This month, for our Third Thursdays at ThorpeWood storytime, we read Hank’s Big Day: The Story of a Bug. For a couple of reasons, this was not your ordinary sit-down-and-be-quiet storytime.
First, this was a StoryPath generously created for us by the lovely ladies of the Thurmont Regional Library! For those who don’t know, a StoryPath is when pages of a book are placed on yard signs and spaced out along a trail. For us, this meant our storytime took place along a simply stunning, meandering path through our arboretum.
Second, we kicked up the action by doing some storybook yoga! This meant that for each action of Hank the bug, or that of the characters surrounding him, we got into a yoga pose. Telling the story through these movements and poses really changed how the kids experienced Hank’s journey.
I was particularly delighted to see how much the kids enjoyed being in the ‘rock pose’ whenever Hank’s house (a rock) appeared in the story. The quiet and relaxed nature of this pose hopefully will be reused by these children when they find themselves in need of a deep breath.
Finally, this was not your typical storytime as the event ended with a bug hunt! Naturally, this was a cruelty-free type of hunting, in which we investigated the tree nooks and rock wall crannies to find little insects and spiders. The delighted shrieks of the kids could be heard from across the farm as we found more and more fun creatures.
In the end, our group of families relaxed in our farm pavilion, overlooking the horses as they grazed in the field across the way. We hope to see them all again next month!