Daisy is the Old English Sheepdog puppet Renee uses for Toddler Storytime. Daisy and Renee usually tell a simple joke at the beginning of story time. Simple jokes are a great way to introduce a call and response such as "knock knock, who's there", introduce the concept of multiplicity of meaning for language, and acts as a marker for story time, letting the audience know where they are in the story time sequence and what they should be doing.
Supervisor: Renee Kirchner
Monday: 9am-2pm
Today was all about storytimes! I observed Preschool Storytime with Mr. Allen for ages 3-6 years. The audience is capped at 25 but siblings of different ages are welcome as well. Storytimes have a similar structure: welcome song, fingerplay song, story, movement song, themed song, story, themed song, (3rd story if audience still has the attention) closing song. The teller goes over an early literacy tip for parents. The predictable structure of storytime acts as touchpoints for the audience. Mr. Allen also did the Mother Goose Storytime for children birth to 18 months. This storytime is capped at 12 babies. Parents and babies sit around a parachute and sing movement songs as well as naming things type of songs. Mr. Allen also peppers the storytime with literacy ideas for parents. Storytime participants read 2 books aloud. Reading aloud in a group slows your speech, making it easier for the babies to hear the sounds. There is also a parachute play time for the babies during storytime. At the end of storytime, soft building blocks, shakers, balls, and stacking cups are put in the middle of the circle for the children to play with. The parents talk and compare parenting challenges and ideas. It is a really nice storytime!
The afternoon was spent researching and preparing for a storytime. I decided on 2 themes (Things That Go and Seeds) and began searching for resources. LPL has big books, flannel stories, and other storytime enrichments. I used the catalog to determine which stories were appropriate for which age. Renee showed me several websites for storytime ideas, songs, and tips. We will spend Friday practicing my storytime presentation. I am organizing my computer files to create a Building Storytime file with all the ideas so that I can put a storytime together more quickly. I haven’t taught or presented a storytime in 3 years so I am a bit rusty remembering those songs! My challenges will be limiting myself to an appropriate number of books per stoytime and getting those songs, rhymes, and dances back to easy recall. However, everyone has been so helpful sharing their tips, resources, and time with me that I am certain I will have a treasure trove of good ideas.
Add comment
Comments