felt kitty nightmares

This week's storytime was rather small - 19 toddlers and 18 adults.  I used the felt board for the first time and told the Scat the Cat story, which is about a cat who can change colors.  It was fairly disastrous.  One toddler remained glued to the felt board, petting it and occasionally trying to run off with the felt kitties.  Nothing I said convinced parent or child that this was not cute, and after a few attempts, I chose to place myself in front of the felt board with one hand hovering just above the felt kitties.  It didn't help that I accidentally put the cats on the board backwards and forgot to change one of the colors.  So perhaps it's fair to say my first experience with the felt board was totally disastrous.  

We sang "This Little Light of Mine" again, and I certainly enjoyed it.  No mayhem ensued while the song played, parents were wholeheartedly participating, and the toddlers were attempting to participate, so I think it's safe to say that "This Little Light of Mine" is a winner.

This week we took a break from the hokey pokey and therefore, the hand stamp that helps kids know which hand is their right one.  This flummoxed one child, who appeared puzzled as he held his hand out at the end and looked at me, speechless.  So the stamp is coming back next week.  The song I played instead was well-received, but was not as big a hit as the hokey pokey.  So it's possible I'll bring that back too.  

Because my theme was colors, I also included an action rhyme that encouraged them to stand up, take a bow, and twirl whenever the color of their shirt was called.  To my dismay, most of the toddlers were wearing multi-colored shirts, which was most confusing.  Only one child stood up.  Needless to say, this action rhyme will not make a reappearance this season.  Or perhaps I will give them colorful beanbags or something instead of using their shirt color.  

On a very positive note, the two books I selected - "Mouse Paint" and "Dog's Colorful Day" were total hits.  It helped that "Dog's Colorful Day" was interactive and I brought the gigantic version of "Mouse Paint."  

After storytime I had a nice chat with one of the parents, and though she gave me some great feedback about Scat the Cat, it may be awhile before my emotional scars heal and I bring the felt board back out again.  

Next week we are doing yoga!  Maybe even yoga hokey pokey!