Storytime: Good Night

I've recently started hosting a once a month evening "Pajama Time Storytime". Our weekly storytimes are during the day and I wanted to offer something in the evening. The turnout is much smaller than our regular daytime storytimes, so this last Pajama Time Storytime I held in the children's department instead of in the storyhour room. It was much cozier and was lots of fun!

Here's what I did our first Pajama Time Storytime

Opening Song: Shake Your Sillies Out by The Wiggles

Literacy Skill: Love Books-because when you read books that you love, your children will notice and it's an easy way to share the joy of reading with your kids! Read what you love!:)

Book: Time for Bed by Mem Fox-We have this in big book format which makes it even more fun to read. I love this book because it has a nice, simple storyline perfect for bedtime reading. It's also easy to skip pages if the crowd is getting restless since each page has it's own rhyme.

Song: These are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner (I repeat this every storytime)

"These are my glasses"-(make circles with your hands around eyes)

"And here is my book"-(make hands into closed book in front of you)

"I put on my glasses"-(lift circles with your hands around eyes)

"And open up my book"-(open palms into a book)

"And I read, read, read, and I look, look, look"

"Then I take off my glasses"-(move circles with your hands down from eyes)

"And whoops, close up the book!" (close palms into book in front of you)

Book: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown-this one always gets cheers of "I have that book!"

Rhyme: Sleeping from The Big Book of Stories, Songs, and Sing-Alongs by Beth Maddigan & Stefanie Drennan-To the tune of Mulberry Bush

(I changed this rhyme because I didn't like the original cast of characters that were sleeping, so I added mommy instead of the original duck verse)

This is the way a baby sleeps, (curl up with knees at chest) a baby sleeps, a baby sleeps

This is the way a baby sleeps, in his little bed

This is the way a daddy sleeps (stretch arms out above head) a daddy sleeps, a daddy sleeps,

This is the way a daddy sleeps, in his big bed

This is the way a mommy sleeps (lay head on hands) mommy sleeps, mommy sleeps

This is the way a mommy sleeps, in her big bed

This is the way a doggy sleeps (make hands like begging paws) a doggy sleeps, a doggy sleeps

This is the way a doggy sleeps, in his doggy bed

Now show me how you go to sleep (let children choose a position) go to sleep go to sleep

Now show me how you go to sleep when it's time for bed.

White Board Story: (I used four cuttout stars and taped them to our white board for this rhyme)

Four Little Stars from The Big Book of Stories, Songs and Sing-Alongs by Beth Maddigan & Stefanie Drennan

Four little stars winking at me,

One shot off and then there were three.

Three little stars with nothing to do,

One shot off and then there were two.

Two little stars afraid of the sun,

One shot off and then there was one.

One little star thought being alone was no fun,

One shot off, now there are none.

(I did have one parent laugh that the stars were afraid of the sun, but I thought it was a cute part of the rhyme-plus it rhymed!)

Song: Yawn, Yawn, Yawn by The Wiggles (a fun song to get the kids moving and I love how it goes through an entire day from morning to night)

Book: Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming (another great bedtime book with animals-and it's another book you can skip ahead with if you have a restless crowd)

Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Parachute Time!-I used the paper stars from the white board story and we tossed them in the parachute to make them float in the sky. I used Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star from For the Kids for our parachute time music-great CD for parents and kids!

Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Book: From Head to Toe by Eric Carle-I end all my storytimes with this book because it's a fun interactive book and I like having one book that repeats every week.

Closing Song: Skinamarink