Happy to Be Me Storytime!

This storytime was a request from one of my preschools, and I love it!

Opening Song: If you’re Happy and You know it! (Clap, Stomp, Shout Hurray)

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, If you’re Ready for a Story,

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

Sit Down Song:

The more we read together, together, together

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be,

‘Cause my books are your books and your books are my books,

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be.

Book 1:
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems

Show Me If You Can

Sung to: "Go In and Out The Window"

Where is your finger?
Where is your finger?
Where is your finger?
Show me if you can.
Good, now where's your nose?
Now, where is your nose?
Now, where is your nose?
Show me if you can. (Use other body parts.)

Book Two: I like Myself by Karen Beaumont; Illustrated by David Catrow

I Am Special

Sung to: "Are You Sleeping?"

I am special, I am special,
Look at me, Look at me.
A very special person, A very special person
That is me, That is me.

I am special,
I am special,
Yes I am.
Yes I am.
I'm a really neat kid
And a very sweet kid,
Yes I am,
Yes I am.

Some Little Faces

Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"
Some little faces I have seen
Some were sad and some were mean
But the one little face with the smile was the best
That was the happiest of all the rest.

Book Three: I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black; Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Hands On Shoulders

Hands on shoulders, hands on knees,
Hands behind you if you please.
Touch your shoulders, now your nose,
Now your chin and now your toes.
Hands up high in the air,
Down at your sides and touch your hair.
Hands up high as before,
Now clap your hands--one, two, three, four.

Head And Shoulders

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

Ankles, elbows, feet and seat, feet and seat,
Ankles, elbows, feet and seat, feet and seat,
And hair and hips and chin and cheeks,
Ankles, elbows, feet and seat, feet and seat.

  

Tony Chestnut

Tony Chestnut knows I love you.   Point to your toes, knees, chest, head, nose, eyes, heart and to a friend.

Tony knows.  (Tony knows.) Point to your toes, knees and nose.

Tony Chestnut knows I love you. 

That's what Tony knows.

Tony, Tony and his sister Eileen.  Point to your toes, knees, toes, knees then lean to the right.

And Eileen loves Neil and Neil loves Pat.  Everyone lean to the right, kneel and pat your shoulders.

But Pat still loves Bob. Pat your shoulders and bounce your head back and forth.

And there's Russell and Skip.  Standup, wiggle your legs then skip in place.

This song is silly, but it's hip. Make a silly face then stick out your right hip and point to it.

How it ends, just one man knows. Turn and point to your bottom.

And guess what (what), it's Tony Chestnut.  

Johnny works with One Hammer

1. Johnny works with one hammer,
One hammer, 1 hammer,
Johnny works with 1 hammer,
Then he works with two.
(Hammer one fist lightly on leg)

2. . . . Two hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs)

3. . . . Three hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs and one foot on the floor)

4. . . . Four hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs and both feet on the floor)

5. Johnny works with five hammers,
Five hammers, five hammers,
Johnny works with five hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs, both feet on floor, and nod head down and up)
Then he goes to sleep.
(Rest head on joined palms, pretending to go to sleep)

And finally - Hokey Pokey!

Closing Song: The More We Get Together

Today's Craft:

We're going outside! So we're drawing self-portraits with Sidewalk chalk!

Recommended Reads:

Hello my Name is Bob by Linas Alsenas

I'm Not by Pam Smallcomb and Robert Weinstock

Superhero Storytime!

Wizard World Comic Con is coming to St. Louis this weekend, so in honor of that (and because this Storyteller is super excited) we are doing Superhero Storytime!!!

Opening Song: If you’re Happy and You know it! (Clap, Stomp, Shout Hurray)

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, If you’re Ready for a Story,

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

Sit Down Song:

The more we read together, together, together

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be,

‘Cause my books are your books and your books are my books,

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be.

Book One: Baron von Baddie and the Ice Ray Incident by George McClements

Fingerplay: Counting Superheroes

(From jbrary.com)

5 superheroes ready to fly

Here comes the villain, Stop that guy!

This superhero can save the day.

Off he flies – up, up, and away!

Count down from 4, 3, 2, 1, 0

Book Two: Princess Super Kitty by Antoinette Portis

I’m a Superhero Big and Strong

(Tune: I’m a Little Teapot)

I’m a Superhero Big and strong

My clothes are tight and my cape is long

When someone needs help they call my name

And I fly there faster than a jet airplane!

Song: Superhero, Superhero, Turn around 

(From jbrary.com)

Superhero, superhero turn around

Superhero, superhero touch the ground

Superhero, superhero put on your suit

Superhero, Superhero put on your boots.

Superhero, Superhero, jump up high

Superhero, Superhero, fly, fly, fly

Superhero, Superhero, turn around.

Superhero, Superhero, please sit down.

Book Three: Kapow by George O'Connor

Song:Did you ever see a Superhero?

(From jbrary.com)

Did you ever see a hero, a hero, a hero,

Did you ever see a hero, flying through the sky?

Fly this way and that way, and that way and this way

Did you ever see a hero flying through the sky?

Verses: Putting on their cape, hopping on one foot, saving the day, twirling around

Superhero

(sung to: Wheels on the Bus)

The Superheroes arms flex and lift,

Flex and lift, flex and lift, the superheroes arms flex and lift, all around the town.

Eyes go zap, zap, zap

Legs run very fast

Legs jump super high

Flies zoom zoom zoom

The person in trouble yells help help help!

The superhero goes to save the day

If you’re a hero and you know it !

(Sung to: If you’re happy and you know it)

If you’re a hero and you know it, Flex your muscles

If you’re a hero and you know it, Flex your muscles

If you’re a hero and you know it than your post will surely show it (heroic pose)

If you’re a hero and you know it flex your muscles.

Verses: Jump up high, Fly around, Run real fast

Super Pokey

We put our right glove in

We put our right glove out

We put our right glove in

And we shake it all about

You do the Super Pokey and you fly yourself around

That’s what it’s all about!

Verses: Left glove, Right boot, Left boot, Mask, Cape, Super Self!

Today's craft is a combination from FirstPalette.com and Me!

First, we will make these Superhero masks (they can choose!)

Color, cut out, holepunch, add string, instant superhero mystique!

Then we will make our own logo!

Last time I did this, I made my own logo with an SL (SuperLibrarian!) and taped it to my chest and cape. It's also great because we can talk about the words "logo," "emblem," and "initials."

Other Recommended Reads:

I chose the books that I chose this week because one has a male superhero/villian, one has a female, and one has both! But here are some that almost made the cut because they were also adorable:

Hero Dad by Melinda Hardin; Illustrated by Bryan Langdo (A great story for a military family)

The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy or Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis (sibling rivalry story!)

Super Duck by Jez Alborough (cute)

Superhero by Marc Tauss (actual black and white photos of an African American boy playing superhero which is great because there isn't enough African-American representation in mainstream superheros)

The Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman Origin books from Ralph Cosentino (Superheroes have been going darker to capture adult audiences and alienate kids, who still love them. These are kid friendly introductions to the heroes they want to love but can't see in the theatre.)

Have a Super Week!

Windy Day/Kite Storytime

Windy Day Story Time

Opening Song: If you’re Happy and You know it! (Clap, Stomp, Shout Hurray)

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, If you’re Ready for a Story,

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

Sit Down Song:

The more we read together, together, together

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be,

‘Cause my books are your books and your books are my books,

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be.

Book: Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Five Little Kites

 Original Author Unknown; From PreschoolEducation.com

One little kite in the sky so blue,
Along came another, then there were two.
Two little kites flying high above me;
Along came another, then there were three.
Three little kites, just watch them soar,
Along came another, then there were four.
Four little kites, so high and alive
Along came another, then there were five.
Five little kites dancing across the sky,
What a sight to see, way up so high!

Five bright kites Watch them soar!.
Along came a strong wind, and now I have four.
Four bright kites flying over the sea.
Along came a big wave, and now I have three
Three bright kites, I'll give one to you.
Three bright kites, now I have two.
Two bright kites flew too near to the sun.
Poor little kites! Now I have one.
One bright kite - that's enough for me,
I'll keep it away from the kite - eating tree!

Book: Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl who Floated by Florence Parry Heide; Illustrated by Lane Smith

 

The Playful Wind 

Original Author Unknown; From PreschoolEducation.com

The wind came out to play one day.
He swept the clouds out of his way.
(Make sweeping motion with hands.)
He blew the leaves and away they flew.
(Mke fluttering motions with fingers.)
The trees bent low and their branches did too!
(Lift arms high and lower them.)
The wind blew the great big ships at sea.
(Repeat sweeping motion.)
The wind blew the kite away from me

Noisy Wind 

 Original Author Unknown; From PreschoolEducation.com

Sung to: "The Farmer in the dell"

I like the noisy wind,
I like the noisy wind.
It roars and mutters
(voice loud, then softer)
And Shakes the shutters.
(shake hands Tambourine-Style.)
I like the noisy wind
I Like the Noisy wind,
I like the noisy wind.
It flaps the flag
(flap your arms back and forth)
And rustles my bag.
(rub hands together briskly)
I like the noisy wind.

Book: Kite Day A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand

 

WINDY today 

Sung to: "Bingo"

Today the winds are blowing hard,
and windy is the weather.
W-I-N-D-Y, W-I-N-D-Y. W-I-N-D-Y
And WINDY is the weather.

I See The Wind Fingerplay

Original Author Unknown; From PreschoolEducation.com

I see the wind when the leaves dance by,
(Dance hands around)
I see the wind when the Clothes wave "Hi!"
(Wave hand)
I see the wind when the trees bend low,
(Bend arms over and down)
I see the wind when the flags all blow.
(wave arms high)
I see the wind when the kites Fly high,
(raise arms high)
I see the wind when the clouds float by.
(wave hand gently)
I see the wind when it blows my hair,
(lift hair with hands.)
I see the wind 'most everywhere!
(Hold hands out, palms up.)

Whistling Wind

Original Author Unknown; From PreschoolEducation.com

Sung to: "If you're happy and you know it"

If you hear the whistling wind,
Cup your ears.
If you hear the whistling wind,
Cup your ears.
If you hear it in the trees
Making music with the leaves,
If you hear the whistling wind,
Cup your ears.
If you feel the Blustery wind,
Whirl around
If you feel the blustery wind,
Whirl around.
If you feel it lift your hair
Like a kite up in the air,
If you feel the blustery wind,
Whirl around.

My Kite 

 Original Author Unknown; From PreschoolEducation.com

Sung to: "The Farmer in the Dell"

My kite is up so high,
My kite is up so high,
Oh my - - just watch it fly
My kite is up so high.

My kite is falling down,
My kite is falling down,
Oh no - - it's down so low
My kite is falling down.

The wind has caught my kite,
The wind has caught my kite,
What fun - - I'm on the run
The wind has caught my kite.

My kite is up so high,
My kite is up so high,
Oh my - - just watch it fly
My kite is up so high.

Closing Song: The More We Get Together.

Today’s Craft brought to you Teaching the Little People Blog:

 

http://teachingthelittlepeople.blogspot.com/2012/03/rainbow-streamers-in-preschool.html

Additional Recommended Reads:

The Sunhat by Jennifer Ward; Illustrations by Stephanie Roth Sisson

Love is in the Air by Jonathan Fenske

The Flyaway Blanket by Allan Peterkin; Illustrated by Emmeline Pidgen

Flora’s Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall; Illustrated by Matt Phelan

Blowin’ in the Wind; Lyrics by Bob Dylan; Illustrations by Jon J Muth

First Day of Spring Storytime!

The first day of spring, March 20th, falls on Storytime day this year, and I'm shocked that while I've done many Spring-y themes over the years, I have never done a Spring Storytime!

Opening Song:
If you're happy and you know it (clap your hands, stomp your feet, shout hurray, do all three!)

If you're ready for a story clap your hands (clap clap)
If you're ready for a story clap your hands (clap clap)
If you're ready for a story, if you're ready for a story,
If you're ready for a story, clap your hands. (clap clap)

Sit down song:

The more we read together, together, together, 

the more we read together, the happier we'll be,
'Cause your books are my books are your books and
your books are my books, 
The more we read together, the happier we'll be.

First Story: 
Mama, is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure
(Despite 'summer' being in the title, this story is much more about the changes in the springtime.)


Song:

Plants  (Original Author Unknown)

Sung to: "The Farmer In The Dell"-Found at www.preschooleducation.com

The farmer plants the seeds
The farmer plants the seeds
Hi, Ho and Cherry O
The farmer plants the seeds

Other Verses:
The rain begins to fall...
The sun begins to shine...
The plants begin to grow...
The buds all open up...
The flowers smile at me...

Second Story:

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by Il Sung Na

(This one is a little more about fall than spring, but I want to use it to talk about the seasons changing, plus Il Sung Na's pictures are to die for)

Song:

Hello Spring Time! 

Submitted by: Judy Lambert to www.preschooleducation.com

Sung to: "Good Night Ladies"

Hello spring time
Hello spring time
Hello spring time
We're glad spring time is here.

Hello flowers
Hello flowers
Hello flowers
We're glad spring time is here!

Hello green grass... We're glad spring time is here.
Hello birds... We're glad spring time is here.
(To finish song, repeat first verse after you have said hello to all the spring things the children can think of.)

Third Story:

Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand

Songs:

I'll Plant A Little Seed

Original Author Unknown

Sung to: "I'm A Little Teapot"-Found at www.preschooleducation.com

I'll plant a little seed in the dark, dark ground.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow!
I'll plant a little seed in the dark, dark ground.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow!

Little Ducks Song
Original Author Unknown
Sung to: "London Bridge"-Found at www.preschooleducation.com

Little ducks go quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack,
Quack, quack, quack -
Little ducks go quack quack quack
In the springtime.
(ask the kids what sounds that springtime animals make and have them in the verses!)

Spring Morning 

Sung To: "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush"

This is the way the bunny hops, bunny hops, bunny hops,
This is the way the bunny hops,
On a spring time morning.

This is the way the blue bird flies...
This is the way the little chick walks......
This is the way the little duck swims......
This is the way the little lamb runs.....
This is the way the children play.....

Closing Song:

The More we Get Together

Today's Craft from 3dinosaurs.com

http://3dinosaurs.com/wordpress/index.php/torn-paper-flowers/

I love this craft because it's open-ended, which encourages creativity. It uses left over paper, only requires glue and paper, and still uses fine motor without using scissors (which I love, but we can use new skills)

Other Recommended Stories:

The Twelve Days of Springtime by Deborah Lee Rose; Illustrated by Carey Armstrong-Ellis

Hurray for Spring by Patricia Hubbell; Ill by Taia Morley

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

A Quick Notes Guide to Making a Story Time with Every Child Ready to Read Concepts

Every Child Read to Read is an early literacy program targeted at educating parents and caregivers. Rather than focusing early literacy skills towards the children alone, it seeks to teach parents how to nurture pre-reading skills once they leave the library. All storytime activities nurture one or several of the skills that prepare a child to read, but I find when I create a storytime especially mindful of the impact of these skills, I can better articulate to caregivers why the fun we're having is actually making their child a future reader as well as set my audience on a path towards becoming a great reader.

 Get Ready to Read with: READING
Seems self-explanatory, doesn't it? Yet it's important to remember that that the best way to create a future, happy reader is to build positive experiences around books. By watching you read, they will learn how print looks and how to use a book. 

 How to use this in Storytime: Pick fun books worth sharing, use your fingers to indicate that you read left to right, discuss what is happening in the pictures. 

 Get Ready to Read with: TALKING 
 Children build their spoken vocabulary long before they build their reading vocabulary. The more words a child has been introduced to, the better prepared they are for reading and writing those words later.

 How to use this in Storytime: Don't shy away from those big words in books. Ask them if they think they know what they mean. Choose big varieties in the stories you present, you never know when you're introducing a new concept, animal, feeling, or experience for a child! 

 Get Ready to Read with: SINGING 
 In a song, every syllable is a note. It slows down language and words so that children can make out every song (or phoneme, to use a fancy term). This will help with sounding out later in life!

 How to use this in Storytime: Songs are the perfect transition in-between books. Have you ever noticed that even in the noisiest restaurant, the room quiets as soon as someone starts the first notes of "Happy Birthday"? Sometimes Storytime can feel just as unruly as a crowded restaurant, but you'll get the kids eyes on you with a song AND help them with early literacy skills at the same time.

 Get Ready to Read with: WRITING
But how to do you write before you read? Our pre-readers need to learn that both writing and reading communicate something. Even early talkers can sing you the ABC song, but learning that those letters they are saying make words is important!

How to use this in Storytime: Kids express most of their "writing" with pictures, so anytime you can encourage this is great, but any time you can incorporate letter awareness is also a bonus! I love to use variations of the song BINGO (any 5 letter word works!) by writing those letters on the board and pointing to each one we are singing, and asking which letter I have to remove.

Get Ready to Read with: PLAYING
Reading is all about symbols: words and illustrations are symbols that help tell a story. One of the first ways a child becomes a story-teller themselves is through playing. If a child can grasp that a hunk of mud is a cake, then they can sooner grasp that a group of lines spells a word.

How to use this in Storytime: Fingerplays often ask a child to pretend that their fingers are 5 kittens or monkeys or leprechauns or wherever the imagination takes them!


With these skills in mind, you can build your storytime with bigger goals than just sharing a book, but sharing the gift of reading! You can also model behaviors that parents can easily replicate at home, and let them know why it's important.

For more information on Every Child Ready To Read, visit their website:
http://www.everychildreadytoread.org/

GUTGAA: Meet and Greet

I heard about GUTGAA: Gear up to Get an Agent on twitter the other day and thought, "Hmm, I AM gearing up to get an Agent!"  I'm excited to participate in what I can, though I don't think that my manuscript is ready for an Agent's eyes yet, so I will stop when we get to that point.


Some things about me:

• I'm a Youth Services Specialist at the Library, which means that I have one of the best jobs in the world.

• I am a well-rounded geek in the fields of Star Trek, Star Wars, Joss Whedon, MST3K,and a million other things in the world of geekdom. You have to let your Geek Flag Fly!

• Favorite books at the moment and of all time, in no particular order: 
• Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, 
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 
• Zombies vs Unicorns by EVERY AMAZING YA WRITER, 
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, 
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, 
• Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by SG Browne, 
• FABLES graphic novels by Bill Willingham.

• My current work in progress, The Mirror Tells No Lies, is an adult fantasy.  I'm reluctant to call it an updated fairy tale because it's actually about a new generation of heroes, magicians, and monsters dealing with the consequences those famous "happily ever afters."

Oh, and to the questions I was supposed to answer:

-Where do you write?

Anywhere I can whenever I can.  My Laptop goes with me everywhere.  Honestly I get most of my writing done with me in the break room at the library over lunch break.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

Since everywhere is my writing space, to the left you'll probably see Diet Coke or tea.  Have to hydrate and write!

-Favorite time to write?

If I wasn't stealing spare moments and didn't have to get up in the morning for work, I would write in the dead of night all of the time.  Midnight to 3 in the morning.  Nothing to distract you then.  No one is on twitter and nothing is on tv, everyone is asleep and the words feel like they flow out like water.

-Drink of choice while writing?

Darn, answered this already.  I will say that I tried what I called "the Hemingway experiment" and drank alcohol while I wrote and it was an abysmal failure, so caffeine infused beverages it is!

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

Music, and I'm not picky about lyrics.  Lyrics inspire me; I write scenes to songs that move me.  I feel like this current WIP is brought to you by Florence + The Machine.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

Oh man, what a convoluted story this is.  When I watched 10th Kingdom when I was kid, and resolved to write a great fairy tale.  Then it didn't come to me until years later in college, when I started to look at my love of fairy tales through the eyes of a struggling young feminist.  We love princesses but they are so passive in their lives, when actually the evil queens are the active women.  Is that why they were seen as evil, because they dare to take control of their destinies?  Could beauty love a beast if the beast were a woman and the beauty were a man?  Wouldn't it be great to see a heroine making hard choices for her happily ever after instead of falling into it?  Those were my big questions, but ultimately it's all about characters right?  Once I created characters to tackle these questions with me, the story became a lot more to me than "an updated fairy tale with a feminist twist."  They fought and loved and struggled, and I love them more than the fairy tales their inspired by.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

I hate these, because they give the impression that you, as a writer, know what you're doing, which I would never wish to say.  I'll just quote someone who did know what they were doing, Ray Bradbury, in a response to a fan letter one of my friends sent him.  "Write: Everyday, Everyday, Everyday."

For the Joy of Reading

I think reading for the joy of reading has taken a lot of hits this week.  There have been several articles (which I've decided not to link anymore so they don't get anymore page views because of me) that have stated that we should be reading to learn and we can only be learning from adult literary fiction and classics.  I disagree wholeheartedly, both that anyone should be telling anyone what they SHOULD be reading and that there isn't a great deal to be learned from Children's, YA, and Genre fiction.  So, I've decided to celebrate some books that have given me joy despite their genre or intended age group.

The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket - Labeled as Children's fiction, I don't think anyone should miss these books because Daniel Handler "Snicket" is a master of the voicey, character narrator.  I think these are gems of literature.  Also not to be missed by Snicket are his holiday books, "The Latke Who couldn't Stop Screaming" and "The Lump of Coal" because they are some of the best satires on holidays out there.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney.  These were actually meant to be books for adults but were turned into children's books and became phenomenons.  As an adult, however, I really enjoy the satire of middle school, a hated grade for nearly every one of us.  Kinney's indictment of lock-ins is a particular favorite of mine, as I hate lock-ins and always have.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier - This one is shelved in the YA section with good reason, it is a brilliant indictment of bullying.  I think every kid should read it just to see how mob mentality is born and how it is manipulated.  It shows just how cruel we can be to each other even when we're schoolmates.  This book is also a frequently banned book, so between some telling you not to read YA because you are an adult and some telling you not to read it as a teen because of it's violent and sexual content, it seems there is never a right age to read this book, and that's a damned shame.

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier.  I picked up this book because I knew it would be fun, and it was indeed.  It's full of a Who's Who of the best YA writers out there right now.  There's social commentary, dark and adult themes in each story.  There's also a good helping of fun.

So there you have it.  Books that brought me joy and learning outside of the literary fiction world. I've been inspired by classics and awed by the language in literary fiction, but there are gems in all writing that you can find when you read for the joy of it.  Anyone else?