Taking It Outside:
Making Story Time BIG
Jen Noonan, MLIS
Children’s Librarian
Lewes Public Library
Outside Story Time at Lewes Public Library
General Equipment
Outdoor Story Time Template
You’re pretty much doing all these things already - you’ve doing finger plays, movement songs, etc.. Lean on those interactive songs/games, and use big books when you want to tell a story in that format. Just think about what will have impact from 40 feet away. Call & response, and anything that let’s them shout something back at you works well.
Set Up
I wheel everything out in my wagon and set it up in the park. Nothing real fancy.
Resources & Ideas
A Hunting We Will Go by John Langstaff/Nancy Winslow Parker - This is a great interactive book. I did a video of it for Stay-at-Home Story Time here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPY3RawT5P0
For Outdoor Story Time, I scanned the animals and added text, and printed it on 11x14 paper in our copier. Then I laminated them and mounted them to paint sticks, with the animal on one side, and the object on the other, so I can flip them story time. The kids are naturally able to guess, based on the rhyme scheme, what’s coming next.
ZIP File of Images: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Uam605xHIxNNQJbV0J-XciPQxxyTM2gK/view?usp=sharing
Big Props
Giant Bus for Wheels on the Bus - I walk through the crowd while we sing it.
I Have a Little Pocket guessing game:
http://www.sotomorrowblog.com/2011/10/flannel-friday-i-have-little.html
5 Little Hot Dogs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk5Su8zUVcI I have one kid hold the frying pan, and another kid do the “Bam.”
These are fun to let kids hold the prop while you lead the group. I let as many kids come up as want to, and just choose one to “hold.” (PS… how would we survive without Jbrary???)
Banans Unite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k93Yunycm28
Picked a Strawberry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-wcIeDY4es
Zoom Zoom Zoom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMJ9pZ9W7jc
Felt Board Stories
Like BINGO, but PIZZA… There is a treat that’s good to eat and Pizza is its name-o, P-I-Z-Z-A! P-I-Z-Z-A!...
A take on the What’s Missing Game...“I know the colors of the rainbow, do you know them, too? If one color was missing, would you know which hue?” Remove a paint brush each round, and have the kids guess which one is missing.
Little Mouse. If you’re not playing Little Mouse in story time, you are missing out on Story Time GOLD. It NEVER gets old for preschoolers.