This was the second full set of Books on Screen programs at the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Things I realized during this set of programs:

1. I have always had trouble with pacing; I’m a very bouncy, high-energy person and it takes a lot of work for me to slow down and move at the pace of the children (and parents) in the room. When I first started working with apps in storytime I often got annoyed when it took too long for an app to load, or for pages to turn within the app. But now I realize that this might actually be a blessing in disguise because I am forced to slow down and wait for the app before barreling through the story again. I mentioned this in a workshop I co-lead on Friday and we all marveled at how this cutting edge, fast-moving technology is actually forcing some of us to slow down.
2. Even if we assume screen time is a bad thing all around and that kids get too much of it, using apps in storytime is a way that you can insert a real, live bouncy person into the kid-plus-screen equation. We can model for parents that they really can read an app to their children in the same way they could read a book. We can take what might become bad media consumption habits and make them interactive, face-to-face family time.

Attendance:

11 AM show: 64
12 PM show: 34
1 Pm show: 39

Promo info:

Books on Screen Interactive Storytime
Preschool storytime with a digital twist

Saturday, March 2nd, Thursday, March 14th, Tuesday, March 19th and 26th
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m., and 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Children’s Librarian Cen Campbell incorporates apps and eBooks into a traditional preschool storytime to support early literacy and language development. This format provides children and caretakers a better view of the books while modeling positive media behavior and helping parents understand how to maintain a balanced media diet in an increasingly digital world. Come and learn new songs and rhymes, and read classic and contemporary picture books on the big screen!

What I did:

Hello song
Parent talking point: Why  ”Books on Screen”? Because it’s a children’s librarian’s job to recommend the best books there are in ANY format! These are some good apps you can share with your children!
Wiggle my fingers
App: Mr Brown Can Moo, Can you?
Felt Board: Blue bird (Smoothie Felt Board App; image, then lyrics in Keynote)
App: Llama Llama Red Pajama App (I used the App this week; last week I used the iBook)
Activity song: See the sleeping bunnies (lyrics in Keynote)
App: Trains
Zoom zoom zoom
App: The Very Cranky Bear
Here’s a little bunny
Blow a kiss
Goodbye rhyme: Clap up high