How to Present a Circus Story Time
Here's your chance to bring the glamour and thrills of the circus to your public library. Present a Circus Story Time and watch your young audience's faces shine with wonder. Most children's departments have at least a couple of circus-themed books on the shelf. Pull a few good ones and design a story time that celebrates The Greatest Show on Earth.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Posterboard
- Construction paper
- Markers
- Clown cut-and-paste picture or other circus theme
- Picture
- Blindfold
- Masking tape
- Heavy rope
- Circus music CD
Instructions
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Select your books. A good, simple one to read to kids of all ages is "Olivia Saves the Circus" by Ian Falconer. The irrepressible antics of Olivia the pig will keep your audience giggling and put them in the right frame of mind. Other good books to choose are the Emily Arnold McCully book titled "Mirette and the High Wire" for older kids or "Engelbert Joins the Circus" by Tom Paxton. The Engelbert book would be suitable for younger children.
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Choose the craft you would like the kids to do. You could have the kids do a cut-and-paste clown face with a silly hat. You could also have them color a circus horse. Another cool but simple craft is to give each child a piece of black yarn. Ask them to glue it horizontally on the drawing paper. Tell them to draw a picture of themselves walking a tightrope in the circus.
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Plan a Pin-the-Nose-on-the-Clown game. Draw a large clown face on posterboard and color it in vibrant colors. Do not draw a nose on it. Instead, cut out several red construction paper noses. You can put a blindfold on one of the children, spin her around once, and ask her to try to place the nose on the clown's face. Add a piece of tape to the nose so it will stick to the drawing.
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Place a rope or jump rope on the floor and play a CD of circus music. You can buy the music from Amazon.com. Ask children to walk across the "tightrope" as if they were circus performers. Allow each child to have a turn.
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Start your story time with a song and rhyme to get kids in the mood to participate. Read one or two books, then begin the craft and games.
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Tips & Warnings
If your budget allows, try hiring a clown to participate in your event.
Consider the age of your audience when you choose books to read at your story time. It's a good idea to have about five books to choose from, geared toward varying ages.
