Reading Under the Stars

This is a fun program idea that was inspired by a family literacy night that was held at Lake Park Elementary School in Addison, IL where I volunteer on occasion. This would make a great all ages family-friendly event or could be a fun program for a smaller targeted group!

Title: Reading Under the Stars! or Camp Read-A-Lot

 

Age: Children in grades K-5 and their families or this could be a program targeted towards a specific age range like children in grade K-3. I would recommend this program require registration due to the craft and outside bear hunt. Smaller groups are good for the outside bear hunt. 

Objective: Children will listen to some campfire tales while enjoying some s'mores, go on a bear hunt outside, and then complete a craft. Craft will be binoculars made out of toilet paper rolls. If you want, you can tell some more eerie tales (like stories from Alvin Schart’z book, In a Dark Dark Room) and have the program during for the week of Halloween!

Set up: Dim the lights and project an image of stars onto the ceiling using a projector and a laptop. If a projector isn’t available, use white Christmas lights behind a black see-through cloth and attach it to the wall. Set up the room to look like a campground – have chairs, maybe a tent, and pretend campfires made with paper towels and tissue paper.

 Lake Park Elementary School in Addison, IL projected an image of stars onto the ceiling for their "Camp Read-a-Lot" themed early literacy event!

Supplies:

1. For mini campfires: paper towel rolls, red/orange/yellow tissue paper to make flames, and Christmas lights. What’s a camp out without a fire? Kathy over at Home Sweet Homebody has directions on making these cute mini campfires. Click here for directions. Looking for a full size blaze? Allie from No Time for Flashcards has easy to follow directions!
2. Projector and laptop to project stars onto the wall (Basically projecting an HD quality image of space onto the wall, see image above) OR you can use a black semi-sheer cloth and hang Christmas lights behind it to make the room look starry.
3. Binoculars craft items, instructions from All Kids Network
   • 2 toilet paper rolls
   • Construction paper
   • Glue
   • Scotch tape
   • Scissors
   • Stickers, crayons, etc.
   • Optional - yarn
4. Portable PA system (if you have one) OR just a portable boombox to play sound effects
5. CD or iPod with sound effects - Sound effects that coincide with the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt can be downloaded online (there are many websites where you can download free sound effects, like soundbible.com for example). Youtube also has some sound effects.
6. Books: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, Camping Spree with Mr. Mcgee by Chris Van Dusen , and Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt.
   
7. You can also sing the Sleeping Bag Chant song by Carole Peterson! Youth Services Librarian, Kelly, talks about how you can even turn that song into a flannel board, here.
8. Optional ingredients for s'mores: graham crackers (Try to have gluten-free available as an option for patrons who may have an allergy), chocolate (I recommend dairy free chocolate in case of allergies. "Enjoy Life" is a great brand. They use rice milk), and marshmallows (I recommend gelatin-free "Dandies" marshmallows. I live in an area with a large Indian population and many patrons are vegetarian so for me, it's always good to be on the safe side and avoid food products with animal ingredients).
9. Book cart with nonfiction books centered around camping, bears, owls, nature crafts, and campfire tales

Steps:

1. First children and families will create s'mores to eat while they enjoy the stories

2. Next, the children will listen to the short storytime lasting around 15 to 20 minutes (Read 1st book, read flannel board story, read 2nd book, and end with the "Sleeping Bag Chant".)

3. Afterwards, children will go outside for a Bear Hunt. This is going to a really fun and interactive storytelling experience that will take place on the perimeter of the library. Play sound effects for each scene in the book, like the sound of walking through slushy mud (Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch!), sounds of going through the river (Splash splosh! Splash splosh!), etc. The sound effects REALLY enhance the story! have children also repeat each phrase said in the book after you've said it, like “We’re not scared!”
   
   Early Literacy Tip: Encourage the children to take an active part in the book readings. They enjoy saying the words, just as if they were reading it. Be excited about the story even when you're reading it for the umpteenth time. Reading aloud involves much more than saying words and turning pages. When you show excitement about the pictures, story, setting, and characters, you will excite the children too. 

    

4. After the storytelling event, children will go back inside and create binoculars (to be used to watch for bears, of course!)
   
5. Encourage patrons to check out books from the cart that are centered around the camping theme! 

Jazz Storytime for 3-5 year olds!

My intention with this storytime is to educate children on jazz music and to also introduce them to the colorful picture books on this subject. The stories read will increase print awareness as many of these stories have repeated phrases in them. In addition, the books I am choosing have a lot of new vocabulary that might be unfamiliar to children. When they leave, I hope they at least have gained some appreciation for jazz music and were exposed to picture books featuring talented African Americans! I enjoy introducing children to a wide variety of books that they have probably never heard of before. This may also pique children’s interest on jazz music to which I can show them the wide variety of jazz music CDs we have in the library. This storytime will also reinforce early literacy skills as I also connect the storytime to the letter of the week (the letter J).

Please visit http://sarahpicciuolo.wix.com/jazzpicturebooks for a more thorough list of jazz picture books!

1.      Opening Song – Good Morning Song (Remix) by the Alphabet Rockers

Hear this song and purchase it on bandcamp!

2.    Discuss letter of the week : J , discuss words that begin with the letter J by giving clues and allowing children to guess. Next, explain what Jazz music is. Children are never too young to learn about Jazz music! 

3.       Book # 1 – When Louis Armstrong Taught me to Scat by Muriel Harris Weinstein

This book is a bit long and might be better suited for older children but I love it so much that I just wanted to include it! If your crowd is filled with more 3 year olds then I would probably not read this due to the length. You know your crowd best though so use your best judgement.

Here are a few snippets of some reviews I've read

"Children can both giggle at the bouncy non sequiturs (“Cricket’s throne/ puppy’s bone/ bug’s umbrella/ mozzarella???”) and absorb some musical history from endnotes on Armstrong and scat. Christie’s vibrant acrylics offer a pleasing, surreal fluidity. Floating purple trumpets, a winding musical staff and appearances by some hep-looking animals all jell with the anything-goes nature of the subject. Ages 5–9. (Feb.) " - Publisher's Weekly

If you're looking for a shorter book then I suggest Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler. This book is another rhythmic book that is GREAT to read aloud. You can read it like a rap, “Grandpa toot-toots. Granny sings scat. Bitty-boppin’ baby goes, Rat-Tat-Tat! Mama sings high. Daddy sings low. Snazzy, jazzy baby says, Go, Man, Go!” This whole family seems like so much fun and the illustrations are kind of retro which I also love! I would love to spend a night with this family, just jiving to the music!

4.       Flannelboard Story : 5 Jazz Musicians  (original flannelboard story from me, Miss Sarah! Please credit me and link to my blog if you use this)

5 jazz musicians playing music at night
one gets hungry and leaves to get a bite

4 jazz musicians playing music so sweet
1 gets a craving so he leaves for a treat

3 jazz musicians playing music in the city
1 leaves quickly to feed his pretty kitty

2 jazz musicians left performing on stage
until 1 leaves to clean his guinea pig's cage

One jazz musician left bopping his head
until he gets sleepy and goes home to bed

Now there are zero jazz musicians anywhere in sight!
They're all home sleeping for it's late at night! 

5.  Poem: When the Jazz Musician was Ten (original poem from me, Miss Sarah! Please credit me and link to my blog if you use this)

When the jazz musician was three he made music on his knee
When the jazz musician was four he thought it was a bore
When the jazz musician five he learned to jive
When the jazz musician was six he picked up drumsticks
When the jazz musician was seven he changed his name to Kevin
When the jazz musician was eight, his drumming was great
When the jazz musician was nine he was doing just fine
When the jazz musician was ten, he joined a jazz band full of men

6.       Book # 2 – Jazzmatazz by Muriel Harris Weinstein

7.       Song : Bouncin on the Bed from the Philly Joe Giraffe’s Jungle Jazz CD

8.   Book # 3 : Bring on that Beat by Rachel Isadora 

9.   Fingerplay :

Clap Your Hands! (To the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat)
Clap, clap, clap your hands, clap your hands together
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap your hands together
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle your fingers, wiggle your fingers like spiders
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle your fingers like spiders
Shake, shake, shake your shoulders, shake your shoulders now
Shake, shake shake, shake, shake, shake, shake your shoulders now
Move, move, move your hips, move your hips around
Move, move, move, move, move your hips together
Bend, bend, bend your knees, bend your knees right now
Bend, bend, bend, bend, bend your knees right now
Slide, slide, slide your feet, slide your feet like James Brown
Slide your feet, slide your feet, slide your feet like James Brown
Dance, dance, dance around, dance around together
Dance around, dance around, dance around together

 11.   Song : Little Lamb Jam by Oran Etkin on the CD "Wake Up, Clarinet!". You can preview the song on amazon. 

12.   Book #4 – This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhard

This book is awesome! Not only does it reinforce counting skills with preschoolers, the song is very fun to read out loud. The book is to be read to the tune of "This Old Man" and is a playful introduction to nine jazz giants.

13. Fingerplay :

Dance your Fingers
We’re going to dance our fingers up
And dance our fingers down
We’ll dance them to the side
Let’s dance them all around
And we’ll dance them on our shoulders
And we’ll dance them on our head
Let’s dance them on our tummy
And we’ll put them all to bed!

14.   Ending Song with Shakers : Old Mcdonald Had a Farm (any regular version will do) and then play Old Mcdonald Had a Farm by Ella Fitzgerald (the jazz version) to compare! I LOVE Ella Fitzgerald's version.

15. Lastly, have children line up for a music note stamp on the children’s hands!

You could also pass out a book list and a list of internet links to teach jazz music to children. PBS has an AMAZING website, for example. 

Family Storytime: Apple Pie!

Hello everyone! I have not updated in quite some time because I have started a new job as a Children's Services Associate at a large public library with 3 different branches. I have also begun working on my Masters in Library Science at Dominican University so I am quite the busy lady! I have finally settled into my new job though and I am excited to share all of my programming ideas with you once again. 

Since it is October, I put together an apple themed storytime! This was presented at our Family Storytime program which allows all ages to join in although most of the books are geared towards preschoolers. This post includes stories about apples, apple trees, and apple pie (yum, yum!). Here are some ideas:

Opening Song: Raffi - Shake My Sillies Out

Book: Odd Dog by Claudio Boldt

This is a really cute story about a dog whose apples from his tree keep falling into his neighbor's yard. The dog is really worried about it because he wants all the apples for himself! Turns out, the dog's neighbor doesn't even like apples and he returns the apples to the dog. In the end, the "odd dog" ends up having a picnic for all his dog friends, sharing apple pie. I really liked this story because it also teaches children about friendship and sharing which is an important moral lesson!

Song: A.P.P.L.E. (Tune: "BINGO")
For this story, I had giant foam letters that spelled out A P P L E on our flannel board. I pointed to the letters as I sung the song. 

I know a fruit that grows on trees, 
An apple is its name, oh!
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E
A-P-P-L-E 
An apple is its name, oh!

In summer and in early fall
It's time to pick an apple!
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 

It may be sweet or may be tart,
It's red, or green, or yellow! 
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 

A McIntosh or Granny Smith, 
A Winesap or Delicious!
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 

Make applesauce or apple juice 
Or apple pie with apples! 
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 
A-P-P-L-E 


Song: Way Up High in the Apple Tree by Carole Peterson
Lyrics:
Way up high in the apple tree 
One little apple smiled at me! 
I shook that tree as hard as I could 
Down came the apple – Mmmm, it sure looks good! 
(repeat with another smiling apple)

Two little apples under the tree 
One for you, and one for me 
Two little apples, crunch crunch crunch! 

Two little apples, let's eat them for our lunch! YUM


Book 2: Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington

This is a great story about a girl that picks apples and sells them at the farmer's market! I like it because it shows all the different foods you can make simply from picking apples. 


Flannel Board: 5 Apples in a Basket

The first apple in the basket was a bright and shiny red.
The second apple in the basket said, “My what a cozy bed.”
The third apple in the basket said, “Now we two are a pair.”
The fourth apple int he basket said, “Please move over there.”

The fifth apple in the basket said, “Oh dear, oh me, oh my!  This basket looks like a pastry–I think we’re in a pie!”

This flannel is super cute! I made it myself and it was a lot of fun to present. I got the idea from this Falling Flannelboard blog!


Song: Apples and Bananas by Raffi

Book: All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin and Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev

This is a classic book about pie!


Flannel Board: Fly Fly, Little Fly

Put the pie slices up on the board, asking children what each flavor the slice was. Then I had the children cover their eyes so I could hide the fly. Each flavor we would song together: 

Fly, Fly, Little fly, are you under the (insert flavor here) pie?

And so on until we found the fly!

Idea from Fergus Falls Public Library


Closing Song: Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill - played with Shakers! 

At the end of storytime I had children line up for a pie or apple stamp on their hand. They really love getting stamps at the end! 

Other Books to Consider: 

Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng

Amazing Apples by Consie Powell 

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne F. Rockwell (Good for a Halloween theme)

Apple Pie Tree

Dinosaur Storytime for 0-3 age group -- Dig Into Reading!

Theme: Dinosaurs -- Dig Into Reading! 

Introduction Song: Open Shut Them
Open, shut them,
Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap, lap
Creepy crawly, creepy crawly,
Right up to your chin, chin, chin
Open up your little mouth
But do not let them in, in in


(Same song used in all of my storytimes. Repetition is good for young children!) 

Book #1 - Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones

This is such a neat book because it introduces children to dinosaurs and paleontologists in a simple way that makes it easy for children to understand. I especially love the part where it explains how paleontologists put together the bones to see what the real dinosaur once looked like. My favorite part is the surprise ending when it shows all the bones put together! The book is meant for preschool aged children but it is short enough that the toddlers can sit still and listen to it without a problem. 

Dinosaur Fingerplay: Five Dinosaurs
(Sung to the tune of “Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play”)

Five dinosaurs went out to play
(hold up five fingers)
Over the hills and far away
(move hand up and down)
Mama dinosaur said “roar, roar, roar”
(Roar!)
But only four came running to the door
(make a sad face and hold up four fingers)
(Continue until no dinosaurs are left on the board. Then sing…)
No dinosaurs went out to play…
ALL the dinosaurs came running to the door!

Source: The Storytime Lady

Action Song: Dinosaur Stomp

Do the dinosaur, STOMP, STOMP! 

Do the dinosaur, CHOMP, CHOMP!
Do the dinosaur, ROAAAAAAAR

heh, I actually thought the song was "do the dinosaur, jump, jump" so I had the children jump. OOPS! "Chomp, Chomp" are the actual lyrics and you're supposed to move your arms up and down in a chopping motion like shown in the video.

This is me and the children all doing the Dinosaur Stomp! They really had a blast doing it!

Book # 2: Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton

The Westmont Public Library has the big book version of this story and it's a really awesome one that introduces children about how ancient dinosaurs really are. The illustrations are very bright and it describes the many different characteristics dinosaurs have. For example, Some dinosaurs are described as fierce, scared, hungry, tired and sleepy. When I read about the sleepy dinosaurs, I of course, read it in a sleepy sounding voice which grabs the attention of the young children. This story also introduces children to the different names of dinosaurs like diplodocus, ankylosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, and so on. I definitely recommend this book for any Dinsoaur themed storytime. 

Fingerplay: Five Enormous Dinosaurs

Five enormous dinosaurs, letting out a roar, 

(Cup hands to your mouth and let out a ROAR!)

Until one went away, and then there were four.

Four enormous dinosaurs, munching on a tree, 

(Pretend to be munching on a tree)

Until one went away, and then there were three.

Three enormous dinosaurs were taken to the zoo, 

(Pretend to run!)

Until one got away, then there were two.

Two enormous dinosaurs having lots of fun, 

(Push both hands above your head)

Until a volcano blew right up, then there was one.

One enormous dinosaur, he must have weighed a ton 

(Extend arms out to show how BIG he was)

Until the lakes dried up, and then there were none!

Song:Jumping and Counting by Jim Gill

This song is not dinosaur related by the patrons grew to really LOVE this song. The children would ask for this song if I didn't play it so I began playing it at every storytime. It's a really awesome song that is fun and teaches children essential counting skills. For the 0-3 age group, this is an excellent way to introduce math to them! 

You may here the song here: https://soundcloud.com/childrens-music-jim-gill/jumping-and-counting

Book #3 Dinosaur Vs. Library

This book is pretty neat. The children had a lot of fun acting out the "ROAR" parts of the story and it seemed to help them pay attention. The story also talks about using an "inside roar" which helps teach children manners. I normally would be the one reading the story but my supervisor, Lynn, lead storytime on Thursdays which is when this picture was taken. I had lead a dinosaur storytime the day prior. 

Song: Tyrannosaurus Rex

(Sung to: "Mary Had a Little Lamb")

Dinosaurs walked on this earth,

On this earth, on this earth.

Dinosaurs walked on this earth,

A long, long time ago. 

This song was short but I actually ended up singing it twice. I sung it at a regular volume at first, then I asked the audience to join in and sing it in a loud voice. 

Song with shakers: Dinosaur Song

What a great story this is with awesome dinosaur sounds! This was a really perfect ending. 

Me on the right with my Supervisor, Lynn, the Youth Services Librarian at the Westmont Public Library. The children really love playing with the shakers! 

Closing Song  (to tune of the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way our hands say goodbye
With a clap clap-clap
Clap, clap-clap.
This is the way our hands say goodbye
With a clap, clap-clap ,clap-clap.
This is the way our knees say goodbye
With a tap tap-tap.Tap tap-tap.
This is the way our knees say goodbye
With a tap tap-tap, tap-tap.
This is the way we wave goodbye
Wave goodbye, wave goodbye
This is the way we wave goodbye
Goodbye until next time.

The children all waving goodbye!