I have returned! Storytime is back in session and boy are we having fun!

Good afternoon! We're nearing the end of September and my Storytimes have started to buzz, crackle, and spark with energy! My attendance has increased steadily since the first week after Labor Day. I'm feeling very encouraged, because the changes that I've made to storytime have been very well received and I can see a huge difference in my confidence as a storyteller. But anyway, none of you want to hear about that, you want to know what I've been doing during storytime, well fine. I guess I can stop talking about myself for a few sentences and let you know some of my tricks.

So far, I've done storytimes on imaginary play, magic, and the weather. Today was a more traditional autumn storytime all about apples.

Books:
Apples, Apples, Everywhere- Robin Michal Koontz
The Biggest Apple Ever- Steven Kroll
An Apple selection from Fancy Nancy's Fabulous Fall Storytime Collection-

What We did:
1.) I sliced red, green, and yellow apples for the kids to sample. Then we used flannel apples to make a graph of our favorite kind. We talked about which choice had the most and the least. There I go again...teaching with food!

2.) Greeting Song- The storytime train is coming (She'll be comin round the mountain)
Oh the storytime train is coming! How are you? (everyone yells CHOO CHOO!)
Yes, the storytime train is coming! How are you? (CHOO CHOO!)
Now the storytime train is coming! Oh the storytime train is coming! Yes the storytime train is coming! How are you? (CHOO CHOO!)

Let's say hello to _____. How are you? (CHOO CHOO!)
Repeat for all kids in attendance.

3.) Get our bodies ready to read song: This is the way
This is the way I clap my hands, clap my hands, clap my hands.
This is the way I clap my hands when I'm at storytime.
Repeat with other motions, i.e. stomp feet, jump up and down, tap my head, wiggle my nose. Always end with 
This is the way I sit in my spot, sit in my spot, sit in my spot. This is the way I sit in my spot when I'm at storytime.

4.) A-P-P-L-E (BINGO)
We sing the song to the tune bingo. Instead of clapping when you omit a letter, say CRUNCH!
I had a visual aid for this song as well. I put the letters A-P-P-L-E on separate pieces of paper. On the reverse side is a picture of an apple I found. Each subsequent letter, the apple appears to have another bit taken out of it. Behind the E, the apple is just a core. As we sing, we turn the pictures over from letters to apples. The kids are always eager to see what the next apple will look like. I ham it up and act like I'm totally upset that someone is eating my apple. I had lots of belly laughs this morning.

6.) Goodbye rap:

Wave high, Wave low.
I think it's time we've got to go!
Wave your elbows, wave your toes
Wave your tongue, and wave your nose.
Wave your knees, wave your lips,
Blow a kiss with your fingertips.
Wave your ears, wave your hair,
Wave your belly, and your derriere.
Wave your chin, wave your eye,
Wave your hand and say goodbye.

5.) Activity Stations: The BIGGEST change that I've made to storytime this year is that I don't end on one craft. I attended a workshop that suggested having different activity stations to reach the interests of all kids in attendance and allowing you to work on a multitude of preschool skills. So, today we had three separate stations.
1.) Play-Doh play
2.) Apple suncatcher craft
3.) Apple tossing game

The Play-Doh play is pretty self explanatory. put out some pla-doh and have some toys for them to roll, smush, cut, and build with the pla-doh. It's really good for working on their fine motor skills and building the muscles in their hand/fingers.

The suncatcher craft required children to glue colored tissue paper to the back of a wax paper lined apple shape.

The apple tossing game is great for gross motor development and coordination. You take some beanbags, call them apples, and toss them in a basket. I put a line of tape across the floor and the kids tossed it into a picnic basket. They had lots of fun, as you would expect.

Well, that's pretty much it! Thanks for checking me out and I hope you come back to read next week!

Until then!