Most Memorable Moments Spent at the Oak Brook Public Library

As my last day as a Youth Services Assistant at the library approaches, I've been reminiscing on the many programs and opportunities that I was able to either develop or partake in during my time spent at the library.

Storytime Children's Favorite Storytime Books (In no particular order) 
The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn
A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Little Miss Liberty by Chris Robertson

Most Memorable Storytime 
My Statue of Liberty Storytime rocked the house earlier this year! I couldn't believe how excited both my toddler and preschool storytime kids loved jamming to Neil Diamond's "America" and creating torches and foam crowns. This made this "New York Girl's" heart swell with pride.

Most Memorable Storytime Moments 
When children didn't want to go home at the end of storytime because they were having so much fun.

When little ones would jump for joy at the chance to put a flannelboard piece on the board to complete our flannelboard rhyme or tale.

When shy children would finally feel comfortable coming up to the flannelboard and talking to Miss Jennifer about the books.

Favorite Youth Services Assistant Duties 
Creating programming for toddler and preschool-age children and (of course, conducting these programs!) There is never anything more exhilarating then seeing a child so engrossed with a story, simple craft, and soapy bubbles.

Writing this blog. As you can see by my incredibly wordy blog posts, I love to write.

Reading picture books and YA novels.

Lessons I Learned from Storytime 
Don't always rely on classic children's music for movement activities. Let children listen to a variety of musical genres including disco, ethnic music, oldies, marching band music, etc. By using different forms of musical expression you will be developing their musicality and interest in music (instead of pigeon-holing them in kid's only tunes.

Use props to add interest to your program. Props will add a lively flair to any storytime. Some of my favorite props were streamers, scarves, and children's musical instruments.

Just because a storytime worked for one person doesn't mean it will work for you. There have been a few storytime activities that looked great on paper, but just didn't jive with the kids. Storytime is a continuing learning experience and when you find the perfect combination stick with it.

When in doubt go Disney. Disney songs are always a hit. They are perfect for transitioning to other activities and provide great background music for craft time.

Transitioning is key. Make sure you have at least one opening and closing song you sing every week. By using an opening and closing song, you are teaching the children to understand the beginning and ending of storytime (temporal concepts).

Enjoy every moment of storytime and don't worry about being perfect or making a mistake. The kids will love you even if you stumbled over a word in a story or clapped your hands instead of stomped your feet during "If You're Happy and You Know It" (mind you, this never happened to me (smile). Just remember to always be yourself!

Never underestimate the power of bubbles. These soapy little wonders are like magic to toddlers and preschoolers. They can imagine they are dinosaurs stomping on the bubbles, you can describe the "rainbow colors" seen in the bubbles, and the children can catch the bubbles in their hands like world-class baseball stars.

Very young children (toddlers) can definitely make beautiful crafts. During their first storytime crafts you may want to leave extra time such as (15 minutes or more) for a craft. Simple 2 to 3 piece pasting projects work best. Try to describe to the children that glue sticks are just like big, sticky crayons. Show your children how to gently rub the glue onto the paper. Remember, you  may even have to take their hands (with the glue stick) and help them glide it across the paper the first few times. This will make the entire gluing concept easier to understand. I promise with a little patience and plenty of practice your kids will be crafting dynamos.

Things Miss Jennifer Would Like Her Storytime Kids to Know 
Never lose that wonderful carefree spirit of childhood, you are perfect the way you are.

Reach for the stars and follow your dreams.

Reading is the key to knowledge.

Miss Jennifer will never forget you. How could she forget how awesome you all were and are?

Most Memorable Storytime/Literacy Quotes
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more place you'll go." - Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"


"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." - Jacqueline Kennedy

"Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read." - Marilyn Jager Adams

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." - Emilie Buchwald

(Source: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/fun/quotable/)

Thank You Oak Brook and the Many Library Patrons for Making My Time Spent at the Library Extraordinary!

I would like to thank the Village of Oak Brook for allowing me the chance to spend over two years devising programming, blogging, doing research and finding quality literature for the juvenile, teens and adult patrons of Oak Brook. 


Through my work in the Youth Services Department, I was able to deepen children's knowledge and wonder of the written word through movement activities, flannelboards, and games which brought books to life during my toddler and preschool storytimes. Every moment spent working with the children was pure joy and will be greatly missed as my journey into an Early Childhood teaching career begins. 


I would like to thank the library director, Sue Madorin, for encouraging me to pursue my early childhood education career by taking online courses. 


There have been many organizations within the village that have been such a pleasure to work with and have made my Youth Services programs come to life including the Oak Brook Fire Department, Oak Brook Park District and the Oak Brook Garden Club. 


I would like to thank Bob Robertson of the Oak Brook Fire Department for his exceptional storytelling and safety demonstration during my Fireman Storytime. Fireman Robertson has a true gift for gearing educational content to audiences of every age, which made this storytime both enjoyable and memorable to myself and our youngest patrons. 


To Trupti Vyas of the Oak Brook Park District  who brought the magical beauty and dance of India to the library through her Passport to India presentation. Ms. Vyas's effervescence and knowledge of her culture brought depth and meaning to this spellbinding program. 


The last organization I would like to thank is the Oak Brook Garden Club whose members put together a hands-on gardening program that made the children want to learn about the loveliness of nature. These organizations and individuals exemplify the high-quality of Oak Brook employees and clubs. 


To the children of my storytimes and of Oak Brook, Miss Jennifer was so honored to be able to create programming and choose books and crafts which increased your love of reading and helped develop your creativity. 


I will always remember your laughter, sweet words and adorable faces which were the highlight of my days. Without you, there would be no need for a Youth Services Department at all. You are all such an inspiration and I will miss all of you greatly.


Lastly, I would like to thank all the storytime parents and those who supported me through my student teaching and college coursework. I am so grateful that you gave me the opportunity to sing, read, and encourage your children to love literature as much as I do. Your support meant the world to me and pushed me to be the best "student teacher" and storytime leader I could be. 


I would like to announce that I have decided to enter the exciting field of Early Childhood Education by becoming the Lead Toddler/Twos Teacher at a center in the Chicagoland area. This position is a dream come true because it will allow me to interact with children all day long! 


I will be able to sing silly songs, dance upbeat dances, and play with finger paints to my hearts content while educating the doctors, lawyers, and teachers of the future. 


Thank You!
Jennifer Hatcher 
Oak Brook Public Library Youth Services Assistant 

Tasty Treats from Across the Pond: English Trifle

The Olympics are underway in the historically beautiful country of England! Why not learn about the epicurean delights of this country by sampling a delicious trifle?

 The trifle is a common dessert created by stacking a variety of items on top of each other within a compote bowl. Typical ingredients include lady finger cookies, whipped cream, and fresh fruit. Why not make this English specialty at home with your kids by using the following easy-to-make recipes. 

http://www.coolinstructographics.com/diy-rainbow-trifles-recipe-instructographic/

http://lajollamom.com/2012/01/kids-recipes-no-bake-banana-pudding-trifle-cream-pie-dessert/

http://www.dessertrecipesforkids.org/easy-dessert-recipes-for-kids

With a Moo Moo Here and a Baa Baa There: Spotlight on the Dupage County Fair (July 25-29)

The first county fair I had ever gone to was the homespun and lovely DuPage County Fair in Wheaton, Illinois. The aromas of freshly spun cotton candy, buttery popcorn, hot dogs and hamburgers made my mouth water and the exhibits featuring livestock such as cows and sheep left me breathless with excitement.

The reason I love county fairs is because they remind us of the time when the majority of the country was rural and relied on the land and livestock as their main source of income. County fairs allowed farmers and townspeople alike to assemble and show off their ingenuity, excellent home cooking, beautiful sewing and farming skills.

These hardworking individuals toiled for hours perfecting their apple pie recipes, sheep shearing skills, tomato growing techniques, and so on, in order to participate in this illustrious yearly competition. Oftentimes, these determined individuals eagerly awaited the results of contests such as Best Jam or Largest Watermelon with bated breath for who would win the blue ribbon. The joy, happiness and competitive spirit in the air was palpable and the winner was often front page news of the local paper!

To commemorate the DuPage County Fair and its commitment and history, I have created a book display titled Come on Down to the Fair! to entice readers to learn about this nostalgic American classic.

You can also visit the DuPage County Fair this week (July 25-29) and make fond memories such as my own with your entire family!

See What's Happening at the DuPage County Fair: http://www.dupagecountyfair.org/

We're Counting Down the Days to the Olympics! Olympic Sports Book Display

I've  decided to design  the following Olympic Sports book display just as the excitement of the Olympics reaches full fervor and the athletes and fans arrive in London in wild anticipation of the Opening Games! Below you will find a wide range of the many sporting events that will be seen around the world during this monumental event, such as volleyball, Judo, equestrian feats, and trampolining (gymnastics).

Miss Jennifer's Reading is So Delicious (Snickerdoodles Toddler and Cutie Pies Preschool) Storyimes are Ending This Week!

I had several helpings of delicious storytimes during my Reading is So Delicious Summer Snickerdoodles Toddler and Cutie Pies Preschool Storytimes. My toddler storytimes ended today. I will be holding my final Cutie Pies Preschool Storytime tomorrow and Wednesday afternoon.

Below you will find the ending dates for Miss Theresa's and Miss Mandy's savory storytimes.

Scooper Dupers for Kindergartners, First and Second Graders will group together with Miss Theresa on Monday, July 23rd and Friday, July 27th.

Sweet and Sassy Stories for Ages 5-8 meets with Miss Mandy
Thursday, July 26th

Miss Jennifer's Grocery Store Storytime Template

Introduction
Showed children a picture of the shopping cart from the shopping cart sizing flannelboard (below) and asked the children if they had ever gone to the grocery store with their mommy/nanny/grandma etc. I then told them that after their moms/nannies etc. buy the groceries they are put in grocery bags which they bring home. This was a perfect introduction to my opening bagging groceries by the items written on the grocery list activity.

Grocery List Game

Introduced the game by telling the children that after we pay for our groceries, we have a person called a bagger, bag our groceries so that we can bring them home. I told the children that they were were going to make believe they were baggers. I then read the items off the grocery list pictured. After I read the name of a item off of the list, the children placed that item in the bag pictured. I used plastic play food for most of the items.

Just a sampling of some of the tasty groceries on our list!

 Books Read

Adventures of a Cow Too by Cow

Too Many Pears by Jackie French

Flannelboard

Today's flannelboard was called The Vegetable Man. This flannelboard story can be found on page 235 of The Best of Totline Flannelboards written and compiled by Kathleen Cubley.

Optional Flannelboard: Grocery Carts Sizing Game

I was going to use the following flannelboard game for this storytime, but decided to use the previous flannelboard instead.

Source of Grocery Carts Sizing Game: http://www.kidsparkz.com/supermarket.html.

Craft
Grocery Store Bag

Beyond Harry Potter:Very English Reads for Kids and Teens

As the London Olympics draw near, I have been creating book displays which show many aspects of English culture, history and literature. This book display will center on books whose plots are set in England.

Teen Fiction
Smack by Melvin Burgess (YA Burgess)
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier (YA Gier)
Raven's Gate: Book One of the Gatekeeper by Anthony Horowitz (YA Horowitz)
Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer (YA Meyer)
The Other Side of Truth by Bevery Naidoo (YA Naidoo)
Westminster Abby by Micol Ostow (YA Ostow)
I Conquer Britain by Dyan Sheldon (YA Sheldon)
Montmorency on the Rocks by Eleanor Updale (YA Updale)

Juvenile Fiction
The Traitors' Gate by Avi (J Avi)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (J Doyle)
One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson (J Ibbotson)
Redwall by Brian Jacques (J Jacques)
The Tail of Emily Winsnap by Liz Kessler (J Kessler)
Charlotte in London by Joan MacPhail Knight  (J Knight)
Resurrection Men by T.K. Welsh (J Welsh)

Children's Picture Book
A Walk in London by Salvatore Rubino (JE Rubino)

Miss Jennifer's Picture Book Parade for August is On My Way to the Bath by Sarah Maizes

Wild imaginations reign in the pages of On My Way to the Bath by Sarah Maizes where you will find a quirky, spritely little redhead whose dislike for baths causes her mind to wander. As her mother kindly chides her to bath time in graphic-novel style word balloons, the girl continues her mission by creating an uproarious array of situations, characters and animals in a quest to ignore that darned bath. She’ll slither like a snake, become a world-class gymnast and even sing like diva as her bath time adventure continues. After “getting her feet wet" in the cursed bath her imagination soars to new heights. This story's delightfully bubbly conclusion will “wash” away the blues and make children want to go on their own bath time expeditions. Make sure to enjoy this squeaky clean tale that can’t be beat!

Let's Go to the Grocery Store! July 23rd Snickerdoodles Toddler and July 24th and 25th Cutie Pies Preschool Storyimes Grocery Bag Craft

Let's rush to the store and buy an armful of groceries! The following is the craft for the July 23rd Snickerdoodles Toddler Storytime and July 24th and 25th Cutie Pies Preschool Storytimes.

Please see my July 16th post on the July 23rd Snickerdoodles Toddler Storytime and July 24th and 25th Cutie Pies Preschool Storytimes for complete details on all the exciting activities we will be conducting during these grocery-themed storytimes!

We took a "trip" to the Little Sprouts' Grocery Store for the freshest foods around! (Label created through clipart from Microsoft Publisher)

Open up the flap on the other side to see the groceries we bought!

What a grocery bonanza!