Monthly Archives: January 2024

S is for Slug: A Storytime About the Letter S

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Letter S may be my favorite storytime letter so far (and not just because Storytime starts with S). One of our regular families who comes to Outdoor Musical Storytime, always comes early to see how many banana slugs she can find in the park (today she found 27!). In her honor, I ordered a banana slug puppet, and featured banana slugs in our Stay & Play activity, and our instrument play-along song at the end.

I started the storytime by asking the kids if they knew any words that started with the letter S. They suggested seal, snake, and sand. I also demonstrated a slide whistle (one of my favorite instruments!), and held up my slug puppet, and a large spider that one of our library staff made on our 3D printer. Then we drew the letter S in the air together.

Here are the books and songs I used in either Outdoor Musical Storytime, Family Storytime, or both:

Books:

Shake the Tree by Chiara Vignocchi, Paulo Chiarinotti, and Silvia Borando

I read this one for Family Storytime, and it was a big hit. A mouse tries to shake a nut out of tree, but accidentally shakes down a hungry fox. The mouse escapes into the tree branches, and when the fox shakes the tree, he shakes down an angry warthog, who ends up shaking down a big bear. The bear shakes down all the animals, and the nut, which he eats. The kids enjoyed pretending to shake the tree along with the story. The book opens vertically, which is also fun.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

When I held this one up, a number of the older kids yelled, “I have that book!” It’s such a classic, simple story about a boy’s adventures in the snow. I had the kids try walking with their toes pointing outward, and then inward along with the story. They were very engaged all the way through.

Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

One of my favorite read-alouds! An adorable spider wants to be a family pet, but keeps getting put outside. The kids loved joining in on the “Aarrgh, Spider!” line, which is written in large enough text that the older preschoolers could pick it out whenever I got to that page. It made me really happy to see that they were paying attention to the written words.

Slug in Love by Rachel Bright and Nadia Shireen

This is such a cute, rhyming book about a slug named Doug who really wants a hug, but no one wants to hug him.

Songs & Rhymes

Way Up High in the Apple Tree

I did this one in Family Storytime to go along with Shake the Tree. I asked the kids to suggest other fruits, and we did the rhyme again with an orange tree and a banana tree.

Way up high in the apple tree (stretch arms up)
Two little apples smiled at me. (make circles with the thumb and fingers of each hand)
I shook that tree as hard as I could! (shake imaginary tree)
Down came the apples (lower arms quickly)
Mmmm! They were good! (rub stomach)

Five Little Snowmen

This is one of my favorite winter-time songs. The kids LOVE pretending to melt to the floor, and then pop up again.

Five little snowmen standing in a row, (hold up five fingers)
Each with a hat (touch head), and a brightly colored bow (adjust imaginary bowtie).
Five little snowmen dressed up all for show.
Now they are ready,`
Where will they go?

Wait! (hold out hands in a “Stop!” motion) Till the sun shines. (move hands in a circle)
Wait! Till the sun shines.
Then they will go
Down through the fields
With the melting, melting snow (“melt” all the way down to the floor, then pop up for the next four snowmen).

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We sang this with the parachute, lifting it up and down along with the song. I put a large 3D-printed spider in the middle of the parachute, and kids thought it was hilarious to see the spider bouncing up and down.

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.

Spider on the Floor

To the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It. This is an old Raffi song (video below) although I usually change the lyrics a little. I used the 3D printed spider to act out the words, while the kids made pretend spiders out of their hands. (In Family Storytime, I had the kids pretend their play scarves were spiders).

There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Who could ask for any more than a spider on the floor?
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.

Now the spider’s on my leg, on my leg.
Now the spider’s on my leg, on my leg.
Oh, he’s really, really big, this old spider on my leg.
There’s a spider on my leg, on my leg.

Now the spider’s on my tummy, on my tummy…
Oh, I feel so very funny with this spider on my tummy!…

Now the spider’s on my neck, on my neck…
Oh, I’m gonna’ be a wreck, I’ve got a spider on my neck!…

Now the spider’s on my face, on my face…
Oh, I’m such a big disgrace. I’ve got a spider on my face!…

Now the spider’s on my head, on my head…
Oh, it fills my heart with dread to have this spider on my head!…

Spoken: But it jumps off!

Now the spider’s on the floor, on the floor…

Who could ask for any more than a spider on the floor?…


Banana Slug Song by Bungee Jumpin’ Cows

I was happy to see that this song has been used in our local Outdoor Ed program, where every fifth grader in the public schools spends a week at a camp learning about nature. We did it as our instrument play-along at the end. The kids loved the BA-NA-NA Slug, Slug, Slug, Slug! part (the motions are in the video below). Here’s a link to the original song recording by Bungee Jumpin’ Cows, in case that’s easier to follow for the tune: https://bungeejumpincows.bandcamp.com/track/the-banana-slug-song

To the tune of Twist and Shout.

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

You know I love my [G] baby
([C] Love my [D] baby).
I like the [C] way that she [G] hugs
(The [C] way that she [D] hugs).
People [C] don’t [G] understand
([C] Don’t [D] understand).
She’s a [C] banana [G] slug.
([C]Banana [D] slug).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

She’s got just one foot
(Just one foot).
But she ain’t got no toes
(Ain’t got no toes)
She just hangs out in the forest
(In the forest).
Helpin’ it decompose
(Decompose).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

The way you shake your antenna
(Shake your antenna).
You know it gives me such bliss
(Gives me such bliss).
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon banana slug
(Banana slug).
And let me give you a kiss
(Give you a kiss).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

Stay & Play: Liquid Chalk Marker Painted Slugs

These was a super simple Stay & Play activity, but the kids were really into it.

Before storytime, I printed out the slug templates from LearnCreateLove on white cardstock and cut them out. For the Stay & Play, I put out the printed templates, along with googly eyes, and liquid chalk markers, paint brush pens, and dot markers. The kids were having such a great time decorating their slugs that some of them didn’t want to leave.

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter S? Please share them in the comments below.

R is for Rocket: A Storytime About the Letter R

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This week, we featured the letter R in both Family Storytime and Outdoor Musical Storytime.

As usual, I started by asking the kids to name any words they knew that started with R. They suggested rain, rabbit, roar, and rainbow. Then we wrote the letter R (upper and lower case) in the air together.

Here are the books and songs that we did:

Books:

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krause Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

This is a fun book to read, especially for two voices, so Claire and I read it together for Outdoor Musical Storytime. Two people argue about the creature they see. One says it’s a duck. The other insists it’s a rabbit. The argument continues until the creature runs away. But now they both have doubts about what it actually was.

Tiny Little Rocket by Richard Collingridge

A story that describes an exciting journey into space in a tiny red rocket ship. The kids loved joining on the “scream!” and calling out things they saw in the illustrations. I had a pretty lively group of preschoolers at Outdoor Musical Storytime, and I was worried this would be a bit too long, but they were very engaged.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

One of my favorite Elephant and Piggie books. In this one, Gerald and Piggie are excited to run, skip, and jump outside on a beautiful day, until it starts to rain. Piggie complains that she hates the rain, but then they see two worms having fun, and decide to try having fun too. But just as Piggie realizes how much she loves the rain, it stops. Luckily, Gerald has a plan to keep the fun going.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera

Colorful, animal-filled adaptation of the classic song, with lots of opportunities for the kids to join in on the animal sounds. I gave out instruments before we read this one at Family Storytime.

Songs:

See the Little Bunnies Sleeping

I learned this song from a local daycare provider, and it’s been a big hit. I have the kids crouch down and pretend to be asleep, then pop up and hop. We usually sing it three times.

See the little bunnies sleeping
‘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!
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop!
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop!
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop!
Hop little bunnies, hop and stop!

Zoom Zoom Zoom

We sang this one with the parachute at both storytimes (I have a little parachute that we used for Family Storytime. The kids put puppets on top, and thought it was hilarious to watch them fly up in the air at the end).

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!

Rain is Falling Down

We did this one with play scarves, throwing them up in the air and catching them. I use the tune from JBrary in the video below:

Rain is falling down. SPLASH!
Rain is falling down. SPLASH!
Pitter patter, Pitter patter,
Rain is falling down. SPLASH!

Snow is falling down. SHHH!
Snow is falling down. SHHH!
Swirling, twirling, swirling, twirling,
Snow is falling down. SHHH!

If All the Raindrops

We sang this one as our instrument play-along. I asked the kids to suggest foods that they would like to have fall from the sky. They came up with macaroni and broccoli, bananas and juice, and chicken wings and carrots.

[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 snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes…

If all the sunbeams were bubblegum and ice cream…

If all the raindrops were (ask the kids to suggest other types of foods)…

Stay & Play: Straw Rockets

For this easy Stay & Play, I precut these paper rocket ships from Playdatebox.com. I also rolled some strips of paper into pencil-sized tubes, and taped one end of each one to seal it closed.

For the Stay & Play, I put out the paper rockets, markers, tapes, the rolled paper tubes, and some paper straws. After the kids colored the rockets with the markers, I showed them how to tape a paper tube on the back, with the sealed end on the top. Then they made the rockets fly by putting their paper straw into the tube and blowing (it helps not to push the straw too far in).

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter R? Please share them in the comments below.

Q is for Quail: A Storytime About the Letter Q

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It’s been cold and rainy the past few days, and I had to cancel my Outdoor Musical Storytime last Tuesday. Today we were back in time to celebrate the letter Q. I had also done an abridged version of this storytime last Wednesday night, when most of the families arrived late due to the weather.

Since Q is almost always paired with the letter U(in English anyway), I wrote the two letters together on a piece of paper at the beginning (I’ve misplaced my little whiteboard!). Then I asked the kids if they knew any words starting with Q. They suggested quarter, queen, quack, quick, and quiet.

Here are the stories, songs, and activities we did:

Books:

Quackers by Liz Wong

Adorable story about a cat named Quackers who thinks he is a duck, like all of the other ducks that he lives with, even though he sometimes struggles to fit in. He is very surprised to meet another cat named Mittens, who introduces him to foods and activities that cats like, but soon finds he misses his duck friends. In the end, he finds a way to enjoy both worlds. The kids thought it was enormously funny that the book starts out by saying that Quackers is a duck.

Queenie Quail Can’t Keep Up by Jane Whittingham; illustrated by Emma Pedersen

Sweet book about a young quail who always falls behind her large family, because she often stops to look at treasures along the way. The family is constantly fussing at her to keep up, until one day her curiosity saves them from a sneaky cat. The repeated “bob, bob, bobbing,” “tap, tap tapping” and “hurry, hurry, hurrying” kept the kids engaged, as did the cute, colorful illustrations.

Be Quiet, Mike by Leslie Patricelli

I gave out egg shakers and the other instruments we use for our instrument play-along before reading this book, and had the kids shake along in rhythm. It’s a cute, rhyming story about a monkey who is always being told to “Be Quiet!” until he creates his own drum set. The kids enjoyed chiming in on the repeated, “Be Quiet, Mike!” refrain.

Songs:

Five Little Ducks

I did this song to go along with Quackers. I used the Monkey Mitt, which comes with five bright yellow ducks that stick to the glove with Velcro. I had a small enough crowd for my Family Storytime that the kids could take turns removing a duck from the mitt each time, although we had to double up for some of the ducks. I sing the Raffi version, which you can find here.

Five little ducks went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck cried, “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack!”
But only four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks went out one day…

Three little ducks went out one day…

Two little ducks went out one day…

One little duck went out one day…

Sad Mother Duck went out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck cried, “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack!”
And all of the five little ducks came back!

Two Little Blackbirds

I did this one at Outdoor Musical Storytime to go along with Queenie Quail Can’t Keep Up, as well as the Q word “Quiet.” Always a hit!

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!…  (I like to drag the pauses out as long as possible before saying “Late!” until the kids are all yelling it out.)

I’m a California Quail

We sang this one with play scarves at Family Storytime, and I had the kids put their scarves on their heads to mimic the feathers of the California Quail, which happens to be the state bird (it’s also a very common sight at the park where we have our storytime). I held up a picture of the bird for the kids to see before we sang this song, which is to the tune of I’m a Nut.

I’m a California Quail,
See me walking on the trail.
Got six feathers for a crown (put the back of your hand on your forehead and wiggle your fingers),
See it bobbing up and down (bob your head up and down).

Caw-CAW-Caw! Caw-CAW-Caw!

This is Quick, Quick, Quick

I did this simple rhyme with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime:

This is quick, quick, quick, (shake parachute quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow, (shake parachute slowly)
This is high, high, high, (raise parachute up)
This is low, low, low. (lower parachute down).

Letter Q

I was struggling to find a good Letter Q song, so I wrote this one to sing for our instrument play-along.

[C] Oh, Letter [F] Q,
[G7] What can it [C] do?
It just can’t [F] be
[G7] Away from [C] U!

[C] Without U, there is no [F] Question.
[G7] Without U, no qualit-[C]y.
No Quiet walks [F] along the shore,
No [G7] Quests of braver-[C]y.
No Quilts to keep you [F] warm at night,
No [G7] Quick trips to the [C] zoo.
There’s nothing quite as [F] lonesome
As [G7] Q is without [C] U.

[C] Oh, Letter [F] Q,
[G7] What can it [C] do?
It just can’t [F] be
[G7] Away from [C] U!

[C] Q is such a quirky [F] letter.
[G7] It is useless on its [C] own.
Without U it cannot [F] Qualify,
It [G7] cannot stand a-[C]lone.
Q would be in such a [F] Quandary,
Without [G7] you to make it [C] sound.
I Quake to think what [F] Q would be
[G7] Without U [C] around!

[C] Oh, Letter [F] Q,
[G7] What can it [C] do?
It just can’t [F] be
[G7] Away from [C] U!

Stay & Play: Sticky Note Quilts

For this easy Stay & Play, I put out different colors of sticky notes, large white paper, and markers. I had brought a quilt to show the kids how they featured different patterns. They seemed to enjoy arranging their sticky notes on the paper, and then decorating them with the markers.

Do you have any favorite picture books or songs featuring the letter Q? Please share them in the comments below.

P is for Paint: A Storytime About the Letter P

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Happy New Year!

This week we had a lot of fun with the letter P in our Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime. As usual, I started by asking the kids to suggest words that started with the letter P, and I wrote these on my whiteboard. They came up with polar bear, park, pig and penguin. Then we drew the letter p in the air together. I also showed them two musical instruments: pan pipes and a penny whistle.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Peek-a-Moo by Marie Torres Cimarusti; illustrated by Stephanie Peterson

Really simple, but adorable lift-the-flap book, featuring different farm animals playing peek-a-boo. The kids enjoyed calling out the name of each animal before I lifted the flap to reveal which one it was.

A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Shawn Harris

Beautiful, simple story about a polar bear who emerges from the snow. Where is he going? The kids were mesmerized by the artwork and enjoyed roaring with the bear.

I Am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems

In this Elephant and Piggie book, Piggie is excited to receive a party invitation, but isn’t sure what to wear, so she asks Gerald to come with her. Gerald says they “must be ready” for it to be a fancy party, a pool party, or a costume party, and they end up dressing for all three. My coworker Claire and I read this one together and it got a lot of laughs.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow

One of my very favorite storytime books, about a boy whose mother tells him “you ain’t gonna paint no more,” but he can’t resist painting different parts of his body. It’s a parody of the song It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More, so I sing it to that tune. It’s fun to have the kids try to guess which body part the boy is planning to paint next, based on the rhyme. I gave out play scarves before I read this one, and had the kids pretend they were paintbrushes.

Songs:

Old MacDonald

We sang this one after reading Peek-a-Moo. I asked the kids to suggest different animals for each verse.

[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!

Going on a Bear Hunt

I read this to go along with A Polar Bear in the Snow. This was one of my favorite activities when I was a kid, and I love to throw it into a storytime.  The kids echo most of the lines (the ones in parentheses).  I like to play up wiping grass off my pants, and the mud off my feet, and shaking off the water from the lake.  It’s always a hit:

We’re going on a bear hunt!
(We’re going on a bear hunt!)
It’s a beautiful day!
(It’s a beautiful day!)
We’re not scared!
(We’re not scared!)

We’re coming to some grass.
(We’re coming to some grass).
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go through it.
(Have to go through it.)
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! (Rubbing hands together)

We’re coming to some mud.
(We’re coming to some mud.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go through it.
(Have to go through it).
Squilch! Squelch! Squilch! Squelch! (Clapping hands together).

We’re coming to a lake.
(We’re coming to a lake.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to swim across it.
(Have to swim across it.)
Splish! Splash! Splish! Splash!

We’re coming to a cave.
(We’re coming to a cave.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go inside.
(Have to go inside.)
Tiptoe…tiptoe…tiptoe…tiptoe…
It’s dark in here…
(It’s dark in here…)
It’s cold in here…
(It’s cold in here…)
Two yellow eyes…it’s a bear!

Run!
Swim across the lake!
Run through the mud!
Run through the grass!
Into the house!
Slam the door!
Lock it!
We’re never going on a bear hunt again!

Popcorn Kernels

I do this song every week with play scarves (like the JBrary video below) in my Family Storytime. But today, for Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put some colored pom-poms on our parachute and had the kids shake the parachute together along with the beat. They LOVED watching the pom-poms bounce up and down.

Popcorn kernels, Popcorn kernels,
In the pot, In the pot.
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
‘Till they pop! ‘Till they pop!

Polly Wolly Doodle

We sang this as our instrument play-along song at the end. It’s a traditional folk song with lots of variations, but the lyrics I used are below. Here’s a YouTube video from The Countdown Kids, in case you don’t know the tune:

Well, I went down [C] south for to see my gal,
Sing polly wolly doodle all the [G] day.
My Sal, she is a spunky gal,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

Behind the barn [C] down on my knees,
Sing polly wolly doodle all the [G] day.
I thought I heard a chicken sneeze,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

A peanut sat [C] on a railroad track,
His heart was all a- [G] flutter.
Around the bend came a train,
Toot! Toot! Peanut [C] butter!

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

Stay & Play: Painting

This was probably the most open-ended Stay & Play Activity I’ve done: free painting with washable paint. I just put out white cardstock and brushes, and then put a dollop of several different colors of paint on small plastic paint palettes.

Some of the caregivers told me it was the first time their kids had ever painted before, since they were nervous about the mess it would make at home. The kids had such a great time exploring the colors on the paper, and mixing them together. (One tip: I’ve learned to always provide a large plastic bag for people to put their brushes and palettes in when they’re done, so they don’t end up getting left on the table or falling on the floor).

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter P? Please share them in the comments below.