...and the workshop was wonderful!

ToriAnn did a beautiful job talking about putting together lap and storytimes~ I even learned a lot!

...and the food just made it perfect!

OPL 2009 Workshops

Putting It All Together


November 12, 2009 7:00 pm @ the Orem Public Library
~ all are welcome
____________________
 
This is just a quick post on our upcoming Storyteller Training Workshop!
 
“Putting It All Together” with ToriAnn Perkey

Having trouble organizing your Storytimes or Laptimes? Worried about running out of material or trying to cram everything in? Practice putting together old favorites in new and creative ways, while getting help and sharing advice with your fellow storytellers.

Refreshments (including chocolate!) will be served.

Please call the main Children’s desk, 801-229-7161 to RSVP by November 10th.

We are in the process of planning workshops for next year as well, so if you are interested in learning a specific skill or topic, or are interested in offering a workshop, please let Kim, Amy or Cheryl know. Some sessions we are considering include new storytelling resources, both print and electronic, nonfiction storytimes, and a more in-depth puppetry and puppet creation workshop.

Thank you for your amazing creativity, boundless energy, and dedicated service to the Library and our favorite young patrons. We simply could not do it without you!

Halloween Laptime

It's going to be a Hoppin' Happenin' Hoot of a Halloween!
~a Laptime program for Babies and Toddlers~


I get so excited for Halloween!
I just can’t sit still one more minute~

Halloween Night

(Tune: Frere Jacques)

Jack-o-lanterns, jack-o-lanterns,
Hall-o-ween, Hall-o-ween!
See the owls gliding,
Coal black cats are hiding,
Ghosts go "Boo," ghosts go "Boo!"

Can we go Trick or Treating now?
I’m going to be a witch!
Who else is going to be a witch?
One little witch
-point to self
oh, there you are 2 witches – do we have 3 witches?

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Witches

One little, two little, three little witches
~ fingers up, one, two, three
Fly over haystacks, fly over ditches
~ one hand flies up and over
Slide down moonbeams without any hitches,
~ slide the fying hand down the other arm

Hi Ho Halloween's here
~ hands on hips, then hands up, palms out

I have a story of one particular witch, a little teeny tiny witch, a Humbug Witch…


Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian

That Fred, he’s some cat!

Black Cat

A big black cat with eyes so green
Point to eyes
Went out on the night of Hallowe'en.
He saw a witch.
Bring fingertips in a peak over head.
He saw an owl.

Form circles around eyes with fingers and thumbs

And then he began to "Meow, meow, meow."


Well, Fred may be ready for bed, but I’m not!
Must be all that candy I’ve been eating!

Let’s go outside and start our trick or treating.

Shhhh, do you hear that? What do you hear?
WhooooOooo  oooo Whoooosh
Is that the wind? Can you see it?


Who has Seen the Wind

by Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?
~ hands up shrug shoulders
Neither I or you.
~ shake finger back and forth 'no'
But when the leaves hang trembling,
~ fingers hang down from wrists like leaves on trees
The wind is passing through.
~ hands together 'slide' through leaves

How many of you know how to trick or treat?
Okay, now for those of you that don't know, let me show you
First you knock on the door…



Knock Knock

Knock, knock, knock

~knock on floor
Peek in
~cover baby’s arms over eyes and quickly uncover
Open the latch
cover baby’s arms over chest, then quickly extend out to sides
And walk right in
~walk fingers up baby’s tummy

How do you do Mr. Chinny chin chin?
~tickle baby under chin

No, no, no...
that’s not how you trick or treat!
Let’s practice:

You knock on the door.
Wait for it to open,
And say “Trick or Treat!”
Come on, let’s all say it together:
“Trick or Treat”

Good job!
Shall we sing it?

Trick or Treating

Tune: Are You Sleeping?

Trick or treating, trick or treating.
BOO BOO BOO
BOO BOO BOO
Trick or treating, trick or treating.
I scare you I scare you

Well,we’ve got the treat part down - we just knock on a lot of doors.
We also get to do some tricking!

Halloween Haunt
Tune: A Hunting We Will Go

Oh, a haunting we will go,
A haunting we will go,

We'll catch a ghost,
And put him on a post
And then we'll let him go.

Oh, a haunting we will go,
A haunting we will go,
We'll catch a cat
And put him in a hat
And then we'll let him go.

Oh, a haunting we will go,
A haunting we will go,
We'll catch a witch
And put her in a ditch
And then we'll let her go.

It’s so cold and dark outside.
I’m scared.
Are you scared?

In The Graveyard
Tune: Clementine

In the graveyard,
In the graveyard,
When the moon
Begins to shine
There's a doctor
Crazy doctor
And his monster,
Frankenstein.

Oh, my monster,
Oh, my monster,
Oh, my monster,
Frankenstein
You are very,
Very scary
Don't come near me
Frankenstein.

If You're a Monster
Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It

If you're a monster and you know it, wave your arms.
If you're a monster and you know it, wave your arms.
If you're a monster and you know it,
Then your arms will surely show it.
If you're a monster and you know it, wave your arms.

Added Verses: Show your claws, Gnash your teeth, Stomp your feet

Go Away Big 'Orange' Monster
~I've taken Edward Emberley's Go Away, Big Green Monster and created a Flannel board pumpkin (orange) monster. Click here to see photos (after linking, scroll down a bit)

Okay, that’s it.
Let’s go to Grandma’s house to warm up!
My Grandma always has chocolate milk and doughnuts!

Doughnut

Here is a doughnut
~form circle with fingers and thumb

Round and fat.

There’s a hole in the middle
~look through your circle
But you can’t eat that!
~shake head


Yum Yum! Now I’m done.
Nighty Nighty all!

______________

Need more?
Try some of these -






Owl's Eyes

See my big and scary eyes,
Thumb and index fingers make owl's eyes.
Get ready for a big surprise.
Turn them upside down backwards, put them on and peer out.
BOO!


Five Little Ghostesses

Five little ghostesses,
Sitting on postesses,
Eating buttered toastesses,
Greasing their fistesses,
Up to their wristesses.
Oh, what beastesses,
To make such feastesses.


This Old Ghost
Tune: “This Old Man”

This old ghost, he played one,
He played peek-a-boo on the run.
With a biga-buga boo! And a clappity clap
This old ghost is a friendly chap.

Other verses:
This old ghost, he played two…in a shoe
This old ghost, he played three…behind a tree


Funny Bones! by Charles Reasoner


Aaaarrgghh Spider! by Lydia Monks


... Let's Play Music has a fabulous Halloween song,

OoooOoooOooo
Tis the night of Halloween...

Play this or other fun Halloween music at the beginning and end, or even in the middle of the program for an added bit of fun.

Washboarding it...

Just had to pop in to say that Zina W. was fabulous as the Lady with an Alligator Purse!


She brought her washboard (ala Angela Lloyd's workshop at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival) and did a little opening ditty as a welcome song and then off and into her A is for Alligator storytime!



Awesome ideas, great creativity and I can't wait to see more!


Way to go Zina!













p.s. watch for a new Halloween Laptime in the first week of October :)

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime

Just a little note on a wonderfully imaginative storytime I was able to witness...

Lori, storyteller extraordinaire, did a FABULOUS storytime with:

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

First, you get the kids to be Dinosaurs, they roar and roar and roar, just like any good dinosaur would do.

Next they have 'adversaries' say...

Leaves!
(...now here is where Lori just shines, she had the kids pretend to be leaves and she was a leaf blower! Kids were rolling and tumbling around as she made leaf blower noises and 'blew' them around.)

But of course, Dinosaur WINS! Roar, roar, roar!

A slide? How big should it be? 10 feet? No problem.
Just count the steps up, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

WHOOSH! Wow, that was a big slide!
(Now you can try a swirly slide - tip back and forth like you're going down it. And maybe an itty bitty slide -oops, got stuck on that one!)

A bowl of spaghetti?
(sing On top of Spaghetti, all covered with cheese...)

Toothbrushing?
(sing Brush Your Teeth...when you wake up in the morning and you don't know just what to do, you brush your teeth...)

And, oh no, no - BEDTIME???!? Roar, roar, roar, roar.
___________________

Like I said, very very fun! Get this book, you'll have a fantastic storytime with it - and if you ever see Lori, tell her she is terrific!

Three Piggy Opera

What FUN we had this week!

Brenda does a fun, fun Three Little Pigs Storytime while playing bits from The Three Piggy Opera - check it out -



Don't you love it!?

If you've just GOT to try it out - get the paperback book and cd here:

Three Piggy Opera at Music in Motion

Brenda told the story using Barry Moser's Three Little Pigs

Tai Chi anyone?

An interesting concept...

I recently had an amazing conversation with a patron, Helen. It was right during a Laptime and somewhere in the conversation she made the connection with the fingerplay 'We are Clothes in the Washing Machine' and the Tai Chi move titled 'Washing Machine'. (insert lightbulb click here)

What about using Tai Chi as inspiration for some fingerplay movements?

Suddenly Helen and I were like little kids ourselves, coming up with ideas and looking up Tai Chi books for more inspiration!

Now I have to admit, I've never taken Tai Chi.

I do know Tai Chi is slow deliberate movements and under it all they are 'warrior' based movements. This kind of action does not suit a Laptime. But, not unlike using American Sign Language, I can take bits and pieces, adjust them for use with the littlest of our patrons, and do what I do best - have fun with it!

A big THANKS to Helen C. for her enthusiasm and inspiration!

... sometimes there are not words to accurately describe things. I think 'fingerplay' is not the BEST word to describe my kind of Laptimes... got to think, what SHOULD they be called? Ideas anyone?