Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day.  St. Patrick’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays – maybe because my name is Erin, and I’ve always felt a strong connection to my Irish roots.  However, trying to do a St. Patrick’s themed storytime for preschoolers is tricky.  There are lots of great Irish folktales to share with older children, but they’re a little on the long side for kids under the age of five.  So, for the various storytimes I’ve done over the last week for kids ranging in age from about two to five years old I’ve focused on the color green while sneaking in a few facts about Ireland.

We read about green frogs,

 Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan

green sheep,

 Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox

and green hats.

 Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton

We also sang about green frogs

 ”Five Little Frogs” by Raffi

and green apples.

 ”Farmer Brown Had Ten Green Apples” by Ella Jenkins

I had so much fun with these storytimes.  The best part was definitely the reactions of the kids to the stories.  I love that they get so excited and cheer when they “find” the green sheep sleeping at the end of Where Is the Green Sheep? And there is nothing better than the giggles and belly laughs of two-year-olds at the turkey’s clothing hijinks (those socks don’t go on his wings!) in Blue Hat, Green Hat.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  I hope everyone wore a little green today!

Kangaroos, Koalas, and Wiggles, Oh My!

Yesterday morning I had a great time doing our branch’s monthly Saturday storytime.  I decided to take the kids on a little trip Down Under through stories and music.  Of course, being a children’s program about Australia, it was only appropriate to use a little music from The Wiggles.

I started the program as I usually do, with a little “Shake Your Sillies Out.”  This song is good for two reasons: it truly does help the active kids shake their sillies out and get ready to hear some stories, but it also helps shy kids loosen up a bit and feel more comfortable in storytime.  Later in the program I brought the Wiggles back for “Here Comes a Bear” because it mentions a few Australian animals.

While we’re on the subject of the music in the program, I also mixed in the traditional Australian tunes “Waltzing Matilda” and “Kookaburra,” although I did use the Dora the Explorer medley version so it would be kid-friendly.

Then to provide some nostalgia for the parents in the room, I just had to bring out “Down Under” by Men at Work.  Remember that one?

It was fun to watch a couple of the parents singing along and enjoying themselves, too.

Now, on to the most important part of the program – the books, of course!  Each of the books I chose focused on a different Australian animal.

Koala:

Koala Lou by Mem Fox

Kangaroo:

Polly Hopper’s Pouch by Louise Bonnett-Rampersaud

Wombat:

Sometimes I Like to Curl up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill

Platypus:

Platypus and the Lucky Day by Chris Riddell

All great stories (with great illustrations!) that just happen to feature Australian animals.

We finished up the hour with a paper plate koala craft and authentic Australian Arnott’s biscuits.  Yum!

 I had a lot of fun, and more importantly, the kids had fun and even learned a little bit, too.  Do you have any favorite Australian picture books?