Hi, Pizza Man!

This is an old favorite of mine that had gone out of print. I ordered a used copy from Amazon that just arrived. It's still gold! I wore the pizza hat while I read it, and you could have heard a pin drop. Even my two roamers stopped in their tracks to listen. I'm taking it this week to Blocks 24, but you should definitely try it for 2s and 3s or Saturday ST.

I also read Sleepyhead Bear which would be a better book if the rhymes didn't feel so forced. The kids liked it, but I found myself making changes as I read it, so it wasn't so sing-songy. We sang Bringing home a Baby Bumblebee with the bee puppet and I encouraged them to join in with very loud ouches as I stung different parts of my body. For some reason, this is very exciting and even the shy ones giggle when I get stung.

Saturday Babies

We had seven babies, one mom with twins, and quite a few dads on Saturday. The mom with twins was impressive. She would do an activity with one, while the other sat very precariously in front of her, then she would switch them. These had to be the sunshiniest round happy faced babies I have ever performed for. We read So Big, Baby Faces, and Peekaboo Baby (all together). I used the 3 Fat Sausages flannel or 3 Fat Turds as some like to call it. Come on, I ask you, does poop sizzle? Of course not!

I also used the Ravioli snack box with the babies and they did not reject it, although Maxwell did start crying when his dad tickled his chin. You win some, you lose some.

Other rhymes included: Two Little Eyes, Ponies Were Walking, Acka Backa Soda Cracka, Wibbleton to Wobbleton, Sally Go Round the Sun, Grandfather Clock Goes Tick Tock, and Open Them Shut Them.

No Ravioli For Me Thanks!

I had a first today--four kids who refused to hold my pretend ravioli. I had put some fake fruit in one of the story boxes (calling it my snack box) and after pulling out an orange, some grapes and an apple and rejecting them, I pulled out the ravioli and said "that's the food for me" (leading into the song).

I went to pass out the pieces and four toddlers turned me down. The nerve! or maybe they wanted real ravioli instead of a piece of paper towel. or maybe they didn't have a clue as to what ravioli was and it seemed scary or maybe they thought the fake fruit looked way more appetizing. I don't know, but there was definitely some group think going on.

Jason's Blanket was a success. Thanks Jennifer. I tried a new Alligator rhyme and used it with Clarabella's Teeth and it went over just fine. I also read at Heather's recommendation, Walking in the Jungle, which is gold! Interestingly, I had alligators/crocodiles (who knows the difference?) in all three books without aiming for it as a theme. Does that ever happen to you? You realize your hodgepodge actually makes some kind of sense.

Lilly Andy

Dole-drums

Not a very successful storytime today at Dole. The crowd was bigger than last week, but boy howdy were they stonefaced little darlings. There were a couple of regulars who participated, but I hadn't seen any of the other folks before-- not sure if they were new, or just not Main patrons. It was one of those times when I felt slightly manic, because my instinct when no one is joining in is to ramp up the enthusiasm.
I read Whose Nose and Toes ?, A Good Day, and the Big Dig pop-up. One boy who had been completely silent went crazy over all the trucks! I did get some nice responses to Whose Nose and Toes? as well.
One BIG problem-- the tiger bubble maker absolutely refused to work, which caused the whole low-energy affair to end on a even lower note. I thought I would save the day because I had a brand-new spare bottle of bubbles on hand. However-- apparently wands are sold separately these days.
Sigh.

Babies, 1's and 2's oh my!

I did four storytimes this week. Whew! For babies and 1's, I pretty much used the same program--just added more rhymes for babes and more books for 1's. Toes, Ears, & Nose (Karen Katz's illustrations are perfect for babies!) was a fab lift-the-flap, Penelope the Piglet worked with all 3 ages groups--especially the snuffly pig part (I asked the kids "Where's your snout? And they actually pointed to their noses!), Clip Clop pairs perfectly with the new horse puppet as does Giddy up Let's Ride. I tell the parents they get to be the horsies and that kids can pet their "manes"/hair! The Baby Goes Beep, I Like it When, Peek-a-Pet and Maisy Goes Swimming were perfect with the 1's. Especially Maisy. She always rocks. For the 2's, There Once Was a Puffin and From Head to Toe worked well but the real star was Snowbaby Could Not Sleep. Thanks Lori! I had the kids count paper snowflakes with me during the story and this was a book that calmed everyone down. Kathy Reid Naiman's song, The Ponies are Walking provided some active play to get the wiggles out, and my name game Ball Bounces is a must for babies and 1's.

Pajama-rama

I was a little hesistant when I opened the door and only one mom with her two very little girls came in. There was no one else to recruit, so I started storytime. They were very cute, but obviously new to storytime, and pretty scared of me. (Scary Ms. Kate!) Then, two more kids came in with their moms, both regular storytimers, so they helped perk up the energy. I thought it might be hard with only four, but they sang and clapped with me and really listened to the stories. Plus, with only four, they were able to help put the felt pieces on the felt board which they looooved.

I read Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Keisha Ann Can (good one Leslie!), Not a Box and Who is Driving? I did an oral storytelling of Grumpy Bird with the felt board pieces, and it was really fun. I also used the felt board for Wheels on the Bus, and the kids really liked that. So even for a small crowd, it still went pretty well.

Andy's first babies ST

Well, I survived, and even enjoyed it. I had talked to both Rory and Heather at some length, and they graciously imparted their baby wisdom, so I felt decently prepared. I decided for this very first ST not to do any completely new rhymes or stretchers, and instead just adapt ones that I already felt very comfortable with. The worst part of the ST was opening the doors at 11:00 and not have anyone come in! I had to walk around and actively recruit, and let in a few post-15-month-olds, just to eventually get a cozy little group of 7, which turned out to be a nice size. Here's my plan o' action:
1. Intro comments...
2. song – come along and sing with me, sing with me, sing with me, come along and sing with me, on a Saturday morning
- clap with me - kick with me - read with me
3. book – Where’s Spot?
4. stretcher – where is thumbkin?
5. Song – You Are My Sunshine – use flannel sun
6. book – Bear at Home – introduce with Bear puppet
7. fingerplay – Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
8. rhyme – intro with bee puppet – Here is the beehive
9. book – Read-along – That’s Not My Puppy
10. stretcher - open shut them
11. activity – 1 big bubble, high up in the sky
12. song – now it’s time to say goodbye

Anyway, nothing bombed, which was nice. I definitely guilted one dad into getting off his plastic chair and onto the rug, so everybody was on the floor, except me, and it definitely did make it easier for me to be the focal point. My fave moment might have been doing the read-along; it was fun passing out board books to every adult, and then reading the story out loud myself, adding lots of interjections ("ooh, touch those paws, aren't they bumpy?!?", etc.)while the adults flipped through their copies with their babies on their laps. It was also kind of nice not having to worry about panning my copy for the crowd - the rare moment where I didn't want to visually distract the babies from what was taking place in their immediate vicinity. Anyway, it turns out I don't have much trouble keeping up a running patter/flow - the perk of being a blabbermouth!