• Activities

    Storytime Theme: Gardens (2023 update)

    flower garden

    I know, gardening is typically a spring storytime theme, but there are so many great gardening books for kids, that I couldn’t resist doing a quick update for this lesson plan! I offered a few more nonfiction books than I usually do because they’re so cool! Especially the Smithsonian/DK Publishing…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Pirates (2023 update)

    pirate flag

    I’m continuing to update storytime themes before we head into the new year with brand-new themes. This week we’re looking at Pirates! Don’t walk the plank and miss these great stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts! With more recently published books, you can’t go wrong with these fun pirate-y titles. And…

  • Lists

    9 Children’s Books All About South Asian Cuisine

    Indian Sweets

    I love a few things in this world and two of my big loves are books and food! We celebrated Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights this week at our library with a storytime, craft, vendors, dancers, and singers – it was a beautiful celebration. And, I must admit, my…

  • Lists

    12 Board Games for Family Game Night

    board games

    I would never categorize myself as a board game player. Mainly because they often take focus and concentration and when playing with friends or family, I want to hang out and socialize more than focus on what’s happening in the game. I’m a huge fan of Yahtzee – a game…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Superheroes (2023 update)

    superheroes family

    As I continue to update some older storytime themes, today we’re focusing on superheroes. The last time I did a superhero storytime lesson plan was in 2016, so it’s definitely been a while! I chose to not use Marvel or DC characters, instead focusing on normal kids and animals with…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Socks (2023 update)

    sock feet

    It’s another update week! This time we’re updating our Socks storytime with some really fun stories and some great songs and activities too! I love wearing socks, so I think could be a really fun program to encourage kids to wear cool socks to the program (and don’t forget your…

  • Lists

    21 Ballet Books for Kids & Teens

    bedtime

    I’ve taken ballet on and off throughout my life. I’m always hopeful that I’ll have way more control over my body than I do! I tend to be very clumsy and often find myself cutting corners too quickly leading me bruised all over. I think ballet is a beautiful art…

  • Lists

    9 Picture Books for Kids Who Are Afraid of the Dark

    bedtime

    A fear of the dark is not uncommon for kids of varying ages. This book list provides wonderful read aloud options for kids who are afraid of the things that go bump in the night. I don’t remember being afraid of the dark as a kid, I was more afraid…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Robots (2023 update)

    robot

    It’s another update week! Robots is a fun STEM-themed storytime! With a wide variety of titles including fiction and nonfiction, board books, and picture books, this storytime theme can work with a large audience. You can use this as a jumping-off point for a preschool lesson plan about what robots…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Rain (2023 update)

    little girl standing in rain with yellow umbrella, coat, and boots

    Although I would typically think to do a rain-themed storytime in the Spring, it’s been raining EVERY weekend this fall and is expected to rain all day today while I finish typing this lesson plan. So, I’ll share with you my (very) old storytime lesson plan about rain and give…