Robots!

Here’s what I did for my recent robot themed storytime:

Rhyme Cube:

I always start with my rhyme cube. See my previous description here.

Sign Language:  Today we learned the word “Robot”

(I have the kids repeat the word to me after each book we read so they really have a chance to memorize it)

I gave each of the kids a red dot sticker and told them these were their listening buttons.  Robots have on/off buttons so when they press their “buttons” it would turn on their listening ears!  I asked the kids to press their listening buttons before each book I read.

Opening Rhyme:

Normally I do “Open them, shut them, give a little clap.  Open them, shut them, put them in your lap.”  The kids all have it memorized but I switched it up a little for the robot theme and did  “Open them, shut them, give a little clap.  Open them, shut them, push your button like that!”

First Book: Boy + Bot by Dyckman

Make sure you use your robot voice when you read the Bot’s lines!

Flannel Board:

Five Noisy Robots

5 noisy robots in the toy shop,

Shiny and tall with antennae on the top.

Along came a girl with a penny one day.

Bought a noisy robot and took it away.

(continue with 4, 3, 2, 1 noisy robots)

Here are my flannel robots!

Song:

I’m a little robot, short and strong,

Here are my handles, just turn me on. (put fists on hips for handles, then push your sticker “button”)

When I get all warmed up, watch me go.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. (march in place fast and then slow)

Second Book:  If I Had a Robot by Yaccarino

Song:

If you’re a robot and you know it clank your coils (clap)

If you’re a robot and you know it clank your coils (clap)

If you’re a robot and you know it and you really want to show it clank your coils (clap)

Continue with: “Clunk your gears” (stomp feet), and “Press your buttons” (“Beep beep”)

Third Book:  Robots Everywhere by Hebson

iPad App:

Robot Lab by Toca Boca

I occasionally use iPad apps in storytime.  I use them in the same way I would use a flannel board: as an interactive extension of the storytime theme.  Everytime I’ve done it, the kids have fun and its very simple.  Soon I’ll write more about how I think apps can be used and why I do it but for now I’ll just explain how I used this app.

So Robot Lab is an app where kids can build a robot.  I held the iPad and asked the kids to help me by choosing what the robot would look like.  First you are prompted to choose your robot’s legs and are given three choices.  I’ll show the kids the choices and say something like; “should we choose the yellow legs, the blue and white striped legs, or the red legs?”   Then the kids all shout out their choices and I go with whatever gets the most votes (or whatever option is shouted the loudest!).  We then choose a body for the robot in the same manner.  Then I’ll ask the kids to tell me what else we need for our robot.  They will inevitably shout out that we need arms!  So we choose arms and continue until our robot is built.  Once the robot is built you are supposed to drag him to the giant magnet so he can be sent to the factory and “certified.”  I asked the kids to cheer for the robot (“Robot!, robot!, robot!…”) as I dragged him to the magnet.

The kids had fun with it and as often happens, I had a parent ask me to repeat the name of the app so they can go home and download it!

So that’s my Robot storytime!  I had fun and I think the kids did too!