It's a Circus! - A Storytime Outline

And it was a circus! Literally! The public schools were out for the day and so there was a good influx in attendance, especially in Preschool Storytime. This storytime was a lot of fun because of theme and because the Toddlers LOVED their program.

But it was also one of the toughest.

All storytime librarians know that every so often a new child comes to storytime as shy as can be, and you make them feel welcome and to encourage them to have fun. Then it kinda backfires. The child opens up to being a very curious self that requires constant attention and answers to questions during the program. Everything that is normally hidden behind an easel is found in the middle of a story, which is also when you see that the caregiver is at the back of the room and is voluntarily immobile and mute. Knowing the condition of the child also makes you realize that cannot be nice but stern with the child because it would cause a breakdown in the middle of the program. Tough Preschool Storytime. I love a child with a curiosity, but I also love a child when there is an adult who help him/her understand the ways of behaving in storytime. Lesson learned: brush up on those authority figure skills.

Now, onto this fun storytime theme.

BOOKS

Where's Pup? written by Dayle Ann Dodds and illus. by Pierre Pratt (T)
The toddlers loved this book and would help me ask "but where is pup?" with adorable question-faces. 

Star of the Circus written by Michael and Mary Beth Sampson and illus. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey (T)
This was fun book, but I decided that I'm not a huge fan of the color choices. 

Wolf Won't Bite written and illus. by Emily Gravett (P)
I love the illustrations of this book. The kids were dead-set on the wolf was going to bite those cute piggies at any minute. 

Little Monkey Says Good Night written by Ann Whitford Paul and illus. by David Walker (P)
This was a good book to end the program with. 

SONGS & RHYMES

Open, Shut Them (T, P) 

follow actions

Open, shut them

Open, shut them

Give a little clap

Open, shut them

Open, shut them

Lay them in your lap

Creep them, creep them up to your chin

Open your mouth wide, but don't put your fingers in!

Open, shut them

Open, shut them

Give a big clap

Open, shut them

Open, shut them

Lay them in your lap.

Popcorn (T, P)
You put the oil in the pot and you let it get hot
You put the popcorn in and you start to grin.
Sizzle, sizzle
Sizzle, sizzle
Sizzle, sizzle
POP!
Start the poem in a crouch position, knees bent, hands on the floor. At "sizzle," s-l-o-w-l-y rise until the POP!, then jump up in the air!
Source: PreschoolEducation.com via What Happens in Storytime...

Touch Your Nose (T, P) 

follow actions

Touch your nose

Touch your chin

That's the way this game begins

Touch your eyes

Touch your knees

Now pretend you're going to sneeze!

Aaachooooo!

Touch your hair

Touch one ear

Touch your two red lips right here

Touch your elbow where it bends

And that's the way this touch game ends.

ACTIVITIES

Egg Shakers (T)

The name "Egg Shakers" should be synonymous to the word "nirvana" or to the sound of your favorite rock band's concert intro or the songs of angels as the light of Heaven beams through fluffy clouds. The kids love them!

Tight Rope Waking (T, P)
I used bright red masking tape to create two lines that ran through the threshold of the storytime room doors. If they wanted to, children could test their balancing skills as they came into the room.

Ring of Fire Walk Through (T, P)

I found this idea via Pinterest with a link to the blog Maya*Made and thought it'd be perfect for the program. I made he flames from colored printer paper (construction paper would also work). The children could go through the ring. Keep an eye out for little ones who can't step over a high bar, but also keep an eye one who won't noticed the top part and will bonk their head. Be warned and watch out for the over exuberant ones will cut the line! Safety is important!

FLANNEL BOARD

Sammy the Seal's Balancing Act (T, P)
I love this flannel board. To make my little Sammy the Seal I found a printable online and enlarged it (he's approximately 8 inches across). For the collar I simply created a half circle with squiggly edges and I added squiggly stripes for some flair. As for his different colored balancing balls, I used a die cut that my library has on hand.

The children (both Toddlers and Preschoolers) took turns placing the balls on top of each other. One thing you have to remember, especially if you have a lot of children in your program, to place Sammy at the bottom of your flannel board (I have an easel type, by the way) so that you have enough room for a very tall column of balls! The children loved this simple flannel activity and loved counting how many balls we got to balance on Sammy's nose!

CRAFTS

Popcorn Bag (T, P)

I saw this craft idea on Crafts for Kids ©'s MySpace page via Pinterest. It was so cute and it did not involve a clown. Everyone needs a snack when they go to the circus, so obviously we had to make some popcorn! Instead of just gluing small pieces to resemble individual popped kernels I had the children squish up their little pieces to make them appear to be puffy popcorn. The parents loved this craft.

PICTURES

Sammy the Seal's Balancing Act, Toddler and Preschool Storytime,
created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2013

Popcorn craft, Toddler and Preschool Storytime,
created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2013

Ring of Fire activity (after use), Toddler and Preschool Storytime,
created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2013