What’s Your Name?

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I am settling in to my new library. Perhaps the hardest part is remembering everyone’s name!

Names Outreach Class Visit with Jennifer: September 19, 2008

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!”

Featuring Heather Forest

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Yesterday, I got to go out and play with other librarians at a story-swap meeting (Lincoln Story League)!!!

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?)

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

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“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
–Dr. Seuss

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.

Many Colored Days

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Happy Friday! Today is a snowy, white day in Chicagoland. These past couple of weeks have seemed a bit brighter for me… I was finally offered a new library job! Stay tuned for more details 🙂 Until then, here is a colorful baby storytime to enjoy.

A Rainbow of Fun Bibs to Books Storytime with Jennifer: September 15, 2006

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 You, Baby!

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Happy early Valentine’s Day, everyone! Be sure to snuggle up with your babies and loved ones 🙂

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

Rhyme Time!

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Rhyme Time Bibs to Books Storytime with Jennifer: October 20, 2006

OPENING:

Opening rhyme: Brown Bear
*Opening Rhyme: Baby’s Fingers

PROGRAM:

Song (with scarves): “Peek a Boo” from Mary Lee’s Baby-O!: Activity Songs for Babies
Book: Peek-a-boo, You! by Roberta Intrater
Song: “Toe Leg Knee” from Jim Gill Sings Do Re Mi on his Toe Leg Knee
Song: “Tommy Thumb”
Book: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear! By Annie Kubler
Rhyme: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Rhyme: Humpty Dumpty

BOOK SHARE

Rhyme (song): I Love Books

TOY TIME

Song (with bubbles): “If All the Raindrops” on Barney’s Favorites
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

* Baby’s Fingers
These are Baby’s fingers. (Touch the baby’s fingers).
These are Baby’s toes. (Touch the baby’s toes).
This is Baby’s belly button. (Touch the baby’s stomach).
Round and round it goes! (Gently circle belly button).

Let’s make a joyful noise for the New Year!

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The year is still so young and full of possibilities (like a newborn child)… I think it’s time for another baby storytime!

Joyful Noise Bibs to Books Storytime with Jennifer: September 29, 2006

OPENING:

Opening rhyme: Brown Bear
Opening Rhyme/Song: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

PROGRAM:

Use stacking boxes to hide bee finger puppet and to introduce following song and book.
Song (with finger puppet): “Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee”
Book: “Buzz, Buzz, Buzz,” Went Bumblebee by Colin West
Nursery Rhyme Flannel/ Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Book: Little White Duck by Walt Whippo
Flannel Song: “Barnyard Gate”
Song (with shakers): “Shake Your Sillies Out” from Raffi’s More Singable Songs

BOOK SHARE

Rhyme (song): I Love Books

TOY TIME
Rhyme: Tick Tock

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

Baby Party Animals!

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Let’s “party” into the New Year with some baby storytimes!

Animal Tales Bibs to Books Storytime with Jennifer: October 13, 2006

OPENING:

*Opening rhyme: Brown Bear
Opening Rhyme/Song: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

PROGRAM:

Song (with Velcro pieces and apron): “Five Little Ducks”
Book: Old MacDonald by Amy Schwartz
Song (with finger puppets and barn): “The Animals on the Bus”
Song (with shakers): “Shake Your Sillies Out” from Raffi’s More Singable Songs

BOOK SHARE (I brought out a bin of board books for the caregivers to share with their babies. Usually, we spent about 10-15 minutes on this portion.)

Rhyme (song): I Love Books

TOY TIME (I brought out a bin of toys for the families to share and play with for about 15 minutes.)

Rhyme (with puppets): This Little Piggy
*Rhyme: Tick Tock

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

RHYMES

Brown Bear

“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, who do you see? I see Child’s Name looking at me.”
Go around the circle and have stuffed brown bear “see” and name each child.

Tick Tock

Tick tock, tick tock.
(shift weight of child from knee to knee)
I’m a little cuckoo clock
Tick tock, tick tock.
Now it’s striking one o ‘ clock.
Tick tock, tick tock.
“Cuckoo!!”
(lift child into air)

Tick tock, tick tock.
I’m a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock.
Now it’s striking two ‘o clock.
Tick tock, tick tock.
“Cuckoo!! Cuckoo!!”
(lift child into air two times)

Tick tock, tick tock
I’m a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock.
Now it’s striking three ‘o clock.
Tick tock, tick tock
“Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!”
(lift child three times)

Tickle the Clouds

Tickle the clouds
Tickle your toes
Turn around and tickle your nose
Reach down low
And reach up high
Story time’s over —
Wave good-bye!

Silly Librarian Update

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Happy New Year!

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. If you haven’t been able to tell, I am on another hiatus. I am still looking for a part-time librarian job. Unfortunately, there haven’t been a lot of openings in my area. This makes me sad and also makes me wonder if I should consider a career change. I would love to be back at a library, though, doing my storytime-thing. I enjoyed volunteering over the summer, so I may be able to at least do more of that. In the meantime, I’ve been attempting to write some picture books… and I also had the opportunity to do some community theater last November.

I still have some archives I can post, though… and my husband and I got a video camera for Christmas, so I may finally get around to posting more videos to this site. I’m making it a resolution to post more this year, maybe even weekly. Starting this Friday, January 6…

See you again then! Best wishes for a wonderful 2012!

–The Silly Librarian