First storytime of the year! And first storytime post on this blog. There’s no better way to start than with boxes, which are open-ended and full of surprises—kind of like storytime! Read on to see what we uncovered.

Opening: “Good Morning Song”

Rhyme: “Here is a Box” (with puppets)

I had a large box with different puppets in it. We said this rhyme each time before we pulled an animal out:
Here is a box where something is hid
I wonder whatever is under the lid
Let’s listen for a shout
And see who comes out!

Song: “We Wiggle and Wiggle and Stop” (with scarves)

One of my favorite get-the-wiggles-out songs! I tried it with scarves this time but it was a little, well, anticlimactic. Better to go without.

Book: Thank You, Bear by Greg Foley

Rhyme: “Little Fox, Little Fox”

A variation on the “Little Mouse, Little Mouse” rhyme:
Little fox, little fox,
are you under the ______ box?

Song: Song Cube

This was my first time trying a song cube. I used songs that I like rather than well-known storytime staples, which made it less successful. I think that it would work better with different songs or if I was the sole presenter and taught kids what to expect.

Book: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

Goodbye: “The More We Read Together”

How It Went: The guessing box was an amazing success. At first, only one brave participant would reach into the box. Eventually more kids came up and that made it even more fun—though I definitely need to work on my animal noises next time. “Little Fox” was definitely the kid’s favorite—they never wanted to stop!—but it was really hard to stop kids from swarming me. I should have explained some expectations beforehand.

This was my first time including a PLAY card in the visual schedule, which worked well. It taught kids to wait. But, if I were to do this storytime again, I might swap the usual after-storytime DUPLOS for some good ol’ boxes. That would have been a great extension activity.