Librarian Ginny

Storytime: Camping!

Yay camping! Since I live in a smallish town in the midwest, it seems like a lot of our patrons are into camping. Still, there are always some families who have never been so this is a great theme to introduce kids to it or to celebrate fun times with kids who are already familiar with it.

Storytime: Bugs!

Storytime: Wishes and Dreams!

This is always a fun storytime and it’s so great to hear the wishes and dreams of our kids! Some of them are serious (such as what they want to grow up to be), some of them are silly (like what they’d wish for if they were granted wishes), and sometimes it’s simply that they wish they had cake. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Harry Potter Party

Harry Potter! It’s one of those series that will always stick with me and that continues to be so popular at the library. If we do a program on it, we know we’re going to draw a huge crowd. You can count on that.

Storytime: Moon!

I love watching the night sky, but especially the moon. When I was younger, very young, I used to talk to the moon as though it were my grandfather. I’m not sure exactly how I picked up this habit, but it stuck with me for quite a while. Even now, sometimes I look up to the sky and say a few words 🙂

Storytime: Spring!

If you know me, you know I’m not a fan of extreme temperatures. Because of that, my favorite seasons are Fall and Spring. But even ignoring the temperature thing, there’s just a certain smell, crispness, and feeling to those two seasons. It’s amazing and that’s one of the reasons I love them.

Storytime: Blankets!

This is a great theme for Fall or Winter and can be paired with the topic of “Cozy Things” or even something like knitting or stuffed animals. I like to do mine right around the time we have our first snow.

Storytime: Snow!

Ooook, we’ve had a couple snowfalls already this season, so I guess it’s time! As you might know, I don’t love the winter season, but the first few snowfalls are kind of beautiful and magical. So here are some of my favorite books and songs for a preschool snow storytime theme.

ASL Storytime: ABC’s and 123’s

When the pandemic hit and my coworkers and I weren’t allowed to work for 5 weeks while we were on complete lockdown, I decided to try something that I’ve always wanted to do – Learn some American Sign Language (ASL). I took a super basic course online, learned a lot about ASL history, deaf culture, vocabulary, and (some) grammar. Since May, we’ve been allowed to work, whether it’s virtual, curbside, in-person or a mixture. Though I’ve incorporated ASL into my regular storytimes, I decided to do special storytimes that have targeted vocabulary for ASL signs (I’m in no way ready to do stories in full ASL). Here’s my first dive into an ASL storytime!

Storytime: Clothing and Getting Dressed

When a child is young, everything is new to them, so it makes sense that in the first five years of their life they need reinforcement for concepts that adults consider common sense. Getting dressed and clothing are an example of this kind of world knowledge that a child has to grow. But even more than that…clothing has implications that go deeper than just adding comfort from the elements. It’s how we show our individuality and creativity. It’s something that preschoolers love to talk about!