Story Window Storytime Blog: March 2007

Peek inside for storytime ideas! Wilmette Librarians share suggestions for age-appropriate books, rhymes, songs, and crafts.

March 21, 2007

Animal Fun
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)

Children enjoy farms and so do I. Farm animals are cute and amusing. My favorite animal is the pig. In the big book Pig Gets Stuck, by Heather Amery, an adorable pig leaves its pen and manages to eat different farm animals' food. Due to this overeating escapade, he gets stuck in a fence and looks very silly. A mother swan hatches an egg in the beautiful book , Whose Chick Are You?, by Nancy Tafuri. The little chick asks the various animals who it belongs to. The children enjoyed making the animal sounds. Tafuri is a popular writer for this age group. My storytime kids are constantly mastering many new self-help skills, on the path to growing up. I Can Do It Too! , by Karen Baicker is about a little girl who shows us her attempts to do everyday activities, such as pouring juice or dressing herself. We all felt hungry as I did the flannelboard story "Hey you, don't eat that food."

Posted by Sue at 9:50 AM | TrackBack

March 12, 2007

Driving Time
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)

Children love to identify vehicles, especially the fast moving types. Who Is Driving?, by Leo Timmers, is a fun look at the pleasures of driving which also includes color identification. Children like to sing the classic song "Wheels on the Bus" and Wheels on the Race Car , by Alexander Zane uses this song with some fun changes as various animals race their cars around the track. The suspense builds until dog wins the race and a trophy as well. We all enjoyed singing this new version together. Eating cookies baked by mom and grandma, and sharing them with friends, is the really nice theme of the big book The Doorbell Rang , by Pat Hutchins. Mother Goose magnets are always fun for the children who recognize most of the songs from our storytimes!

Posted by Sue at 7:03 PM | TrackBack

March 8, 2007

Pocket Storytime
(For 2.5-3.5 Year Olds)

Pockets are a source of fascination for young children. I remember when I was seven years old, I had a pair of red corduroy pants with seven pockets. I thought they were the best thing ever! And the interesting thing about pockets is, even if they're empty, the moment you put your hand in to check -- they're no longer empty!

After our survey of pockets in the room, we read the following books:

- Peter's Pockets, by Eve Rice ; illustrations by Nancy Winslow Parker. Peter has no pockets for his treasures, until mother intervenes. An older book, but still somehow hits the spot.

- Joey, by Jack Kent. Another oldie but goodie. Mother Kangaroo doesn't want Joey to get lost, so he invites over all his friends. How was Mother to know they'd also bring their stereos, TVs, and musical instruments? I think the humor of this one was lost on the younger children; I'd save it for the older preschool crowd.

- A Pocket for Corduroy, by Don Freeman. Everyone still loves Corduroy. Alone in the laundromat (another topic for discussion -- what is a laundromat?!), he searches for a pocket. This is a pretty long story for this age group, so an aerobic action rhyme or song beforehand is a good idea.

For our craft, I borrowed my coworkers' idea of punching holes in unneeded library book pockets (the kind glued in the front cover) and knotting a piece of yarn to each one to make a necklace. The kids decorated their new "pockets" and tucked a card with their name inside -- just like Corduroy!

Posted by Lisa at 4:44 PM | TrackBack

March 5, 2007

Bedtime Storytime
(For 2.5-3.5 Year Olds)

I admit that I was slow to recognize the irony in trying to do a rousing morning storytime about, um, bedtime. I'm still searching for the perfect combination of activities, but last week we did pretty well with the following books:

- Cowboy Baby, by Sue Heap - Cowboy Baby doesn't want to sleep, but Sheriff Pa's got a special surprise for him. Cute pictures, and though the story is quiet and simple, the kids were fascinated.

- Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, by Mo Willems. I made a "NO" sign and asked the kids to yell "No!" when I held it up at appropriate times during the story. It was more successful with the older kids (3.5-4 years old) than the younger ones, but if you have a few of the older ones they can produce the volume to carry it through...

- Tiger Can't Sleep, by S.J. Fore; illustrated by R.W. Alley. What a funny story that seems to appeal to a wide preschool age range! There's a tiger in the closet, making all kinds of noises such that the little boy can't sleep. Sound effects galore that got everyone giggling!

We also sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", each holding up our felt stars which we then put up on our black flannel board and counted together. A great way to get a head count, and, of course, wonderful counting practice -- especially with those large groups!

Posted by Lisa at 5:08 PM | TrackBack

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