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Programming for Very Young Children - November 27, 2006 Meeting Notes

Present:

Diane Brennan - Campbell County Public Library, Wanda Gombert - Wright Memorial Public Library, Pamela Healy - Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Joan Johnsen - Campbell County Public Library, Janet Millner - Kenton County Public Library, Patty Rose - Wright Memorial Public Library, Sarah Schaff - SWON Libraries, Amy Schardein - Kenton County Public Library, Diane Setter - Boone County Public Library, Lisa Soper - Lawrenceburg Public Library District, Robin Terle - Lawrenceburg Public Library District, Renee Whaley - Middletown Public Library, Colleen Wood - Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Mother Goose on the Loose: Binder

  • Long Baby Times with a method and a very fast pace
  • One book per Storytime; very rhyme and song intensive
  • Goes very well with "Every Child Ready to Read"
  • Drawback - Could use more signs
  • Around $65
  • Good rights for reproduction and good to pass around branches
  • Lots of repititions, but very fast

The Pace of Storytime...

  • Stomp, Lullabye Finger plays, slowing down
  • When you have more out of control kiods, just slow down and pay attention to pacing

Signing

  • Signing Safari DVDs
  • Signing Time and Baby Signing Time
  • Focus on one sign per program
  • Repeat signs

Quiet Tricks

  • Magic Trick of Waving the Arm - it only works once!
  • Touch your nose...
  • Go into your pocket and get out your listening ear!

Opening and Closing

  • Have same opening and consistency
  • "Jump Up & Down" as an opening song
  • Tap "Hello to All" or just to Boys, Girls and Adults as an opening song
  • Say "Hello" softly or whisper
  • Choo-choo song
  • Baby Garten
  • Opening: "What's Your Name?"
  • Do Storytime while the branch is closed and welcome everyone with a puppet
  • Closing: Always get the puppets out and cover them with a tablecloth during the program
  • Use balls at closing
  • At closing, have a box of related books they can read, check out, and take home
  • Always begin and end the same way

Great Websites

Program Ideas and Discussion

  • Debbie Clemens: discussion of presentation
  • Spelling what the craft is: spell "apple," etc.
  • 12 Days of Chrismas Presents
  • Peek-A-Boo Christmas - a good toddler Christmas book
  • Traditional nursury rhymes set to contemporary music
  • Books & Blocks: reach the children who don't come to Storytime, hold the program every Saturday afternoon (it helps to have a teen helper)
  • Think TV: do a program on books and tv - food, fitness, and literature. Can often be free!
  • Mother Goose on the Loose: discussion of doing a Baby and Toddler Time with these programs
  • Integrating Siblings: bring a baby doll when the older siblings come, use them as helpers, etc.
  • Big Book of Stories, Songs: Theme based and has themes for each age group
  • Snow Sounds: Uses whispering sounds that are great for toddlers
  • Snow by Yuri Schilishutz: Crinkle up tissues and let kids throw them up in the air - whoosh!
  • Bubble machines
  • Things that Pop! Use Balloons, Emily's Balloon, The Blue Balloon, Scrubly Bubbly Carwash
  • Pop up through the tissue box with sock puppets
  • Put snowflakes in a blanket and throw snowflakes up (you can do the same thing with feathers and leaves)
  • Mr. Tree, Did You Sneeze?
  • Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Bump Their Heads: kids have a great time with this!
  • What's Under the Bed? Throw items under a blanket and let kids throw the blanket up and down
  • Spraying leaves and take them home (can do the same idea with snowflakes)
  • Use a large doll to mimic what the toddlers do - model their movements
  • 5 Little Bears: Take Ellison die cuts and attach them to tp rolls to make them stand up - then, knock them down! Also makes a great craft.
  • EZ Library Programs for All Ages
  • Babybug Magazine is a great resource
  • Do a flannel board and a presentation lots of different ways: Sweet Potato Pie, Dinner for 10, etc.
  • Order enough books for every child to have their own at Storytime
  • Use a lot of call and response: Sue Williams, I Went Walking, Under My Hood, I Have a Hat
  • Snap while reading to keep a rhythym: Lynn Ford
  • Baby Garten and Craft for Baby Moms
  • Name song at the opening, Flannelboard (make enough to involve everyone), little filmstrip, etc.
  • Family Tree: Make a trunk from the arm, the leaves are the hands, and dip fingers in something red to make the apples
  • 5 Senses: Touch - cotton ball and sandpaper, Vision - Braille Book
  • Read Alongs: Introduce in the program and at least once every 6 weeks
  • Set up twenty (or more) books for display and check out
  • Tap Your Sticks
  • Do Nametags to have a school-oriented feel: Apple Nametags - cut up an apple and let them feel, or make applesauce for them!
  • Fruit Salad Storytime: Need to read directions (non-fiction) in Storytime, listen to a Wiggles Song (Yummy Yummy), read a story about each fruit and write directions out together, make a fruit salad to eat and you can even do a fruit salad dance!
  • Putting things in order: What happened in the beginning, middle and at the end? Ask the kids, "Now, what happened?"
  • Read 2 versions of hte same story and then write down what they think is different and what they think is the same
  • Story Time
  • Toddle On Over
  • Wee Sing
  • Mother Goose TIme
  • Divide Babes into pre-walers and walkers: Have one group of pre-walkers and two groups of walkers
  • Have enough books for each child to have one
  • Divide your rhymes into pre-walkers, walkers, and older babies and color-code your songs - just grab the color you need and go!
  • Play with toys to get the toys picked up, and play Ring Around the Rosy
  • Finger Plays and Action Songs: Laminate and color-code the songs and rhymes and do a craft where the kids can get into the process while the parents can clean it up and make it look pretty (and therefore bring the kids back)!
  • Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Fingerplays, and Chants has a great index
  • Early Literacy Storytimes at Your Library has step-by-step instructions
  • Throw out one (1!) literacy fact in storytime and explain if and when the parents are interested
  • Use an apron with LOTS of pockets (you can use a hot glue gun to glue your pockets onto the apron) and put the flannel board pieces in the pockets. You can sing, "The things in my pockets are lots of fun, let's look at them one by one..." Kids tend to get really interested and then can count how many things are going back into the pockets and can guess what will come out of the pockets...
  • Give each child a flannel cut out to use in your program
  • Egg Shakers
  • Edible necklaces: Fruit Loops or Cheerios - say this is for the birds!
  • Scarves: Peek-A-Boo Song, Hide THings, Mom & Me...
  • Caterpillar: Little Arabella Miller Had a Fuzzy Caterpillar...

Next Time...