Monday, February 7, 2011

Use everything you have in your closet

Right now I'm reading The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter and in the chapter I just finished the unnamed narrator explained the origins of the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle." Apparently, it is based on something that happened in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. For some reason the rhyme stuck in my head and I decided to incorporate it into my toddler storytime for tomorrow. This weekly storytime is part of my Eureka! project of bringing early literacy enriched storytimes to parenting teens, and I've noticed anytime the activity or story requires the moms to help their child participate that the teens relax a bit.

So I rummaged through a few binders from Librarians past and found illustrated drawings for the rhyme. I laminated the pages to make them more like cards, and decided they could be "stick puppets" with the kids acting out the rhyme. I was stumped with what I could use for a stick, when one of the clerks in the Youth Services Department held up the fans from the Census (we have millions still hanging around). Like a magician he removed the Census image with a staple remover and now I have the perfect stick. I'm excited to see how it goes tomorrow, with the moms helping their children know just when to jump into the action! They don't always know the tune or tale, but they try to help as best they can. I truly believe these young ladies want the best for their children, they just don't always know what "the best" is--and that is where we librarians/educators/advocates can help!



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