Finding books that work well with a large group of kids is always a challenge. They need to have large, clear illustrations, and a text that kids can follow, even if they can’t see all of the details in the pictures. The text also needs to grab and hold their attention. This is especially true for preschool and school-aged classes, where the kids are all sitting together (without a parent or caregiver right next to them), and can be easily distracted by the kids around them. Finding a book that meets all of these criteria is rare, so I was excited to come across The Future Book by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris.
The premise of the book is that the narrator is sharing surprising facts from the future. For example, in the future, instead of saying “thank you,” you put a fish on the other person’s head, and instead of saying, “Goodbye,” you say, “You smell like a baby!” After sharing a list of different things to know about the future, the narrator shares a simple story about going to the supermarket (now known as the “bolly bolly hoo hoo”) to buy some fruit for one bazillion dollars.
Originally, I wasn’t sure if this book would work for preschoolers, and only intended to try it with the second grade classes I read to regularly. But, on a whim, I ended up trying it with a transitional Kindergarten class, and they were practically shrieking with laughter from the very beginning. I don’t know if they all fully understood the idea of the book being set in the future, but I forgot how much kids that age love unexpected words or sounds (like when George the dog says “Meow” in the book Bark, George by Jules Feiffer). The “you smell like a baby,” line had them in hysterics.
I’ve since shared the book with several preschools (one of the teachers just asked me for the title, because the kids were still talking about it month later), as well as Kindergarten, first, and second grade classes. They have all loved it, and I love how it has become an inside joke when I run into any of those kids (they’ll say “I put a fish on your head!” or “you smell like a baby!”).
As a side note, I’ve been lucky enough to attend events with both Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris, and I love to tell kids about how they were childhood friends who ended up writing books together as adults. They also both still live in the Bay Area, and are wonderful with kids.
What are your favorite new picture books? Or your favorite books to share with classes? Please let me know in the comments.
Early Literacy Tip: Ask your child to guess what will happen next in a story. This is a great way to make sure they understand what’s happening, and keep them engaged in the book.
This week’s storytime focus was the Letter I. We started by drawing a capital and lower case letter I in the air together (I also wrote them on my whiteboard), and then we talked about the two main sounds that the letter I makes, and some words that start with I. The families suggested igloo, ice cream, and ice. I also pulled three items out of a paper bag: an insect (honeybee puppet), an instrument (a rainstick), and an ink pad.
Cute, rhyming book about waiting for the ice cream truck, but seeing lots of other trucks instead. When I read this in Family Stortyime, one of the kids started pointing to different animals on each page, and saying, “That one’s me, and that one’s my Dad.” And then other kids started joining in. It was so funny and sweet that I think I may ask kids to point to the animal they would like to be in future books with different animal characters.
Many of the kids were familiar with this book, which I read in a big book format for Outdoor Musical Storytime. It’s a fun one for asking the kids to guess what the mouse will ask for next (my early literacy tip for the week).
Different types of animals argue about which trait is the most important (long neck, spiky quills, tall ears, wings, etc.), and they all imagine what they would look like if they had that trait. The kids really enjoyed the pictures showing all the animals with wings or long necks, etc.
This is an older book, but the ideas and illustrations are imaginative and unforgettable. Each page depicts a different hypothetical scenario, ranging from the magical (if cats could fly) to the creepy (if teeth were toes). The kids were mesmerized by the illustrations (and so were the grown-ups).
Songs:
If You’re Happy And You Know It
Full disclosure: I also sang this song for the letter H last week (as well as Hickory Dickory Dock (below), but it works for both! Plus, it’s the kind of classic song that the kids are usually excited to sing with me.
[C] If you’re happy and you know it, clap your [G7] hands! (clap, clap) If you’re happy and you know it, clap your [C] hands! (clap, clap) If you’re [F] happy and you know it, and you [C] really want to show it, If you’re [G7] happy and you know it, clap your [C] hands! (clap, clap)
If you’re sad and you know it, cry, “Boo hoo!”…
If you’re angry and you know it, say, “I’m mad!”… (stomp feet while saying, “I’m mad!”)
If you’re shy and you know it, hide your face… (cover your eyes, and then uncover them and say, “Peek-a-boo!”
If you’re sleepy and you know it, yawn and stretch…
If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “Hooray!”
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
We sang this with the play scarves in Family Storytime. I had the kids pretend the scarves were spiders that they “crawled” up their arms, and then threw into the air on the “down came the rain” line.
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out! Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.
Hickory Dickory Dock
This was a repeat from last week that we did with the parachute. I put a mouse puppet in the middle of the parachute, and we shook the parachute in time to the song, and lifted it up and down to go with the lyrics.
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm) The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm) The clock struck one: BONG! The mouse ran down (run fingers down arm) Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm) The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm) The clock struck two: BONG! BONG! The mouse went, “BOO!” (cover your face and then uncover it when you yell, “BOO!”) Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm) The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm) The clock struck three: BONG! BONG! BONG! The mouse went “Whee!” (run fingers down body quickly) Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)
If All the Raindrops
I do this traditional song a lot because it works well for so many ages, and gives the kids a chance to suggest their favorite foods for each verse. We sang it as our instrument play-along at the end.
[C] If all the raindrops were [G7] lemon drops and [C] gum drops, Oh, what a rain it would [G7] be. [C] I’d stand out- [G7] side with my [C] mouth open [G7] wide, [C] “Ah, Ah, Ah, [G7] Ah, Ah, Ah, [C] Ah, Ah, Ah, [G7] Ah!” [C] If all the raindrops were [G7] lemon drops and [C] gum drops, Oh, what a [G7] rain it would [C] be.
If all the raindrops were ice cream and carrots… etc.
Stay & Play: Stamps & Inkpads
This was one of the easiest Stay & Play’s I’ve done, but the kids really enjoyed it. We have a huge collection of different types of stamps and inkpads, so I just put them all out, along with white paper and markers. They had a great time trying out all of the different stamps. One of the caregivers pointed out that stamping is a great way to practice different types of motor skills, because it takes a while for kids to get the hang of pressing down hard on the inkpad, but also being careful to make sure the ink covers the whole surface, and then using enough force and care to make sure the whole image gets imprinted on the paper.
Do you have any favorite picture books or songs featuring the letter I? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Tip: When reading a book with a repeated word or phrase, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, pause to let your child fill in the word. You can also point to the word to reinforce their print awareness.
I was so excited this week to see storytime families actively engaging in our focus on letters and letter sounds. One of my regular Family Storytime kids came in announcing the letter of the day before I even said it, and, during our Hat activity at the end, I overheard a grandmother asking her grandson what letter the word hat starts with, and he said, “H!” She even took time to enunciate the “ha- ha- hat.” This was exactly what I was hoping for when I decided to revisit the alphabet in my storytimes: providing caregivers with simple, fun ways to practice basic early literacy skills in their daily routines.
As usual, this week I started by writing the Letter H on my whiteboard, and asking the kids to draw a capital and lowercase letter H in the air with me. Then we talked about the sound letter H makes and some common words beginning with H. I pulled some items out of a paper bag: a toy horse, a toy hippo, a harmonica, and a hat.
Here’s the rest of what we did (a combination of Family Storytime and Outdoor Musical Storytime).
I love the Lolo and Birdie books by Angela Dominguez. They are all very simple bilingual stories in English and Spanish, featuring a dinosaur who speaks Spanish, and a bird who translates into English. In this one, Lolo the dinosaur complains that he’s hungry, and Birdie suggests different foods he might like to eat (she is dismayed when he says he would like to eat “un pajaro azul” but appeases him with some galletas instead. It’s also a fun book to use for letter h, because you can point out that h is silent in Spanish. One Family Storytime family loved this book so much that they asked to borrow it.
I read this one at Outdoor Musical Storytime, which is held in one of our County parks, so there are lots of birds all around. I took a moment before I read it to demonstrate the Merlin app (a free app from the Cornell Bird Lab), and how you could use it to identify the bird songs nearby. The book describes different ways to look for birds, with lots of different types of birds hidden in the illustrations.
The kids at Outdoor Musical Storytime were excited when I held this book up, since many of them have it at home. They also enjoyed calling out the names of the different foods the caterpillar ate, and yelling out “hungry!” each time I paused on the line, “But he was still…”
Funny, rhyming sequel to There’s a Bear in My Chair (which many of the kids had read). In this one, the polar bear complains about the mouse that has settled in his house. He would throw him out, he says, except the mouse knows tai kwon do. He eats like a buffalo, and leaves the bear one pistachio. But when the mouse’s friends show up to throw the bear a party, he decides they are nice after all.
This is such a colorful, fun book, about a variety of grumpy animals who cheer up when someone gives them each a hat. The kids loved joining in on the repeated “Hooray for Hat!” line, which appears in large colorful letters. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I handed out the egg shakers at the end, and we all shook the shakers each time we yelled, “Hooray!”
Songs:
If You’re Happy and You Know It
This song is a classic for a reason, although I’ve tweaked it a bit by adding in different emotions. The kids always giggle when we pretend to cry “Boo hoo.” You can ask them to suggest other emotions as well.
[C] If you’re happy and you know it, clap your [G7] hands! (clap, clap) If you’re happy and you know it, clap your [C] hands! (clap, clap) If you’re [F] happy and you know it, and you [C] really want to show it, If you’re [G7] happy and you know it, clap your [C] hands! (clap, clap)
If you’re sad and you know it, cry, “Boo hoo!”…
If you’re angry and you know it, say, “I’m mad!”… (stomp feet while saying, “I’m mad!”)
If you’re shy and you know it, hide your face… (cover your eyes, and then uncover them and say, “Peek-a-boo!”
If you’re sleepy and you know it, yawn and stretch…
If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “Hooray!”
Two Little Blackbirds
We sang this after reading How to Find a Bird. I often give out play scarves with this one and have the kids pretend they are birds.
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill, (Hold up both thumbs) One named Jack, and the other named Jill. Fly away, Jack! (Put one thumb behind your back) Fly away, Jill! (Put the other thumb behind your back) Come back, Jack! (Bring the first thumb out in front). Come back, Jill! (Bring the second thumb out in the front).
Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud, One was quiet, and the other was loud (I make my voice as loud and obnoxious as possible each time I sing the word “Loud!”) Fly away, Quiet! Fly away, Loud! Come back, Quiet! Come back, Loud!
Two little blackbirds sitting in the snow. One flew fast! And the other flew slow!…
Two little blackbirds sitting on a gate. One was early, and the other was…late!…
The Butterfly Song
A fun song to go along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
First comes a butterfly (Wave scarf or move your hands like a butterfly) Who lays an egg. (Make a circle with your thumb and index finger). Out comes a caterpillar (Wiggle your finger like a caterpillar) With lots of legs. Now see the caterpillar spin and spin (Spin the scarf), A little chrysalis to sleep in (Bundle scarf up in a ball in your hand or make a fist). Oh, oh, oh, wait and see… Oh, oh, oh, wait and see… Out of the chrysalis, my, oh, my! Out comes a beautiful butterfly! (Open up hand and wave scarf).
Hickory Dickory Dock
In Outdoor Musical Storytime, we sang this with a mouse puppet on the parachute, lifting the parachute up and down. For Family Storytime, I gave the kids scarves to make pretend mice that ran up and down their arms. Here’s a video from The Learning Station with the tune.
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm) The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm) The clock struck one: BONG! The mouse ran down (run fingers down arm) Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm) The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm) The clock struck two: BONG! BONG! The mouse went, “BOO!” (cover your face and then uncover it when you yell, “BOO!”) Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm) The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm) The clock struck three: BONG! BONG! BONG! The mouse went “Whee!” (run fingers down body quickly) Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm) The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm) The clock struck four: BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! The mouse said, “No more!” (hold hands out palms up and shrug shoulders) Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)
The Hokey Pokey
We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end. Parents always seem to enjoy doing this one with their kids.
[C] You put your right hand in, You put your right hand out. You put your right hand in, [G] And you shake it all about! You do the Hokey Pokey And you turn yourself around, That’s what it’s all [C] about!
Repeat with left hand, right foot, left foot, head, and whole body.
Before the storytime, I had a volunteer punch holes on either side of each bowl and thread a long piece a ribbon from one hole to the other. For the Stay & Play, I put out the bowls, along with markers, and Washi tape in different patterns. The kids had fun decorating the bowls, and the caregivers helped them tie the ribbon into a loose chin strap. They all looked so cute in their little bowl hats!
Do you have any favorite picture books or songs featuring the letter H? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Tip:Ask your child to search for different characters or items in the illustrations of books, like finding the little mouse on each page of Good Night, Owl. This makes sharing the book a more interactive experience. It will also teach them to look for details in the illustrations, which can help them decipher unfamiliar words when they are learning to read later on.
This week we had fun with ghosts and the word “Go” as we focused on the letter G. As usual, I started by writing the letter G (both upper and lower- case) on my whiteboard and having the kids trace it in the air with me. Then we talked about the two different sounds that G makes. I asked the kids to think of words that start with G (adorably, the first one they suggested was “Grandma”) and then pulled some things starting with the letter G out of a paper bag (a glue stick, a glove, a toy giraffe, and a toy gorilla).
A girl who lives in a big haunted house asks the reader for help finding the ghosts she has never seen. Each page features a translucent overlay that makes ghosts suddenly appear in the scene. This book is a hit with kids of all ages!
Cute story about Little Green, who can only say the word “Go!” He uses this word to help some construction vehicles get their job done, but things quickly get out of control, until Little Red arrives to tell them when to “Stop!” The kids enjoyed joining in on the “Go’s” and “Stop’s.”
An adorable giraffe named Gerald longs to dance but is impossibly clumsy, until a cricket helps him find his own music to dance to. A sweet, rhyming story with charming illustrations.
Owl is all ready for bed, but keeps getting distracted by a “Squeek!” Trying to find the source of the noise leads him to empty his cupboards, pull up his floor, tear down his roof, and knock down his walls, until he finally spots the little mouse who is causing all of the commotion. The kids loved joining in on the “Squeek’s” and looking for the little mouse hiding on each page.
Songs:
We Are Spooky Ghosts
I wish I knew who wrote this song, which I learned many years ago from an Orff Music Curriculum. The original version was “We Are Scary Skeletons” and I often use it at Halloween, where I ask the kids to suggest different spooky things they would like to be. But my favorite way to sing it is with play scarves, where we all get to put the scarves on our heads and pretend to be ghosts. The video below is one I did during lockdown, when I was leading storytimes over Zoom from my house, and improvising with household items.
We are spooky ghosts Floating down the street, Floating down the street, Floating down the street. We are spooky ghosts Floating down the street. We’ll scare you! BOO!
Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton
We sang this song after reading Giraffes Can’t Dance. It’s such a catchy song, and the kids enjoy pretending to be elephants and monkeys.
[C] Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow. [G7] Zoo tomorrow, Zoo tomorrow. [C] Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow, And [G7] we can stay all [C] day.
CHORUS: [F] We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo! [C] How about you, you, you? [G7] You can come too, too, too! (G7) We’re [C] going to the zoo, [G7] zoo, [C] zoo!
See the elephants with the long trunk swinging, Great big ears and a long trunk swinging. Snuffing up peanuts with the long trunk swinging, And we can stay all day!
CHORUS
See all the monkeys, they’re scritch, scritch, scratchin’. Jumping all around and scritch, scritch, scratchin’. Hanging by the long tails scritch, scritch, scratchin’, And we can stay all day!
CHORUS
Well, we stayed all day, and I’m getting sleepy, Sitting in the car getting sleep, sleep, sleepy. Home already and I’m sleep, sleep, sleepy, ‘Cause we have stayed all day!
We’ve been to the zoo, zoo, zoo! So have you, you, you! You came too, too, too! We’ve been to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
But Mommy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow Zoo tomorrow, Zoo tomorrow. Mommy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow, And we can stay all day!
CHORUS
Go, Go, Go, Stop
I improvised this simple song to sing with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. We sang it a little faster each time.
To the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star:
Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP! (shake the parachute in time to the song, and freeze on the word STOP!” Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP! Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP! Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP! Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP! Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP!
So Glad I’m Here
This is a beautiful song (based, I believe, on a traditional African American gospel song). We used it as our instrument play-along at the end. I especially love this version by Elizabeth Mitchell. I added a final verse that says “I’m so glad you’re here.”
[C] I’m so glad I’m here, So glad I’m here, So glad I’m here, here to-[G7]day. So [C] glad I’m here, I’m [F] so glad I’m here, So [G7] glad I’m here, here to-[C]day.
I’m gonna sing while I’m here, Sing while I’m here, Sing while I’m here, here today. Sing while I’m here, I’m gonna sing while I’m here, Sing while I’m here, here today.
Love brought me here, Love brought me here, Love brought me here, here today. Love brought me here, Love brought me here, Love brought me here, here today.
Joy brought me here, Joy brought me here, Joy brought me here, here today. Joy brought me here, You know joy brought me here, Joy brought me here, here today.
I’m so glad you’re here, So glad you’re here, So glad you’re here, here today. So glad you’re here, You know, I’m so glad you’re here. So glad you’re here, here today.
Stay & Play: Glue Ghosts
For the Stay & Play, I offered the kids two different ways to make ghosts.
For the first option, I put out black paper, ModPodge, some cardboard squares I cut out of cereal boxes, and googly eyes. I helped the kids pour a small amount of ModPodge on their paper, and gave them each a cardboard square to spread it into a ghost shape. I also provided scissors and white paper, in case they wanted to cut out a mouth. Most of them added lots of googly eyes. Unlike other kinds of white glue, the ModPodge dries into a thick, smooth layer, which makes it look like a transparent ghost.
For the second option, I put out black paper, glue sticks, googly eyes, white paper, and googly eyes, so the kids could cut out ghost shapes and glue them on the black paper.
Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter G? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Tip: Share the sounds that letters make, especially strong consonants like F or P, and make a game of noticing words you hear throughout the day that start with that sound.
This past week, we continued our journey through the alphabet by focusing on the letter F in storytime.
As usual, I started by writing the letter F on my whiteboard and asking the kids to write an upper and lower case letter F in the air with me. I emphasized the sound that the letter F makes, and asked them if they knew any words that started with that sound (In Family Storytime, I accidentally asked, “Do you know any F words?” and then quickly said, “No, not that one!” Luckily, none of the kids caught it, but the grown-ups laughed). The kids suggested frog, fish, and fun, which I wrote on the board. I also asked them to pull different items out of a paper bag: a paper fan, a fork, and a flower.
Cute story, featuring an adorable duckling named Flo, whose father invents a song to help her remember their path. When she gets lost and runs into a hungry fox, the song helps her find her way back to her Dad.
I love this simple pop-up book based on an old joke (we have a non-circulating copy on our staff Story Shelf). A curious wide-mouthed frog asks different animals what they like to eat, until he learns that the alligator likes to eat tasty wide-mouthed frogs. The big pop-out alligator always gets a big response from the kids!
One of my favorite storytime books, featuring an adorable kitten who thinks the moon is a big bowl of milk in the sky that she can’t quite reach. The large black and white drawings, and simple, relatable story make it perfect for almost any age.
One of several interactive picture books by Jan Thomas. This one asks the reader to stand up, then sit down, then stand up again, and then pretend there is a little bug on their nose, which gets stuck in their shirt. The kids loved following the instructions on each page. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, my coworker Isabella held up a big frog puppet for the part with the giant frog.
Funny story about a little girl named Sam, whose family and neighbor are all hoping their name will be her first word. They are so busy coaching her to say, “Mama,” or “Papa,” or “Nana” that they don’t notice that her actual first word is “Poop!” I’ve been reading this book at local preschools lately, and it’s been fun to ask the kids what their first word was (a lot of them don’t remember, but their guesses are often very funny).
Songs & Rhymes
Do As I’m Doing
We sang this after reading Follow Me, Flo. You can do different motions each time for the kids to copy, or ask the kids to suggest their own.
We sang this after reading The Wide Mouthed Frog. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I held up a frog puppet, and pretended to have it slurp a bug off of the kids heads each time we got to the “Yum Yum!” line.
Five green and speckled frogs Sat on a speckled log. Eating the most delicious bugs! Yum Yum! One jumped into the pool, Where it was nice and cool, Now there are four green speckled frogs!
Four green and speckled frogs…etc.
Down By the Banks of the Hanky Panky
This is a lapsit rhyme I used to use for baby storytime, where you bounce the baby from knee to knee. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put a frog puppet on the parachute, and we lifted the parachute up and down in time with the rhyme to make it “jump” around.
Down by the banks of the hanky panky, Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky, With a hip, a hop, A hippity-hop, Jump off the lilypad and kerplop!
Five Days Old by Laurie Berkner
We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end, after reading Sam’s First Word. It’s such a fun and happy song, and the kids always enjoy jumping up and down.
[C] I’m sitting here, I’m [F] one day old, and [C] I’m sitting here I’m [F] two [G7] days [C] old. [C] I’m sitting here, I’m [F] three days old, and [C] I’m sitting here I’m [F] four [G7] days [C] old. [F] One [C] day, I’ll [F] be a [C] year, then [F] I’ll be [C] two, then [G7] three, then four. [C] As for now I’m [F] sitting here, I’m [C] five days old and [F] no [G7] days [C] more!
I’m jumping up, I’m one day old…
I’m clapping my hands, I’m one day old…
I’m kicking my legs, I’m one day old…
Getting really tired, I’m one day old…
I’m jumping up, I’m one day old…
Stay & Play: Flower Painting
This is my all-time favorite process srt activity, especially for Outdoor Musical Storytime. I just put out white paper and a variety of flowers (this time I used nasturtiums, flowers from a broccoli plant, and lavender). The kids love squishing the petals into the paper and “painting” with their finger.
Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter F? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Tip: Encourage kids to make up their own verses to favorite songs that you sing together (for example, ask them to come up with different types of animals for Old MacDonald to have on his farm). Singing together is one of the best and easiest ways to help kids develop phonemic awareness, the knowledge of the different sounds that make up words. Having them choose the words to the song makes it an even more fun and memorable experience.
As I mentioned before, this is the second time I’ve done a series of storytimes based on the letters of the alphabet, and I’m enjoying it even more this time. Our library system has made it a goal for our storytimes to help caregivers learn ways to reinforce early literacy skills throughout the day. I’ve struggled a bit with how to incorporate this, since admittedly I tend to focus more on the kids than the caregivers, but building my storytimes around individual letters has made it easier to model ways of focusing kids’ attention on words and letter sounds.
This week we focused on the Letter E. As usual, I started by writing a capital and lowercase E on my whiteboard, and then asked the kids to draw them in the air with me. I then talked about the different sounds the letter makes (I even mentioned that sometimes E is silent, although I didn’t go into a lot of detail), and asking the kids if they knew any words that started with E. They came up with elephant, eel, and eagle. I also pulled some other objects out of a paper bag one at a time: an egg shaker, an envelope, and an eraser.
This book works well for a wide range of ages. A cat announces that now’s the time when everybody says, “Meow.” Except that one dog insists on saying, “Woof!” instead. When the cat decides to accommodate the dog, a frog suddenly shows up. Eventually the cat decides that everybody can just say whatever they want to, but then a lion’s roar scares everyone away. The kids always laugh at the unexpected animal sounds.
Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles; illustrated by Rod Clement
A classic, rhyming story about an emu who tries being other animals, because he thinks each one is “the best at the zoo.” He tries being a lion, a snake, and a seal, until finally he overhears a man saying the emu is by far the best. When he returns to his original enclosure though, he finds a new emu named Edwina, who thinks that he is the best thing she’s seen at the zoo. The large illustrations of each animal make this a great book for storytime.
When her pet parakeet escapes from its cage, a girl accuses her cat of eating it. But she doesn’t realize that the parakeet is standing on her head the whole time. A funny, rhyming book with lots of visual irony.
All of the birds have laid eggs, except for Duck, who finds a large, mysterious one that everyone says is odd. Each bird’s egg hatches into their expected babies, but when Duck’s finally hatches, it turns out to contain an alligator, which scares all of the other birds away. The kids love the last page, which shows the alligator calling Duck “Mama.”
Songs:
Old MacDonald
We sang this song after reading Everybody Says Meow (it helps that the song has lots of E’s in it!). Each time we sang it, I asked the kids which animals they thought Old MacDonald should have and what sounds they would make.
[C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm, E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O! And on that farm he [F] had a [C] cow, E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O! With an moo-moo here, and an moo-moo there, Here a moo, there a moo, Everywhere a moo-moo. [C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm, E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!
Repeat with different animals…
The Elevator
This is an old standby of mine, which I especially love to use with babies and toddlers. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, we sang it with the parachute, lifting it up and down with the words of the song. It’s to the tune of Bumpin’ Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon (I have included a rough audio clip below so you can hear how it goes).
Riding up and down in an elevator (lift baby up and down, or have older kids stand up and crouch down) Riding up and down in an elevator Riding up and down in an elevator First floor Second floor (lift baby up, or have kids stand) Third floor (lift baby higher, or have kids stretch up high) DOWN! (lower baby, or have kids crouch back down)
Apples and Bananas
We sang this after reading Did You Eat the Parakeet? It’s a wonderful song for teaching vowel sounds, and for modeling different ways to play with words and sounds in general.
I like to [C] eat, eat eat, apples and ba-[G]nanas. I like to eat, eat, eat apples and ba-[C]nanas. I like to [C] eat, eat eat, apples and ba-[G]nanas. I like to eat, eat, eat apples and ba-[C]nanas.
I like to eat, eat, eat ayples and baynaynays…
I like to eat, eat, eat eeples and beeneenees…
I like to eat, eat, eat īpples, and bīnīnīs… (the ī symbol is for the long “i” sound, which sounds like “eye”)
I like to eat, eat, eat oh-pples and boh-noh-nohs…
I like to eat, eat, eat ūpples and būnūnūs… (the ū symbol is for the long “u” sound, which sounds like “ooh)
I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner
A great song to do with egg shakers! I used it as my instrument play-along at the end of storytime.
[C7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken) And she laid an egg. (And she laid an egg) Oh [F7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken) And she [C7] laid an egg. (And she laid an egg) [G7] Oh my goodness! (Oh, my goodness) It’s a [C7] shaky egg! (It’s a shaky egg!)
Now shake them [C7] fast! Shake them [F7] fast! Shake them [C7] fast! [G7] Shake your eggs! [C7] Shake them [G7] fast!
[C7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken) And she laid an egg. (And she laid an egg) Oh [F7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken) And she [C7] laid an egg. (And she laid an egg) [G7] Oh my goodness! (Oh, my goodness) It’s a [C7] shaky egg! (It’s a shaky egg!)
Now shake them [C7] slow! You know how it [F7] goes. Shake them [C7] slow, [G7] Because you know how it goes. [C7] Shake them [G7] fast! Oh, shake those eggs!
[C7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken) And she laid an egg. (And she laid an egg) Oh [F7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken) And she [C7] laid an egg. (And she laid an egg) [G7] Oh my goodness! (Oh, my goodness) It’s a [C7] shaky egg! (It’s a shaky egg!)
Now shake them [C7] in a circle. Shake them [F7] round and round. Don’t let them touch the [C7] ground. [G7] Now shake them up and down. [C7] You’ve got to shake them up and [G7] down.
Stay & Play: Fun With Googly Eyes
For the Stay & Play, I just put out white paper, markers, and a variety of Googly Eyes, which are always a big hit!
Do you have any favorite books, songs, or activities based on the letter E? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Tip: Take advantage of any opportunities to write your child’s name–on drawings or crafts they make or on nametags (I’ve started providing blank labels for nametags at storytime each week). Say each letter aloud as you write their name, and point out other words you come across together that start with the same letter.
I have been continuing my storytime journey through the alphabet in both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime (Note: This is my second time doing this series of themes. You can find my previous letter-themed storytime posts at the bottom of my Storytime Themes page).
As usual, I started both storytimes by writing a capital and lowercase letter D on my whiteboard and asking the kids what sound the letter makes. Thankfully, D is an easy letter that really only makes one sound. Then I asked the kids if they could think of any words that started with the letter D. They suggested: dog, Dad, and daisy. I also pulled some items out of paper bag: a dinosaur, a rubber duck, and a dime (in my Family Storytime, which has a smaller group, I let the kids take turns pulling the items out of the bag).
Here’s the rest of what we did (this is a combination of the books and songs I used for both Family Storytime and Outdoor Musical Storytime):
One of my favorite books from childhood, and clearly a favorite of many of my storytime caregivers. When Harry buries the scrubbing brush for his bath and goes off on a messy adventure, he turns from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots. He looks so different that his family no longer recognizes him, until he begs for them to give him a bath. A slightly longer story than I usually read, but it was perfect for my Family Storytime crowd.
I love the illustrations in this book, especially the delicious looking doughnuts on the inside cover. LouAnn the bear is preparing to hibernate by making herself some doughnuts. But her friends keep showing up at the door asking to try some. In the end, there are no doughnuts left for LouAnn, who is extremely hungry and upset, until her friends come back to make more. The kids loved joining in on the repeated “Ding Dong’s” and growling like LouAnn when she loses her temper. This book is reminiscent of The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins (which would also fit the theme), but with doughnuts instead of cookies.
A cute story in The Digger series, which features the big trucks settling down to sleep, but being interrupted a group of playful, hungry raccoons. The raccoons keep the trucks awake every night until they finally discover the playground the machines have been building, and decide to play on that instead. The kids laughed every time I read the “Squeak Squeak” line that the raccoons say.
This is a delightfully silly, and somewhat violent story that always gets giggles. A baby dinosaur named Dinah hatches out of her egg and sees two small creatures kissing. She decides to try kissing too, but only succeeds in stomping, chomping, whomping, and even eating other creatures. Then she finds another baby dinosaur, and the two have fun stomping, chomping, and whomping with each other. The kids love the different sounds.
I read this one for Family Storytime. It’s the classic story of a girl who is frustrated with her art abilities, until her teacher makes her sign a picture of a dot she drew and hangs it in the classroom. This leads her to make lots of different type of dots, which in turn inspires others. A beautiful book for older kids.
Songs:
B-I-N-G-O
I sang this to go along with Harry the Dirty Dog. This is an old standby, but here’s a video from Super Simple Songs, just in case you’re not familiar with it. Traditionally, you leave out a letter each time you sing it, and clap instead. Sometimes I have the kids bark the missing letters instead of clapping.
[C] There was a farmer [F] had a [C] dog, And Bingo [G] was his [C] name-o. [C] B-I- [F] N-G-O [G] B-I- [C] N-G-O [Am] B-I- [F] N-G-O And [G] Bingo was his [C] name-o.
There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name-o. (Clap!)-I-N-G-O!… etc.
We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner
We sang this song to go along with Dinosaur Kisses. It’s always a big hit with all ages, and a good movement song to help get the kids refocused.
[Dm] We are the [C] dinosaurs marching, marching. [Dm] We are the dinosaurs. [A] Whaddaya think of that? [Dm] We are the dinosaurs [C] marching, marching. [Dm] We are the [A] dinosaurs. [Dm] We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat. We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.
[F] We stop and eat our [C] food, [F] when we’re in the [C] mood. [F] Stop and eat our [C] food on the [Dm] ground. [F] We stop and eat our [C] food, [F] when we’re in the [C] mood. [F] Stop and eat our [C] food, and [Dm] then we march [A] around.
[Dm] We are the [C] dinosaurs marching, marching. [Dm] We are the dinosaurs. [A] Whaddaya think of that? [Dm] We are the dinosaurs [C] marching, marching. [Dm] We are the [A] dinosaurs. [Dm] We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat. We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.
[F] We stop and take a [C] rest, [F] over in our [C] nest. [F] Stop and take a [C] rest at the end of the [Dm] day. [F] We stop and take a [C] rest, [F] over in our [C] nest. [F] Stop and take a [C] rest, and [Dm] then you’ll hear us [A] say…
[Dm] We are the [C] dinosaurs marching, marching. [Dm] We are the dinosaurs. [A] Whaddaya think of that? [Dm] We are the dinosaurs [C] marching, marching. [Dm] We are the [A] dinosaurs. [Dm] We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat. We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.
[A] And then we RO-AR-OAR! [A] Because [Dm] we [C] are the [Dm]dino-[D]saurs!
[C] Six little ducks that I once [G7] knew, Big ones, little ones, [C] fair ones too.But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back. He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Chorus: [G7] “Quack! Quack! Quack! [C] Quack! Quack! Quack!” [G7] He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
[C] Down to the river they would [G7] go, Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, [C] to and fro. But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back. He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Chorus
[C] Home from the river they would [G7] come, [C] Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, ho hum hum. But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back. He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Chorus
Do As I’m Doing
I learned this song years ago when I was volunteering to lead music classes at my kids’ school (the school had a curriculum written by an Orff music instructor, who recommended this as an opening song). We did it as an instrument play-along at the end, and I demonstrated different ways to play the egg shakers (tapping them on the ground, waving them back and forth, holding them up high, etc.) each time we sang it. You can also do it with different motions (clapping, jumping, stomping, or even walking, skipping, or galloping in a line through the room).
For the Stay & Play, I just put out white paper and dot markers, which the kids always love. They are great because you can draw with them like a big marker or makes wtih dot them (which the kids enjoy doing with great enthusiasm–and noise!).
I also put out our set of Snap Dinos for the kids to play with. These are mix-and-match wooden pieces of different dinosaur parts (heads, bodies, tails, legs, etc.) that can be snapped together to create new and colorful dinosaurs (you can see part of one of the pieces in the photo above).
Do you have any favorite picture books, songs, or activities featuring the letter D? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Tip: Talk about the different sounds that letters make. Understanding that each letter makes a particular sound (or a few different sounds) is key to building the decoding skills kids will need to learn to read later on.
This week, we continued our storytime journey through the alphabet, this time focusing on the letter C.
I started by writing the letter C on a whiteboard, and then asking the kids to trace a letter C in the air with me. Then I asked them to suggest words starting with the letter C. They came up with: cat, candy, cake, and cookie. I also pulled some items out of a paper bag: a cup, a toy car, and a circle. We talked a little bit about how the first “C” in circle makes an “S” sound, while the second “C” makes the more common “K” sound.
Here’s the rest of what we did (this is a combination of what we did in Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime).
I read this for Family Storytime. It’s always fun to read a really popular, classic book from time to time, because the kids are usually excited to see a book they know (and often have at home). This cautionary, circular tale describes the long series of demands that a mouse will have if you give him a cookie.
Funny, interactive story that invites the reader to count the monkeys. Only the monkeys keep being scared away by a succession of different animals and people: 1 King Cobra; 2 Mongooses (or Mongeese?); 3 Crocodiles, etc. Each time, the reader is asked to help in a different way: moving their hand in a zig-zag; yelling “Scram!”, etc. The large, colorful illustrations make it perfect for storytime.
This book is longer than the books I typically share at Outdoor Musical Storytime (which has a larger, younger crowd than Family Storytime), but it worked well because it’s so interactive. Plus, the few older kids who were there were mostly familiar with the book already, and excited to hear it again. The story is about a peddler whose caps are stolen by bunch of monkeys in a tree. He scolds the monkeys by shaking first one fist and then two, and then stamping his feet. But the monkeys only mimic him and say, “Tsz! Tsz! Tsz!” The kids loved pretending to be the monkeys!
Part of the Shapes Trilogy, this book features the shapes playing hide-and-seek. When Triangle violates Circle’s rule about not hiding behind the waterfall, Circle goes into the dark cave behind the waterfall to look for her. This book is a little too “spooky” for my Outdoor Musical Storytime crowd, but it was a big hit at Family Storytime.
I like this book because of its unusual setting (a Nigerian village) and repeated “Catch That Chicken!” line. It also provided a good opportunity to talk about how the letter “C” can make different sounds when combined with other letters, like “Ch.” The story is about a little girl named Lami, who is the best chicken catcher in the village. When she falls and hurts her ankle, she worries she won’t be able to catch chickens anymore, until she realizes there’s an easier way to catch them.
Songs & Rhymes
Can You See the Color Yellow?
We sang this after reading Caps for Sale (which talks about the different colored caps) in Outdoor Musical Storytime. This song always gets the kids excited, as they look around and point to things around them that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?
Can you [C] see the color yellow, The [F] color yellow, the [G7] color yellow? Can you [C] see the color yellow, [F] Right here [G7] where you [C] are?
Can you see the color blue… etc.
These Are the Colors Over You
I got this song from La La Librarian (see the video below). Usually at Outdoor Musical Storytime, I try to do a theme-related song with the parachute, and then follow it with Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, where the kids usually run underneath once we raise the parachute in the air. For this week, I started with Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, and had the kids stay under the parachute at the end, so we could wave it over them while we sang this song.
Red and green, and yellow and blue, These are the colors over you. Red like an apple, green like a tree, Yellow like the sun, and blue like the sea. Red and green, and yellow and blue, These are the colors over you.
I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock
This is one of favorite songs for baby and toddler storytimes. This week, I decided to try it with play scarves at Family Storytime.
Tick Tock, Tick Tock (rock side to side, or wave scarf back and forth) I’m a little cuckoo clock Tick Tock, Tick Tock Now I’m striking one o’clock… Cuckoo! (Jump up, or throw scarf in the air in the air)
(Repeat for two and three o’clock)
I’m Gonna Catch You by Laurie Berkner
We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. It’s such a “catchy” song!
[C] I’m gonna [F] catch you [C] You’d better [F] run [C] I’m gonna [F] catch you [C] Here I come!
So I jumped into [F] Mon-[C]day, And I had an ice cream [F] sun-[C]dae
But then I [B♭] turned around, And I heard a [G] sound.
It said, I’m gonna catch you You’d better run I’m gonna catch you Here I come!
So I jumped into Tuesday, Had myself a snooze-day…
But then I turned around, and I Heard a sound, It said, I’m gonna catch you You’d better run I’m gonna catch you
Here I come!
So I jumped into Wednesday, Had a make-new-friends-day…
But then I turned around, and I Heard a sound, It said, I’m gonna catch you You’d better run I’m gonna catch you Here I come!
So I jumped into Thursday, Had myself a nurse-day…
But then I turned around, and I Heard a sound,
It said, I’m gonna catch you You’d better run I’m gonna catch you Here I come!
So I jumped into Friday, Had myself a shy-day…
But then I turned around, and I Heard a sound, It said, I’m gonna catch you You’d better run I’m gonna catch you Here I come!
So I jumped into Saturday, Had a baseball-batter-day…
But then I turned around, and I Heard a sound, It said, I’m gonna catch you You’d better run I’m gonna catch you Here I come!
So I jumped into Sunday Had a super-fun-day…
And then I turned around, and I heard a sound, and it said: I’m gonna catch you, you’d better run I’m gonna catch you, here I come!
I’m gonna catch you, you’d better run I’m gonna catch you, here I come!
I’m gonna catch you, you’d better run I’m gonna catch you, here I come!
I’m gonna catch you, you’d better run I’m gonna catch you, here I come!
I caught you!
Stay & Play: Crayon Resist Watercolor Painting
This is one of my favorite process art activities, although, like most paint-related projects, it requires a bit of set-up (and clean-up). For the Stay & Play, I put out white cardstock, watercolor paint sets, small cups of water, paint brushes, and a few white crayons. I explained to the families that if they wrote or drew in white crayon on the white paper, it would look invisible until they painted over it with the watercolor paints.
What I love about this project is that often the caregivers write a “secret message” or draw something special (like the child’s handprint traced above), and the children get to reveal what they wrote or drew when they paint over it. In any case, it’s always a big hit.
Do you have any favorite books, songs, or activities featuring the letter “C”? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Tip: Books with repeated phrases that kids can easily remember (like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) help them associate the printed word with the spoken one, and helps build their basic sight word vocabulary.
This week we continued our journey through the alphabet by focusing on the letter B in both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime.
I’ve been trying to use this alphabet series as a fun way to focus explicitly on letter sounds and early literacy skills. As part of that focus, I’ve also started offering caregivers the opportunity to make a name tag for their child (I use small mailing labels) at the beginning of storytime. I tell them that it’s optional, but that we are trying to promote print awareness, and get their kids used to seeing their names written in print.
I started both of my storytimes by drawing a capital and lowercase letter B on a whiteboard and asking the kids what sound B makes. Then we drew the letter B (capital and lowercase) together in the air (I did silly sound effects while we did it: a descending pitch “woooo!” for the straight line down, and a “whoop!” for each curved line).
After that, I asked the kids if they knew any words that started with B, and wrote them on the whiteboard. They came up with “bird,” “banana” and “bat.” I also pulled some items out of a paper bag: a bag, a ball, a book, and a container of bubbles (I blew some for fun). For my Family Storytime (which is in the evening, and draws a much smaller crowd), I had kids take turns pulling the items out of the bag.
I had such a good time picking books for this storytime, because there are so many classic titles featuring the letter B, and the kids were excited to see some of their favorites.
Books:
I’m Bored by Michael Ian Black; illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
This is one of my favorite books to read aloud: a story about a bored little girl and her conversation with a potato. The girl is shocked to learn that the potato thinks kids are boring, even after she describes all the amazing things that kids can do. The kids loved joining in on the repeated “boring’s.”
Another all-time favorite of mine. I’m always surprised to find families who haven’t read it yet, and delighted to share it with them for the first time. When George’s mother asks him to bark, he meows, quacks, oinks, and moos until she takes him the vet, who discovers a variety of animals inside of George. The surprise ending always gets a laugh.
This is one of my favorite Pete the Cat books. Pete loves his yellow jacket with its four big colorful groovy buttons. He even has a song about it! But one by one his buttons pop off and roll away until he is left with just his belly button. The kids enjoyed joining in on the “Pop! Oh no!” each time.
There’s a reason why this book is a classic, and it made me happy to hear so many kids squeal, “I have that book at home!” when I held it up. It works well for so many reasons: the repeated pattern makes it perfect for beginning readers; the call and response structure makes it perfect for read-alouds. Plus, it teaches color and animal names. My only minor gripe is that I wish the teacher was a bit less frumpy looking, but at least teachers are in good company here, since librarians are usually portrayed the same way. At least she looks friendly!
Songs:
The Sleepy Bunny Song
I don’t know what it is about songs where you start on the ground and then jump up, but the kids always LOVE them! This one is a particular favorite.
See the little bunnies sleeping (crouch or lie down and pretend to sleep) ‘Till it’s nearly noon. Come, let us wake them with a merry tune? They’re so still. Are they ill? NO! Wake up little bunnies! (jump up) Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop! (hop!) Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop! Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop! Hop little bunnies, hop and stop!
We Bounce and We Bounce and We Stop
One of my all-time favorite storytime songs because it’s so versatile and works for almost any age. You can substitute almost any other action for bouncing (clapping, leaning, twirling, running, etc.), slow it down or speed it up, add in extra bounces on the third line, and put in a long pause between the words (we…bounce). For Outdoor Musical Storytime this week, we sang it with the parachute. I put cotton balls on the parachute so the kids could watch them bounce, and added more each time we sang it.
[C] We bounce and we bounce and we stop! [C] We bounce and we bounce and we stop! [C] We bounce and we bounce and we bounce and we bounce, [C] And we bounce and [G7] we bounce and we [C] stop!
I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee
There are a lot of versions of this old camp song, including the disturbing one about killing and squishing the poor baby bumblebee. The version I use is closest to the one in this video by Dr. Jean. I always ask the kids to suggest other animals to bring home, and then we try to come up with a line (usually rhyming) to describe what “my Mommy” does, which is a fun, and sometimes hilarious challenge. This time we had “I’m bringing home a baby bunny…won’t my Mommy think that’s really funny;” “I’m bringing home a baby cat…what will my Mommy think of that.” I got stumped by “I’m bringing home a baby puppy.” All I could think of on the spot was “Won’t my Mommy turn into a guppy,” which got some laughs from parents.
I’m [C] bringing home a [F] baby [C]bumblebee. [G7] Won’t my mommy be so proud of me? ‘Cause I’m [C] bringing home a [F] baby [C] bumblebee. [G7 ]Ouch! It stung me!
Bananaphone by Raffi
We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end. It’s got some unusual chords and lots of lyrics, so I don’t do it often, but it’s always a big hit that gets stuck in my head for days.
[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring [G] Bananaphone! [D] [G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring [E7] Bananaphone [Am] I’ve got this feeling, [G] so ap-[Em]pealing [A7] For us to get together and [D7] sing, sing!
[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring [G] Bananaphone! [D] [G] Ding dong ding dong [D] ding dong ding [E7] Donanaphone! [Am] It grows in bunches. [G] I’ve got my [Em] hunches. [A7] It’s the best! Beats the rest [D7] Cellular, modular, interactivodular!
[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring [G] Bananaphone! [G] Ping pong ping pong [D] ping pong ping [E7] Pananaphone [Am] It’s no baloney. [G] It ain’t a [Em] phony, [A7] My cellular [D7] Bananular [G] phone.
Don’t [F#] need quarters, don’t need dimes, To [Bm] call a friend of mine! Don’t [F#] need computer or TV To [Bm] have a real good time! I’ll [E7] call for pizza, I’ll call my cat I’ll [A] call the white house, have a chat! I’ll [A7] place a call around the world. [D7] Operator get me Beijing-jing-jing-jing!
[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring [G] Bananaphone! [D] [G] Yin yang yin yang [D] yin yang ying [E7] Yananaphone. It’s a [C] real live mama and [C#dim7] papa phone, A [G] brother and sister and a [E7] dog-aphone, A [A7] grandpa phone and a [D7] grandmaphone too! [E7] Yeah! My [A7] cellular, [D7] bananular [G] phone!
[G] Bananaphone, ring [D7] ring [G] ring! [G] Bananaphone, ring [D7] ring [G] ring!
Stay & Play: Beaded Bracelets
This simple Stay & Play is always popular, and the kids get really into it. It’s always great for building their fine motor skills. I just put out bowls of Pony beads and pipe cleaners and let them thread away. The grown-ups usually have to help them connect the ends of the pipe cleaner to make it into a bracelet at the end.
Do you have any favorite books, songs, or activities featuring the Letter B? Or any early literacy tips? Please share them in the comments below.
Early Literacy Skill: Point out letters and letter combinations in books and in the world around you, and talk about the sounds they make. This helps promote phonological awareness, an essential skill for learning to read.
Lately, I’ve been making more of an explicit effort to promote early literacy skills in my storytimes, and, after reading this Reading Rocket article about phonological awareness as a predictor of reading skills, I decided that revisiting the alphabet would be the perfect way to introduce letter sounds in a fun way.
For both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime, I started out by asking the kids to suggest words they knew that started with the letter A. I wrote these down on a white board. They came up with Apple, Alligator, and Ant. We also added any kids’ names who started with A, like Aaron and Ava.
I also had a paper bag with three objects beginning with the letter A (a toy Albino Alligator, an Apple and an Avocado (actually shakers shaped like an Apple and an Avocado). I pulled these out of the bag one at a time. (For my Family Storytime, which is a much smaller group, I had kids reach in to pull things out of the bag).
The story of Axolotl and Axolittle, two axolotl siblings, is a cute, colorful, tongue-twisting read. When Axolotl starts quacking a lotl, it upsets her little brother, Axolittle, and the two get into an axo-squabble that Dad has to help resolve. I read this book at Family Storytime, and also at several local preschools.
Cute story about an acorn who loves adventure. Even when a squirrel picks him up and carries him away, he loves the thrill of racing through the trees, and can’t wait for more. But then another squirrel buries him the ground, and he finds himself changing in ways he never expected. This story was perfect for our Outdoor Musical Storytime at the park.
I love this simple, sweet story about a girl who wants to be an astronaut. Her father asks her if she is ready to do all of the things astronauts have to do: eating food from packages, spinning around in space, sleeping alone on the rocket ship. Finally, they go to meet her mother, who is just returning from her own voyage as an astronaut.
I gave out egg shakers before we read this one, since it’s a rhythmic chant describing a trip on a train through Alaska. Each rhyme leads to a different animal: moose, otters, caribou, etc. and ends with the Northern Lights.
Rhymes & Song:
The Alphabet Song
We sang this at the beginning of storytime, to kick off our journey through the alphabet. I usually repeat it two or three times, getting faster and faster.
[C] A – B – C – D – [F] E – F – [C] G [F] H – I – [C] J – K – [G7] LMNO – [C] P [C] Q – R –[F] S –[C] T – U –[G7] V [C] W – [F]X –[C] Y and [G7] Z [C] Now I know my [F]AB[C]C’s, [F]Next time [C] won’t you [G7]sing with [C] me.
Way Up High in the Apple Tree
We did this rhyme to go along with Acorn Was a Little Wild. For Family Storytime, I gave each child two play scarves to bundle up in their hands like apples. For both groups, I asked them to suggest other foods they would like to pick from a tree. They suggested pears, bananas and cookies.
Way up high in the apple tree, Two little apples smiled at me. I shook that tree as hard as I could! Down came the apples. Mmmm! They were good!
The Ants Go Marching
We sang this song with the parachute at Outdoor Musical Storytime. I put small pom-poms on the parachute each time we sang it to represent the ants. The kids loved watching them bounce up and down.
[Am] The ants go marching one by one, [C] Hurrah, Hurrah! The [Am] ants go marching one by one, [C] Hurrah, Hurrah! The [C] ants go marching [G7] one by one, The [Am] little one stops to [E7] suck his thumb, And they [C] all [G7] go marching [Am] down to the ground to get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ants go marching two by two…the little one stops to tie her shoe…
The ants go marching three by three…the little one stops to climb a tree…
Zoom Zoom Zoom
We sang this to go along with Astro Girl, although I do it every week at Outdoor Musical Storytime as my second parachute song. The kids LOVE running underneath the parachute when we lift it up in the air.
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We’re going to the Moon. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We’re going to the Moon. If you want to take a trip, Climb aboard my rocket ship. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We’re going to the Moon. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Blast-off!
Apples and Bananas
This is such a great song, particularly for helping kids learn the different vowel sounds. It’s also a lot of fun, and works well for almost any age group.
I like to [C] eat, eat eat, apples and ba-[G]nanas. I like to eat, eat, eat apples and ba-[C]nanas. I like to [C] eat, eat eat, apples and ba-[G]nanas. I like to eat, eat, eat apples and ba-[C]nanas.
I like to eat, eat, eat ayples and baynaynays…
I like to eat, eat, eat eeples and beeneenees…
I like to eat, eat, eat īpples, and bīnīnīs… (the ī symbol is for the long “i” sound, which sounds like “eye”)
I like to eat, eat, eat oh-pples and boh-noh-nohs…
I like to eat, eat, eat ūpples and būnūnūs… (the ū symbol is for the long “u” sound, which sounds like “ooh)
Letter A
I wrote this song to showcase the different sounds that Letter A makes. The kids enjoyed repeating the “Aaaah! Ahhh! Ayyy!” sounds in the chorus. Feel free to use it if you like. Also, if you are ever having trouble coming up with a song for a particular theme, please send me a message. I really enjoy the challenge of writing new songs.
Letter [D] A, Letter [A] A, Has so [D] many sounds to a say, You say, [D] “Aaaah!” You say, [A] “Ahhh!” You say, [D] “Ayyy!”
You’re the [D] apple of my eye. You’re the [A] airplane in the sky. Astro-[D]nauts and arrows [A] fly With letter [D] A.
You say “Aaah” in hat and rat, And in cat and acrobat. The whole world would be flat Without A.
You put the a in cake and bake, And in acorn and mistake. When we say those words you make Our faces smile.
You give water its ahhh, And you make the sheep say “Baaa!” There could be no Arkansas Without A.
Letter A, Letter A, You make everything okay, You say, “Aaah!” You say, ” Ahhh” You say, “Ayyy”
Stay & Play: ART!
For our Stay & Play, I announced we were going to be exploring one of my favorite Letter A words: ART! I just put out white paper, markers and dot markers, and let the kids go wild.
What are your favorite books or songs about the Letter A? Please share them in the comments below.
The Loudest Librarian! 
