Story Time at Farmingville Hills Park

The final event as part of the Summer Family Fun Series ended this Tuesday evening with "A Treasure Trove of Tales – storytelling, songs and rhymes" hosted by the Sachem Public Library in Farmingville Hills Park. 

The evening was full of classic fables acted out by Sachem Library's Children's Services directors Amy Johnston, Mary Beth Kozikowski and the children of the Sachem area.  

The park came alive with the sing-along-song, "My Name Is Joe," as the children pretended to turn knobs at work with their hands, feet, head and tongue. There was also improv story telling as the children responded to "That's Good, That's Bad," an adventure story about a friend Joe who had a birthday party in California and his trials and tribulations on the trip there from New York.

"It's nice to bring back the lost art of storytelling," said Kozikowski, 41, from St. James Place who was contacted by Jennifer Ross, the creator of the Summer Fun Series.  Like many, Kozikowski was unaware of the Farmvilleing Hills Park and its splendor until she was asked to participate.

As the sun set the children watched and participated as Kozokowski and Johnston acted out the belly button song, Razzmattazzma, a song similar to Simon Sez in which the children have to listen very closely to directions by moving their bodies to silly words, the classic, "There was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" and "Stone Soup."

For this classic, the children were given props, or soup ingredients to add to the cauldron as the librarians read and acted out the story.  The last song was the "Sticky Bubble Gum Song," in which the children explored the mess that happens when bubble gum is stuck to their knees, head, nose, bottom and mouth.

"Creating the visual is better for big groups; it brings the classics alive," said Jonhston, 51, from Miller Place, on the interactive reading experience.

In addition to working at the Sachem Public Library, the women are avid traveling storytellers who will also be at Community Day this Sunday, August 22, to celebrate the Farmingville Hills Park and conclude the summer series.