Budding Bookworms Wanted! Lapsit Story time (1-2 year olds) Topic: St. Patrick's Day

"Spring Into Reading" with a bright and interactive song and dance-filled story time. Welcome to Budding bookworms Lapsit Story time (Mondays a 10), where story time and play time are combined. We'll shake our wiggles out, sing, tell flannel board stories, read a book or two and have loads of fun. We use items such as egg shakers, streamers or bubbles to bring our story time to life. Bring your doll or teddy bear along so they can enjoy this week's story. 

This week's story time topic is St. Patrick's Day. We will bring the story time to life by reading one or two of these books: Lucky Tucker by Leslie McGuirk and A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman.

Here's a little song that will have Irish eyes smiling.

We Are the Leprechauns 

(Tune: Laurie Berkner's "We Are the Dinosaurs")

We are the Leprechauns, dancing, dancing.

We are the Leprechauns, what do you think of that?

We are the Leprechauns, dancing, dancing.

We wear a green hat, we wear a green hat.

And we're bold, we stop and look for gold,

We stop and look for gold, at the end of the rainbow.

Yes, we're feeling bold, we stop and look for gold.

We stop and look gold, then you hear us say...Ahye shamrocks.

We are the Leprechauns, dancing, dancing.

We are the Leprechauns, what do you think of that?

We are the Leprechauns, dancing, dancing.

We wear a green hat, we wear a green hat.

The Board and the Beautiful

Check out the beautiful bulletin boards and displays we've created just for the celebration of America's favorite pastime: reading!

Color Your World Spring Coloring Contest

Add a little color into your life by decorating an egg-cellent egg coloring page. On March 18th, our Color Your World Spring Coloring Contest begins.


Here's how you can enter: Register at the Youth Services Reference desk, pick up a coloring page, and return your completed project by April 18th.


You can use crayons or think of  other creative ways of decorating your coloring page. See the list below for some new and exciting possibilities.


A winner will be chosen from the following categories: 2 yrs, 3-4 yrs. (preschoolers), Kindergartners-1st grade and 2nd-3rd grade.


Each child will receive a prize for their fabulous masterpieces. The grand prize winner from each group will receive a very special surprise. All of the children's artwork will be displayed in the Y.S. department.


Here's a list of some imaginative ways you can decorate your coloring page:

• Markers
• Glitter
• Wet Chalk 
• Pom-Poms
• Buttons
• Stickers
• Stampers 
• Paint 
• Torn Construction or Scrap booking Paper 

Check out the photos below of Our Color Your World Spring Coloring Contest Display and some egg-cellent examples of egg-traordinary artwork:

*For more information please call the Y.S. reference desk at 630-368-7734. Registration is required in order to qualify for this contest. 

Juggling Funny Stories With Chris Fascione

We'll have a ball on Saturday, March 12th at 2 pm when storyteller, actor, and juggler Chris Fascione performs his delightful literature-based performance, "Juggling Funny Stories." Books spring to life as he skillfully acts out stories with a touch of humor, juggling, and miming.  

Chris is classically trained in the performing arts. He received a B.A. in Theater Arts from Connecticut College and the Eugene O'Neil Center. He has created many original shows which are geared to each  audience and allow full participation for all ages. Mr. Fascione has performed at the Taste of Chicago, The Illinois Storytelling Festival, The Chicago Historical Society and many, many libraries, park districts and schools around the country.

Mr. Fascione has been performing for the last 18 years and is well-versed in the art of "clowning around!"

Please try "juggling" your schedule in order to see the multi-talented Chris Fascione "Juggling Funny Stories."

Create Your Own Storytime: March 9th Zoo Story time

Couldn't come to story time today? No need to worry. You can create the experience at home using the story time we did today.

Books 

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

Where's My Mom, by Julia Donaldson

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Movement Activity

Koala Bear

Koala bear, Koala bear, Turn around, (Turn around)

Koala bear, koala bear, Touch the ground (Touch the ground)

Koala bear, koala bear, Dance on your toes (Dance on tip toes)

Koala bear, koala bear, Touch your nose (Touch your nose)

Koala bear, koala bear, Give a little clap, (Clap)

Koala bear, koala bear, Take a nap (Put head on hands like sleeping)

Fingerplay/Song

 The Ity Bitsy Monkey  (Tune: "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider")

The Itsy Bitsy monkey climbed up the coconut tree (Climb up with hands)

Down came a coconut and hit hom on his knee...oww! (Hit hands on knee)

Out came a lion shaking his mighty mand...AND..(Use hands to make mane)

The Itsy Bitsy monkey climbed up the tree again (Climb up with hands)

Song

Sally the Camel (Tune: "Dem Bones)  

Sally the Camel has two humps,
Sally the Camel has two humps,
Sally the Camel has two humps,
so Ride Sally, Ride!
Boom, Boom, boom.

Sally the Camel has one hump,

Sally the Camel has one hump,

Sally the Camel has one hump,

so Ride Sally, ride!

Boom, Boom, Boom.


Sally the Camel has no humps,
Sally the Camel has no humps,
Sally the Camel has no humps
Now Sally is a Horse!

March 9th Story time Topic: Zoo

What a zoo! Join us on March 9th at 4:30 pm when the Reading Robins Preschool Story time topic is  wild about the zoo!

Here's a sneak peek at the Zebra Car Craft  and a fingerplay/song that will really bring the animal out of you!

Fingerplay/Song

Itsy Bitsy Monkey (Tune: "Itsy Bitsy Spider")

The Itsy Bitsy money climbed up the coconut tree (Climb up with hands.)

Down came a coconut and hit him on knee..Oww! (Hit hands on knee.)

Out came and lion shaking his mighty mane...AND...(Use hands to make mane.)

The Itsy Bitsy monkey climbed up the tree again (Climb up with hands.) 

Cruising to the Zoo

*Registration is required so that all children may receive a craft. Please call

the library at 630-368-7700 to register. 

How to Plan a Perfect Story time

So you have to plan a story time and fast? Here are some simple tips to get this story time on the road in no time!


Decide what age group you are trying to gear your story time to. If children are very young, such as preschoolers, you have to read books with simple messages, large, bright pictures, and make sure they are not overly lengthy. With older children such as kindergartners, first, and second graders you will be able to choose books with a more involved storyline and longer length, due to their increased attention span. Always dictate your reading style and length of books to your audience. If you notice the children's attention span is waning, you can always talk about the pictures in the book, shorten the book by quickly describing the ending, or have the children act out certain events in the book such as clapping or jumping.


Choose the location of the program. Children become frazzled in very messy or disorganized environments. Make sure your area is clean, neat and orderly in order to keep misbehavior at bay. If you are trying to lull the children to sleep, the shades should be drawn, lights dimmed and your voice should be calm and soft. For a more boisterous and fun story time, try to alter your voice and its pitch to invoke different voices for your characters. You can give children bells or shakers if there is a scene in the book which calls for a party or a noisy din, and most of all understand that children need to participate in the story time.


Pick out a theme.The easiest way to pick a theme is to work around special days or the time of the year, such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or Fall. Think of popular themes or weather events for the particular time of year or month. If it's spring, topics such as flowers, rain showers, and birds may come to mind.


Pick out developmentally-appropriate books for the children. Even though a book's pictures may seem bright and lively, the content of the book's subject matter may be too mature for the age group you are trying to entertain. Try to avoid overly dark or scary- looking pictures for preschoolers. Try to avoid books with double meanings or catch phrases for the very young. While these books may be appropriate for a second-grader, a preschooler does not have the judgment to differentiate reality from fantasy and may believe the event could actually happen. If you are uncertain about the content of the book, take a quick scan of the pictures, words, and general summary of the story. Is the plot overly complex?, Are the pictures small and nondescript?, Does the author use an overabundance of words on the pages? If you notice any of these occurrences, steer clear of the book. While this book may be great to read to children over a period of days, it is not appropriate to read within most half- hour story time programs.


Choose songs, fingerplays, poems, rhymes, flannel boards  and at least one to two movement activities. Songs should be short, simple and have an easily recognized tune in order to spark a child's interest. Songs that go to familiar early childhood songs or Christmas carols are always big hits. Fingerplays allow the storyteller to use their hands and fingers to act out the actions of the rhyme. An example of a fingerplay is the Eensy, Weensy Spider. Silly rhymes delight young children, especially preschoolers, because they are beginning to grasp the use of language. Action/movement activities provide a quick way for children to regroup or start your program. A great movement activity is one that uses gross motor skills. Gross motor skills include jumping and hopping. Shake Your Sillies Out by Raffi and If You're Happy and You Know It are two wonderful examples of movement activities. Websites such as preschooleducation.com and preschoolexpress.com offer a wonderful variety of songs, fingerplays and movement activities. Flannel boards are a great way to tell a story by using pieces of felt that are cut into various shapes and characters. They can either be produced at home or bought from a supplier. Popular flannel board stories for preschoolers and kindergartners include popular rhymes such as The Three Little Pigs and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. 


Use Props such as puppets, stuffed animals, egg shakers, scarves, bells or streamers to add "life" to your story time.  Why not have your stuffed frog introduce the children to the book you are going to be reading about frogs? or have your rabbit puppet sing that silly song about rabbits. Create egg shakers by filling plastic Easter eggs with rice or buttons (keep the eggs closed by placing duct tape on the egg seam) or dance to your favorite Disney song with scarves or streamers. Bells add a bit of cheer to a movement activity or story. 


Decide what type of craft you would like to create. The considerations that need to be made for planning children's crafts activities  are the difficulty level, the ages of the children, the time you have available to complete the craft and the availability of craft supplies. Very young children need at least 10-15 minutes in order to put together most crafts. Understand preschoolers are just beginning to retain the use of their fine motor skills and will need a little extra help and attention in order to accomplish even a simple craft. Glue sticks are the easiest and least messy way to glue construction paper shapes or other crafts together. Kindergartners through second graders will have an easier time with more advanced crafts which ask for multiple steps. For the most part most, story time crafts for all ages are kept quite simple. The craft is meant as an activity to create a concrete element to the story time. It acts as a memento for the child to remember the events and theme that were expressed during the session. The most available craft supplies are glue, construction paper, glitter, crayons, markers, stickers, paint and craft foam. Simple crafts that utilize cut out shapes to create objects such as flowers and collages work well with the very young. Understand that young children's artwork will often times not resemble the sample you created. Young children are more concerned with the process of the art, not that the project is perfect or looks beautiful. 


End Your Story time with a Good-bye song in order to get children into a routine. Routines are extremely important for children. It alerts them that there is a time and place for everything, since they do not understand the concept of time. When we sing the good-bye song, they know that story time is ending and it is time to go home. Blowing bubbles while singing the song adds excitement and some extra fun.

The number one thing to remember when planning a story time is to relax and take a breather. Often times, we can get so wrapped up in the process we forget to have fun and roll with the punches. Story time is a great way to release your energy and act like a big kid! If you put a smile on your face and believe in your abilities all will go over smoothly. 

Also, remember we all make mistakes and story time is a learning process. Once you have gotten the hand of it, it becomes second nature. Children are more interested in the idea that someone is taking the time to read them a book and sing some fun songs. 

Budding Bookworms Wanted! Lapsit Story time (1-2 year olds) Topic: The Zoo

 "Spring Into Reading" with a bright and interactive song and dance-filled story time. Welcome to Budding Bookworms Lapsit Story time (Mondays at 10 am), where story time and play time are combined. We'll shake our wiggles out, sing, tell flannel board stories, read a book or two and have loads of fun. We use items such as egg shakers, streamers or bubbles to bring our story time to life. Bring your doll or teddy bear along so they can enjoy this story.

This week's story time topic is the zoo. We will bring the story time alive by reading one or two of these books: Hop! Plop! by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett.

It's a zoo out there! Here's a fun song to sing!

Sally The Camel  (Tune: "Dem Bones")

Sally the Camel has two humps,

Sally the Camel has two humps,

Sally the Camel has two humps,

so Ride Sally, Ride!
Boom, Boom, Boom.

Sally the Camel has one hump,

Sally the Camel has one hump,

Sally the Camel has one hump,

so Ride Sally Ride!

Boom, Boom, Boom.

Sally the Camel has no hump,

Sally the Camel has no humps,

Sally the Camel has no humps,

Now Sally is a Horse!!

Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord

This hamster has a hankering to put the pedal to the metal in this speedy tale by Cynthia Lord. Hamster's junkyard friends help him build the fastest hot rod for an upcoming race at 4 Paws Speedway. Children will squeal with delight in making decisions between types of cars, wheels, and custom paint jobs with the "Which would you choose?" questions Watch this lightning fast hamster race to the finish in Hot Rod Hamster.

Pink Me Up by Charise Mericle Harper

I am currently in the process of revamping this blog. I am placing all my book reviews by date within the "Book Reviews" section of this site.

Please see the March 2, 2011 Pink Me Up post under the tab "Book Reviews". 

Thank you for visiting the Oak Brook Public Library Blog!