Bubbles in the Bath Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

   

 

• Book #1 – Time for a Bath by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by David Walker

• Stand-up Activity – "Shiny Clean Dance" from Tony Chestnut & Fun Time Action Songs by The Learning Station 

• Bridge - Open, Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them

Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap 

• Flannelboard - Ten Rubber Duckies (counting song I found in a book years ago)

• Letter of the Day - "B" is for bath

• Book #2 – Bathtime Piggywiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox (lift-flap)

• Activity – Bubbles All Around (action rhyme I found in a Mailbox magazine)

• Closing - Tambourines to the song "Fruit Salad Salsa" from Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner 

  

 

• Art Experience – Use cups (in this case, cleaned out yogurt cups) and tempera paint to stamp bubbles onto a drawing of a bathtub

Body Parts Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

  

 

• Book #1 – Nose to Toes, You Are Yummy! by Tim Harrington

• Stand-up Activity – "Clap Your Hands" action song from Toddler Action Songs by Cedarmont Kids

• Bridge - Open, Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them

Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap 

• Flannelboard - How Many Feet? 

Birds have two

Dogs have four

Beetles have six

Spiders have eight

That's quite a lot more than me because I only have two feet!

• Letter of the Day - "T" is for toes

• Book #2 – Whose Knees Are These? by Jabari Asim, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (board book)

• Activity – "Razzaama Taazama" action song from More Tickles & Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

• Closing - Tambourines to the song "Fruit Salad Salsa" from Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner 

   

 

• Art Experience – Glue sewing trim and fabric scraps to gingerbread body shapes

D.I.Y. Fidget Spinners

It can be tough to create a library program that tween patrons want to attend.  For this reason, I tried to create a program around something these not-quite-teenagers find popular.  The result was this fidget spinner creation event.

A simple Google search will find plenty of information on how to make your own fidget spinners.  I chose four designs that seemed easy enough to create, yet looked different from each other.

Ball Bearings and Zip Ties
The easiest and most popular of the spinners we made!  All you need is 3 ball bearings, 6 zip ties, and wire cutters.  This YouTube video best describes how to make it. 

Bottle Caps
This spinner did not take a lot of skill to make, but it did require a lot of glue from a hot glue gun. This YouTube video describes a simple to make version. Supplies include the hot glue gun, 5 bottle caps, toothpicks, wire cutters, and pennies. An optional supply is cardstock or cardboard for the edges of the toothpicks. The pennies inside the caps really did make it spin better. 

Cardstock and Toothpicks
This was the most complex of the four spinners to make. They look so simple but require many steps. It spins the best after the glue has dried. Red Ted Art has fantastic directions and templates.

Perler Beads
This was the second most popular spinner to make. The teen librarian already had a ton of Perler bead supplies so this was an easy addition to the program. Templates and instructions can be found at the official Perler.com website. Be aware that the template requires a hex peg board. We only had square boards so I had to special order the hex boards. This spinner does require many steps: Place the beads on the board, iron it, hot glue the ball bearing and hex nuts to the beads.  I suggest checking that the ball bearings and nuts fit into their allotted holes before applying the iron. 

I had three super awesome teen volunteers from the local Key Club helping me at this event. The majority of the attending tweens managed to make three of the four spinners during the one hour event. Many were surprised at how well the spinners actually worked. It was a fun event to put together.

Turkey Day Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette

• Stand-up Activity – "If You're Happy and You Know It" action song from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

• Bridge - Open, Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them

Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap 

• Flannelboard - Turkey Cheese Fondue (a counting rhyme found in Artsy Toddler Storytimes by Carol Garnett Hopkins)

• Letter of the Day - "T" is for turkey

• Book #2 – Five Silly Turkeys by Salina Yoon (board book)

• Activity – I'm a Little Turkey (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" found in The Mailbox Preschool magazine, Oct./Nov. 1999, page 37)

• Closing - Shaker eggs using the song "I Know a Chicken" from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner

     

 

• Art Experience – Glue many colored feathers onto a turkey drawing

Fire Truck Fun Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

  

 

• Book #1 – Fire Trucks in Action by Anne E. Hanson 

• Stand-up Activity – "Drive the Fire Truck" action song from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

• Bridge - Open, Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them

Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap 

• Flannelboard - "Five Firefighters" counting rhyme I found in a Preschool Mailbox magazine (October/November 2007, page 40)

• Letter of the Day - "T" is for trucks

• Book #2 – Maisy's Fire Engine by Lucy Cousins (board book)

• Activity – I'm a Little Firefighter (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" written by Carol Garnett Hopkins found in the book Artsy Toddler Storytimes)

I'm a little firefighter off I go
Here is my helmet
Here is my truck
When my clothes catch on fire I know what to do
I stop, drop, and roll to put the fire out

• Closing - Tambourines to the song "Fruit Salad Salsa" from Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner 

  

 

• Art Experience – Colorful marker pen coloring on paper fire fighter hats