Virtual Sensory Story Time: Bath Time!

It feels good to blog on a cold, snowy evening in January....2021. I have been recording monthly sensory story time videos since August of last year, including a few on Zoom with Ed, which were more geared to all ages in an effort to reach Wing Lake Developmental Center students (ages 3 - 26 with multiple disabilities). We also assembled sensory story time supply bags to go along with these videos, which our patrons could pick up via curbside. 

This past fall was also a time for reflection and some much needed evaluation of personal time. As a result, I may not be blogging here as often, but will certainly still be sharing new accessibility service highlights and some adaptive program favorites here and on Twitter. 

Bath time has always been one of my favorite themes for story time. There are so many wonderful opportunities for sensory engagement, including the use of my favorite sensory tool, bubbles! And don't forget to check the read-aloud permissions on publisher sites for recorded story times. Both of the stories I read were published by imprints of Penguin Random House. Here's their permissions page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/penguin-random-house-temporary-open-license/ 

Story time plan:

1. Hello and talk about bath time. What do you like about bath time? Do you put bubbles in your bath? Rubber duckies? Toy boats? Show materials in sensory story time supply kit.

Rhyme/song supplies: bubbles and scarf

Supplies for story with sensory experiences: small piece of fine sand paper, pipette/eye dropper, bags of cornmeal and small black pipe cleaners, hot cocoa mix

Supplies needed from home: small ball and bowl of snow or artificial snow

2. Story Time Ball Song 

(Using small ball, roll back and forth on floor or on table with caregiver or family members - I rolled mine back and forth with our large plush Big Bird again!)

tune: "Wheels on the Bus"

(Rolling ball back and forth to each other)

The story time ball rolls back and forth,

back and forth, back and forth.

The story time ball rolls back and forth,

Let's see who it found. Hi ______!

Now roll it back to me.

(Keep rolling back and forth until each person has said their name.)

3. Yoga pose: "Boat pose" (Adapted pose: For people who cannot lift their legs off the floor, they can keep feet on the floor or stay seated and gently rock back and forth -- "rocking the boat on the water.")

4. Sensory tool rhyme: "Bubbles" (using bubbles supplied in kit)

tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Bubbles floating all around 

Bubbles fat and bubbles round (look at all those bubbles!)

Bubbles on my toes and nose

Blow a bubble, up it goes! (blow bubbles and look up!)

Bubbles floating all around

B..u..b..b..l..e..s f..a..l..l..i..n..g ... to....the....ground (follow bubbles as they slowly fall to the ground)

(source unknown)

5. Flannel story and book: Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

6. Sensory tool song: "Washing Song" (using scarf in kit)

tune: "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush"

This is the way we wash our face,

wash our face, wash our face.

This is the way we wash our face,

so early in the morning.

Additional verses with hands, hair, shoulders (upper body parts that can be seen in the limited screen view)

7. Story with sensory experiences: How Do You Take a Bath? by Kate McMullan

Kit supplies used during this story:

fine sand paper (cat's rough pink tongue)

pipette/ eye dropper and bowl of water (elephant's shower)

hot cocoa mix in a bowl with a bit of water (pig's mud)

black pipe cleaners (honeybee's hairy legs)

bag of cornmeal (chicken dust)

8. Goodbye stretch: "Tickle the Clouds"

Tickle the clouds.

Tickle your toes.

Turn around and tickle your nose.

Reach down low.

Reach up high.

Story time's over.

Wave goodbye!

9. Goodbye! and supply suggestions for animal bath follow-up activity: 

• 1 bin of dirt or mud (can also be chocolate pudding)
• 1 bin of clean water
• scrub brush
• small plastic animal toys

Virtual Sensory Story Time: Look Up!

Before going over what I did in my virtual story time, I thought I would share a "behind-the-scenes" video of my set-up (thanks to a suggestion from my coworker, Ms. Liz!).

My theme for this story time is "Look Up!" This is a variation on a previous sensory story time done in person. Here's the plan:

1. Hello and talk about things we see when we look up (birds, trees, the clouds in the sky, balloons, etc.).

2. List supplies needed for story time and show contents of Sensory Story Time supply bags, which can be requested for curbside pickup or placed on our hold shelves to pick up when visiting the Library in person. Here are the sensory items provided in this kit: scarf, feather, pipe cleaner, plastic egg, and bubbles.

3. Welcome Song: "Story Time Ball Song" (I recorded this separately, on the floor with our large, plush Big Bird!) Viewers can do this with any ball they have at home (which is noted on the supply bag and at the beginning of story time. They can roll the ball back and forth with their grownup(s), siblings, or stuffed friend on the floor or over a table to each other.

tune: "Wheels on the Bus"

(Roll ball back and forth to each other)

The story time ball rolls back and forth,

back and forth, back and forth.

The story time ball rolls back and forth,

Let's see who it found. Hi ______!

Now roll it back to me.

(Keep rolling back and forth until each child has said their name.)

4. Mindfulness exercise: "Balloon breath" (This breathing exercise can be down while seated or lying down.)

5. Story with sensory experiences: Hooray for Birds! by Lucy Cousins

Before reading, I thanked Candlewick Press for allowing me to share this story with our community in an unlisted video that families could view at a time convenient for them. Please see the SLJ Covid-19 Publisher Information Directory to find out the latest on publishers' shared reading guidelines.

As I read the story, I prompted viewers to join me in these sensory experiences:

Page spread with rooster - say "Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Next page spread with two birds flying - flap your arm "wings" like the birds are flapping their wings

Page with bird hopping - stand up and hop or bounce up and down in your seat

Page with woodpecker - make pecking noise by knocking on seat or table

Page with duck (or swan?) - look up as you stretch your neck nice and tall

Page with parrot - say "hello darling."

Page spread with starlings - grab your scarf from the supply bag and swoop it up, down, and around, just like the starlings

Page with bird scratching its feet - use your fingers to scratch the ground or the air

Page with bird catching fly - open your mouth and try to catch the fly

Page with flamingo - stand up on one leg or lift one foot while seated

Page with hen - say "cluck, cluck" and pull out your plastic egg from the supply egg - how does the egg feel?

Page with bird and snake - pull out your pipe cleaner from the supply bag (which they were instructed beforehand to bend/curve like a snake), set it down on the floor or table, catch up the snake and stretch our your wings

Page spread with birds singing - repeating various bird songs and sounds

Page with penguins - let's waddle side to side in our seats

Page with ostrich running - let's pat our hands on our laps to make a running sound

Page spread with peacock - reach into supply bag and pull out your feather (how does it feel?). Hold it up as you puff out your chest like the peacock

Page with birds cuddling - cuddle up with your grownup or reach around to your back with both arms criss-crossing and give yourself a big cuddle hug!

And of course, don't forget to whoo along with the owl at the end!

6. Flannel rhyme: "Five Little Birds"

There was one little bird in the one little tree.

He was so alone and didn't want to be,

So he flew far away, over the sea

And brought back a friend to live in the tree.

Now there are two little birds in the one little tree...

Now there are three little birds...

Now there are four little birds...

Now there are five little birds in the one little tree.

They were not alone anymore, they were family!

(source unknown)

7. Sensory tool rhyme: "Bubbles" (using bubbles supplied in kit)

tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Bubbles floating all around 

Bubbles fat and bubbles round (look at all those bubbles!)

Bubbles on my toes and nose

Blow a bubble, up it goes! (blow bubbles and look up!)

Bubbles floating all around

B..u..b..b..l..e..s f..a..l..l..i..n..g ... to....the....ground (follow bubbles as they slowly fall to the ground)

(source unknown)

8. Goodbye stretch: "Tickle the clouds"

Tickle the clouds.

Tickle your toes.

Turn around and tickle your nose.

Reach down low.

Reach up high.

Story time's over.

Wave goodbye!

9. Goodbye and supply suggestions to make discovery bin at home with bird seed, sticks and leaves from the backyard, and cutting up the pipe cleaner from the kit to make "worms" to find in the bin, pulling them out with large tweezers at home (or making these craft stick tweezers) like a bird might with its beak.