Ideas

I often get asked where I get my ideas. As far as the themes of storytimes, 99.9% of the time, the idea comes from a book! As I catalog new books, I keep a list of books that I think would be great to read to my LLFs. (Just remember, there are lots of great books that just don't work for groups, but would be great for you to read to your child. The pictures could be too small, the story too long, or the topic too difficult for me to use, but may be a great book for a one-on-one read at home.) From the list, I choose a book and build a program around that book, really. The other .1% I find a great activity or song that I really want to share and I build a program around that idea.

As far as activities, crafts, songs, etc., I use tons of different resources- too  many to mention. But I constantly search new ideas and keep files on things I find to use down the road. I subscribe to many different listservs, read books, search websites, go to workshops and conferences, share with other librarians, etc. It's a constant process- especially since I like to do new things each session!

This is one of the reasons I started this blog. To share with my BLFs the ideas that I use in my programs and the resources I use. So, you can do them yourself at home and reinforce the concepts that were introduced in storytime. Ask me and I will be happy to share!