shaken, not stirred

The winds of change are a-blowin'. Well, a little bit anyway. I have been planning this for a while now, and I think this is the week to move forward. "This" being the introduction of shakers to my Head Start storytimes. Yay! We're gonna sing "Can You Shake Your Egg With Me?" after our last story and hopefully be able to round all the shakers up for our goodbye song with Gareth the turtle.

There are definitely some potential issues with this, but they are just that. Potential issues. And frankly the pros outweigh the cons so heavily this at this point so that I just don't think I can justify not doing it. I do it with library storytimes: toddlers, preschoolers, and up! Movement, play, and music should be an integral part of storytime. I know it. You know it. So let's throw caution to the wind. The worst thing that could happen is a little bit of fun storytime chaos. OK, actually that is not the worst thing that could happen but I am thinking positive.

1.  Opening:  Hello Song [with Gareth]
2.  Song/Activity:  Open Them, Shut Them

3.  STORY: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! / Mo Willems
4.  Song: You Are My Sunshine [with Gareth]
5.  Stretch: Way Up High in the Apple Tree
6.  FP: Two Little Red Birds

7.  STORY: Trashy Town / Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha
8.  Stretch: This Is My Right Hand
9.  Flannel Board: Five Green Speckled Frogs

10.  STORY: Seals on the Bus / Lenny Hort
11.  Song/Activity: Can You Shake Your Egg with Me? [with shakers]

The tune is London Bridge, and I like to improv the number of verses we do. It can go from 3 to... whatever. I've done like 8 once. Let the fun be your guide.

12.  Closing:  The More We Get Together [with Gareth]