Howdy I'm slightly horrified by two things. One - That tomorrow is the first day of October. Two - My Cosplay Halloween Party is in a month. Enjoy these popular posts from September while I go quietly freak out. Meme Me
Howdy I love Blogger but I don't think it's search feature is all that reliable. To make it easier to find preplanned storytimes and to see upcoming storytimes, I've made a Storytimes page available from the right hand menu. If you still can't find what you are looking for, perhaps something you thought you'd seen a while back, just comment on any post and I'll help you hunt. Also if you see a note or reference to another blogger, website or artist that you think is wrong, vague or inaccurate enough really not give the appropriate amount of credit please get out your lifeguard whistle and give me a head's up on this. I really appreciate all the librarians, teachers and educators who have taken the time to create great storytime components and then taken the extra step to share them online for those of us, ahem me, who are short on inspiration or time, or both. I don't want to sell anyone short. Laura
Howdy When I was unemployed I spent a lot of time wistfully reading library blogs and pinning storytime ideas on Pinterest. I now have a job and the time to create the wonderful things I've been reading about and seeing online. A post I bookmarked ages ago was Early Literacy Storytime: Song Cube from the Blog Mel's Desk. She says "Inspiration for this idea came from Andrea’s (RovingFiddlehead KitLit) Song Spinner and the “Storytime 911 Shuffle Mix” at Storytiming." I have no idea where the original idea for this storytime song and rhyme randomizer came from but some of these posts starting showing up in blogs well over 5 years ago. I think it's about time I got with the program. Ta Da! I made my own Tune Cube or Song Cube or however you like to call this large single dye covered in song and rhyme prompts. Basically you use it in storytime to introduce a new activity in an exciting way that also helps involve the kids even more. You can encourage the children to guess what side the box might land on. You can see if they remember what you did last week. I purposefully labeled my Tune Cube so that each side had a prominent color so we could cram another concept into the play. Storytimes start up again after Labor Day so I will report back on the response I get from the kids and their parents.
My Song Box or Tune Cube feature the following songs:
I'm a Little Teapot (with a clever addition I learned online)
I'm a little teapot short and stout. Here is my handle.
Here is my spout. When I get all steamed up, Hear me shout! Just tip me over And pour me out
I'm a clever teapot, yes it's true. Here's an example of what I can do. I can turn my handle to a spout. Just tip me over and pour me out Itsy Bitsy Spider (repeat with a great big hairy spider and baby spider) The itsy-bitsy spider Climbed up the water spout Down came the rain And washed the spider out Out came the sun And dried up all the rain And the itsy-bitsy spider Climbed up the spout again
Alphabet Song
♫ A, B, C, D, E, F, G H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P Q, R, S, T, U, V W, X, Y, and Z Now I know my ABCs. Next time won't you sing with me? ♫
Soap
I love this song. It earworms me all the time. I did rearrange the lyrics so that they rhyme.
oh soap soap
you gotta wash your hands with soap soap
you gotta wash your face with soap soap
you gotta wash your nose with soap soap soap
oh soap soap
you gotta wash your tummy with soap soap
you gotta wash your knees with soap soap
you gotta wash your toes with soap soap soap
Five Little Peas Five little peas in a pea pod pressed. (hold fists in front of you with your knuckles pressed together) 1 grew, 2 grew and so did all the rest (on one hand pull one finger out of the fist at a time as you count up) They grew and they grew (begin to pull hands apart) And they did not stop (hands are as wide apart as possible now) Until one day, that pod went, Pop! (Clap hands loudly)
This Little Piggy This little piggy went to market, This little piggy stayed home, This little piggy had roast beef, This little piggy had none, And this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home.
Howdy I don't like to assume things. I will never forget being at a youth services seminar as a freshly minted librarian. I felt desperately out of place. I was trying hard to look and act more knowledgable than I felt. The speaker said "well now we've all read Whirligig," and she moved on to other things. I had to sit there with my squirmy self. I was unable to admit that I hadn't read the book and that I didn't even know the author. I was miserable at my unfamiliarity with the book and my inability to articulate what I needed. I made a note and resolved to find this sacred text I had some how missed in graduate school. I later read Whirligig by Paul Fleischman and also Seedfolks. I am glad to have been led to such good fiction but I wish I didn't have to be shamed into learning. A wise adult told me once that "when you assume, you make an a** out of you and me." While this idea might not be safe for work, it certainly gets the point across. Misinformation is a terrible foundation for communication. I am working on a page of Online Resources. It's all sorts of handy stuff for storytimes, youth programs, employment and management. Its a pretty broad swath so I'll pull out some highlights for you. Ask a Manager - I swear I read this for fun. If you have a question about your boss or employees. If you want to know about salary and timecards and interview etiquette, you should bookmark this website. You will love the facebook page for quick updates. It's like Dear Abby or Ann Landers for the employment world. Not all the scenarios are library related but we work with people and people issues are universal. You will find a common thread here.
Jbrary - I love scarves, egg shakers and bean bags. Guess who else does? Jbrary does! I think they are more excited about my storytimes than I am. They have an awesomely diversified social media presence so you can learn however you like. I can honestly say I use at least one of their ideas in every Preschool storytime I do. I am hoping for more parachute ideas. *pretty please* Be sure to check out their Blogroll with many other online resources for youth services.
KCLS - This is the YouTube channel for The King County Library System of King County, Washington. They are adorable. Not sure you can list that on a resume but hey there are worse traits to have. Can you carry a tune and be instantly engaging? If not these YouTube videos are right up your alley. I get frustrated when I read a rhyme or song and I think "well maybe you think that's to the tune of America the Beautiful but I just cannot make that work." KCLS will help you out. I really appreciate that they will sing, dance to and just plain demonstrate the entire rhyme or song.
Sunflower Storytime - This is a really comprehensive blog. It's well organized and a has a lot fun things to offer from preplanned storytimes on a variety of themes, to hands on crafts and other activities. I actively subscribe to page updates via email and I have a ton of the emails archived for later dates to help me stay ahead on my planning. I am madly in love with the printables, which are super sharp and reproduce nicely. I really appreciate the school age ideas, they always give me a nudge in the right direction. Storytimes to Go and More - This closed Facebook group is a wealth of knowledge. While that might sound corny, it can be a relief to know that the answers are out there. Sometimes I just need to talk to other Youth Libs. Maybe I have a question about behavior in storytime, or how to train my brain to finally remember this week's rhyme. Better minds have walked these trails before so why not benefit from the experience of others when you know there is an easier way. Personally I like to beat my head against a wall at first but once I'm ready to ask for help, this group is always there for me. Storytime Underground - If I were the President of Storytime and I had a cabinet of librarians to inspire me they would be The Storytime Underground. Half the time I'm not even sure what sort of program to do next and before you can say Ram-a Lamb- a ding dong, I have more ideas than my Pinterest boards can accommodate. I find this group to be highly motivated and very encouraging. In moments of stress and weakness, I enjoy the camaraderie of the highly caffeinated Storytime Underground. Enjoy!
Howdy I was rather delighted to see that my blog, One for the Books, received a shout out in the blog Bryce Don't Play. In her latest blog post, Awesome New-To-Me Blogs, Bryce recounts 9 librarians who write about programing, storytimes, STEAM, STEM, professional issues and of course they cover a broad swath of book reviews. With her educational background, this twice degreed librarian is both encouraging and humbling. Which is super important since her resume can make most other CVs look a tad paltry. For bite sized morsels from library land be sure to follow Bryce on Twitter; right after you subscribe to her blog of course. I really appreciate being featured in this article along with 8 other highly motivated, busy bodies whom I hope I can meet some day. Scampers away to think about writing her own favorite blogs to follow post. Laura
Howdy
Howdy
My Song Box or Tune Cube feature the following songs:
The itsy-bitsy spider
Five Little Peas 
This Little Piggy
Storytimes to Go and More - This closed Facebook group is a wealth of knowledge. While that might sound corny, it can be a relief to know that the answers are out there. Sometimes I just need to talk to other Youth Libs. Maybe I have a question about behavior in storytime, or how to train my brain to finally remember this week's rhyme. Better minds have walked these trails before so why not benefit from the experience of others when you know there is an easier way. Personally I like to beat my head against a wall at first but once I'm ready to ask for help, this group is always there for me.
Howdy