Storytime Teaser Box

A couple years ago, I was trying to renew some interest in storytime.  After the school district added all-day kindergarten, we lost a few storytime families.  It seems like there was more competition with the local recreation department and the arts council offering programs for preschoolers at the same time as storytime.  I made several adjustments to our schedule, increased the number of outreach and off-site storytimes we were presenting and I started keeping a storytime teaser box at the children's service and/or circulation desk.  

The box was created for those already visiting the library so they would have a hint to what would be the next storytime theme.  We used the box at the end of each storytime where children passed it around and guessed about the next week.  The box was placed at kid height in the main part of the library the rest of the time.

  

There is little or no cost to creating the storytime teaser box.  A clear plastic box  that can be opened and closed easily is essential.   (I used packaging left over from a heating pad)  The box in the photo is about 10 inches long, 5 inches high, and 6 inches wide.   

To create a box, determine the theme for the next storytime and look around your home or the library for a few items that would give good hints.  Children's toys are great for this and I find quite a few in lost and found.  Ideally the items would be unbreakable as they will get shifted around as kid's look at the box.  I generally include 5-9 items.

You guessed it, this box if for Food Week.  (FYI-the egg is wooden)  A few stories I might consider for the week include:

Pizza at Sally's

• Author(s):  Monica Wellington
• Illustrator(s):  Monica Wellington 
• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; First Edition first Printing edition (June 1, 2006)
• ISBN-13: 978-0525477150

Gregory the Terrible Eater

• Author(s):  Mitchell Sharmat
• Illustrator(s):  Jose Arugeo, Ariane Dewey
• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)
• ISBN-13: 978-0545129312

Rabbit Food

• Author(s):  Susanna Gretz
• Illustrator(s):  Susanna Gretz
• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (March 1, 2001)
• ISBN-13: 978-0763612931

Grumble Rumble

• Author(s):  Siobhan Dodds
• Illustrator(s):   Siobhan Dodds
• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: DK Preschool (September 1, 2000)
• ISBN-13: 978-0789456243

Lunch!

• Author(s):  Denise Fleming
• Illustrator(s):  Denise Fleming
• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Square Fish; Reprint edition (April 15, 1996)
• ISBN-13: 978-0805046465

 Happy Storytime!
       ~Miss Patty, the Library Lady