I’m determined to do at least a monthly storytime with preschoolers this year and already have some dates scheduled. I did my first one yesterday. I was planning on doing cat books (of course starring this one) but after I had practiced the books with my lower elementary classes (even 3rd grade – I mean, who doesn’t love Millions of Cats?), but after I had read it to all the classes, I let kids check out the books, including the Wanda Gág classic. Quelle horreur! Maybe I’ll save the best for last.
Thinking about my preschoolers, though, they are little. Barely four, I figured having numbers and counting as a topic would be a winner. And so it was!
I started with our welcome song, “The More We Get Together,” as sung by the Cedarmont Kids.
Then I introduced myself – I don’t do storytime with three-year-olds, so this is the first time most will have met me. Then I counted the children – twenty-one in the morning group and eleven in the afternoon group.
Then I read the book 1-2-3 Counting that I picked up last weekend at Goodwill.
It’s très adorable! It opens up to panels of recognizable, high contrast images to aid visual development in the early stages (Google Books). Since I was holding the book open (it opens to about three feet wide) I had the children read the book and tell me what it showed. I think I’ll give this as a gift when someone has a baby.
Next was the book, Five Little Ducks illustrated by Ivan Bates, which we obviously sang along to as we read.
Next was the book, Mouse Count by Ellen Stohl Walsh. The preschoolers looked a bit horrified at the prospect of the snake eating the mice, but – spoiler alert! – there’s a happy ending.
The final book we also sang/read together, This Old Man, illustrated by Pam Adams.
Then we closed with the Cedarmont Kids again (I need a different goodbye song – any ideas?). I’ll see them again October 22, so I’ll have to think of a topic. Maybe costume party? What is your favorite October storytime?
christinesturgeon 