet (hold up your two paws or hands)

When I go a 'hunting, mice beware (pretend to pounce)

Or you might just have a scare! (pretend to scare)

We did this adorable C is for Cat craft! Our teen volunteers cut out the bodies and heads (I drew those up) before hand. I provided glue sticks, markers, and pom poms (I wanted to see what the kids came up with, with the pom poms). The pom poms were a great idea. Some kids used them as eyes, tails, or noses!

"Z" books

Sandra and I finally finished our alphabet storytime series! I had two books from the Z storytimes that went over really well.

Zero Kisses for Me by Virginie Soumagnac. It's about a little bear who decides he doesn't want any more kisses. It is shorter than most picture books, so I read this one to the toddlers. The parents loved it, of course, and the kids could really relate.

Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin by Lloyd Moss. This one is a "classic" (1995), about counting and musical instruments and concerts. I love it - I'm afraid it doesn't circulate very well because it's in the 784s instead of picture books. The words are so musical and fun to read out loud. I read it to the preschoolers, and they really got into it - they were all trying to tell me about instruments they have a home, concerts they've gone to, music they like, etc. It was a huge hit.

Dancing Shoes

Last month my favorite story time theme was "shoes."  I know you are thinking, "What an odd theme."  However, with the books and music it came together perfectly.
The first book was " Dog in Boots" by Greg Gormley. A sweet retelling of Puss in Boots, but with a dog.

 My second choice was the original "Pete the Cat" in his cool white Chucks by James Dean.

 The third shoe book was "Shoe Dog" by Megan McDonald the author of the first Chapter "Stink" books.

After stories we put on our dancing shoes and I put on music. I got out scarves for the dancers and I blew bubbles. We all danced around.  Even some of the moms got up and danced too.

Dogs!

It's a Doggy Dog World

I've been in a dog mood lately, doing all my storytimes with a dog theme.  Here are some of the books I read this week to support my dog theme.

In Toddler Time the first book I read was "Maggie's Ball" by Lindsay Barrett George.  I really love the illustrations of her books.  The children really responded to this story and I plan on reading it again.

This was the second book I read during Toddler Time.  I really like this book, but it may have been a tad long for my group.       I really enjoy reading "Bark, George" to older Preschool crowds, and this was a winner this week.  The kids all got the humor and enjoyed the ending.

The next book I read in Preschool Storytime was "Dog's Colorful Day" to Emma Dodd.  I own the flannel to this book, which I often do side by side, but this time I just read the book.  After each new spot on Dog I asked the children, "Now, how many spots does Dog have?".  When they say the answer I say "That's right, because 1 + 1 = 2" on each new spot.  On the page with all the spots I have the children say the color of the spot and what it was (grass stains, bee pollen, etc.), which helps with recall and retelling of the story.  This is also an easy book to prepare a craft for.

 This is my craft sample for Preschool Storytime.  I enlarged Dog on the cover of the book on the photocopier.  I asked a teen volunteer to cut out dog for me.  (If you have an older crowd they can cut it out themselves).  I would have liked my volunteer to have cut all the way around Dog, but I wasn't there when he finished.  I used the Dot-to-Dot markers for the children to give Dog all his spots.

I also read "Digger Dog" by William Bee, which is always a hit, no matter who I read it to.

For music I played "My Dog Rags" by McGrath, Bob.  You can find this song on his CD "Bob's Favorite Sing Along Songs".  If you ever need me to show you the movements I use just ask.  I always do this song twice, for two reasons, it's a short song and to give the children a chance to do it correctly one whole time through.

I also used the flannel "Bingo".