Monthly Archives: June 2024

Purple Prose: A Storytime About the Color Purple (and Indigo)

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I actually did this storytime a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t had a chance to post about it until now.

I’ve enjoyed doing this series of storytimes about the colors of the rainbow, but I admit I had a hard time deciding what to do about indigo. From everything I’ve read, indigo was included in the colors of the rainbow by Sir Isaac Newton because he attributed mystical significance to the number seven, and wanted there to be seven colors. But there are very few books (at least books that are simple enough for my storytime audience) about the color indigo. In the end, I talked a bit about the color at the beginning of my purple storytime, and then read the book Big Choo, which features a train with an indigo engine and a purple car.

Books:

Big Choo by Stephen Shaskan

Cute story about a little train who is determined to climb a big hill, with the encouragement of his father. The kids loved joining in on the train noises. As I mentioned in the intro, the engine of the train is indigo, but the book also features a purple train car, so it was provided a good way to show the difference between the two colors.

Purple Little Bird by Greg Foley

Adorable story about a little bird who paints everything purple, but isn’t completely happy with his house, so he goes on a journey to find the perfect home. The ending got a lot of laughs.

Sally and the Purple Socks by Lisze Bechtold

Funny story about a goose whose new purple socks keep growing, and growing, becoming a scarf, then curtains, then a blanket, and more. The kids were really engaged by this one.

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

I didn’t actually end up reading this because I had done it fairly recently, but I wanted to include it in my list since it’s such a classic (there’s also a movie adaptation coming out this fall). It was a favorite of my own kids when they were little, an imaginative story about a little boy whose drawings come to life. I especially love the part about the nine different kinds of pie.

Songs:

Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten

We sang this after reading Big Choo. I sing the adapted kids version by Elizabeth Mitchell, which is the one in the video below, although the original version is beautiful and has a fascinating back story. I usually ask the families to suggest places where they would like to go, and we sing a verse about each of those places.

[C] Freight train, freight train, [G7] going so fast.
[G7] Freight train, freight train, [C] going so fast.
[E7]Please don’t tell what [F] train I’m on,
So they [C] won’t know [G7] where I’ve [C] gone.

Going to Mexico, going so fast!
Going to Mexico, going so fast!
Please don’t tell what train I’m on,
So they won’t know where I’ve gone.

Two Little Purple Birds

We sang this after reading The Little Purple Bird, although it works well for any color (the original version is “Two Little Blackbirds”). We sang it with play scarves for Family Storytime.

Two little purple birds 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 purple birds 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 purple birds sitting in the snow.
One flew fast!
And the other flew slow!…

Two little purple birds sitting on a gate.
One was early, and the other was…late!…

The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley

We did this as our instrument play-along, and it was a big hit! The original song features several key changes, but I sang the whole thing in C. I actually only sang the first couple of verses, and then repeated the chorus several times, but I included the full version below.

[C] Well, I saw the thing comin’ out of the sky,
It had [G] one long horn, [C] one big eye.
I commenced to shakin’ and I [F] said “ooh-eee!”,
It [G] looks like a purple people eater to [C] me.

CHORUS:
[C] It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater.
[G] One-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater.
A [C] one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater.
[G] Sure looks strange to [C] me.

[C] Well, he came down to earth, and he lit in a tree.
I said, [G] “Mr. Purple People Eater, [C] don’t eat me.”
I heard him say in a [F] voice so gruff:
“I [G] wouldn’t eat you cause you’re so [C] tough!”

CHORUS

I said, “Mr. Purple People Eater, what’s your line?”
He said, “It’s eatin’ purple people and it sure is fine.
But that’s not the reason that I came to land..
I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band.”

Well, bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin’ purple people eater.
Pigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin’ purple people eater.
(We wear short shorts) Flyin’ purple people eater..
Sure looks strange to me.

And then he swung from the tree and he lit on the ground,
He started to rock, really rockin’ around.
It was a crazy ditty with a swingin’ tune..
Sing A bop bop-A-boppa-loppa-lim-bam-boom.

Well, bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin’ purple people eater.
Pigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin’ purple people eater.
I like short shorts!..Flyin’ little people eater.
Sure looks strange to me.

And then he went on his way, and then what do ya know?
I saw him last night on a TV show.
He was blowing it out, a’really knockin’ ’em dead..
Playin’ rock and roll music through the horn in his head.

Stay & Play: Flower Petal Collage

I love doing activities with flowers. For Outdoor Storytime, I gathered a variety of flowers from my yard (lavender, nasturtiums, geraniums, etc.) and them out on the tables with some white cardstock and glue sticks. The kids had a great time exploring the different colors and textures, as they arranged them on their paper and glued them down.

For Family Storytime, which gets a smaller crowd, I did the same basic activity, but taped squares of contact paper onto the table. The kids stuck the flowers onto the sticky part of the contact paper, and then we helped them seal them in with another piece of contact paper on top.

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the color purple (or indigo)? Please share them in the comments below.

Out of the Blue: A Storytime About the Color Blue

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This past week, I continued my rainbow color series of storytimes by focusing on the color blue. I started by asking the kids to suggest things that were blue. They enjoyed looking around and pointing at different things around them, including the sky, backpacks, blueberries, and blankets.

Here’s a combination of the books and songs I used for both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime.

Books:

Becoming Blue by Ellen Tarlow and Julien Chung

Blue wants to be more like Red, who seems to be so much more exciting and impressive. But he doesn’t seem to be able to be anything other than Blue. Finally Red tells him stop copying her and be blue, and he discovers the joys of being himself. The kids really liked the bright, colorful illustrations.

Roo Knows Blue by Renée Treml

Cute rhyming book about a kangaroo who says he knows blue, but does he really? The kids enjoyed calling out the names of the correct colors.

Blue vs Yellow by Tom Sullivan

Blue and Yellow both think they are the best colors, until they discover that together they can make something entirely different. The kids had fun calling out the names of the blue, yellow, and green things in the pictures.

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

I was thinking about this book recently, because it was one of my mother-in-law’s childhood favorites, and I wrote a song based on it for her for Mother’s Day. It’s a longer book than I usually read for storytime, but I decided to give it a try with my Family Storytime group, and they loved it. Such a sweet, classic story about a little girl and her mother, and a baby bear and his mother, who all get a big surprise while eating berries on Blueberry Hill.

Songs:

Peanut Butter & Jelly

I sang this one at Family Storytime to go along with Blueberries for Sal. I do a slightly different version of the one in the Super Simple Songs video below. I have the kids mime picking the peanuts and grapes (or whatever other fruit they suggest), mash them, spread them, and eat the sandwich. I usually pretend to have peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth at the end, and then we all mime pouring and drinking a glass of milk.

First you take the peanuts, and you pick ’em,
You pick ’em, you pick ’em, pick ’em, pick ’em.
Then you smash them, you smash them,
You smash ’em, smash ’em, smash ’em.
Then you spread ’em, you spread ’em.
You spread ’em, spread ’em, spread ’em.
Singing, “Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!
Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!”

Then you take the grapes and you pick ’em,
You pick ’em, you pick ’em, pick ’em, pick ’em.
Then you smash them, you smash them,
You smash ’em, smash ’em, smash ’em.
Then you spread ’em, you spread ’em.
You spread ’em, spread ’em, spread ’em.
Singing, “Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!
Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!”

Then you take the sandwich and you bite it,
You bite it, you bite it, bite it, bite it.
Then you chew it, you chew it, you chew it,
Chew it, Chew it.
Then you swallow it, you swallow it,
You swallow it, swallow it, swallow it.
Singing, “Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!
Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!”

Shoo Fly

I did this song to go along with Roo Knows Blue. In Family Storytime, I passed out play scarves for the kids to wave on the chorus. I do this version of the song from Greg and Steve, and ask the kids to suggest different animals they would like to be.

Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me! (Wave hands or scarf as if shooing a fly)
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me!
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me,
I’ll tell you what I want to be.
I hop, I hop,
I hop like a kangaroo.
I hop, I hop,
I hop like a kangaroo.


Oh, Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me.
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me!
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me,
I’ll tell you what I want to be.

I wiggle, I wiggle, I wiggle like a wiggling worm…

The Waves on the Ocean

We did this one with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime, and put a stuffed animal on top to go up and down with the waves. It’s to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus:

The waves on the ocean go up and down,
Up and down, Up and down.
The waves on the ocean go up and down,
All day long!

Baby Beluga by Raffi

This one was a bit of a stretch, but I used it for our instrument play-along because of the “deep blue sea” line. The kids always love it.

C] Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea
Swim so wild and you [G7] swim so free
Heaven above and the sea below
And a little white whale [C] on the go

CHORUS
[F] Baby Beluga, [C] Baby Beluga, [D] is the water warm?
Is your mama home [G7] with you so happy?
[C] Way down yonder where the dolphins play
Where you dive and [G7] splash all day
Waves roll in and the waves roll out
[G] See the water squirting [C] out of your spout


CHORUS
[F] Baby Beluga, [C] Baby Beluga, [D] sing your little song,
Sing for all your friends. [G7] We love to hear you!
[C] When it’s dark you’re home and fed
Curl up snug in your [G7] water bed
Moon is shining and the stars are out
Good night, little whale, [C] goodnight

CHORUS
[F] Baby Beluga, [C] Baby Beluga, [D] with tomorrow’s sun,
Another day’s begun. [G7] You’ll soon be waking.
[C] Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you [G7] swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale [C] on the go.
[G7] You’re just a little white whale [C] on the go!

Stay & Play: Glow Glue Painting

We happened to have a lot of blue glow-in-the-dark glue, along with other colors, left over from a STEAM program last summer, so I decided to use it for a very simple process art activity. For the Stay & Play, I put out paper plates with small quantities of different colors of glue, along with cotton swabs (Q-tips), and black construction paper. The kids had fun drawing with the glue on the paper, and were excited to take it home to see their paintings glow in the dark. My Family Storytime kids, who tend to be a bit order, had a great time mixing different colors of glue on the plates to make different colors.

Do you have any favorite books or songs about the color blue? Please share them in the comments below.

Green Means Go: A Storytime About the Color Green

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Last week in Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime, we enjoyed books, songs, and activities celebrating the color Green. As usual, I started out by asking the kids to name things that were Green. They suggested: trees, grass, snakes, and turtles.

Here’s a combination of everything I did for both storytimes.

Books:

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

A beautiful celebration of all of the different shades of green, with cut out shapes revealing colors on the next page. The kids enjoyed calling out things they saw in the illustrations: a lizard, a sea turtle, a tiger, etc.

There’s an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer

This was one of my favorite books to read to my own kids when they were little: a story about a boy who finds a way to lure the alligator under his bed out into the garage, using a trail of food. The kids loved making munching noises.

Mama Don’t Allow by Thatcher Hurd

Cute, musical story about a band of animals who agree to perform on a riverboat full of alligators, with dangerous consequences. I gave out egg shakers before we read this one in Family Storytime, and the kids enjoyed playing them whenever the band played in the story.

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

Adorable rhyming book about different types of sheep, with the repeated line, “But where in the green sheep?” Several families said this was a favorite of theirs.

Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

Always a hit! This is such a simple, magical book. I had the kids at Family Storytime turn the pages to make the different parts of the monster’s face disappear.

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrated by Jen Corace

An old favorite of mine, by one of my favorite picture book authors. Little Pea dreads having to eat his candy for dinner every night, but is excited to have spinach for dessert.

Turtle Walk by Matt Phelan

Simple story about a group of turtles walking to a place to play in the snow. I had the kids walk in place as I read. They enjoyed calling out “No!” each time I read “Are we there yet?”

Songs & Rhymes:

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

We sang this after reading Go Away, Big Green Monster in Family Storytime. I like to do it three times, getting faster each time.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
And eyes and ears, and mouth and nose.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

Red Light, Green Light

I did this as an activity after we read Green. I basically had the kids do different actions (running in place, jumping, clapping, stomping, etc.). I called out “Green Light” to have them start the action, and “Red Light” to make them stop. The kids loved it!

Down By the Banks of the Hanky Panky

This is one of my favorite lapsit rhymes for baby storytime, where caregivers bounce their babies from knee to knee. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I did it with the parachute, and put a frog puppet on top. The kids got a kick out of watching the frog bounce around on the parachute, as we shook it time to the rhyme.

Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,
With a hip, hop, a hippy hop,
Jump off the lily pad and
Ker-PLOP!

Little Bo Peep

We did this rhyme after reading Where is the Green Sheep? in Family Storytime. I handed out the play scarves, and we did the motions from this JBrary video:

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep (hide scarf behind your back)
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they’ll come home (wave scarf in front of you)
Wagging their tails behind them! (wag scarf behind you like a tail)

I Had a Little Turtle

Another fun song from JBrary:

I had a little turtle,
His name is Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub,
To see if he could swim.

He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap,
And now he’s home sick in bed
With bubbles in his throat!

Bubble, bubble, bubble,
Bubble, bubble, POP!
Bubble, bubble, bubble,
Bubble, bubble, POP!

I’ll See You Later, Alligator

I wrote this song after a storytime discussion about the differences between alligators and crocodiles. We did it as our instrument play-along for Outdoor Musical Storytime. I made a video with photos of alligators and crocodiles to illustrate the differences described in the song:

[C] If you see something in the water
With [F] scales and lots of teeth,
[G7] Looking like a floating log
With [C] four legs underneath.
[C] You can tell that it must be a type
Of [F] dangerous reptile.
But is it an alli[C]-gator
Or a [G7] hungry croco[C]-dile?

I’ll see you [F] later, Alligator, (open and close your hands like an alligator mouth)
With your [G7] mouth shaped like a [C] U, (put the base of your hands together to make a U shape)
But [F] Crocodile, with the V-shaped [G7] smile, (straighter your hands to make a V shape)
It’ll be a while (tap your wrist)
‘Till I see [C] you. (point)

[C] Alligators like to live in swamps,
While [F] crocs prefer a river.
No [G7] matter where you find them,
They’re sure to make you [C] shiver.
On crocs you see their bottom teeth,
On [F] gators just the top.
If you’re able to see [C] either,
You’re [G7] way too close, so [C] STOP!

I’ll see you [F] later, Alligator,
With your [G7] mouth shaped like a [C] U,
But [F] Crocodile, with the V-shaped [G7] smile,
It’ll be a while
‘Till I see [C] you.

A [C] crocodile has lighter skin,
While [F] gator’s skin is dark,
To [G7] help them hide out in the mud
Waiting to [C] catch their mark.
Learning of their differences
Can [F] be a lot of fun,
But one thing they have in [C] common,
If you [G7] see one you should [C] run!

I’ll see you [F] later, Alligator,
With your [G7] mouth shaped like a [C] U,
But [F] Crocodile, with the V-shaped [G7] smile,
It’ll be a while
‘Till I see [C] you.

Stay & Play: Paper Plate Turtles

I found this craft idea on GluedtoMyCraftsBlog.com. Before the storytime, I cut out simple head, tail, and leg shapes from green construction paper. I happened to have some precut cellophane squares in different colors, left over from some other activity. For the Stay & Play, I put out white paper plates, the cut out shapes, the cellophane squares, glue sticks and markers. The kids had fun assembling and decorating their turtles.

Do you have any favorite books or songs about the color green? Please share them in the comments below.