So, I made a decision earlier this year to switch from doing themes to instead using vocabulary terms as the basis for my storytimes. I found themes to be restrictive and, since the “Family Storytime” I present is for all ages, I wanted to be able to scaffold the experience so that each child at whatever age can go away with something. It feels less like I’m trying too hard and more, well, fun!

Last week’s word was creativity but other words like artist and masterpiece entered into the discussion, too.

Opening: “Good Morning Song”

Song: “Let’s Go Riding on an Elevator” (w/ scarves)

My first time using this song—what a treat! Sure to become a storytime staple.

Rhyme: “Johnny Thumbs Up”

I totally intended to do “Open, Shut Them” but somehow this rhyme came out of my mouth instead. Oops! I just went with it.

Book: I’m the Best Artist in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Song: “Pop Goes the Berry”

The kids just love this song. I always allow them to choose what berries we pick. This week’s surprise suggestion: Oregon grapes. As I learned from a young patron, this is an actual type of berry. And, apparently, it’s the Oregon state flower. Who knew?

Rhyme: “Little Mousie Brown” (w/ puppet)

I used this really cute miniature house my dear friend Joseph made me to house my finger puppet collection to introduce Little Mousie Brown. We knocked on the door to see if she was home, then I peeked inside and brought her out. The kids were OBSESSED with her. I’ll forever be grateful to Jbrary for this trick because LMB is definitely going to become a regular in my storytimes.

Book: Blocks by Irene Dickson

Song: “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom”

If I don’t do this song, the kids are disappointed. I am, too.

Goodbye: “The More We Read Together”

At my library, we don’t do crafts. I think this started because of budget cuts but I’ve come to really love not having crafts because, instead, we allow children to engage in open-ended free play with duplos and other toys. This week was extra fun because, after reading Blocks, I observed that some kids were only using the colors from the book while others were using whatever they wanted. If I read the book again, I think I’ll deliberately separate the colors and see what the kids do.