Bean Bags and Beyond!

For those of you who have been to a storytime at any Pima County Public Library branch, you know that we love bean bags.  We are borderline fanatical about them.  And, so are the kids.  In fact, at Himmel Park Branch, if the storytime doesn't end with the bean bag song, well, you better have some scarves or a parachute to distract the group from the terrible fact that you didn't play the bean bag song.  It can get ugly, believe me.  There has been crying, screaming, and clawing of the face, even. Pure anguish can result, and, let me tell you, combine that with a toddler and you'll have some scary stuff brewing. So, we LOVE the bean bag song.


But, why, do we include songs like these in storytimes and why should you play them at home?  Because, they teach so much and in such a fun way.  Children are learning to identify and predict patterns.  They are developing an understanding of rhythm and rhyme.  They are following directions (we hope) and participating as a group in what is their first classroom setting.  They are developing fine motor skills and learning new vocabulary.  For the really little ones, they are hearing words that are broken down into smaller parts, so they can begin to replicate these sounds.  These songs are interactive and act as a perfect break between stories, just when we are all getting a bit restless.  The Birth to Five Blog's very own Miss Meg wrote an amazing blog post on just this topic, with a link to where you can find that beautiful bean bag song.    

And...drumroll, please...what if I told you that we now have a storytime that includes the bean bag song, plus songs with scarves, bubbles, and exercise bands (gasp!).  No, no, I'm not making this up!  It's real and it's called Sensory-Friendly Storytime, because we put a little extra emphasis on interactivity and sensory stimulation.  Take a look and give us a call if you have any questions.  Hope to see you there!

...throw the bean bag and catch...

-Miss Ashley