Toddler Storytime: Little Bear's Big Day!

Hi all,

Just a quick post to share one of my favorite little imaginative play book-less stories to share in storytime! I learned and saved this years ago, I think it might have been in a workshop led by Naomi Baltuck. It is a fun alternative to Goin On A Bear Hunt, and the end is the sweetest thing. <3

Enjoy!

Little Bear’s Big Day

Once there was a little bear who was sleeping in his bed in his nice little cave. Let’s all go to sleep!
"Have a little sleep bear, sleep bear, sleep bear.
Have a little sleep bear, sleep bear, sleep."

The next day the sun came out and little bear woke up and stretched. Wake up everybody, let’s stretch!
"Have a little stretch bear, stretch bear, stretch bear.
Have a little stretch bear, stretch bear, stretch."

And since it was a very sunny day the bear decided to go for a walk.
"Have a little walk bear,."

But this was a very active little bear and soon he became bored with walking and began to run!
"Have a little run bear,."

And after all that running he was hot and sweaty. Before him was a big cool lake, so what do you think he did? Yes! He jumped right in and swam! Swim with me!
"Have a little swim bear,."

And after he swam a little while he climbed out of the water and he was all drippy wet. And do you know how bears dry themselves off when they are wet? Yes, they shake!
"Have a little shake bear,."

And after all that shaking he looked up and saw a tall tree. You know how bears love to climb!
"Have a little climb bear,."

And when he got to the top do you know what he saw? Some golden, sweet, delicious HONEY! And you know how much bears love honey! C’mon, let’s have a little taste! Yummy!
"Have a little taste bear,."

But you know wherever there is honey there are honeybees. And those bees did not like that bear messing with their honey. Do you know what bees do when they are angry? They sting!
"Have a little sting bee,."

The bear cried out, "OUCH!" (sing fast and frantic)
"Have a little climb bear, climb bear, climb.
Have a little swim bear, swim bear, swim.
Have a little shake bear, shake bear, shake.
Have a little run bear, run bear, run.
Have a little walk bear, walk bear, walk."

And the bear reached his cave and called out to his Mommy,

"Mommy, Mommy! I went for a walk, and a run, and a swim, and I shook off, and then I climbed a tree, and I found some honey, and it tasted good. But the bees got mad and one stung me on the nose!"

And his mommy said,
"Awww! Have a little hug bear, hug bear, hug bear. Have a little hug bear, hug bear, hug."

<3

Toddler Storytime Planning Series: Stretchy band!

Are you familiar with the stretchy band?? It is so much fun! It is like a parachute, but with no mess of fabric in the middle to worry about. Storytime music superstar Jim Gill sang their praises at a workshop we attended, and we knew we had to have one of our own! Fortunately, we work with a talented seamstress, and she whipped one up using all sorts of different kinds of lycra in no time.

Bonus-- the band doubles as a fashionable scarf till you're ready to use it!

Stretchy bands are good for starting storytime or group activities when you want everyone to sit in a circle as they arrive-- one way to bring parents in and encourage them to engage in the activity with their child. I use it as a fun music and movement tool at the end of storytime. Using the band can help teach concepts (like up & down, slow & fast, in & out), build upper arm muscles, and gives them practice sitting in a circle (a crazy difficult skill to master!). Ours is just big enough for all the kids to stand around it and hold, with their adults behind them. 

I give them simple prompts to orient them with the band when we first bring it out, like "raise it over your head!", "bring your hands together!", "lean back!", "shake it fast!", etc.

There are so many songs that work with the band! Here are some of my favorites:

Sticky Bubblegum (I found this on jbrary's channel and tweaked it, replacing the word "hands" with "band"!)
Sticky, sticky, sticky bubblegum, bubblegum, bubblegum
Sticky, sticky, sticky bubblegum, sticking the band to our head 
Ready.... unstick!
(repeat with as many body parts as you want, and end with sticking the band to the floor!)

Row, Row, Row Your Boat (I assume that you know this song, but do you know any extra verses?)
Have kids practice "rowing" with the band before you start:
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily
Life is but a dream.

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
If you see a dinosaur
Don't forget to roar! (ROAR!)

So many possibilities! If you see a mouse, squeak/ If you see an alligator, scream, etc etc etc.

Wheels on the Bus (again, you probably already know this one, but it is super fun with the band!)
Roll band in a circle in front of you:
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town.

Wave band in front of you like windshield wipers:
The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish...

Push band in front of you like a horn:
The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep..

Sit-ups while holding band if they are an older group/capable of it, otherwise raise arms all the way up above you and back down:
The windows on the bus go open and shut...

Bring two hands together like you're clapping:
The people on the bus go in and out...

Have you used a stretchy band in story time? Are there any other songs or activities you've used with it? It is so much fun!

Here are some more helpful posts on using bands in storytime:
http://www.kidsmusic.co.nz/stretchy-ring-activities/
http://prekandksharing.blogspot.ca/2013/03/stretchy-band-my-new-favorite.html
http://lisaslibraryland.blogspot.ca/2014/08/the-giant-dance-scrunchie.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/lnEznd+(Libraryland)
http://prekandksharing.blogspot.ca/2015/05/its-stretchy-band-jam.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Prekandksharing+(PreKandKSharing)
https://bearpawcreek.com/category/stretchybands/

Happy storytiming, friends! ~Emily

Toddler Storytime Planning Series #1: Themeless Template Plan

Hi friends!


All of the apologies, so many, for the long break. We've had technical difficulties, but are now back up and runnin! I did the alphabet last year with the toddlers here, framing each week around a different letter of the alphabet. I only posted through the letter C here, though- one of these days I will make a massive post listing out the rhymes, books, and vocabulary words for each letter because WOW that was a lot of work comin up with toddler-level themes for every letter of the alphabet. I commend any brave soul embarking on the alphabet journey.

I think it was all that work that pushed me over the edge into themeless storytimes. Guys, it is so much easier! You don't need themes! Toddlers just want the same thing over and over again! Repetition is good! If you find a cute new book or rhyme, you don't have to wait until you find the right theme to fit it into because they really don't care. This has been life changing for me.My plan is pretty much the same every week. It goes as follows:

Opening rhyme 1: When ___ get up in the morning,
I'm not even sure where I originally got this, but it is a fun, low-key easy song to do while everyone arrives. Gather a bunch of animal puppets (or even pictures) into a basket, pull one out, ask them what it is and what sound it makes, and then sing:

When _(animal)_ get up in the morning, they always say good day
When _(animal)_ get up in the morning, they always say good day
_(animal sound)_, _(animal sound)_, _(animal sound)_, that is what they say.
_(animal sound)_, _(animal sound)_, _(animal sound)_, that is what they say.

Magic box refrain: Here is a box, and here is a lid; I wonder whatever inside is hid? This helps tons with transitions, because as soon as I grab the Magic Box and knock on it, everybody wants to know what is inside. Pretty sure it works because *magic*. I put pictures of characters from whatever book we are reading, or vocabulary words, or whatever felt pieces and small props I plan on using next. 

Introduction:

-This is where I introduce myself and orient new parents with important things like where the bathrooms are located and what time the rest of the library opens at. I also like to remind them that what we do in storytime helps build skills that kids will later use to learn to read, and they can help their kid get the most out of it just by joining in and getting a little silly!

Opening rhyme 2: Open & Shut Them

Magic Box X Book #1:

Early Literacy Concept: I try and find at least one early literacy tip for each book I read. My fab Fairy Twin Sara was one of the librarians trained and observed in the VIEWS2 Research Project, and in turn she has shared many great tips and tools and general enthusiasm with us.

Modeling behavior/ Prompts: I then make a note of how to demonstrate it in storytime and a talking point for the adults explaining the magic behind whatever it was I just did.

Stretching: "Stretch to the windows, stretch to the door, Stretch to the ceiling, and stretch to the floor!" I originally found this on KCLS Tell Me A Story, and have used it every week since. It is a nice, mindless, no memorization necessary rhyme to repeat and repeat and repeat.

 STANDING Movement: I'll make a post about my favorite standing rhymes, but ya can't go wrong with "Grand Old Duke of York" or "Way Up High in the Apple Tree". 

ACTION DICE! I swear by these things. I originally got the idea from the blog Growing a Jeweled Rose, and use ours every week. They are interactive, silly, promote literacy, AND kids get to throw them. 

ZOOM ZOOM! I think there would be a riot if I ever skipped this. It is bad enough when I try and take the group to the sun when we haven't yet gone to the stars. Thanks, Jbrary!

Quieting Rhyme: Usually "Here's a Cup", because toddlers love repetition and also love pretending to pour and share cups of tea. I have a few more fall-back chill-out rhymes that I promise to post about too, though!

Magic Box Y Book #2:  

Early Literacy tip:

Modeling behavior/ Prompts:

Magic Box FLANNEL game or rhyme: Usually a short nursery rhyme or song followed by Little Mouse-- there are a million blog posts on the Little Mouse flannel game, but I'll post my own in coming weeks. Again, this is another activity that the toddlers would freak out if I skipped. 

I close out with a song/rhyme medley for one of the following: 
STRETCHY BAND 
SHAKY EGGS
SCARVES
BUBBLES
OR DANCE PARTY
Blog posts on each coming soon!

            

Closing song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, Down, Turn Around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Jiggle belly, blink your eyes,
Blow a kiss, and say goodbye!

Then I invite them all to come up and get a stamp if they want one. I have been considering changing up the stamp, but they are CRAZY for this mouse stamp we have. It is pretty cute, and I swear some of them come to storytime each week for the mouse stamp alone. They love that guy.

Aaaaand... that's it! All in all, each toddler storytime here is about 30 minutes, with unstructured time for families to socialize, play with blocks, and read together after. Let me know if you have any questions, and again, apologies for the longwinded post and even longer time without posts! Happy storytiming! ~Emily

Fall 2013 Toddler Time Planning

Toddler story time starts back up again this week, and I couldn't be more excited! Because this is such a crazy, active stage in those adorable young brains, we are focusing our themes more around concepts, like size, direction, colors, shapes, and this week's theme: starting and stopping. 

Opening Songs:  
We love Jbrary! We both found wonderful new opening and closing rhymes to use this story time season. I am totally looking forward to using this in story time and seeing what the kids come up with!
  Bread and butter
Marmalade and Jam
Let's say hello as quiet as we can
(whisper: hello)

...loud as we can
...slow as we can
...fast as we can
...high as we can
...low as we can
...nice as we can

The only thing is... I am also really excited about another one of their opening/closing sets:
Hello and Goodbye Song Using Sign Language
Hello, friends. (x3)
It's time to say hello.

Goodbye, friends (x3)
It's time to say goodbye.

The tune is super catchy, and the sign for friends is just too adorable for words. I am either going to tack both of these onto my opening routine, or just see which one sticks. For now, I am totally embracing the crazy-long-opening-medley.

Open Them Shut Them

My version of Open Them Shut Them is a little different than Sara's. I found it on one of our favorite YouTube channels, Intellidancing and love the way it teaches kids about the parts of their bodies, and opposites like up & down and big & little!

Introduction: Since it is the first story time of the season, I prepared a little introduction for the parents, so they know what to expect (and, um, where the bathroom is...). Also, a big goal for both of us this season is getting the parents to actively participate, so in addition to finding ways to re-arrange the room to encourage parents to sit with the kids, we are also going to communicate (over and over and over) the value of their active engagement with their child. This is also where we learn about the weekly theme, and about any upcoming library programs for little ones.

Before-our-first-book-Rhyme: These Are My Glasses


We sing this together before our first book every week, not sure what is my favorite part: seeing the glasses the kids make, or hearing the collective "WHOOP" when we close our books. Either way, pure adorable. Credit due to the fabulous Laurie Berkner.

These are my glasses, this is my book.
I put on my glasses, and open up my book.
Then I read read read, and I look look look.
Then I take off my glasses, and whoop! close up my book!

Book #1: Insert something concretely educational or conceptual here!

Consistent movement activity: DICE PLAY! (pictures forthcoming)
We found these instructions for making our own super fun "Get Up & Move Dice" on the blog Growing a Jeweled Rose, and I am just so excited to start using them in story time! We made two- one with an action word on each side, the other has animals. They are interactive, silly, promote literacy, AND they ask young toddlers to do something they excel at: throwing things!

Rhyme: Preferably something that starts on their feet, and ends on the floor

Book #2: Insert a fun book here- this is the main attraction, y'all!

Dance Party/ Music Time:
This is our opportunity to let loose in the funniest, silliest ways possible. We jam to our favorites, including Jim Gill, Laurie Berkner, Eric Ode, Harmonica Pocket, Hap Palmer, Eric Chappelle- there are so many great voices in children's music! Scarves, shaky eggs, rattles, and head-banging may occur at this time.

Calming rhyme:
Usually something involving cups of tea or two little somethings. Also, I really love pulling this gem out (from Intellidancing):
Can You Find Your Lap?

The repetition is like magic. Calming, focusing magic.Book #3: Usually something super short, if anything at all.

Sometimes-activities:
We borrowed a parachute and a peek-a-boo tunnel from our administrative center, both of which I have never used, but will definitely update you on this development. There is so much potential for cute in this.

Closing Rhyme: Thanks again, Jbrary! We close with the same rhyme we started with, Bread & Butter, but instead of saying "Hello", we say (can you guess it) ....

Welcome and Goodbye Song: Bread and Butter
Marmalade and Jam
Let's say goodbye as quiet as we can
(whisper: goodbye)

...loud as we can
...slow as we can
...fast as we can
...high as we can
...low as we can
...nice as we can

Happy storytiming, friends!

--Emily