According to the National Day Calendar, Opposite Day is celebrated on January 25th. To acknowledge this obscure holiday, my library will be doing two opposite day story times.
Story Time Program
- Welcome Song: Hello Everybody
- Book: Some Dinosaurs are Small by Charlotte Voake
- Fingerplay: Open, Shut Them
- Song: The Noble Duke of York
- Flannel: A Pair of Socks
- Scarves: Roly Poly
- Song: This is Big, Big, Big
- Book: The Opposite Zoo by Il Sang Na
- Goodbye Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
- Craft: My Little Book of Opposites
Setting the Vibe
Before the Welcome Song commences, I make sure to set up the learning environment. I play themed songs over the AV system, write name tags, and greet every participant.
Book End Songs
For every story time I do, I chose the same welcome and goodbye song. It provides consistency for participants and a great opportunity for repetition. I call these my book end songs as they are at the beginning and end of my story times. I always use “Hello Everybody” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
Book Selection
When selecting books, I try to choose titles that would work for all ages of children. I do both Toddler and Family Story Time in the same day and like to adapt the same story for the different age groups. Both “Some Dinosaurs are Small” and “Opposite Zoo” have ample opportunities for movement and vocabulary building. They have limited text on the page yet a clear plot line. I also carried a variety of other titles in my story time bag in case I needed to mix it up.
Songs and Fingerplays
Scouring the internet I have found so many great resources! Mel’s Desk and Jbrary are some of my go to blogs to find quality material. I always like to print out the lyrics and post them on my flannel board so the grown-ups in the room can follow along more easily:
Flannel
The children are usually obsessed with my flannel board. They like the texture and the “magic” of stories it brings. While I usually do not let the children touch the flannel board, I like to add interactive elements so they can participate in the “magic”. “A Pair of Socks” flannel is perfect for this! I have each child a LAMINATED sock that matches one that I have. I tell them to look at their sock. Notice the colors and patterns. Then I will say the rhyme below and put one sock on the flannel board. When the child realizes they have the matching sock, they are invited up to the board to put their sock with their match. Make sure to do one pair at a time, otherwise it gets too crowded.
I have two feet on which I walk.
But I can only find one sock.
Here’s a sock I like to wear.
But I need a matching pair.
Bring one up so we can see.
If it matches perfectly.
Another note here: Make sure to set expectations and ground rules before you get started. Clearly state that participants need to sit down, raise their sock in the air when they found a match, and need to wait to come up until they are invited. Stating the expectations usually is not enough. Make sure to model the behavior before starting the activity.
Scarves
Every story time I will either do scarves or musical instruments. For opposites, I chose scarves and the song “Roly Poly” by The Kiboomers. Before the song starts, I make sure to model the actions:
Roly Poly - Roll the scarf
Up/Down - Wave it up high, wave it down low
In/Out - Put the scarf in front of you, put the scarf behind you (think hokey pokey)
Small/Big - Wave tightly in front of you, wave in arch above body
Left/Right - Wave to the left, Wave to the right
If the participants are still having fun with the scarves, I will play The Laura Berkner Band “Fast and Slow (The Rabbit and the Turtle)” to get more sillies out.
Craft
After story time ends, I invite participants to participate in an activity or craft. I will play music related to theme as families explore the activities I lined up for them. For this session, I made little books that go along with the song “This is Big Big Big”. You can click through the book pages in the slideshow below:
To make the books, I had to do a trial and error on the best way to do it. Below is a PDF that proved to be my most successful go at it. You can download it, print on both sides (flipping on the short edge), and then assemble the book by cutting it in half and stapling the pages together. Each copy makes 2 books.
In conclusion…
There are an array of activities that you can chose from to create an amazing story time. I like to be overly prepared and have multiple options of songs, fingerplays, and books. I go off the energy of my participants and adapt as needed. Don’t be afraid to mix it up and add your own flare! Our personality and planning makes story time fun!
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