Storytime from the Liberry: Food Glorious Food

Nothing like a back to back storytimes about food...right before lunchtime...

I feel like this storytime has a curse on it. Not because its bad, but because it's busy. Rewind to 4 years ago when I first did this storytime and had a craft to go with it. Wouldn't you know it, 80 people showed up to the first one and the kids and parents would not share the supplies, even though they could see the place was a mad house. So I had sad kids with no materials to make their crafts and selfish parents (I won't call the toddlers selfish, that's their nature)

But, I decided to make a craft (a different one) and present this storytime again. I had about 35 prepped hoping that would cover both morning groups.

Of course I had 60 people show up to the first one! I got wiped out and had to print off more, cut them out and prep more supplies for the next group 20 minutes later, and clean up the mess the first group has made. And it was the day my co-worker was on vacation! She certainly would have helped me with the cutting and chaos if she were there, but alas I was flying solo.

Disclaimer: You might want to forgo a craft on this storytime if you don't want to end up jinxed like me.

Welcome Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Welcome:  Our Ready to Read Skill this week is Playing

Book: Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal- A story about a pea who dreads dinner every night...because he has to eat candy! Cheesiness and laughs all around.

Song: Way up High in an Apple Tree

Way up high in an apple tree
Two little apples did I see
So I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came the apples
Ummmmm They were good.

Book: How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food by Jane Yolen- Another crowded pleaser.

Song: Popcorn Kernels- A scarf song that induced lots of giggles and smiles. Check out this epic playlist from the gals at jbrary.com of all types of songs to use in food-theme storytimes.

Book: Go Go Grapes by April Pulley Sayre- I told the kiddos to keep their scarves and pretend that they were cheerleaders. They could shout and wave their scarves when the book mentioned their favorite fruit. Obviously, they were really excited about this book.  If only they would get this excited about real fruits and veggies! There is a companion book Rah Rah Radishes just for vegetables.

Dancing Song: Shake Your Sillies Out- with scarves (because we can)

OK, time to put the scarves away. Give ourselves a big squeeze to make us calm and sit on our bottoms for one more story

Book: Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett- A book comprised of only 4 (5) words, so feel free to read it straight or make observations with your group.

Literacy Tip: Books like Go Go Grapes with it's many different types of fruit (lychee, durian, mangosteen etc.) are great for improving vocabulary, but simple books (Orange Pear Apple Bear) are also a good tool helping young reader gain confidence. With only 4 words to identity with pictures, young readers can quickly identify picture to words and might be able to help you read the story after only a few times through. Find a balance that works for your child.

Closing Song: The Wheels on the Bus


Craft: (If you Dare!!)  I actually had a very simple craft of  cupcakes printed out on colored paper. The kids decorated it with left over stickers as "sprinkles" Promoting fine motor skills? Yes! Healthy eating habits? Uh no...

Librarians to Dress up as for Halloween

"What are you going to be Halloween?"

"Oh I guess I'll go as a librarian."

"But that's your job..."

"Shush, I know..."

I love Halloween but after planning for several programs at my library, plus trying to squeeze in family plans, and making a costume for my toddler (who insist on being a clock) in the hope she would have a meltdown at the eleventh hour and refuse to wear it for trick or treat....I just don't have the time for an elaborate cosplay.

(Or money... you know who well us library people are paid ;)

Here are some options of fictional librarians to add some spunk to your costume this year.

Belle from Once Upon a Time
A costume that can go two ways. What a choice! You can dress in her fairy tale gowns and corsets, or go the modern route with a chic blue frock.
Accessories needed: Beautiful hardbound copy of fairy tales, ornate key on a necklace.

Marian the Librarian from the Music Man
The head librarian of River City, Iowa who takes no sass from anyone. Whether its the young couples canoodling in the stacks or the slick con man Harold Hill. If you have a friend who works in a community theater, ask to raid their stock of costumes.
Accessories needed: A stack of "dirty books" (Chaucer, Rabelais, Balzac), a large sign saying "Quiet"

Madam Irma Pince, Hogwarts Librarian
Speaking of another Madam Librarian, Madam Irma Pince from the Harry Potter series in another good choice. Dress as a witch and a librarian and really scare the kids who visit your library. Just kidding. What ever you, do don't write in her library books!
"A warning: If you rip, tear, shred, bend, fold, deface, disfigure, smear, smudge, throw, drop, or in any other manner damage, mistreat, or show lack of respect towards this book, the consequences will be as awful as it is within my power to make them."
Accessories needed: Killer witch hat, Jewelry in your favorite Hogwarts house colors (as J.K. Rowling has not given any defiant proof of what house she belonged to in school)

Twilight Sparkle
For the little girl or brony in all of us
Accessories needed:Purple horn, ears, wig and magic of friendship

Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl)
Librarian by day,  vigilante by night!
Accessories needed: Batgirl costume and utility belt with portable ILS system.

Tammy Two from Parks and Recreation
Yes, you could dress in your regular clothes. But underneath your facade, you are punk ass book jockey and proud of it!
Accessories needed: Pawnee Public Library badge, A thong to flash a "whale tail", long piece of jerky and a mega crush on Nick Offerman.

Maggie from NOSFA2 by Joe Hill (Art by the incredible Gabriel Rodriguez)
Since it's Halloween, I need to read a really scary book. Joe Hill's NOSFA2 did not disappoint! Nail biting, page turning close to peeing your pants in fright horror thrill ride! I was spooked after the first chapter. It's a great novel with great characters including my new favorite librarian, Maggie Leigh. Scrabble champ, occasional psychic  and punk librarian. She has the coolest little office that in the corner with a fish tank that can look out onto the children's section. "It's story hour, the best hour of the day"
Accessories needed: Purple colored hair, Fedora, paperweight in the shape of a gun, cheeky earring made out of scrabble tiles (the letters? F and U)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Flannel Friday: This is NOT a Pumpkin

This is NOT a Flannel Story!

(Because it's made out of paper)

I made most of my "flannel" stories out of paper not because I'm some sort of rebel against the fabric industry, just because I like paper. It's a more versatile and easier medium to work with for me.

With Halloween coming up, I wanted to do "This is is NOT a Pumpkin" by Bob Staake. If you have read this book, you probably have found it as quirky and charming as I do.

Also if you've used this book in storytime, you'll notice it presents some challenges.
1- It's small (typical board book size)
2- It's an older book and often harder to find in libraries (Our system only had 7 copies)

I researched and googled ideas for a flannel on this story and didn't find one. So perhaps I'm the first person to do this book as a flannel and share it. Enjoy!

This is NOT a Pumpkin- Text by Bob Staake

Book added for scale

This is NOT a pumpkin, 
It's round
It's big, 
It has a steam
But this is NOT a pumpkin

You can turn it sideways
You can even turn it upside down.

You can put it in a corner
or throw it high in the air
And wonder if it will come back down

But no matter HOW you look at it this is NOT a pumpkin!

Why because EVERYONE knows that pumpkins
(Turn you pumpkin around)

Don't SMILE!
NO! NO! NO!

Pumpkins don't smile or frown

Jack-o'- lanterns do.

This is NOT a pumpkin.
THIS is a Jack-o'- lantern!


The trick to creating this is to make sure the back of your pumpkin matches the front of your pumpkin. Since I used laminated paper, I also made sure to place a few pieces of double stick table on each side of your pumpkin and in the corners (for the "putting in in the corner, throwing it up" etc.) If your felt is super good at sticking to your board, kudos to you! But for the rest of us...double stick tape.

The eyes, nose and mouth are removable, chiefly the mouth has to be easy to move so you can turn it upside down to frown.

May your upcoming storytimes be spooky!

BOO!

Storytime from the Liberry: Look Your Best

This storytime is a combination of getting dressed and bath time themes.

Welcome Song: The Wheel on the Bus

Welcome: Our Ready to Read Skill this Week is Reading

Book: Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom. An oldie but a goodie!

Song: One Two, Buckle My Shoe

Book: Animal Baths by Bob Banner. The last pages go through all the actions of animals covered in the book and is a good segue into a motion activity for your group. Or you can always skip it if the crowd isn't feeling it.

Flannel Board: Five Elephants in the Bathtub You can download a template for this flannel song here you make up your own

Book: Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Dancing Song: Shake Your Sillies Out

Book: Small Elephants Bathtime by Tatyana Feeny- A new book just published this year. I read another one of her titles and they are pretty cute. As a small detail, I appreciated the typography in this book.

Craft: Decorate a Shoe- Just like Pete, the toddlers decorated their own white shoes in whatever color they wanted. We used markers and yes I punched the holes laced, and tied every single craft I handed out. I told the grown up that I wasn't expecting the toddlers to know how to tie their shoes at this stage in their development, but a lacing craft was good practice for them and their fine motor skills.

Craft Template from ZiggyZoom

Somehow my theme accidentally became heavy on the elephant theme. So might use some of these books again if I want to do an elephant storytime.