I've been slacking on my posting. I just haven't had time to type things up like I used to. And if I don't type up my storytimes the same day, I forget how I really felt about things and how the kids reacted, etc. I sigh.
Well, here's a storytime I did at a local preschool. The kids really liked all three books and they love the songs I use with them, too. This was my last storytime with this group as my assignments will soon be changing, so it was a little sad. I didn't tell them until the end because I didn't know how the kids would react the that news.
Opening song: Hello Song by Ella Jenkins. We sing it twice then we just say a big "hello" and wave.
Literacy: Bot + Boy by Amy Dyckman. The kids and I really like this friendship story. They also really liked it when I talked like a robot.
Child: "How did you learn to talk robot, Ms. Camille?"
Me: " How do you know I'm not a robot?"
Literacy: Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon. This is a non-story about two robots and their costume antics. This book was fun. I mean really a fun book. From yelling out the text, to getting the kids to guess what's next this is a great book with simple block illustrations and bright colors. I can totally see having some kids acting this out.
Second story stretch: Put Your Finger In the Air (Love this guy!)
I like to add and change lyrics with this song so here are the verses I sang today:
Put your finger in the air... Leave it there about a year...
Put your finger on your head... Tell me is it green or red...
Put your finger on your nose... Feel the cold wind blow...
Put your finger on your finger... Leave it there, let it linger...
Put your finger on your leg... Ask them if they'd like some eggs...
Put your finger on your shoe... Let them walk a mile or two...
Literacy: Don't Squish the Sasquatch! by Kent Redeker. One of the teachers had already read this book to the kids so they already knew it, but that made it more fun because then they knew where to yell "Don't squish the sasquatch!" and it worked out fine. I like this book because its interactive and gave me lots opportunities to ask the kids questions and to spur their imagination.
Literacy: In the Small Small Pond by Denise Fleming. Speaking of interactive books, this is one of my favorites. In front of them, I call it a stand-up book and I make them stand up. Then we act out all the things the creatures are doing in the book: Swooping like swallows, whirling like whirligigs, snapping like crawfish.
I always end with the Hokey Pokey because its fun and give kids an opportunity to shake it out after being good listeners through a few books.
Don't forget to teach them how to say "yes" in robot: Affirmative!
I'm a fan of Reading Rainbow. I discovered a few of my favorite books through the show such as Tar Beach by Faith Ringold, Barn Dance by Bill Martin Jr. and Galimoto by Karen Lynne Williams. I used to watch and enjoy it as a child, but it especially helped me when I started out at a children's librarian. I would record episodes and while watching them, I learned a bit about how to bring books to life and how to get kids to want to read. Then... POOF! It was gone from my DVR. It was cancelled due to funding issues and a emphasis on the "mechanics of reading" as opposed to fostering a love of reading. 
