Gushy Storytime Joy

My second week of storytimes went really well!  I was having an awkward day and I was a little bumbly and wordy, but I don't think anyone noticed.  I also think it was a universally awkward and bumbly day.  

In my first storytime I had a toddler who just wasn't having it.  He kept hiding behind me and underneath my a-frame Magnetic board rolly cart (with wheels that locked).  He was also a shrieker who let out random piercing shrieks every now and then.  His grown-up was giving 110%, and the other kids were very much engaged in the storytime. So we carried on.   

My current storytime plan is still holding strong, and I'm just so stinkin' thrilled.  I am officially giving a more organic storytime, riding the waves, and changing things up when needed.  This approach has allowed me to be more present, engaged, and relaxed.  I'm proud of where I'm at in my storytime journey.

Favorite moments:

• Thanks to Robert, I went rogue.  I am all about following rules, but we've had a rush of patrons this season, and we've had to turn patrons away for our storytimes these first two weeks.  Currently we give two back-to-back storytimes at my branch.  It's the same storytime, but because we cap our storytimes at 24, it gives patrons two opportunities to make it.  I told Robert about the issue of turning patrons away, and he suggested a third storytime if there were people we turned away for the second storytime.  Because I try not to plan anything after storytimes, this was a surprisingly simple solution I didn't think of.  I talked to our wonderful librarian who covers the desk during my storytime and she was all for it, even coming up with a hand gesture she could give me through the window so I knew to be ready for a third storytime.  I was full my first two storytimes and had 16 in my third storytime.  Our system worked beautifully and two kids from the earlier storytimes came too.  One family came to my first and third storytime, which I think says a lot about how wonderful our space is.  The little girl actually approached me after my first storytime on the first week of storytimes and asked me if she could come to the second.  We were full of course, and I had to turn her away, even though she did such a wonderful job asking me.  Her mom handled it beautifully, and they both came back this week and were able to come to two storytimes.  I also made sure to let the third storytime know that I couldn't do it every week.  

• Because I had a few returning kids in my third storytime, they were excellent helpers and leaders because they remembered some of the content.  The best moment happened after our two beginning songs.  I reached for the first book, and one of the returning kids squealed when she saw it.  She was so excited to hear it again.  

• When we sang the song about waking up our ears, noses, etc. one child suggested our bottoms.  And then he didn't dance with me.  So I called him out on it.  And I got a little giggle.  We also woke up our bellies and cheeks, which was hilarious, because both are squishy and not really their own thing like arms or legs.  How do you wiggle your cheeks?  We had a good laugh trying.  I almost feel like I need a tool belt that has bottles of hand sanitizer and hand wipes, but I'm not sure about the optics of this.  

• We sang our second book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See.  The first crowd sang it loudly and beautifully with me, and that's a moment I'll carry for awhile.  

• There was a dad in the third storytime who began the storytime playing on his phone.  By the end of the storytime he was singing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes louder than anyone in the room.  

Between all three storytimes, we read all three books and did every song and activity, including my back-up material.  It's nice to see all that planning and practicing really get some use.  Any time I have less than 30 minutes but more than 15 minutes I pick up a storytime book or my ukulele.  I've come to appreciate this time, and it's been a surprisingly good way to reset between larger things going on during the day.  And I get to see this effort and peace (and sometimes moments of hilarity when I'm learning something new) reflected back to me each week. I'm a part of other people's joy, and they are a big part of my joy.  

Next week is my first week giving storytimes at two branches, my home branch and a smaller branch that's actually closer to my home.  One of our beloved youth librarians moved away, leaving a vacant storytime position no one can ever fill.  But I am looking forward to a completely different storytime crowd, plus I will be giving the storytime in the play area rather than a conference/meeting room.  Will my ukulele and I get kicked out for being too loud?!?

I am also bringing out some puppet friends this week. I've been practicing with them and also came up with a cute way to transfer the puppets between branches.  One of the differences between doing a storytime in a room versus a play area is that I won't have a lot of places to put all of my gear.  So I've been figuring all that out.  There may be pictures with next week's storytime post if all goes to plan.  Heck, even if it's a disaster I will probably share too, because I find disasters irresistibly funny sometimes. Especially when they involve puppets.