Tag Archives: Storytime

Ukulele in Storytime: “You’ll Sing a Song”

27 Jan

It’s time for another edition of Ukulele in Storytime! This Ella Jenkins’ classic has become my new closing song and I’m loving it. It contains the G, Am, F and G7 chords. It’s pretty simple, though – you can learn it! I think it’s a nice quiet song to share with families and you can do any kind of action you want. In Ella’s version she has the kids pick the actions, which would be a nice option!

Shoutout to Storytime Ukulele for including the chords (two options!) so I could learn to play this!

Flannel Friday: Hooray For Hat!

4 Nov

Wow, it’s been a super long time since my last FF post. Happy to be back, even temporarily!

I assume most, if not all, of you are familiar with the excellent book Hooray for Hat by Brian Won. It’s a perfect toddler book – fun story, colorful pictures, repeated refrain the kids can join in on reading, positive ending. Due to its simplicity and repetition, it makes for a great flannel board, too! But I must give credit where due – I got the idea from Laura at Library Lalaland (who’s post I found on the Flannel Friday Pinterest)

While Laura made her animals reversible (genius!) to show their grumpy and happy faces, I did not. I just kept their faces neutral. I also added a tiny piece of velcro to the back of each of the hats to help them stick together as one so it would be easier for me to handle.

Here are the animals, wearing their hats, sans Giraffe, who was still hiding in his tree feeling sad. Note I skipped turtle as I wanted to shorten the story a smidge because I do storytime for ages 0 – 5 and I get a lot of the younger crowd:

hooray-for-hat

And here’s Giraffe with all the hats. . HOORAY FOR FRIENDS!

hooray-for-hat3

Finally, I made a felt “Hooray for Hat” sign that I could put up the first time we say it and then point to each time. This helps with print recognition and children beginning to think of themselves as readers. I cut the letters out with my library’s die cut so I think they look super cute.

hooray-for-hat2

Hooray!

Today’s FF roundup will be hosted by Mollie Kay! Check out all this week’s awesome posts there!

“We Wave Our Scarves Together” versión en español

11 Jan

My preschoolers and I, we LOVE scarf songs. Waving our scarves in the air is so much fun (gross motor skills!), along with trying to squish them up as small as possible and hide them in our hands (fine motor skills!). Scarf songs are a great way to get the wiggles out, build vocabulary and rhyming skills, and also develop those all-important fine and gross motor skills. Scarf songs FTW!

For my Spanish-speaking kids, I had been using the English version of “We Wave Our Scarves Together” (great jbrary video here to learn the tune) and just explaining the movement in Spanish before we sang. Today, though, I decided it wouldn’t be that hard to come up with a translation. So here it is: my quick-and-dirty translation that almost fits, syllabically (is that a word?).

“We Wave Our Scarves Together” versión en español

Agitamos los pañuelos, [we wave our scarves]

Agitamos los pañuelos.

Agitamos los pañuelos,

Porque es divertido. [because it’s fun]

Agitámoslos arriba, [we wave them above]

Agitámoslos abajo. [we wave them below]

Agitámoslos en medio, [we wave them in the middle]

Porque es divertido. [because it’s fun]

Tiramos los pañuelos, [we throw our scarves]

Tiramos los pañuelos.

Tiramos los pañuelos,

Porque es divertido. [because it’s fun]

 

Hope this is helpful to some of you!

 

PROUD.

24 Aug

I wanted to give a shoutout to a couple of amazing organizations/groups I have the good fortune to be involved with. They are both, in different ways, working to help grow children into successful, literate adults.

eie

Earlier is Easier is a Denver collaborative working to build awareness around the importance of the first 3 years of a child’s life. Right now our advocacy consists of informative websites in English and in Spanish, as well as parent tip cards that we distribute through our partner agencies. We’re diligently working on other ways to get our message out, including a possible media campaign and partnerships with faith-based and other community groups. It all depends on funding, of course. But we’re making it happen! Check out the websites, and please share! They have great, easy activities for parents to do with their young children, divided by age groups.

su

Storytime Underground! I’m super-duper excited to have been recently chosen to be a joint-chief of this amazing group. SU is dedicated to  supporting, training, and advocating for youth services librarians throughout the country (nay – the world!). We believe that “literacy is not a luxury” and the work that we do in libraries around early literacy is important and necessary. I will blogging especially about advocacy – helping us understand the “why” behind what we do do in storytime and in youth services and how we can best advocate for our work in our libraries and in our communities.

I am happy and grateful to be able to work with both of these groups. Together, we ARE changing the world.

Ukulele in Storytime: 5 Green and Speckled Frogs

9 Aug

Like most people, I think I sound weird when listening to or watching myself. But maybe it won’t sound weird to you. The latest, seriously overdue, edition of ukulele in storytime features “5 Green and Speckled Frogs” which is, in my world, a storytime staple. So get out your ukes, friends, and learn the D chord with me if you don’t already know it!

Early Literacy Messages in Action

16 Jun

Fellow Early Literacy Evangelists (may I call you evangelists?),

Yesterday I did my first baby storytime in… well, years, and I had the opportunity to slip in a few early literacy messages that Early Literacy Messaging Graphicreally resonate with me. And I was super excited to do so. But I know that’s not always the case.

I am a 44-year-old childless librarian who ostensibly tells parents how to raise their kids without having any experience of my own. I know, awkward, right? I suppose it could be. I could be saying to myself: “Self, who are you to tell these parents that they should talk to their kids all the time to give the kids a big vocabulary? How do you know they aren’t already doing that and you’re just going to make them defensive? Aren’t they going to look at you and think ‘Don’t you tell me what to do!’

But I don’t, and here’s why: I, myself, am AMAZED by what I’ve learned about early literacy and brain development. I find it incredible that by simply talking and singing with babies, we can set them on a path for learning that will last their whole lives. I’m fascinated by the brain science – it takes a toddler 5 to 7 seconds to respond to a question because there are 4 different parts of the brain involved in hearing, processing, and speaking? Wow! Babies brains grow from 25% developed to 75% developed in the first year of life? Holy cow!

This is powerful, life-alerting (literally) stuff, and I just want everyone to know how easy it is to give young children the best future possible.

I work with parents who are both affluent and highly educated and those who are less so. Personally, I think everyone can learn something new about their child. I haven’t yet heard of a child born into this world with an owner’s manual, so I think lots of parents are just figuring things out. But the universal thread is that they ALL love their children and want the best for them, and simply by bringing them to the library for storytime, or to an outreach event for a parent presentation or play and learn group, they’re demonstrating that.

But I get that it’s challenging to feel like the “expert” in many situations where you DON’T know what parents already know. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I think tailoring your message to your audience helps a lot. If you’ve got parents whom you suspect already know about phonological awareness and rhyming games, maybe focus a little more on the brain science – they’re less likely to know all of that (heck, I have a master’s degree – and I didn’t know ANY of that until I started working as a librarian!). If you think your audience is parents who are simply struggling to get through the day, maybe offer a little praise for the good things they are doing (like bringing their kids to storytime) and encourage the simple activities, like singing in the car or talking while making dinner.

Here’s how I might (and do) share early literacy messages with parents who may or may not already know what I’m telling them:

  • I like to call the little one-or-two-sentence bits of information “early literacy reminders” instead of tips. That assumes that the parent already knows what you’re telling them – but don’t we all need to be reminded of things every now and then?
  • I try to present my “reminders” in such a way that demonstrates my genuine fascination with the information.
  • I’m always positive and never accusing or “YOU MUST DO THIS” in tone. I prefer to focus on what they already are doing and recognize it. Doesn’t everyone need a little praise, even for the little things?
  • I often tie my “reminder” into something I’m doing – a song, fingerplay, book, etc. For me, it helps me remember what I want to say AND makes it more specific.
  • I try and use humor if possible. I play on what I didn’t know before. If I didn’t know it, I’m pretty sure some of the parents don’t know and can’t we all discover together?
  • I rarely use more than one or two sentences. And never more than 2 “reminders” per storytime.
  • Avoid using the phrases “you should” or “you need to.” I know hearing those things really make me defensive, so why would I say them to other adults?
  • Transitions are a great time to slip in a “reminder.” We’re standing up; we’re passing out scarves; let’s talk about why movement is fun and important!
    • “Grown ups: fingerplays help little guys strengthen their fingers so that later they can hold a pencil and write. Isn’t that cool?
    • “Thank you for bringing your little ones to storytime today! We’re growing brains and when you share books at home you’re doing that too!”
    • “I love seeing how happy the babies are sharing songs with their grownups. Isn’t it neat that happy babies are better learners? You’re helping your baby learn right now!
    • (Before starting a new book): “This is one of my all-time favorite books. I bet your kids have their favorites too and want to hear them all the time! I know it’s not so much fun for grownups to repeat the same book, but it’s great for building literacy skills!
    • “I love to sing and it was so exciting for me to learn that singing helps with learning to read! Singing slows down words so that we can hear all the little sounds. That’s pretty neat!”
    • “Grownups: did you hear the word “insufferable” in that book? We’re growing our kids’ vocabularies when we share books!”

I know that adding early literacy reminders to storytime is a challenging task and can feel unnatural at first. But with practice, it WILL become easier. Trust me. REALLY. I swear. And it’s perfectly okay to plan your reminders in advance and write them on a sticky note or piece of paper. Practice with a colleague if you want some feedback on how something sounds.

In the long run, you’re doing SO MUCH GOOD by sharing this information with families. Even if one parent is bothered that you’ve stopped reading a book for 30 seconds to offer two sentences of brain development goodness, the majority, whether they already know what you’re saying or not, appreciate it.

This is a topic that resonates with a lot of us, so visit the Jbrary blog on Friday, June 19 for a roundup of ALL the “Early Literacy Messages in Action” posts that are happening this week! On twitter you can catch all the posts by following #EarlyLitInAction. You’ll find lots of great suggestions and “reminders” that you can use right away! And please – share your own “best practices” in the comments. I’m sure you’ve got ’em!

Now, GO FORTH AND BE AWESOME, you world-changers, you!

Apologies and Changes

5 Jul

Hello, friends. I’ve been AWOL from this blog for FAR too long, and for that, I apologize.

In March I started a new job as an Early Literacy Senior Specialist in a new library system. I wasn’t looking to leave my old job or library, but this position was too great an opportunity to pass up. Early literacy, especially parent education, is my PASSION, and this position offers the opportunity to have some significant influence in that area. So I left my old job, and almost 14 years at my old library, behind for this new challenge. And it has been challenging, but in a good way.

hoorayWhat this new opportunity means, though, is FAR fewer storytimes. In fact, right now, I’m doing ZERO. I went from performing close to 80 storytimes per month to NONE. Weird, yes, but honestly, I was a bit burned out. I still love children’s picture books, and sharing them with young children, and all the learning that goes along with that, but I needed a break.

So, the bad news is – I have very little new to share, storytime-wise. The GOOD news is – I will be doing storytimes weekly for one preschool classroom starting in the fall as a part of my library’s outreach program, which my department runs. So I will be getting back on the storytime saddle.

The other good news, I hope, is that I am going to give up my other blog, Read Aloud Revolution, which I have also been neglecting, and fold its content into this blog. So Miss Mary Liberry will become not only a storytime blog but also an early literacy blog. I will share ideas that parents can use to get their children engaged in books and reading, as well as general musings on early literacy, brain development, and parent engagement. I hope this continues to be useful to you.

 

I have to share one thing I’m VERY proud of that’s already come out of my new job. My library is a partner in an early literacy advocacy collaborative, and I’m doing a lot of work on the project. In June we finally went live with our website: Earlier is Easier. It contains simple activities for parents to do with their young children organized within the practices READ, TALK, SING, WRITE, PLAY, and LAUGH. Soon we hope to have the funding to market the site and its information to parents via bus ads, billboards, PSAs, etc. – we want to get the message out to all parents of children birth through 3 in the city of Denver! We will also have a social media presence, and…who knows what else. Please feel free to share the website with anyone you think might be interested!

So, changes. And apologies for my absence. Hope you’re still reading!

-Miss Mary

PS:  That book up there? Hooray for Hat? It’s awesome. You should get it.

Job Description

11 Sep

My job, according to a preschooler today: “The one who brings funny things.” That’s about right.

Same class:

Preschooler: “Miss Mary, I have new pants!”

Huzzah!

Penguins and Polar Bears: A Chilly Storytime

22 Jul

It’s been a hot one here in Colorado this summer, so I thought I’d cool things off with a storytime featuring penguins and polar bears. I have a great penguin puppet given to me by a coworker, and he introduces our storytime.

  • Brett, Jan. The Three Snow Bears. A three bears retelling, set among polar bears. 
  • Rodriguez, Edel. Sergio Makes a Splash.
  • Song: Penguins and Polar Bears (in which we learn that they do NOT live in the same place).
  • Ward, Jennifer. Way Up In the Arctic. A story to sing! If we have time, and the group is old enough, we go through the book a second time trying to find the number on each page. I ask the kids to use descriptive words to tell me where the number is, rather than saying “right there!”
  • Flannelboard/fingerplay: 5 Baby Penguins.
  • Munsinger, Lynn. Tacky The Penguin. I mean, come on. The gold standard of penguin books. I adore Tacky.  “WHATS HAPPENING!?”

Other books I love:

  • Barner, Bob. Penguins, Penguins Everywhere. A good option for the younger crowd.
  • Dodd, Emma. I Am Small. Another good one for the youngers, with a nice refrain, “And I am small,” for them to repeat.
  • Portis, Antoinette. A Penguin Story. A penguin goes in search of something that’s not black, white or blue – and finds an Antarctic Science Station!
  • Murphy, Yannick. .
  • Bloom, Suzanne. A Splendid Friend Indeed. Okay, so not a Polar Bear story exactly, but I LOVE his expressions. And Goose’s enthusiasm.

What are you doing to beat the summer heat?

Feelings! Whoa whoa whoa…!

26 Feb

If you sang along while reading that title, you are my new best friend. If not, well, I still like you, but you need to brush up on your cheesy pop tunes of the 70s.

Perfecting a storytime about feelings (or, if you’re fancy, emotions) has been challenging for me. Often the books for kids about

The original Grumpy Bird. From http://cutengrumpy.blogspot.com/

feelings are rather didactic and not so much fun to read. Same with the songs/fingerplays I’ve found. But I’ve whipped one up that seems to be holding on to the kids’ attention, so I thought I would share.

One of my favorite puppets, Frankie the small gorilla, starts things off (mostly because his hands are so big and cover his face adequately). He greets everyone and then covers his eyes. I ask what wrong, and he tells us he’s “feeling sad.” He doesn’t have a reason – he’s just sad. So we decide to read him some stories to try and cheer him up.

  • Willems, Mo. My Friend is Sad. The perfect book to show off your melodrama skills – Gerald the elephant alternately sighs, cries, and is finally euphoric at seeing his friend who has tried so hard to cheer him up.
  • Chodos-Irvine, Margaret. Best Best Friends. Mary and Clare are best BEST friends, until jealous rears its ugly head and makes Clare say things she regrets. But friends can, and do, get mad at each other and still be friends in the end.
  • Activity: “Feelings Faces”. The kids and I make our best sad, mad, scared, surprised, confused, and happy faces.
  • Menchin, Scott. Taking a Bath With the Dog and Other Things that Make Me Happy. Sweet Pea doesn’t have her smile, so she goes asking various random people and animals what makes them happy. The kids helped me by identifying on each page (based on picture clues) what it was that made that person/creature happy. Afterwards, if the group was small enough and there was time, we each named on thing that made us happy. Surprisingly few of the kids mentioned princesses and superheroes, but more often said things like “being with my mom” or “playing with my brother.” Made me happy just hearing them!
  • Tankard, Jeremy. Grumpy Bird. Holy guacamole, I love this book. Bird is grumpy — too grumpy to fly — so decides to take a walk. His friends come along, and invariably change his mood.
  • Song: “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” I play this on the uke, and we get up and do the motions for various feelings:

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
If you’re sad and you know it, say boo hoo (we also wipe our eyes)
If you’re mad and you know it, stomp your feet
If you’re scared and you know it, hide your eyes

Because I like happy best of all, we end by reprising clapping our hands, and maybe jumping up high, and shouting hooray. Yay!

Other books I might use if there’s time or I want to switch things up:

  • Rayner, Catherine. Augustus and His Smile/Augusto y su sonrisa. Augustus tiger has lost his smile. So he sets off on an adventure to find it! The illustrations are GORGEOUS, and it’s available in Spanish too!
  • Hodgkinson, Leigh. Smile! Sunny, like Augustus, has also lost her smile and sets out to find it. She discovers it when she’s not looking for it, but playing a game with the dog.
  • Verroken, Sarah. Feeling Sad. I love the woodcut illustrations, but I don’t think the kids loved this quite as much as I would have liked. It’s pretty low-key. But you might have the right group for it.
  • Emberley, Ed. Glad Monster, Sad Monster. I really wanted to make a felt board of this, but my program copies were out and I never got one in fromt the library! Bummer. Next time.
  • Bang, Molly. When Sophie Gets Angry — Really, Really Angry. A Caldecott Honor Book!
  • Smith, Linda. Mrs. Biddlebox. If only we could all bake our bad day into a cake. Marla Frazee’s illustrations are glorious.

Hope this storytime puts you in a good mood!

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