You may have noticed a new menu item above, StoryWalk Resources. I recently volunteered with a colleague at my library (also named Emily, incidentally) to take on the responsibility of our two StoryWalk paths. One is at a local park and a second one winds around our building.
A StoryWalk is an idea from librarian Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and has developed with the help of Rachel Senechal, formerly of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. A picture book is displayed, page spread by page spread, along a walking or nature path. Those walking along the path can read the book as they go. Some parks and libraries buy two copies of the book and cut the pages to display. Others get special permission from the publisher to reproduce the book digitally and print it. Both ways work with copyright law to provide the story to the public legally.
Photo credit Emily Fox
I’ve visited StoryWalks in other communities and have always been impressed by those that incorporate fun questions, prompts for movement, and literacy tips in addition to the pages of the book. It’s an opportunity to model dialogic reading to caregivers, as well as make the experience more engaging and interactive. I knew that I wanted to add these prompts to our signs going forward.
One StoryWalk had already been changed recently, but it was time to update the one at the library. The other Emily and I worked to think about prompts for each page spread of our selected book,A Way With Wild Things by Larissa Theule and Sara Palacios. We tried to cover the Early Literacy Practices promoted by Every Child Ready to Read: Talk, Sing, Read, Play, and Write (we didn’t find a great spot for Write this time, but it’s definitely in the cards for future books). We also gave prompts for movement and some that promoted math and social emotional learning.
We ended up not using all of the prompts we came up with, since this StoryWalk only has 10 posts. Several page spreads were combined (thankfully each post has a pretty big display area.) Figuring out how to print and format all of our prompts was another challenge (how long are they? How wide can they be? What font size is legible?!) All in all, it took some time and effort to get it all together. If you are the “minder” of your StoryWalk, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.
Organizing page spreads. Photo credit to Emily Fox
I started to wonder – what would make this easier? And how can I maximize the usefulness of the time and work we’ve put in? Wouldn’t it be cool if someone else could use the work I’ve done?
An idea hatched. Surely other librarians are going to the work of writing engaging and enriching prompts for their StoryWalks (I’ve seen them!) Perhaps if we pooled our resources, it would make it easier for everyone going forward. A database of books that work well for StoryWalks, and the additional written materials to go along.
Of course, no one has to use prompts found here verbatim. They can be a jumping off point, an inspiration. Maybe you’ve got ideas for every page in the book except one and are stumped – looking at others’ ideas can fill in. Every community is different and it’s great to cater to yours.
So in launching the webpage there’s only our original document available as of this writing. It looks mighty lonely there. If you have done the work on other books and would be willing to submit them, I’d love to add your contribution. Even if you have different prompts for a book that’s already listed, I’ll take them! Each page spread may soon have a bullet point list of options to choose from.
Springtime in Indiana is capricious, but thankfully we had some warm days, some rain, and some early blooms to reflect on. Although an ostensibly “springtime” theme, I focused mostly on seeds and plants. I’ve done gardening themes before, and I’ve also done a couple of sessions on bugs (here and here) that might also fit into this theme, if you are looking for more ideas.
Early Literacy Tip: Learning directional words like up, down, above, and below is foundational to learning to write letters. When you use words like these with your child and you gesture to show what you mean, you’re setting them up to learn how to write later on.
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (TT) (TB) (FT)**
Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT) This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week it was fingers and knees.
Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (FT)
Intro: This week is the first official day of spring. Every day, the days are getting a little bit longer, the weather changing like the season, but moving toward getting a little warmer, and the little seeds that have been in the ground all winter long are starting to wake up!
As simple as this is, it worked really well for all three groups. Fingerplay: During the Spring (TT) (TB) (FT) During the spring, it often showers (flutter fingers down) Or the sun shines for many hours (form circle with arms) Both are very good for the flowers! (cup hands, extend arms) Source: Storytime Katie
Fingerplay: Dig a Little Hole Dig a little hole, Plant a little seed Pour a little water, Pull a little weed Chase a little bug, Heigh-ho, there he goes! Give a little sunshine, Grow a little rose Credit: SurLaLune Storytime via Storytime Katie
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Read: A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis (TT) (FT)
What a beautiful book this is. I love its playfulness and gentleness. Read: How to Say Hello to a Worm by Kari Percival (TB)
Fingerplay: Five Plump Peas Five plump peas in a peapod pressed (make a fist and cover with the other hand) One grew, two grew, and so did all the rest (raise all fingers on first hand one by one) they grew, & they grew, & they grew, & never stopped (hands get wider and wider) They grew SO BIG that the peapod… POPPED! (hands spread as wide as possible, then clap!) Source: Carole Stephens
Rhyme: Be A Seed Be a seed, small and round Sprout, sprout, sprout up from the ground. Shake your leaves for all to see Stretch your arms up, you’re a tree! Source: Jbrary
Action Rhyme: A Big Green Leaf (TT) (TB) (FT) (tune of A Ram Sam Sam) A big green leaf, a big green leaf (hold hands apart) Little ladybug (pinch fingers close) On a big green leaf (x2)
A bumblebee- BZZ! (tickle) A bumblebee- BZZ! (tickle) And a little ladybug On a big green leaf (x2) Source: Storytime in the Stacks
Scarf Song: One Bright Scarf (TT) (TB) (FT) One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow Toss it up high, and wave it down low Wiggle it fast, and wiggle it slow (hide the scarf) Hey! Where did it go? (bring out) Here it is! Source: Jbrary
Scarf Rhyme: Here is a Green Leaf (TT) (TB) (FT) (start by crumpling scarf between both hands) Here is a green leaf, and here is a green leaf (show thumbs) and that, you see, makes two Here is the bud that makes the flower (show a tiny bit of the scarf) Now watch it bloom for you! (open hands to let scarf expand) Source: Jbrary
Scarf Rhyme: Little Seed (TB) (FT) (start by scrunching scarf in one hand) Little seed in the ground Sitting oh, so still Little seed, will you sprout? YES, I WILL! (pull scarf up out of hand) Source: Lady Librarian Life
Ukulele Song: Mr. Sun Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun Please shine down on me Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun Hiding behind a tree
These little children are asking you To please come out so we can play with you
Craft: Dot Painted Flowers Pretty simple. I used two die cuts to make flowers on white construction paper, and provided light blue backing paper, glue sticks, and dot markers. I’d also read a great article on how radishes are a great veggie for children to grow, since they are very quick to both sprout and mature. I bought a package of radish seeds and gave them out with some simple instructions.
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) And Then it’s Spring – Julie Fogliano & Erin E. Stead If You Plant a Seed – Kadir Nelson Flower Garden – Eve Bunting & Kathryn Hewitt On a Snow-Melting Day – Buffy Silverman A Seed is Sleepy – Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long Emile and the Field – Kevin Young & Chioma Ebinama My Garden/Mi Jardín – Rebecca Emberley Lola Plants a Garden – Anna McQuinn & Rosalind Beardshaw How a Seed Grows – Helene J. Jordan & Loretta Krupinski Planting a Rainbow – Lois Ehlert
This storytime was presented in-person on 3/20, 3/21, & 3/22/23.
**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for: (TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2 (TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5 (FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5
Sometimes I look back through themes I did at my old library. Sometimes they make me hungry! Here’s another in-person redo of a theme I only ever did virtually before.
Our program happened to land on Pi Day (and the day before and after) entirely accidentally. What a perfect tie-in!
Early Literacy Tip: Play gives you and your children lots of opportunities to pretend. As you are playing with your children, make a point of adding in a word or two they may not know, like “kneading” dough or “ladling” sauce. Children will find it easier to remember these words because they are hearing them and using them while being involved in imaginative play.
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (TT) (TB) (FT)**
Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT) This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week it was shoulders and fingers.
Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (FT)
Intro: There’s a really important holiday in March, does anyone know what it is? It’s Pi Day! You’ll learn more about Pi the number someday, but today we’re celebrating the very best pie of all, the pizza pie! [this got laughs from the grownups]
I adapted this one to be a little more specific to pizza. Action Song: I Am Hungry (tune of Frère Jacques) I am hungry, I am hungry Grumble, rumble, Grumble rumble (rub tummy) I think I’ll eat some pizza, I think I’ll eat some pizza Yum, yum, yum! Yum, yum, yum! (mime eating) Source: librionyian
Fingerplay: Pat A Cake Pizza Man Pat a cake, pat a cake, pizza man Make me a pizza as fast as you can Roll it, Toss it, and sprinkle it with cheese Put in the oven And bake it fast please! Source: Mansfield/Richland County Public Library (OH)
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Not everyone acted out everything, but there was lots of kneading the dough and sprinkling of pretend cheese! Read: Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig (TT) (FT)
This one didn’t go over as well, perhaps the group was too distracted to really connect the pictures with the very simple text. Read: Pizza Party! by Grace Maccarone & Emily Arnold McCully (TB)
Tickle: Pizza Pickle Pumpernickel (TT) Pizza, pickle, pumpernickel, (bounce) My little one shall have a tickle! (tickle) One for your nose, And one for your toes, And one for your tummy, where the pizza goes! Source: King County (WA) Library System
I get that the writer of this rhyme didn’t want to repeat colors, but that means we leave out the most popular topping (red pepperoni) and the cheese is orange, which looks a little odd. I think next time I might redo the cheese as white, and make a couple more blobs of it. At first I was kind of dreading making tons and tons of little topping pieces, but realized that I really only need 3 or 4 of each to make the pizza look full, even if that would be terrible coverage on an actual pizza! Rhyme: Pizza, Pizza, What Do You See? (TT) (FT) Pizza dough, Pizza dough what do you see? I see red sauce covering me Red sauce, Red sauce, what do you see? I see white mushrooms being added to me continue with different colored ingredients, such as black olives, brown sausage, green peppers, purple onions, yellow pineapple, red pepperoni, and end with orange white cheese, then: Orange cheese, orange cheese, what do you see? I see a yummy pizza that looks good to me. Yummy pizza, yummy pizza what do you see? I see hungry children THAT ARE GOING TO EAT ME! Source: King County (WA) Library System
Action Rhyme: Pizza Maker, Pizza Maker Turn Around (TT) (TB) (FT) Pizza maker, pizza maker turn around Pizza maker, pizza maker touch the ground Pizza maker, pizza maker give the dough a toss Pizza maker, pizza maker ladle on the sauce Pizza maker, pizza maker sprinkle on the cheese Pizza maker, pizza maker touch your knees Pizza maker, pizza maker put it in the oven Pizza maker, pizza maker press the oven button Pizza maker, pizza maker rub your tummy Pizza maker, pizza maker eat some pizza! Yummy! Source: Jen in the Library
Rhythm Sticks Intro: Let’s practice our rhythm sticks. Rest them on our shoulders, tap fast and loud, soft and quiet, rub them together, roll them in a circle (TB)
This is a good warmup for rhythm sticks and gets everyone involved. Rhythm Stick Song: Count the Beat (TB) (tune of Wheels on the Bus) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8… 9… 10! Source: Sarah French
There are lots of versions of this on YouTube. I especially liked how she went on a walk and saw a cat, dog, bee, and alligator! Rhythm Sticks Song: The Pizza Song (TB) (FT) (tune of Skip to My Lou) Roll, roll, roll the dough, Roll, roll, roll the dough Roll, roll, roll the dough, Roll the dough together! (put both sticks on the ground and roll)
Stir, stir, stir the sauce… (use sticks to stir in a circle) Spread, spread, spread the sauce… (roll one stick on the ground using 2nd) Grate, grate, grate the cheese (rub 1 stick down the other) [Chop some veggies/pepperoni, anything you like] Chop, chop, chop-chop-chop (tap 1 stick on horizontal 2nd) [Put it in the oven, set timer, let’s go for a walk!] Lou, lou, skip to my lou… (swing arms with sticks in them) [Ding, the timer went off! Our pizza is ready, take it out of the oven. Cut a slice, in a triangle, then eat it] Source: Harbor Preschool Music YouTube
Flannel/Clapping Song: P-I-Z-Z-A (FT) (tune of B-I-N-G-O) There is a treat that’s good to eat and pizza it its name-a P-I-Z-Z-A! P-I-Z-Z-A! P-I-Z-Z-A! And pizza is its name-a (spoken) Oh yum! I’m gonna eat one!
There is a treat that’s good to eat and pizza it its name-a (clap)-I-Z-Z-A! (clap)-I-Z-Z-A! (clap)-I-Z-Z-A! And pizza is its name-a (Continue until you are clapping all the letters.) Credit: Jen in the Library
I used Jen in the Library’s post as a template, but decided to make my pizza slices double-sided, based on the background color of my felt board. The opposite side of the full slice looked like just the pizza crust that was gnawed on, effectively becoming a placeholder for our claps. I like the way it turned out!
We’ve eaten some pizza, now my body is asking for a little movement. Action Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (TT) (TB) (FT) (start slow and repeat, speeding up) Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes!) Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes!) Eyes and ears and a mouth and nose! Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes!) Source: traditional
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Craft: Pizza Pretend Play Kit I gave everyone the option to either glue down their pieces to make an actual craft, or to pick out pieces to put in a little baggie to “make” pizzas at home for their families. The toppings were just foam shapes we had – I cut down much larger pieces into smaller pieces that were either square or triangular or thin strips based on what ingredient they represented. The sauce is a wavy shape of construction paper, and the cheese is short pieces of yarn. Craft idea adapted from Storytime Katie..
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) Secret Pizza Party – Adam Rubin & Daniel Salmieri How to Eat Pizza – Jon Burgerman Pizza Day – Melissa Iwai Every Night Is Pizza Night – J. Kenji López-Alt & Gianna Ruggiero Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) – Philemon Sturges & Amy Walrod The Pizza That We Made – Joan Holub & Lynne Cravath Pizza Pig – Diana Murray & Maria Karipidou Little Nino’s Pizzeria – Karen Barbour The Princess and the Pizza – Mary Jane Auch & Herm Auch Pete the Cat & the Perfect Pizza Party – Kimberly & James Dean
This storytime was presented in-person on 3/13, 3/14, & 3/15/23.
**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for: (TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2 (TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5 (FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5
Storytime with Ms. Emily Library 