Keeping Online Storytimes Engaging
With so many libraries closed to the public, it seems like everyone is offering online storytimes! I was asked to share my tips for keeping online storytimes interactive, so here you go!- Slow down. Even if it feels like you are already speaking slowly, slow it down. Most kids can’t listen as fast as we grownups like to talk.
- Make eye contact with the camera. Yes, this feels weird. It might help to put a stuffed animal or a picture of a favorite kiddo right above or next to the camera, so you can make eye contact with that.
- Allow time for responses. No, more time than that. More. In person, adults generally only give kids one second of silence before they fill it in for them. When you don’t have the kid in front of you, it’s tempting to just plow ahead. But seriously, give the kids time to answer, participate, copy the movement, whatever. Yes, you will feel like Dora the Explorer blinking at the camera in silence. That’s okay! There’s a reason that developmentally appropriate kids’ shows use this tactic. It encourages a response and it allows kids of all different learning styles to take the information in.
- Use repetition to create more space for understanding. While repetition on its own is useful, because it reinforces information, it’s also useful because it allows kids (and parents) more time with the material. For example, when introducing an ASL sign, I always break it down and explain what I am doing as I show it multiple times. Kids may or may not be actually listening to what I am saying in that explanation, based on their learning style, but the time it takes to explain it keeps visual and auditory focus on the sign and allows everyone the time to learn it.
- Be explicit about how you want children (and grownups) to participate. Some kids will already be clapping their hands or hooting like owls or whatever, but some will need the storyteller to say it explicitly in the absence of the peer modeling of seeing others do it. And many grownups will need the extra push even more!
- Give grownups clear suggestions for how to tie storytime activities to everyday life with their children. This is something we do anyway, but now that many parents are their children’s exclusive language and literacy models, and many of them are overwhelmed, it’s important that we give them solid suggestions that show how easy it is to incorporate literacy into their daily routines.
- Learn from the pros! Children’s TV shows have been incorporating these strategies for a long time. Mr. Rogers is of course the gold standard, but a modern one that I love is the Baltimore-based Danny Joe’s Treehouse, which incorporates a deep knowledge of child development with online engagement techniques.
- American Sign Language lends itself well to online storytimes, because it lends a visual and kinetic aspect to storytimes that can still be contained within the camera frame. For lots of resources on incorporating ASL into your storytimes, see my resource page for signing in storytime or the classroom.
(This post has been cross-posted to StoriesByHand.com)
Meet the Authors This Sunday at the ALA Annual Conference!
Sunday, June 23 at 11:30 AM: Signing at the American Library Association Annual Conference (Washington, D.C.)
Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker will be appearing at the ALA Bookstore, signing More Storytime Magic. Christine will also be signing her newest solo ALA Editions title, 25 Projects for Global Explorers. Hope to see you there!
Storytime Magic and More Now Available in the DCI Online Bookstore!
We are pleased to announce that discounted copies of our educator resource books – along with some terrific bundle deals! – are now available in Deaf Camps, Inc.’s Online Bookstore, with all proceeds going directly to Deaf Camps, Inc.’s scholarship program. Deaf Camps, Inc. is a volunteer-run non-profit organization dedicated to providing fun, safe, communication-rich camps that promote the physical, spiritual, and social development of Deaf/hard of hearing children and children learning American Sign Language.
To have a book personalized, simply note name(s) in the comments section on the order form.
And remember, signed books make excellent holiday gifts! Order now!
A Signing Beanbag Rhyme for National Hamburger Month
It’s National Hamburger Month! Here’s a fun storytime rhyme using beanbags to help you celebrate! As a bonus, when you are moving the hamburger from hand to hand in the first part of the rhyme, you are also signing HAMBURGER in American Sign Language. Click here to see a video of the sign.
(Hold bean bag in right hand. Hold left hand facing up. Turn right hand over to deposit bean bag into left palm. Then turn both hands and repeat it the other way, as if you are shaping a hamburger patty. Repeat this rhythmically through the first verse.)
I’m making a hamburger for the grill.
Will I eat it? Yes I will!
(Place bean bag on flat left palm. Use your right hand as a spatula to lift the beanbag and flip it over. Then switch hands. Repeat this motion throughout verse 2.)
I’m flipping my hamburger on the grill.
Will I eat it? Yes I will!
(Hold bean bag in left palm. Pretend to squirt on ketchup, mustard, etc. with other hand.)
Now I’m fixing my hamburger from the grill.
Will I eat it? Yes I will!
(Place bean bag in left hand. Raise hand toward mouth, then down to right hand. Switch the bean bag to the right hand and repeat.)
Now I’m eating my hamburger. This is fun!
Did I eat it? Yes, all done!
(If desired, sign ALL DONE at the end. Click here for a video of the sign.)
Something to Celebrate Every Day
World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of
by J. Patrick Lewis; illustrated by Anna Raff (Candlewick, 2013)
Ever heard of “Dragon Appreciation Day” (January 16)? How about “International Cephalopod Awareness Day” ( October 8)? Or our personal favorite, “Chocolate-Covered Anything Day” (December 16)? Well, J. Patrick Lewis and Anna Raff have, and they’ve assembled a funny, surprising collection of poems and illustrations that pay tribute to lesser-known celebrations. From advice from a worm in “What the Worm Knows” (for Worm Day on March 15) to the susurrating, lyrical word-pictures of “Bats” (for Bat Appreciation Day on April 17), these poems introduce a variety of poetic forms along with the silly holidays they celebrate. These kid-friendly poems beg for classroom and programming extensions with stories, songs, and crafts, and this book would be a terrific holiday or end-of-year gift for the teacher on your list.
Celebrate the Month of the Young Child with Baby Storytime Magic!
April is The Month of the Young Child! This annual celebration raises awareness about the needs of young children and their families and the early childhood programs and services that serve them.
Bring some magic to your programming for the youngest learners with Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Bounces, Rhymes, Tickles, and More by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker. (ALA Editions, 2014. $50.00)
Click here for a preview!
Baby Storytime Magic is a treasure trove of new and exciting ideas for programs, all of which revolve around themes from a baby’s world. Inside this resource you’ll find
- Fingerplays, bounces, flannelboards, activities with props, songs, American Sign Language activities, and more, with items arranged by type of material
- Tips for planning storytimes, with advice on logistical issues such as age grouping, scheduling, formats, and physical setup
- Guidance on involving caregivers in baby storytimes, including suggested scripts for explaining the benefits of each activity and how to use it at home
- Age-appropriate book recommendations
- Information on the stages of early childhood development, plus an appendix of recommended additional resources
- A thematic index to find the right storytime quickly
- Links to full-sized, downloadable flannelboard patterns, craft patterns, and worksheets
Thanksgiving Fun
Kathy and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and to express our thanks to our followers!
In order to celebrate the season, we suggest reading I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, by Alison Jackson. New York, Dutton Children’s Books, 1997. This wonderful circle story with rhyming text describes how the old lady devours the Thanksgiving feast and grows larger and larger until the unexpected happens! After reading the story, try some of the following activities with your group.
Reinforce math skills with a Pie Chart.
1. On a piece of large paper or poster board, create a simple chart with three pies listed across the top; apple, pumpkin, and chocolate.
2. Give each child in the group a sticker and have them place the sticker in the column with their favorite pie.
3. Touch and count the number of stickers in each column aloud with the group. Write the total at the bottom of the column.
4. After all the columns are counted, ask the group which was the favorite pie. Review the number of stickers in each column with the children.
Reinforce early literacy skills by retelling the story. Cut food pictures out of magazines or find clip art online and distribute the food pictures to the children. As you retell the story have each child bring up their food item.
Reinforce early literacy skills by creating extensions. Ask the children what they will have for dinner at their Thanksgiving feast. Do they have a favorite item that they would want to keep eating?
Betsy Diamant-Cohen reviews Little Hands & Big Hands
Betsy Diamant-Cohen, creator of Mother Goose on the Loose, recipient of the 2013 ASCLA Leadership and Professional Achievement Award, and author of many terrific resource books for librarians and early childhood educators, recently shared her review of Little Hands & Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together:
“This is an extraordinary book that has just been published by Huron Street Press, administered through ALA Editions. Author and ASL educator, Kathy MacMillan, has brilliantly combined the world of ASL with early literacy activities and presented them in a format that is easy for librarians to use. Written in understandable language, this book explains why ASL should be used over made-up signs, gives verbal and pictorial demonstrations of rhymes and letters, and describes why signing is beneficial for all children and not just those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Simple songs (many coined by MacMillan) accompanied by photographs of her son signing, describe children’s everyday activities with a sense of humor, such as “The Stinky Diaper Song.” Creative activities that foster parent/child bonding through ASL include “ASL Kisses” and inventive “Elephant Kisses.” An appendix at the end contains craft templates although many activities are replicable at home and can be created with everyday materials.
The words to be signed in each rhyme or activity are written in ALL CAPS. A photo of either MacMillan or her son visually explains how to create the sign. The black and white photos are not cluttered, they’re pleasant to look at, and direction markings have been added when needed. Though some ASL resources are difficult to interpret, this one includes self-explanatory photographs that are easy to mimic.
MacMillan’s descriptions of everyday life with baby are sometimes supplemented with vignettes about her own son. It is clear that MacMillan knows what she is talking about! ASL solutions are available for the child who takes a long time getting dressed, who doesn’t want to go to sleep, and who is not thrilled about taking a bath. Explanations and research support is seamlessly woven into each activity; their wording can be directly used as developmental tips in any library program with parents.
I am always looking for new rhymes and activities to add to my Mother Goose on the Loose program, and this book has provided me with many! I highly recommend this resource to anyone working with children from birth to age five.”
Making Multicultural Storytime Magic
Just came across two new reviews of our latest book, Multicultural Storytime Magic:
Carolyn Bourke of Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services says: “Multicultural Storytime Magic does provide a very good range of themes with an excellent selection of age appropriate stories, songs and crafts with a multicultural flavour. The book really does offer 44 storytime themes which weave diversity into every topic. It would be a useful addition to the storytelling toolkits of school and public librarians.” Read the full review.
Blair Christolon of School Library Journal says: “Both beginning storytellers and seasoned librarians can benefit from these fresh ideas.” Read the full review.
Have you been making multicultural magic in your storytimes using this book? Share how you have used ideas from the book in your storytime or classroom, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to receive a copy of one of our books. (Winner’s choice!) Send a picture of how you used materials from the book and we’ll enter you twice! To enter, send your comments and pictures to storytimestuff@gmail.com.
Storytime Stuff 