Mock Caldecott Program for Class Visits

Has anyone ever done a Mock Caldecott program before? I think it sounds like a lot of fun and something that would be memorable for the kids. I'm thinking of doing the program with first and second graders...kindergarten might be too young.

Here is how my current program outline:
1. Gather about 16-20 books. There are a lot of lists of possible contenders published by other libraries and there is even a spreadsheet created by Jim Averbeck showing which books appear most often on those lists.

2. Print out slips of paper with numbers 1-3. Each number has its own color. For example, 1 is on blue paper, 2 on red, 3 on green, etc.

3. When the class comes, I will explain what the Caldecott award is, show an example, and lead a discussion about the illustrations in picture books.

4. I'll divide the class into 4 or 5 groups and handout the numbered slips to everybody.

5. Each group will examine 4 books at a time.

6. After everyone gets a chance to look at the books, the kids get to vote by raising their slips of paper. Each book will have a number, and one child in each group will be the recorder to record how many votes each book received. (I think I'll create a spreadsheet for the recorder to make it easier.)

7. After everyone votes, I'll rotate the books on to the next group. This will continue until everyone has seen every book or until time runs out.

8. When the class returns, I will read the top 3 books and the kids will vote again to select their Mock Caldecott winner. I'll also announce the national Caldecott winner. This year, the national winner will be announced Monday January 26.

Is this type of a program possible with first and second graders?? Any suggestions?

Result: With a first grade class this was very chaotic. I think for first grade next time I will modify the program--I'll handout the voting slips, read 3 stories, and then have the kids vote and discuss. Perhaps this program is better geared towards grade 3-4. The kids were capable in small groups, but having 5 groups of first graders was just too much.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Earlier this week I came upon this program on some library websites. The goal is to get parents and guardians to read a lot of books to their young children. Some libraries run the program and some schools run the program.

Here are the basics:

• Kids 0-5 signed up. (In the preschool-kindergarten collaboration kids only participate from sept of last year of preschool to end the kindergarten school year.)

• Books are bagged in groups of 10.

• At certain milestones like 100th book, 500th book, etc. the child receives a prize. Prizes can be things like t-shirts, cds of nursery rhymes, etc.

• At the end of the program, kids get a big prize, certificate, and their picture in a local newspaper.

Example: I contacted the school that does the program. The woman I spoke with said that this is their 3rd year doing the program. They have 240 bags with unique titles (no repeats). This year they have 150 participants. Her school relied on donations for their books.

What I like about the program: It encourages parents to read to their kids and reinforces how important it is. At Oak Lane, I see a lot of elementary age kids, but not many preschoolers or babies.

Questions:

• How practical do you all think this program is?

• Would you bag up books? (I'm thinking that to start I'd have 20 bags and then switch them out every 3-4 months)

• Who would participate? Kids from birth to end of kindergarten? 3-5 year olds?

• Would you divide the bags into levels? Bag for toddlers, bag for 3-4s, bag for pre-readers and beginning readers? Or mix levels?

Overall, I think the program is worth doing. I will see if my Friends group is willing to collaborate and sponsor prizes. I think it will take me a month or two to get everything set up and organized.

The woman I spoke with is sending me an informational packet. Once I get it, I can I make copies and send it on to any that are interested. Let me know!

LEAP programming woes.

So, experienced librarians. Let's talk about LEAP programs.

I know we all struggle with this, but I'm about to tear my hair out trying to convince my after-school kids that it's worth their while to participate in planned, structured programs during LEAP hours. We are particularly having issues with those hosted by outside performers. On those days, our regulars mysteriously absent themselves from the building just as the programs are supposed to occur.

My (awesome) new LEAP leader and I have been trying to figure out how to create the expectation that they can and should participate in these programs. So far we have tried snacks and bribery, including offering coupons for 30 extra minutes of computer time if they attend a program from start to finish. Neither has worked. I repeat: not even 30 free minutes of computer time has worked. Everyone disappears from the premises just as the program begins.

I'd shrug my shoulders and simply decide not to book any more programs if not for statistical necessity - we have virtually no school-aged programming otherwise, because kids in this community are so completely overbooked. Plus, isn't part of the point of LEAP to involve kids in an afterschool community? We are working against several years of history where our regulars operate very independently, doing their homework and then playing on the computer until it's time to go home. This is fine to an extent, but I'm not ready to give up yet.

Your suggestions for enticing children to programs - or, better yet, structuring them and creating expectations so that participation is fun and agreeable - are much appreciated! Thanks from the n00b.

Let's talk trash!

One of my sure-fire, last-minute, don't-want-to-read-dinosaur-stories-again storytime go-to is TRASH. It's a concept that pre-schoolers are able to grasp and it's potentially gross - that's a win-win situation!

Let me share with you some of my favorite parts of each story!

I Stink!, Kate and Jim McMullan
This is a noisy, roughly drawn tale of a smelly trash truck. The best (and grossest) part of the story is when the ingredients for Alphabet Soup are listed - D for Dirty Diapers, M for Moldy Meatballs, K for Kitty Litter, Y for Year-old Yams. I like to pause after some of the more repungent-sounding items and smack my lips, rub my tummy, or otherwise indicate that for a trash truck? THESE are yum yum yum!

Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash!, Barbara Odanaka
This is a gentler trash story that has some great imaginative elements in it - the rumble of the trash truck as it approaches has the neighborhood wondering if it's a "dragon snoring...giants jumping...cymbals clanging?" Kids are then taken on a tour of a typical trash truck route, and are introduced to different trashy items. The last page reveals two little piggies playing with miniature trash trucks. Overall, it's not as crude a story as I Stink! and as such, provides a nice complement.

Trashy Town, Andrea Zimmerman
By far, this is my favorite of the three and I almost always save it for last. This is the tale of Mr. Gilly (and, the keen-eyed among the audience might note, a couple of ratty friends); Mr. Gilly is a trash man. All over the town, Mr. Gilly drives his trash truck, cleaning up as he goes. Kids quickly catch on to the rhythmic chant, "Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town". This is a great audience-participation story and helps kids realize they, too, can help clean up the trash.

In-between stories, I help keep the kids focused by singing/dancing/generally making noise. One of the songs we've had fun with is a trashy version of The Wheels on the Bus: the hopper on the trash truck goes dump, dump, dump; wheels go round and round; flies in the trash truck go buzz buzz buzz; and so on. I've yet to sing the same version twice. Other songs we sing are crowd-pleasers, like Five Little Monkeys, or The Hokey Pokey. I recently thought that I could present a butchered version of Old MacDonald Had A Farm - Old MacDonald had a trash truck, EIEIO. And in that trash truck there were some . . . leftover lunches . . . EIEIO. With a *barf barf* here, etc. Haven't tried it with the children yet, but hopefully I can give it a shot this week!

Do you have any trashy tales or songs you want to share?

We love to boogie! Toddler storytime, 7/22/08

We shook it all about in toddler storytime at CHH today! I'm hoping to get my hands on some of those floaty chiffon scarves for next time so the kids can do their very own fruity interpretive dances. ;)

We read:








Wiggle by Doreen Cronin; ill. by Scott Menchin - Everyone wiggled along with the silly dog in this bold, colorful picture book. Lots of giggling during the part about "wiggle in your underwear!"
Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont; ill. by Jennifer Plecas - This one has lots of flaps that reveal animals gettin' down with a baby who just won't take a nap. The rhymes are so compelling and they allow the kids to shout out the animal name as the flap is opened.
Rap a Tap Tap! Here's Bojangles - Think of That! written and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon - Ah, classic Dillon illustrations and a catchy call-and-response rhyme: "Rap a tap tap! Think of that!" The kids liked tapping their feet and clapping their hands as they repeated it.

We sang:

• "Jello in the Bowl" (All you do is sing "Jello in the bowl, jello in the bowl, wibble wobble wibble wobble, jello in the bowl" to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell!" If you have a smaller group the kids stand in a circle and each toddler takes a turn dancing in the middle while everyone sings. We just have too many to do that here!)
• "Shake My Sillies Out" by Raffi
• "The Hokey Pokey"

What are some of your favorite books and songs for the dancing queens and kings in your storytime?

**Fun bonus video to brighten your day**
Matt Harding started a viral phenomenon on YouTube when he filmed himself doing a stupid dance in various locations around the globe. Doesn't seem terribly exciting, but his videos now have millions of views. I won't lie, I get all teary every time I watch them, in a good way. His latest video was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day today. Watch it and wiggle your waggles away!

A Song for Pre-k, K, Grade 1 for the Summer and the Summer Reading Game

Sung in a twangy, bluegrass/country music style. To listen to my recording of the tune here, Click and Brace Yourself! ;o) Heard a clip on NPR's all things considered on Saturday Morning. Did you know ladybug's are feared to be going extinct? Look up Ladybug Project on NPR.org.

Ladybugs' Picnic
Sung/written/animated by William "Bud" Luckey
Lyrics by Don Hadley

credited to Dwayne Wayne
on the "The Count Counts!" album (see below)

One two three
Four five six
Seven eight nine
Ten eleven twelve
Ladybugs
Came to the ladybugs' picnic

One two three
Four five six
Seven eight nine
Ten eleven twelve
And they all played games
At the ladybugs' picnic

They had twelve sacks so they ran sack races
And they fell on their backs and they fell on their faces
The ladybugs 12
At the ladybugs' picnic

They played jump rope but the rope it broke
So they just sat around telling knock-knock jokes
The ladybugs 12
At the ladybugs' picnic

One two three
Four five six
Seven eight nine
Ten eleven twelve
And they chatted away
At the ladybugs' picnic

They talked about the high price of furniture and rugs
And fire insurance for ladybugs
The ladybugs 12
At the ladybugs' picnic
12!

Transcribed by Luis Matias


Originally released on the album
The Count Counts! The Count's Countdown Show from Radio 1-2-3 (1975) Children's Records of America

Summertime songs?

I'm getting ready to do a toddler storytime to help kids and caregivers beat this awful heat, but I'm having trouble finding age-appropriate songs to sing with them. Anything tangentially related to summertime would be great - ice cream, beach, etc. Any suggestions?

Links to lyrics are a bonus, and I'd also appreciate fingerplays if you can think of any!

Feisty Bear and The Little Connies

West Oak Lane had a wonderful time kicking off our Family Storyhour program last month. Feisty Bear from The Little Connies came out and shared interactive and fun stories about sharing and caring.


A shot of the action. Here, Connie Bear called on the assistance of one of the parents.

Feisty Bear showed up on time for the event and brought along her own little sound system and a CD for the program. She was great with the kids and was able to keep the room under control--which is no easy feat when dealing with a room of 1-10 year olds! Feisty Bear also left a copy of The Little Connies cd, which is full of toe-tapping, sing-along songs.

Two things I try to do with every program, whether it's something I put on myself or something presented by an outside performer: snacks and displays. Snacks as part of a program can be easily explained--EVERYONE loves snacks!


I went a little crazy and made up individual baggies of pretzels and candy. This was, however, a special night! Cookies and juice normally suffice--as long as everyone keeps the food in the meeting room...

Displays for programs can be a lot of fun. For this particular program, since it was a family storytime, I focused on picturebooks that are popular both in my branch as well as in general.


Here's another crowd shot, but check out the 35+ books on display!!!

If you're looking for a fun, interactive, and affordable library program, I definitely recommend The Little Connies!!!

Children's Programming

Children's Programming - Use this label for all non-storyhour programs. This includes book clubs, outside performers, chess clubs, and any programming that is librarian-generated.