rise of the machines

So things are still slightly (or more than slightly) in flux around these parts. Changing work responsibilities have a lot to do with that; I have more weekly storytimes in the mix now, and for a while I was thinking I would include one or more of those additional plans here. But upon further reflection, I don't think so. I like having this space reserved for my Head Start storytimes and frankly would be running the risk of some pretty repetitive storytime plans. Maybe when my work schedule changes even more (or when the summer comes and school is out, whichever is first), I'll tinker some. Flexibility is good.

week 6: that's what toe knee nose

Man, I am having a hard time keeping up with my formatting, what with Head Start holidays, work holidays, sick days, and the like. Also: wow! It's already, like, two months into the new year. Holy moly. But storytime rolls ever onward.

gnutheme

This storytime will be different Bat-time, same Bat-channel. It's also the first storytime since I've shifted my schedule around, so I will be interesting to see if there is any impact on the kids. I am also interested in how they respond to This is Not My Hat. Lots of things to look forward to, so let's get to it.

gimme noise

So I'm not gonna complain about being sick anymore, except that I WAS TOTALLY SICK FOR FOREVER. Weeks and weeks, anyway. As in, I had a virus that ended up becoming bronchitis and that was a lot less fun than it might sound. Wait, that doesn't sound fun at all because it wasn't. But now I have antibiotics and they seem to be working. So I haven't been as on top of things, blog-wise, as I would like but it's mainly because I've been hecka sick.

But every gray cloud has a silver lining (I guess), and this one is no different. Let's get to it.

push to start

So I was reading Herve Tullet's Press Here for a class visit (of which, more anon) and it was going over big. I came to a very familiar point in the story:

And from the back of the room, I hear NAME REDACTED chime in with "black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow." I don't know what it is about Press Here, guys, but it literally gets the best responses EVER. I had to take a several second breather to pull myself together and marvel at NAME REDACTED's amazing brilliance. What I'm saying is, I love my job.

week 4: burn down the library!

OK, don't really burn it down. I'm speaking metaphorically, of course. Also: I am taking lots of OTC cold medicine so if this doesn't make sense (or if I have been a little off on Twitter or w/e), go easy on me. I have been sick for, like, over a week now. I am thinking of doing something drastic... going to a doctor, maybe? Eh, probably not that drastic.

But storytime last week was amazing, thanks largely to Ms. Amy and her many good ideas. This particular good idea was bringing all the Head Start kids to the library. I still did storytime, but it gave them a chance to hang out and have storytime at the library. At branches in certain neighborhoods, library storytime audiences largely consist of school groups; Ms. Amy's library is one of those. The nearby Head Start has morning and afternoon classes, so to this point only the morning classes have been coming to the library for storytime. That's part of the reason I have been doing my storytimes in the afternoon, but the plan falls a little short in that it doesn't really get the afternoon group library-acclimated.

is everyone ready for fun?

As a matter of fact, no. I am not particularly ready for fun. I am instead sick with some mysterious sickness, maybe it's allergies? I started getting sick in Seattle during Midwinter, which was a bit of a bummer. Things didn't kick in full-on until a day or two after I got back so that is something for which to be grateful.

This is my "librarian's choice" storytime; pulled together whilst still in a post-Midwinter fog, I had to rely on familiar elements to make sure everyone had a good time. Did everyone have fun? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

surprise! it's storytime

Well, well, well. My first day back at work after Midwinter was something of a surprise. A double-decker surprise, I suppose. First, I know I had to actually go to work until I was on my way back from the airport Tuesday afternoon and got a text. Second, I showed up Wednesday right as the library opened and boom! talked to NAME REDACTED and she wanted me to do storytime. Both storytimes: preschool and toddler. Which kinda makes sense in the big picture, of which more anon.

So I had very little time to prepare. NAME REDACTED thrust books into my hands, and I pulled up my storytime plans from earlier; maybe you remember the one? Also the other one? I used those, plus the pre-selected books (with one key exception). I won't bore you with the actual plans themselves (mainly because I have pretty sketchy notes and can't remember the name of one of the books I used for preschool storytime). Duh, Planting a Rainbow.