Happy Birthday to Meeeeeeeeeee!

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Tomorrow (Thursday) is my birthday, so I threw myself a little birthday party storytime on Monday. All of my little “guests” were happy to get bubbles party favors 🙂 What was extra funny was that TWO of the moms had their birthday on Monday!

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

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein
*Fingerplay: Make a Cake
Read-aloud #2: A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas
Flannel: The Enormous Turnip
**Fingerplay: The Quiet Mouse
Read Aloud #3 (Story Cards): Mouse’s Birthday by Jane Yolen
Fingerplay: Birthday Cake
(Read Aloud #4: If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff)
Action Song: Fun with Hands
(Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers)
Read Aloud #5: Don’t Spill the Beans! by Ian Schoenherr (I had the kids whisper, “It’s Ms. Jennifer’s birthday!” every time the bear whispered the secret to a friend.)
Song: Happy Birthday
Activity: Present kids with a colorfully wrapped box. Open up the present (be dramatic and throw the paper everywhere while shaking the box). Inside there are bubbles for everyone! (In the past, I wrapped up stickers.) Hand out the favors at the end of storytime.
(“Dancing” Song: “The Freeze Dance” from Music for Little People: Birthday Party! Singalong)

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

*Make a Cake
Mix the batter, stir the batter
(make a stirring motion with one arm/hand)
Shake some flour in
(make a shaking motion with one arm/hand)
Mix the batter, stir the batter
(make a stirring motion with one arm/hand)
Place it in a tin
(pretend to pour)
Sprinkle some candy in
(pretend to sprinkle)
Pop it in the oven
(open both hands, palms up, and slide them forward)
Open wide the oven door
(pretend to open door)
And out comes the cake!
(open both hands, palms up, and slide them forward)

**The Quiet Mouse
Once there lived a quiet mouse
(Hold out fist with index finger extended)
In a quiet little house.
(Insert index finger into other fist)
When all was quiet as can be,
Out Popped He!!
(Throw arms and hands apart)

***Birthday Cake
Ten candles on a birthday cake
(hold up hands with palms facing out and fingers extended)
All lit up for me
(wiggle fingers)
I’ll make a wish and blow them out
Watch and you will see.
(blow and bend fingers down)

Additional “Birthday” Books: Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack, Not Last Night But the Night Before by Colin McNaughton, Who Made This Cake? by Chihiro Nakagawa, Birthday Zoo by Deborah Lee Rose, Happy Birthday Bunny! by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon, The Fairytale Cake by Mark Sperring, and The Birthday Queen by Audrey Wood

Festival Fun!

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I had a blast today at the first Larsen Park Storytelling Festival! It was great seeing the other storytellers perform. I have some new stories that I want to learn now!!! The audience was wonderful, too 🙂 I hope that I can participate in more events like this! (Have I used enough exclamation marks?!)

Stories told:
–“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.)
–“The Little Red Hen” (This is a traditional folktale, possibly of Russian-origin. I used a singing refrain from storyteller Heather Forest’s sound recording Sing Me a Story. I wore this crazy chicken hat.)
–“Chickens!” (I learned this “boo baby” story from storyteller Priscilla Howe’s cd, Chickens! and Other Stories for Young Children)
–“At Midnight” (Another story from Priscilla Howe’s cd, Chickens! and Other Stories for Young Children)
–“We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” (My telling is based on Michael Rosen’s picture book version.)

It’s Buggy Out There

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Summertime also means bugs… I will be repeating a version of this storytime at my Panera Milk and Cookies (Registration Only) and my Randall Oaks (Open, Drop-in!) storytimes on Monday, August 5!

I will be repeating a Silly Stories storytime at Rakow next Wednesday, July 31.

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

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Giant Pop-Out Bugs : a Pop-Out Surprise Book
Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin?
Song with Bugs Activity Glove: Sing Along Bug Songs (from Lakeshore Learning… doesn’t appear to be available anymore, unfortunately)
Read-aloud #2: Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier
Fingerplay: Beehive
Prop Story: “The Hair-Raising Adventures of Sara Susan” from Glad Rags: Stories and Activities Featuring Clothes for Children by Jan Irving and Robin Currie
Read Aloud #3: The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Song/Fingerplay: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Storytelling Activity: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (using story props)
*Song: Flutter, Flutter Butterfly
Read Aloud #4: Jump! by Scott M. Fischer
(“Dancing” Song: “Jumping and Counting” from Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem)

*Flutter, Flutter Butterfly (to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Flutter, flutter, butterfly.
Floating in the summer sky.
Floating by for all to see,
Floating by so merrily.
Flutter, flutter, butterfly,
Floating in the summer sky.

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

Summ-Summ-Summertime!

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It’s Summertime! I had a great time at the Gail Borden Rakow Branch. I will be repeating this summer storytime at my Panera Milk and Cookies storytime in Elgin on Monday, July 15.

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

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon
Action Rhyme: Hands up High
Fingerplay: Two Little Penguins
Read-aloud #2: How Will We Get to the Beach? By Brigitte Luciani
*Flannel: A Dozen Dogs
Read Aloud #3: Froggy Learns to Swim by Jonathan London
Song/Fingerplay/Props: Five Green and Speckled Frogs
Read Aloud #4 (Story Cards): Marshmallow Kisses by Linda Crotta Brennan
Fingerplay: Five Fat Sausages
Read Aloud #5: Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems
(“Dancing” Song: “Goldfish” from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band)

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

*A Dozen Dogs (Source unknown. We had a staff artist make beautiful flannel pieces of the different dogs.)
Two dogs going to the beach
Want to come along?
One fat dog
One skinny dog
One white dog
One black dog
One black and white dog
All going to the beach
Two brown dogs–They look like twins
Three hungry puppies–They like hot dogs!
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 dogs at the beach

Story Sparklers

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I had a fun time performing at the Lakeside Fest in Crystal Lake today!

It’s been a busy week. Not only did I travel to Crystal Lake for the Fest, I also volunteered at the Gail Borden Rakow Branch in Elgin this week. I will be doing more storytimes over there Wednesdays, July 10 and 17 at 10:30 am. I also continue to do storytimes for the Fox River Valley Public Library District at Panera and the Randall Oaks Branch. Come enjoy some stories with the Silly Librarian 🙂

This happy Fourth of July, I shared some story sparklers…

Big Books:
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
Mrs. McNosh Hangs up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks

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.)
“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.)

Songs:
*If You Wanna Hear a Story
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Five Green and Speckled Frogs
Let Everyone Clap Hands with Me (from Pete Seeger: American Folk, Game & Activity Songs for Children)
**We Wave Goodbye Like This

Dancing Music:
“Coconut Soap” from Frank Leto’s Time for Music

**If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
if you want to hear a story,
if you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Other verses:
“nod your head,”
“rub your tummy,”
“sit real still,” etc.

**We Wave Goodbye Like This (to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)
We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends. We wave goodbye like this.
(Repeat once.)

I Want to Ride My Bike!

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It’s been lovely weather for bike rides!

This week, I did another “Transportation” storytime. This one focused on bikes. I admit it didn’t go as well as I would have liked… The bike picture books out there aren’t as lively as I’d like… except “Duck on a Bike”, of course. Oh well. It wasn’t terrible. 🙂

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

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Wheels Around by Shelley Rotner
*Flannel: Parking Lot Rhyme
Read-aloud #2: Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka
Action Song: “My Bike”
Read Aloud #3: Along a Long Road by Frank Viva OR The Best Bike Ride Ever by James Proimos
Fingerplay: Open, Shut Them
Action Song: Tommy Thumb
Read Aloud #4: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Song/Flannel: Five Little Ducks (Patterns found here.)
Read Aloud #5: The Best Bike Ride Ever by James Proimos OR Who is Driving? by Leo Timmers
Action Song: Tony Chestnut
(“Dancing” Song: “Hurry, Hurry Drive the Fire Truck” from Barney’s Favorites Volume 1)

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

*Parking Lot Rhyme (Source unknown)
There are many machines to take us places.
Here they come to their parking spaces.
Here comes the fire truck, shiny and bright.
Here comes the ambulance, blinking its light.
Here comes the train; its whistle blows.
Here comes the bus; it stops and it goes.
Here comes the car with a family inside.
So many machines in which to ride.

Have Book- Will Travel!

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Have Book- Will Travel… that’s our Summer Reading theme this year! More information about Fox River Valley Public Library District’s program and special events can be found here.

This week, I did a “Transportation” storytime to correspond with our theme. It went really well!

I hope that everyone has a summer full of adventure 🙂

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

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: I Wish I Were a Pilot by Stella Blackstone
*Flannel: Five Fast Race Cars
Read-aloud #2: Clickety Clack by Rob and Amy Spence
Rhyme: A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track
Read Aloud #3: Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha
Fingerplay: Fun with Hands
Read Aloud #4: The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort
Song/Flannel: The Wheels on the Bus
Read Aloud #5: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
(“Dancing” Song: “Singing in the Rain” from Carole Peterson: Dancing Feet)

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

*Five Fast Race Cars (Source unknown)
Five fast race cars speeding round the track.
The first car said, “I can’t look back!”
The second car said, “Oh, no! I’m out of gas!”
The third car said, “Beep! Beep! I’m fast!”
The fourth car said, “Watch my tires spin.”
The fifth car said, “Vroom, vroom. I win!”
Then beep went a horn and flash went the lights,
And five fast race cars sped out of sight!

Story Love II

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And, here is the “Story Love” storytime I did for my regular storytimes (with some of the same elements as my “Story Love” storytime for my older group)…

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

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1 (Story Cards): A Sleepy Story by Elisabeth Burrowes
Song/Fingerplay/Finger puppets: Ten in the Bed
Read-aloud #2: The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore
Song (with flannels and finger puppets): Animals on the Bus
Read Aloud #3: I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel
Song/Fingerplay/Props: Five Green and Speckled Frogs
Read Aloud #4: Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea (While the kids enjoyed this book, the participatory “roaring” got a little out of hand for me… and the illustrations didn’t totally lend themselves to this setting. I saw a librarian do this as a prop story… I might try that next time instead.)
*Flannel: Here is an Animal (Animal Feelings)
Read Aloud #5: Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr
(“Dancing” Song: “Dancing Scarf Blues” from Carole Peterson: Dancing Feet)

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

*Here is an Animal (Animal Feelings) (with corresponding flannel pieces and kids mimicking the emotions)
Here is a mouse who’s happy
Here is a bear who sighs
Here is a turkey who’s sleepy
Here is a lion who cries
Here is a rabbit who’s angry
Here is a horse who’s sad
Here is a beaver who’s noisy
And here is an elephant who’s glad

Story Love I

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Ack! I am behind in blog posts! I guess that’s what happens when you’re in the midst of preparing for and starting SUMMER READING!

Last month, I did a couple of Books/Reading/Story Love storytimes. The following is one I did for my ESL family literacy group. The kids range from pre-K to age 8, so that can be challenging to prepare for!

Hope that everyone is having a happy summer so far and is enjoying a good book!

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

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Wolf! by Becky Bloom
Flannel/Storytelling: The Three Little Pigs
Read-aloud #2: Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr
Song: Let Everyone Clap Hands With Me (from Pete Seeger: American folk, game & activity songs for children)
Read Aloud #3: The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore
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.)
“Dancing” Song: “Dancing Scarf Blues” from Carole Peterson: Dancing Feet

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