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January 28, 2009
What I Did in My Fun for 4’s and 5’s Storytime Yesterday and How It Worked Out
Yesterday was the first in our winter series of Fun for 4’s and 5’s storytimes. This is how we divide up our age-leveled storytimes in Webster:
Toddler Times (12-23 months, accompanied by an adult): We do these in three-week sessions, generally when we aren’t doing other age-leveled storytimes (i.e. when we’re doing all-ages drop-ins). I usually do these, although we’ve hired them out on occasion, and over the last six months, one of our Library Assistants, Shana, has done some. She’s a complete and total natural with this age group.
Just for 2’s (accompanied by an adult): I did these for years, but then I talked Jason into swapping them for Fun for 4’s and 5’s (see below) when he was new at WPL. Now our deal is that I get to keep Fun for 4’s and 5’s until he does a series of Toddler Times, which he’s irrationally afraid of.
Fun for 3’s and 4’s (adults optional): Jason does these.
Fun for 4’s and 5’s (adults optional): I do these, and I love working with kids this age with all my heart. A few years ago, I made these storytimes 45 minutes long, which gives us ten or fifteen minutes of “art time” at the end, which often involves things like glitter and clay, and which I very much enjoy (even more so because of Carol, who sets everything up and cleans everything up and makes this run so much more smoothly than when I was doing this storytimes on my own).
So, anyway, what I did yesterday:
“Two Little Blackbirds”
With Rob Reid’s variations. I had a lot of new faces in storytime this session, and this is when they all decided I was okay and started smiling delightedly.
“Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle”
It doesn’t even matter what age the kids are, this story is always a good idea.
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Originally I got out Jan Brett’s The Mitten for this slot, but then I was like, “Screw that! I’m sick of winter and why does G. Brian Karas keep not winning Caldecotts!” I love reading this book aloud, and it went well, aside from the three cell phones that started ringing while I was reading. Remind me next week to start doing the “please turn off your cell phones” announcement at the beginning of storytime.
Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig
One little boy worked very hard to suppress giggles throughout my reading of this book. Kind of makes me want to read it every week.
“Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum”
Thank goodness the kids don’t get sick of this one, because I never do.
“Read This with Gestures” by John Ciardi
As you all know, I love John Ciardi, and this is the best poem ever to share with wee ones.
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas
Thomas’s books have become some of my favorite storytime books. This one is my absolute favorite, though, with The Doghouse a close second. I like her crowd-friendly art and relatively simple storylines that still manage unexpected twists. The kids seem to appreciate this as much as I do.
“I Saw a Bunny Go Hop, Hop, Hop”
I do this rhyme the right way:
I saw a bunny go hop, hop, hop.
I saw his ears go flop, flop, flop.
I saw his eyes go blink, blink, blink.
I saw his nose go tink, tink, tink.
I said, “Little bunny, won’t you stay?”
He turned around, and he hopped away.
“A Chubby Little Snowman”
I do this one with my snowman and rabbit puppet. I have the great good fortune of having inherited a snowman puppet with a carrot nose, or this wouldn’t work nearly so well.
Lemons are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
I like to end my storytimes with an interactive book like this. The kids have usually done such a good job following direction and sitting and listening when the situation calls for it—I figure this kind of book rewards that.
Art Time: Coloring Nametags
This is always what we do the first week, even in Jason’s artless storytimes.
Posted by adrienne at January 28, 2009 09:21 AM
Comments
I MISS STORYTIME!!!!!
Posted by: Pat at January 28, 2009 12:33 PM
This is great, and, yes, aren't ages 4 and 5 a freakin' blast? Way to stick up for Karas, too. Big Bad Bunny makes me laugh every. time. I. read. it. Almost as if it's a new read each time. So clever -- both text and art (I know you didn't read that at your story time, but it's a Franny Billingsley/Karas title from last year, as I'm sure you know). He *is* great.
And LEMONS ARE NOT RED...perfect. If I were to author a picture book one day, I'd want it to be as clever as that. No foolin' around -- just hit it right out of the ballpark with my very first book as clever as Seeger does 'em. (Not gonna happen, needless to say. This is why I leave it to her to make books.)
Posted by: jules at January 28, 2009 01:18 PM
OK, so that's all in ONE day????
I need to go lie down. Mercy, girl.
Oh, and I really, really, really lurve Pete's a Pizza. Fave!
Posted by: Liz Garton Scanlon at January 28, 2009 01:41 PM
Today at work, I got to lose a little bit more of my soul. I'm just kidding. Not really.
Posted by: chuck at January 28, 2009 02:41 PM
I'm sorry, Pat! I would get very grumpy if I didn't have storytime to do.
Jules, My thoughts exactly about Karas and Seeger--and both of them just keep making more excellent books. I feel like Karas gets overlooked sometimes because a.) he deals in humor a lot of the time, b.) people have gotten used to his general excellence, and c.) he makes it look so easy. He does such fine work, though.
Liz, Seriously. I couldn't take a nap, so I got a latte instead.
Chuck, Every once in a while, I have to deal with someone peeing on something or vomiting. Other than that, though, no real downside. Well, not much money, but I try not to let that bother me.
Posted by: adrienne at January 28, 2009 02:52 PM
Chuck,then it's a good thing you have such a wonderful soul!I can tell that you do.Otherwise you wouldn't worry about little pieces of it.And there is always the "not work" of your life to think about:)
Posted by: momster at January 28, 2009 08:05 PM
Geesh...thanks Adrienne...tell the whole world how I peed and vomited in your library. Not my fault though...it was all the chocolate milk and cookies...
Posted by: Kristen at January 28, 2009 08:44 PM
Thanks, momster, that was officially the highlight of today for me.
Posted by: chuck at January 28, 2009 10:50 PM
I don't know Sticky Sticky Bubble Gum! How does it go?
Posted by: Bridget Zinn at January 29, 2009 12:19 PM
Well, at least today's vomiting girl was kind enough to bring (and leave with) her very own vomit bucket. That whole scene left me wondering if the girl's mother knew she was prone to vomiting today, and, if so, why oh why would she drag the poor girl to the library???
Posted by: melissa at January 29, 2009 03:36 PM
Momster, So true.
Chuck, You and Momster are both good eggs.
Kristen, As you will see from Melissa's comment below, it's not just you. ;)
Melissa, Ew, it's like I had a terrible, terrible premonition when I wrote that. At least you got to leave today. I was stuck there, wishing I could hose the entire place down with boiling water.
Bridget, Here's Nancy Stewart's version, which is slightly different from the one I do, but you get the idea: http://www.nancymusic.com/Stickyplay.htm.
Posted by: adrienne at January 29, 2009 04:39 PM
I'll have to write down the names of some of these books from your storytime, I'm sure that my grandkids would love them too. Right now they go to the library every week with their Mom and they love storytime and getting books and Dvd's.Hope this lasts into their teen years?? Do you know of any new books about Dinosaurs,Eli loves them and would read any book about them....Thanks Adrienne!
Posted by: Bri's Mom at January 30, 2009 01:02 PM
A few of my recent favorites are Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems, I'm Bad by Kate and Jim McMullan, and Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus.
Posted by: adrienne at January 30, 2009 02:43 PM
That hardest thing about moving to the UAE was leaving Columbus Metropolitan Library and my job as Youth Services Manager. Storytimes, especially Baby Laptimes, were the highlight of my week and you are making me miss it now. Love all the things you did :)
Posted by: Cheryl at February 1, 2009 02:34 AM
Cheryl, Sometimes I think I'd like to write full-time, and while there are parts of my day job I wouldn't really miss, storytimes seem irreplaceable. I get as much out of them as any of the kids do.
Posted by: adrienne at February 1, 2009 12:16 PM