Bears Outreach Class Visit with Jennifer: October 8, 2008

OPENING:

Introduction
Opening song: Let Everyone Clap Hands with Me

PROGRAM:

Read-aloud #1: The Three Bears version by Byron Barton
Flannel: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle
Read-aloud #2: Thank You, Bear by Greg Foley
Song: Animals on the Bus
Read-aloud#3: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
Rhyme: Apples
Storytelling Activity: Bear Hunt (based on Michael Rosen’s version)
Song: Fun with Hands

CLOSING:

Good-bye!

HANDOUT:

Bear Ears Headband

Bunnies Outreach Class Visit with Jennifer: June 19, 2009

PROGRAM
Rhyme: Ten Little Fingers
Rhyme: Bunny with Ears So Funny
Book: A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan
Song: Pig On Her Head (Bunny on Her Head)
Book: Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming
Flannel: The Enormous Turnip
Book: Hurry Up and Slow Down, L. Marlow
Song: Little Bunny Foo Foo (with finger puppets)
Book: It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler
Rhyme: Tony Chestnut

HANDOUT or CRAFT
Bunny Foo Foo Coloring Sheets

OPENING:
Intro Song: Do Your Ears Hang Low?
Song: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Bertie Was a Watchdog by Rick Walton
Flannel: Where’s Spot?
Read-aloud #2: Dog Food by Freymann and Elffers
Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers
*Fingerplay: Ten Little Doggies
Read-aloud #3: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
Flannel Song: BINGO
Read-aloud #4: Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems

CLOSING:
Song: Fun with Hands

CRAFT OR HANDOUT:
Spot Coloring Handouts

*Ten Little Doggies
Ten little doggies went out one day
(hold 10 fingers up)
To dig in the dirt and play, play, play.
(Pretend to dig like a dog with both hands)
Five were spotted, and five were not,
(Hold up one hand at a time)
and at dinner time they ate a lot!
(Pretend to eat)

Rain Open Storytime with Jennifer

OPENING:

As children are entering, blow bubbles and play “If All the Raindrops” on Barney’s Favorites
*Opening rhyme: I clap my hands…
Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers
Fingerplay: Rain is Falling Down (from I’m a Little Teapot)

PROGRAM:

Read-aloud #1: Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Song: “I Hear Thunder” (from I’m a Little Teapot)
Read-aloud #2: Rain by Manya Stojic
Rhyme: Rain, Rain, Go Away
**Flannel: Daffodils
Storytell (with animal puppets, parachute for mushroom, and rainstick/shakers/drum): Mushroom in the Rain
Rhyme (repeat): Rain is Falling Down
Song: “Silly Dance Contest” from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song

CLOSING:

Song: “Toe Knee Chestnut”
Closing song: “We Wave Good-bye”

*I Clap My Hands
Suit actions to words

I clap my hands,
I touch my feet,
I jump up from the ground.
I clap my hands,
I touch my feet,
And turn myself around.

**Daffodils (use 5 flannel daffodils)

One little daffodil had nothing much to do,
Out popped another one, then there were two.

Two little daffodils were smiling at a bee,
Out popped another one, then there were three.

Three little daffodils were growing by the door,
Out popped another one, then there were four.

Four little daffodils were glad to be alive,
Out popped another one, then there were five.

Five little daffodils were wearing gold crowns,
They danced in the breeze in green satin gowns.

OPENING:

Introduction
Name song: Pig on Her Head (Laurie Berkner: Buzz Buzz)
Opening song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
Opening fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers

PROGRAM:

Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds
Read-aloud #1: Catalina Magdelena… by Tedd Arnold
Flannel song: BINGO
Read-aloud #2: Mommy Doesn’t Know My Name by Suzanne Williams
*Song (with actions): “Hi, My Name is Joe”
Read-aloud#3: Silly Sally
Flannel song: “Aiken Drum”
Read-aloud #4: No, David by David Shannon
Song: Fun with Hands

CLOSING:

Closing song: We Wave Goodbye

*“Hi, My Name is Joe”
(I learned this from Sharon, Lois and Bram when I was a kid.)
(Have kids join you in movements.)

Hi. My name is Joe and I work in a button factory..
I got a wife and a dog and a family.
One day, my boss comes up to me. He says,
“Hi Joe, are you busy?”
I say “No”
He says,
“Okay, turn the button with your right hand.””
(make the motion with your right hand)

You repeat this with…
…turn the button with your left hand.
…turn the button with your right foot.
…turn the button with your left foot.
…turn the button with your head.

And then the next time he says…
”Joe, are you busy?”
You shout – “YES!”

There, I shared my love of musical storyteller Heather Forest. I plugged two of her wonderful cds, Sing Me a Story and Tales Around the Hearth as well as her picture book version of The Little Red Hen. These cds (as well as mp3s of individual stories from the collections) are available from such sites as CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon.

I’ve adopted catchy musical refrains from her versions of The Mitten, The Turnip and The Little Red Hen into my own storytelling at the library. Adding these refrains is a great way to perk up the presentation and to get the kids singing along.

I also talked a little about how I tell The Little Red Hen. In addition to using Heather Forest’s singing refrain (“If you want some cake to eat, who will help me plant this wheat, etc.?”), I often use audience participation in the form of choosing some kids to work puppets or wear special headbands to act out the parts of the dog, the cat and the mouse. I wear a crazy chicken hat and act as the little red hen. Everyone else gets to be my little chicks. So, when the dog, the cat, and the mouse all say “Not I”, I ask my little chicks if they will help me. They all nod and agree, and we act out planting the seeds, harvesting the wheat, etc. And, of course, the little red hen and her chicks all get to mime eating delicious cake at the end! For my youngest audiences, I usually use flannels and visual cards to tell the story. I still have the kids be chicks, but I don’t select anyone to be a specific part.

The Little Red Hen was a part of a chicken folktale program that I geared for a K-3rd grade audience (and their families). I also used it in my storytime best practices presentation for the California Library Association Conference in 2009. (Please note my email address and blog URL have changed since then.) For that presentation, I also included a template for a fun chicken craft. Other chicken storytimes I’ve done can be found here, here, and here. (Can you tell it is one of my favorite themes?)

Readers across America today (and all this month) are celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday and all of his great contributions to children’s literature. Are you doing anything special?

Dr. Seuss Outreach Class Visit with Jennifer: March 4, 2009

OPENING
Talk about Seuss and Read Across America
Fingerplay: Rain is Falling Down
Fingerplay: The Itsy Bitsy Spider

PROGRAM
Book: The Cat in the Hat
Song: Silly Hat Song
Book: Ten Apples Up On Top
Action Rhyme: Apples
Book: Green Eggs and Ham
Fingerplay: Five Little Sausages

CLOSING
Read more Seuss books at home/library this week!

HANDOUT or CRAFT
Cat in the Hat Coloring Sheet

–For information about Read Across America Day, you can start by clicking here or here.

OPENING:

Opening rhyme: Brown Bear

PROGRAM:

Story Apron with Velcro Pieces: Brown Bear
Book: Baa Baa, Black Sheep by Annie Kubler
Song (with scarves): “Peek a Boo” from Mary Lee’s Baby-O!: Activity Songs for Babies
*Flannel: Little Mouse
**Rhyme: Little Mousie
Song (with shakers): “Ducks Like Rain” from Carole Peterson’s H.U.M. All Year Long
Book: Maisy’s Rainbow Dream by Lucy Cousins

BOOK SHARE

Rhyme (song): I Love Books

TOY TIME
Rhyme: Tick Tock
(played music while playing)

Note: I sang “Clean Up” (Barney-style) while the babies helped clean up books and toys.

CLOSING:

Rhyme (song with finger puppet): Flutter, Flutter Butterfly
Closing rhyme: Tickle the Clouds

*Flannel:
Little Mouse, Little Mouse, Are you in the [insert color] house?
(Underneath different colored flannel houses, I place different flannel animals. Using a cat puppet, we go in search of the mouse flannel…)

**Little Mousie
See the little mousie (Touch fingers to thumb)
Creeping up the stair? (Creep fingers up forearm)
He’s looking for a warm nest (“Look around” with hand)
There – Oh! there! (Tickle child inside elbow or under arm)

Love That Baby Bibs to Books Storytime with Jennifer: April 7, 2006

OPENING:

Greet babies with puppy puppet
Opening rhyme: Brown Bear

PROGRAM:

Song: “Toe Knee Chestnut”
Book: All the Ways I Love You: a Pop-up Book
Song: “Snuggle Puppy”
Have moms hug babies and pet puppy puppet as I go around the room singing
Song (with shakers): “Ducks Like Rain” from Carole Peterson’s H.U.M. All Year Long
Song (with felt pieces): “Five Little Ducks”
Book: Hello, Lulu by Caroline Uff

BOOK SHARE

Rhyme (song): I Love Books

TOY TIME
Rhyme: Tick Tock
(played music while playing)

Note: I sang “Clean Up” (Barney-style) while the babies helped clean up books and toys.

CLOSING:

Rhyme (song with finger puppet): Flutter, Flutter Butterfly
Closing rhyme: Tickle the Clouds