Several of our library branches recently started offering seed libraries, where patrons can take home free seeds, and also donate seeds of their own.
Although I was eager to offer this program in the two small libraries I work in, I wasn’t sure how to make them work, since our space is very limited. Most of the other libraries were organizing the seeds into drawers or even giving out seedlings in pots. But I found a suggestion online of organizing the seeds into a large binder full of plastic sleeves with four pockets on each page.
It’s a very low-tech set up, but it allows us to display the binder on a shelf with our Library of Things (the place where we display other items like ukuleles, sewing machines, karaoke machines, and laptops). There are small envelopes provided in the front pocket of the binder so that patrons can take only the seeds that they need.
At first I wasn’t sure if anyone was taking advantage of the seed libraries, since I rarely see anyone looking at the binders. But every time I checked, I noticed that a lot of the seeds and envelopes were gone. Then, a few weeks ago, I received an email from a local high school teacher who was thrilled to have been able to take free seeds for her classroom. She sent me these photos of the plants her students had been growing for a science unit.
The funniest thing about starting the seed library is that it’s changed my own interest in seeds. I now find myself saving seeds from fruits and vegetables at home and sticking them in small pots to see if they will grow. I’m hoping to see which ones are the most successful, so that I can save those seeds in the future to add to the seed binder.
All in all, I’ve been so surprised and excited to see how well-received this initiative has been, even with our very low-key set-up.
If you have run or used a seed library, I would love to hear what things worked best for you. Please share your experiences and ideas in the comments below.
By a happy coincidence, we arrived at the Letter G in the week before Halloween, which allowed me to do my favorite Ghost book for both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime.
As usual, I started by sharing several items that start with the Letter G: a pair of swim goggles, my glasses, and a guiro (a wooden instrument. Mine is shaped like a frog). I also asked the kids for suggestions. They came up with ghost, goat, girl, and gorilla.
Here’s a combination of the songs and books I used for both storytimes:
I don’t know how I missed this one, but it was absolutely perfect for storytime, with large, bright, illustrations, a cute story, and even a plotline involving underpants, which always gets some giggles. The story is about a goat who gets bored with his usual meals and decides to spice up his diet with the dog’s food, the cat’s milk, the pig’s potato peelings, the farmer’s wife’s new plant, the farmer’s daughter’s shoes, and the farmer’s brand new underpants. Not surprisingly, the goat doesn’t feel well after that, and even changes colors (the kids loved calling out the color names).
The tricky thing about Family Storytime is that I never know exactly what age groups are likely to show up from week to week, so I usually try to have a range of options. I often have slightly older kids (up to age 6), so I had brought a couple of longer books (Gorilla! Gorilla! by Jeanne Willis and The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson), but in the end I had a couple of new families with toddlers, who were just settling in to storytime, so I read this one instead. It’s one of my favorites: a story about a gorilla who everyone in the great green forest loves, until one day he begins to grow and grow and grow into a BIG gorilla. And everyone still loves him.
This is my favorite Halloween book for toddlers and preschoolers, since it’s more whimsical than scary. A girl moves into an old house at the edge of town, which happens to be haunted. Luckily, the girl is a witch, who quickly catches all the ghosts, puts them in the washing machine, dries them on the line, and puts them to work as cheerful looking curtains, tablecloths, and blankets. We had given out play scarves before we read this one, and I had the kids toss their scarves in the air and catch them on the pages where the witch catches the ghosts.
This classic story also worked perfectly for both our letter G theme and Halloween. The book describes the multicolored features of Big Green Monster’s face (two big yellow eyes, a long bluish-greenish nose, etc.), and then makes them disappear one-by-one. The kids still had their play scarves, and I had them wave them in the air and say, “Poof!” every time I said, “Go Away!” to one of the monster’s facial features.
Songs & Rhymes:
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
We sang this one after The Greedy Goat. I asked the kids to suggest what Old MacDonald had on his farm for each verse. They came up with a robot, a cow, a pig, a sheep, and a unicorn.
[C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm, E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O! And on that farm he [F] had a [C] goat, E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O! With a maa-maa here, and a maa-maa there, Here a maa, there a maa, Everywhere a maa-maa. [C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm, E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!
Ten Candles on a Birthday Cake
I did this rhyme as a follow-up to Little Gorilla for Family Storytime.
Ten candles on a birthday cake (hold up ten fingers) All lit up for me (point to yourself) I make a wish and blow them out. Watch and you will see! (blow on fingers and quickly close hands into fists)
After we did the rhyme with ten candles, I asked the ages of the kids, and we did it again with six candles, then four, then three, then two, then one. I usually joke about doing my own age, which, of course, would require much more than ten fingers.
We Are Scary Ghosts
We handed out play scarves before singing this one. I had the kids put them on their faces as we sang and pretended to “float” down the street, and then pull them off when we said, “BOO!”
We are scary ghosts floating down the street, Walking down the street, Walking down the street. We are scary ghosts walking down the street, We’ll scare you…BOO!
Have You Seen the Ghost of John?
This is a deliciously creepy Halloween song, which also works really well as a round if you have two or three strong singers to lead it.
[Dm] Have you seen the [Gm] ghost of [Dm] John? [Dm] Long white bones with the [Am] skin all [Dm] gone. [Dm] Oooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh… [Dm] Wouldn’t it be [G m] chilly with [Am] no skin [Dm] on?
Stay & Play: Cotton Ball Ghosts
For our Stay & Play, I put out black construction paper, cotton balls, glue sticks, googly eyes, and dot markers for the kids to make cotton ball ghosts. I was amazed by the different designs they came up with. In my example, I had made a ghost shape out of the cotton balls, and then put the googly eyes on top, but many of the kids opted to put their eyes directly on the paper, with cotton balls scattered across the page in different ways. Several of them had ghosts with lots of eyes as well. Spooky fun!
Do you have favorite books or songs featuring the Letter G? Please share them in the comments below.
As a kid, I was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz, to the point that on my first day of Kindergarten, I insisted that my name was Dorothy. Every year, I looked forward to watching the movie on TV with a heady mixture of excitement and dread. I was terrified of the Wicked Witch and the flying monkeys, but also thrilled at the prospect of travelling to a world full of magic and talking animals.
As I got older, I became equally obsessed with the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, which were full of fascinating characters and new ways for Dorothy to find herself back in the magical land.
As a kid, I think my love of the Oz stories was largely about the dream of escaping to a place where magical things could happen. But lately I’ve been thinking about how the world is already pretty magical. At the touch of a few buttons, I can listen to almost any song, watch thousands of movies and TV shows, have incredible food appear right outside my door, and have whole boxes of random items fly across the country just for me. I know I often take all of these things for granted, but I’m sure to someone from an earlier time (even L. Frank Baum himself perhaps), it would all seem like sorcery.
But when I wrote this song, I wasn’t thinking about the magic of Oz, but about the Wizard. At the time, I was frustrated by all of the bigwigs in the news who get so much attention, just for having money and celebrity. And it reminded me of how one of the big lessons of the first Oz book is that the “Wonderful Wizard” Dorothy goes to for help turns out to be a man who ended up in Oz by accident, just like she did– a man who got very good at projecting a larger-than-life persona while hiding behind a screen.
The Emerald City
We travelled to the Emerald City Through the land of Oz, Hoping the Wizard would take pity And rally to our cause. But despite his booming voice And shining riches, He was just a man behind a screen. Just a man pretending he had all the answers, In his palace made of green.
We don’t need witches, And we don’t need wizards. They cause more problems in the end. The true magic lies in what we have together In the company of friends.
When the cyclone came, I was tossed around and twisted, My whole life was torn away. Waking up to things I never knew existed, And colors brighter than the brightest Kansas day. And strange new people Who joined me on the journey. They felt just like my family. We were wiser, kinder, braver all together Than any “magic man” could be.
We don’t need witches And we don’t need wizards. They’re nothing special in the end. The true answers lie in fighting for each other In our company of friends.
There may be golden roads But they will never lead you home, They only lead to humbugs Who are not what they pretend. And though you may be quite impressed By witches North, South, East, or West. Their claims will not hold water in the end.
When we arrived at last And told him our position, The Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion and me. The Wizard sent us on a deadly mission, To fight his greatest enemy. And when the witch was washed away Her monkeys had a lot to say: They were taking orders just like me. The wizard floated off in his big balloon to nowhere. And the land of Oz was free.
We don’t need witches And we don’t need wizards. They are only serving their own ends. We will find we have everything we ever needed In our company of friends.
Thanks for listening! If you have any favorite childhood books you would like me to write a song about, please tell me in the comments below.
Continuing our Reading through the Alphabet series of storytimes, this week we had fun celebrating the letter C for both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime.
I started by holding up a Cat stuffed animal, Corn, a Carrot, and a Chicken. I wrote the words on a whiteboard and asked the kids what they had in common. Then we drew the letter C in the air together, before reading our first book.
The classic story about a peddler whose caps are stolen by a tree-full of monkeys. Although it’s a longer story than I usually do for my Outdoor Musical Storytime, the kids loved acting out the part of the monkeys: shaking their hands and saying, “Tsz! Tsz! Tsz!”
Chameleon! by Joy Coyley; photographs by Nic Bishop
I did this one for my Family Storytime. The text is very simple, following the adventures of a beautiful chameleon as he looks for food and avoids danger. The kids were mesmerized by the large, colorful photographs.
Fun variation of the classic rhyme, featuring a wide range of animals, including a raven, a beaver, and a turtle. The illustrations are colorful and fun, and the kids loved the ending, where the culprit turned out to be a whole bunch of ants.
I couldn’t resist including this essential classic about the hungry caterpillar who eats a wide variety of foods on his journey to becoming a beautiful butterfly. The kids enjoyed calling out the names of the different fruits.
Songs:
Monkey See, Monkey Do
This is one of my old standbys, which the kids always seem to enjoy. I asked them for suggestions on things the monkey could do, and they came up with jumping, galloping, and shaking their tails.
When you clap, clap, clap your hands,
The monkey clap, clap, claps his hands,
Monkey see, and monkey do,
The monkey does the same as you!
Repeat with other motions: when you jump up and down; make a funny face; turn yourself around; and sit back on the ground.
Do You See the Color Blue?
We sang this one after reading Chameleon! The kids had the best time pointing out everything they could see that matched the color we were singing about. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?
Do you see the color blue, the color blue, the color blue?
Do you see the color blue, right here in this room?
Do you see the color red… etc.
Butterfly Song
My coworker Angela taught me this one, which we sang after reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I handed out play scarves before we sang it, and had the kids bundle them up to be chrysalises and wave them in the air to be butterflies. The song is to the tune of Up on the Housetop. Here’s a video by Colleen Niedermeyer:
First comes a butterfly (Wave scarf)
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).
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Out of the chrysalis, my, oh, my!
Out comes a beautiful butterfly! (Wave scarf).
Candy Corn for Dinner
We sang this as our instrument play-along (after handing out the shakers). This was one of the first songs I ever wrote.
[C] Mom and dad put me in charge of our [G] dinner to-[C]night. [C] They said I could make anything as [D] long as we ate [G] right. [C] I had to serve some vegetables, a [G] salad, and a [C] stew. I thought a while and cooked a bit, and here is [G] my me-[C]nu.
CHORUS [F] We’re having candy corn for [C] dinner [G7] With a side of [C] chocolate stew. A [F] three jelly bean [C] salad, [G7] And an ice cream sandwich [C] too.
[C] I don’t know why Mom and Dad say [G] cooking is a [C] chore. [C] ‘Cause I had such a great time [D] going to the grocery [G] store. [C] My Mom said we were out of milk, so I [G] bought a big milk-[C] shake. And since my Dad likes cheese so much, I bought him a [G] cheese-[C] cake.
CHORUS [F] We’re having candy corn for [C] dinner [G7] With a side of [C] chocolate stew. A [F] three jelly bean [C] salad, [G7] And an ice cream sandwich [C] too.
[F] Life is [C] better [G7] when it’s [C] sweet, [F] Like a big hot [C] plate of [G7] Rice Krispie treat.
[C] So if you have to cook tonight, I hope you’ll [G] learn from [C] me. [C] And make your family carrot cake or [D] cherries jubi-[G]lee [C] Even if they don’t approve, you can [G] count it as a [C] win. You’ll have a yummy dinner and you’ll never have to [G] cook a-[C]gain
CHORUS [F] We’re having candy corn for [C] dinner [G7] With a side of [C] chocolate stew. A [F] three jelly bean [C] salad, [G7] And an ice cream sandwich [C] too.
STAY AND PLAY: DOT MARKER CATERPILLARS
For the Stay and Play, I put out dot markers, white cardstock, markers and googly eyes. As usual, I told the kids they could make caterpillars, or whatever else they wanted with the art supplies. There were some really fun dot marker and line creations.
What are your favorite books or songs about the letter C? Please share them in the comments below.
I had planned on doing this storytime way back in March, in honor of National Save a Spider Day on March 14, but since it’s an outdoor storytime, it kept getting cancelled due to rain. I had fun doing it today though, especially because we had a couple of older preschoolers, which allowed for some longer books.
This is one of my favorite nursery rhyme adaptations. It takes the traditional “Itsy Bitsy” song and adds additional verses about the spider’s attempts to climb a wall, a pail, and a rocking chair, before finally spinning a web at the top of a maple tree. The illustrations are adorable.
Another all-time favorite picture book of mine. In this one, a lovable spider tries to become a family pet, but keeps getting put outside, until finally one of the family members notices her beautiful sparkling webs. The kids enjoyed joining in on the repeated “Aaaargh, Spider! Out You Go!” refrain. (The large text provides a great opportunity to point out the big words on the page, and help them make the text to speech connection). The ending got lots of laughs (and shudders!).
I love this Backyard Books series, which uses a simple conversational approach to teaching young kids about the life-cycle of small creatures like spiders and snails. In this one, the author explains that if you’re a spider, you will hatch out of an egg, spin a web, eat flies, and have to be very careful to avoid birds and wasps. It was a much longer book than I usually read for this storytime, but I was happy to hear the families talking about how spiders have eight legs and eight eyes during the Stay & Play at the end.
Songs:
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
When I do this song with toddlers and babies, I usually tell them that they can do the traditional finger motions (as shown here in this video by Katie Cutie Kids TV), or just wiggle their fingers like spider legs, or creep their hands up their bodies (it’s fun to have the grown-ups do this with babies, which gets lots of giggles). I usually do a second verse about the “Great Big Hairy Spider,” which we sing in a low voice, and sometimes add in a verse about the “Teensy Weensy Spider” in a high voice.
The [C] itsy bitsy spider went [G7] up the water [C] spout. [C] Down came the rain and [F] washed the spider [C] out. [C] Out came the sun and [G7] dried up all the [C] rain, and the [C] itsy bitsy spider went [G7] up the spout [C] again.
I’m a Hungry Spider
To the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot” (If you don’t know the tune, here’s a video by Sing With Bella). We used the ASL sign for Spider for the first line.
I’m a hungry spider (Sign for Spider)
Look at me! (Point to yourself)
Eight legs to walk on, (Wiggle eight fingers)
And eight eyes to see (Point to your eyes).
When a bug gets caught in my web (Move your finger in the air like a fly),
Here I come!
I wrap it up tight (Move your hands in circles),
And YUM! YUM! YUM! (Mime eating).
There’s a Spider on the Floor
To the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It. This is an old Raffi song, although I usually change the lyrics a little. Claire mimed the actions with a spider puppet, while the rest of us made spiders with our hands.
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?…
Un Elefante
This is a traditional Mexican children’s song, which you can hear below in this video from VideoKids TV Canciones. The Spanish lyrics mean “An elephant balanced on a spider’s web. When he saw that it ‘resisted’ (held his weight), he called another elephant.”
If you’d like an English version of the song (with a slightly different meaning to the lyrics), here’s a video of a cute one from Canticos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1XC8cuio24)
[C] Un elefante se balanceaba, sobre la tela de una a-[G]raña. Como veía que resistía, fue a llamar a otro ele-[C]fante.
Dos elefantes se balanceaban, sobre la tela de una araña. Como veían que resistía, fueron a llamar a otro elefante.
Tres elefantes…
Stay & Play: Paint Splotch Spiders
This was really simple and fun! Before the storytime, I folded pieces of white cardstock in half lengthwise (like a book). For the Stay & Play, I put out the folded cardstock, two colors of tempera paint, googly eyes (the kind with sticker backs), and markers.
To make the spider shape, the kids opened their folded cardstock and dropped a small drop of paint of each color along the center fold (it helps to have an adult supervise this, so they don’t end up with too much paint). They then folded the cardstock again, and pressed down on it to spread the paint. When they opened the cardstock again, they had a symmetrical shape that they decorated with googly eyes and markers.
In the two examples above, the kids (both preschoolers) were making an effort to count out eight eyes, although they got a little carried away on the legs. It was great to hear them counting though!
What are your favorite books about spiders? Please share them in the comments below.
Among the little known celebrations I’ve discovered while trying to come up with themes for storytime is World Monkey Day, a celebration of all things monkey on December 14. So today we did stories and songs about monkeys. Here’s what we did:
This is a longer story than I typically read for my toddler-heavy storytime crowd, but it worked because of all of the motions. It’s a classic story about a peddler, who takes a nap under a tree, and wakes to find that all of his caps have been stolen by monkeys. At this point I asked the kids if they were ready to be monkeys, and had them act out all of the monkey motions: shaking one fist, shaking both hands, stamping one foot, etc., all while saying “tsz tsz tsz!” They loved it! Sometimes I’ve done this one with play scarves, and had the kids pretend the scarves were caps.
Another fun, interactive book, with large colorful illustrations. In this one, the narrator is ready to count the monkeys, but they keep getting scared away by different animals: one king cobra, two mongooses, etc. The kids are asked to help out by yelling, “scram!”, moving their hands in a zig-zag, and other silly motions. The asides (like wondering about the plural of mongoose) are hilarious. Always a hit!
This simple rhyming book was one of my daughter’s absolute favorites as a toddler. The repeated chant goes “Monkey and me, Monkey and me, Monkey and me, we went to see, we went to see some…” and then reveals a different animal (penguins, kangaroos, bats, elephants, etc.). The kids loved shouting out the different animals each time.
Songs:
Monkey See and Monkey Do
I don’t remember where I learned this song, but it’s one I’ve been doing for years.
When you clap, clap, clap your hands,
The monkey clap, clap, claps his hands,
Monkey see, and monkey do,
The monkey does the same as you!
Repeat with other motions: when you jump up and down; make a funny face; turn yourself around; and sit back on the ground.
[C] Five monkeys were playing on the bed. One fell off and bumped his [G7] head. Mama called the doctor, and [F] the doctor said, [C] “No more monkeys [G7] jumping on the [C] bed!”
[C] “No more monkeys jumping on the bed! No more monkeys [G7] jumping on the bed! [C] No more monkeys [F] jumping on the bed!” [C] That is what the [G7] doctor [C] said.
Four monkeys were jumping on the bed…
(Repeat, counting down to one…)
One monkey was playing on the bed, She fell off and bumped her head. Mama called the children, and the children said, “YES! More monkeys jumping on the bed!”
“Yes! More monkeys jumping on the bed! Yes! More monkeys jumping on the bed! Yes! More monkeys jumping on the bed!” That is what the children said.
Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton
We did this song as our instrument play-along at the end. Here’s the tune:
Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow (C) Zoo tomorrow, Zoo tomorrow. (G7) Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow, (C) And we can stay all day. (C G7)
CHORUS: We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo! (F) How about you, you, you? (C) You can come too, too, too! (G7) We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo! (C G7 C)
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
Stay & Play: Jungle Collage
This was a really simple activity, but the kids got really into it. I printed and cut out pictures of two different types of monkeys: an emperor tamarin and a macaque. For the Stay & Play, I put out green card stock, glue sticks, the monkey pictures, markers, and some leaves and small plants (mostly oxalis) from my yard.
The kids enjoyed gluing the monkey pictures to the paper, and then sticking the plants around and on top of them to make a kind of jungle scene, and decorating with markers. As a funny aside, I mentioned that the emperor tamarin is one of my very favorite animals, and I used to love watching them at the San Francisco Zoo. And then one of the Moms said that she used to work with the emperor tamarins there, before they got rid of that exhibit a few years ago. I was so excited to talk to her about them, especially since she said they were a lot of fun to work with.
What are your favorite books and songs about monkeys? Please share them in the comments below.
I had never done this book before, but it was absolutely perfect. The farmer brings each animal their favorite food: the horse gets hay, the chickens feed, the geese corn, etc. But the cow loves cookies! Why? Because every day she gives the farmer milk and they enjoy a nice treat together. The kids loved naming the animals, making the sound for each, and chiming in on the repeated line, “The cow loves cookies!” The rhyming text is charming, and the illustrations are large and colorful.
Several of the kids had read this one already, and were very excited to see it again. Claire read the part of the Duckling, and I read the Pigeon. When the Duckling asks for and is quickly given a cookie (with nuts!), the Pigeon is outraged. No one ever gives him anything he asks for. But then the Duckling gives the cookie to him. Featuring lots of callbacks to the other Pigeon books, and a funny twist at the end.
A twist on the classic “Who Took the Cookie?” rhyme, this book features a mother Kangaroo asking all of the other animals who ate all of the cookie dough. The answer is hiding in her pouch! Claire read the part of the mother Kangaroo, and I read all of the other animals.
Songs:
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
We sang this to go along with The Cow Loves Cookies. Claire held up different animal puppets for each verse: a chicken, a dog, a horse, and a cow. Always a hit:
C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm,
E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!
And on that farm he [F] had a [C] pig,
E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!
With an oink-oink here, and an oink-oink there,
Here an oink, there an oink,
Everywhere an oink-oink.
[C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm,
E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!
Six Little Ducks
We sang this as a follow-up to The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?
[C] Six little ducks that I [G7] once knew, [C] Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones too. [G7] But the one little duck with the feather on his back. [C] He led the others with his “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Chorus:
[G7] “Quack! Quack! Quack! [C] Quack! Quack! Quack!” [G7] He led the others with his [C]“Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Down to the river they would go, Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, to and fro. But the one little duck with the feather on his back, He led the others with his “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Chorus
Home from the river they would come, Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, ho hum hum. But the one little duck with the feather on his back, He led the others with his “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
Chorus
If All the Raindrops
I love to throw this song in whenever we read a book about food. For the second and third times we sang it, I asked the kids to suggest food they would like to fall from the sky. The mentioned chocolate and cookies, and blueberries and cake.
[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] 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 blueberries and cake, etc…
C Is For Cookie by Joe Raposo
We had to do this tribute to my favorite Sesame Street monster as our instrument play-along. I just sang the chorus through four times. On the last time, I had the kids sing it in their best Cookie Monster voice. I also help up a paper with the word “Cookie” written in large letters as a visual.
[C] C is for Cookie, that’s good enough for me.
[F] C is for Cookie, that’s good enough for me.
[G] C is for Cookie, that’s [F] good enough for me,
[G] Oh, Cookie, Cookie, Cookie, starts with [C] C.
Stay & Play: Paper Gingerbread People
The kids always love decorating pictures with googly eyes, and other items, and this easy craft was no exception. I printed out this template from 4freeprintable.com and gave the kids markers, glue sticks, googly eyes, buttons, and pom-poms. All of their creations were unique and colorful!
What are your favorite books or songs about cookies? Or your favorite cookie recipes? Please share them in the comments below.
Pumpkins are a really big deal out here on the coast, especially just South of us in Half Moon Bay, where they just held their annual Pumpkin Festival. So today we did a pumpkin-themed storytime, which was a lot of fun.
I started out by holding up a small pumpkin, and asking if anyone had gone to a pumpkin patch or carved a pumpkin. I also taught the ASL sign for Pumpkin, before we read our first book.
In this cute take on the traditional Going on a Bear Hunt rhyme, several animals go on a nighttime adventure to find a pumpkin. The kids enjoyed chiming in on the “Not me’s!” whenever the book asked’ “I’m not scared. Are you?” and acting out the different actions described in the story. One girl was so taken with the illustrations that she came up to point at different things happening in each picture,”Pig in a boat!”
Simple, beautifully illustrated story about the different steps involved in growing a pumpkin. I had the kids mime the actions (digging a hole, planting the seeds, etc).
This counting rhyme about disappearing pumpkins features lots of favorite Halloween characters: ghosts, mummies, witches, etc. The older kids loved calling out the number of pumpkins remaining on each page before we counted them together.
Songs & Rhymes:
Pumpkin Patch
I learned this rhyme from an Orff Music teacher years ago, so I don’t know who wrote it, but it’s a fun one to do with a group.
Pumpkin Patch, Pumpkin Patch, (crouch down low) Walking all around in my pumpkin patch. Here is a pumpkin, nice and fat (spread arms wide), Turns into a jack-o-lantern, just like that! (make a scary face!)
There Was a Pumpkin on a Vine
This one is to the tune of Aiken Drum. Claire held up a paper pumpkin, and added the different parts of the face as we sang. Here’s the tune to Aiken Drum, in case you are not familiar with it. It’s another old favorite of mine.
[C] There was a pumpkin [F] on a vine, [C] On a vine, [G] on a vine. There [C] was a pumpkin [F] on a vine, And his [C] name was [G] Jack-O- [C] Lantern.
And we gave him two triangle eyes, Triangle eyes, Triangle eyes. We gave him two triangle eyes, And his name was Jack-O-Lantern.
And we gave him a big circle nose…
And we gave him a rectangle mouth…
And we put him in the window!
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, “Oh my! It’s getting late! The second one said, “There are witches in the air!” The third one said, “But WE don’t care!” The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run!” (run in place) The five one said, “This is Halloween fun!” Then, “OOOH” went the wind, and OUT (clap!) went the light! And the five little pumpkins rolled (roll your hands) out of sight.
The Pumpkin Pirate
I wrote this silly song to go with pumpkins and Halloween. You are welcome to use it if you like:
[Am] I’m gonna be a pumpkin pirate, [C] My name is Lantern Jack. [F] My pumpkin boat will stay afloat [E7] ‘cross the Seven Seas and back.
[Am] I’m gonna be a pumpkin pirate. [C] A real squash buckler, I! [F] My pumpkin patch remains unmatched. [E7] My pirate flag waves high!
[F] I’ll search for golden treasure, [C] But I won’t go overboard. [F] With a yo ho ho, away I’ll go [E7] In my trusty orange gourd.
[Am] I’m gonna be a pumpkin pirate. [C] My boat serves all my needs [F] Cause whenever I get hungry [E7] I’ll just roast some pumpkin seeds
[Am] I’m gonna be a pumpkin pirate. [C] In my boat I’ll travel far [F] And if you’d like to go with me [E7] I’ll meet you where you [Am] ARRRR!
Stay & Play: Paper Jack-O-Lanterns
This was a super easy process art activity, but the kids were really into it! I printed out blank pumpkin templates on orange paper, and cut some triangles out of black construction paper. For the Stay & Play, I put out the templates, black triangles, googly eyes, and markers, along with some black paper and scissors. I told the kids they could decorate their pumpkins however they liked. They all turned out differently, and the kids were so absorbed that many of them didn’t want to stop decorating their pumpkins when it was time for us to gather up the supplies.
What are your favorite books about pumpkins? Please share them in the comments below.
I love a picture book with lots of sound effects for the kids to join in on. This one offers lots of opportunities to “Whirrr!” and “Chomp!” A rhyming story about three toy trucks who are too busy to go home, and keep asking to stay a few minutes more. Both the kids and the grown-ups could relate to the story, and the colorful illustrations are adorable.
This is an old favorite of mine, about a boy searching for his lost teddy bear in the woods, who stumbles upon a giant teddy bear…and its even bigger owner!
The classic story about a toddler’s efforts to tell her father about her missing stuffed animal. This book is so much fun to read, and always a hit with both kids and their parents.
Songs:
Construction Song
I found this song on Step By Step Childcare, and it made a great follow-up to Three Grumpy Trucks. It’s to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell:
The backhoe scoops the dirt,
The backhoe scoops the dirt,
Hey-ho, look at them go!
The backhoe scoops the dirt.
The crane goes up and down…
The cement mixer stirs…
The dump truck bumps away…
The Jack-in-the-Box
Since we were doing a toy theme, I brought a Jack-in-the-Box to show the kids. It was hilarious to see the kids’ expressions whenever the toy popped out. I followed it up with this song:
The Jack-in-the-Box jumps up (squat down and then jump up)
The Jack-in-the-Box goes flop (lean over)
The Jack-in-the-Box goes round and round (spin around in circle, or move your arms in a circle)
The lid comes down with a PLOP. (crouch down and clap hands)
Here’s a video of a slightly different version of the song from Maple Leaf Learning:
The Bears Go Marching In
Fun variation of The Saints Go Marching In:
[C] Oh, when the bears go marching in,
Oh, when the bears go marching [G7] in,
Oh, [C7] how I want to be in that [F] number,
When the [C] bears go [G7] marching [C] in!
Repeat with other actions, like:
Oh, when the bears go clapping in…
Oh, when the bears go stomping in… etc.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
There are LOTS of different versions of this song, but the tune I use is closest to the one in this video from Kiboomers:
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Turn around.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Touch the ground.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
Tie your shoe.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
I love you!
Teddy Bear’s Picnic
This is great song by John Walter Bratton, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. The best ukulele version I’ve found is on Doctor Uke (http://www.doctoruke.com/teddybearspicnic.pdf). My favorite cover of it by far is this slightly creepy one by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, which you can listen to here:
Stay & Play: Teddy Bear Collage
For this simple craft, I printed out a blank teddy bear template on card stock, and cut up pieces of colored tissue paper. For the Stay & Play, I put out plates of tissue paper pieces, along with markers, Googly Eyes, pom-poms, and glue sticks. It was fun to see the variety of bears they created.
What are your favorite picture books about toys? Please share them in the comments below.
The Velveteen Rabbit was one of my favorite childhood books. As a kid, I empathized with the poor stuffed rabbit, who was ridiculed by other toys, the nanny, and actual rabbits, before the doctor orders him burned with all of the other germ-ridden toys once the boy falls ill with scarlet fever.
But the other day, a Facebook post by a parent suddenly made me think about the song from a totally different perspective. I was curious about Margery Williams, not knowing anything about her life. I read that she had two children of her own, and that many of her books focused on children who were isolated or different from others. Parenting is always challenging, but especially when you have extra reason to fear for your kids’ safety or acceptance.
So I wrote this song for those kids, and for the people who love and support them. May the nursery magic protect us all.
Velveteen, velveteen, Are you real, Are you seen? Or are you lost in between? Velveteen.
You were a gift, bright and new, And everybody thought they knew Who you were, what you’d do, We couldn’t see
The part you kept deep inside, How you longed to be alive, To be yourself, not just survive, To be free.
Velveteen, velveteen, Are you real, are you seen? Or are you lost in between? Velveteen.
But one day you showed the spark that burned inside you, And let us see the you you couldn’t hide. And though others might tease you and deride you, I hope you know you fill my heart with pride.
Velveteen, velveteen, You don’t know how much you mean. You are real, You are seen Velveteen.
The Loudest Librarian! 
