People quickly and quietly walking past the Networking Uncommons everyday at 11:00 a.m. will be surprised to hear a burst of song and the rattle of egg shakers. It’s Storytime Underground‘s Guerrilla Storytime meet-up, ready to enthusiastically tackle the toughest storytime quandry with rhymes, song, props, and laughter.
There are several regular elements to a Guerrilla Storytime at an ALA conference: tackling storytime weaknesses (I don’t have a good “hello” song, help!), drawing random storytime prompts (Show us your favorite finger play – go!), and lots and lots of sharing (cookies too).
Today someone expressed discomfort using a parachute in storytime, so out came the parachute and we demonstrated favorite songs, rhymes, and ideas to do with kids. We also talked about our own concerns with using parachutes in limited space and with small children and how fears have been dispelled in practice. What do you say to grown-ups to make sure everyone is safe and comfortable?
You don’t have to at ALAMW to join into this community – it’s an active one year-round online on all kinds of social medai: StorytimeUnderground.org, @StorytimeU, and Facebook Storytime Underground. The great folks will be posting lists of all the resources shared this weekend and you can connect with individual storytime librarians just like you!