American Girl: Felicity Merriman (April 2016)

My last American Girl session was based on Felicity Merriman. Felicity’s doll has been retired since 2011. However, this did not stop us from putting a program together. My AMG helper, Haley, will be leaving for college in Fall, and I gave her the opportunity to help plan the last session. She decided on Felicity and it was absolutely terrific.

We both loved the idea of doing a general store in honor of Felicity’s family own store. We opted to tie the general store in with hat making. Hats and ribbons were extremely popular during Felicity’s era, and we wanted the participants to get a feel for how someone might have decorated their hat and purchased items from a general store.

We gave the girls buttons to use as their money, and Haley set the prices. She ran this store the entire time. There were ribbons, feathers, and little decorations available for “purchase.” It is awesome to see kids weigh how they want to spend their money.

I wanted to keep the cost down fairly low, and I realized that true hats were going to be a bit expensive for 60 people. Haley and I came up with the idea of taking a paper bowl and flipping it over. We figured that the paper substance would lend itself to being decorated better than Styrofoam. I did paint them yellow to give them a “fancier” look.

I also wanted to provide the participants with a decoration that they would not have to buy. Solution: paper flowers! I had tiny tissue paper that worked perfectly with making tiny flowers. The kids could either put them on their hats or make a bouquet. I will warn you that the tiny flowers take lots of patience.

Our snack for this final session was fruit punch and flummery. Apparently, flummery was very popular during Felicity’s time and we wanted to give everyone a taste of it.

Overall, one of my favorite AMG sessions. It was super easy to put together and everyone had a nice time.

Smash, Crash, World Records

Last Friday I hosted a Smash, Crash, World Records for kids going into grades K5-3rd. I picked some easy activities that the kids could accomplish. I did registration for this program and had 23 out of 25 kids show up. Unfortunately, I only have my set-up pictures, as I was preoccupied with the Jenga station.

Jenga Tower: The world record is obviously for a game that was completed. This would have taken forever, so I simply did how fast the kids could build a Jenga Tower.

Longest Hula Hooping/Most Hula Hoops: My helper timed each kid to see how long they could hula hoop. After they completed the first station, the kids then competed to see who could hula hoop 7 rings. We ended up having three kids tie for first place, so we went to how long they could hula hoop the 7 rings.

Long Jump/Star Jumps: Since long jump was such a hug hit at our Olympic Games, I decided to reincorporate it into this program. However, I spiced it up and actually taped out the longest jump recorded. After the kids completed long jump they went to star jumps. We did it based on a minute. The record is 61 perfect star jumps in 1 minute. Most of the kids could were unable to do a perfect star jump, so we did it based on how many “star jumps” they could complete in a minute.

Observations: This was a very simple program but effective. I had several kids say they would like me to repeat it for the future. I would recommend that you have enough helpers to divide the kids evenly.

Baby – Summer 2016

Here are my baby storytime outlines for 2016. My library normally does a separate Waddler and Walker storytime, but I decided to combine them for the summer. These are my outlines. I will add each storytime outline as I complete them with notes.

Monday, June 13

Introduction Song	Well Hello Everybody, Can you Touch Your Nose
Nursery Rhyme	This Little Piggy For my baby storytimes, I have the parents gently touch/shake an arm or leg for each piggy. The last portion of the little pig running home…we tickle bellies.
Book	Rainbow Zoo by Martina Hogan
Traditional Rhyme	This is Big, Big, Big
Diaper Song	Baby Put Your Pants On
Movement	Little Bar of Soap
Movement	Elevator Song
Dance Song	Milkshake by Songs for Wiggle Worms
Dance Song	Shake My Sillies Out
Calm Down Song	Acka Backa Soda Cracker
Closing Song	ABCs
Goodbye Song	We Wave Goodbye Like This

Follow-Up Activities: Pots and Pans and toys.

Observations: I might have done just one too many rhymes for this storytime. I might ax one of movement songs. However, I’m really glad that I offered a sensory activity with playtime. I would almost say that the pots and pans trumped the toys.

Monday, June 20 (Children’s Activity Room)

Introduction Song	Well Hello Everybody, Can you Touch Your Nose
Nursery Rhyme	The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Book	Jungle 123 by Little Bee Books
Traditional Rhyme	This is Big, Big, Big
Diaper Song	Wiggle Waggle Went the Bear
Movement	Bouncing, Bouncing, Baby on My Knee
Movement	Popcorn
Dance Song	If You’re Happy and You Know It
Dance Song	Shake My Sillies Out
Calm Down Song	Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Closing Song	ABCs
Goodbye Song	We Wave Goodbye Like This

Follow-Up Activities: Bubbles, Toys, Baby Toys

Observations: My library’s AC is only running at half capacity, so I kept it fairly tame. It was too hot for all the rhymes, so I axed out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to speed up the storytime. The room was getting very hot. Unfortunately, I could not locate where I found the popcorn rhyme, but these are the lyrics.

Popcorn, popcorn (bounce gently)
Sittin’ in the pot.
Shake it, shake it. (wiggle baby)
Pop! Pop! Pop! (bounce high 3 times)

Monday, June 27

Introduction Song	Well Hello Everybody, Can you Touch Your Nose
Nursery Rhyme	Humpty Dumpty
Book
Traditional Rhyme	This is Big, Big, Big
Diaper Song	Spots, Spots, Spots
Movement	Bubble, Bubble, Pop
Movement	Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
Dance Song	Toddler Can Can
Dance Song	Shake My Sillies Out
Calm Down Song	Bubble, Hop, And Stop
Closing Song	ABCs
Goodbye Song	We Wave Goodbye Like This

Follow-Up Activities: Bubbles, Toys, Baby Toys

Observations: Bubble wrap was a hit! Little babies were focused on trying to pop it while older kids were super excited to step and jump on it. #WIN

Monday, July 11

Introduction Song	Well Hello Everybody, Can you Touch Your Nose
Nursery Rhyme	Patty Cake
Book	Let’s Have a Picnic by Hunter Reid
Traditional Rhyme	Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
Diaper Song	Pizza Baby
Movement	Somebody’s Hiding
Movement	Color, Color
Dance Song	I Know a Chicken
Dance Song	Jump Up!
Calm Down Song	We Wave Our Scarves Together
Closing Song	ABCs
Goodbye Song	We Wave Goodbye Like This

Follow-Up Activities: Scarves, Toys, Baby Toys

Color, Color up and Down

Color, color up and down,
Color, color all around.
Color, color knees and toes,
Color, color on your nose.
Color, color on your tummy,
Color, color on your mommy.

Observations: I incorporated sensory playtime into this storytime. We used the scarves for half of the rhymes.

Monday, July 18

Introduction Song	Well Hello Everybody, Can you Touch Your Nose
Nursery Rhyme	Mary Had a Little Lamb
Book	Leap, Frog, Leap! by Douglas Florian
Traditional Rhyme	Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
Diaper Song	Changing Diapers
Movement	Animal Moves
Movement	Alligator Elevator
Dance Song	Hokey Pokey
Dance Song	Jump Up
Calm Down Song	These Little Fingers
Closing Song	ABCs
Goodbye Song	We Wave Goodbye Like This

Follow-Up Activities: Parachute, Toys, Baby Toy

Animal Moves

This is the way the bunny hops:
hop, hop, hop, hop.

This is the way the horsey trots:
trit trot, trit trot.

This is the way the froggy jumps:
jump, jump, jump, jump.

This is the way the birdie flies:
fly away, fly away!

These Little Fingers Go

These little fingers go
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.
These little fingers go
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
And now they’re on my
___________.

Observations: My iPod dock actually was not cooperating with me, so we did not dance this session. 😦

Buttons – Preschool

Opening Song

Clap Everybody and Say Hello!

Clap everybody and say hello!
Clap everybody and say hello!
Clap everybody and say hello!
No matter what the weather!

Stomp everybody and say hello!
Stomp everybody and say hello!
Stomp everybody and say hello!
No matter what the weather!

Jump everybody and say hello!
Jump everybody and say hello!
Jump everybody and say hello!
No matter what the weather!

Books

Press Here by Hervé Tullet
Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

Flannel

I read Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons along with this flannel.

Finger Rhyme

Five Little Buttons

Five Little Buttons on my shirt
One popped off and rolled away….

Four Little Buttons on my shirt
One popped off and rolled away…

Three Little Buttons on my shirt…
One popped off and rolled away

Two Little Buttons on my shirt…
One popped off and rolled away

One little button on my shirt..
It popped off and rolled away

No more buttons on my shirt!
Oh no I need another shirt!
Source: My own creation.

Themed Rhymes

Big Button

One Push
Two Pushes
Three pushes
Jump!
Source: My own creation.

Where is Button

Where is button, (hid the stick behind my back)
Where is button,
Here it is! (revealed the button)
Here it is!
Put on my belly (put it on the belly)
Put on my belly
Belly Button
Belly Button
Source: My own creation.

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Action Play

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A fellow librarian blogger talked about playing a game called “Remote Control Says.” I thought it was awesome and decided to make a 2 foot remote control for this game. The kids really got a hoot out of it.

Remote Control

Remote Control Says…
Dance
Jump up and Down
Sit
Make a Silly Face
Turn in a Circle
Clap your hands
Stomp
Run in Place
Reach to the Ceiling

Activity Songs

Belly Button by Ralph’s World
Button Factory by The Learning Station

Take Home Craft

Closing Activities

The Alphabet Song. We are learning it in sign language.
Counting to 25.

Closing Goodbye Song

See you later, alligator

See you later, alligator (Wave goodbye)
In a while, crocodile
Give a hug, ladybug (Hug yourself)
Blow a kiss, jellyfish (Blow a kiss)
See you soon, big baboon
Out the door, dinosaur (Point straight ahead)
Take care, polar bear
Wave goodbye, butterfly (Wave goodbye)

Observations

Pete the Cat is always a hit. Don’t Push This Button was another popular book with the kids. I did this book for a school visit and we actually handed out “buttons” for the kids to push along with me.

Buttons – Toddler

Opening Song

Well Hello Everybody, Can You Touch Your Nose

Well hello everybody, can you touch your nose,
Touch your nose, touch your nose?
Well hello everybody, can you touch your nose,
touch your nose?

Well hello everybody can you touch your toes,
touch your toes, touch your toes?
Well hello everybody, can you touch your toes,
touch your toes?

Well hello everybody, can you rub your tummy,
rub your tummy, rub your tummy?
Well hello everybody, can you rub your tummy,
rub your tummy?

Books

We’ve All Got Bellybuttons!by David Martin
Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Mo Willems

Traditional Rhymes

This is Big Big Big

This is big big big
This is small small small
This is short short short
This is tall tall tall
This is fast fast fast
This is slow slow slow
This is yes yes yes
This is no no no
Source: Mel’s Desk

Clap, Clap, Clap Your hands

Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap them now with me
Clap your hands, let me see
Clap your hands with me

Beep, beep, beep your nose
Touch, touch, touch your shoulders
Tap, tap, tap your knees
Shake, shake, shake your feet

Dickery Dickery Dare

Dickery, dickery dare,
The pig flew up in the air.
The man in brown
Soon brought him down!
Dickery, dickery, dare.

Finger Rhyme

Five Little Buttons

Five Little Buttons on my shirt
One popped off and rolled away….

Four Little Buttons on my shirt
One popped off and rolled away…

Three Little Buttons on my shirt…
One popped off and rolled away

Two Little Buttons on my shirt…
One popped off and rolled away

One little button on my shirt..
It popped off and rolled away

No more buttons on my shirt!
Oh no I need another shirt!
Source: My own creation.

Themed Rhymes

Big Button

One Push
Two Pushes
Three pushes
Jump!
Source: My own creation.

Where, Oh Where are Baby’s Fingers

Where, oh where are baby’s fingers? (touch fingers)
Where, oh where are baby’s toes? (touch toes)
Where, oh where, is baby’s belly button? (tap belly button)
‘Round and round it goes (make circle around belly)

Where, oh where are baby’s ears? (touch ears)
Where, oh where is baby’s nose? (touch nose)
Where, oh where, is baby’s belly button? (tap belly button)
Round and round it goes. (make a circle around belly)
Source: King County Library System

Where is Button

Activity Songs

Belly Button by Joe Scruggs
Belly Button by Ralph’s World

Take Home Craft

Closing Activities

The Alphabet Song
Counting to 15.

Closing Goodbye Song

The Goodbye Train is Leaving
Oh the goodbye train is leaving see you soon, toot, toot.
Oh the goodbye train is leaving see you soon, toot, toot.
Oh the goodbye train is leaving, the goodbye train is leaving
Oh the goodbye train is leaving see you soon, toot, toot

Observations

I had to create a lot of the rhymes. There were not a lot of button rhymes.

Summer 2016 Kick-Off: Olympic Games

Last Friday my library officially kicked off our summer reading program with an Olympic Games. We thought an Olympic Games kick-off was appropriate for the theme, “On Your Mark, Get Set…READ.” We opted to do early registration, crafts, snacks and games.

Crafts

My coworker loves to find crafts. These are the ideas she found for our kick-off.

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Games

I was in charge of finding games. Unfortunately, our building is without AC, so I decided to find games that would still be entertaining but would not overheat the kids. I thought it would be fun for the kids to have a passport for this section. For every section they completed, they received a sticker. Their final task was to make a ribbon for their completion.

The staff said the long jump and javelin throw were the most popular activities. They said the kids would get very determined and would get back in line to do them again. The Marble Run was so-so. It was kind of a one trick pony.

Passport
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Long Jump
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Javelin Throw
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Marble Run
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Ribbon
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Photo Op and Food

We had the Olympic Rings as a Photo Op. Kids could either stick their heads in the holes or stand next to it.

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The food was pretty awesome and simple. We bought a mixture of cheesy and movie theater popcorn. We then combined them and made Olympic torches!

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Observations

We had a total of 315 people for two hours. This was a more low-key event compared to last year’s kickoff. However, with the lack of AC and the number of people, we were OK with it.

Eric Carle Storytime

Opening Song

Clap Everybody and Say Hello!

Clap everybody and say hello!
Clap everybody and say hello!
Clap everybody and say hello!
No matter what the weather!

Stomp everybody and say hello!
Stomp everybody and say hello!
Stomp everybody and say hello!
No matter what the weather!

Jump everybody and say hello!
Jump everybody and say hello!
Jump everybody and say hello!
No matter what the weather!

Books

79879

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

Flannel

The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I did this flannel along with the book.

Themed Rhymes

Zoo Animals

(tune: If You Are Happy and You Know It)
If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!
If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!
If you want to be a monkey, if you want to be a monkey,
If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!
Parrot – flap your wings
Elephant – wing your trunk
Lion – roar out loud
Giraffe – stand up tall
Source:King County Library System

Let’s Hear You Roar!

Let’s hear you roar like a lion!
Let’s see you jump like a frog.
Let’s see you snap your jaws like a crocodile.
Let’s hear you woof like a dog.
Pretend you’re an elephant with a big, long trunk.
Pretend you’re a monkey; let’s see you jump, jump, jump.
And now you’re a mouse. Just let me see
How very, very quiet you can be.
Credit: Toddler Storytimes II by Diane Briggs

Caterpillar, Caterpillar
(tune: Motor Boat, Motor Boat)

Caterpillar, caterpillar, long and slow.
Caterpillar, caterpillar eat and grow.
Caterpillar, caterpillar close your eyes.
Caterpillar, caterpillar change your size.
Caterpillar, caterpillar where’d you go
Source: CanTeach

I’m a Litte Egg
(tune: Pop Goes the Weasel)

A little egg lay on a leaf
In the light of the moon
It wiggled and wiggled
What will it be?
Pop! A caterpillar
Source:Sing a New Song

Activity Songs

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Shoo Fly
The Shaker Song

Take Home Craft

I thought it would be appropriate to make a baby kangaroo for Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?

Closing Activities

The Alphabet Song. We are learning it in sign language.
Counting to 25.

Closing Goodbye Song

See you later, alligator

Observations

Sooooo it has been over three months since I did this storytime. This translates into my mind is super fuzzy, and I cannot remember the exact CD I used for all the songs. I will update it if I ever remember them.

Overall, the storytime went extremely well and the kids loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar flannel. I also wore this sweet baby kangaroo for Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?

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