Do I Look Like Mr. Andy to You?

Today I had the honor of subbing for Andy while he is enjoying a relaxing holiday eating turkey and discussing politics with his family.
It did not go well.
My first clue should have been the shocked looks as I opened the door. I cheerfully explained that Mr. Andy was away and boy-oh-boy weren't we all going to have fun together today!!

I then proceeded to present what was quite possibly the worst storytime ever.

Trying to be timely, I read One Little Two Little Three Little Pilgrims (B.G. Hennessy) and was greeted with vacant stares. I think the book is sweet-- the illustrations are particularly appealing. Choosing a book that emphasizes the historical aspect of the holiday was a mistake, I think. Was it just my delivery, or could it be that the under-3 set isn't familiar with the word "Wampanoag"? Lori and I were talking afterward, and thought that approaching Thanksgiving from a shopping/cooking/eating with family point of view would resonate much more with Twos.

The rest of the storytime didn't reach the level of fiasco-- It was just one of those low energy sessions where one looks up in the middle of maniacally singing "Little Red Wagon" to see that not only is no one singing, they are yawning. Ouch.
It was definitely a "If You're Comtatose and You Know It" not "If You're Happy and You Know It" kind of day.

I am exaggerating slightly-- the Milkshake Song went well.
And I did do a new rhyme with the "3 birds in a nest" puppet:
"Three little birds in a snug warm nest
Stretch their wings, then take a rest.
They stay right here; They never fly.
They listen to our lullaby."
We all then sang "Twinkle" to the birds very softly. Tres cute.

Other books shared:
No Haircut Today (Savadier): Meh.
A Kitten Tale (Rohmann): Very nice-- I talked about how snow would soon be coming and that there had been a few flakes this morning. Some kids were excited to tell me they had seen the snow too...

In any case, these particular terrific twos will no doubt be overjoyed when their beloved Mr. Andy returns next week.
: )
Jennifer