Laptime and Storytime

Scary Scary Monsters!

2012-01-25T13:29:00.004-07:00

Hairy Scary Monsters!

Oogily, Boogily Monsters!

Rumbily Bumbly Monsters!

BOO!

A somewhat scary storytime for 3 year olds and up.

I played Monsters in the Bathroom (OPL Link) on a loop in the 5-10 minutes leading up to storytime.

(all set up)

Hello everyone!

Can you tell me what you think my storytime is about today?

Ooh, that's right - MONsTeRS!

How many of you have ever thought there was a monster under your bed? Oh, a lot of you.

Well, I'm telling you. It's just in your imagination.

None of those monsters are real.

Except for Alicia, now her monster was real...

Tell Bill Harley's

Alicia and the Monster

from the CD One More Time (OPL Link)

...I’m a little monster, underneath the bed…

Jumpy Jack and Googily by Meg Rosoff

(OPL Link)

(Make sure you point the book down at the kids for a good picture view- this photo just showed the jacket nicely ;))

Whew!
Who knew? Socks!!

I bet I know who else is scared of socks... black socks anyway...

(whisper) ...your mom

Black Socks

from the CD Monsters in the Bathroom by Bill Harley (OPL Link)

Sing 2-3 times so that everyone can get the tune

Oh, I know another monster - - a terrible monster - -

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

(OPL Link)

I’m a Little Monster

(to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot)

I’m a little monster short and stout

Here is my tail and here is my snout

When I get all angry hear me shout

Roaaaaar, all run out.

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

(OPL Link)

Flannel story

...and don't come back unless I say so!

_____________________

Play Black Socks from the CD Do it Together by Bill Harley (OPL Link) or Nighty Noodles from the One More Time CD as exit music.

A sign of a good storytime-- all the kids rushing up to get the books on display

New Monster Books and a Some Old Favorites

Jane and Mizmo by Matthew Armstrong
OPL Link
Always Listen to Your Mother by Florence Heide
OPL Link

What’s Under my Bed by James Stevenson
OPL Link

Socksquatch by Frank Dormer
OPL Link

My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
OPL Link

My Mama Says There ain’t any Zombies, ghosts, . . .by Judith Viorst
OPL Link

Monsters Eat Whiny Children by Bruce Kaplan
OPL Link

My Creature Teacher by Laura Leuck
OPL Link

Goodnight Little Monster Helen Ketteman
OPL Link

Welcome to Monster Town by Ryan Heshka
OPL Link

Monster Sleepover by Scott Beck
OPL Link

Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach
OPL Link

Monster Bed by Jeanne Willis
OPL Link

I Need my Monster by Amanda Noll
OPL Link

Monster at the End of this Book by Sesame Street
OPL Link

Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli by Barbara Hicks
OPL Link

If You’re a Monster and You Know It Rebecca Emberly
OPL Link

Bill Harley's Stories and songs on CD

Play it Again

One More Time (Alicia and the Monster)

Monsters in the Bathroom

Do It Together

Picnic Time

2012-01-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Picnic Party with a Beetle Boogie Bop

Prep:
Picnic blanket, basket, etc.
Hide a host of bugs under silk leaves, real leaves.

Walk in with a picnic basket on one arm and a little puppy (puppet) in the other

Bark, bark!
    Are you excited Ralph? Are you so excited?
Bark
(and wiggle to get out of arms)
   You want to play in the park, don't you boy, oh don't you
Bark Yip
   Oh you're a good doggy, good boy.
(Ralph jumps out of arms and starts sniffing around)
    Just a minute Ralph, you sit here while I set out my picnic...
    Oh you wiggly wiggly little boy - here, let's get those wiggles out...

I Wiggle My Fingers

I wiggle my fingers, I wiggle my toes
I wiggle my shoulders, I wiggle my nose
Now no more wiggles are left in me
So I can be as still as still can be.

    Oh, look Ralph, there are some kids here - Yes, you can go play
    Would you like to say hello to Ralph?
    Raise your hand if you would like to pet Ralph
take him around to those kids with their arms up,
Then Ralph starts sniffing around, something on the ground (or up on your table)
Yip Yip Yip!
     What have you found Ralph? What is it?
pull back leafy covering (fabric with leaf motif or whatever you have used to cover up a bagful's worth of bugs!
     Oh Ralph! You've found BUGS!

    I LOVE BUGS!
    You can't have a picnic without bugs!

I Love Bugs by Emma Dodd
OPL Link

    Oooh, SPIDERS! Yummy tummy wiggly spiders . . .

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Itsy bitsy spider, went up the water spout,
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out,
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.

     You know what else loves a nice sunny day
     - what did we see in our book - -fuzzy buzzy honey bugs...

Here is the Hive

Here is the hive
But where are the bees?
Hidden inside, where nobody sees.
Uh, oh, oh, oh
(hand shakes)

1,2,3,4,5
They're alive, they're alive!
(tickle, tickle, tickle)

    bzzzz, BzzZZzzzz, bZzzzz
    I caught one!

I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm bringing home a baby bumblee - ouch, it stung me!

I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee - ewww, it's all yucky

I'm wiping off a baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm wiping off a baby bumblebee --ughhhh, it's all over me!

I'm licking off a baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm licking off a baby bumblebee, -- my mommy won't be proud of me!

    That was really yucky! (shudder)
    Oh, and here, what do we have here?

Roly Poly Caterpillar

Roly poly caterpillar, into a corner crept
Spun himself a blanket, and for a long time slept
Roly poly caterpillar, wakening by and by
Found himself with beautiful wings, changed to a butterfly!

    Ooooh, another c-c-creepy crawly . . .

Slowly, Slowly

Slowly, slowly creeps the garden snail
Slowly, slowly, very slowly up the garden rail...

Quickly, quickly goes the little mouse
Quickly, oh so quickly all around the house!

Aaaarrgghh Spider by Lydia Monks
OPL Link

Criss Cross Applesauce

Criss cross applesauce
Spiders crawling up your spine
Cool breeze, tight squeeze
Gives my baby the sillies!

Can't Bug Me
from Let's Play Music

I love bugs, every bug that I see
I like the big ones, and the bad ones
And the fuzzy purple flat ones
People thing they're yucky,
But I just don't agree
No you can't bug me

    Oh what a fun day it's been! Time to go now,
    I am so glad you were here to share our park day,
    say bye bye Ralph
Bark!

Wannabe a Puppet Workshop

2011-11-02T13:52:00.003-06:00

Just popping in real quick to announce the dates for our upcoming workshop . . .

When:

Thursday November 10th, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday November 12th, 10:00 a.m.

Where:

Orem Public Library

What:

A hands on workshop where you get to explore your creative side and turn a stuffed animal into a puppet. Supplies are provided free for all of our storytelling volunteers. Other attendees are welcome, but you will need to call for details. (no worries, it is still free)

Best of all... you get to take home and keep your creation.

RSVP required.

So come on in and join the fun!

Amy

____________________________

Official Invitation

Dear Storyteller,

Want to add a little bit of the unexpected to your storytimes? Want to have something extra in your bag of tricks? Want to just have fun?
Join us for our Fall Storytelling Workshop as we explore with a little hands-on creativity.

There are as many ideas as there are blogs and hits from a Google search. This fall we will give you a list of some favorites, show you some ideas we have gathered from far and wide and then get down and dirty as you actually make your own Wannabe Puppet. Expert puppeteer Joe Flores will be here to assist us as we turn a few stuffed animals into puppets!

Supplies will be provided, but if you have some of the following you would like to bring for your personal use, please feel free:

• Glue gun, with glue sticks
• Felt pieces
• Long (new) dark colored socks or White (non-athletic) socks
• Needles and Thread
• Scissors
• Plastic Canvas / Large plastic ice cream tub lids or quart-size yogurt container lids
• Heavy duty scissors for cutting plastic
• Make-up sponge (for applying contact glue)

Amy has been collecting and washing a plethora of Wannabe’s (stuffed animals who really want to be puppets). There will be enough for everyone, but if find your perfect Wannabe, feel free to bring it instead.

We know an hour is not a lot of time for a project like this, but don’t despair; our goal is to give you all the instruction, ideas and supplies you need to get a good start. You are welcome to come both days if you would like. Workshops will be held on Thursday, November 10th at 7:00 pm, or on Saturday, November 12th at 10:00 am. Please RSVP by calling 801-229-7161.

We hope what we create at this workshop will be a fun addition to your future storytimes. As always, we feel that the best thing about Laptime and Storytime is YOU. You find the great books, you put the effort into knowing your material, you and your love of sharing and caring shines through each time you present a program. Kids can sense how you feel about books and reading. It’s that infectious adoration of good books that turns the littlest of our Littles into those avid readers and book hounds. Thank you!
Sincerely,
OPL Children’s Staff

2011-11-01T11:23:00.000-06:00

Storytelling Training Tips
Orem Public Library Children’s Services

November 2011

Dear Storytellers,

Thank you so much for wonderful Laptime and Storytime programs in October. What a rewarding part of our day to see the kids and families sparking to the stories, songs and activities you provide for them.

As rewarding as storytimes can be, there are challenges. This month I’d like to share a few tips about dealing with disruptive behavior. These ideas come from the book Crash Course in Storytime Fundamentals by Penny Peck (OPL Link). You all handle disruptions very well already, so we hope this newsletter will be a nice review of things you already understand.

• SET EXPECTATIONS BEFORE THE PROGRAM BEGINS
o As library staff we know one of our roles during storytime is to . . . (read more)

...and carry your cloak at all times

2011-10-20T18:10:00.029-06:00

It never hurts to pack your Halloween supplies for the month of October...

No Laptime teller?

No problem!

Just pull on the witch's cloak, slip on some witchy shoes, grab a super freaky broom (on permanent display at the OPL), set up a good fiery and feathery cauldron to stew, and warm up the foggy bubble machine for one fabulously fun last minute laptime ;)

____________________

Oooooooo OOOooooo oooOOOOOoooo

ooOOOoooOO Ooooo ooo OOOooooo

. . . BOO!

The line-up: A list of the Halloween favorites
(this is a round-up of previously published LT/ST Halloween ideas)

Fingerplays and Poems

1 Little, 2 Little, 3 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

Who has Seen the Wind

by Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I or you.

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

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,

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

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!"

Black Cat

A big black cat with eyes so green

Went out on the night of Hallowe'en.

He saw a witch.

He saw an owl.

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

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.

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 … three…behind a tree

A Haunting We Will Go

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.

Owl's Eyes

See my big and scary eyes,

Get ready for a big surprise.

put them on and peer out.

BOO!

Tricks and Treats

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

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

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.

Trick or Treating

Tune: Are You Sleeping?

Trick or treating, trick or treating.

BOO BOO BOO

Trick or treating, trick or treating.

I scare you I scare you

What time is it when a ghost comes to dinner?

!!! TIME TO GO !!!!

Books

Funny Bones! by Charles Reasoner

Witch's Hand by Peter Utton
OPL Link

Aaaarrgghh Spider! by Lydia Monks

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini

Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian
OPL Link

Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann
OPL Link

Go Away Big 'Orange' Monster

from Go Away Big Green Monster by Edward Emberley
OPL Link

Music

Tis the night of Halloween...

Let’s Play Music song

Igora

2011-10-12T10:49:00.001-06:00

We had way too much fun today to not share!

Let's welcome Igora from Mother Goose Land, recently entrusted by that font of laptime lore--Mother Goose herself--to do the Orem Library's Laptime on this fine fall day.

Boo!

Solving the Reading Riddle and a little extra

2011-10-04T18:06:00.006-06:00

Speaking of large fall crowds for story and laptime, we only had 99 at our Laptime today, but still, it's an impressive picture!

On to other things -

As a library staff we have been reading and reviewing Rita Soltan's book Solving the Reading Riddle: The Librarian's Guide to Reading Instruction.

Here is my review of Chapter One, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it - yes, I enjoyed writing it.

Solving the Reading Riddle

by Rita Soltan

A Review of Chapter 1 by Amy
OPL Link

p.s. any mistakes or misinterpretations are my fault and not Rita's

We’ve come a long way baby…

We started with the new big thing, a revolutionary breakthrough, Basal Readers, ie: Dick and Jane. These didactic and culturally white-washed sight readers were exactly what schools needed. Predictable text with illustrations of kids doing what was taking place in the text, great for providing visual clues to beginning readers just starting out.

Ah, but enter the 1960’s and cultural awareness. In comes synthetic fabrics to make your life easier, wash and wear spandex , and along with that; a new synthetic code-breaking approach for our early readers, Phonics, ie: huked on fonics werked fer me! It didn’t take long, what with child invented spelling, and more classroom failures, for us to realize that the phonics decoding method was not all it was cracked up to be, there were still too many floundering readers.

So it was back to Basal Readers, albeit, with a more diversified cast of characters to appeal to the culturally aware or spoon fed to those unaware. Back to a ‘Dick and Jane’ method of sight reading, but with new emphasis on trade literature, a lucrative business as it turned out for the publishing industry. But still, even with review questions following each little story, even with a more relaxed and less controlled vocabulary, with its lengthy teacher’s guides and even scripts, the results were still not up to par. Great literature was being revamped to the point that it was dull and boring, and moreover, children were being grouped by reading level within the classroom – from the best to the worst and every kid in class knew it.

What to do? Well, it was now time for the Whole Language revolution. A new revolution this time, one of listening, reading and writing! Surely this ‘whole’ approach would work. Unfortunately the teachers were given training and directives for changing their classroom, but given minimal to no support for implementation. Gone were the pre-packaged basal reading classroom packages, teachers were now expected to create their own literacy program. Misused and misunderstood, the Whole Language had, once again, despite some success, failed our would-be readers.

Enter the 'Voice of Reason', a program for the twenty-first century, or—more pragmatically—it’s the current working theory… Balanced Literacy

Now it isn’t sounding out the words that are important, it’s being able to read independently. No longer just basal, no longer just decoding, it is going to take all the methods—together—to assist emergent readers in:

-Deciphering word shapes into sounds and meaning

-Incorporating instinctive and sophisticated guessing

-Using prediction and anticipation to create comprehension

-Adding linguistic clues to gain comprehension
(you know what black is when you encounter it because you already know white)

-And resorting to sounding out words that are not in their sight repertoire
(the same as non-medical adults do when confronted with a medical text or other unfamiliar tome)

The news so far is good, although there are still some struggling readers that are still being left in the lurch, despite our current ‘balanced’ approach.

In the end, it’s going to take a village, or in my personal view; fabulous storytime, impossible to resist laptime and numerous encounters with caring and engaging librarians in the very earliest stages of life, for the littlest of the littles to gain a familiarity, a fondness and a firm grasp on what is reading, and how to do it.

In the words of Joaquin Miller in Columbus, “Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!"

Carry on librarians and storytellers, help these kids conquer new worlds, explore new horizons and break through all barriers—reading and otherwise—through an early love of literature! Carry on! Carry on! and on!

2011-10-03T09:00:00.001-06:00

Storytelling Training Tips
Orem Public Library Children’s Services
September 2011

Dear Storytellers,

Fall is here! And with it come the large crowds at Laptime and Storytime. Some of you have already experienced the huge Laptime audiences of over one hundred people. We have really admired how you have been willing to take on such crowds with skill and enthusiasm.

I recently heard one mom who is new to our library say that she really enjoyed our Laptime and Storytime programs. It was a good reminder to me that we have new families joining us all the time, and we are so pleased that we can offer old and new friends alike programs where they can enjoy seeing and participating in practicing early literacy skills and parenting strategies.

Because our programs are attended by several ages other than the intended audience, they can be tricky to prepare for.

For Laptime, we suggest preparing your material primarily for the babies.
Older kids in the audience will enjoy it even if it is geared toward the youngest patrons.

For Storytime, we often get a mixed crowd with lots of younger siblings attending.
Programs geared towards toddlers seem to work for all ages, so for Storytime we suggest preparing your elements for the preschool crowd in such a way that they can be adapted for toddlers. Usually this means making the story visual or participatory in some way. The key is to be able to adapt to the audience and hold their attention. This doesn’t mean the program has to flow without any interruptions or moments of distracted chaos. But there are things you can do that will continually draw the audience back to you.

Here are a few tips:

o Make sure the audience can see and hear.

o Hold the books so the children can see the pictures.

o Move the books from one side of the audience to the other.

o Choose big books for larger crowds.

o Move quickly and smoothly from one element of your program to the next.

o Plan a program that has elements that can flow easily from one thing to the next.

o Try showing your audience what you are going to do next before telling them what you are going to do next. After they have done it with you a few times you might be able to fit in a brief word of commentary like: “This is a fun game to play right before bedtime.”

o Practice your transitions so that you do not have to look at your notes between elements.

o Make eye contact.

o Know your songs and fingerplays so that you can look at the audience while you do them together.

o Read your book enough times that you know some of the text by heart and can look at the audience while you read. They will be taking cues from your facial expressions and your tone of voice to make meaning of the story. You can also try looking at them while you are pausing to show the illustrations. You may take that moment to say a few words about the pictures or to restate the part you just read in your storyteller voice. Again, this should be a quick thing and should not interrupt the flow of the story too much.

o Learn names.

o This isn’t always practical; however, if one of your story elements includes using names of children, go for it!

o Stick to your time and don’t be afraid to end early.

o Laptime can be just 15 minutes. Storytime can be 25.

o Ending early and on a good note can be much more satisfying than asking the parents in your audience to try to help their children be attentive through one last story.

o Choose age-appropriate materials.

o Choosing age-appropriate materials can be tricky for our mixed crowds. Keep in mind that books that are good for toddlers usually work for all ages. Songs always help—they are a signal to our brains that it is time focus. We have noticed many of you have focusing songs or activities that you do a few times during your program, whenever you need to draw your audience back to attention.

o Sometimes an overall program length is just right but a particular story is too long. Don’t be shy about shortening a book and only doing parts of it. If you really want to do a long story, think of ways you can make it participatory. Many books invite audience participation. Ask a librarian for ideas of some good ones.

o It is okay to do new things and share new ideas that will increase your audience’s knowledge or stretch their attention span a bit. Be sure to present this new information in age-appropriate ways.

o For more ideas and lists of books to use for different ages, see Crash Course in Storytime Fundamentals by Penny Peck (2009). OPL Link

If you’re like me, when you read through this list of best practices, you nod your head in agreement because it makes sense. But if you’re like me, you will also wonder if you can really incorporate all these skills into your programs. Don’t worry. Sometimes we are the most critical of our own efforts and have a hard time feeling satisfied with what we have done. As a Children’s Staff we can say that you do wonderful work! We know you have busy lives and many important commitments and responsibilities. Thank you for making volunteer service to the library a priority. How kind of you, and how fortunate for us and our community!

Sincerely,

Amanda and the OPL Children’s Staff

Everything's all coming up green!

2011-09-27T16:09:00.014-06:00

Open with Kermit Unpigged
OPL Link
(it's best as pre-music, it's rather slow to be using during the program)

Green de dum, greeny grin green. Green, green green . . .
(walking along, on a stroll with the Laptime Box in my arms)

Oh, hello there everyone! What a surprise to see all of you here!
You know, you are just in time!

I'm on a hunt. A big hunt!
I'm looking for Green.

See, I've heard a lot of people talking about going green and well,

I just figured I needed to find green before I go turning green. Gotta see if I like it, you know? I mean, really now, what if tastes funny, or what if it's big and gigantic and huge and it won't fit in my bedroom and it squashes my bed and I don't want it anymore and it won't go away!

No?
You say it's not like that?

It's a color?? Like in the rainbow?

Phew. What a relief. I'm still trying to figure out what it IS.

Guess what though, my friends have put together this box of green for me, I'm going to see what we have . . .

Hmm, it's a book.
(pull book out of the box)

Hah!
It looks like I'm not the only one having hard time finding green . . .

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
OPL Link

So that's green!
He's the same color as a bush!
And a bush is green too!

What else do we have in the box . . .

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?
by Bill Martin
OPL Link
(I use a flannel version, saving the frog for the last)

Ooooh, Frogs! Frogs are Green!
I know frogs. Ribbit Ribbit.
(Reading in Bed is Terrific! Ribit!)
No? Yes?

(go back to the box and pull out... FROGS!)

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Five green and speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, yum.

One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool,
("get your 'fours' out, can you show me 4?" - little ones are SO much fun to watch as they try to get the right amount of fingers up!)

Now there are four green speckled frogs
Glub, glub.

Four green and speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log . . .
(diving into the box again, we find...book/flannel/puppet version - whatever works for the age you've got today)

Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner
OPL Link
(once more to the box, and it's a TURTLE!)

I Had a Little Turtle

I had a little turtle,
His name was Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim.

He drank up all the water
He ate up all the soap,
And now he's sick in bed
With a bubble in his throat.

Hiccup!

big
-blow a bubble, hands expand larger and larger as we go
Bigger
BIGGEST
-watch out, turn your head away, get ready, and . . .

POP!
-clap!

Wow, that was fun!
Let's see what else we have in our box . . .
(reach into box again, shy away- really ham this one up - act VERY worried, scared and timid.)

Uh, I think we are done now.
Yep.

I don't think we can do this next one.
Nope. Not at all.

It's, well, it's . . .
scary (said in that very timid scared voice)

You really want to see it?
No, I don't think so.

You DO think so?
Are you sure?
Oh, oh...okay, but don't say I didn't warn you,
(pull the felt green circle for the beginnings of Go Away Big Green Monster--I really work this one up, you can have the kids rolling in the aisles if you do this right--as you put each item on the green flannel face, you can hardly stand to touch it, it's so scary! Add sound effects, some zoops and schwoops as you take away parts for the last half.)

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
OPL Link

...and no more Green! Not right now, nope - not unless I say so!

Close the storytelling with more
The Muppet Show Music, Mayhem, and More! / Bein' Green
OPL Link

____________________________________
Need more?

Little Pea by Amy Rosenthal
OPL Link

ToriAnn's Goodbye song - found in the Goodbye post here

Storytimes for Toddlers

2011-08-12T18:06:00.002-06:00

August 2011 Newsletter

Dear Storytellers,

It is a pleasure to work with you. We think that you do what you do very well. We hope that receiving ongoing training from us will be a way to build on the good things you already do and will become a satisfying part of your volunteer experience.

For this first training newsletter, we have pursued the questions:

What is Laptime?
What makes Laptime different from Storytime?

These are questions I’m sure most of us have grappled with as we’ve tried to plan our Laptime programs.

Many libraries find it best practice to offer a lapsit program for babies who are not yet walking and a separate program for the more mobile toddlers. Perhaps one day the OPL will have the resources to offer that service. But for now, our Laptime audience combines both babies and toddlers. On top of that, we often have older preschoolers join the crowd. This can make it a tricky group to plan a program for. Despite these challenges, our aim is to gear Laptime towards the younger participants in the audience, knowing that older kids attending won’t mind joining in the fun.

So what are the elements that make up a Laptime program? Laptime programs at the OPL should include elements that are good for both babies and toddlers. Below is an outline of key ingredients for each of those age groups, taken from Crash Course in Storytime Fundamentals by Penny Peck (2009):

Story Times for Babies:

*Rhymes, including Mother Goose nursery rhymes, that invite tickling, bouncing, or other rhythmic movement; pointing to and naming of body parts; can be repeated.

*Songs that are repeated, including lullabies to help soothe children and prepare them to hear a story; many nursery rhymes can be sung.

*Very short books with bright, bold illustrations

*Sign Language

Sample Baby Program:

1- Welcome Song

2- Rhyme (repeat, vary pace)

3- Very Short Book (bright bold illustrations)

4- Song (repeat, vary pace, sing loud and soft)

5- Rhyme (repeat, vary pace)

6- Very Short Book (bright bold illustrations)

7- Closing Song

Story Times for Toddlers:

1- Rhymes, including Mother Goose nursery rhymes, that invite tickling, bouncing, or other rhythmic movement; pointing to and naming of body parts; can be repeated.

2- Songs that are repeated, including movement songs coupled with other more soothing songs to help prepare the children to hear a story; many nursery rhymes can be sung.

3- Very short books with bright bold illustrations. Big Books work better for large crowds. Board Books may work for a smaller group, but do not work very well for large crowds. Use books that invite participation from the audience, including:

4- Cumulative Stories—have recurring phrases that are added on

5- Circular Stories—the story ends up where it started

6- Participation Stories—the listener calls out a repeated phrase

7- Concept Books—alphabet, counting, shapes, opposites, numbers; some of the best of these books have a plot

8- Creative Dramatics—story can be acted out

9- Sign Language.

Keep in mind:

Quick and smooth transitions from one element to the next.

Eye Contact, even when you are reading a book, during the few seconds you are moving the book from side to side, showing the illustrations.

Learning and using the names of the children in your audience.

Sample Toddler Program:

1- Opening/Welcoming Song

2- Introduction and Statement of Theme, if any (theme can be very broad, like “animals”)

3- Movement Song or Rhyme

4- Listening Song or Rhyme (may include a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book)

5- Book or Story (may include books that invite audience participation, may include a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book)

6- Movement Song or Rhyme

7- Listening Song or Rhyme (may include a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book)

8- Book or Story (may include books that invite audience participation, may include a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book)

9- Closing Song

Now, let’s combine the elements of the Baby and Toddler programs and see what we come up with for a sample

Laptime program:
Sample Laptime Program for Babies and Toddlers

1- Welcome/Opening Song

2- Introduction and Statement of Theme, if any (Theme can be very broad, like “animals.”)

3- Movement Song or Rhyme (Include tickling, bouncing, or other rhythmic movement, pointing to and naming body parts, and sign language; repeat and vary pace.)

4- Listening Song or Rhyme (Choose soothing songs, including lullabies; sing with a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book.)

5- Very Short Book or Story (Choose books that contain bright, bold illustrations and/or invite audience participation. Try using a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book.)

6- Movement Song or Rhyme (Include tickling, bouncing, or other rhythmic movement, pointing to and naming body parts, and sign language; repeat and vary pace.)

7- Listening Song or Rhyme (Choose soothing songs, including lullabies; sing with a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book.)

8- Very Short Book or Story (Choose books that contain bright, bold illustrations and/or invite audience participation. Try using a prop like a puppet, flannel board, or big book.)

9- Closing Song (Invite children to come up afterward to visit your props and mingle.)

Keep in mind:
Remember, quick and smooth transitions, eye contact, and learning and using names are key elements to success.

This hybrid program contains at least double the amount of songs and rhymes as it does stories. That is a good mix for our youngest participants and will help distinguish Laptime from Storytime.

Need more ideas for your programs?
Try the following web sites:

Kate McDowell’s Website http://katemcdowell.com/laptime/

Perry Public Library http://www.perrypubliclibrary.org/Kids/BabytimeRhymes.htm

Creative With Kids http://www.gibbons.ca/creative/Songs/Fingerplay_songs.htm

Mother Goose On the Loose http://www.mgol.org/

Preschool Express Toddler Station http://www.prescholexpress.com/toddler_station.shtml

As Children’s Staff at the Orem Public Library, we appreciate the chance to review these ideas. As we do, we think of how well each of you incorporate these elements into your programs. You may not realize that you are already doing what experts say is best. We want to affirm that the service you are giving matters, one song, rhyme, and story at a time. Thank you!

Please feel free to respond to this post with any follow-up thoughts or questions. Some of this training material along with follow-up questions and a chance to respond will appear later here on the Laptime and Storytime blog, created by OPL Children’s Staff member, Amy White.

Thank you all,
Amanda Ashton

Quote of the Day

2011-06-29T17:51:00.002-06:00

... or month, or year - in any case, it's one darn good quote and it was too good to not post!

"Do you kids like to play dress up?

Did you know grownups like to play dress up too?

Yep, they do.

It's called Theater."

~ Toriann Perkey, June 29, 2011

Curious Crazy Creatures and their Custodial Caretakers

2011-06-29T17:48:00.003-06:00

Curious Crazy Creatures and their Custodial Caretakers
A wacky, zany and totally funny 30 minute Story time for 1st-6th graders as presented by our fabulous storyteller and fellow librarian Julie E.!

Resources:

Books:

My Little Sister Ate One Hair by Bill Grossman
OPL Link

Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
OPL Link

Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles
OPL Link

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett
OPL Link

Wait! No Paint by Bruce Whatley
OPL Link

Visuals:

Goose
Pig
Sheep
Horse
Cow
Hen
Fox
Doll clothes

Program:

1) Welcome, favorite animals, going to the zoo

2) Edward the Emu

3) Assign 7 children to be the animals

4) Hattie and the Fox

5) Practice, “but she didn’t!”

6) My Little Sister Ate One Hair

7) Song: Chicken Lips (For Our Children CD)
OPL Link

8) What kinds of clothes do animals wear? Why? Have some children try to put clothes on one of the animals

9) Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing

10) If there is still time left, Wait! No Paint
__________________

Additonal titles that come to mind:

Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
OPL Link

My Little Sister Hugged an Ape by Bill Grossman
OPL Link

Hildegard Sings by Thomas Wharton
Out of print title, not available at the library
Sarah's Story by Bill Harley
OPL Link

Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? by Shel Silverstein
OPL Link

Philadelphia Chickens: a too-illogical zoological musical revue by Sandra Boynton
OPL Link

Blue Moo: 17 jukebox hits from way back never by Sandra Boynton
OPL Link

Amazing Cows: A book of bovinely inspired misinformation by Sandra Boynton
OPL Link

Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
OPL Link

Chicken Butt by Erica Perl
OPL Link

Interrupting Chicken by David Stein
OPL Link

Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin
OPL Link

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
OPL Link

Uhm, George? George!! Part 2

2011-05-17T22:11:00.004-06:00

Let's finish George up, shall we?

When we left, George was an eating puppet, but not a talking puppet. Time to make George talk!

Sew another bag, this one does not have to be wide like the stomach.

Long and skinny.

Sew all 4 sides - a tube with no opening

I wanted to support George's mouth a bit better - use heavy poster board or cardboard.

Trace the shape of his jaw and adhesive it inside his mouth.

(or... if you want a more substantial and durable mouth, watch for our November 2011 Wannabe Workshop where we use plastic, felt, gaffer's tape, contact cement and a pencil)

Now for a very tricky part, click on the photo to enlarge it and look at it closer. I've cut a slit in the bag.

Now FOLD THE BAG IN HALF.

Snake one half to the top of George's mouth, tack it in.

Take the other half and snake it under the stomach and tack into the lower jaw.

The stomach will be sadwiched by the two halves.

Sew the openings together - if you look closely you can see where the fold is.

And now it's done folks.

Hmmm, what if I sewed some fake 'chunks' in the lining of the stomach, that way if it ever turns inside out I can really gross out those scouts that come in wanting a tour and a story ;) Maybe not. You can't say I don't think like the kids I help everyday though!

Storytelling Workshop - Second

2011-05-17T11:36:00.002-06:00

There's More than One Way to Spin a Tale

Part Two

In order to give our volunteers more options in attending, we usually present each workshop twice. Although we stayed true to the overall theme this go-round, the programs were different. Each day had different storytellers sharing their ideas. Thursday evening was more nursery and traditional tale day and Saturday was more Folk and Fairy tales.

Following are some more brave souls who not only prepare incredible story and laptimes for our children's programming, but also shared their ideas with adults--fellow storytelling adults no less!

Michelle is wonderfully creative and a long time favorite, forever pulling something new out of her bag, here Michelle has not only crafted some bees for the kids to handle, but has has a new tune to Here is the Hive!

Danielle, the amazing Googler who is continually bringing in fresh and new ideas, even if she has to make them up herself. Here she shows us how she does The Waves in the Ocean.

...end it on a high note!

Don't let Jeralyn's quiet demeanor fool you! She can capture an audience's attention like no other. One would be wise to follow her lead. Watch her deflect any quibbles and turn even the shyest toddler into a happy participant with just a few tips found in this video of Five Little Monkeys.
Tips: Only 5 Monkeys? 40 kids?

Let's see it in action

Already in high demand (we steal her from another library that actually pays it's storytellers) Lori is one of those enthusiastic tellers that turns every storytime into an event you never want to forget.

p.s. Go to the American Fork Library and watch Lori on a regular basis. You will not regret a minute of it!

Our own Amanda, storyteller turned librarian, always there with innovative ways to create something new from unique sources! Here she adapted from the German folktale The Three Butterfly Brothers accompanied Yo-Yo Ma's Classis cd; O'Connor's Butterfly's Day Out.

. . . and in the words of Ginny, twirling and dancing her way out, "Before you are a butterfly, you have to feel the flutter inside."

Storytelling Workshops - First Workshop

2011-05-13T07:15:00.012-06:00

There's More than One Way to Spin a Tale
Part One

What an inspiration our fabulous volunteer storytellers are!

Checklist:
Invitations went out
RSVP's were collected
Books were pulled for display
Snacks were prepared (Fruit, Cookies and fresh Lemon water)
Program was printed
Nametags prepared
Display put up

And we are ready to go

The following are a few video selections of our storytellers showing the the rest of us a little of what they do in story or laptime for variety, because, as we all know - there is more than one way to tell a tale!

First, Louisa got everyone up and rocking to a different beat . . .

Any little kiddie piano that has a few different beat rhythms will do. Just start the music and get your groove on. A microphone for amplification is helpful.

Tell a familiar tale in tandem with another teller and some home-made puppets . . .

Cindy and Kathy write puppet shows in rhyme and can often be found performing in the Puppet Show are of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival as well as at the Orem Library.

Adapt a full-length production into a 10 to 15 minute storytime fit for the three and four-year-old in all of us . . .

Brenda, a former teacher, used to do the entire opera for her school. Now she's uses that expertise for the library's littlest patrons. Buy the book and music at http://www.musicmotion.com/product.htm?pid=432934

Know another language? Have another talent? Mix the two . . .

Barbara is one of our longtime bilingual (Spanish/English) storytellers, and hey, she can play the accordian!! Oh, and another good sign for a storyteller, if kids start popping into the storywing --and staying-- you know you've got them. You can hear that this is exactly what started happening in this clip.

Want to really have some fun? Grab those puppets again, a favorite book and practice using voices . . .

Mary has great fun with character voices! She did say that for an actual storytime she would have the book memorized. It's not very easy to turn pages whilst handling puppets ;)

Time for a confession - I messed up. There are 2 more videos that have, well, some issues.

I love them though! If you are up to, it - - go ahead, click on through and see some more . . .

These 2 videos were accidentally shot SIDEWAYS!
...UPDATE...
YouTube now lets you edit your videos, you can now watch without getting a crick in your neck ;)

If you have an ipad, just set it down and view it from the right angle. If you have a laptop, stand it on it's end. Sorry all you desktop users, maybe you can lay down for this one, or do some yoga . . .

ToriAnn's White sheep and Black sheep sock puppets are the best!

A true teller is that someone who can wing it and make people laugh in spite of any 'mistakes'! The mistakes often become my favorite parts.

Play against expectations! Do the unexpected. Have fun with the kids :)

Mary (and Cheryl the Moon- use a real kid for a storytime) are doing more than having fun, they are teaching some key concepts too!

I want to thank all our wonderful volunteers that spend countless hours preparing for storytime and laptime - and then, to top it all off, we ask them to come perform for ADULTS--other storytellers no less--AND video them!! Our volunteer storytellers truly are the best and we couldn't even begin to do what we do without them.

And that's all until tomorrow!

Uhm, George? George!!

2011-05-10T21:32:00.015-06:00

Turning a Stuffed Animal into a Specialty Puppet

First, let me tell you that I have been carrying my copy of Bark George (OPL Link) by Jules Feiffer in the car for months.

The reason?
I've known for a long time that I wanted to figure a way to 'do' Bark George in a story or laptime.

The problem:
How do I work out the mechanics of it? Is it going to be an Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly style of telling? You've seen the varieties, small animals and a swallowing old lady; big cardboard lady with a hole cut out for her stomach that you drop the animals into; a dress you wear and you get to act as the old lady and your 'belly' grows.

As good as these sound, they just weren't feeling right for George. George has to be 'hiding' the animals from the beginning and the vet takes them out.

Well - I'm telling you all - head on over to your local Goodwill or second-hand store. Find a LARGE stuffed dog with a likely mouth. You'll know it when you see it. It might take a few months, but when it happens, you'll know it!

Say Hello George!

Click on pictures to open up a larger, close up view

He has the perfect deep mouth I needed, it's almost already a puppet, and he's fairly large. The only drawback, he's not the same breed as found in Feiffer's book. Beggars can't be choosers.

To help this page load faster, I have inserted a page break. If you want to see how I made George the stuffed animal into George the specialty puppet . . . read on . . .

First: WASH him

Put him in the quick wash cycle with detergent and lots of fabric softener. Do NOT dry. If you do a dryer, use the air-only cycle. It won't dry him completely, and you will need to keep fluffing and turning him for a few days to get him completely dry... or, since you are going to open him up anyway, open him up and let's get started . . .

I found a likely place to cut through a few stitches to open him up. I chose the top of his back where there was a seam.

Survey your stuffed animal, think of how you plan on holding him when he's done. THEN start cutting.

There was a stain left from a big red bow. Yes, George used to be a Georgette. I will put a collar on George when we are done to cover this up.

Here you see the exposed the stuffing.

Time to pull out all the stuffing. Air it out to dry and let's continue with our work.

George had a very good mouth.

Deep and Wide.

I was very lucky.

Cut into that seam there in the back of the mouth and open it up.

The bigger the better, it's hard to swallow a cow if you only have a little throat.

Sew a bag. A big bag. A bag that reaches all the way to George's tail!

The best option would be to use some stretchy material. I only had cotton, but it worked with a little extra effort.

You should probably use BLACK fabric and BLACK thread.

I also sewed a casement, so that I could gather the mouth of the bag. You can use whatever you like, just know that you need the opening of the bag to fit the opening of your soon to be puppet.

I only had white thread. White thread shows from inside George's mouth.

One large Sharpie marker and a few minutes later... it's black thread now.

I colored the thread AFTER sewing. NOT before ;)

Here you see the bag as I have stuffed it's back end into the mouth opening.

I'm very visual, I had to make sure I had it right side out from the inside of George.

I used some curling ribbon I had on hand to do the gathering. It does not have to be permanent, you need to gather it only long enough to sew it.

The bag is sewn in the mouth opening. It's all puckered and gathered in there, but since George's mouth was fairly big and deep to begin with, you can't tell.

Tack the end of the bag to George's tail region. That way you don't pull it inside out when you pull the swallowed animals out of him.

Here you see the bag pulled up and through his back.

Now add the stuffing back in. The key here is to stuff him LOOSELY.

You are going to need room for the swallowed animals later.

Here he is again!

See. You can't even tell. He still looks like a stuffed dog. Not a puppet!

You can play with what animals George has swallowed. Use what you have and what fits.

Key: Put that last animal in first. Keep them in order.

It's probably good to get to know them by feel as well.

WAIT

We aren't done yet!!!

George is still open in the back.

I still want him to be a puppet with a workable mouth!

How do you do that when you already have a bag attached to the mouth. A bag that will be filled with hidden animals no less!

I've got a solution.

To be continued . . .
(here is the hotlink to part 2)

Workshops 2011

2011-05-06T22:27:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year!

We get to have our storyteller training workshops! The following are a few insider notes regarding what we do at the OPL.

Training workshops for our volunteer storytellers can be a lot of work. We want so very much for them to be wonderful learning experiences filled with tips, tricks and energizing new ideas; great get togethers where our storytellers can mingle and get to know each other and just an awesome all around gathering with snacks included.

City budget cuts have forced us to reduce our once quarterly workshop opportunities. Now, instead of having our tellers commit to 2 or 3 of the 4, we really need them there for everything they can get to.

Occasionally we are able to capitalize on our Timpanogos Storytelling Festival connections where we can send our storytellers to special storytelling events. This last February we were able to provide free admission to one of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival's Midwinter events.

Each workshop is presented twice. One is an evening program starting at 7:00 p.m. (that's the one this Thursday 5/12/11) and a repeat will be presented Saturday at 10:00 a.m. (5/14/11). The actual program should only last an hour, but we've blocked off the room for 2 hours. For some reason storytellers like to talk, go figure.

Join us for

There's More than One Way to Spin a Tale!

Please call the Orem Public Library (the 7050 #, then ask for the Children's Desk) by Tuesday, 5/10/11 if you are in the area and want to participate. All tellers, librarians or storytime-interested-persons are welcome.

Not in the area?

Reading this after the fact?

Keep watching, I'll post all about it by late Saturday

Special thanks go out to Cheryl, Amanda and Lori who have sweated, brain stormed and slaved away in order to make this first librarian hosted workshop of the year work.

Move it Baby!

2011-04-29T22:25:00.001-06:00

It's my Body and I can Move it if I want to!

Sing it baby!

It's my Body and I can move if I want to, groove if I want to, move if I want to. You would move too if you want-ed toooo.

Today's list is a tad long, please just pick and choose to fit the amount of time you have. Be sure to look at the end where I've added some ideas to insert in cases of emergency. As in times where you've wound up the kids to such a pitch that it seems impossible to calm them down ;)

I am Special
Frere Jacques tune

I am special!
I am special!
Look at me, you will see
Someone very special
Someone very special
Oh, that's me!
Yes, that's me!

Once I was a Baby
Tune: Once there was a Snowman

Once I was a baby, baby, baby
Once I was a baby, small, small, small

Now I'm getting bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger,
I'm getting bigger, tall, tall, tall

Body Parts by Chuck Schacht

My parts are big
-stretch your arms way out
My parts are small
-index fingers close together
There's parts that help me taste and crawl
-point to tongue and then knees
There's parts that help me touch and see
-touch fingers and eyes
I know all the parts of ME!
-thumb to self

Knock Knock
-baby lies on floor, facing parent

Knock, knock, knock
-parent knocks on the floor
Peek in
-cover baby's arms over eyes and quickly uncover them
Open the latch
-cross baby's arms over chest and then extend out to side
Walk in
-walk fingers up baby's tummy
How do you do Mr. Chinny chin chin?
-Tickle baby under chin!

Eye Winker

Eye winker
-point to the part
Tom tinker
Nose smeller
Mouth eater
Chin chopper
Chin chopper
Chin chopper
Chin!
-and then tickle baby under chin

Toe-sy Woe-sy

Toe-sy Woe-sy
-tap each body part
Wee footy
Shin chappy
Knee nappy
Bulgie wulgie
Neckie peckie
Chinny winny
Nosy posy
Eye winky
Brow brinky
Over the crown we go
-tickle over the head and down back
Down, down, down the back, start over again!

What do you See With?
Frere Jacques tune

What do you see with
What do you see with?
-point to eyes
Tell me now, tell me now.
These are what you see with
These are your...
-audience answers ‘eyes!'

Continue with:
smell with -nose
taste with -tongue
clap with -hands
snap with -fingers
kiss with -lips
tap with -feet

Your Nose
OPL Linkfrom the Book and CD Blue Moo by Sandra Boynton

Play it, Sing it, You can have a LOT of fun with this little song!

...a Whoa whoa Whoa, your nose!

________________________________

I've got Fingers and Toes!!!
________________________________

Put Your Finger in the Air by Woody Guthrie
OPL Link

Put your finger in the air, in the air.
Put your finger in the air, in the air.
Put your finger in the air, and hold it right up there.
Put your finger in the air, in the air.

Put your finger on your cheek, on your cheek.
... leave it there a week.
Put your finger on your nose, on your nose.
... see if it grows.
Put your finger on your ear, on your ear.
... leave it there a year.
Put your finger on your finger, on your finger.
... leave it there, let it linger.

Circle Left

Circle left do -oh, do -oh-hands in a circle to the left!
Circle left do -oh, do -oh
Circle left do -oh, do -oh
Shake them fingers down-shake out fingers to the ground

Circle right do -oh, do -oh
-hands in a circle to the right!
Circle left do -oh, do -oh
Circle left do -oh, do -oh
Shake them fingers down!
-shake out fingers to the ground

Open them Shut Them

Open them, shut them, Open them, shut them
-open and shut fingers-in fists
Give a little clap
-clap
Open them, shut them, Open them, shut them
repeat

Fold them in your lap
-fold hands in lap
Creep them, creep them, creep them,
-creep fingers up belly, neck ,chin, don't hesitate to tickle!
Up to your chin, Open your mouth wide...
-open mouth...
But do not let them in.-hide hands quickly

Fee Fie Foe Fum

Fee, fie, foe, fum!
-stand up and stomp it out, hands behind back
See my fingers
-bring fingers out, thumbs tucked under, hold up fingers
See my thumbs
-fold fingers down, show thumbs

Fee, fie, foe, fum!
-stomp it out again, hands out, fingers out
Fingers gone
-fold fingers down
So are thumbs
-tuck thumbs inside fingers and put hands behind back

I've got piggies!! Do you have piggies?? I've got piggies!!!...

Piggies by Don and Audrey Wood
OPL Link
I have turned this book into a fingerplay told with a mixture of American Sign Language signs; dirty, clean, cold, hot and just funny finger actions; hands out fingers wiggling madly: Make sure you get in a few good tickles as the piggies ‘skip down your tummy' and ‘dance on your toes' Put your hands behind your back when they run away and hide. Now really play up the piggie kisses!

This little Piggie went to Market
shoes off, or use your fingers

This little Piggie went to Market
This little Piggie stayed home
This little piggie had roast beef
This little piggie had none
and this little piggie went wee wee wee all the way home

Wee Wiggie

Wee Wiggie
-start with little toe (or fingers)
Poke Piggie
Tom Whistle
John Gristle
And big old
Gobble
   -tickle
Gobble
   -TiCkLe
Gobble
   -TICKLE!!

Where is Thumbkin?
Tune: Frere Jacques OPL Link to Raffi's Corner Grocery Story CD /
Start with hands behind your back, march out the correct appendage at the right time

Where is thumbkin, where is thumbkin
Here I am, Here I am
How are you today sir?
-one thumb bows to the other
Very well I thank you.
-other thumb bows
Run away, run away-hands behind back again

repeat with:
Where is pointer
Where is tall man
Where is ring man
Where is pinkie
Where is the family

Thumb Bold

Thumb Bold-tap fingers, start with thumb
Tibbity-told
Longman
Lick pan
Little, little, little man

Master Thumb

Master thumb is first to come
Then pointer, steady strong,
Then tall man high,
And just nearby
The feeble man does linger,
And last of all,
So neat and small,
Comes little pinky finger.

Ten Little Toesies
Ten Little Indians tune / OPL Link to 101 Fav. Childrens Songs Vol 3
Shoes off! Let's get ready....

One little, two little, three little toesies,
Four little, five little, six little toesies,
Seven little, eight little, nine little toesies,
Ten little tickly toes-ey!

Ten little, nine little, eight little toesies,
Seven little, six little, five little toesies,
Four little, three little, two little toesies,
One little tickly toes-ey!

______________________________________

Now you're all warmed up, and some of us are steamy!
Let's see what you can do!
______________________________________

Whoops Johnny
*each parent substitute your baby's name
This is a great one for teaching spacial relationships

Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny
-tap each finger when you say Johnny -pinky, ring, tall, pointer
Whoops Johnny
-slide your finger down baby's pointer finger and up baby's thumb at ‘whoops'; tap thumb-tip on Johnny
Whoops Johnny
-now go backwards - down thumb, up pointer
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny
-pointer, tall, ring, pinky

Head Shoulders Knees andToes
London Bridge is Falling Down tune / OPL Link to 100 Childrens Favorites CD

Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes
Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes
I Love my Baby!

Eyes and Ears Mouth and Nose, Mouth and Nose, Mouth and Nose
Eyes and Ears Mouth and Nose, Mouth and Nose, Mouth and Nose
I Love my Baby!

Let's see how you move those parts now!

Eyes Nose Fingers and Toes by Judy Hindley
OPL Link

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
OPL Link
this is an excellent book to move to, involving all the parts of the body - let's do what the animals do! I can do it!

Oliver Twist Twist Twist
-twist at the twists and point to the parts as you sing them

Oliver twist twist twist
Can't do this this this
Touch his knees knees knees
Touch his nose nose nose
Touch his hair hair hair
Touch his toes toes toes

Oliver twist twist twist
Can't do this this this
Touch his ears ears ears
Touch his waist waist waist
Touch his eyes eyes eyes
Touch his face face face

Johnny Works with One Hammer
OPL Link to Fingerplays and Footplays for Fun and Learning CD
Johnny works with one hammer, one hammer.
-one hand pounds knee
Johnny works with one hammer, now he works with two.
-both hands
Johnny works with two hammers, two hammers. Johnny works with two hammers, now he works with three.
-two hands, one foot
Four -both hands, both feet
Five -both hands, both feet, head nods
Six -both hands, both feet, head nods, tongue out - CAREFUL don't bite it! LOL!)

I'm All Made of Hinges
from the Primary Songbook CD Book / OPL Link

I'm all made of hinges -arms wiggle loosely, neck, back, be scarecrow wobbly
'cause everything bends
from the top of my head all the way to my ends -hands to head, bend over touch toes
I'm Hinges in front -lean forward
and I'm hinges in back -lean back
I'm glad I've got hinges
or else I would CRACK! -CLAP

Alrighty! I know you can move all like scarecrows,
let's BE scarecrows

I'm a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow
-from the book Head Shoulders Knees and Toes by Zita Newcome
see more below

"I'm a dingle dangle scarecrow
with a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my arms like this
I can shake my legs like that"

Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi
OPL Link to book / OPL Link to More Singable Sings CD
I recommend singing and acting this one out instead of reading the book. Particularly for the toddlers and babies this laptime is meant for

Ooo, I just love my baby!

Kissy, Kissy Baby

Kissy, Kissy, fingers,
Kissy, Kissy, toes,
Kissy, Kissy, baby,
On your kissy nose

I Love to kiss your fingers,
I Love to kiss your toes,
I Love to kiss my baby,
On your kissy nose!

Pinkety Pink

Pinkety, pinkety, thumb to thumb,
-Put your thumbs on baby's thumbs
Wish a wish, and it's sure to come.
If yours come true, mine will come true,
-Wrap your thumbs around the baby's thumbs
Pinkety, pinkety, thumb to thumb
-Kiss baby's thumbs

Dance Your Fingers

Dance your fingers up
Dance your fingers down
Dance your fingers to the side
Dance'em all around!
Dance'em on your tummy
Dance'em on your head
Dance'em on your shoulders
And dance'em off to bed.

Good night and sleep tight babies!

_____________________

Is your audience getting a little wound up? Try this is you need a calming moment:

Two Little Hands
Twinkle Twinkle little Star tune
OPL Link to One Light One Sun CD by Raffi

Two little hands go clap clap clap
Two little feet go tap tap tap
Two little hands go thump thump thump (thump on the floor)
Two little feet go jump jump jump
One little body turns around
One little child sits quietly down

Roly Poly
another great idea I learned from Alison

Roly poly, roly poly, up, up up!
~roll forearms, mid body and then up, up

Roly poly, roly poly, out, out out!
~ roll hands out to sides

Roly poly, roly poly, clap, clap, clap
~clap

Roly poly, roly poly, fold them in your lap
~fold arms and we are ready to begin!

Sometimes

Sometimes my hands are at my side
-hands along your side
Then behind my back they hide
-hide hands
Sometimes I wiggle my fingers so
-wiggly fingers out in front of you
Shake them fast. Shake them slow
-suit actions to words
Sometimes my hands go clap clap clap
Then I rest them in my lap
-fold hands in lap
Now they're quiet as can be
-shhh, one finger to lips
Because it's listening time you see.
-cup hands to ears

Wiggles
suit actions to words

I wiggle my fingers
I wiggle my toes
I wiggle my shoulders
I wiggle my nose
Now no more wiggles are left in me
So I will be as still as still can be

____________________________
Traditional Alternate
____________________________

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
-point to parts as you sing them!

Head shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes
Head shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes
Eyes, ears, mouth and nose!

____________________________

Seasonal Option:

I'm a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow
Real Player Clip
-from the book Head Shoulders Knees and Toes by Zita Newcome

When all the cows were sleeping
And the sun had gone to bed
Up jumped the scarecrow
And this is what he said!

Chorus:
I'm a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that

When all the hens were roosting
And the moon behind the cloud
Up jumped the scarecrow
And shouted very loud

Chorus

When the dogs were in the kennels
And the doves were in the loft
Up jumped the scarecrow
And whispered very soft

Chorus

repeat Chorus

(the mini storyline that goes along with the chorus is great for leading the kids in a normal voice, a whisper and then a loud voice.)

_________________________

More...

Here are My Hands by Bill Martin
OPL Link
~ Perfect for Laptime, share the book or tell it with actions

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
OPL Link
~ Great new baby book, but also so very very good for learning that no matter where we were born, we are all the same.

A Beautiful Girl by Amy Schwartz
~ Suitable for Laptime but I can really see the Storytime age kids really getting the humor and having fun with this little book.

note: A really fun idea is to use a puppet, or if you can swing it, a marionette to do some of the actions. Now, needless to say (if you've attempted it, you will know) that you need to use your self for 'Johnny works with One Hammer'! I want a video if you manage it with the marionette! Also, the tickle songs are definitely more fun to do if you have a live helper to really tickle!

A Most Eggs-cellent Storytime

2011-04-19T13:06:00.018-06:00

Eggs-tra! Eggs-tra! It's time for some of Mark's Eggs-traordinary, Eggs-centric Easter Storytime Ideas!

Let's go on an Egg Hunt!

Shhhhhh . . .

An Egg is Quiet by Dianne Hutts Aston

OPL link

We're hunting wabbits, er, I mean eggs.

Shhhhh . . .

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go, We'll catch an egg and

Wait a minute, wait a minute! Eggs don't have legs!
They can't run from us!
But they DO hide from us, let's see, where would we find an egg?

I see something, do you see, look,
over on the other side of the bog, a tree,
and in that tree, let's row out and see . . .

The Rattlin’ Bog
Traditional as performed by Golden Bough

Oh, row, the Rattlin’ Bog; the bog down in the valley.
          ~row, row, row motions
Oh, row, the Rattlin’ Bog; the bog down in the valley-o.
In that bog there was a hole, a rare hole and a rattlin’ hole
the hole in the bog and the hole in the bog
andthe bog down in the valley-o.

        In that bog there was a tree. . .
            ~stand with arms at your side, like a tree
       On that tree there was a branch. . .
            ~arms up and out for a branch
       On that branch there was a bough. . .
            ~turn palms up
      On that bough there was a nest. . .
            ~cup hands for a nest
       In that nest there was an egg . . .
            ~one fist in a cupped palm

Hold on here. There's an egg. In a nest. Hmm.
What do you think it's going to do?

Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman
OPL Link
As you introduce this, make an envelope bird puppet Unobtrusively color the beak part.
Show them that the egg was nice a round, like this (draw one of the eyes) until, craaaack (karate chop the break in the envelope - and tada! You have a little talking beak) "Are you my mother?"

Go out into the audience and find the cat the dog and the horse etc. (it's just unsuspecting kids).
Have all the other kids make beaks with their hands and repeat after you, "Are you my mother?"

What about this little egg over here? What is it doing?

Ollie by Olivier Dunrea
OPL Link

The Chick that Wouldn't Hatch by Claire Daniel
OPL Link

Eggbert, the Slightly Cracked Egg by Tom Ross

OPL Link

What an awesome egg that Eggbert is, I like his attitude!

Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
OPL Link

Wait for it... Mark's ending is perfect for sharing at storytime!

Except If by Jim Averbeck
OPL Link

Well now, what do you think about that?
There really are all kinds of things to be found in eggs!

Can I have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please!?
by Lois G. Grambling
OPL Link

YIKES!!! A tyrannosaurus? I don't think so.
Well, let me tell you a story . . .

One time there was an egg,

Egg-napped! by Marisa Montes
OPL Link

Golly gee whopper! What a story.
Hmmm, that reminds me about another egg,
a Gollywhopper egg that ended up in the hands of a traveling salesman...

The Gollywhopper Egg by Anne F. Rockwell
OPL Link

What do you know? That was one tricky salesman!

I think I've had enough eggs for now.
Thank you for coming and have a great day!

___________________

There is a lot more than half an hour's worth of material in this post - so pick and choose, cut out some egg-shaped papers for the kids to take home and color but most of all . . have fun!

Storyteller's Blog!

2011-03-29T18:21:00.000-06:00

Check out ToriAnn Perkey's new blog!

http://toriannperkey.wordpress.com/

p.s. To all our incredible storytellers - let me know ifyou would like me to link you too!

----by the way----

I don't know if you've noticed, but the google page (home) site is corrupted. I have not been able to edit it for over a year. I keep thinking I'll migrate over to Google's new page creator site, but it's not happening very fast.

Everything still works, I just can't update any broken links or add anything new.

I will get the new webpage built and migrate all the links over. In the meantime, all NEW links will be housed here in a post with a label: Storyteller Blog Links!

Thanks for your patience,
Amy

Pirates and St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-11T10:43:00.053-07:00

Pirates are PERFECT for St. Patrick's

Hello there everybody!
Welcome to our Storytime today.

            Are you ready for St. Patrick's Day?

As you can see, my partner Will Reed and I are already dressed up and ready.

        What?

You don't think we're appropriately attired for St. Patrick's Day??

       We're supposed to wear GREEN? That's all?? Just wear some green?

    Well, that's kind of boring.

Will and I are here to tell you that YOU HAVE TO DRESS UP LIKE A PIRATE FOR ST. PATRICK's DAY.

          It's only natural.

Okay, okay. You don't believe us?

        Let me explain:

First

Who loves GOLD more than anyone?

           PIRATES!!!

And WHO HAS THE GOLD?

          The LEPRECHAUNS!!!!

Second

I don't know about you, but I tend to get a little green about the gills whenever I go on the high seas.

         Now there's some green for you.
        And what's more St. Patty's Day than that?

Third

And here, this is the kicker...

         Both Pirates and Leprechauns love to sing.

Oh, and I have a GREAT pirate song right now for you, are you ready?

_____________

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
     ...and he threw her out the window,
    the window, he threw her out the window
     with a heave and a ho and a yo ho ho,
     he threw her out the window.
____________________

Oh, Will, let's try that again, here's another one...
Now don't interrupt this time. Okay?
          (Will just looks at me)

Will...
      Okay. But no promises.

____________________

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water,
Jack fell down and broke his crown and he
     threw Jill out the window, the window,
     he threw her out the window
     with a heave and a ho and a yo ho ho,
     he threw her out the window.
____________________

Oh, Will.
How about a story?

Will and I LOVE the library.
Let me tell you, there are a LOT of pirate books for you to read.

As a matter of fact; Will and I have found a great story we would like to tell you.

Those No-Good Do-Good Pirates by Jim Kraft
OPL Link

...and as those pirates sailed off into the sunset, on their ship the Flying Pig, you could hear them singing...

____________________

Little Miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet,
eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider and he
     threw her out the window, the window,
     he threw her out the window.
     with a heave and a ho and a yo ho ho,
    he threw her out the window.

*************************

Having some more pirate fun

Let's all find out our official pirate names shall we?
Naming charts made by Amy ;)

Follow this link to find out the real reason pirates are perfect for St. Patrick's!

(thanks Captain Jack!)

...need more great pirate books?

Dirty Joe the Pirate: A True Story by Bill Harley
OPL Link

Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long
OPL Link

Backbeard: Pirate for Hire by Matthew McElligot
OPL Link

Pirate's Guide to First Grade by James Preller
OPL Link

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long
OPL Link

Everything I Know About Pirates: A Collection of Made-up Facts, Educated Guesses, and Silly Pictures of the Bad Guys of the High Seas by Tom Lichtenheld
OPL Link

Monkeying Around

2010-12-09T22:56:00.005-07:00

Opening Music:
I Wan'na Be Like You
from Disney's Jungle Book

What do you do with a Cranky Monkey
by Amy White
(Tune: What do you do with a Drunken Sailor)

What do you do with a cranky monkey
What do you do with a cranky monkey
What do you do with a cranky monkey
Early in the morning

Heave Ho and up he rises
~ lift baby up high
Heave Ho and up he rises
Heave Ho and up he rises
Early in the morning!

Take him in your arms and tickle him all over
~well, what do you think? You TICKLE!
Take him in your arms and tickle him all over
Take him in your arms and tickle him all over
Early in the morning

Heave Ho and up he rises
Heave Ho and up he rises
Heave Ho and up he rises
Early in the morning!

Up in the Treetops
by Michael S.
(Tune: Up on the Housetop)

Up in the tree tops, I swing all day
Swinging here and swinging there
Got to get bugs and bananas too
Got to hurry back and so do you

Swing all day, yes I may
Swing all day, yes I may

Got to get some bugs and bananas too
Got to hurry back and so do you.

There was an Old Monkey who Swallowed a Frog

by Jennifer Ward

OPL Link

On Top of the Treetops

by Michael S.

(Tune: On Top of Old Smokey)

On top of the treetops
All covered with leaves
I lost my banana
When somebody sneezed

It fell off the tree tops
And onto the ground
I have to go get it
Before it gets brown.

Just One Bite by Lola Schaefer
OPL Link

Can't Bug Me
(a slightly altered version from Let's Play Music - they use this one in such a CUTE way to learn notes, not my goal here, but it's an awesome idea they have!)

I eat bugs.
Every kind of bug I see!
I like big ones and the bad ones
and the fuzzly purple flat ones!

People think they're yucky.
But I just don't agree!
No you can't bug me!

If All the Raindrops

If all the raindrops
were lemondrops and gum drops
oh what a rain that would be.

I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide
ah, ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
~head back, mouth open wide, sing 'ah, ah, ah..' to the tune

...if all the snowflakes were candy bars and milkshakes

...if all the sunbeams were bubblegum and icecream

Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter

This comes with a fabulous CD!

OPL Link

If You’re Happy and You Know it: Jungle Edition

by James Warhola

OPL Link

__________________________________________

And even more ideas...

Bananas of the World Unite!
Amy's version / alternate ending

Bananas of the world unite!
~clap at 'unite'

Form banana, form form banana
Form banana, form form banana
~clasp hands together above your head

Peel banana, peel peel banana
Peel banana, peel peel banana~arms peel down from above your head

Shake banana, shake shake banana
Shake banana, shake shake banana~shake yourself
Go bananas, go go bananas
Go bananas, go go bananas
~go Crazy!!! Think like a 60's go go dancer, arms up and down, oh yeah baby!

Now, all my bananas...

SPLIT!
~at midline, hands go from together, fast to out to sides - think an umpire signaling 'safe' - unless you can do the splits, if you can, do the splits - wow, kudos to you!

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off an bonked his head
Mama called the dr. and the dr. said,
No more monkeys jumping on the bed,

       Four little monkeys…

Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree

Five little monkeys swinging in the tree
~fingers swing back and forth like monkeys in tree

Teasing Mr. Alligator,
Can't catch me, no, you can't catch me
~thumbs to sides of your head, waggle fingers in a 'nana na na na'

Then along came Mr. Alligator
~bring a hand from behind your back, sneaky, slithery, silently...

As quiet as quiet can be
And... SNAPPED
~'nab' one of your monkey fingers with the sneaky alligator

that monkey right out of that tree!

     Four little monkeys swinging in a tree...
     Three little...
     Two little...
     One little...
No more monkeys
(Mr. Alligator has a FULL tummy!)

Down In The Jungle
(chant)
Have children slap their hands on their knees and then clap them together to set the rhythm of the chant.

Down in the jungle
With the beat in your feet,
Think of an animal
That you'd like to meet.
That you'd like to meet ________!
(Call out a child's name and have them name a jungle animal)

A (Monkey), A (Monkey) She wants to see a (Monkey)!

Then have all of the children imitate a monkey. Keep repeating and naming different animals for the children to imitate and don't forget the growls, screeches, and roars! This is also great for large motor indoors on rainy days.

The Monkeys in the Jungle
(To the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)

The monkeys in the jungle say
ooh, ooh, aah, ooh, ooh, aah, ooh, ooh, aah,
The monkeys in the jungle say
ooh, ooh, aah, all day long.

Continue with parrots say squawk tigers say grrr ...

I'm a Little Monkey
(Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little monkey in the tree
Swinging by my tail so merrily
I can leap and fly from tree to tree
have lots of fun you see.

I'm a little monkey watch me play
Munching on bananas every day
Lots of monkey friends to play with me
We have fun up in the tree.

Monkey Fingerplay

The monkey claps, claps, claps his hands
( clap hands)
The monkey claps, claps, claps his hands (
clap hands)
Monkey see, monkey do

The monkey does the same as you!
(point to children)

Repeat, changing motions (monkey stomps his feet, covers his eyes, sits down, stands up, etc)

Monkey See, Monkey Do
(Tune: This Old Man)
perform the motions as you sing about them

If you raise your arms,
I will, too—
Monkey see, monkey do!

Chorus:
Whatever you do,
I’ll do it too—

Monkey see, monkey do!
If you clap your hands,

I will, too—
Monkey see, monkey do!

If you scratch your head...
If you stamp your feet...
If you hop around...

Jungle Sounds
Let's Play Music

Divide into 4 groups. This side, you are all the Elephants, next to you are the Lions. This other half, let's split you into the last 2 groups, Monkeys and Cicadas. Now here are your parts:

Elephants
- boom

Lions
- puh, puh

Monkeys
- eee, eee, eee, eee, eee,

Cicadas
- chi chi chi chi, chi chi chi chi

Books:

Banana! Ed Vere
OPL Link

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
OPL Link

Jungle Boogie by Sally Crabtree

No More Kissing by Emma Clark
OPL Link

Sitting Down to Eat by Bill Harley
MP3 download OPL Link

Mommy, Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera
OPL Link

Monkey Face by Frank Asch / felt story
Out of print

A few words on being a library storyteller...

2010-10-21T19:40:00.004-06:00

FYI: The Orem Public Library's storytimes are presented by a 'staff' of volunteer storytellers. Local moms, teachers, etc. Give us a call if you want to know more. 801-229-7161

Worst Case Scenarios for Laptime and Storytime

at the Orem Public Library

compiled by Gina Clark
(who has lived through more than one of them)

1. Your own children (if you have them) decide suddenly that Mom's "Laptime" means they get to be on Mom's lap.

This is surely a parenting issue, but it's something that comes into play a lot since moms are often volunteers. You know your children better than anyone, so plan on how to prepare them for the mornings when you are center stage and not sitting in the audience with them. Perhaps you are comfortable with them being on your lap or by your side while you do storytime. The key is to not go in assuming that they will behave a certain way. Librarians are often a great help with this. It's also nice to invite a friend in the audience to keep an eye on them. Be advised, though, that it's never a good idea to let your children loose unattended in the library. If you think they are a flight risk, plan accordingly.

2. The props you prepared end up in a child's mouth.

I think it's best to hide props or keep them out of reach until they are needed. Also, put them away when you are done. This is especially an issue during laptime, since there is no real barrier between the laptime teller and the kids. Another good idea is to tell the children when you first bring out a prop that afterwards they may come up to the front and get a closer look.

3. You are trying to sing "I'm a Little Teapot," but all that comes out of your mouth is "Once There Was a Snowman."

Practice. Practice. Practice. Also, don't fret. There is always someone in the audience who can pick out the tune for you if your mind suddenly goes blank. If you are uncomfortable singing, don't hesitate to use the library's wonderful collection of music. One of the primary purposes of all library programming is to introduce patrons to the library's collections. So it isn't cheating if you play a favorite children's CD from downstairs and sing along.

4. Four minutes into your retelling of "1,001 Arabian Nights," the audience simultaneously melts down.

What is it the experts say about a child's attention span--age in years equals ability to pay attention in minutes? That may be true, but on any given morning in the OPL there is a group of three year-olds who can only make it a minute and a half. Don't give them more than they can handle. Keep it short and simple. There are many wonderful folktales, fables, and original stories from picture books that can be put into very simple words. Older children and adults may relish complicated plots, but the preschool set isn't likely to pick up on the subtleties. Repetition doesn't bore the little ones. They like the pleasure of anticipating what comes next, and seem to pay more attention to simple, repetitive tales. If you find yourself loosing the audience, don't hesitate to end quickly and move onto something else.

5. A small person on the front row raises her hand (or doesn't raise her hand) to offer random particulars from her life every time you pause.

If the child isn't shushed by a parent, then perhaps the best thing is to be kind, direct, and clear. Ask the child to save her comments for the end, when you would love to talk to her personally. Ignoring the child usually just makes her more anxious to be listened to.

6. A trio of young moms just three feet from you persist in loudly discussing their children's sleep habits--even as you (and your puppet) glare at them.

The librarians have made a point of encouraging good etiquette from the adults in the audience, too. It's often still a challenge in laptime, which is less formal and more chaotic. Encourage adult participation by inviting parents, grandparents and other adult caregivers directly to take the child on their laps and do the activities along with you. Model this with a child. Repeat the fingerplay so the adult can learn it. Moms can get distracted and chatty if they don't have anything to do--so give them something to do.

7. You glance at the clock and discover that your slate of stories and songs didn't quite fill up fifteen minutes and you don't know how many more rounds of "The Wheels on the Bus" the adults in the audience can take.

Always over-prepare. Fingerplays don't take as much time as you anticipate. But there isn't anything wrong with ending a minute or two early, especially if the crowd is contagiously fussy.

8. The flannel board story you prepared suddenly becomes all flannel board and no story.

Anytime you introduce props into your storytimes and laptimes, plan for the logistics of it all. Make sure the stuff you think will stick actually sticks. There is nothing more annoying than to see a great story flop because your magnets aren't as powerful as you thought they were, or the library's easel isn't as big as you imagined.

9. A small boy (who happens to know nothing about the willing suspension of disbelief) begins crying inconsolably when you: a). pull out your favorite sock puppet; b). mimic the popping of a balloon; or c). say hello to him.

This happens rarely, but it does happen--especially in laptime. This is where Mom steps in and hopefully comforts the child. But, it pays to develop a tough skin. Don't be offended when the kids don’t seem to like you , or even notice you. Don't be surprised when they are more interested in the contents of Mom's purse than the fingerplay you cleverly invented, orchestrated, and illustrated using hand-colored and laminated visual aides. Consider yourself lucky to be performing for the most sincere audience on earth.

10. Just as you are about to begin singing (and dancing to) the "Go Bananas" song, you are paralyzed by stage fright.

One of the best things about the OPL storytimes and laptimes is that they are almost always done by volunteers. While many of us lack the polish of professionals, we are full of personality. Don't feel that you have to imitate anyone else. If you aren't comfortable hamming it up to silly songs, then take a quieter route. As a mother, I love how each teller offers something different. Sometimes what's best is how much a teller loves a story. Eight years ago when I began taking my first child to storytime, there was less storytelling and more reading of stories. What I loved then was how much the "tellers" loved the books they had selected. I was introduced to many wonderful books by readers who were anxious and delighted to share them with a young audience.

A big thank you to Gina who compiled and created this wonderful list and gave me permission to share.

A Rough list of Books and Puppets to use with them...

2010-09-23T14:42:00.004-06:00

A few things you need to know:

I am an avid puppet collector - in particular Folkmanis puppets

I love finding books that I can use with my puppets.

This list is the result.

Disclaimer:

I constantly alter and edit my list. I tend to bold the ones I currently like the best.

Some of the puppets are no longer available, I still keep them on my list, because--truth be known--almost any stuffed animal will work for story or laptime purposes.

Feel free to use this list as you will. Oh, one more thing, I do intend to hotlink these titles to Amazon and/or the Orem Public Library's Catalog, but that particular task is what has delayed this list for so long.

Busy in the Barnyard

2010-05-11T22:29:00.005-06:00

Moo, Neigh, Gallopy-Trot and Away we Go!

Let's go visit the barnyard!
~I like to play some warm-up music, my favorite is Cows from Philadelphia Chickens by Sandra Boynton
...cows, we're remarkable cows...

Barnyard, Barnyard
- this is a song I learned from Let's Play Music
- I cannot recommend taking these classes enough, if you have preshool-aged kids it's the best!
This song works great with a hand clapping beat.

Barnyard Barnyard
All around the barnyard
Here the cows say
Moo Moo
~clap clap

(repeat)

All around the barnyard
Moo Moo
~clap clap

Animals are talking
Moo Moo
~clap clap

Even though it sounds like
Moo Moo
~clap clap

Just a lot of squawking!
~shrug shoulders, hands up

Bababababababa ba
~pat your legs fast, then move back into clapping beat 'Barnyard, Barnyard'
________________________

Now do it again, but with each of the other animals and their sounds

- oh, in the music classes you use different rhythms for the sounds, like...

Squeaky squeaky squeak squeak (mouse)
~clappy, clappy, clap clap
Hee Haw, Hee Haw (donkey)
~clap clap clap clap
Ba Ba Ba-ba-ba (lamb)
~clap clap clappy clap

Oh, there is Mr. Farmer! He's on his horse and headed out to do the field work,
on his way often he meets other people who are out enjoying a ride...

This is the Way the Farmer Rides

This is the way the farmer rides
~bounce baby in a trot on your knees

The farmer rides, the farmer rides. So early in the morning.
This is the way the farmer rides, the farmer rides, the farmer rides.
So early in the morning.

This is the way the gentleman rides
~bounce baby in an English trot

This is the way the lady rides
~bounce baby in a soft trot

This is the way the baby rides
~bounce baby in a silly, tickly jiggly trot

My goodness, that Mr. Farmer, he sure meets a lot of people out and about.
Well, while he is off gallavanting around the fields,
The Mrs is doing some cleaning!

Time to get the washing started...

We Are Clothes in the Washing Machine
- thanks Allison S!

We are clothes in the washing machine
-make a circle with your arms and wiggle the child inside

We wiggle and giggle until we are clean
Then our mama hangs us up to dry
-lift child's arms up

On a clothesline way up high!

You never knew laundry could be so much fun!
Now, Let's go out in the barnyard with the Mrs; better known as Mrs. Wishy Washy -
It's time to water the garden and feed the chicks - can you turn on the water?

Slowly, Slowly

Slowly, slowly, very slowly,
~ slowly creep fingers from childs feet to the top of their head
creeps the garden snail.
Slowly, slowly, very slowly,
~make sure you pause on the sides of child's neck here - VERY ticklish!
Up the wooden rail

Quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly
~and tickle the child all around their tummy!
Goes the little mouse,
Quickly, quickly, very, quickly
All around the house.

Oh, no! Look by the garden!
Cow! Pig! Not you too Duck! What are you doing?

Mrs. Wishy Washy by Joy Cowley
OPL catalog link
~ Get the book. Memorize the book. Get a puppet cow, pig and duck. Get a washbucket and a brown blanket for a 'mud puddle'. Now have some fun!

Those animals! Well, we don't have time for thier hi-jinks.
A barnyard is always busy.
Let's go feed the pigs and the poultry now.

Suuuuey! Come Pig!

I Had a Little Piggie

I had a little piggie
~hands apart to show a little pig
And I fed him from a trough
He grew so big and fat
~ move hands apart to show he got big
That his tail popped off!
~pop finger out of cheek!

So I got me a hammer
~hold up one hand holding a 'hammer'
And I got me a nail
~hold up other hand holding a 'nail'
And I gave that piggie a wooden tail.
~'hammer' the 'nail' - look of surprise!

Those piggies, they aren't named pigs for nothing!
Time for the chickens now, here chicky, chicky, chick!

Ten Fluffy Chicks

Five eggs
~hold up five fingers
and five eggs
~hold up second hand

That makes ten
Sitting on top is mother hen
~lock fingers together, knuckles up

Crackle, crackle, crackle
~clap hands

What do I see?
Ten fluffy chicks as yellow as can be!
~hold all 10 wriggling fingers

Five Little Chicks Went Out To Play
by Amy White

Five little chicks went out to play,
over the hills and far away.
When the mama hen said,
bawk, bawk, bawk
Four little chicks came waddling back.

Four little chicks went out to play...
(repeat until 'no little chicks' - do NOT do the daddy part yet...)

Oh, no! Where are all the little chicks! Let's see if we can find them...

Where Are My Chicks? by Sally Grindley
OPL catalog link

Well, I can tell you that the next day Mama Duck just called on the Daddy and....

When the daddy rooster said
Cock a DOODLE DOO!
Five little chicks came waddling back.

Whew, Mama Goose and Mama Hen should keep better track of those little goslings and chicks!
Well, after all that hullabaloo it's Lulu's Mama's job to put little ones to bed at night...

Goodnight Lulu by Paulette Bogan

and a goodnight to you too my chickadees!
______________________

More...

Barnyard Song by Rhonda Greene
OPL catalog link

Did you ever wonder...

2010-05-07T13:15:00.005-06:00

What Librarians do when they are not blogging, making booklists, doing storytime, laptime, tours or just out in the stacks putting books in kids hands?

Well, this librarian is not only planning a fun-filled Summer Reading Program, but also planning my first original puppet show.

Let me preface all this - for almost 15 years I have been watching Mark Pulham do his puppet shows. He is the best puppeteer I know. Funny, original, talented... I could go on and on. The point is, I've had a good teacher and a lot of opportunity to work with him over many many years.

After getting my first taste of being the puppeteer last week, luckily the sound was recorded and all I had to do was know when to move the puppets; anyway, back on topic, after getting back behind that stage I found that there is a whole new me coming to the surface. Strange things start to happen when I step behind that curtain and put a puppet or two on my hands. Suddenly voices, sound efffects and ideas start popping out of my mouth and head.

Now, as with all coincidental happenings, at the same time that I was asked to do that puppet show for the library, I was also asked if I knew how a school could get a storyteller for a celebratory Little House on the Prairie Day, and maybe I would be interested, as a librarian, in doing it for the school myself.

Would I???!!!

Suddenly a few days later the idea of Albert and the Time Machine downloaded into my brain. Unfortunately it was sometime around 2-3:00 a.m. Fortunately I didn't just fall back asleep.

Excuse me, pardon the interruption, but I find I am in need of some direction. Let me introduce myself, I am Miss Winder and I am pleased to make your acquaintance.

Now, to the matter at hand; I find I am at a loss presently and am in need of some assistance. Could you please tell me how I came to be in such a strange place? Somehow I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore...

That Albert, I knew something was up with that child the moment I saw him, I can spot those troublemakers quicker than you can pick up a hickory switch. This is not the year 1879 is it? Could this possibly be, as unreasonable as it sounds, the future?

So, if you ever wondered what else librarians do; simply put, we have fun. LOTS of fun.

The outcome of that? It's more ideas and projects than we can keep up with!

It's writing, gathering supplies, practicing and then performing puppet shows all while still maintaining the momentum on Summer Reading preparations, Teddy Bear Picnic planning and still being out there in the stacks doing my favorite thing in the world - finding the perfect books at the perfect time to put in each child's hands.

...keep watching, I have to get permission first, but I have a videographer available to film the show. Hmmm, this might be a good thing, it might be a bad thing, it could go either way, it is my first attempt at doing an original puppet show after all.

Amy

Hey, keep watching the OPL Summer Reading blog - Everything that I can't fit into the 45 min. to 60 min. long Summer Reading programs and more will be going in there.

Oh, dear, oh dear. I think we've had an accidental time travel. I will not lose my grant over this. No, this will not do at all. Hello, Ma'm? er Miss? Could you please follow me, we'll have this whole mess straightened out right away.

Now, this is all just a really strange dream you are having. You've dreamed of being in the future. As that is impossible, it can't be anything but a dream. Now just step right up here, press that button there, and

POOOF!

There we go, back to 1879. Potential distaster averted.

That leaves just one little loose end, who is the culprit that started this mess. I wonder, that Albert, dollars to donuts I would not put it past that child to have had a hand in this...

...okay now, back to watching cartoons - it's my day off and I have given myself the task of finalizing the voices I need for the show. Tomorrow I put the puppets and a microphone on and start doing full run-throughs.

Summer Reading...in the beginning

2010-04-02T00:17:00.000-06:00

One of the pleasures of my job as a librarian in a very large OPL children's library is to help plan for our Summer Reading program!

- This year we were granted a traveling Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine display on July 14–August 13.

- Our Fall Big Read, granted by the National Endowment of the Arts, book is going to be Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea.

Naturally we wanted to tie into these two events and so our Fantasy Summer Reading theme was born:

Through the Looking Glass

We will start with a grand kick-off in June with our Teddy Bear's Picnic, an annual summer tradition. This year's TBP theme will be The Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

Then, each week we will have themed programming that dishes up a heaping helping of fantasy and whimsy served up with a dose of hands on non-fiction fun.

-Our Process-
if you are interested...
We start brainstorming in January.
What theme do we want to go with this year, what talent do we have that we can tap into, what will the kids absolutely love and what can we do that we can support with our collection (do we have enough books on the subject).

We start contacting local businesses for coupon donations in January.(I've been told by some of the businesses that they are getting over 30% return rate - over 30% of the coupons are getting redeemed. Apparently this is an extremely high rate and much desired by businesses)

In March and April we start contacting local talent (authors, illustrators, storytellers, magicians, zoos, museums, clubs and such) to see if they would be interested in donating their talents to the local library in return for free advertisement, or if they will come for a reduced fee. We have a working budget of ZERO dollars and the only way to offer money is if we get a grant.

Some weekly themes that we are considering are:

Mythological Magic~

Make your own mythological beast
Mythology and the natural world (earthquakes, mammoth skulls=Cyclops)
Pop-up monster maker - ala Robert Sabuda
Create your own mythological beast:
1. Pick animal or human
2. Choose evil or good
3. Draw physical characteristics from a bowl (spiky tail, head of a lion)
4. Pick emotional characteristics (kindness, love, anger, silliness, prankster, etc.)
5. Create a name

Books to Highlight:
Percy Jackson
Tales from the Odyssey
Young Heroes
Myth-o-Mania
398’s
290’s
Companions Quartet
Fire Thief

Medieval Merrymaking~
Fencing demonstration
Make newspaper swords
Magic - Magicians!

Books to Highlight:
Dragon Slayers Academy
Rowan of Rin
Sword in the Stone
Gerald Morris titles
Chronicles of Prydain
Susan Cooper
Moongobble and Me
Deltora Quest
Protector of the Small
Get Well, Good Knight
Good Night, Good Knight

Fairy Tales and Fish Tales~

Puppet Show

Books to highlight:
Forbidden Sea
Mermaids Three Wisdoms
Princess Fish Tale
Redwall
Warriors
Guardians of Ga’Hoole
Silverwing
Underland Chronicles
Tales from Dimwood Forest
World According to Humphrey

Dragons and Dinosaurs~

Paleontologist visit

Books to highlight:
Dragon Slippers
Pit Dragon
Dinotopia
My Father’s Dragon
Secrets of Droon
Tales of the Frog Princess
How to Train Your Dragon
Dragon Adventures
Erec Rex
Keepers
Lily Quench
Dragonology Chronicles
Dragon Keeper
Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Pirates Aplenty, Pirates Galore!~

Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe skit
Create your own pirate name (Dirty Thumb Fran, Stinky Face Bryan)
Learn a sea chantey
Walk the plank
Pirate jokes

Books to Highlight:
Treasure Island
Peter Pan
Peter and the Starcatchers
Pirate Pete & Pirate Joe
True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle
Pirate Queens
Pyrates
How to be a Pirate (series Heroic Misadventures)
Something Wickedly Weird
Vampirates
Edge Chronicles

Wings andThings~

Local illustrator guest
Wing creation demo (younger group)
Insect expert
Paper airplanes
Butterfly net demo

Books to Highlight:

Disney Fairies
Rainbow Magic
Weather Fairies
Navigator
Beetles, Lightly Toasted
Project Mulberry
Bug Boy/ Bug Girl
Bug Muldoon
Creepy Crawly Cuisine
Bugs for Lunch

I must admit that these is a big group effort. I am humbled when I think of what would happen if I were in charge of this programming. I am just not that creative. It's huge thanks to our whole staff and our willing volunteers that make the OPL Summer Reading Program what it is today.

Part of my job is to come up with fun exploratory projects that can be done with large groups of elementary (and younger) aged kids that compliment our themes.

Currently I am testing out ideas like...
- Sink art with chalk
- Mirror self portraits
- Pop-up making demonstrations, with handouts
- Bug 'Tasting' Contest
- Making Medieval jewelry
- Divination by way of String games
- Optical Illusion trickes
- Making Comic Flip Books
- and... well, I'm still thinking

A bit of this and that...

2010-03-02T16:57:00.004-07:00

Just two items today that I could not resist posting...

First:

There is a GREAT new-ish book out !

There Was An Old Monster by Rebecca, Adrian; Ed Emberley
OPL catalog link

A delicious take on the old story There Was An Old Lady (Who Swallowed A Fly)/OPLbook link/Mimi's Motifs Doll link where we now meet a wickedly greedy old monster who swallows a tick,(it really makes him sick) and follow him all the way to his fortunate demise, he is a monster after all. He only gets what he deserves for trying to swallow what won't be swallowed!

_________________

Second:

Our Laptime teller today had a great song she introduced our patrons to - I LOVE it and can't wait to share it!

What do you do with a cranky baby

tune: What do you do with a Drunken Sailor
- thank you Amanda A.!

What do you do with a cranky baby
What do you do with a cranky baby
What do you do with a cranky baby
Early in the morning

Heave Ho and up she rises
~ lift baby up high
Heave Ho and up she rises
Heave Ho and up she rises
Early in the morning

Take her in your arms and tickle her all over
~well, what do you think? You TICKLE!
Take her in your arms and tickle her all over
Take her in your arms and tickle her all over
Early in the morning

Heave Ho and up she rises
Heave Ho and up she rises
Heave Ho and up she rises
Early in the morning

...I love this tune's rollicking fun, but honestly, do YOU want to your little ones belting out the traditional lyrics in the middle of the grocery store? This version is so much better suited for storytime don't you think? ;)

Bedtime

2010-02-23T17:21:00.004-07:00

Please can I go back to bed? Pretty please with sugar on top?

Whatever do you do if you wake up in the morning and all you want to do is go back to bed!

Well?
What do you do?

You go to bed of course!
But first, we need to have a bedtime bath...

Bath Time by Eileen Spinelli
OPL link

Oh dear, that was one FULL bathtub! Good thing mom know just what to do.
Ooooo - what cute little piggie toes you have my dear, what cute little piggie fingers you have too!

Piggies by Audrey Wood
(I do this as a fingerplay - it works wonderfully)
OPL link

Okay, time to get out and dry off.
Now what is it that we do?
You got it - we brush our teeth!

Brush Your Teeth
(I used a shark puppet to show some good teeth here!)
- check out the Raffi cd!
OPL link

When you wakeup in the mornin' at a quarter to one
and you want to have a little fun
You brush your teeth
chh, chh, chh, chh, cha, cha, cha, cha!

...two, and you just don't know what to do
...three, and want the biggest smile for me
...four, and someone's knockin' upon your door
...five, and you're so happy to be alive

Let me see those shiney clean teeth! Open wide!
Wow, I'm blinded! You all did a superb job brushing those teeth.
Now it's off to bed with some snuggy fuzzy pj's and a bedtime story.

Wide-Mouthed Frog by Faulkner
OPL link

Are you all snuggled in bed now?
Good.
You want more? How about a little song?

Slippery Fish

Slippery fish, slippery fish
- Slide palms backwards and forwards - slipping
Swimming through the water,
Slippery fish, slippery fish
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO! I've been eaten by an...
Octopus, Octopus,
- arms out and slowly waving up and down like an octopus

Swimming in the water,
Oh, Octopus, Octopus...
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO! I've been eaten by a...
Great big shark, great big shark
-arms open and shut from the elbow to the hands, fingers interlock when they meet for sharp teeth.

Swimming in the water
Great big shark, great big shark
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO! I've been eaten by a ...
Humongous whale, humongous whale
-arms open and shut in a huge 'whale-mouth' motion

Swimming in the water,
Humongous whale, humongous whale
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO!!! Oh ..
-look around, look...who ate it...

YOU ate it!
-look of utter surpise on your face as you gesture to a child

Speaking of Fish - I'm wanna kiss that little fish-fish face of yours!
Uh-oh, no kissing? Are you sure?

Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
OPL link

Five in the Bed
(I used a penguin, a shark, a frog, a pig, and for the little one - a hedgehog)

Five in the bed and the little one said,
Roll over, roll over
So they all rolled over and one fell out.
(puppets roll over and OFF the table/bed)

Hmmm.
Are you asleep yet?
No?
Me either.

(wait)

How about now?
Phoowy.
How long does it take to fall asleep?

Tick Tock

Tick tock
Tick tock
Tick tock
Goes my daddy's big clock.
(repeat)

But my mommy's little clock goes
tick tick tick tick tick!
(and TICKLE those kids!)

...repeat this one again, particularly if you see that it's new for a lot of the kids/parents

Are you out of bed little one?
You need a kiss?
Oh, how could we have forgotten a goodnight kiss!?

Kissy Kissy Baby

Kissy, Kissy, fingers,
Kissy, Kissy, toes,
Kissy, Kissy, baby,
On your kissy nose

I Love to kiss your fingers,
I Love to kiss your toes,
I Love to kiss my baby,
On your kissy nose!

Are you ready to go to sleep now?
No?
Why not?
Ah, you are afraid there is a monster.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Edward Emberley
(flannel board story or book)
OPL link

Now no more monsters!
Let's rub your back and sing a quiet song

Sleep My Treasure
Let's Play Music - a MUST musical program for your 4 to 5 year olds, IMHO
- now rock slowly back and forth, if mama or daddy are near, have them come rock their children...

Sleep my treasure,
Close to mother.
Hush my baby do,
To your cradle comes a moonbeam.
Shining just for you.

...repeat for a father verse

Good night now, sleep tight.

_____________

More:

If Animals Kissed Good Night by Ann Paul
OPL link

Booklists

2010-02-04T16:40:00.002-07:00

Just a little quick note to say that I've been very busy updating and finalizing some great booklists.

Follow this link:
Booklists

You will find a great collection of Read Alouds, a link to the Newbery and Caldecott lists and our newest list From New Baby to Maturation and Conception.

I still have quite a few to finish, I promise to upload those when they are done as well.

Looking forward... I find that all too often I'll come across a fantastic storytime or laptime book, then it will take me a year or so to work it into a program before I post anything about it - that's way too long!

From now on I'm going to post these books here on the blog as I find them. These books will be collected for the new OPL's Favorite Laptime and Storytime Books list.

p.s. Any and all recommendations for books you readers find are more than welcome, just leave me a comment - and THANKS!

...and the workshop was wonderful!

2009-11-18T20:27:00.004-07:00

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

2009-10-28T15:31:00.002-06:00

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

2009-10-27T17:50:00.024-06:00

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
OPL catalog link

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 /OPL link/ 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
OPL link

... 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...

2009-09-09T09:11:00.012-06:00

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

2009-08-11T18:05:00.010-06:00

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
OPL link

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

2009-08-04T21:51:00.005-06:00

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 (OPL link)

Tai Chi anyone?

2009-07-17T14:28:00.007-06:00

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?

My Day - Storytime

2009-07-15T15:27:00.031-06:00

An Action packed Hip Hoppin' 'n Singin' hour long Storytime!
(and just a bit of a tribute to Raffi! Bill Harley and David Holt)

In the still of the night when all is quiet...

Tick Tock Goes my Daddy's Big Clock

Tick tock, tick tock,
- rock back and forth at each word, with child in your lap
Goes my Daddy's big clock
Tick tock, tick tock,
Goes my Daddy's big clock

But my mommy's little clock
- pause...
Goes tick tick tick tick tick!
- TICKLE!!!

Are You Sleeping
rock, use bells or clap as you sing

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping,
Brother John, brother John.

Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.

Brush Your Teeth
- check out the Raffi cd!
OPL link to the Cathy and Marcy collection for kids CD

When you wakeup in the mornin' at a quarter to one
and you want to have a little fun
You brush your teeth
chh, chh, chh, chh, cha, cha, cha, cha!

...two, and you just don't know what to do
...three, and want the biggest smile for me
...four, and someone's knockin' upon your door
...five, and you're so happy to be alive

My, oh my. What a night!
Are you sleepyheads ready to wake up?
I want today to be a FUN play day!

Oh no, it's raining outside.

It's Raining It's Pouring

It's raining it's pouring the old man is snoring
Went to bed and bumped his head,
And couldn't get up in the morning

Aha! I've got a great rainy day idea...
It's about time for a haircut
- don't do this at home on your own kids, unless you KNOW your scissors are 100% unaccessable!!

Johnny Get Your Haircut
- have kids 'scissor' hands, fingers, arms, legs
- Also fun to have helper kids , use their names and let them choose the action.

Johnny get your haircut, haircut, haircut
Johnny get your haircut, haircut, haircut
Just like me.

It's still raining.
Let's read books and have some lunch.
I need a helper, who will be my Pete

Pete's a Pizza by William Steig
OPL link
- red checkers (pepperoni), pieces of yellow paper (cheese), an empty baby powder container (flour) etc. :) p.s. I like to have all the kids lay down and I randomly pull an arm, or a leg for the pulling and stretching of the dough - also a random tickle at the right time!

Oh no! I'm so messy after all that pizza!

We are Clothes in the Washing Machine
- thanks Allison!

We are clothes in the washing machine
-make a circle with your arms and wiggle the child inside
We wiggle and giggle until we are clean
Then our mama shakes us out to dry
-lift child's arms up, hold hands and wiggle them front and back (sheets waving in the wind)
And hangs us on a clothesline high

It's STILL raining.
Okay, that stubborn sun.
I think it needs some coaxing.

Oh Mr. Sun
Raffi
OPL link

Oh, Mister Sun, sun
Mister golden sun
Please shine down on me

Oh, Mister Sun, sun
Mister Golden sun
Hiding behind a tree

These little children are asking you
To please come out so they can play with you

Oh, Mister Sun, sun
Mister golden sun
Please shine down on me

Yeah!
The sun must have heard us.
Let's go outside!

Bumpin' Up and Down
Another Raffi song- I like to sit a child on my knees and bump, tip and lift (on 'Oh my Darlin')
OPL link

Bumping up and down in my little red wagon
Bumping up and down in my litte red wagon
Won't you be my darling!

...One wheel's off and the axle's broken
...Johnny's gonna fix it with his hammer
...Other wheel's off and the wagon's draggin'

Whew! We made it to our garden.

Pickin' Peas by Margaret Read MacDonald
OPL link
- have kids sing the refrain along with you, or if you really love it and get into it, teach them a little hand-clap or dance moves

That pesky rabbit!
I think we should go pick some cotton now,
Maybe we'll stuff that rabbit the next time!

Jump Down Turn Around

Jump down, turn around
Pick a bale of cotton.
Jump down, turn around
Pick a bale a day.

Oh, Sally
Pick a bale of cotton,
Oh, Sally
Pick a bale a day

That was some exhaustin' work!
I'm so hungry now.

I'm So Hungry
-thanks Kathe!
-have older kids help out on finding some fun rhymes

I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry
Yes I am, yes I am.
I could eat a lion,
Without even tryin'
Yum Yum Yum

... elephant - talkin' on the telephant
... giraffe - that would make me laugh

Enough just talkin' about eating.
Let's sit down and grab some grub...

Sitting Down to Eat (music)
- by Bill Harley (book) OPL link(I use my Folkmanis puppets for this. I stuff them, one by one, into a box (house) that is too small as the CD plays. When the caterpillar comes along I pick up the box and all the animals come sproinging out... and the house went BOOM!)

Well, at least we managed to grab a few bites to eat before that caterpillar nosed her way in.

Now for something I love to do after dinner. Just like David Holt taught me...it's time for some hambone!

This Old Man
- I LOVE David Holt! My daughter and I have a blast trying to learn the stuff David teaches on his DVD Folk Rhythms / OPL link

This old man, he played one,
He played knick knack on my thumb
With a knick knack paddy whack
Give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

...two - on my shoe
...three - on my knee
...four - on the door
...five - on my hive
...six - on my sticks
...seven - up to heaven
...eight - on my gate
...nine - on my spine
...ten - once again!

Okay kid-a-roos , time for bath and bed.

Bath Time by Eileen Spinelli
OPL link

Woah! So much for a bath!
Oh well, it's still time for bed.

Five Little Monkeys
- have kids all stand up and jump around while you all sing!

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the dr. and the dr. said,
No more monkeys jumping on the bed.
... repeat until there are no more monkeys...

Oh you silly, silly little monkeys.
I can see I'll need to sing you to sleep.

Sleep My Treasure
Let's Play Music - a MUST musical program for your 4 to 5 year olds, IMHO
- now rock slowly back and forth, if mama or daddy are near, have them come rock their children...

Sleep my treasure,
close to mother.
Hush my baby do,
To your cradle comes a moonbeam.
Shining just for you.

...repeat for a father verse

I had a wonderful day with you all.
Nighty night kiddos.

Monsters & Aliens Everywhere

2009-06-26T15:47:00.050-06:00

Monsters, Aliens and Octopi, Oh My!
Laptime Travels around the World and Beyond
- printable handout -

On you mark! Get set! GO!
Let's go exploring!

The Kids go Marching One by One
I you've just got babies and only a few toddlers, don't actually go marching, just tap you legs to keep the beat. For a Storytime you can use rhythm sticks though!

The kids go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The kids go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The kids go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down around the town
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The kids go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The kids go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The kids go marching two by two,
The little one stops to tie his shoe
And they all go marching down around the town
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The kids go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The kids go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The kids go marching three by three,
The little one stops to climb a tree
And they all go marching down around the town
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Whew, that was some good marching there.
How far do you think we traveled?

I've Been to Harlem
I like to roll my arms for this song ...over, over, over...

I've been to Harlem
I've been to Dover
I've traveled this whole wide world over, over, over
Three times over,
Drink all the lemonade and turn the glasses over.

Well, we've been all over the world, but what about outer space?

Zzzzzrrroooomm! putt-putt-putt-putt CRASH!
What was that?

Did you just see a space ship zoom by?
Let's go investigate.

Oh dear, I think it's a, a, a monster, or a space alien, or maybe it's a, a, a hungry alien monster!

Hungry Monster by Phyllis Root
OPL link
(I just tell this story since the book is too small to read to a group. I use a puppet monster(or dragon or alien) a daisy, a rock and a little tree. I like to have a few older children hold the rock, the flower, the tree and the banana - older kids that will not be scared by the monster)

That was a little scary there.
Glad we were able to be friends with that alien monster.
Do you think he will take us for a trip in his rocket ship?

Take a Trip in my Rocket Ship

Zoom, zoom, zoom, I'm going to the moon.
If you want to take a trip
Climb aboard my rocket ship...
step into a ship, crouch down as you countdown

5
4
3
2
1
BLAST-OFF
Jump!

Zoooooom, Vrooooooommmmmm, Zoooooom
fly around, arms out like a plane -have kids do the same it they are old enough.

We're Off to Look for Aliens by Colin McNaughton
OPL link
You can read the book for Storytime, but just sing the Universe verse for Laptime
p.s. this book can be sung to 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush'
...Here we go round the Universe the Universe the Universe...

Here we are! We're on the MOON!
Some important safety notes -
We can't breath on the moon without some special equipment.
Put on your helmet, step into your jumpsuit...
mime putting on a helmet, make breathing sounds, give a thumbs up...

Let's go see what the moon is made of, I hear that it's made of cheese!
Nope, not cheese. Just sandy dust, but let's keep exploring...

Reach for the Stars

Bend and stretch and reach for the stars
There goes Jupiter, there goes Mars.
Bend and stretch and reach for the sky,
Stand on tip-e-toe, oh so high!Wait a minute? What was THAT?
That was a COW! How did a cow get up here?

Hey Diddle Diddle
I like to have the puppets/stuffed animals for this part - not the dish or spoon though...

Hey diddle diddle,The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon

Silly old cow.
And where did that dish and spoon get to, I can't seem to find them at all!

Let's keep exploring!
I've also heard that there might be a man that lives here on the moon!

Stomp. Pouf. Stomp. Jump!
ACK!!! I don't see a man, but I DO see a Great Big Green MONSTER!!

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
OPL link
I use the felt story or the book is large enough and simple enough for a LT - or get creative and make a felt green Alien.and don't come back unless I say so!

Whew! I'm glad that Big Green Monster is gone.
Look, I can see the Earth from here.
If you've got a picture of the Earth, or a globe, use it :)

Is this what the moon sees every night?

What the Sun Sees, What the Moon Sees by Nancy Tafuri
OPL link
I just read the moon part. This book is big enough with short enough text to be a successful read at Laptime

And look all around, look at all these stars...

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are.

Oh dear, I'm starting to get sleepy.
I think it's time to head back home.

Take a Trip in my Rocket Ship

Zoom, zoom, zoom, I'm going to my home.
If you want to take a trip
Climb aboard my rocket ship...
step into a ship, crouch down as you countdown
5 4 3 2 1 BLAST-OFF !
Jump! Now go 'flying' again, invite the kids to join you...

...brace yourselves!
Get ready, were going into the sea,
and just like the old time astronaughts used to do...

aaaaSPLASHAaaaaa

Still got your breathing masks on? Good job!
Let's go swimming!
Down, down, down into the sea.
thumbs up again, start 'swimming'

Bubble Hop Stop
I have a 'bubble gun' that was a big hit- just walk through the crowd shooting bubbles as you repeat the rhyme.

One bubble, 2 bubbles, 3 bubbles, top.
4 bubbles, 5 bubbles, 6 bubbles, hop
7 bubbles, 8 bubbles, 9 bubbles, pop
10 bubbles floating down, time to stop.

Look around, what do you see?

Baby Octopus
Skip to My Lou tune

Eight long arms and two big eyes
Salty tears when he cries
Lives down deep in the bottom of the sea
Can you guess what he can be?

See him wiggle, see him slide
Try to catch him, he will hide
Give him a kiss so he won't fuss
He's a baby octopus!

Oh no! Here comes his mama!

Mrs. Octopus
This is an altered version of Five Green and Speckled Frogs that a young patron Carly made up

Five little fishies swimming in the sea,
Teasing Mrs. Octopus,
You can’t catch me, you can’t catch me

Along comes Mrs. Octopus, quiet as can be…
And SNAPS that fishie right out of the sea!

Four little fishies swimming in the sea
…repeat until…
No more fishies swimming in the sea
…Mrs. Octopus has a full tummy!

Look up, up, up. There's our boat!
Swim, swim, swim. Hop in and ...

Row Row Row Your Boat

Row, row, row your boat gently in the sea,
Merrily, merrily, merrily life is fun for me.

Ah, home again.
Thank you all for being such brave travelers.
See you next time!

_____________________________

More - just in case you need it:

All Around the World from the CD Pillow Full of Wishes by Cathy Fink; Marcy Marxer
OPL link

Little Rabbit Foo Foo by Michael Rosen
OPL link

Dance by the Light of the Moon by Joanne Ryder
OPL link
- Can be sung to the tune of Buffalo Gals

Ticklemonster and Me by Max Haynes

My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
OPL link

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I'm off to the Moon by Dan Yaccarino

Moon Plane by Peter McCarty
OPL link

Going Around the Sun: Some Planetary Fun by Marianne Berkes
OPL link

In the Space of the Sky by Richard Lewis
OPL link

Moonstruck by Gennifer Choldenko

Moongame by Frank Asch
OPL link

Mooncake by Frank Asch
OPL link

And if the Moon Could Talk by Kate Banks
OPL link

I'll Catch the Moon by Nina Crews
OPL link

Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes
OPL link

Jump Jump Jump

Jump - jump – jump –
Jump over the moon;
Jump all the morning
And all the noon.

If You Ever, Ever, Never

If you ever, ever, ever, met a whale, whale, whale
You must never, never, never touch its tail, tail, tail, tail
For if you ever, ever, ever, touch its tail, tail, tail
You will never, never, never, meet another whale, whale, whale

Once I Caught a Fish Alive

1,2,3,4,5!
Once I caught a fish alive
6,7,8,9,10!
Then I let him go again

Why did you let him go?
Because he bit my finger so
Which finger did he bite?
The little finger on the right!

Baby Fish

Baby fish do do do do
Baby fish do do do do

Mommy fish do do do do
Mommy fish do do do do

Daddy fish do do do da da
Daddy fish do do do da da

Giant whale bu bu bu bu
Giant whale bu bu bu bu
Bu da dum!

A few comments about Laptime Program Size...

2009-06-24T13:38:00.017-06:00

Getting Too Big for our 'Britches'
In response to Miss Courtney's question about the size of a Laptime...
(thanks for asking - it's been an issue we have had to deal with for years at the OPL)

First: What exactly is a Laptime?

'Laptimes', are short 15-20 minute story times for infants and babies that employ finger plays, songs, puppets, stories and sometimes a book or two.

At the Orem Library a small Laptime will be 30-40 participants

A large Laptime will be 75-85.

... all set for Laptime

...a small Laptime

Over the years we have learned, through trial and error, what works for us.

These are my notes:

As our audiences grew we had to decide if we were going to either limit the attendance or make it work for as many people as showed up. We chose no limits.

We tried doing 2 Laptimes, back to back. That worked for making smaller sessions, but it led to burn out for the staff and the storytellers.

Then we decided to make the space bigger. Several times over the years we have had to move shelf units to create a bigger area.

We also experimented with where the storyteller sits - do you have a WIDE front area (lots of front row space) or a DEEP area. Currently we have a wide orientation. I think it fits fewer participants, but the experience is better for more kids.

Behind all our maneuvering and adjustments, we've just been trying to follow our ideaology of providing the best programs in the best format. We want everyone to have a great time and we do not want to turn people away.

A few things that help to create a better Laptime experience:

My ideal expectation is to have every child on a parent's lap.

This is a somewhat unreal expectation in our area - where children outnumber adults. If I am the storyteller, I'll gently ask an older sibling to assist me with some of the tickle songs or you can also have these kids help by holding a puppet or standing up front to do the finger actions to a well-known fingerplay. This keeps the kids entertained and involved.

I also expect parents to take crying or disruptive babies out.

I like to do a little introduction before the start of Laptime. I like to introduce our storyeller and have everyone come in closer to the front, or, I like to let them know that it's fine to stay in the back if they have a particularly wiggle-filled little one that day. Parents sometimes feel that it's not polite to get up and leave in the middle of a program, it helps if you give them permission. We also try to have a Librarian standing by that assists with this (and the counting of attendees). Easier said than done I might add.

I like to think of our storytellers as being the enablers, the catalyst or just the leader that introduces the songs, books and fingerplays to the parents and that the REAL Laptime occurs on a daily basis, one on one between parent and child.

As far as I'm concerned; REAL Laptimes are done face to face, spur of the moment and at any given moment.

One of my fondest memories is of me laying on my back, still in bed, lifting my infant daughter up and down (and only half-way up) while singing 'The Grand Old Duke of York' and hearing her first giggle.

If you still have questions, or you would like to print out my whole Laptime 'spiel' (yes, it's a bit longer but it has a lot more information than this post) just follow this Books and Babies link

Very Hungry Caterpillar

2009-05-17T17:34:00.015-06:00

The Sad Truth About Libraries

The best books are almost ALWAYS checked out, or damaged and in mending.

It's a very sad truth.

As matter of fact, librarians sometimes have to get creative & resourceful in order to have the materials they need always at hand, like when a storyteller has cancelled at the last minute...

Maybe this is why I love creating felt versions of my favorite stories
- or in the case of the Very Hungry Caterpillar /OPL link/ by Eric Carle
... a puppet-style version!

This little guy actually swallows the fruits -

I usually ask the children for junk food ideas, until, oh -oh, our Very Hungry Caterpillar isn't feeling very well at all!

Put him in the cocoon, (which happens to have a butterfly already in it) make a little switch and out comes a butterfly!

p.s. The 40th Anniversay POP-UP version on Very Hungry Caterpillar is FABULOUS!