Bear Fun Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Bears In the Bath by Shirley Parenteau, illustrated by David Walker

• Stand-up Activity – Teddy Bears, Teddy Bears Turn Around (traditional jump rope rhyme)

Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear dance on your toes
Teddy bear, teddy bear touch your nose
Teddy bear, teddy bear reach up high
Teddy bear, teddy bear jump to the sky
Teddy bear, teddy bear find your feet
Teddy bear, teddy bear find your seat

• 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 - All Types of Bears (flannelboard rhyme written by Carol Hopkins to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb")

Grizzly bears are big and brown.
Big and brown, big and brown.
Grizzly bears are big and brown.
And live in the woods.

Polar bears are soft and white.
Soft and white, soft and white.
Polar bears are soft and white.
And live where it is cold.

Panda bears are black and white,
Black and white, black and white
Panda bears are black and white.
And live with bamboo.

Koala bears have great big ears,
Great big ears, great big ears,
Koala bears have great big ears,
And live high in a tree.

Teddy bears are just my size.
Just my size, just my size.
Teddy bears are just my size.
To cuddle with at night.

• Book #2 – The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

• Activity – The Great Big Bear (action chant written by Carol Hopkins)

The great big bear,
(sing language for bear)
Gives a warning with a soft little growl.
(growl)
Waves its paws in the air.
(move hands like claws)
Shakes its great big head
(shake head)
Rubs its furry little ears
(rub ears)
Gives a great big roar
(loud roar)
Then goes to sleep in its lair.
(hands to side of face for sleep)

• Closing - Rhythm sticks using "Goin' On a Bear Hunt" from Kids In Action by Greg and Steve 

 

• Art Experience – Bear coloring sheet with crayons

Summer Reading School Visits: A Silly Game

Last year I came up with a great plan to talk about summer reading and entertain students in grades 4 through 6, by playing a silly game with them.  This game was so successful for me that I tried it again this year.

I started my time with a class by talking about how to sign up and get prizes for about 5 minutes.  Then I broke the class up into two groups (usually down the middle of the room).  I asked the teacher to choose one student from each group to be my scorekeeper. I kept score by giving each scorekeeper a card from a mini deck of cards each time their group won a silly challenge or answered a trivia question.  Actually, the volunteers chose a card from the deck.  At the end of our time we would add up the face values of the cards and the group with the highest count won the game.  This added a fun random element to the game.  Not every group who answered the most questions had the highest value in cards.

To play the game, I would pick random students from each group to pick a card from a stack of index cards containing a trivia question or a silly challenge written on it. The card would have a summer event for me to describe followed by a question or challenge.

Here is a sampling of the trivia questions and silly challenges I presented to the students:

What is the official start date of the summer reading program?

One week in August, the Knights of Veritas are coming to my library.  Trivia - Name one knight of the Round Table.

How many hours do you need to read to get a free book and other goodies?

One week in August we are doing our own version of mini-golf in between the book shelves.  Silly challenge - Choose one student from each group to hit a toy golf ball with a toy golf club, on the floor, from one end of the room onto a piece of paper on the other end of the room.

Dice challenge! Each team rolls a die.  The highest roll wins.

One week in July we have some Environmental Educator from Pierce County Public Works coming to talk about Salmon (The Ultimate Champions). Silly challenge - Hit a badminton birdie (pretend fish) 10 times in a row with a badminton racket (pretend fishing net).

One week in July we have author Karen Cushman coming to talk about her new book.  Trivia - Name two historical fiction books.

One week in June we will be having a Makey Makey program. Trivia  - What is an electrical circuit?

One week in July we have an art teacher coming to do an art class about Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto. Trivia - What is happening in Brazil this summer?

One week in July we have a yoga teacher coming to introduce yoga to children. Silly challenge - Do a cobra pose.

One week in July we will be having a Minecraft competition. Silly challenge - I hand out a Ziploc bag full of miscellaneous Lego bricks to smaller groups of 4-6 students. The group who could build a tower using every brick in the bag with the help of every student in the group wins.

REFLECTION: All in all, this style program works really well for me. I made a big show about this being a "silly" game with "silly" challenges in it. A loud and obnoxious class did not finish as much as the quieter classes, but every class still got something out of it. The challenges along with the trivia questions allows for many students to participate while at the same time giving me a chance to get some information out.  This game easily fills up a half hour library visit.

Summer Reading School Visits: Books

Going out to the schools to talk about summer reading can be a lot of fun, but boy is it busy!  For the students in grades K-3, I like to read books to them.  It is always a challenge to find books that will entertain, make them laugh, and have it be one they haven't seen before.

 

For the second and third graders I went with one my stand by favorites and a new book:
I Will Chomp You by Jory John, illustrated by Bob Shea
Dirty Joe the Pirate: A True Story by Bill Harley, illustrated by Jack E. Davis

 

For the Kindergartners and first graders I went with two fun books:
Don't Push the Button! by Bill Cotter
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

All four books were a lot of fun to share with the children.  Who knew that a little red circle on a page could make a whole room of first graders go crazy?

Garbage Trucks Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash! by Barbara Odanaka, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

• Stand-up Activity – The Garbage Truck Rolls (fingerplay to the tune of "Wheels On the Bus" adapted by Carol Hopkins)

The garbage truck drives down the street, down the street, down the street
The garbage truck drives down the street
As it picks up garbage

The garbage truck stops adn goes, stops and goes, stops and goes
The garbage truck stops and goes
As it picks up garbage

(use other action words)

• 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 Little Garbage Trucks  (counting down rhyme, I'm not sure where I found this one)

• Book #2 – Trucks by Byron Barton (large board book)

• Activity – I'm a Little Garbage Truck (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" written by Carol Hopkins)

I'm a little garbage truck, watch me go
Here is my hopper
Here is my cab
When I get all filled up, to the dump I go
Just tip me over and dump the garbage out

• Closing - Scarves using the song "Flitter Flutter" from The Second Line by Johnette Downing 

 

 

• Art Experience – Chalk coloring on a construction paper garbage can drawing

Blooming Flowers Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "A Tooty Ta" from Dance Like This by Mr. Al

• Color literacy activity flannelboard - Flower Colors

I got a song at a workshop a few years back about the colors of spring flowers written by Lorraine Burdick. I passed out different colored flowers to the children. Then I sang the song changing the color of the flower each time I sang it.  The children with the colored flower that I just said comes up to the place their flower on the board.  

• Book #1 - Fran's Flower by Lisa Bruce, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

• Stand-up activity - Little Flower Open Up (action song written by Carol Hopkins to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star")

Little flower begin to grow

Open up your petals bright

Swaying in the sunshine light

Come and let the bees buzz right

Little flower in the night

Closing up your petals tight

• Activity - Ten Little Flowers (fingerplay written by Carol Hopkins)

10 little flowers standing in the sun
10 thirsty flowers begin to droop
Along come the clouds
And the rain begins to fall
10 little flowers lift their heads to the sun again

  

 

• Book #2 - Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

• Book #3 -  One Little Seed by Elaine Greenstein

• Closing - Dance with scarves to the song "Silly Dance Contest" from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes by Jim Gill

  

 

 

• Art experience - Muffin cup flowers with bingo paint dabbers to create seeds, stems, and leaves

Garden Surprises Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

• Stand-up Activity – "Baby Bumblebee" traditional 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 - "Plant a Little Seed" identification cards

I learned this one from Nancy Stewart. It is available on her website at NancyMusic.com.  I sing the short song and then show a large picture card with a vegetable on it.  I ask the children to tell me what the vegetable is. 

• Book #2 – Jasper's Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen

• Activity – A Little Plant (action chant adpated by Carol Hopkins)

In the heart of a seed
Buried oh so deep, a little plant lay fast asleep
"Awake," said the sun
"Come up through the earth."
"Awake," said the rain
"We are giving you birth."
The little seed heard and giving it a try
Pointed its leaves
Up to the sky

• Closing - Scarves using the song "Flitter Flutter" from The Second Line by Johnette Downing 

 

 

• Art Experience – Cut up paper towel tubes bent and taped together to make heart shaped green bean leaf stamps

Bristlebots Vibrating Creations, a S.T.R.E.A.M. event

Create mini robots!

A recent library program I did incorporated small brushes, wires, tape, lots of patience, and the willingness to keep trying, and trying, and trying until it finally worked!  My bristlebot program did not go exactly as a I planned.  First off, the motor kits we ordered online got lost in the mail.  Literally.  I quickly needed to come up with a plan B.  I had a few days to figure out how to take apart dollar store electric toothbrushes, attach the motor to a brush, and stay in budget.  (Hint: The brush on the toothbrush was way too small to work with the motor.) With some help from my significant other, I think I came up with something pretty decent to show my young friends.

I started off my program by showing the children how to put together a bristle bot:

1. Attach wire leads to the loops on the motor (the silver colored wires attach to one loop and the copper colored wires attach to the other loop.  
2. Cover and secure these wires with electrical tape. 
3. Use double-sided tape to attach the motor unit to the brush.
4. Attach the battery to the brush (the handle is a good place for this) with electrical tape.  
5. Adhere one color of wire to the positive end of the battery with electrical tape.  Then adhere the other color of wire to the negative end of the battery with electrical tape.  (Tip: If you flip the wires, the brush will spin in the opposite direction.)
6. Optional: Decorate your robot with supplies provided (colored electrical tape, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, etc.). 

With this explanation done, I let them gather their supplies and start creating. The most trying part for both the children and their parents was getting the wires to connect so a circuit can be created.  Really, this was extremely hard!  The vibrating of the motor would sometimes cause the wires to move so they no longer touched the battery or the metal loops on the motor.  This got very frustrating for some children.  But some children took this in stride and made it work.  I love the decorated Bristlebots the children created.  It was even fun to watch some children try to paint with their Bristlebots, despite the mess.  

 

Here is a list of what each child and/or group needed to get started creating their very own Bristlebot:

• 1/2 inch of double-sided tape
• Brush
• Motor
• One length of wire (I used speaker wire: pre-cut, striped on the ends, and separated at each end)
• Battery (AA)
• Electrical tape
• Scissors