Friday, October 23, 2015

Guerilla Storytime Recap - 2015 OLC Convention and Expo

On October 9, 2015, over twenty librarians gathered together during the last session of the OLC Convention and Expo in Cincinnati, Ohio to participate in a Guerrilla Story Time.  What is Guerrilla Story Time you ask?  Call it a program, advocacy, or a movement of awesomeness, Guerrilla Story Time was conceived by the Joint Chiefs at Story Time Underground and is spreading across North America.  Please check out their website for more.  We thank them for permission and guidance as we brought G.S. to the OLC for our first time.  Library Village, along with a bunch of our new best friends, spent a fun filled hour discussing all things story time.  The hour flew by as the conversation didn't stop for a minute.   Hopefully everyone who participated left with a few new ideas!  We know we did.


By the way, have you ever heard of a CANJO?  Yep - we talked about that too!  You'll have to read on to learn about that one.  We almost had a hard time keeping up with the great ideas; but here we go with the recap of our first Guerilla Storytime.



Question #1: What do you do when a parent won't respond to their kid's disruptive/inappropriate behavior? Act it out.


  • Being direct is best policy.
  • Be kind.
  • Stop storytime and ask where the child's adult is.
  • Do some housekeeping before you start storytime.  Ask adults for help and remind them that it is okay to leave.
  • Talk to the adult afterwards.  Remember to use loving body language.

Question #2: When planning storytime, how do you ensure the space and activities are accessible to participants with physical limitations?

(Although we didn't quite answer this question, some good ideas were discussed about how to set up the room for the best possible parent/child interactions during storytime.)


  • Get rid of the chairs.  Parents will need to sit with their child.
  • No second row of chairs.  Parents do not participate as well from the second row.
  • Create a half moon with your chairs.
  • For crafts, keep tables folded flat on the floor.  This will help with direct parent interaction.

Question #3: How do you make transitions between activities manageable for kids, esp. sensory storytime? Act it out.


  • Transition songs.
  • Positive reinforcement. Great job!
  • Offer activities after storytime.
  • Put items in a bag or blanket. Say good-bye!
  • Sing, "If you want to hear a story, clap your hands." (To the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It")
  • Let them keep the shaker, ribbon, etc.  If only a couple children have problems parting with a prop, it may be better to let it go.  (insert earworm.. you're welcome!) Mom will usually be able to deal with it and return it to you shortly.  
  • Ask kids to give the item to a puppet.  (Shout out to Reggie the puppet!)
  • Take three deep breaths with hands up.
  • Make your voice quiet.  
  • Use eye contact.
  • Ask for hands to be in laps.
  • Teach the yoga move, Dragon's Breath.  Place two fingers on your mouth, take three breaths in, and blow out the wiggles!
  • Rug Rules
    I found several great posters about Rug Rules online.

(There was a small side discussion about whether kids should be sitting criss cross applesauce.  Several participants remembered reading articles debating this sitting position.  Might be something to look into further if you are interested!)


Question #4: WILD CARD - The audience may pose a question. 

How do you keep toddlers from eating bubbles?  

(Interesting question!  A bubble machine is used at the end of a toddler storytime and the little ones enjoy popping them with mouths, not their hands!  Both the librarian and the parents have tried to dissuade the behavior with no luck.  This one stumped the group a bit.  But here is what we came up with!)


  • It's normal and okay.  
  • Make a game out of popping the bubbles with their hands instead of their mouths.
  • Look for edible bubbles or safe bubbles.

Question #5: Challenge: Sing your closing song.


  • "It's Time to Say Goodbye to All Our Friends" (To the tune of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain")
  • Ring Around a Rosie
(The question was posed about using a closing song if storytime isn't over, but rather turning into a craft time or play time.)

  • Use the song as a good-bye to sitting still and a transition to the next activity.
  • "If You're Happy and You Know It" is celebratory not good-bye.
  • Before singing, explain to the kids what they are doing next. 
  • It can be helpful to talk about what activities are left throughout storytime so they know what to expect.
  • Be consistent. Do the same thing each week.

 

Question #6: We briefly discussed how to change aspects of your storytime.  What do you do if storytime becomes boring to you?


  • Change a little bit at a time to keep the structure of your storytime.
  • Offer creative play time instead of more organized crafts.
  • Create stations to change out activities.  However, this may involve more set up.
  • For toddlers, offer stuffed toys to play with as well as coloring activities.

 

Question #7: We took some time to talk using ukuleles doing storytime?


  • To make it easier to play and keep control of your group, plan time for touching before you begin to play.
  • Parents are forgiving of skill level.
  • They are not hard to play.
  • Ukuleles can be purchased at local music stores.
  • They are easier to learn than guitars.
  • Don't be afraid of it!
  • There is an app for tuning ukuleles.  (Recommended by several in the room)
  • When in doubt, google it!  There are lots of great blogs with children's songs available for you to use.
  • Ukulele too complicated for you?  Try a canjo!  It's a homemade instrument made from a can, a stick, and one strong.
    A homemade canjo, in case you were wondering what one looks like. 

Question #8: What's your favorite fingerplay?


  • Five little monkeys (Using monkey mitts)
  • The monkey and the crocodile (the crocodile can even spit the monkeys out!)
(This question turned into a conversation about using possible "scary" rhymes or stories during storytime, such as The Three Little Pigs.)

  • Know your audience.
  • Recognize that some stories can be scary.
  • Preschoolers may be better at handling "scarier" endings than toddlers.
(And the conversation changed directions again!  This time we discussed briefly the joy of reading books to preschoolers about bodily functions, underwear, butts, etc.  Good times!)


Question #9: What's your favorite use of props in storytime?

  • Alphabet bean bags with windows showing objects from that letter of the alphabet.
    These can be purchased at Lakeshore Learning.

  • Interesting items brought from home - ex. cycling gear, musical instruments.
  • Box themed storytime - use different sized boxes to bang on during songs.
  • Time/clock themed storytime - touch and play with a toy clock.  Use it to tell the time in the stories read.  
  • A box is great for collecting smaller props in.
  • Supersize Storytime (An idea from the librarians at Grandview Heights Public Library) - librarians prerecord themselves and act out the stories with the use of props.  An example, The Three Little Pigs can be acted out with big cardboard houses and kids sticking out of cutout windows as the pigs.

Question #10: A parent says (loudly) that they miss the other storytime leader. What do you do?


  • Let them know that you loved him/her too and you know you have big shoes to fill.
  • Just be yourself! They will soon forget.
  • We all do storytimes differently.  That's okay!
  • Turn the comment around and tell them how happy you are to meet them.
  • Acknowledge that transitions are hard.
  • If you are the librarian leaving, talk up the new person with the group.  Encourage them to be accepting and assist with the transition. If feasible, have the new librarian come to one of your storytimes so he/she can be introduced.
  • If you are only going to be gone temporarily, let your group know that someone new will be doing storytime the next week.  This will help them know what to expect.
(We briefly discussed whether all storytimes should be consistent at a library.  Sometimes multiple librarians share a program or session.  The suggestion was made that perhaps the same literacy skill could be used each week across storytimes for consistency.  It was also suggested that librarians ask their local kindergarten teachers what they would like their incoming kindergartners to know.)

Did you attend the session?  Please leave us a note in the comments so we can improve for next time!


Thank you to everyone who came and made our first Guerilla Storytime so much fun!  It may have been the last session on Friday, but you guys rocked! 


Thank you Emily Bayci for coming and snapping this photo of our awesome group!




Thursday, August 27, 2015

Flannel Friday Roundup August 28, 2015


What happened to summer?  It just seems like yesterday when it was Memorial Day and we were starting Summer Reading Program...and here we are the week before Labor day!  Library Village is back to blogging after a hiatus though and we couldn't be more excited about hosting this week's Flannel Friday ROUNDUP!!!



Let's get this party started!

First up is Kathryn from Fun With Friends at Story Time.  Kathryn is usually my first Flannel Friday Roundup post but she never disappoints.  Take a look at this darling camping set!  I always wanted to do a camping story time - and this set set is wonderful!  She takes her inspiration from Welcome to Storytime.  Check it out!




Roving Fiddlehead Kidlit works this weeks felt set in foam felt.  5 littles are very useful in story times for all groups because of the rhythms and predictability.  I love the snakes in the shape of an S so the set can be used in multiple themes for story time! Here are 5 little snakes with rhyme!




Laura from Literacious did exactly what all good children's librarians do - follow the best blogs, find the perfect 'something' to use in story time, felt something to go with it, and share for everyone else.  She found a great acorn song on Jbrary (and who doesn't love Jbrary???) and made an acorn to go with the song.  Hey guess what?  It's almost the perfect time for fall story times!  Check it out!




Lauren at the Dilly Dally starts her post with "This is going to be a boring blogpost" but it is SO NOT!  Making your own flannel boards is sometimes a necessary thing for lots of reasons  - budget, portability (outreach), or in this case, so every story timer can have their own board!  I am sure the moms in her story time love this idea as much as I do!



Awnali from The Librarian is on the Loose shows us that necessity is the mother of invention, since she needed a felt to go with her upcoming Library Story Time.  She took her inspiration from Storytime Katie.  Looks like her fun books will be spreading that 'Library Cheer' soon!



Finally Shawn from Read, Rhyme, and Sing brings us inspiration from Mel's Desk.  It is a fun, versatile game that can be adapted for many different themes and age groups.  Check out This is/This isn't!


I love that children's librarians are taking inspiration from each other and making something new - and especially sharing their inspiration with others.  It's such a great thing to see and to be part of it.  If you would like more information on Flannel Friday, make sure to visit the website http://flannelfridaystorytime.blogspot.com/ .  You can also find them on Pinterest, and Facebook and by following #flannelstorytime on Twitter!



Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, August 23, 2015

So we taught this class...

If you follow us regularly, you will discover quickly that we have this 'thing' for felt. It all started back in a medium sized library in Southwest Ohio where three children's librarian started sharing ideas as a team.  Next came inspiration from Mel's Desk, Story Time Katie, and the Flannel Friday Pinterest board.  With "SQUEE'S" of delight, a love-affair was born.

Which brings us to some of the things we have been working on in the past year!

You might remember we did a "poster session" at the Ohio Library Council's Convention and Expo in October of 2014.  Here is a link to that post if you would like to see more.


Soon after, we got a VERY kind email from the Division of Children's and Youth Services asking us if we would consider turning that poster session into a full program for the Children's and Youth Services Conference this year. Ummmm.........YEAH!!!

So how do we turn this poster session in to a 45 minute break-out session?  We decided that talking about our felt, with tips and tricks, was just not enough.  I mean, we could talk about our felt All.Day.Long. but we knew we had to do something different. Kristie and I decided to go with a hands-on felt extravaganza!  We brought our templates for our 5 Little Monsters set and had some pre-cut felt pieces, scissors, and sharpies so all of the participants could start making their own sets while we talked tips and tricks. Who doesn't like keeping their hands busy when in a presentation?  There was lots of lively discussion about how we store our felts, making your own felt board, and how to make some of our more intricate sets.



In the vein of our poster session, we also talked about making the most of your felt sets, by making sets that can be used in multiple ways.  We also gave a template for a monkey and a teddy bear, so the participants could use the bed we made in two more rhymes.  That's what it is all about - using your resources to save yourself time and money with your story time planning!


Once we got going, the conversation really flowed.  There were lots of questions, ideas, and sharing going on in that room!  Thank goodness for that - because this is what my presentation notes looked like after my first 5 minutes.  I was off script just past our introductions!


Of course we talked about all of our online peeps!  We wouldn't be where we are without YOU!  Our blogroll on the side of this post just scratches the surface of the awesomeness out there.  So go follow them.  Follow the Pinterest Flannel Friday board.  Go find Story Time Underground on Facebook.  View. Felt. Share. Credit. Repeat.  We are a community of amazing story time artists.  While Kristie and I were the ones at Kent State University sharing our love of felt, you all were there with us.  We salute you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Preschool Story Time - Cats!

Here at the Village, we are no strangers to using cats in our story times.  With a perfect plethora of material, the options are endless.  Quite frankly, I had little time to prepare for this one - but no matter!  What I lacked in planning I made up for in execution!  Here I will show what my plan actually was, then add some alternatives pulled from other story times we have done at Library Village.  I hope you enjoy them!



So What's it Like to be a Cat? - Karla Kuskin
In this darling book written in verse, a young boy asks his cat "What's it like to be a cat?"  The boy continues to interview his cat and discovers what his days are like.

Finger Play - a Kitten
A kitten is fast asleep under a chair (hide thumb under one hand).   
And Donald can’t find her anywhere!
He’s looked everywhere (Fingers circle eyes to look).   
Under a table (look under one hand).   
Under a bed (look under the other hand) 
He looked in a corner and then Donald said: “Come Kitty, Come Kitty (hands up to mouth) 
This milk is for you! (cup hands like a bowl) 
And out came the kitty calling “Mew Mew” (thumb walks across lap)
 


Or if you prefer, Miss Kristie completely rocked it with her Hey Diddle Diddle Felt Set:
 Click HERE for more on the Hey Diddle Diddle Set!


The Three Little Kittens - Galdone
This is an absolute classic nursery rhyme.  Paul Galdone has renewed many classic rhymes and tales with his fresh illustrations.  With this particular book, you can do the text a number of ways.  You can read it, of course, you can sing it, or you can do it as a felt set or finger play.  Check out some YouTube videos on how the tune goes.  It is really quite simple.  Truth be told, I learned a completely different tune growing up, so I left a lot of mom's baffled.  Luckily I could switch over to the 'right' tune so I could have moms sing along with me.


Activity - Matching Mittens

This activity couldn't come at a better time as we finish the The Little Kittens book and song!  Because imitation is the best form of compliment, I humbly snitched this idea from Storytime Katie.  I even used her photo from her blog because, quite frankly, I didn't improve any on this activity!!  Storytime Katie is the best and I thank her for providing me with some of 'my' best ideas.   Please visit Storytime Katie's Blog for more.

For this game, I handed out one of each of the mittens (mine were laminated paper mittens actually) and had the mitten mates on the clothes line behind me.  One by one (and not in any order), I pointed to one and asked who had the matching mitten?  Then the child could come up and place the mitten under the clothes pin with its mate.  The preschoolers had a really great time with this activity.

Pete The Cat - Eric Litwin

Alternate Felt Set for Pete The Cat!
This is the full set for Pete The Cat - I Love My White Shoes that I made quite a long time ago.  With so many kids in story time, he needed so many shoes so everyone could participate.

BUT -  I also made another Pete set with a standing Pete.  There are fewer shoes, but more options to use Pete with his other picture books:
Click HERE  for more on this set!


Did you hear the one about Grumpy Cat!  Immortalized in felt!
Click HERE for how I used this piece in story time.



Cat Secrets - Jeff Czekaj
I am a huge fan of Jan Thomas and really enjoy books where the characters appear to speak right to the reader.  Cat Secrets is written in the same vein.  The little listeners leave the book feeling like they tricked the cat into spilling all of their secrets.  Fun!


Craft - 3 Little Kittens Puppets
This is just a sample of the die-cuts I had available for the children to create their own Three Little Kittens puppet set.  I let them decorate them any way they wanted.  They made as many as they wanted too.  I wanted to encourage story retelling.  Definitely not a fancy craft, but sometimes the easy ones for us are the most enjoyable ones for the little ones.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Story Time Crafts - Dyed Pasta!

Miss Sue and I have both jumped into the world of dyed pasta for various children's programs, and it is always a hit! Dying pasta is inexpensive, easy to do, and really spices up those boring old macaroni necklaces!

Let's break it down - You'll need:
Pasta - any variety (not cooked)
Rubbing alcohol
Food coloring
Large plastic storage bags (like Ziploc)
A liquid measuring cup
A 1 cup measuring cup

These directions come from Real Life at Home, and are very easy to follow!

Pasta and measuring cup at the ready!
 
Either gel or liquid food coloring works just fine.

Step 1: Pour 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol into your gallon bag, and add several drops of food coloring.
Swish the bag around to mix well.
 
Step 2: Measure 1 to 2 cups of dry pasta and add to the bag.
(I used 1 cup for the elbows because they're smaller, and 2 cups for the rigatoni)

Swish some more to cover the pasta in dye!
 
Step 3: Zip up the bag (push the extra air out first) and lay it flat. Try to make sure the pasta is in a single layer.
I laid my bags in foil-lined pans, just in case any liquid leaked out (None did!).
 

Step 4: Flip the bags over about every half hour or so until they've reached the desired color. This is not an exact science - the world will not end if you don't flip them at exactly the 30 minute mark. (Or, say, if you happen to be a very sleepy, pregnant librarian who fell asleep after only flipping them once, and realized it the next morning. Whoops!)
 
 I made 6 different colors in about 30 minutes. Pink, orange, and yellow all dyed the fastest (within 2 to 3 hours), while blue and purple took quite a while longer (purple takes FOREVER).  Green was somewhere in the middle.
 
Step 5: Line those same pans with paper towels or newspaper, and dump your finished pasta onto them to dry. They will probably need to dry overnight.
 
Miss Sue and I each did this at home on our own time, but you could definitely do it at the library if you have somewhere to lay the bags where no one will mess with them. It sound messy but it really isn't at all.  You could even recruit some teen volunteers to help. It's kind of a fun science experiment!
 
 Think of all you can do with that glorious dyed pasta!
 
Rainbow necklaces!
This is great for practicing fine motor skills with preschoolers and Kindergartners!
 


It's also WONDERFUL for sensory play with babies and toddlers! Just make sure they don't eat it :o)
 
Now don't you want to go dye some pasta before your next story time? Try it out and let us know how it goes!
 
-Miss Kristen


Friday, May 1, 2015

Flannel Friday - A Cowboy Dresses Himself With Care

I just posted my Horsie Story Time, but I had to contribute my Cowboy to Flannel Friday!  Click HERE for the full story time and my best craft EVER!  But for now....


Dress The Cowboy
I found the following poem on THIS WEBSITE.  Actually there are tons of resources out there for a Western story time, and I really recommend this site.  Seeing that they suggested to make the pieces out of felt, that is exactly what I did.  This is in my EARLY days of felting as you can see by my use of markers instead of puffy paint.  I suggest you read the poem aloud and wait for responses from the group.  They will love participating!



A Cowboy Dresses Himself with Care

A Cowboy Dresses Himself with Care.
He starts with long, red ______(UNDERWEAR).
Out in the desert, you don't want to get hurt, 
So the cowboy wears a strong wool ______(SHIRT).
Deserts and prairies are the cowboy's scenes;
To protect his legs, he wears sturdy blue______(JEANS).
The cowboy bent, and ran, and knelt.
To keep his pants up, he wore a leather ______(BELT).
The coyote howls, the old owl hoots.
On his feet, he wears leather ______(BOOTS).
It isn't yellow, so it's not a banana;
Around his neck, he wears a soft ______(BANDANA).
A cowboy is a cowboy, and that is that!
On top of his head, he wore a ten-gallon ______(HAT).
He's all dressed from head to feet,
And now our cowboy can't be beat! 


And here he is dressed! I let the kids each have a piece and let them place the pieces on the cowboy when we got to their piece.  They loved it.  I even left the pieces up for after story time play.

I think kids love to play dress up, and felt is a great medium.  I want to thank Brooke from Reading With Red for hosting Flannel Friday this week.   If you need more information on how you can get involved with the Flannel Friday community, CLICK HERE. Or you can find Flannel Friday on their Facebook page, by following #FlannelStorytime on Twitter or on Pinterest!

Thanks for stopping by!

Preschool Story Time: Giddy-up Horsie!

Here was a theme idea totally based on the craft I had found on Pinterest.  I was so enamored with it, I decided to have a Western theme and bring in the Cowboys and Horses!

Do Cowboys Ride Bikes - Tucker
Written in verse, this book explains some of the things cowboys do and do not do.  It is a good book for new vocabulary and discussion.


Felt Activity - Dress The Cowboy
I found the following poem on THIS WEBSITE.  Actually there are tons of resources out there for a Western story time, and I really recommend this site.  Seeing that they suggested to make the pieces out of felt, that is exactly what I did.  This is in my EARLY days of felting as you can see by my use of markers instead of puffy paint.  I suggest you read the poem aloud and wait for responses from the group.  They will love participating!



A Cowboy Dresses Himself with Care

A Cowboy Dresses Himself with Care.
He starts with long, red ______(UNDERWEAR).
Out in the desert, you don't want to get hurt, 
So the cowboy wears a strong wool ______(SHIRT).
Deserts and prairies are the cowboy's scenes;
To protect his legs, he wears sturdy blue______(JEANS).
The cowboy bent, and ran, and knelt.
To keep his pants up, he wore a leather ______(BELT).
The coyote howls, the old owl hoots.
On his feet, he wears leather ______(BOOTS).
It isn't yellow, so it's not a banana;
Around his neck, he wears a soft ______(BANDANA).
A cowboy is a cowboy, and that is that!
On top of his head, he wore a ten-gallon ______(HAT).
He's all dressed from head to feet,
And now our cowboy can't be beat! 


And here he is dressed! I let the kids each have a piece and let them place the pieces on the cowboy when we got to their piece.  They loved it.  I even left the pieces up for after story time play.


Horseplay - Wilson
All the horses want to do is horseplay all night long!  What is the farmer to do?  This is a fun book that keeps the kids wondering what those crazy horses are up to!


Song and Action Rhyme


She’ll be comin’ round the mountain!
She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes.  She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes.  She’ll be comin’ round the mountain, she’ll be comin’ round the mountain,  she’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes.

She’ll be riding six white horses when she comes…..

And We’ll all come out to meet her when she comes…..


Action Rhyme: 10 Little Cowboys
10 little cowboys standing in a row. (Stand up straight)
When they see a pretty girl, they bow like so.(hand behind back and bow)
They ride to the left, they ride to the right, (pretend you are on a horse. Gallop one way, then the other)
and then they shut their eyes and they say good night! (Fold arms and pretend to sleep)



Let's Sing a Lullaby of Brave Little Cowboy - Thomas
Jan Thomas books are hysterical!  I always look forward to using these books in story time.  But remember to go big for maximum laughs!


I couldn't wait to get to my craft, but I had plenty of books ready in case I had an especially attentive crowd.  Here are my extra picks:

Giddy-Up Cowgirl-Krosoczka

Clip-Clop - Smee

She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain - Sturges


Craft - Stick Horses
This took effort but OH MY so worth it!  I did this theme in January so I was able to ask the moms to bring in Christmas Paper Rolls that they had left over from Christmas.  Once I gathered enough, all I needed was brown paper bags for the heads (stuffing was newspaper shreds), markers, colored paper for the ears, yarn for the hair, eyes and masking tape.
The best part was, I used our jingle bells on hand as 'spurs'!  I put a set on each little leg and off we went on a horse parade around the library.  It was so fun!!  Giddy-up!!

The craft made the whole theme worth it.  Usually I do not advocate stuffing together books for the sake of a theme, but horses was a good choice.  Now I am thinking up other ideas for the craft.  Unicorns anyone?

Thanks for stopping by!