The Giant Dance Scrunchie

Once upon a time, I attended a Jim Gill early childhood workshop and he brought out a giant dance scrunchie.  He showed off how he used his scrunchie and it was a lot of fun!  Fast forward about 10 years to when I had extra money in my programming budget and my library got our own giant scrunchie.

I will admit that giant scrunchies are not necessary to putting on a quality story time.  There are many supplies that I would get first (such as books, shakers, and scarves), which is why it took 10 years for me to get one.  There is a lot of good that you can do with them, though, in a group environment.

The scrunchie that I bought is from Bear Paw Creek.  There are various sizes that you can purchase, depending on your needs.  I use the XL stretchy band that they say works with 11-14 people, but I can easily fit 25 2-year-olds around it.  While it would be possible to make your own, this one is brightly colored and durable.

My ideal group to use this with is with kids ages 2-5.  I have tried it with the babies (under 24 months) and they like to squish it.  They just aren't ready for the movement that this entails.  With my 2-year-olds, we used to do Ring Around the Rosie and hold hands in a circle.  My kids here don't like to touch so we would end up with a snaky shape, rather than a circle.  They will hold the stretchy band though.

When looking for songs, I look for ones that use a circle, similar to what I would do when planning parachute activities.  Up and down, fast and slow, and colors all work well too.  Here are some of my favorites:

Ring around the rosie,

A pocketful of posies,

Ashes, ashes,

We all fall down!

While the kids work together on their circle, promoting cooperation and following directions, we all know that falling is the best part of this song.

London bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down.

London bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.

Take the keys and lock her (them) up,

Lock her up, lock her up.

Take the keys and lock her up,

My fair lady.

This one works best for me if the parents hold the ring up tall while the kids walk around the room.  When you get to the second verse, have the parents bring the ring down to trap the kids.  You will get a lot of giggles as everybody wants to be trapped.  Since the ring is stretchy and there is some give in it, it isn't scary like being trapped.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

Round and round, round and round.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

All through the town.

The people on the bus go up and down,

Up and down, up and down.

The people on the bus go up and down,

All through the town.

For the first verse, we spin the circle as we walk with the scrunchie.  For the second verse, we bring the scrunchie up and down.  While there are more verses to the song, my 2-year-olds can't handle more and continue to pay attention.

Here we go round the mulberry bush,

The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush.

Here we go round the mulberry bush,

So early in the morning.

This one is just a spinning circle song with the scrunchie.

Row, row, row your boat, 

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

Row, row, row your boat, 

Gently down the stream.

If you see an alligator,

Don't forget to scream.

For this one, we sit on the floor in a circle and row the giant scrunchie.  Since there is some tension in it, we are working the kids' arm and hand muscles.  At the end of the second verse, we all do our fake scream.

These are some songs to get you started.  Which ones work best for you?

Shake Shake Shake

I'll admit that I am a BIG fan of using props in story times.  One of my favorites to use are shakers.  For those that haven't used shakers before, here is some reasoning why and how to do it.

Why Use Shakers

• Singing is a big component to early literacy.  Shakers are good for reinforcing the beat, which slows down music for kids to hear the parts of words.  This reinforces language development. 
• They are FUN!  Fun reinforces learning.  After all, do you remember boring programs or fun programs more? 

Which Shakers?
We use LP RhythMix Plastic Animal Shakers from Little Hands Music.  While they look expensive, we have used them multiple times a week for the past 5 years.  These shakers have been chewed, thrown, stepped on, etc., and they still look like they are new.  They are indestructible.  Because they are plastic, it is easy for me to wash them in the sink with a bleach solution to sanitize and they require little drying time.  Plus, they are just plain fun.

Egg shakers are also good.  Personally, I would purchase them if you have the means.  While I have made my own in the past and they are inexpensive, they are not sturdy.  You have to plug the holes and it is a lot of work to make an entire story time set.  Plus, plastic eggs are seasonal.  I do still like to pull them out sometimes so parents can see how to make them.

As you can see above, I had to plug the holes with hot glue before I added rice.  Then I added another ring of hot glue around the seam to fasten the egg together.

How to Use Shakers
Shakers have a wide variety of uses in story times.  You can use them as you tell the story.  Shakers make good rain noises, help keep the beat (think of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), or can make rattlesnake noises.  For a good idea of possibilities, check out the book The Sound of Storytime by Tiara Dixon and Paula Blough.  They run through a variety of instruments and how they can fit with children's books.

Do you dance in story time?  We have fun dancing to get our wiggles and sillies out.  Here are some songs that may work for you:

•  Alabama, Mississippi by Jim Gill on Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes
• I Can Shake My Shaker Egg by Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael on Rockin' Red
• Shake It by Jodi Koplin on Jumpin' Bean
• Shake It Up by Milkshake on Great Day
• Shake With You by Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael on Bouncy Blue
• Shake Your Shakers Slowly by Kathy Reid-Naiman on I Love to Hear the Sounds
• Shake Your Sillies Out by The Wiggles on Yummy Yummy
• Shake, Rattle & Rock by Greg & Steve on Shake, Rattle & Rock
• The Shaker Hop by Carole Peterson on Dancing Feet
• The Shaker Song by Rocknocerous on Dark Side of the Moon Bounce
• Shaky Shaky by The Wiggles on Yummy Yummy

One of my favorite rhymes to use with the kids is:

One, two, shake it on your shoe.

Three, four, shake it on the floor.

Five, six, stir and mix.

Seven, eight, stand up straight.

Nine, ten, wave to all your friends. 

For those who like to sing without background music, here are some other fun songs that I have used.

Title-Going to Kentucky

I was going to Kentucky, going to the fair,

To see the senorita with the flowers in her hair.

Oh, shake it, shake it, shake it,

Shake it if you can,

Shake it like a milkshake,

And do the best you can.

Oh, wobble to the bottom,

Wobble to the top,

And turn around and turn around until you make a stop!

___________________

 Title-Shake Your Shaker (to the tune of London Bridge)

Shake your shaker in the air,

Shake it here, shake it there.

Shake your shaker in the air,

Shake your shaker.

Shake it high and shake it low,

Shake it yes, shake it no.

Shake it high and shake it low,

Shake your shaker.

Shake it up and shake it down,

Rub your shaker on the ground.

Shake it up and shake it down,

Shake your shaker.

Shake it near and shake it far,

Drive your shaker like a car.

Shake it near and shake it far,

Shake your shaker.

Shake it fast and shake it slow,

Shake it stop, shake it go.

Shake it fast and shake it slow,

Shake your shaker.

 ____________________ 

Title-If You're Happy and You Know It 

If you're happy and you know it give a shake.

If you're happy and you know it give a shake.

If you're happy and you know it and you really want to show it.
If you're happy and you know it give a shake.

If you're happy and you know it give a clap.

(Clap shaker against palm.)

If you're happy and you know it give a tap.

(Tap shaker on the floor.)

If you're happy and you know it do all three.

(Shake, shake, clap, clap, tap, tap) 

_____________________

Title-Shake It to the East

Shake it to the east, shake it to the west.

Shake it all around and then you take a rest.

Shake your shakers up, shake your shakers down.

Shake it, shake it, shake it and then you settle down.

________________________

Title-Shake Your Shaker

Shake your shaker in the air, in the air,

Shake it here and everywhere.

Shake it up,

And shake it down.

Shake it, shake it all around the town.

Shake your shaker in the air, in the air.

__________________________

Title-We Shake Our Shakers Together 

(To the tune of For He's a Jolly Good Fellow)

We shake our shakers together.

We shake our shakers together

We shake our shakers together

Because it's fun to do!

________________________

Title-Shake Your Shaker

(To the tune of Are You Sleeping?)

 Shake your rattles, shake your rattles,

Like the leaves.

That are growing, that are growing,

On the trees.

Shake them high, and

Shake them low.

Round about

And to and fro.

Shake your rattles, shake your rattles,

Love the leaves.

_____________________________

Title-Shaking Your Shaker

Shaking your shaker.

Shaking it up high.

Shaking it down low.

Shake it side to side.

Tap it on your foot.

Tap it on your knee.

Shaking your shaker

Very quietly // Very loudly.

 

If you haven't used them before, shakers are definitely worth adding to your story time repertoire.  I am a big fan of using props with my story times and as I have free time, I will add more posts like this one.

Story Time Swap: Crazy Traffic Light

I was trying to come up with a new idea for this story time swap when I downloaded the April issue of Children's Programming Monthly from ALA.  On page 10 is Rob Reid's poem called "The Crazy Traffic Light".  While I like to try to add poetry to my story times, poets make it really easy for me if they add in some sort of actions or sounds to help entertain the children.  That will move it to the top of my "Must Use" list.

If you are unfamiliar with the poem, you can read it here.  It is also in Children's Programming Monthly (vol. 3, no. 8 or April 2013) and in Family Storytime: Twenty-Four Creative Programs for All Ages by Rob Reid.  I came up with a pattern which you can download here.  Otherwise, it is just a bunch of circles in different colored felt on a gold rectangle.

red, yellow, and green

pink, purple, and orange

brown, white, and blue



This week's round-up is hosted by Loons and Quines @ Librarytime.  For all things Flannel Friday, check out the Flannel Friday blog.  

Fun with Polar Bear, Polar Bear

Today for our story time we did Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin, Jr.  With our first group, I read the story as I normally do with the flannelboard and asked the kids what they thought each of the animals sounded like.  I don't know if you ever have tried this, but I got a lot of blank faces for most of the animals.  That's when I had an "Aha!" moment.  I had my iPad at work today for a meeting and pulled out my Musical Flashcards app that was originally suggested in a Flannel Friday post.  Many of the animals from Polar Bear, Polar Bear (minus the flamingo and walrus) and in the app.  First, I asked the kids what noises they think the animals might make.  Then, we listened to the noise on the iPad.  They had so much fun that they wanted to know what noise other animals made and we kept going.

This worked best with a small group.  With our 15 below temperature outside, we only had 13 kids in our second group and I think that is part of why this worked so well.

Flannel Friday-Babies

This week's Flannel Friday is all about babies.  I don't know about you, but our toddlers here are fascinated by babies.  Sometimes I joke that I don't need to read stories if I prop a baby in the front of the room and all of the kids would be happy.  Since babies are an object of fascination for the kids, this makes an ideal story time theme.

This week we read the following books about babies:
Ten Little Babies by Karen Katz
I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy

Then we did the following rhymes/games:

Five little babies were playing one day.

One saw a ball, and so she crawled away.

 

Four little babies were playing one day.

One saw a rattle, and she crawled away.

 

Three little babies were playing one day.

One saw a kitty cat, and she crawled away.

 

Two little babies were playing one day.

One saw a teddy bear, and she crawled away.

 

One litte baby was playing by herself.

She saw her mommy, and she crawled away.

 

No more babies are playing today.

 



To make your own version of this rhyme, you will need five pictures of babies.  I used baby pictures of 5 of my nieces and laminated them.  The kids really liked the real pictures of babies.  I used magnet tape on the back and made ours into a magnetboard.

The second flannelboard is a game called Poor LIttle Baby.  While I suspect that it originally came from The Mailbox, I can't guarantee it.  It requires a little set up.  You will need five round circles to be baby faces.  On 4 of them, draw a frown.  On the fifth, draw a smile.  Then you will need 5 colored squares (green, yellow, blue, pink, and red) that will cover the baby faces.  I actually used fun foam and added a strip of velcro to the top to hold it on.  (Disclaimer-I actually lost one of the baby faces and haven't made another yet.  You will see this without the pink one.)

Step 1

 

Step 2

 

The rhyme goes:

Poor little baby, are you still sad?
Let's lift the green blanket and see if you're glad!

(Pull off the green square and ask the kids if the baby looks happy.)

 

Poor little baby, are you still sad?

Let's lift the yellow blanket and see if you're glad!

(Pull off the yellow square and ask the kids if the baby looks happy.)

 

 

Continue the rhyme until you get to the last square.  When you pull the last square off, have the kids notice that this baby is happy.

 

Katie is hosting this week's Flannel Friday Round-Up at Storytime Katie.  Check out all of the great submissions in the round-up or on the Flannel Friday Pinterest page.