Silly Librarian – Page 14 – Playful. Interactive. Magical.

Tell Me a Story

November 15, 2012November 15, 2012 sillylibrarian Leave a comment

All over Illinois, people gathered for Family Reading Night tonight… including at Dundee Public Library 🙂 We dressed up in our pjs and shared some favorite traditional tales.

OPENING:
Opening Song: Let Everyone Clap Hands With Me (from Pete Seeger: American folk, game & activity songs for children)

PROGRAM:

Storytelling: “Book! Book! Book!” (This is a well-loved librarian anecdote about a chicken that comes into the library. One version, “The Well-Read Frog” can be found in Margaret Read MacDonald’s Three Minute Tales. There is also a picture book, Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss that expands this tale.)

Storytelling Activity: “The Little Red Hen” (This is a traditional folktale, possibly of Russian-origin. Children dressed up and acted out the parts. I used a singing refrain from storyteller Heather Forest’s sound recording Sing Me a Story. See this previous post for a little more information on how I present this tale.)

Action Song: “Five Little Ducks”

Tandem Poem: “Red Riding Hood” from You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman

[Readers Theater: “Little Red Riding Hood” by Moira Butterfield]

Flannel Song: “Ten in the Bed”

Tandem Poem: “The Three Little Pigs” from You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman

Flannel Story: “The Three Little Pigs”

Story Cards: “A Sleepy Story” by Elisabeth Burrowes (a childhood favorite, now sadly out-of print)

CLOSING:
Closing Song: ‘Hands Are For Clapping” (from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song)

For the Birds!

November 5, 2012November 5, 2012 sillylibrarian 2 Comments

Our last Milk and Cookies Storytime at Panera was all about birds… including turkeys. Now that Halloween is over, we might as well start getting excited about Thanksgiving 🙂

Our next Panera storytime won’t be until around Valentine’s Day… but we do have a pajama storytime (Family Reading Night) over at the Dundee Library Thursday, November 15 at 7 pm. The theme will be “Once upon a Time” (fairy and folk tales). Come one, come all. No registration necessary.

OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: The Big Woods Orchestra by Guido Van Genechten
Song/Fingerplay: Hand Up High
Song/Fingerplay: Blackbirds
Read-aloud #2: Wow! said the Owl by Tim Hopgood
*Flannel: Mr. Turkey’s Feathers
**Song: A Turkey is a Funny Bird
Read-aloud #3: Hungry Hen by Richard Waring
Fingerplay: Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Fingerplay: Five Fat Sausages
Read-aloud #4: The Little Red Hen retold by Heather Forest
**Fingerplay: Ten Fat Turkeys
Fingerplay: Mr. Turkey Went Out One Day
Read-aloud #5: Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

*Mr. Turkey’s Feathers
(Make a flannel of a turkey sans feathers. Also make red, blue, green, orange, yellow, purple, black, white and brown feather pieces to add to the turkey as the rhyme progresses.)
Mr. Turkey was so sad,
He lost the feathers he once had.
Now he wants us to help him find
All the feathers of his kind.
We will look both high and low,
We will find them, don’t you know.
Here’s a RED one and a BLUE,
Look, we’ve found a GREEN one, too.
Here’s an ORANGE one and a YELLOW,
Soon he’ll be a feathered fellow.
Now we’ve found the PURPLE one,
BLACK and WHITE, we’re almost done.
If we just look up and down.
I know we’ll find the feather BROWN.
Now Mr. Turkey is so glad,
For we have found the feathers he once had!

**A Turkey is a Funny Bird
The turkey is a funny bird,
His head goes wobble, wobble.
All he know is just one word,
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.

***Ten Fat Turkeys
Ten fat turkeys standing in a row
(hold up ten fingers)
They spread their feathers and tails like so
(spread fingers)
They strut to the left
They strut to the right
(move fingers left and right)
They Gobble, gobble, gobble
in the bright sunlight!

Trick or Treat!

October 29, 2012 sillylibrarian Leave a comment

We had a very fun Halloween storytime over at Panera today.

Next week will be our last Milk and Cookies storytime at Panera until FEBRUARY! 🙁 I do have a pajama storytime coming up Thursday, November 15 at 7 pm at the Dundee Library, though. 🙂

OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo OR Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor
Fingerplay: Once there was a Pumpkin
Flannel Rhyme: 5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate
Read-aloud #2: We’re Off to Find the Witch’s House by Mr. Krieb
Song (with ghost flannel pieces): “The Ghosts Go Gliding” (to the tune of “Ants Go Marching, see Cobb’s I’m a Little Teapot book)
Read-aloud #3: Just Say Boo! by Susan Hood
Fingerplay: Scary Eyes
Read-aloud #4: Brooms are for Flying by Michael Rex
*Fingerplay: Three Little Witches
Read-aloud #5: What’s in the Witch’s Kitchen? (flap book) by Nick Sharratt OR The Thirteen Hours of Halloween by Dian Curtis Regan
Song/Fingerplay: Fun with Hands

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

*Three Little Witches
(Three fingers fly and glide.)
One little, two little, three little witches,
Fly over haystacks, fly over ditches,
Slide round the moon without any hitches,
Heigh, Ho, Halloween’s here!
(from Cobb’s I’m a Little Teapot book)

Monsters don’t scare me!

October 22, 2012 sillylibrarian Leave a comment

As Halloween approaches, I find it fun to do a monster storytime 🙂

Next week, we’ll be reading Halloween stories at Panera. Registration starts tomorrow!

OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1 (Pop-up): Little Monsters by Jan Pienkowski
*Song/Fingerplay: 10 Little Monsters
Read-aloud #2: The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone
Puppet Story: Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley (Puppet available here.)
Read-aloud #3: Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
**Fingerplay: Scary Eyes
Read-aloud #4: If You’re a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley
***Action Rhyme: If I Were a Monster
Read-aloud #5: Halloween Sky Ride by Elizabeth Spurr
Song/Fingerplay: Itsy Bitsy Spider

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

*Ten Little Monsters
(Tune: “Ten Little Indians”)

One little, two little,
Three little monsters
Four little, five little,
Six little monsters
Seven little, eight little,
Nine little monsters
Ten of them can’t scare me!

Ten little, nine little,
Eight little monsters
Seven little, six little,
Five little monsters,
Four little, three little,
Two little monsters,
One of them can’t scare me!

None of them can scare me!

**Scary Eyes
See my big and scary eyes? (Form circles around eyes with fingers.)
Get ready for a big surprise. (Cover face with hands.)
Boo! (Uncover face peek-a-boo style.)

***If I Were a Monster
If I were a happy monster, I’d go HA HA HA
If I were a sad monster, I’d go BOO HOO HOO
If I were an angry monster, I’d go STOMP STOMP STOMP
If I were a scared monster, I’d go AAAH! AAAH! AAAH!
But I’m not a monster! I’m (Miss Jennifer), so I’ll READ READ READ

Go Bears!

October 15, 2012October 15, 2012 sillylibrarian Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago, a bunch of my storytime kids were wearing Chicago Bears shirts… so I felt inspired to do a beary storytime 🙂 I also wanted to include a new book I LOVE: Goldilocks and Just One Bear (a funny twist on the classic tale where a BEAR is lost and crashes a HUMAN home)!

Next Panera storytime is NEXT WEEK. Registration starts tomorrow!

OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Thank You Bear by Greg Foley
Flannel: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. (Templates available here.)
Fingerplay: 10 Little Fingers
Read-aloud #2: The Three Bears by Byron Barton
Read-aloud #3: Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson (Although I LOVE this book as-is, I did end up modifying/shortening it slightly for my group)
Song/Fingerplay: Ten in the Bed
Read-aloud #4 (Big Book): Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dabcovich
*Song/Fingerplay: The Beehive
**Song/Fingerplay: Autumn Leaves
Read-aloud #5: Just Like Bossy Bear by David Horvath

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

*The Beehive
Here is a beehive
(Make a fist.)
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch as they come out of their hive—
One, two, three, four, five,
(Extend fingers one at a time.)
They’re alive! Buzzzzzz!
(Wiggle your fingers.)

**Autumn Leaves
(Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Autumn leaves are falling down, (Flutter fingers down)
Falling down, falling down.
Autumn leaves are falling down,
Falling on the ground.

Autumn leaves are whirling round, (Twirl in a circle)
Whirling round, whirling round.
Autumn leaves are whirling round,
All over town.

No, David, don’t treat books that way!

October 4, 2012May 22, 2018 sillylibrarian 2 Comments

Another month, another Lincoln Story League (our local youth services idea swap)…

I shared with my colleagues a Book Care mini-lesson using No, David! by David Shannon. I’ve done this activity for class visits to the public library for younger kids (kindergarten/first grade).

During a discussion on how to take care of books, and after a fun reading of the No, David! book (available as a big book!), the kids and I sort objects that will and will not help David take care of books.

I have two boxes: a box labeled “YES!” and a box labeled “NO!”. I also have a bag with book-helping and book-hurting objects inside (crayon, bookmark, plastic bag, scissors, candy/food, umbrella, marker, library card, etc.). I take out the objects one by one, and the kids say “Yes, David” or “No, David” depending on if the object helps take care of books (example: bookmark = YES, scissors = NO) and I put the object in the corresponding box.

The kids have a blast with this mini-lesson/game! (I got this great idea from one of my former library instructors, former school librarian Janie Schomberg… thanks, Janie!)

I also like to pair this book/activity with another book, The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers. (And, I mention that eating books is probably not a good way to take care of books, haha!)

Bark!

October 2, 2012 sillylibrarian Leave a comment

Dog storytimes are always popular…

(P.S. No Milk and Cookies storytime next week. Next Panera storytime is 10/15. Be sure to register!)

OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (Also: use swallowing “dog” puppet with various animal finger puppets inside)
Song (with finger puppets): Old MacDonald
Read-aloud #2: Oh No, George by Chris Haughton
Fingerplay: 10 Little Doggies
Read-aloud #3: See Me Run by Paul Meisel
Song/Fingerplay: Fun with Hands
Read-aloud #4 (Big Book): Where is Spot? by Eric Hill
Song/Fingerplay: Hands Up High
Song/Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin?
Read-aloud #5: Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

So Many Ways to Say Hello

October 1, 2012May 22, 2018 sillylibrarian Leave a comment

I had an awesome outreach visit last week. I helped out the Literacy Connection by presenting a storytime during one of their family literacy classes held at a local elementary school. Most of the adults are only just learning English… and the kids are still learning, too. So, it was a little bit of a challenge… but they wanted me to present in English to help immerse these families in the language. This group was one of my most active groups ever… EVERYONE (adults, too!) got into it! (The kids ranged from preschool to grade 4.) I am looking forward to future family literacy storytimes.

This “hello” theme was very appropriate for this “first day” of ESL… We even learned how to say “hello” in a bunch of different languages!

OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (Also: use swallowing “dog” puppet with various animal finger puppets inside)
Song (with finger puppets): Old MacDonald
Read-aloud #2: excerpts from Hello World!:Greetings in 42 Languages around the Globe! by Manya Stojic
Read-aloud #3:Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora
Song/Fingerplay: Hands Up High
Song/Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin?
Read-aloud #4: Hello, Hello! by Miriam Schlein (how animals say hello!)
Flannel: Hi, Harry! by Martin Waddell
Read-aloud #5: Say Hello by Jack and Michael Foreman
Fingerplay: Fun with Hands

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

For Squirrely Kids…

September 24, 2012 sillylibrarian Leave a comment

…a squirrel storytime to kick off our fall storytime sessions at Panera!

The Fox River Valley Public Library District (formerly known as the Dundee Township Library District) will be hosting additional “Milk and Cookie Storytimes” at Panera Bread, 2484 N. Randall Rd. (near I-90) in Elgin the following Mondays at 9:30 a.m.: 10/1, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, & 11/5.

Come for the stories (presented by yours truly)… stay for the complimentary milk and cookies (thank you, Panera!). These sessions are limited to kids ages 3-6. Registration is required and opens up 6 days before each individual storytime. To register, visit “Events and Registration” at the library website, call 847-428-3661 (and press 2), or come to the Children’s Desk at the Dundee Library.

OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Count Down to Fall by Fran Hawk
*Flannel: 5 Little Leaves
Read-aloud #2: Erroll by Hannah Shaw
**Action Song: Peanut Butter and Jelly
Read-aloud #3: Frisky Brisky Hippity Hop by Alexina B. White (has real photos of squirrels!)
***Flannel: 5 Little Acorns
Read-aloud #4: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
Fingerplay: Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Fingerplay: Fun with Hands

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

ADDITIONAL BOOKS:
Easy squirrel books not used: Acorns Everywhere! by Kevin Sherry and Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert
Longer squirrel books not used… maybe better for one-on-one sharing (but very fun): Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin and the Scaredy Squirrel series by Melanie Watt

*5 Little Leaves (used 5 autumn leaf flannel pieces)
Five little leaves on the tree next door
One fell off and then there were four
Four little leaves all over the tree
One fell off and then there were three
Three little leaves where the wind blew
One fell off and then there were two
Two little leaves sitting in the sun
One fell off and then there was one
One little leaf in the tree all alone
The wind blew and blew now there are none!

**Peanut Butter and Jelly (a classic!):
Check out this librarian’s video presentation!

***5 Little Acorns (adapted from “5 Little Apples”)
(Chanted to Five Little Monkeys Teasing Mr. Crocodile)
Five little acorns hanging in a tree,
Teasing Mr. Bushy Tail “you can’t eat me”,
Along comes Mr. Bushy Tail as hungry as can be…
and…CRUNCH!
(Chant with 4,3,2,1)
(Used tree flannel, 5 acorn flannels and a squirrel flannel or puppet)

Featuring Priscilla Howe

September 5, 2012May 4, 2016 sillylibrarian 2 Comments

Every month (September-May), librarians in my area unite to share ideas for “Lincoln Story League”. It’s great fun!

This month, I told a favorite story from a favorite storyteller, Priscilla Howe. “Chickens!” is about a pack of siblings who go off to explore an old barn. They take turns testing their bravery and going inside alone. In the barn, there are chickens… with money in their beaks. And a ghost who warns, “I’m the ghost of Charles Dickens, leave the money with the chickens!” The big sister and the big brother freak out and run away… but not the baby. Find out how the baby scares the ghost away!

Watch Priscilla tell this story here.
Purchase her cd Chickens! and Other Stories for Young Children here.

Her other cds include The Ghost with the One Black Eye and The Best (and Worst) of Beasts.
She also has two dvds, The Itsy Bitsy Tiger and Other Ridiculous Stories and Songs and The Bully Billy Goat and Other Stories.