Bugs!

Last week was my last storytime for a couple months so that we can prepare for the exciting chaos of summer reading. I missed the week before due to a sinus infection.  One of my coworkers kindly stepped in and facilitated that storytime.

This summer my branch will have more programming for elementary-aged kids, which we've been needing. Because of this, we will have fewer storytimes.  Our hope is to share these storytimes and have two facilitators so we can read books that sound cooler with two voices.  I'm really excited about this and will give a full report about what happens.

For now, please enjoy a brief summary of my last spring toddler storytime!

After our hello storytime, we sang the ABCs a cappella style.  I decided to go with the a cappella approach since I wasn't sure if anyone was liking the last one I had found, which was the ABCs mixed with one verse each of Little Bo Peep and Mary Had a Little Lamb.  As I was asking anyone whether they knew their ABCs, one child started singing the Little Bo Peep/Mary Had a Little Lamb version.  His mom jumped in and said that he had been singing that since the last storytime.  For about two seconds I felt extremely exasperated.  It turns out someone really did like that version of ABCs!

Next up we did the Beehive fingerplay.  Though no one was super impressed with it, it did settle everyone down in both storytimes so we didn't do our first quieting down fingerplay.  Strange!



We read our first book, Walter's Wonderful Web, and it was a huge hit.  Everyone said the repeated line, "Whoosh went the wind" with me each time it came up and we had fun making exaggerated sweeping motions with our hands.  Lots and lots of wind!

We did not read the second book in either storytime.  Everyone was just too wound up and ready to move and groove.  I passed out scarves, two apiece, and we spent a little time flapping around the room, pretending to be butterflies.  We also did a couple scarf activities that everyone enjoyed.

This first one wasn't a hit in the fall, but everyone liked it this time around:

Butterflies, butterflies, flapping around.

Visiting flowers, not making a sound.

Flapping your wings, as you go.

Flapping your wings, up high, then low.

Butterflies, butterflies, flapping around.

Visiting flowers, not making a sound.

I think this next one is sung to the tune of Mary had a Little Lamb, but I'm having a brain fart about it right now.

shake your scarves 

up and down 

up and down 

up and down

shake your scarves 

up and down 

up and down today

Side to side

Front and back

Ear to ear

Foot to foot

We took our time doing the finger fiddle exercise that everyone loves so dearly and took a couple deep breaths before and after we counted our fingers.  When I was sick the week before last and my coworker gave my storytime for me, she kept most of the activities and books I had planned, including the beloved finger fiddle exercise.  When I came back to work and asked how it went, she gave me a play-by-play of each part of the storytime and spared no details. She said she told the kids that she wasn't sure how to do the finger fiddle and needed them to show her.  So she put her hands together, ready to count her fingers, and at that same moment all the kids took really deep breaths.  She didn't realize we took a deep breath prior to counting our fingers but the kids remembered!  When she told me that, and explained how adorable it was to watch all the kids take unprompted deep breaths, I nearly burst with happiness.  

After the finger fiddle exercise, we read our last book, Step Gently Out, and it was received with mixed reactions from both storytimes. I struggled with the words while practicing it, which should have tipped me off that the kids wouldn't be excited about them either.  I gave the words my best shot but we ended up just talking about what was going on in the pictures and identifying the beautiful bugs.  So while the kids were a little bored by the text, they were enamored by the pictures.



We sang Laurie Berkner's version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider, which was a lot of fun, and we ended with the hokey pokey and stamps.



I always bring a lot of books with me to storytime and display them on every flat surface.  Though I try to offer mostly books about whatever theme we have, there have been a few times I've displayed books that don't fit the theme, but I can't stand to see sit on the shelf.  Usually a few of my display books are taken, but it's pretty rare when I get cleaned out.  Bug books must be super exciting because I was nearly cleaned out.

I'm pleased with how this season went.  I learned a lot and have much to research for the fall season when I have a regular storytime again. Rumor has it I'm doing preschool storytime in the fall!