Montessori Storytime: a Seed Grew!

There was a boy who attended the Montessori School where I volunteered storytime last summer who sat there with a grumbly grimace throughout my one hour "productions." He refused to do any of the songs, the rhymes, the body motion activities. Just sat there and if I asked him a question, woe to me with his monotone, monosyllabic responses.

The other day I was entering the school to retrieve my son as Mr. Grumpy Grump and his family were exiting. He stops me to ask if I'll be doing storytime again next year. I looked at him, weary of his reaction and said, "why not?" expecting there to be a very emphatic, "aww, maaaaannnn" and a roll of the eyes.

I was stunned to watch him jump up and down, pumping his fist in the air, and exclaiming, "yes!" It put a big grin on my face and made me determined to provide better storytimes. A seed grew, in both of us.

Here are some themes I've come up with based on books my son and I have read lately:

• Cooking/Building Theme
• Books: Rubia and the Three Osos 
• Activity: What can we mix that doesn't need baking? or a building theme (boxes with my "nails" for hammering? Building something out of cardboard?)
• Adventures and Storytelling Theme
• Book: Clever Jack Takes the Cake
• Activity: circle up and whisper a sentence in the ear of one of the kids and have them send it round, what ends up being told?), maybe a pick your own adventure type story?
• Craft: can we do a group build of Clever Jack's story on a large piece of butcher paper?
• Art Theme
• Books: Warthogs Paint, David's Drawings and maybe one of those artists for little kids books, 
• Activity- Joy of Zentangle lesson (prep the boards, have a space for the kids to write their names) or Ed Emberley's fingerprint drawing book
• Fire Theme
• Books: Fire Fuego Bravo Bomberos, Fire Engines Up Close (non-fiction), Munsch's the Fire Station (can get TumbleCloud to do? Yes, with wifi hub!!!)
• Activity: do exercises that a real fire fighter must do.  
• Craft: Paper Cup Fireman Puppet http://www.pinterest.com/pin/111323422010198421/ OR firetruck craft: http://onemomfiveboys.blogspot.com/2009/09/firetruck-craft.html