Miss Jennifer’s Storytime Potpourri!

For our last storytime of the year (sniff sniff), I chose some of my favorite stories and songs. We hope to see everyone at our “Get Creative at Your Library” summer program. We have all sorts of fun performers coming to do shows: music, petting zoo, puppets and more. Flyers with more information are available at the library, and registration starts Monday, June 8th. Our schedule and registration dates for our fall storytimes are still being determined. I’ll make sure to post more as soon as I know! I’ll probably do some blog postings and restructuring over the summer, too. Thanks, everyone for another wonderful storytime year!

Stories Shared:
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (Flannel patterns can be purchased through Artfelt.)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Do You Love Me? by Joost Elffers

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Storytime Rhymes Sheet):
Open, Shut Them
Five Little Sausages
I’m a Little Teapot
Tony Chestnut

Bonus Song:
Silly Hat Song
(Tune: This Old Man)
On my head, I wear my hat.
It is such a silly hat
That my head will wiggle waggle to and fro
Where else can my silly hat go?
[Repeat using foot, elbow and knee.]

Flannel:
Little Mouse, Little Mouse, Are you in the [insert color] house?
(Underneath different colored flannel houses, I place different flannel animals. Using a cat puppet, we go in search of the mouse flannel…)

Music:
Carole Peterson: Sticky Bubble Gum and Other Tasty Tunes (I am a Fine Musician)

The Little Red Hen

Who will help me tell these chicken stories??? Last Saturday, I did some traditional storytelling for a family audience over at our Buena Vista Library. The kids had a blast helping me act out and participate in various chicken stories. I have a special partiality to chicken stories, so this was an “egg-cellent” treat for me as well. And, I got to exercise my “oral storytelling” muscle! There are a couple of pictures from the event posted on my flickr page (Programs for Older Kids).

Intro Music: Chicken Dance

Opening Song: Let Everyone Clap Hands with Me (Pete Seeger)

Story #1: “Book! Book! Book!” (This is a well-loved librarian anecdote about a chicken that comes into the library. One version, “The Well-Read Frog” can be found in Margaret Read MacDonald’s Three Minute Tales. There is also a picture book, Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss that expands this tale.)

Story #2: “The Little Red Hen” (This is a traditional folktale, possibly of Russian-origin. Children dressed up and acted out the parts. I used a singing refrain from storyteller Heather Forest’s sound recording Sing Me a Story.)

Story #3: “Poule and Roach” (This is a Louisiana French tale about a chicken who marries a cockroach. One version can be found in Margaret Read MacDonald’s Celebrate the World. I was also inspired by storyteller Priscilla Howe’s recording “Poule and Blatt” on her cd Chickens! and Other Stories for Young Children.)

Song: “Barnyard Gate” (This is a traditional song that I learned by listening to Pete Seeger recordings. The children used puppets and made the appropriate animal sounds.)

Story #4: “Henny Penny” (This is an old fable with African origins, also known as “Chicken Little” or “The Sky is Falling”. Children dressed up and acted out the parts. I was partially inspired by a version I watched on You Tube from the TV-series Golden Girls.)

Movie: “The Wise Little Hen” (Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club—Week One)

My Dad

We won’t be having storytimes during the Father’s Day (we’re off for the summer), so I thought that we’d do some stories about daddies. I hope that everyone comes next week for our last storytime of the year–we will have lots of fun (as always)!

Stories Shared:
Daddies Give You Horsey Rides by Abby Levine
What Daddies Do Best by Laura Numeroff
My Dad by Anthony Browne
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle (Story pattern here.)

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Storytime Rhymes Sheet–Spring 2009):
Sometimes
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Five Little Monkeys
Five Little Sausages
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Open, Shut Them
Stretching Fun

Music:
Sharon, Lois & Bram: Great Big Hits
Me and My Bean Bag (Take that Bean Bag)

Mothers Love Us!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mommas out there!

Stories Shared:
Does a Kangaroo Have A Mother, Too? By Eric Carle
Whose Baby Am I? by John Butler (Story Pattern here.)
I Love My Mommy Because… by Laurel Porter-Gaylord
Lots of Moms by Shelley Rotner

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Storytime Rhymes Sheet–Spring 2009):
Open, Shut Them
Where is Thumbkin?
Tony Chestnut
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Five Little Monkeys
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Music:
Dr. Jean & Friends (Mother Goony Bird)

For All Our Friends

Today’s storytime was all about FRIENDS! I am so happy to have lots of storytime friends come visit me every week. The more we get together, the happier we’ll be!

Stories Shared:
Being Friends by Karen Beaumont
Little Quack’s New Friend by Lauren Thompson
Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Storytime Rhymes Sheet–Spring 2009):
Where is Thumbkin?
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Tony Chestnut
Old MacDonald
Open, Shut Them
Stretching Fun

Bonus Song:
“Five Little Ducks” (Lyrics and melody can be found here.)
(Flannel set available through Artfelt.)

Music:
Raffi: Singable Songs for the Very Young
Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes (Silly Dance Contest)