Hello, blog, old friend! Do I even remember how to write you?! I decided early in the summer that I would concentrate on my programming and not worry about getting blog posts done, and I think that was wise. As a part-timer, I felt like I had just enough time to plan and present 2-3 programs each week and didn’t have the extra mental capacity to get a blog post done, too. But it’s good to be back.
This summer I offered my community our first in-person storytimes since March 2020. We were outdoors, in a nice big lawn area just outside the library, and it was fantastic. I didn’t realize how much I was longing for that in-person interaction during a year of virtual programming until I got out there with the kiddos and families. It was refreshing and rejuvenating! I also continued to record a virtual version of each week’s storytime, as well as doing a short outreach to our preschool parks department day-camp once a week.
This wasn’t without new challenges! Although I had done outdoor storytimes at a previous job, I hadn’t done them spaced out so much and didn’t need amplification before. With a large space to cover, we purchased a speaker with a hands-free mic. I knew I needed to keep everyone engaged, so I focused on more movement and interactive activities than I had been doing. And with the pent-up demand for programming, I went from making 8 weekly Take & Make craft packets to making 30 or 40!
Although I made sure to have a connection to animals each week to support our Tails & Tales summer topic, my themes were much looser than usual, which is not a bad thing. My rhymes and songs had some tangential thread, but were not all focused on one THING. As the summer progressed, I may have slipped back into thematic thinking – I think that’s just how my brain organizes activity – but I always had some repeating and unrelated extension activities. It’s something I’ll likely feel freer to incorporate in my planning going forward.
Anyway, on to the content! Our library has a good number of big books, so I pulled from them as much as I could, as well as more interactive titles that weren’t so dependent on the pictures. It seemed to go well, despite my nerves at being in front of real people for the first time in awhile! I also incorporated some mindful breathing exercises, which were honestly helpful for me to remember to slow down!
You can see the virtual program that does not include the full books read aloud here.
I decided to start bookmarking my videos for each activity/transition, so they are hopefully easier to navigate. Look at the full description to see and jump to timestamps of each activity.
Early Literacy Tip: Learning to “stop” is an important skill for children, both for safety as well as for impulse control. Practicing “stopping” in a fun way, like with freeze songs, helps work on this skill in a positive environment. We did this with the songs “Walking, Walking,” “Look at All the Bunnies,” and Jim Gill’s “Silly Dance Contest.” You can also add the American Sign Language sign for “stop” to further reinforce this concept: one hand “chops” against the other as if blocking the way.
Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello
I decided to do a second welcome song which incorporates kids’ names to help me learn/relearn them faster! It was popular, and kids seemed to light up when their name was sung. I do the “friends” verse once, then repeat the name verse as many times as I need to cover everyone. I also liked that this song lets us get through names quickly, making it feasable even with a largish group. As the summer went by, I found that calling out 3 names before singing the verse helped everyone sing along. I encouraged everyone to give a big wave and hello to the kids named after each verse, too. I think I’ll continue to use this one going forward!
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Hello, friends! Hello, friends!
Hello, friends, it’s time to say hello!
Hello, [name 1], hello, [name 2]!
Hello, [name 3], it’s time to say hello!
(ASL motions: salute for “hello,” then take the index fingers on each hand and you link them together as though they are hugging each other back and forth for “friends”)
Credit: Glenside Public Library District
We did a repeated warm up each week to get everyone loosened up.
Warm-Up Rhyme: Roly Poly
(Roll arms and change voice to coordinate with the lyrics)
Roly poly, roly, poly, up, up, up
Roly poly, roly, poly, down, down, down
Roly poly, roly, poly, out, out, out
Roly poly, roly, poly, in, in, in
Roly poly, roly, poly, BIG, BIG, BIG
Roly poly, roly, poly, very, very small
Roly poly, roly, poly, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast!
Rol…ly… po…ly… in… your… lap
Credit: Rebecca Jane Flanagan
I wanted something familiar everyone could join!
Song: Row Your Boat
(move arms back and forth as if to row & match the song)
Row, row, row your boat
gently (quickly/slowly/quietly/loudly) down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream!
Credit: traditional, via Jbrary
Read: I Went Walking by Sue Williams & Julie Vivas (Big Book)
Movement Song: Walking, Walking
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Walking, walking (Walking, walking)
Hop, hop, hop (Hop, hop, hop)
Running, running, running (Running, running, running)
Now we stop (Now we stop)
(repeat, substituting other movements in the first line like tiptoe or marching)
Credit: Jbrary
Fingerplay: This is Big, Big, Big
This is big, big, big (hold arms out to side)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (flat hand lowers)
This is tall, tall, tall (flat hand reaches up)
This is fast, fast, fast (circle fists quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (circle fists slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)
Credit: Mel’s Desk
Breathing Break: Soup Breathing
I asked the kids to imagine they were holding a bowl of their very favorite soup, and asked what kind they liked. I got some good ones – tomato, potato, lentil, sausage, noodle, chicken, nacho! So, with their hands cupped in front of them, we slowly breathed in the delicious aroma of their very favorite soup through their noses, then slowly and gently breathed out through their mouths to cool off this hot soup. We repeated about 5 times, and after the 1st time with explanation, I used my Hoberman sphere to help them visualize the in and out breaths. Afterward, I let them know that this exercise always makes me feel good and more grounded, and they could always get out their bowl of soup if they need help calming down or feeling more connected to their bodies.
Credit: Lucky Little Learners
(In our virtual program, I booktalked My Mindful Walk with Grandma by Sheri Mabry & Wazza Pink after our Breathing Break)
After taking the energy down, I wanted to bring us back up. This was a song I’d never heard of, but several people suggested to me when I asked on Storytime Underground what a good Low to High energy song was. It was perfect! At the final stop, I did a “Freeze” like in the first KCLS video, and quickly learned that I am AWFUL at coming up with freeze poses on the fly.
Song: Look at All the Bunnies
Look at all the bunnies sleeping til it’s nearly noon
Shall we wake them with a merry tune?
Oh so still! Are they ill?
Wake up, wake up, wake up little bunnies
Wake up, wake up, wake up little bunnies
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Stop little bunnies, stop, stop, stop
And…. 1, 2, 3, SILLY FREEZE!
Credit: King County Library System
Being in person allowed me to do some recorded music in a way I really didn’t let myself do virtually.
Recorded Song: Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill
Big, clear pictures and highly interactive – Jan Thomas is always a good choice for storytime! It was probably pretty painful to hear me try to manically sing the chicken dance song, though… 🙂 In my virtual program, I acted out the story using a chicken puppet and an alligator puppet. The success of which I’ll let you judge for yourself. I opted to just read the story in-person!
Read: Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
Thanks to Annamarie of Bookcart Queens for introducing me to Jazzy Ash. Her Teddy Bear is so much fun! I highly recommend checking out her blog post on diversifying storytime music, too!
Recorded Song: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear by Jazzy Ash
(In my virtual program, I played my ukulele instead of doing the recorded songs.)
Ukulele Song: Shake My Sillies Out
I gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
And wiggle my waggles away!
Additional verses:
I gotta clap, clap, clap my crazies out…
I gotta jump, jump, jump my jiggles out…
I gotta stretch, stretch, stretch my stretchies out…
I gotta yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out…
Credit: Raffi (from the album Raffi in Concert with the Rise and Shine Band)
Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!
Craft: I Went Walking Scene
I cobbled this one together after seeing elements from different places. The animals I found in a PDF from The Mailbox and sized them to be able to fit on my background, which I created in Canva. Kids could draw themselves at the far right of the page, then line up the animals behind them from the order in the book and retell the story.
I added a goodbye song just because I was enamored of this one I saw on the King County Tell Me a Story page.
Action Song: See You Later, Alligator
(tune of Clementine)
See you later, alligator (wave with one hand, then the other)
In a while, crocodile (open and shut arms like a croc’s mouth)
Give a hug, ladybug (hug yourself or a loved one)
Blow a kiss, jellyfish! MWAH! (move hand like a jellyfish then blow a kiss!)
Credit: King County Library System
I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Turtle Walk by Matt Phelan
Taking Time by Jo Loring-Fisher
Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig & Marc Brown
Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars
This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 6/1/21.
Storytime Handout:
Storytime with Ms. Emily Library 