Funny Farm - Preschool Storytime

The 2-week rotation for the "Farm" them on the Storytime Bus ended up being shortened because of a holiday, and my having to take a sick day. Then on top of that, a couple of the daycares I visited did not send as many groups as usual, so I ended up not using as many books as normal. We began each storytime with an introduction and letter-of-the-day, which was "Ff", and our story song.

The Books

In Cock-A-Doodle-Moo! by Bernard Most the poor rooster has lost his voice and can't wake the farm. He manages to wake one of the cows by pecking her and she offers to help, but has a hard time getting it right. The audience will laugh at the cow's mixed up attempts at "Cock-a-doodle-doo!", and join in with the animals' snoring and laughing. In the end, the rooster and cow decide to work together and wake everyone with a "Cock-a-doodle-Moo!" from then on.

Chicks Run Wild by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Ward Jenkins is a hilarious story about 5 little chicks who keep sneaking out of bed and playing. Eventually Mom decides to join in rather than keep fighting them and has them all dancing until they are begging to go to bed and sleep. Kids can relate to having trouble settling down for bedtime and can join in with saying "...those chicks run wild!"

In Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss and Tiphanie Beeke the farm animals are bored after the children start back to school in the fall, so they decide to go into town to find something to do. They see smiling people coming out of the Library, so figure that must be a good place to go. Unfortunately, the librarian doesn't understand animal talk, until the chicken goes in. The kids will recognize the storytime going on in the library, and then see the animals having their own storytime at the farm.

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson and Marcellus Hall shows all the farm animals eating appropriate food, except the cow. The horse gets hay, the chickens get chicken feed, the geese get corn, the hogs get slop, and the dog gets dog treats. But the cow gets cookies! As it turns out, the farmer and the cow have made a bargain, and enjoy cookies and milk together.

Do Cows Bark? by Dorling Kindersley is a great little book about farm animal sounds for the younger kids. I like that it is not so simple as "What animal says 'Moo'?", and instead asks a slightly more complex question, "Do cows bark?", which requires them to think for a second or two, then say no, that cows "Moo". Then you can ask who does bark.  I just wish it was a little larger.

Cluck, Cluck Who's There? by James Mayhew and Caroline Jayne Church is another short, simple book for the younger kids. This lift-a-flap story shows Hattie the Hen and her three eggs, which are hidden under the flaps. Then, one by one the eggs hatch. In the end, the three new chicks cuddle under Mama's wings to sleep.

Chick by Ed Vere is a short, simple pop-up book that has little text with simple, charming bright illustrations with a bold heavy outline. First the egg cracks and we see the chick's beak poking through. The chick hatches, the chick says "Cheep", the chick eats, the chick poops (with a spinning wheel for realistic pooping action :D), and then the chick sleeps.  Simple, and cute, great for younger kids or when you need something really short to fill the last couple of minutes.

Giant Pop-Out Farm by Chronicle Books is a guessing book. Each spread gives a few clues, then you open the flap and the pop-up reveals the answer. The problem I had with this book is that most of the kids don't really listen to the clues. They just glance at the pictures and start yelling [sometimes random] guesses, and they assume all the answers are animals, even though they aren't.


The Activities

I did not use as many different activities this rotation since these were so much fun I used them with almost every group.

"The Cows On The Farm"
(to the tune of "Wheels On The Bus")

The cows on the farm go moo, moo, moo;

Moo, moo, moo; moo, moo, moo.

The cows on the farm go moo, moo, moo;

All day long.

The pigs on the farm go oink, oink, oink....

The sheep on the farm go baa, baa, baa....

The horses on the farm go neigh, neigh, neigh....

The roosters on the farm go cock-a-doodle-do....

The chickens on the farm go cluck, cluck, cluck....

The chicks on the farm go cheep, cheep, cheep....

The ducks on the farm go quack, quack, quack....

The geese on the farm goes honk, honk, honk...

I had some pictures of animals attached to popsicle sticks that I used along with this song to help the kids know what animal we were doing next:

_________________________

"This Is The Way"

(to the tune of "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush")

This is the way we feed the chickens,

Feed the chickens, feed the chickens.

This is the way we feed the chickens,

So early in the morning.

This is the way we gather eggs.....

This is the way we milk the cow....

This is the way we pitch the hay....

This is the way we brush the horse....

This is the way we slop the hogs....

This is the way we drive the tractor.....

(act out each activity)

_________________________

"I Know A Chicken"

by Laurie Berkner

*Use with shaker eggs

This is a great song!  It has a catchy tune, it is a sing-and-repeat type of song, so it is easy for the kids to sing along, has lots of movement, and uses shaker eggs. Everyone loves this song, so I used it with every group.

How It Went

Kids love making animal sounds, so this theme is always a hit!  Cock-A-Doodle-Moo! and Chicks Run Wild were big hits with everyone, and Do Cows Bark? was a great book to use for the younger kids. The Giant Pop-Out Farm really didn't work all that well as most of the kids didn't listen to the clues and just started randomly yelling out farm animals, even when I told them some of them were not animals. Adults and kids alike *loved* "I Know A Chicken", and some kids were still singing it when they left.

I had been told that many of the urban kids we serve do not know farm animals at all, but I found this was not the case. Most of them recognized most animals and knew their sounds, though they might occasionally confuse similar animals, such as ducks & geese, sheep & goats, or horses & donkeys. I don't think many of them really understand that the milk we drink comes from cows, or have any idea how you get the milk from the cow.

The regular school year ended during this rotation, and the summer session started. For some of the facilities I go to, this meant a lot of change, with some kids staying home for the summer, new kids coming on, different classrooms and teachers, and different routines. So, understandably the kids were more restless and harder to keep engaged with all the change. Even at facilities where summer really isn't that different, the kids still seem to sense when summer vacation starts and their energy level changes and they become more restless. So we just try to stay away from longer books unless they are super engaging, and often end the session a few minutes earlier.

Beyond Junie B. - Intermediate Series with Spunky Female Characters

"My daughter loves the Junie B. Jones series, but she just read the last one and I have no idea what else to get for her!"   

I hear some version of this lament from parents fairly frequently at the library where I work. Junie B. Jones is a staple in classrooms and school libraries across the country, and is often one of the first chapter book series young kids get hooked on. They are really drawn to the spunky, outspoken character of Junie B. whose voice is authentically child-like (improper grammar and all), who says and does the things they think, but might not dare to do. 

If you have a child who has read all of Junie B. and wants something similar, try some of these series, which all feature spunky young female characters (ranging in age from 5 to 9) with quirky personalities dealing with everyday problems all young children can relate to, like school, making friends, sibling rivalry, change, jealousy, etc.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, 1950, 158 pages, ages 5-10.

I have to start with my childhood favorite spunky, quirky girl, Pippi Longstocking! This series does differ from all the others in that it is not truly realistic and is more silly and non-sensical. Nine-year old Pippi lives alone with her horse and her monkey (her mother is in heaven and her father lost at sea). She is unusually strong, very eccentric, smart, and self-sufficient, but often finds herself in the middle of unusual situations and adventures, with her friends Tommy and Annika.

There are several Pippi stories, and several different versions have been published over the years, using different translators and illustrators.

Uh-Oh, Cleo by Jessica Harper, illustrated by Jon Berkeley, 2008-2010, 65 pages, ages 6-8.

Eight-year old Cleo and her twin brother Jack are part of a large family with the ironic last name of "Small". There are six children altogether, including two sets of twins! But being a twin is not the only think that stands out about Cleo; she also has the uncanny knack for finding herself in the middle of one mishap after another.

In the first book she has to get stitches, in the second the family gets caught in a freak August snowstorm, and in the third she barfs on her friend's mom!

Violet Mackerel by Anna Branford, illustrated by Elanna Allen, 2010-2015, 112 pages, ages 6-10.

Violet Mackerel is more sweet and charming than spunky, but she deals with problems by thinking outside the box to come up with possible solutions rather than whining or dwelling on them, with some creative and imaginative ideas.

Each book is short and focused on one particular problem, some small, like how to get the trinket she likes at the market; others are big, such as having have her tonsils out or having to move when her mother re-marries. There are a total of 8 books in the series.

Amber Brown by Paula Danziger, (later by Bruce Coville & Elizabeth Levy) illustrated by Tony Ross (later by Anthony Lewis), 1994-2004, 2012-2014, 100-200 pages, ages 5-10.

Amber Brown is a very spunky 9-year old whose parents are divorcing and best friend is moving away. While these books are short with a lower reading level and large print, they deal with some more serious issues at times, such as divorce, a parent moving far away, friends moving away, jealousy, parents dating and getting re-married, growing up and all the changes that come with it.

There are 12 books in the series, with the last three being written after the death of the original author.  A good hi-lo series for reluctant readers, but the reading level would be too low for many 9-10 year olds.

Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon, 2014, 160 pages, ages 6-8.

Six-year old Dory, otherwise known as Rascal, is a little girl with a very BIG imagination! She tries to play with her older brother and sister, but they tell her she acts too babyish. Her imaginings begin to wear on everyone's nerves, and her siblings concoct a plan to scare her straight, which totally backfires.

I love the primitive illustrations that almost look like a child drew them. The second book is due out June 7th, with the third to follow this fall (of 2016).

Lola Levine by Monica Brown, illustrated by Angela N. Dominguez, 2015-present, 96 pages, ages 5-9.

Second-grader Lola Levine is a soccer star, until one day she accidentally hurts a classmate during a match and everyone thinks she did it on purpose. In the second book she deals with stage fright after being cast in the class play, and in the upcoming third book, she learns about getting along with others.

Lola also happens to be from a multi-cultural family, with a Jewish father and a Peruvian mother, so there are several references to both cultures throughout the books. The second book was released in January of 2016, with the third book due out in July of 2016.

Lulu by Hilary McKay, 2011-2014, 100 pages, ages 7-10.

Lulu is in Class 3 with her cousin and best friend, Mellie. Mellie is known for losing things, while Lulu is known for jumping out of swings, but most of all for her love of animals. Fortunately her parents are okay with all the pets she brings home as long as she takes care of them. In the first book, she rescues a duck egg from getting smashed and returns the duckling to its mother.

There are six books in the series, each story featuring a different kind of animal in need:  duck, dog, cat, rabbit, hedgehog, and hamster.

Ruby Lu by Lenore Look, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf & Stef Choi, 2004-2011, 112-176 pages, ages 6-10.

Ruby Lu is an almost-eight-year old Chinese-American girl who loves putting on magic shows, her little brother Oscar (well, most of the time), and her best friends Emma, Tiger, and Ruby. In the first story we meet Ruby and her family and friends, and see the ups and downs in her relationship with her brother. She also deals with a bully, learns to drive, and starts Chinese school. 

In the second book she has to adjust to having her recently-emigrated cousin living with her, and in the third book her parents reverse roles after her father loses his job. There is also a glossary at the end to explain some of the Chinese words and cultural references.

Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper, 2007-2015, 136-208 pages, ages 6-9.

Eight-year old Grace Stewart came by the unfortunate nickname "Just Grace" because there were 4 girls named Grace in her class and she didn't want to go by "Grace S." She loves cats and heroes, and secretly writes her own "Not So Super" comic strip. Her small superpower is being able to tell when people are sad, even when they try to hide it. She is often moved to try to help people, but her good intentions sometimes backfire. Grace also has a knack for describing situations and grown-ups in a way that is humorously spot-on. There are currently 12 books in the series.

Judy Moody by Megan McDonald & illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, 2000-2014, 176-208 pages, ages 6-9.

This 12-book series begins with Judy in a very bad mood as she starts third grade, not looking forward to change and having to adjust to a new teacher, new classroom, and new classmates. But, things begin to look up as she and her best friend Rocky work on their projects, and she makes new friends.

There is also a series about Judy's younger brother Stink, and another series about their adventures together.

Amelia Bedelia Chapter Books, by Herman Parrish & illustrated by Lynne Avril, 2013-present, 160 pages, ages 6-10.

Amelia Bedelia has been a favorite of young children for 50 years. Now independent readers can continue to enjoy the fun in a relatively new chapter book series by the nephew of the original Amelia Bedelia author, Peggy Parrish. 

In this series Amelia is a young girl, dealing with the same everyday problems as all kids, which are humorously complicated by her inability to recognize idiomatic expressions and taking everything literally. I particularly like how there is a list of the idioms from the story at the end, with their meanings. There are currently 9 books in the series, with the 10th due out in July of 2016.

Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows & illustrated by Sophie Blackall, 2007-2014, 120-136 pages, ages 7-12.

With Ivy + Bean you get two spunky girls for the price of one!  Ivy and Bean have very different personalities and at first they have no interest in the other, but once they meet they find opposites attract and become best friends.

There are 10 books in this series, and this is a good series to grow with, as the suggested age range changes from 7-9 with the first book to 8-12 by the last book.

Frankly, Frannie by A. J. Stern, 2010-2012, 128 pages, ages 6-8.

Frannie Miller is a very ambitious young lady with lots of enthusiasm, but who is sometimes lacking in good judgement. She is eager to have a career and work in an office, and already has her resume and business cards all ready. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm and eagerness to prove how capable she is often gets her into trouble when she misreads situations and tries to take on adult responsibilities.

There are nine books in this series, with each exploring a different career interest of Frannie's.

Nancy Clancy by Jane O'Connor & illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, 2012-present, 128 pages, ages 6-10.

Another popular picture book character continues as a chapter books series. Nancy Clancy is now a third grader and, while still stylish, has toned down her fanciness slightly. In the first book she and best friend Bree solve a mystery just like their favorite book character, Nancy Drew. In the following books Nancy deals with everything from secret admirers to playing soccer.

There are currently 6 books in the series, with the 7th due out in a matter of days (June 7th, 2016).

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee, 2006-2015, 143-192 pages, ages 7-10.

Poor Clementine manages to get herself into all kinds of trouble, but she only has the best of intentions and is very misunderstood. She also doesn't like being named after a fruit, and insists that it's only fair that she call her little brother vegetable names, like "Broccoli" and "Rutabaga". Kids will find Clementine entertaining and relate-able.

There are 7 books in the Clementine series, but she will make an occasional appearance in the Waylon spin-off series debuting in 2016.

Clarice Bean by Lauren Child, 1999-2006, 208-252 pages, ages 8-12.

Clarice Bean is a young girl who loves to say the word "utterly", is obsessed with the Ruby Redfort books about a young girl who is a secret agent, and is always caught daydreaming by her teacher. She confronts typical problems kids deal with everyday at home and at school.  

There are seven books in the Clarice Bean series, which spawned a real-life incarnation of the fictional Ruby Redfort series Clarice is obsessed with in 2011, with 5 books currently published.

Mallory McDonald by Laurie Friedman, illustrated by Tamara Schmitz, 2004-present, 150-175 pages, ages, 7-10.

Mallory McDonald is a spirited 8-year old girl who loves to tell jokes, much to her older brother Max's embarrassment. She has a cat named Cheeseburger, lives next door to her best friend Mary Ann, and thinks life is almost perfect. Until her parents announce they are moving 3 hours away!  

Mallory adjust to moving, makes new friends and deals with all the typical problems young girls face with school, family, friends, and change. There are currently 25 books in the series.

Piper Reed by Kimberly Willis Holt, illustrated by Christine Davenier, 2007-2012,160 pages, ages 8-11.

Nine-year old Piper Reed is spunky and resilient; you have to be when you're part of a military family and move every couple of years. But Piper has never minded, and embraces being a Navy family, even calling her father "Chief" rather than "Dad". But then they have to move during the school year for the first time, which makes even Piper upset. She also struggles with being the middle child and having dyslexia.

The 5-book series begins with the family's latest move, and follows Piper and she adjusts to her new home and makes new friends; children of military families would find Piper particularly relate-able.

Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary, 1955-1999, 160-240 pages, ages 8-12.

Of course we can't forget the other classic spunky little girl, Ramona. Ramona is a very energetic, curious, imaginative, and strong-willed girl who frequently gets on peoples nerves, particular her older sister Beezus, and sometimes finds herself in trouble.

Ramona first makes an appearance in the Henry Huggins series, then takes a larger role as a 4-year old in Beezus And Ramona before continuing in her own series.There are 8 books in the series, and Ramona ages and matures as the series progresses, turning 10 by the end of the last book.  A great series to grow with.

These last two are not part of a series (though the first is a spin-off from one), but they are both classics by well-known children's authors and feature a couple of independent girls who overcome difficulties and discover strengths they didn't know they had, and no list of spunky, quirky girls would be complete without them!

Otherwise Known As Sheila the Great by Judy Blume, 1972, 160 pages, ages 8-12.

Sheila Tubman secretly has many fears; she is afraid of spiders, dogs, swimming, the dark, and more. She tries to hide her anxieties and over-compensates by projecting a slightly over-the-top persona that is brave, witty, and outgoing. In the story she must face one of her fears, and eventually overcomes it.

This book is a spin-off of Blume's beloved Fudge series. Sheila is a classmate and nemesis of Fudge's older brother Peter in the series; Peter makes an appearance in this story and a few references are made to him and his brother.

Matilda by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, 1988, 240 pages, ages 8-12.

Matilda Wormwood is a very intelligent, precocious child who does not fit into the family she was born into. They do not share or appreciate her curiosity and intellect, and she must educate herself by reading everything she can from the library. Eventually they enroll her in a school, with a wonderful teacher, but a truly horrible headmistress. Matilda discovers talents she never knew she had, and saves everyone from the awful Trunchbull.

This book is a little different in that Matilda is a quiet, intellectual child, yet she is also very brave and stands up for herself and it incorporates a little bit of fantasy by giving Matilda telekinetic powers, whereas all the other books are realistic fiction.

Hopefully one or more of these will fill the void left by Junie B. Jones, but also encourage your young reader to explore other genres, perhaps a little historical fiction with the American Girl or I Survived... series, learn about the lives of real people with the Who Was/Is? biography series, some adventure with Gary Paulsen or Jean Craighead George, mysteries with Encyclopedia Brown or Nancy Drew, or fantasy with The Magic Treehouse series.  Happy Reading!

I subsequently came across one other series to add to this list:

Emma by Sally Warner, illustrated by Jamie Harper, 2005-2010, 98-144 pages, ages 8-12.

Third-grader Emma is an only child of divorced parents, who has recently had to move and start a new school. She is very interested in nature and science, and wants to be naturalist when she's older. In the first book, she has to deal with sharing her room and her mother's attention with 4-year old Anthony, who comes to stay with them for a week when his mother has a family emergency.

There are six books in the series, all dealing with typical third grade trials and tribulations, such as making new friends, arguing with friends, teasing and bullying, etc.

Ready For Fun? - A Jan Thomas Preschool Storytime

So I did something a little different today...instead of a traditional subject theme, I ended up going with an author theme.

I had been forced to cancel my scheduled storytime visit last week due to a severe cold and sinus infection, and rescheduled for this week, which meant it had been longer than usual between visits. I've noticed when this happens that the kids are more restless and wiggly than usual. On top of that, it's the first week of summer vacation, which has made everyone more wiggly and restless all week. So I knew I needed to choose books that were shorter and particularly fun and engaging, and with this group, that usually means books that are very participatory with lots of movement.

I immediately though of Jan Thomas (who is more fun than that??), but how to decide on one? I knew Can You Make A Scary Face? was great in storytime, but I was also dying to try out some of the others I haven't used yet. Then I thought, "why just pick one?" and decided to try a whole Jan Thomas storytime! 

After our welcome song, I explained all of our books today were written by the same person, Jan Thomas, who writes really fun and silly books.  Then we sang our "story song" and read the first book, Can You Make A Scary Face? 

I choose to do this one first because I know it works well, and I liked starting with the up and down and up again, and doing the chicken dance. The kids really liked this book and made some great scary faces! After we finished with the book, we did the chicken dance one more time with some recorded music.

I choose Is Everyone Ready For FUN? for the second book because it also has a lot of opportunities for movement: jumping, dancing, and wiggling along with the cows on Chicken's sofa, and it ties in with the chicken dance from the previous book.

The kids really had fun with all the movements with this book as well; the wiggling seemed to be their favorite, though. They also thought it was cute when they all piled up to nap on the couch, with the biggest cow on bottom and the smaller cows on top, and the chicken on the very top. 

Since this story featured a chicken, I knew this was a good opportunity to do Laurie Berkner's "I Know A Chicken" with shaker eggs. 

I've used this song before, and everyone loves it! It has a very catchy tune, and it is a call-and-response type song, where the audience repeats each line after the singer, so it is very easy to sing along with, and lots of fun movements with the shaker eggs. I go straight from home to this daycare, and had not planned far enough ahead to bring the shaker eggs home with me, so my son had to help me scramble and improvise some shaker eggs with the few plastic Easter eggs I managed to find in the attic. I filled them with rice and he taped them closed for me, and they worked just fine in a pinch.

For the last book, I chose something a little quieter, without any movement. Instead of being silly, The Doghouse is suspenseful, with a surprise ending. Cow, Pig, Duck, and Mouse are happily playing ball outside, until their ball rolls into...the doghouse...oh, the horror!  Who will be brave enough to go in the doghouse to retrieve their ball?? 

One by one, Mouse volunteers each of the other animals to go in after the ball, and one by one, they go in the doghouse. And don't come back out!  After Duck disappears, Mouse calls after him to come out. Dog appears and says Duck can't come out because he's having Duck for dinner!! When Mouse finally peeks in he sees all of his friends enjoying a nice dinner party with Dog.

Having recorded music reminded them of the last time I used recorded music, which was with our "Dinosaur" theme when we did Laurie Berkner's "We Are The Dinosaurs", and they asked to do that one again. Since I had it handy on my phone, we did that one as well. Then we sang our closing song and passed out stickers.

How It Went
The kids really liked all of the books, but I'd say Can You Make A Scary Face? was the favorite movement story. They really got drawn into the suspense of The Doghouse, and were sure all of the animals had been eaten by the dog. There were several audible gasps when dog said that he was having Duck for dinner! None of them guessed the surprise ending, though they tried to pretend like they did. I think they were hoping for some kind of dramatic rescue, though.

As usual, "I Know A Chicken" with the shaker eggs was a big hit. Most enjoyed the "Chicken Dance", but I noticed a few did not participate, though a few couldn't stop, either.

I liked doing this theme, since Jan Thomas books are so fun, and great for storytime. They are short, very engaging and interactive, and I really like the brightly colored illustrations with the heavy bold outlines. I think the simplicity and high contrast of this style really helps engage younger kids and hold their attention. I did feel like it was a little bit frenetic, and in retrospect I think it would have been a little better if I had some calmer, quieter activities in between the two books that had so much high-energy movements. But it all went well, that's just one thing I would tweak if I were to do it again.

The Downside of Working With Kids

I really do love working with kids; they are so cute and sweet (most of the time) and they say the funniest things! It is so rewarding to work with children and help instill in them what will hopefully be a lifelong love of reading. Storytime is my favorite, but I also like helping older kids find and select books to read, and I love to see when they are really excited about a particular book or subject.

The one bad thing about working with children: the germs! Germs are the one thing kids never mind sharing. I have been sick so much since I started my new position last year with one cold after another it seems. I do what I can to prevent it, lots of hand-washing and sanitizer, keeping my hands away from my face, etc., but with being around 100 kids each week, catching something from them is inevitable, especially in such close quarters.

I do most of my storytimes in a renovated RV that we use as a mobile storytime room, which has it's pro's and con's. Some of the pro's are that it is great advertising for the library and early literacy, the kids love the novelty of it, we have all kinds of materials available for storytime without having to carry it around, and it's a controlled environment. One of the big con's is that it is a a confined space, which means when a kid coughs or sneezes, everyone gets exposed. And there was a LOT of sneezing going on this week.

So, I wasn't too surprised when I woke up the other day with a slight sore throat, but by the next morning it was a full-blown, nasty head cold with lots of congestion, sinus pain, headache, and body aches. So I had to do something I've never done before, which was cancel my storytime for today. I really hated to do it, but aside from not wanting to spread germs, I knew there was no way I would be able to read or sing with all the congestion and pain. I was really looking forward to doing the books I had picked out, too, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do them justice so it was better to wait.

It is frustrating, though, because this is at least the sixth major cold I've had in the last 10 months, and it always takes me a long time to recover. My throat gets irritated and the cough will continue long after I'm no longer contagious, which makes doing my job very difficult! Thank goodness I have volunteers that help me, and I can lean a little more heavily on them during those times, but it is frustrating. I couldn't tell you how many bags of cough drops I've gone through! I am just really, really tired of getting sick.

Now, time for some hot tea with honey and lemon, then back to bed :(

To Theme, Or Not To Theme; That Is The Question

The topic of using themes seems to come up for discussion fairly frequently among storytimers. Do you use themes or not? Do you have to use themes? What do you do if you don't have a theme?

There are really very few have to's in storytime, other than to have fun and tell stories! Everyone has their own style, and every group has it's own dynamic, so no two storytimes are the same. So, while many use themes, many others do not. It is really what works best for you, and it never hurts to try both ways or mix it up occasionally!

I do use themes for my storytimes for the most part. Mostly to aid in planning, as I feel like I need some kind of direction. Otherwise, I sometimes become overwhelmed trying to decide what to do because I have too many ideas swirling in my head. Sometimes I'll think of a theme, and then try to find books to go with it, or I may come across a book that inspires a theme. Or I may start with a theme in mind, but it may evolve depending upon the books I find, or I might have to scrap an idea and start over. I try to keep an open mind and not get too set on anything or force a theme that just isn't coming together.

Themes can be fun, but they shouldn't be a burden. It's great to come up with something new or somewhat unique, but you shouldn't feel like you have to re-invent the wheel every time, either. There's certainly nothing wrong with using tried and true hits like dinosaurs, farm animals, zoo animals, etc. Or do a slightly different take, for example, I did "unusual pets" instead of "pets", and my "under-the-sea" theme evolved into a "shark week" theme that turned out to be one of the most fun storytimes I've done.

But themes should be a help in planning, not a hindrance! If you can't come up with a theme, don't worry about it! Are there some books you've been wanting to use but just haven't fit in for one reason or another? New books you can't wait to try out? Old favorites you haven't used in a while? Great, your "theme" can be "books I wanted to read"! There have been times I just didn't have time to think about a theme, and just pulled several books I had been wanting to use, hadn't gotten around to yet. And it works just fine. In fact, this week I'm going theme-less because I came across some books I couldn't wait to use, but didn't necessarily fit into an obvious theme.  So I guess my theme is "Fun books Miss Jennifer just discovered" :)

And if you prefer not to use themes at all, more power to you. Whatever works! As with any aspect of storytime, start with what you're most comfortable with, and branch out from there. Don't be afraid to experiment. If something doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. Every time we try something new, it helps us grow and develop as professionals. If you happen to be one who doesn't generally use themes, please share your thoughts in the comments.

Frog Storytime

I finished up my 2 weeks of Frog-themed storytimes with the Storytime-To-Go program this week. There are quite a few cute picture books featuring frogs out there, so this is a fun theme to do. I started each section by introducing the topic, discussing a few fun facts about frogs, and talking about our letter-of-the-day, "Ff". Then we sang our story song and read our first story. I used a number of books throughout the 2-weeks, reading 2 or 3 to each group.

The Books

In I Don't Want To Be A Frog by Dev Petty & Mike Boldt we meet a young frog who wants to be a cat, or a rabbit, or a pig, or an owl rather than a wet, slimy, bug-eating frog. His father tries to explain that he can't be any of those other animals, but it's the wolf who convinces him that being a frog isn't such a bad thing after all.  

In Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira & Poly Bernatene a family of frogs is puzzled by a little pink pig who mysteriously shows up in their pond one morning, saying "Ribbit." They don't know what to think of this strange pig, and eventually consult the wise old beetle who suggests that maybe the little pig just wanted to make friends. But when they get back to the pond, the pig is gone.

AH HA! by Jeff Mack is a simple story told with only the pictures and two words "Ah" and "Ha". The audience will catch on and join in, particularly those who know their letters and can recognize the different combinations. 

Keith Faulkner and Jonathan Lambert's version of The Wide-Mouthed Frog is a fun pop-up book with charming illustrations. However, I find it is too short, and kids are always disappointed that it isn't longer. I also found that very few of the kids really got the part about the frog making his mouth smaller.

John Strejan's version of the same folk tale, I Love To Eat Bugs!, is also a pop-up book. This one features African animals, and I really like that it is longer than the Faulkner version. This version ends simply with the frog jumping away from the hungry crocodile, though I do wish that it had a larger and more dramatic pop-up for the ending.

Little Green Frogs by Frances Barry is a unique book with pages that fold out instead of turning, forming the whole pond. The book shows the development of frogs from egg to tadpole to frog, with short and simple text, and is great for introducing metamorphosis to younger kids.

Froggy Goes To The Library by Jonathan London and Frank Remkiewicz is the latest book in the Froggy series. I'm partial to Froggy, plus I thought this would be a great way to plug the library, and reinforce appropriate library and storytime behavior. The kids can join in saying "Froogggyyyy" and "whaaat".

Karma Wilson's A Frog In The Bog (illustrated by Joan Rankin) is a fun little story with lots of rhyming words and counting, plus the chance to say ick, ew, yuck, etc., every time the frog eats something we would find gross. In the end, we learn that half-sunk logs are not always what they seem!  

Jump! by Scott M. Fischer is another book with lots of rhyming words, repetition and sequencing. First we have a bug sleeping on a jug, until he sees a frog and he has to "Jump!" to get away from. Then, the frog has to "Jump!" to get away from the cat, and so on until at the end a shark has to "Jump!" to get away from the whale. Or did he?  The kids can join in saying "Jump!" each time.

Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan & Bryan Barton is another simple story with the repeating line "Jump, Frog, Jump!" that the kids can join in saying each time the frog needs to escape capture, either by hungry predators or curious kids. The story also builds with each page, much like The House That Jack Built.

The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Jack Kent is the story of two unlikely friends who are each about to undergo an amazing change. Polliwog is at first disappointed that he doesn't change into a butterfly, but in the end he decides that he is happy to be a frog.

Big Frog Can't Fit In by Mo Willems is a great pop-up and pull-tab book about a big, long-legged frog who is sad she can't fit into the book. If only she were smaller, or more bendable. But, her friends have an idea! This is a fun book, but I found that some of the pull-tabs were difficult to operate and were easily damaged.

In addition, I supplemented these with a couple of non-fiction books, one to show the life-cycle of the frog with photographs of developing tadpoles and another to show some of the brightly colored poison dart frogs. I also had a photograph I found online of someone holding a handful of teeny-tiny baby frogs.

The Activities

The two activities I used the most were the "There Once Was An Alligator" action rhyme that has lots of movement, and the "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" song that I used last week in my regular storytime, "Hop On In To Storytime - Frogs". I mostly used the foam pieces on the magnetic board, but on the two days that the storytime bus was in the shop and I had to go in the classrooms I used my homemade storytime finger-puppet glove, both pictured below:

For more ways to do this song, see my "Five Green & Speckled Frogs, Five Ways" post.

When we needed a lot of movement, we did the "Croaky Pokey", inspired by Ethan Long's book of the same name. Sometimes we did it along with the book, and sometimes just on our own.

How It Went

The kids really seemed to enjoy this theme; I think because there are so many good books to choose from. The ones they seemed to like the most were I Don't Want To Be A Frog, Ribbit!, I Love To Eat Bugs, AH HA!, A Frog In The Bog, and Froggy Goes To The Library. 

After one reading of Froggy Goes To The Library, one boy said he wished we could sing and dance in storytime like Froggy did [we do movement activities all the time, but don't do as much dancing due to the small space]. I told him we could do that right now, provided that he lead since it was his idea. So he came up front and led them all in a Froggy dance, "Giggle, giggle; gaggle, gaggle. Wiggle, wiggle; waggle waggle."  Only it wasn't so much dancing as jumping around flapping their arms and legs and singing the words, but they were so cute and had such a good time doing it!

They all really liked the "Alligator" rhyme, loving the element of suprise when the alligator suddenly dived down after the frog and all the motions for the spinning log, splashing water, and swimming frog. Most of them really liked doing the "Five Green and Speckled Frogs", but a couple of groups were very lackluster about it; I'm not sure why. One minor issue with that song is that there are so many variations, some say "five little speckled" instead of "five green and speckled", some say "sat on a speckled log" and some say "sitting", some say "hollow log" instead of "speckled log", that we not all singing the same words all the time, and that threw some people off.

But most agreed that they were glad they did not have to eat bugs like frogs do!