It’s been a while since I posted one of my eStorytimes.  So, here is my monthly storytime I did in October about dogs.

Opening Slide on Keynote:

SONG:

Come Along and Sing with Me

APP:

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell   (no longer available as an app)

This is a wonderful adaptation of the beloved board book into an app.  It’s simple, with the boxes that were lift-the-flaps in the print edition transformed into tapp-tastic fun.  I just wish it was still available in the app store.

MOVEMENT:
Rover Can

We had fun pretending to be dogs!  The kids enjoyed chiming in with suggestions for other things that dogs do.

eBook/APP:
 
Sago Mini Friends from Sago Sago (FREE; iOS, Android, Windows, Amazon)

Every Sago Mini app is amazing.  In Friends, you get to choose a friend to be (we of course, picked Harvey the dog) and then visit other animal’s houses to play fun activities. When we played, storytime participates got to tuck Robin the bird and Harvey into bed, make a flower grow with Jinja the cat, blow up some balloons and more!

PRINT BOOK:
 
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

I’ve learned that it’s a good idea to keep something up on the screen while I am reading the print book, or else I end up getting our screensaver with photos (which the kids usually find more interesting than whatever I am reading), or the menu for Apple TV (which is ugly).  When I first started doing eStorytime, I would put the cover of the book that I was going to read on the slide.  But as I went on I found that didn’t afford me enough freedom to mix things up if I got a different audience than expected, or if I just wasn’t feeling the book that day.  So I switched to a more generic screen shot like the one on the right.  That works better for me.

APP:
 
Felt Board from Software Smoothie ($2.99; iOS)
I used felt board to do the song/rhyme “Five Little Puppy Dogs”

Five Little Puppy Dogs
5 little puppy dogs by the kennel door
One left the crowd, then there were four.
4 little puppy dogs, running round a tree
Mother called one home and then there were three.
3 little puppy dogs playing with a shoe
One ran after a cat, then there were two
2 little puppy dogs having so much fun
One went to find a bone, then there was one
1 little puppy dog sitting in the sun,
She went in the kennel and then there were none.

I started with five dogs on a blue background.  Re-reading this rhyme again, I may see if I can add a dog house as well next time.  Each time a puppy went away, I deleted it from the screen.  I also had the kids doing this as a fingerplay with me, so they were using their fingers to do the rhyme.

APP:

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd, from Penguin New Zealand ($4.99; iOS)

A fun, straightforward ebook with a great rhyming scheme.  Fans of Dr. Who take note: David Tennant narrates! (Of course, not for my storytime, but you know if I ever want to hear him I can just turn the narration on…)

APP:

Just Me and My Puppy by Mercer Mayer, from Oceanhouse Media ($1.99; iOS, Android, Kindle, Nook)

MOVEMENT:

Puppy Dog, Puppy Dog

MOVEMENT: “Storytime’s Over”*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
 

APP: Animal SnApp: Farm illustrated by Axel Scheffler, from Nosy Crow (I’m not sure if this app is still available)  I liked this app a lot, and was hoping to use it, but I’ve found that some of the apps from Nosy Crow mirror strangely when I try to use them with our AppleTV.  Anyone else have this problem?
APP: Meet Biscuit by Alyssa Capucilli, from iStorytime ($2.99; iOS, Amazon) Capucilli’s loveable dog in app form.

THOUGHTS ON THIS eSTORYTIME:
This was a fun, but small, eStorytime.  In some ways, the smaller groups work better, because it means more kids can interact with the iPad.  But, I’m wondering if this is a good program to keep doing.  Maybe Friday mornings aren’t the best time?  Maybe our community isn’t interested?  Maybe I need to do more publicity?  So, since most of the Fridays that I work in November and December are holidays, I have decided to go back to the drawing board with our eStorytime program and evaluate if and how this can be done better.

However, since I’m behind in posting my eStorytimes, there will probably still be a few to go up on the blog.

ATTENDANCE: 4 people (children and adults)

*To see the words to these movements and activities I use frequently, please visit my A-capella Movements Section on my Storytime Movements and Music Page

Please note: App prices were correct at the time of writing this blog, but may have changed since. All prices taken from the iOS app price.  There may also be changes to available platforms for apps as well.