Happy New Year!!! The beginning of a new year is a great time to do a Happy Birthday and\/or Celebrations storytime. Below is an oldie but goodie. Also: you may notice that some major changes are happening on this site (finally!). I am hoping to really start adding to this site this year and make it an even more useful resource for parents, teachers and fellow librarians. The look of the site may continue to change for a little while longer, but I hope to get things settled soon!<\/p>\n
As an extra bonus, at the end of this post, I’ve included another “Silly Librarian in Action” video: a snippet of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. Shout HOORAY! and get happy, people.<\/p>\n
Birthdays and Celebrations Funfare with Jennifer: September 1, 2005<\/strong><\/p>\n Decorate using streamers, balloons, felt cakes, presents\u2026<\/p>\n OPENING:<\/p>\n Play the \u201cUnbirthday Song\u201d (from Disney\u2019s Alice in Wonderland) as children enter. Have bubbles going. PROGRAM:<\/p>\n Read-aloud #1: Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein CLOSING:<\/p>\n Song: Hokey Pokey Make a Cake<\/em> Birthday Cake<\/em> And, now for the video! Clap your hands!<\/p>\n
\nDiscuss birthdays and what you can find at parties.
\nOpening Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers
\nOpening Song: Let Everyone Clap Hands with Me<\/p>\n
\nFingerplay: Make a Cake
\nRead-aloud #2: Gotcha! by Gail Jorgensen (group) OR Fairytale Cake by Mark Sperring (family)
\nFingerplay: Birthday Cake
\nOral storytelling: Poule and Roach (from Margaret Read MacDonald\u2019s Celebrate the World: Twenty Tellable Folktales for Multicultural Festivals) [I definitely needed to shorten the story for this audience. If I were to do this storytime again, I think that I would substitute this story for another book such as The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli or A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas and\/or more songs or fingerplays.]<\/p>\n
\n(Song: Shake My Sillies Out)
\nPresent kids with colorfully wrapped box as a \u201cpresent for everyone\u201d. But before we can open it, we must sing\u2026
\nSong: Happy Birthday
\nOpen up the present (be dramatic and throw the paper everywhere while shaking the \tbox). Inside there are stickers for everyone! Hand out stickers individually (a good time to do a count) and wish each boy and girl a \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d. Play \u201cUnbirthday Song\u201d again (and\/or Raffi music) while doing this as audience \tleaves.<\/p>\n
\nMix the batter, stir the batter
\n(make a stirring motion with one arm\/hand)
\nShake some flour in
\n(make a shaking motion with one arm\/hand)
\nMix the batter, stir the batter
\n(make a stirring motion with one arm\/hand)
\nPlace it in a tin
\n(pretend to pour)
\nSprinkle in some raisins in
\n(pretend to sprinkle)
\nPop it in the oven
\n(open both hands, palms up, and slide them forward)
\nOpen wide the oven door
\n(pretend to open door)
\nAnd out comes the cake!
\n(open both hands, palms up, and slide them forward) <\/p>\n
\nTen candles on a birthday cake
\n(hold up hands with palms facing out and fingers extended)
\nAll lit up for me
\n(wiggle fingers)
\nI’ll make a wish and blow them out
\nWatch and you will see.
\n(blow and bend fingers down)<\/p>\n