The big book of reading rhyming and resources

Chapter3: Programs forFours andFives Cont.Rhymes andSongs 28 Crafty Creation: Candy Apple 30 Crafty Creation: Apple-icious!. 48Fours andFives: Creepy Crawlies 49 Awesome Activity: Flea,F

The BIG Book of

Reading, Rhyming and Resources

Programs for Children, Ages 4-8

Beth Maddigan

illustrations by Roberta Thompson

A Member of the Greenwood Publishing Group

Thebigbookof reading, rhyming,andresources :programsfor children, ages 4-8 /Beth

MaddiganandStefanieDrennan ; illustratedbyRobertaThompson,

p.cm

Includes bibliographical referencesandindex.

ISBN 1-59158-220-2(pbk : alk paper)

1 Children's libraries—Activity programs 2 Children—Booksandreading 3.

Librariesandfamilies 4. Readingpromotion 5 Children's literature—Bibliography.

I.Drennan,Stefanie II Title.

Z718.1.M2572005

027.62'5—dc22 2005016074

British Library Cataloguing in PublicationDatais available.

Copyright©2005 byLibraries Unlimited

All rights reserved.Noportion of thisbookmaybe

reproduced,by anyprocess or technique, without the

express written consent of the publisher.Anexception

ismadefor reproducibles,whichmaybe copied for

classroomandeducationalprogramsonly.

Library ofCongressCatalogCardNumber: 2005016074

ISBN: 1-59158-220-2

First published in2005

Libraries Unlimited,88PostRoadWest, Westport,CT06881

AMemberof theGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.

www.lu.com

Printed in the United States ofAmerica

Thepaper used in thisbookcomplies with thePermanent

Paper Standard issuedbythe National Information

Chapter 1: Program Foundations 1

1. KeystoSuccessful Literature-Based Programs 2

1.3OutputMeasuresandEvaluation 4

2.1 TimingofPrograms 52.2 Choosing aSpace 5

3.1 DevelopingYour ProgrammingStyle 7

3.2 Encouraging GroupParticipation 7

3.3 Overcrowding 83.4 Developmental Discrepancies 9

Chapter2: Fours andFives: ProgramPreparations 11

1.What Can Four andFive YearOlds Do?: ChildDevelopmentforFours andFives 12

2.Four andFive Year Old ProgrammingGuidelines 14

2.1 Startinga ProgramforFourandFiveYearOlds 14

4. Four andFive Year Old ProgrammingTechniques 21

4.2IncludingComplex Elements 21

4.3Discussions andFollow-up 21

4.5 Making Each ChildFeel Special 22

4.6Concentrating on Literacy 22

5. Bibliography ofBooks to Share 23

Chapter3: ProgramsforFours andFives 25

Let'sGet Started! 26

FoursandFives: Pumpkin Patch 27

Chapter3: Programs forFours andFives (Cont.)

Rhymes andSongs 28

Crafty Creation: Candy Apple 30

Crafty Creation: Apple-icious! 31

FoursandFives: Hallowe'enHoedown 33

Great Game: PintheTailon theCat 33AwesomeActivity: The VeryPopularSkeletonDance 35

Rhymes andSongs 36

Crafty Creation: A-Door-AbleHallowe'enWreath 38

Crafty Creation: Black Cat Mask-erade! 40

FoursandFives:Underwater Adventure 42

Great Game: GoneFishing 42

Rhymes andSongs 43

Crafty Creation: Flashy Fish 46Crafty Creation: Under-the-SeaStar '. 48Fours andFives: Creepy Crawlies 49

Awesome Activity: Flea,Fly Mosquito 49

Rhymes and Songs 50

CraftyCreation: Itsy BitsySpider 52

Crafty Creation: LovelyLadybug PuppetPal 53Fours andFives: FairyFolk 55

Great Game: Little RabbitFoo Foo 55

Rhymes and Songs 56

Crafty Creation: Friendly Fairy 58

CraftyCreation: CreativeCrown 60Fours andFives: Forest Friends 62

Great Game: Bunny, Bunny, Skunk 62

Rhymes andSongs 63

Crafty Creation: Be-Whoo-Tiful Owl 65

Crafty Creation: Breezy Bunny 67Fours andFives:Frosty Frolics 69

GreatGame: Who's GotaMitten? 69

RhymesandSongs 70

CraftyCreation: MittenMagic 72

CraftyCreation: PortlyPenguin 73Fours and Fives: Just forFun 75

GreatGame: Monkey See, Monkey Do 75

Rhymes andSongs 76

Crafty Creation: SuperSailboats 79

Crafty Creation: Play DoughRecipe 81Crafty Creation: Piece-of-CakePuzzle 82

Chapter4: SixtoEight YearOlds: Ready, Set, Readers 87

1.What CanSix,Seven,andEightYear Olds Do?:ChildDevelopmentforSix toEight Year Olds 89

2. SixtoEightYear Old Programming Guidelines 90

2.1 Starting aProgramforSixtoEight YearOlds 90

2.2 GettingReady 90

3. ProgramsforSix to EightYearOlds: Formatand Routine 94

3.1 Formatand Routine 94

3.4 Practice, Practice,Practice 96

4. ProgramsforSixtoEight YearOlds: ProgrammingTechniques 96

5. BibliographyofBooks to Share 100

Chapter5: ProgramsforSix toEightYear Olds 103Let'sGet Started! 104

SixtoEight YearOlds: Creepy Countdown 105Week 1— Creepy Countdown 106

Booksto Share 106GreatGame: HangmanPhrase: WelcometoCreepy Countdown 106Awesome Activity: Interesting Icebreaker: Hallowe'en Who/What AmI? 106

Crafty Creation: Jack-on-a-Plate 108

Week2— Creepy Countdown 110BookstoShare 110

GreatGame: Hangman Phrase: Are YouSuperstitious? , 110AwesomeActivity: Witch'sBroomstick 110Crafty Creation: Ghost-of-a-TimeWindsock 112

Week3— Creepy Countdown 114

BookstoShare 114GreatGame: HangmanPhrase: WhatWill You BeforHallowe'en? 114

AwesomeActivity: Count Spookula 114Crafty Creation: Be-WitchingCandy Cups! 116Week 4 — Creepy Countdown 118

BookstoShare 118

GreatGame: HangmanPhrase: HaveaSafe andHappy Hallowe'en! 118

Awesome Activity: Spider's Web 118Crafty Creation: GoingBatty! 119SixtoEight YearOlds: ChristmasCreations 122

Let'sGet Started! 122

Chapter 5: Programsfor SixtoEightYear Olds(Cont.)

Week 1—Christmas Creations 124

BookstoShare 124

GreatGame: SnowmanPhrase: WelcometoChristmas Creations 124Awesome Activity: Santa's Sack 124

CraftyCreation: Puzzle PiecePictureFrame 125

Week2—ChristmasCreations 127

Booksto Share 127Great Game: SnowmanPhrase: WhatIs YourChristmasWish? 127

Awesome Activity: TheRight Family ChristmasStory 127

Crafty Creation: Rudolph's ReindeerBox 129Week3—ChristmasCreations 131BookstoShare 131Great Game: SnowmanPhrase:WhatWill You Do on ChristmasMorning? 131

AwesomeActivity: ChristmasCarol Chaos 131Crafty Creation: O' Advent Tree 133

Week4—ChristmasCreations 135BookstoShare 135GreatGame: Snowman Phrase: HaveaVery MerryChristmasandaHappy NewYear! 135

AwesomeActivity: Who's Santa? 135Crafty Creation: KrisKringle CandyContainer 136

SixtoEightYearOlds: AfterSchool Adventures 138Let'sGetStarted! 138Week 1—AfterSchool Adventures 140

BookstoShare 140

GreatGame: Quick ChangeArtist 140AwesomeActivity: Someone Moved 140

Crafty Creation: Picture PerfectParachutes 141

Week 2—AfterSchool Adventures 143BookstoShare 143GreatGame: Petcha Didn'tKnow 143

AwesomeActivity: PickUp 145Crafty Creation:Wonderfully Windy Wind-Up 146

Week 3—AfterSchool Adventures 148BookstoShare 148GreatGame: Believe ItorNot 148

Awesome Activity: ISailed aShip from A toZ 150

Crafty Creation:Wandering Wizards 151

Week4—AfterSchool Adventures 153BookstoShare 153GreatGame: Operation "Obstacle" 153

Awesome Activity: Stormy Weather 153Crafty Creation: Realistic Rainsticks 154

Six toEightYearOlds: Fun andGames 156

Week 1— Fun andGames 158BookstoShare 158GreatGame: GrandGiggler 158

Week2— FunandGames 162

Books toShare 162

GreatGame: Tricky AnswerTrivia 162Awesome Activity: TwoTruths anda Lie 163Crafty Creation: ScoopBall 164

Booksto Share 165GreatGame: QuestionableQuizzing 165

AwesomeActivity: A What? 166

Crafty Creation: Marble Maze 167

Week4— Fun andGames 169

Booksto Share 169

Awesome Activity: Simon SaysSwitch! 169Crafty Creation: Rub-a-Dub-DubIts TicTac Tub! 170BibliographyofBooks toShare 172

Chapter6: Marketing andPublicity 175

1. Promoting ProgramsinYour Community 176

The successofthisbook'spredecessor TheBigBookofStories, Songs, andSing-Alongs:Programs

forBabies, Toddlers,andFamilies, isthefoundationfromwhichwepresentthissecond volume.We would

like tothankallthosewhoattendedourworkshops andconferences.Weare grateful foryour compliments,criticism, andsupport We would like to sendourgratitude toeveryone whoconsultedon, reviewed, andused thefirst volume.We have learnedfrom your feedback and encouragement.We hopeyou enjoy thissecond volumeand that itprovides us withnewusersthat willcompliment,criticize,andutilize!

The adventure began for us with predecessor to this book, The BIG Book ofStories, Songs, andSing-Alongs: ProgramsforBabies, Toddlers, andFamilies, publishedby Libraries Unlimitedin 2003.Thisbook will takeup where the lastvolume left off, with the nextchronologicalage groupingofchil-

dren—four andfiveyear olds—and then will continue onto exploreprograms forsix, seven,and eight

yearolds.Wewillcontinue withthepopular elementsofthatformattopresentyouwithaguidethat

pre-pares you for programming with preschoolers and young school-age children and provides you withready-to-usesample programs

Ingredients

The samples in this bookprovide you with severalingredients for successful programs: Books to

Share, Rhymesand Songs, AwesomeActivities,Crafty Creations,and GreatGames Somefacilities will

useallof theseingredients,somewillpickand chooseactivitiesthatsuittheirmandate,andsomewill

fo-cuson books and usethemasread-alouds We chosea diverse line-up ofprogramming ingredientscausewebelievethebestmethodtoencouragechildrentoreadandenjoychildren'sliterature istobuilda

be-paththateverychildcantravel. Childrenlearn inavarietyofwaysdeterminedbytheirpersonal ogy:genetics,personality, intelligence,individualexperiences,andtheworld aroundthem.Byprovidingthemwith amultisensoryexperiencethatincludes many facets: tactile,visual, auditory, andkinesthetic,

physiol-we are provingarecipe that appeals to many children from diversebackgrounds and levels ofliteracy.

You mayfind therecipe needs someadjustmenttomatchthegoalsandobjectivesofyourinstitution.As

you wouldwithanygoodcookbook,weexpectyoutoworkwiththerecipeandmakeityourown.Thisistherecipe thathasbeensuccessfulforus,successfulinadiversecommunitywitha varietyofliteracy lev-elsandlearning styles.

Choices

Everygreatchef believesheorshehasthebestformula,combinations,andcreations.Wehavemadechoicesin thisbookthatwebelieveprovidethebestcombinationfor adiversepalate However, we mayhavea slightly differentperspectivethanthatoftraditionallibraryprogramming.Thisisbased onthe suc-cessfuldevelopmentofprogramsinourcommunityoverthepast five years.Wetookrisks,experimented,

andchronicledapath of diverse experiencesthatendedina setoflibraryprogramsthatarepopular and

accessible.We beganwitha traditional libraryperspectiveandweregiventhejobof appealingtoawider

audience Wewere chargedwithmakingourlibraryprogramsmoreaccuratelyreflectthedynamictutionthepubliclibraryistoday:aplaceofcommunitymeeting,popularmaterialslending, visual stimuli,

insti-forwardthinking, andtraditionalgrounding Ourchoicesarebasedon several precepts:

• Programs should appeal to participants from different backgrounds with different literacy levels.

• Programs shouldbemultidimensional andappealtomanypersonalities andlearning-styles

• Childrenwill respondindifferentways todifferentstimuli.

• Popularmaterials are useful forcomfort andfamiliarity.

• Traditional, exceptional,and award-winning materials are useful tobroadenhorizons

• Nonreaders areparentswho may wanttoexposetheirchildren to literature-basedming

program-• Highlyeducated readersareparentswho maywanttoexposetheirchildrentoliterature-based

programming

Theworldis filledwithbellsandwhistles;today's childrenareexposedtoaplethora ofstimuli. The

programsin this guidekeepupwithsociety'space ina positiveway.They arefast-pacedandfun-filled.

However, theyare alsodesignedtoprovidean escape, ashift inperspective, anew wayof lookingatthe

worldforchildren whoarebusywithschool, computers, playdates,andextracurricularactivities. Theseprogramsprovide an introductiontotheworldofchildren's literature thatbridgesmodernchildren's ev-

mix andhelpmaketheprograms your own The way youinteractwiththechildren,presenttheelements,

and developtheingredients willmakeyourprogramssuccessful.Theexcitementthisbookprovidesisthe

excitementyoufeelwheninspiredwithnewideasandinfusedwith enthusiasm.Thepremisewebasethis

book upon is thatofa freshperspectiveon children's literature-basedprogramming Butit isalso a cessfullydemonstratedperspective,onethat isproventoappealtoadiversecommunityandthatanchors

suc-the ideathat the promotionof readingis whatprogrammingis allabout

polishedprograms.

1 Keys to Successful Literature-Based Programs

Toguarantee successyourprogramsmust haveamandate,they shouldbepresentedinastyle that is

easyforchildrenoftheappropriateageorgradetorelate to,andtheyneedtobeconstantlyevaluatedandimproved

1.1 Goals and Objectives

It isfundamentaltodevelopinstitutional goalsforchildren'sprograms.Andyet, it isso easyto losesightofour goalsaswegetcaughtup increatingamazing programsforchildren,becausetheprogramit- selfbecomesthe focus.Asdedicatedprogrammers, however,it isour jobtoensureweunderstandwhy we

dowhatwedo and keepthis intheforefrontof ourmindsasweplanand develop programs.Weallknowstorytimeisfunforchildrenandthatreadingisa goodthing,butyouneedtobemore specific and have

goals that tie your children's programming line-up back to your facility and your facility's mission

statement

Thisprogrammingguideisbasedontheprogramming modeldevelopedattheCambridgeLibraries

inOntario,Canada.Thepopulation ofthisgrowingcitywasapproximately 100,000in2003.In that year,the Cambridge Librariespresented forty-two children'sprograms perweekfrom its fourlocations,andapproximately 30,000participantsenjoyedthoseprograms overthecourse ofthe year Inthissystem,thelibraryhasthree children'sprogramminggoals Theyaredescribed heretogiveyoua sense ofdirection

and purposefor theprogramsoutlinedin upcomingchapters Yourfacility mayhavedifferentgoalsand

objectivesthatwill necessitateminor changes andrevisions to theprograms asoutlined

Thefirstgoal ofprogramspresented atthe Cambridge Librariesis tocreate awelcoming ment and positive library experience for participants Library programmers work hard to make library

environ-storytimesfamiliarand comfortingtoreducetheintimidation somepatronsfaceupon comingintothebrary InCambridge,low literacylevelsandlackofcomfortinthe library setting aretwo communityfac-tors that driveourprogrammingstyle. Somepeople inyourcommunityarealso likely tobeintimidated

li-by the public libraryorschool To combatthis staff at theCambridge Libraries use,circulate, and

pro-motebooksthat some library traditionalistsfrownupon Wedisplaypopularmaterials rightnext tothe

awardwinnersinaneffort togetbothintothehands,andeventuallythehomes,ofourusers.Wealsouse

crafts and storytimesouvenirs as a marketing tool. These inexpensivegiveaways, or process-orientated

"make and takes," further the program experience andprovide something tangible that serves as a minderthatthe library isfun, evenif itonly hangson the fridge forafew hours Althoughwedon'ten-

re-courage you to think ofliterature-based programs as "craft time," ifcrafters leave with an armloadofbooks, you areachieving severalofyour program's goals

Thesecond programgoal is toprovide an introduction totheworldofchildren'sliterature.This isthe goal most literacy specialists will be familiar with: Byexposingchildren to great stories weunlock

imaginationsand create lifelong readers.This is a well-established goal thatmost public libraries, mentaryschools,andpreschoolsachievethroughliterature-basedprogramming.However,it isimportant

ele-tokeepthisgoal highlightedtoavoid ashiftfromliterature-basedprogrammingtoentertainment.As we

strive tobeinnovative andcomeupwithgreatnewideas,wemustrememberwhatisimportant.In

Cam-bridge,weencourageprogrammerstospend50percentoftheirplanning time readingand choosinggreat

books

Finally,programs should helpchildren andfamiliesdevelop a routine useofthe library. This

pro-gramminggoalmaybethemostimportantfromthepubliclibrary's perspective,butit isalso themost ficult toachieve In schoolsandpreschools, the focus isa little different,but anemphasison reading athomeisextremely important,regardless ofyourinstitution's mandate Inorderforliteracy tobeimpor-

dif-tant for families, the entire family musttakean active role in reading outside of school andthe library.

Programmers from Canada andthe UnitedStates who attendworkshops basedonthe firstbookin this series, The BigBookofStories, Songs, andSing-Alongs,have expressed concern aboutpatronswho

frequentlibrary programsbut rarelytake outbooks In several workshops we have heardprogrammers

complain about patrons who enjoy programs but leave without checking out books to enjoy at home Throughtheunderliningofthisgoal,CambridgeLibrariesstaffwereinspired to find creativewaystoturn

storytimevisitorsinto library users.Theydevelopedanumberofprogrammingtechniquesthatbringthelibraryhome: tourshighlighting parenting resourcesforbaby programs, games in afterschoolprograms

thatmakeuseofanumberoflibrarycollections(includingelectronic resources),demonstrationsin ilystorytimeofelectronic productsthatcan beaccessedathome.Inadditiontothese"demo-style"ways

fam-of helpingpeople learn howto usethe library,theseprogrammers developeda setof"athome"readingincentivesthathavebecome very successfulandpopular Ideasforreading incentivesaredetailed inthe

chaptersthatfollow Forthe sake ofperspective, thetypes of incentivesareoutlined here:

• Homework — Give participants specificbooks andtasks tocomplete athome. Create

book-markswith fun"athome"projectsandplacetheminbooksdisplayedforborrowing.

Concen-trate on age-appropriate developmental skills that parents are trying to achieve Display

books that can be used at home to practice

those skills. Then, discuss successstories in

subsequent programs /

• Challenges — Give participants a reading V

taskeach week; for example, read a poem,

learnajoke,orplayaword game The

possibili-tiesareendless and can be tieddirectlybackto

the theme of your program Participants who

successfully complete the taskwill get a ticket

upontheirreturntothefollowing program.The

ticket will allow themto have their names

en-tered towin aprize It is amazing what people

will do for a contest! Prizes can be tiny,

inex-pensive things; people simply love hearing

their names called when the winning ticket is

pulledout

• Visual Displays— Usearepetitiveelementto createwallart.Handoutsimpledie cutsor

pat-terned shapes foreachbook borrowed fromthe library andread at home. Write the child's

name and title ofthe book on the shape and display it on the wall Children take pride in

watchingtheseinteractive displaysgroweachweek

• RepresentationalActivities—Create routine activitiesthatrelateto "athome"reading

Ev-ery weekinaprogram, spendsometimetalking aboutthebookschildrenhavebeenreading

athome Thenasagroup spendalittletime building orcreating somethingthatrepresentsthereading Addingjelly beans to ajaror cotton balls to abunny are examples that have beenusedsuccessfullyinpreschoolprograms

Theseareafewoftheincentivesand encouragementsyoucoulduseinaprogram.Andonceyoubegintoget into thismindset,you willseehoweasy it is tocreateincentivesthat matchyourprogramortheme

If you decide to have a prize

drawing as an incentive in one of

yourprograms,contact businesses,such as publishers, and ask for adonation to use as a prize.

Publishers create promotional

materials such as posters,bookmarks, pens, and toys toaccompany new books on the market.Youwon'thave anytrouble

getting publisher freebies if you

choose a supplier that youregularlybuy booksfrom!

Chapter Program

1.2 Child Development

Another key to creating successful literature-based programs is

knowledgeandunderstanding ofchilddevelopment.Interms oflibrary

programsthisreferstomatching keyskill setsfor discreteagegroupsto

the program'singredients Programmersneedknowledge ofchild

de-velopmenttodevelopprogramroutinesandplanactivities Ifyour

pro-grams are divided into age groupings, take the median age ofall the

childreninyourgroup, lookupthedevelopmentalskill setfor that age,

anduse those physicalandcognitivemilestonesinyourprogram

plan-ning Keepin mindthatchildren will not haveperfected all the skills

yet, but generally speaking they will be on theirway The milestones

andskills setsforchildrenfromfourtoeightyearsofagearediscussed

in detail in thechaptersthatfollow

1.3 Output Measures and Evaluation

Thefinalkeyto successful children'sprograms isevaluationandfeedback Honest feedback from

programparticipants willhelpyouimprove yourprograms and keepthemfreshandrelevant.Youneeda

waytomeasuretheprogram'ssuccessfromtheperspectiveofthe participantsandparentsofparticipants

It isimpossibletodothatwhileyouarereading,rhyming,andleadingactivities.Youneedamethodto

so-licitfeedback You cando it in anumber ofways, butkeepin mindthatyouneed to ascertainwhetheryourprograms areachieving theirspecific objectives It isn'tenoughtohavehappy participants, unless

youronly goalis tocreateapositive library experience Anevaluationformhandedouttotheparentof

eachparticipantisa greatwaytoget quantifiableresponses.Thequestions shouldbecarefullywordedto

match the program's objectives and measure success from the library's perspective The form, which

should be simple and straightforwardtoencourage accurate responses, may be a combination of

ques-tionsthatwillelicitqualitative andquantitativeresults.AsampleoftheCambridgeLibraries'evaluation

formis includedin Chapter6(see figure 6.5). Evaluation forms, however, arenot a perfect solution In

programs forfourtoeightyearolds parents andcaregiversare rarelyinside, whichmakes it difficult to

evaluatetheprogram's successobjectively.Also, peopleareoften morecritical whenthey feelthey are

anonymous, and some people may have unreasonable expectations and/or strange complaints times negativecommentscanbedetrimentaltoaprogrammer'sconfidence.Iwouldnot adviseusinganevaluationform untilyouhave yourgoalsandobjectiveswellestablished,makingsure allprogrammers

Some-are familiarwith them and confident that theirprograms match yourinstitutional objectives This will

giveeveryonea bettersenseof constructivecriticism Inthemeantime,ifyouaren't thereyet,there are

othergreat ways to elicit feedback If you run registered programs, consider calling drop-outs Get in

touch withthepeoplewho comeonceortwiceand

never come back Find out why they stopped

at-tending Anotherwayto elicitparticipant response

is toaskprogramattendeesforinformalfeedback:

forexample,what wereparticipant'sfavouriteand

least favourite elements? This will work in

pro-gramswithsix to eightyearolds, butkeep inmind

thatthe children'sreasonsforcomingtoaprogram

will be differentfrom yourobjectives forrunning

the program Whatever method you choose, make

sureyouare trying tomeasurethe relative success

2 Covering the Basics

Once youhave chosentheappropriate typeofprogram youwillrun, youstillhavesome

fundamen-talsto consider.Whenwillitrun?Where willitbe held?What do youneedtoget started?Once youhave

the basics coveredyouwillbeconfident andreadytoannounceyournew programtoyourcommunity 2.1 Timing of Programs

Programsforfourtoeightyear oldsarelimitedinthetimes theycanbe

offered Forfourandfiveyear oldsyou willneedtofindoutwhen

kinder-gartenclassesandpreschoolplaygroups areheldin yourcommunity.Tryto

find a time slot for your group that complements otherprograms in

your area This will allow the maximum numberof children in your

community to attend your program For six to eight yearolds,

pro-grams should beheld afterschool Generally, unless yourprogramis

held at school, allow children enough time aftergetting outto return

home, get a snack, andcome to your facility. This likelymeans your

program is held at4:00 or4:30 in the afternoon You may choose to

have yourprogramrightaftersuppertime.This allows children timeto rest,

butyouwillbecompetingwithhomeworkandotherfamilyeveningrituals.

Inaddition,childrenmaybetired afteralongdayatschool,andaftersupper

they maynotbeat theirbesttohoneliteracyskills.Weekends offeraprimetimeforschool-age children

toparticipate inactivitiesoutside ofschool.However, youshouldensurethatyouarenotcompetingwith

sportsgroups andotherfamily weekend activities.You may needtoexperiment anddoa littleresearchbeforeyoufind the idealtimeto offer anew programinyourcommunity.

2.2 Choosing a Space

Ideally,programs forfourto eightyear oldsare heldina roomdesignated forsuch activities. Thisroomshouldhaveample spaceforareadingcircleandphysicalgames, inadditionto tablesanda workareaforartsandcraftsandindividualactivities Ifthe space haseasy accesstoa sinkandwashroom,that

wouldbeideal Ifyourfacility doesn'thavea designatedspaceandyouhavetoshareaspace with other

activities,besuretomarkoutyourprogrammingareaandexplaintochildrentheboundariesthey should

remainwithin Forsafetyreasons,constantlychecktomakesureallthechildrenremaininthespace you

havedesignated foryouractivities.

2.3 Supplies

Tosuccessfullyruntheprogramslisted in this text,youwillneedsomebasicsupplies.Ifyouplanto

usethebooks, games, andactivities listed, you willneedtohavematerialssuchas

• a reading chair;

• aneasel andchartpaper;

• amagnetboard, feltboard, and/orchalk board;

• adisplaytable forbookstoreadathome;

• carpet squares orcomfy cushionsforchildrentositon;

• puppets andmiscellaneous props; and

\ Chapter Program

IfyouplantousetheCraftyCreationsincludedin thisbookorcreateothercraftsofyourowndesign,

youwill needastandardsetofcraft,school,andofficesuppliesonhandasyoubegineachprogramming

session Followingisalistofthesuppliesnecessarytocomplete alloftheCraftyCreationsin thisbook,plusafewextras.Thesematerialscanbefoundatyourlocalschoolsupplystore,hardwarestore,or local

discount ordollarstore.

Feathers(varietyof colours)

Felt(varietyofcolours)

Fun foam(varietyof colours)

Giftbasketcellophane(varietyof colours)

Papertowel rolls

Posterboard(varietyofcolours)

Pipe cleaners(variety of colours)Sand(forcrafting)

Scissors

Sealable baggies

StaplerString

In addition to the supplies listed, a few specialty items will be needed:

flour, rubbing alcohol, baby barley, dried beans, plastic lids (from margarine

containers), vegetable oil, salt, cream oftartar, food colouring, and Kool-Aid

(unsweetened).Thesemaybepurchasedatthegrocerystoreormaybe donated

byparents, participants,andstaff. Remembertoplanandaskinadvancesothat

youwill haveall ofthe suppliesyouneedon thedayofyour program

3 Issues and Answers

Programming with children is a rewarding, fun-filled, and unpredictable career Children will spond to your direction, learn from your example, and seek out your approval and praise However,

re-groups of children will also bring challenges Virtually every programmerfaces difficulties leading a

groupofchildren Overthe course ofacareer of leading children's programs, mostprogrammers share

similarcomplaintsandchallenges The BIG BookofStories, Songs, andSing-Alongsdetails athorough

listofprogrammingproblemsandhowto avoidthemforchildrenofall ages Inthischapterwediscuss

problems specific toleadinggroups of preschoolers andyoungschool-agechildren

3.1 Developing Your Programming Style

It isnotunusualtobe uncomfortableleading a groupofchildren This isespecially trueifyou are

newtoprogramming.To overcomethisdiscomfort,you musttakesometime todevelopyourindividualprogramming style. Analyzewhat you do well and emphasize those skills inyour programs Ifyou are

dramatic,usedrama gamesasanice-breakerforyourgroup.Ifyouhavea gentle, friendlystyle,share

in-dividual time with children as they work on projects Whatever your strengths, take the time to think

aboutthemand enhance your programs by highlighting them

In addition,youcannotignoreyour weaknesses Some weakpointsmaybeintegral toprogramming

andyou mayhavetodeveloptechniquestoworkwithyourweakpoints For example,ifyouare aterriblesinger,you mayneverbe completely comfortableleadingagroupinsong.Doesthatmean youwillnever

sing in frontofagroup?Ofcourse not.Musicisawonderful tool toget agroup focused andinvolved.If

you're an awful singer, use CDs or a karaoke machine and enlist the help of the entire group for a

sing-along Alternatively, you could use a puppetwitha funny voice tolead the singing Children will

know thepuppetisa terrible singer,but theywon'thavea clueifyoucan singornot!

Some programmersfeelnervousreadingstoriestoagroup.To overcomeajitteryreadingvoice,read

yourstoriesaloudbeforeyou gointoyour program Everyprogrammerchoosesbooks heorsheenjoys

andhas readbefore,butbyreadingthebookaloudbeforeyou gointotheprogram youwillidentify ble spots ordifficultphrases and haveachance to practiceandperfect them

trou-Theseare justacoupleofexamplesofstrengthsand weaknesses.Think aboutyourpersonal utes.Findoutwhat worksforyou,adaptit toa varietyofagelevels,andthenkeepastockoftriedandtruefavouriteson handtouseanytime youbegin tofeeluncomfortableor out ofyourelement As you grow moreandmore confident,trynewthings, go beyondyour comfortzone,andexplore new programmingtechniques.Challengeyourself—you'llnevergetboredortiredofprogramming, and yourrepertoire will

attrib-grow andstay relevant

3.2 Encouraging Group Participation

Sometimes participants in your group willbe shy ordifficult to draw into the mix This becomes moreevidentingroupsof olderchildren Oncetheyreach schoolage,childrentendtobemoreself-con-scious.In addition, somechildrenare naturally shy.Thisproblem maycropupingroupsof preschoolers

as well.To makeeveryoneinyourgroupfeelwelcomeandcomfortable, giveeachchild afew moments

ofspecial attention.Thiscan bedoneat thebeginningwhen yougreet thechildren andagain while

chil-drenare workingonindividual projects

Sometimes youneedtoworkalittleharderto makechildrenfeelcomfortable interactingwith one

another.Toassist thisprocess,playgamesthat requireeverychildtoparticipateinanonthreateningway.For example,youmighttryplayingthe spotlightgame.In adarkened room, shinea flashlightaroundthe

roomwhile chanting:

Chapter Program

Have the flashlight's spotland on every child ina random orderand have each one call out his orher

name Begin byshiningthelightonchildrenyousensewillnotfeel intimidated,and oncethegroupgetsthehang ofit, drawoutsome ofthe shyerchildren

Youcouldalsotry activitiesthat requirealeaderandchangetheleaderevery timeyouplay.Thefirsttimechoosealeaderwhoiscomfortableinfrontofthegroup.Afterthechildrenhaveplayedacouple oftimesandareenjoyingthegame, choose aleaderwho is less outgoingandlethimorherhaveaturn. An

exampleofthistypeofgame isFrogFairy Asthe leader,youare the specialfrogfairy.When you wave

yourmagic wand,allthefrogchildrenwillbeunderyourspellandwillhavetodoasyousay.You'llneedonefrogtobe theleaderand demonstratewhatalltheothersshoulddo.Theleadergetstoweara special

crownorhat,andit ishisor herjobtoshowthegrouphowtodothe actions.Explainthatthefirstactionwillbehopping Havetheleadershowthegrouphowfrogshop.Then waveyourmagicwandandbegin

to chant:

Hop, hoplittlefroggies, hop, hop

Hop, hoplittlefroggies, hop, hop

Hop, hoplittlefroggies,

Hop, hoplittlefroggies,

Hop, hoplittlefroggies,hop, hop!

Ask the leader whether he or she thought the group did a goodjob Then give the group another

chanceby havingthe froggiessing.How dofroggiessing?Well,bysaying, "Ribbit,"ofcourse.Havetheleaderdemonstrate hisorher loudest"Ribbit."Then begintochant:

Sing, sing littlefroggies,sing, sing

Sing, sing littlefroggies,sing, sing

Sing, sing little froggies,

Sing, sing littlefroggies,

Sing, sing littlefroggies, sing,sing

Froggiescanalsodanceandlaugha

at theend they usually sleep. Change th

thirdactionandplay thegameseveraltir

to eight-week program so that every c

leader

3.3 Overcrowding

Occasionallyyourprogramswillbevery popular,andlargenumbersofparticipants willwantto

at-tend.Toavoidlargecrowdsinprograms,runprogramsthatrequire preregistration.Thiswillallowyoutocontrol thegroup'snumber, andyou'llhavea consistentsetofchildrenattendingeach week.Ifyouplan

tohaveadultsdropchildren offandleavetheminyourcare, preregistrationisrequired Inthesecasesyou

willalso needto limitattendance based onthe legalrestriction forthenumberofchildrenoneadultcan

haveinhisorhercareoutsideoftheformal schoolsetting.Mostpubliclibrariesrequireparentstoremain

inthebuilding whiletheirchildrenattend aprogram Inthesecasesyoumust havestrictlimitsbasedon

theprogram'srequirementsandthe sizeofthespacewheretheprogramisheld.When youare registeringchildren,keepthe sizeofthegroupoptimalanddon'tbe concernedifyouhaveawaitinglist.Waitinglists

And, you programs

: ribbit, ribbit

: ribbit, ribbit

: ribbit, ribbit

nd dolotsof otherthings,but

le leaderforevery second or

nesoverthecourse ofa hild will have a turn as the

four-3.4 Developmental Discrepancies

If youhave done children'sprograms fora year or more, you have probably met the parents who

genuinely believetheirfouryear oldshouldbeinthesix-year-oldprogram.Unfortunately, lovecancloud

judgement,soparentsarenotalwaysinthebestpositiontojudgetheirchild'sskill level.Therefore,you

willneedtochoose amore objective way tolimit the attendancein yourprogramso children are all on

roughlythesamelevel.You maychoosetorunyourprograms based onchilddevelopmentprinciples,for

example,readersinonegroup, pre-readersinanother More commonly, weuseagerestrictionstodefineourprograms.Ifyouusetheage-definingmethod,offerprogramsina seriesandpresenteachseriesthree

orfourtimes ayearinsix-, eight-,orten-weekgroupings.Potential participantsmay notget into thegramtheywantbecausetheirbirthdatesfalloutsidetherange, butinthenext session afew monthslater,they willbeabletoattend

pro-3.5 Latecomers

One ofthe mostproblematicprogramming situations is causedby the participantwho arrives ten

minutesafteraprogrambegins andboisterously pushes his orherchild into theprogramroom This is

disruptivefortheprogramand embarrassingforthe child.To avoidthisproblem,expressyour

expecta-tions for arrival beforethe program andspeakto adult latecomersdirectly everytime aproblemarises.

Occasionally,people dohave avalid reasonfor beinglate—cartrouble, adelayed train, an upsetbabysibling. Speaktotheadult who broughtthe child to theprogramlateimmediately afterwardon the veryoccasionthattheyarelateandexplainhowdifficult itcanbetokeepthe attentionofa largegroupofchil-dren Allow the adulttoexplain the situation and,if it is aone-time happening, which it will oftenbe ifyoudealwiththe problemheadon, simplylet itgo People respondto directness, especiallyif it is pre-

sentedinanonthreateningmanner.Trya friendlytoneandsaysomethinglike,"Did youhavetroubletingheretoday?"andwaitfor theexplanation Afteritcomes,explain,"It'sreallyhardinthemiddle ofastorytomakeanewchild feelwelcome And when someone comesinafteraprogrambeginsitcanbedis-

get-ruptiveforthe group."Leaveit atthatand monitorthe situation If ithappensagain,unlesstheexcuseis

truly exceptional, takea harder lineon the second offence Finally, don'tbe afraid to end a sessionfor

chronic latecomers.Lookatyourprogramscheduleandoffer alternatives, ifpossible, forprogramtimes

atanotherlocationorat a differenttimethatmight bemoreaccessible forthem

3.6 Discipline

Anotherproblem everyprogrammerencountersfromtimeto timeis a child whomisbehaves

Be-cause parentsandcaregivers arenotinside theprogramroom, childrenoccasionallybecomedisruptive

andact out.Your methodforhandlingdiscipline willdepend onyourfacility'slevelofresponsibility forthecareofthe child Inschoolsandcommunitycarefacilities,theparentswillnotbepresentinthebuild-ing. In thesesituationsdiscipline isthe responsibility ofthe adult leadingthe group.Inpublic libraries,however,disciplineis stillthe responsibilityofthe parents,eveniftheyarenotindirectsightoftheir chil-dren.Ifpossible,use a volunteer oranassistantinapubliclibraryprogramtohelpwithdiscipline.While youleadthegroup,the assistanttakesthe disruptivechild outto thewaiting parent or caregiverandex-plains theproblem Sometimes it isnot possiblebecause ofstaffing and budgetconsiderations tohavea

secondstaffmemberineveryprogram.Inthesecasesyoustillneedtocome upwithamethodtogive

chil-dren withseriousbehaviourissuesbacktotheiraccompanyingadults tohandle Disciplineshouldnever

bethefocusofaprogram,andadultsshould beinstructedtoremain nearbyto dealwithproblems Some

minordisciplineissuescanbetackledbyseparating childrenwho misbehaveorbyhavinga childwhoisnotfocused bea "helper"withspecific duties However,thebestway todealwithbehaviourissuesisto

discussthemdirectlywiththe adultwho accompaniesthe child to theprogramandcome upwithaclear,

simple plan ofaction Have the adultdiscuss appropriate behaviourwith the child beforethe next

pro-10 Chapter Program

slowlytoindependentparticipation inthegroup For example,in apreschoolstorytime, youmight have

thesupervisingadultaccompanyandsitwiththechild foraweekortwo.Thentheadultmaygraduallybe

ableto sitnearthebackand, finally,leavetheprogramareaaltogether Ifthebehaviourresurfaceswhen

the child is once again unsupervised, you'll have tospeak to the supervisingadult andexplain thatthechildisnotreadyfortheprogramat thistimeandthat you wouldbehappytowelcomethechildbackinthe nextsession

4 The Adventure Begins

Takeadeepbreathandgetreadytohavefun!Fourtoeightyear oldsareindividualswhounderstand

whattheylikeanddon'tlike.Theycanoccasionallybe toughcritics.However,ifyouareenjoying

your-selfand havingfun,theywillrespondto the positiveenergy andwillbemuch morelikely tohavefun,too.

Chooseactivities,games,books,andmaterialsthatyou enjoyandfeelcomfortablewith.Share yourlove

ofbooks andliteraturewiththechildrenbyinspiringandenlighteningthem.Neverbeafraid tomake

mis-takes Childrenwillnotjudgeyouforsayingthewrong wordorgivinggarbledinstructions.Theability to

laugh atyourselfisthefirststeptohaving anentiregroupofchildrenlaughright along with you!

Chapter 2

Fours and Fives:

Program Preparations

Preschool storytimeisstandardfareinpubliclibraries.This type ofprogramisalsocommonlyfound

incommunitycentres,preschools,and evenbookstores.Virtuallyallcommunitylibrariesoffer aprogram

forchildrenagedthreetofiveyears.Thisbookbegins withachapteronpreschoolstorytime,but it is cused on fourandfiveyearolds.Where are the threeyear olds? Hopefullyyouwill findthem in a pre-

fo-school storytime program designed specifically for their age group Three year olds do best in atransitional programdesigned specifically to assist them with independent group settings. To find out

how to design a program just for three year olds, refer to The BIG Book ofStories, Songs, andSing-Alongs: ProgramsforBabies, Toddlers, andFamilies (Maddiganet al.,2003)

12 \ Chapter2:Foursand Fives: ProgramPreparations

Four andfiveyear oldsaregenerally abletointeractinagroup settingaway fromthe directlineof

sight ofa parent or familiar caregiver They have likely attended preschool, birthday parties, and daycamps.At somepointbetweentheirfourthandseventhbirthdays,mostchildrenwillenterschoolandbe-gin theirformal education in a classroom with twenty or more classmates and one teacher Therefore,some administratorsmay askifthe library still needs to offer storytimeforfourandfive yearolds,be-cause formalized educationisresponsiblefor thesocializationprocessanddevelopmentofemergentlit-

eracyskills.Theanswerisaresoundingyes.Libraryprogrammingisaboutmorethansocializationanda

preamble to school It is important to continue library programming even after formal education hasbegun forchildrenbecause

• thelibrary offersarelaxedandpressure-freeenvironmenttobegintheenjoymentofliterature

—

notests,skills-assessment, or grades;

• thepublic librarycanprovideextrasupportand encouragementforeducation;

• library storytimesallow childrenachancetoreadandlearn forfunandpureenjoyment, and

the importance of play for children's mental development has been widely documented(Mustard, 1999);

• library storytimesareshorterand have fewerattendeesthan theclassroomsetting;

• many childrenat thisstageofdevelopment respondpositively toa limitedtimespan and stricted numberofpeers; and

re-• many childrenarerelaxedandcomfortableatthe librarybecausetheyhave beenvisitingthelibrarysincebabyhood.Comfortina setting willmaketheenvironmentmoreconducivetoa

positiveexperience

Storytimeinapubliclibrary,communitycenter,orschoolshouldbeaplaceforchildrentocomeand

enjoy their introduction to the literary world, regardless ofthe individual skills they bring with them.Theyshouldbe allowedtoexperiencethejoysof readingat theirownpacewithlittleornoexpectationfor

performance orachievement

Four andfiveyearolds areattheprime agetobegintoenjoythe worldofliterature.Because these

children areready foran expandedworldview, the focus of storytimeshifts slightly.Programs for

chil-dren three years and under generally focus on having the children participate as a part of a group.Storytimeforfourandfiveyearolds,however,focusesonchildrenparticipatinginagroup settingasin-dividuals Thedifferenceissubtlebut very important.Atthisagechildrenareready toexpressideas and

opinions as well assharepersonal experiences They shouldbeencouragedto makeindividualchoiceswithintheframeworkofthegroup.Thereis stillplentyofroomforgroupactivities thatinvolveasingular

experience, but whentheopportunity presentsitself, childrenshouldbeencouragedtoexpresstheirown

opinion orchoosetheirroles in an activityorgame

1 What Can Four and Five Year Olds Do?:

Theperiodbetweenforty -eightandseventy-twomonthsof ageisquitebroadandincludesmany

devel-opmentalmilestones.Soyoumay wonder why wehavedecidedtogroupbothyearstogether.Therationale is still based on cognitive development The tools childrenneed to enjoy a traditionally structured preschool

storytime includeapproximatelyaten-minuteattentionspan, theability to participate inorganizedplay, and

an understanding of These milestones are often achieved by children as they reach the forty-six- to

1. What CanFour and FiveYear OldsDo? / 13

Wehavediscussedthefactthatfourandfiveyear oldsachievemany important milestonesthatwill

benurtured,tested,andimprovedoverthe comingyears.Butwhatare they, specifically?Whatcan

four-andfive-year-oldchildrendo?

Atforty-eight months manychildren havejustbegunto

• recognizelettersofthealphabet;

• count in sequenceout loud,

• understand spatial conceptssuch asover, under,tallest, andsmallest;

• speakincomplex sentences;

• questionthe world around them;

• develop aten-minute attention span;

• dress themselveswithminimalassistance;

• enjoy playing with other children forextended periods; and

• developtheir imaginationsandsenseofhumour

Similarly,aftertheirfourthbirthdays childrencontinuetoexpandonthesemilestonesandreachers.By sixtymonths manychildrenhave begunto

oth-• use andidentifyletters ofthe alphabet and numbers;

• masterspatialconcepts as wellas relationships amongpeople;

• use alarge vocabulary and speakin full sentences;

• develop alongerattention span, aslongas fifteenminutesforsometasks;

• becomeprojectmindedand be able toplan andcreatethingsfrom startto finish;

• enjoy makingtheirowndecisions,takingturns, andfollowingdirections;

• noticeand be sensitivetothe feelings ofothers; and

• develop asenseofhumouranda senseofstory development

Four- and five-year-old children have developed a key new ability for storytime—imagination.Theycannow trulyappreciateaworldbeyondtheirown Theyunderstandthat imaginarycharactersand

settings arenotreal,but they enjoylistening andbecomingcaptivatedbythem Helping childrentobraceand developtheirimaginativesideisakeyingredientinassistingchildrenwiththeircreativedevel-

em-opment Byexposing themto the literaryworld youare givingthemthe keys to traveleverywhere! By

empoweringchildrentoexplorebeyondtheconfinesoftheirown existence,wehelpthemtobeginto

de-velop theirpotential They understand that they can become, learn about, and discover anything their

mindscancontemplate Theirimaginations becomekeytocreativethought andpersonalexploration

2.1 Starting a Program for Four and Five Year Olds

Historically, the first book-based programs offeredby many libraries andcommunity centers waspreschool storytime(Nespeca, 1994) Traditionally,thisprogramforchildrenfromthreetofiveyearsold

isapreamble toformal schooling,aswediscussedinthelastsection However,theprogramming model

wehave setup in this manual requiresit tobe much, much more By separatingthe three yearolds intotheirownprogram,youwillallow yourselfmuchgreater potential forprogramdevelopmentforfourand

fiveyearolds. Ideally,yourprogramwillrequire preregistration.Ifyou know thechildrencomingtothe

program you will be better able to structure activities and games The children will enjoy the program morebecausethey willhaveachancetobecomecomfortableandfamiliarwiththeirfellowparticipants

Ifthey know what to expectfrom the program's routine and fromthe other attendees, children will be

morelikelytoparticipate,relax,andenjoy themselves.Althougha preregisteredprogramistheideal, this

age groupisalsowell-suitedtodrop-inprograms Four andfiveyearolds are typicallycomfortable with

groupsituations,asmanyofthemhaveattended otherlibraryprogramsor preschool.Mostofthese

chil-drencan adaptquite easilytounfamiliar surroundingsandpeople.However,eachsessionshould include

a brief social or"get toknowyou" periodatthebeginning

Ifyourcenterdoesnotprovideaprogramforfourandfiveyearolds,introducingoneissimple

Chil-drenat thisageneedthestimulationandcreativityboostthatthestorytimeatmosphereprovides.Theonly

majorobstacletoadoptingthisprogramiscompetitionfromothervenues such asjuniorkindergarten orpreschool programming at othercenters Vying with other centers that specialize inprogramming for

youngchildrenisareality,butagoodmarketingprogramshoulddrawpeopleintoyourcenter(seeter6 fordetails). Oncechildren experienceaquality literature-based program,thebenefits willbeobvi-

Chap-ous andtheircaregivers will enthusiastically return forfutureprograms

dren exercise theirnewly acquired creative side with open-ended,

unstructured activities.

Add valueandexcitementto thisprogram by introducingtoolssuchas

• amagnet board, feltboard, and/orchalkboardforvisual storytelling;

• a cassetteorCDplayertoaddmusicfordancingorbackground musicwhilechildren are

en-joying artsandcrafts orotherindividualactivities;

• aneaselorprop boardtodisplay oversized books whileyou readthem aloud tothegroup;

2.2 Getting Ready

Thereareafewkeyconceptstokeepinmind when you /

are preparing for a program with four and five year olds

(

Childrenwillbe sittingforextendedperiodsoftime,sothey V

should have a comfortable carpet, mats, cushions, or child- \

sized chairs to siton In orderto read longer stories, youwill 1

have to include gross motor activities before and after the I

lengthy tales,soyourarea shouldhave lotsofopenspace You

will also want to focus on creative endeavours such as free-form

musicandart activities Ifpossible,investinasetofmusical

instru-ments,paint, art supplies,and smocks Usethese tools tohelp

chil-lf your facility does not have a

budget for program supplies such

as musical instruments or art smocks, you can makeyour own:

chopsticks can double as rhythm sticks, and old adult-sized T-shirts

makegreat cover-ups duringmessy

activities.

Bright Idea

• a storytelling apronor smocktohide props oritemsforshowandtell activities;

These are just a few of the extra items and enhancements you may choose to include in your

storytime Although none of theseisanecessary element, eachwill allow youtoadd something extratoyour program

2.2a Emergent Literacy

Emergentliteracyisaphrasecommonlyusedinrelationtoearlychildhoodlanguageandprereading

skill development (Walter, 2001) Although the terminology is relatively new, the concept has beenaroundin libraryprogramsfordecades Alsoknown as "readingreadiness," itsfundamental philosophy

isthat children,before theyareable toreadwordsonapage,canbenefitfrom exposureto literature,ing, books, and stories. This exposure will help prepare them forthe transition to independent readingwhentheyare intellectuallyready.Byexposingpreschoolerswithdevelopingimaginationsandattention

read-spanstobooks,words, stories,andillustrations,youare helpingthemto understand readingevenbeforetheycandoitthemselves.Five yearolds,forexample, begintounderstandthatreadingoccursfromleft to right.Althoughthey arenotyetabletounderstandthewords, theyarefamiliarand comfortablewith the

concept ofreading This enables themto be more confident when it comes timeto tryreading on their

own.

While you are preparing your program, the concept ofemergent literacy shouldbe lurking

some-whereintheback of your mind You won't beteaching childrenhow toread,butyouwill be introducingthem to the ideathatreading is exciting and fun When childrenbegin to makethe sometimes difficulttransition toreadingontheirown, thesepositiveliteraryexperienceswillremindthemthat it isworthall

the effort.

2.2b Books to Share

Fouryear oldshave beguntodeveloptheirimaginationsand can appreciatestories withimaginary

concepts Five-year-old children will enjoy the samestories and will often appreciate somedimensionsmissed by theyoungerchildren For example,the story SomethingfromNothing byPhoebe Gilmanis a

wonderfultaleofaboyandhisgrandfather Thereisasubplottothe textofthisstorythat isdevelopedinthe pictures Gilmanhasillustratedafamilyofmicewholiveontheedges ofthepage.These mice haveanadventure oftheirownthatistoldinthe pictures.Five year oldswillappreciatethiswhimsicalsubplotas

wellasthemainstoryline Fouryear oldsarelesslikely tonoticethe storyofthemice unlessit ispointedouttothem.Thisbook shows someofthe characteristicsyoushouldlookforinread-aloudstoriesforfour

andfiveyearolds:extradimensions,more complexthemes,andsubtext.Anotherbookwitha story inthepicturesandamore complexplotisOfficerBuckleandGloria.Four andfiveyear oldswillbeamusedby

the antics of Gloria the police dog, who performs tricks outside ofthe text, which focuses on Officer

Buckle'ssafety tips.

Tostimulatefour-andfive-year-oldchildren,lookforbooks andstories thatachieve excellenceina

numberofdifferent areas:

• use of language,

• sound oftextwhenread aloud,

• characterization,

• plot development(including a satisfactoryconclusion), and

• placement and styleofillustrations.

Chapter Fours Program

Atthisage children appreciate many themes in astory andareno longer constrainedbythethings

they canrelate to in theworld aroundthem Thereare many story "types"you can lookfortoentertain

children at thisage, including

• humorous stories;

• silly orfantastic stories;

• storieswith a"pleasant surprise"ending;

• cumulativestories (storieswithrepetitiverefrainsthatbuildupononeanother,likethe classic

TheHouse ThatJackBuilt);

• family stories, including thoseaboutfamiliesverydifferentfromtheirown;

• child-centered stories,especiallythosethatfeature thechild as the hero ofthe story;and

• animal stories(these are popular withvirtuallyany age)

2.2c Books toDisplay

Four-andfive-year-oldchildrenenjoyawiderange of books,andadisplayofsamplestotakehomeshould include

• anybook you wouldconsidersuitabletoread aloud;

• longer stories such as fairytales andfolktales (children are able to appreciatelongerbooks

whenthey arereadone onone);

• conceptbooks, especially thosefocusing onthe alphabet,numbers, shapes, andcolors;

• simple nonfictionbooks on topics of interest such as animals, transportation, andchildren

fromothercountries;

• poetry andrhymebooks,especiallythosewithsimple nonsense verse;and

• jokebookswith simple text.

Encouragechildrentotakethesebookshomeandsharethemwiththeadults wholovethem;thiswilllowfamilies tocontinuethestorytimeexperience athome.

al-2.2d Reading Incentives

Sometimes displays ofbooks and encouragement are not enough to

convincebusyfamiliesoftheimportanceof readingathome.Byincludinga

readingincentive inyour program,youwilltie sharingbooksathomeback

totheprogram.Youwillalsoencouragea routineuseofthe librarythat

chil-drenwill convince theirparentstocontinuelong aftertheprogram isover

Aneffective incentive forchildren at thisage islarge visualsthat theycan

help buildon.For example,ifyourprogramtakesplaceinthe winter,builda

largesnowmanon the wall For each book readathome the childrenadda

cotton ball to the snowman Over the weeks ofthe program children will

watchasthesnowmanfills in,andattheendoftheseasonthesnowmanwill

beafuzzy wall displaythatremindschildrenoftheiraccomplishments

dur-ing storytime Use any large visual that with your theme, such as a

room Other examplesareapplesonatree,flowersinameadow,scoopsonanicecreamcome,fish inthesea,andstars inthe sky.Findinga visual tomatchyour program'sthemesorseasonwillbeeasy,butkeep

inmindthatthetangibleelementsthatchildrenwillattachtothevisualshould besimpletomassproduce,

becauseyou mayhave tohand outhundreds ofthembeforethe program is over!

2.2e Learning Children's Names

Preregistrationisimportantforthisagegroup because

itwillallowyoutodesignidentifiers,suchasnametags,and

beginto familiarizeyourselfwithchildren'snames Usinga

child'sname makes himorherfeel specialanddeservingof

the attention.Itwillalsoserveasavaluabledisciplinary tool

for theprogrammer.Youwillbeabletoquietlycalla

disrup-tivechild'sname.This individual attentionhelps overcome

unacceptable behaviour

Aschildrenmatureasindividuals, theirnames become

moreandmoreimportant.When youarefamiliarizing

your-self with the names of the children, make sure you know

howtopronouncethem.Ifyouaren'tsureabouta

pronunci-ation, speak to the child's parent a few minutes before the

start ofthe program,oraskthechild tosayit first. Sayinga

child's name correctly helps the child to trustyou and feel

If your facilityhasa digital

or instantcamera, useit to take a picture ofeachof the children in your programwhile they are wearingtheir name tags or

identifiers. Use these

pictures to helpyou learn children'snames.Then, as

a special treat for the lastweek of the program,frame the pictures with

bristol boardand havethe

children decorate the frames.

special If you do mispronounce a child's name, you will

quicklyrealize itbythe child'sreaction (orlackof response) Simplyapologizeforthemistakeandask

thechild to correctyou Repeatthe child's namebacktohimorherandwaitforanaffirmative reaction

Repeatthe nameafew timesduringthe weektoavoidgetting itwrongthe next time

3 Programs for Four and Five Year Olds:

Format and Routine

Mostfour andfive year olds are ready to

experi-encesocialsituationswiththeirpeers.Fewparentsand

caregivers will feel the needto accompany their

chil-dren into the program You should encourage those

who do come into the program to leave theirchildren

when they are comfortable Someofthe children will

be experienced storytimers; others will have

experi-enced similar situations in kindergarten or preschool;

forafewofthe children itmaybetheirfirst

independ-entpeergroupexperience.They will taketheircues from

the more experiencedprogram participants, and the

rou-tine forthegroup willquickly fall into place

At this age, it is often individual personality traits

thatsetchildrenapartfromthegroup, notalackofsocialization

orpeer interaction skills It is a delightful experience toget to

know the children and watch their individual personalities

emerge asyou make themfeel special

ConfidenceBooster

Children willappreciateyou as

a program leader, if you

appreciate them asindividuals.Accepteachchild's

idiosyncrasies as a part of

his/her personal growth and

development Don't try to force

them to conform to the group

for every activity. By allowing creative personal expressionyouwill help childrendevelopa strongsenseofthemselves

18 \ Chapter FoursandFives:ProgramPreparations

Asthegroupleader,yourprogrammingroleshouldhaveafocus Althoughfourandfiveyear oldsappreciatean accomplishedentertainer, they benefitfrom thestorytimeexperience inspecificandmea-

surable waysifa facilitatorleadsthem To moveinto thisnew role, choose activitiesthat focus on thechildren'sinvolvementinsteadofyourown.Parteducator,part entertainer,part ringleader: thefacilitator

of storytimefor agroupof fourandfive year oldsisdynamicandflexible.

Theformat ofyourprogramwill dependon yourindividual style,but a numberof funlatedexercisesandactivitiescan be includedinthetimeallotted foryourgroup each week Someoftheingredients willbefamiliartoyouandtomostofthechildren:stories,rhymes,songs,fingerplays,andcir-

literacy-re-clegames.The specificschosen,however, can belonger,moreintricate, andcontain more complexmentsthan thoseyou wouldchoose ifthreeyear oldswereinvolvedintheprogram Atypicalstorytimeformattedforfourandfiveyear oldscouldrunas follows:

This formatcan be varied as needed toinclude room foryourpersonal style. For example, a

pro-grammerwith apenchantforpuppetsanddramamight designhisorherformatasfollows:

strengthcanexperimentwitha variety ofelementsandstructures,thereby designingaformulaorformat

that works forus.

Four FiveYearOlds: and

Avarietyofdynamic andexciting routinescan be used togive

chil-drentheiridentifiers and begin storytime Nametags as identifiers anda

song to open theprogramare the most common opening routines Other

openings also work well; forexample, pretend play is an excellent

con-cepttoenhancechildren'sdevelopingimaginations.Dress-upisaformof

pretendplay,and ifyouputeachchild's name ona crown orspecial hat,

heorshewill be abletoenjoy pretend play atthe beginningofeach

pro-gram.The crownisanexcellentexampleof anidentifier thatallows

chil-drentofeelspecial asindividuals(allthecrownsarepersonalizedwiththe

children's names), butit alsohelps them feel partofthe group asall the

other children in the room are wearing similar identifiers. To match

crownswiththeappropriatechildren,linecrowns up ona tableorcounter

withthenamesfacingfront.Pickup eachcrownandaskforhelp fromthecrowdtofinditsowner.Saythe

first part ofthe child's name, with heavy emphasis on the first syllable or few letters. Children will

quicklylearn to finish thenameasyoubeginit.Theywill feel importantand special asthey supplytheir

names while youaretrying to soundoutthe firstfew letters.

Aftereach childhas acrown, begin storytimewiththe followingrhyme:

Kings and queens andprinces, too

Now storytimebegins foryou

Straighten your crown,

Andsit rightdown,

Andhere iswhat wewill do .

Launchintoadiscussionaboutthethemeof storytime

af-terthe rhyme is complete Alternatively, you could design a

visual to representthe theme of storytime andas you say the

last lineoftherhyme,youholdupthevisualand havechildren

guessthe storytime theme

3.3 Structure

Although formats and routines can differ, structure is still a

very important concept in storytime for four and five year olds

Children will be comforted by the routine and will, therefore, be

more opentolearningand developingtheirindividual skills.

Chil-dren at this ageare morelikely to enjoy surprises,butyou should

discussthefactthatthere willbea surprise tolook forwardtoasan

element ofthe program For example, you could play an

interac-tivecirclegamesuchasWhatIs intheBox?Forthisgameaboxis

placedinthecenterofthe circleandcluesaregiventoitscontents

Whenthe surprise isrevealed,itshould bethe segue intothenext

elementofthe program, apuppet orsamplecraft, forexample

Bright Idea

Using visuals to representprogramthemesis a simplewaytoenhance

a program. These visuals can be

pictures or props that will help children guess what storytime is

about If your theme is farmyard,youcould bring in a stuffed barnyard animal you have at home, or a picture of a barn.Thevisuals should

be fairly simple and obvious, andyoucanevensupply clues to steer children quickly onto the right track Real objects, such as a pair of

mittensused as a prop in a winter storytime, are known as realia.

Choose realia familiar to the

children to help guide themto thenameofeach week'stheme.

3.4 Print Materials

Althoughadultsdonotattend theprogram,theyneedtobeinformedaboutweeklythemes,structure,andimportant elements Abrochurethat includesamessagetoparentsandcaregivers,a detailedaccount

ofweekly themes, and any special instructions for agiven weekshouldbe included For example, you

maydecidetoincludeabedtimetheme andaskallchildrentocometotheprogramin theirpyjamas Thisinformation shouldbe includedon your brochure so parentsarelesslikelytoforgetonthedayofthepy-jamaparty Printmaterialsshouldalsoincludedetailsaboutany foodandtreatsyou areplanningtogiveouttochildren sothatadults cantellyouaboutallergiesand foodsensitivities.

WelcometoTheStoryCorner

The Story Corner it a ipecial program designed specifically For children

aged four and Five Each week (his forty-five minute program will

introduce your child to stories, fonoi rhymes and activities that are age

appropriate, fun and aimed at developing literacy skills

We encourage you to brouiie the book display in the program room with

your child before leaving so that you can continue to share some of their

ipecial experiences with books at home Allowing children the opportunity

to select and check out their own library books will add to their library

experience by instilling a sense of empowerment and responsibility.

During the course of the program your child may need to leave the room to

find you Please wait near the program room to greet your child, but feel

free to quietly help your child reenter the program if time permits We

invite you to use this time to browse through our wonderful selection of

parenting books and magazines or choose some picture books and fairytales

to take home.

Please do not hesitate to ask me, or any Children's Staff member for

suggestions on good books for you and your child If you have any

questions, please feel free to call me at 621-0460.

Your child will enjoy activities

such as rhymes, font's, ?ames and stories as we explore these themes:

Week1 Pumpkin Patch

Week2 Underwater Adventure

Week3 Creepy (raiuliesWeek4 Fairy FolkWeek5 Forest FriendsWeek6 Frosty Frolics

Week7 Just For Fun

Week8 Holiday Hoopla

Books for4&5YearOlds

The Happing House by Audrey Wood JP Wood

Imoi'i Sweater by Janet Lunn JP Lunn The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown JP Brown Poppy the Panda by Dick Gackenbach JP Gacke Owl Babies by Martin Waddell JPWaddell

li Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino JP Guari Chicka (hicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr JP Marti

The Midnight farm by Reeve Lindbergh JP Linde Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement JP Cleme Where by Sendak Senda

FourandFiveYear OldProgrammingTechniques / 21

3.5 Closing Routine

Toendtheprogram youcanreversetheopeningand have eachchildplacehisorhercrownonthe

ta-ble orcounter.Endthe programeach week withthe followingrhyme:

Kings and queens andprinces too.

Now I mustsay goodbyeto you

Goodbye, goodday, good nightand solong,

Seeyou next weekformore storiesand songs!

4 Four and Five Year Old Programming Techniques

Older children have a longer attention span and the ability to understand complex concepts grammerscan use thesedevelopmental achievements todesigndynamic andfun-filledprograms

Pro-4.1 Extended Time Period

Fourandfiveyear oldsareabletoenjoylongerstoriesandmoreintricate crafts.Therefore,theycanremain intheprogramforalonger periodoftime Forty-fiveminutesorafullhourare appropriatetimespansdepending uponthe activitiesyouchoosetoinclude.Theformats discussedinthelastsection will

runapproximately forty-fiveminutes Ifyou includea snackorsocial activity, theprogramwill lastfor

onehour

4.2 Including Complex Elements

Oneoftheexcitingadditionstoprogramsforchildrenat thisageismultilayeredgamesandroutines

Fourandfiveyear oldscanfollowdirections,playgames,andenjoyactivitiesmore complex thanthe

fol-low-the-leader style routines that three year olds enjoy Traditional games, such as Statues (children

danceand wiggleuntilthemusicstops,then theymustbestill untilthemusicbegins again) orSimonSays

(childrenfollowdirections calledoutbythe leader,onlyifprecededbythephrase, "Simonsays.

.

")are

good examplesofpossibilitiesforstorytime These can be adaptedto enhancea storyorfitatheme

Othercomplex elements thatare suitable forthis agegroupare

• craftswith multiple steps tocompletion;

• activitiesthathavethe children suggesting, drawing, or designingalternate storyendings;

• interactive songs orrhymeswith movements, imitation, andrepetitivephrases;

• open-ended activities that allow children to use their imaginations to answer a question or

completeaproblem; and

• puzzlesand simple designactivities.

Theseareafewofthemany, many complextasks thatfourandfiveyear oldsenjoyandfindchallenging

atthesametime

4.3 Discussions and Follow-up

Four andfiveyear oldshavebegunto findtheirvoiceandenjoy usingittotell storiesandshare

ex-Chapter Program

ries of questions and allow them time to think and share their thoughts and opinions The follow-upquestionscanbevery simple,especially toget the ball rolling.For example:

• What was thebest partofthe story?

• What do you thinkwas thefunniestthingthathappenedtocharacter's name>?

• Did youlikewhatcharacter'sname>didin the story?Why?

Youcanaskspecificquestionsabout elementsofthestorytofosterdiscussion,butthebestquestions

areopen endedwithnocorrectanswer.For example,afterreadingCuriousGeorge youcould askthe

chil-drenwhatthey thinkGeorgewilldofor hisnext adventure.Or youcould askthemwhattypeofanimalthe

manwiththeyellowhat might have adoptedifhehadnotmetGeorge.This type of questionfostersativity aswell asstimulating reading comprehension Follow-up discussions give children a chance to

cre-sharethoughtsandopinions Astheprogrammer youshouldbe preparedtodrawoutshy childrenandtodevelopakindway ofkeeping aboisterouschild'sspeechesto aminimum.

4.4 Dramatic Play

Preschool childrenhave developedimaginationsandenjoy using them.One waytohelp children

ex-ploretheirimaginationsistoencouragethemin dramaticplay.Givechildren asetofinstructionsthat

in-clude acting out their responses to a question For example, you could ask children to think oftheirfavourite petandactlike thatanimal.Thenaskthemtomovearoundtheroom,findingotheranimalsthatarethe same asthey are. Attheendofa crazy few minutesyou shouldhavea groupofcats, a groupofdogs, andthe oddhamsterandfish rounding outthe group Children enjoy silly antics, especially those

thatallowthemtousetheirimaginationsinwaysthatare interestingand new

4.5 Making Each Child Feel Special

Four andfiveyear oldsneedattentionandachancetohavethe spotlightonthemas individuals.Youcanachievethisbylearning children'snamesandusingthemto calleachchild for hisorherturninanac-tivityorgame Youcanalsoinvolveindividualchildrenby having eachchildprovidesomethingtocom-

pleteanactivity.In the autumn,forexample,youcouldhave eachchildaddacolouredleaf toatreeyou

haveon display.Orgiveeachchildan apple slice tocolourand havehimorheraddittoa pie crustthat

you paste on the wall

Anotherwaytomakeeachchildfeel specialis togreeteachoneindividuallyandtopoint out

some-thingtomake themall feel happyabout themselves.This couldbeas simpleascommentingonJimmy'ssneakers orJenny'scareful colouring Individual attention,presentedina casual, friendly manner,helpschildrengain confidenceandfeel comfortable in theirsurroundings

4.6 Concentrating on Literacy

Programmingforchildrenin thisage range haslimitlesspossibilities.Toprovide focusforyour

pro-gramand keepitcenteredon yourfacility'sobjectives,youwilllikelyneedtoconcentrateon book-basedactivities.This doesnotmean storytime willconsistonly ofstories.Focus youreffortson language,po-

etry, rhyme,and song as wellascreativity-buildingactivities. Bystimulating childrenin aliterary way,

youhelpto setthestage for reading, writing,and comprehension Forlibraries,youarebuildingfuture erswhowill rememberyourinstitutionwithfondness and respect

us-5 Bibliography of Books to Share

Brown,Margaret Wise 1989 The BigRedBarn New York: HarperCollins

Clement, Rod 1997 Grandad's Teeth Sydney, Australia: HarperCollins

Gackenbach, Dick 1984 Poppy thePanda New York: Clarion Books

Gilman, Phoebe 1992.SomethingfromNothing:AdaptedfromtheJewishFolktale RichmondHill,

ON: North WindsPress

Guarino, Deborah 1989.Is Your Mamaa Llama? NewYork: Scholastic

Lindbergh, Reeve 1987 The MidnightFarm NewYork: Dial Books forYoung Readers

Lunn,Janet 1988.Amos'sSweater Vancouver, BC: Douglas& Mclntyre

Martin,Bill, Jr. 1989 Chicka ChickaBoom Boom New York: Simon & Schuster

Mayo,Diana 2001 TheHouse ThatJackBuilt. New York:Barefoot Books

Rathmann,Peggy 1995 OfficerBuckle andGloria NewYork: G P Putnam'sSons

Rey, H A 1969 Curious George.Boston: HoughtonMifflin

Sendak, Maurice 1984 Wherethe Wild ThingsAre.New York: Harper& Row.

Waddell,Martin 1992 OwlBabies Cambridge, MA: CandlewickPress

Wood, Audrey 1984 TheNappingHouse San Diego: Harcourt BraceJovanovich

Chapter 3

Programs for Fours

and Fives

Chapter Fours

Theprogramsin thischapteraredesignedtofosterthegrowthofyoung mindsandhelpdeveloplongreaders.Everyaspectoftheseprograms, fromthegamesandactivities tothecrafts, ismerely anex-

life-tensionofourmainpurposeaseducatorsandfacilitators.That purposeistobuildandmaintain aninterest

inthejoy of readingandlistening tostoriesreadaloud.Mostfourandfiveyearolds arecontentto sitandhave a storyread to them, butafewkeythings toremember whenchoosingstories toread aloudto this

agegroup follow

• Vocabulary — Are the words easy tounderstand? Ifchildren can't understand a story, howcantheybe expectedtosit andlisten to it?

• Illustrations— Arethe pictures visiblefromadistance?Aretheydetailedenoughtoholdthechildren's attention,but not sobusythattheywon'thavetimetosee thewholepicturebefore

thepage isturned (causingthemtolose interest)?

• Repetitive Stories and Child Involvement —Isthere a way to involve the children inthestory?Is there aphrasethatthe childrencananticipateandrepeat withyou?Are thereques-

tionsthatyoucanask before turningthepagetosee whatthechildren thinkwillhappennext(e.g.,Mortimer by RobertMunsch)?

• Interest— Did youchoosethebookbecauseyouliketoread itorbecauseyouthoughtyourgroup would enjoy it? Once youbegin yourprograms and try out a few different styles of

books(rhyming,repetitive, etc.), you'll gain a betterunderstanding ofwhat your groupwill

enjoylisteningto.

Onefinalthingtoremember whenreadingto thisoranyagegroupis styleanddelivery.The morevolvedyouget in tellingthe story, themorethe childreninyour group willwantto listento it(perhaps

in-evenoverandoveragain).One handytip is topracticereadingthebookbeforeyoupresentitinyour

pro-gram andtry usingdifferent voices and voicelevels for the different characters in the story. Speaking

loudly,orhushed,stampingfeet,or clappingwhereappropriatewillkeep yourgroup's eyesandattention

focusedon thepages beforethem

Note: Someoftheprograms thatfollow arebasedon holidays ordays thatare celebrated, suchas

Hallowe'en.It isimportanttorememberthatnoteveryoneinyourprogramswillbeeithercelebratingorpartakingin anyorall ofthe festivitiesplanned onthese days One waytoinformtheparentsandcare-giversofthis isto sendhomeanoteapproximatelytwo weeksinadvance, advisingthemoftheprogram themeandwhatwillbe happening onthatday, sothatyouwillknowwhetheryouwillhaveanyabsences

Let's Get Started!

Webeginourprogrammingforfourandfiveyear olds withasessionaboutfall.Theprogramsin this

chapter eachcontain eight songs, rhymes, or fingerplays; two crafts; and one game and/or activitypertheme,aswellasalistofwhatweconsidertobeafew goodbookstoshare.Programswiththisagegroup

can beaslongas forty-fiveminutes,dependingon your groupsizeandwhatyoufeelcomfortablewith

Why twocrafts?Wehave chosentoinclude twocrafts toprovidevariety for theprogrammer.You mayfeelthatonecraft suitsyourgroupbetterthanthe other,oryou maybelookingforsomethingnewto

try. Whateverthe case, each craftprovided hasbeen testedand approvedby children we have workedwith overthepastfew years, andyoucan'taskfor a betterendorsement thanthat!