This week, we continued our journey through the colors of the rainbow in Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime.

I started by asking the kids to call out things that could be Orange. They suggested oranges, carrots, flowers (we talked about the state flower, the California Poppy), butterflies, tigers, and clothes.

Here are the books and songs that I used (a combination of what I did in for both storytimes):

Books:

It’s a Tiger by David LaRochelle; illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

This is such a fun adventure story, featuring an adorable tiger who keeps showing up in unexpected places: in a cave, under a pile of leaves, on a ship, and in a treasure chest. The kids love calling out “A Tiger!”

Moth and Butterfly: Ta Da! by Dev Petty; illustrated by Ana Aranda

This book does a nice job of explaining the differences between moths and butterflies in the context of a sweet story about two caterpillar friends.

Orange, Pear, Apple, Bear by Emily Gravett

Before I read this book, I taught the kids the American Sign Language signs for Orange, Pear, Apple, and Bear, so that they could sign along with the story. These four words make up almost the entire text of the rhyming book, and the author plays with different combinations: Orange Bear, Orange Pear, etc. The illustrations are clever and fun. A parent told me afterwards that this is one of her family’s favorite books.

It’s An Orange Aardvark by Michael Hall

When a group of ants spies something orange outside of their stump, one of them worries that it is an orange aardvark, waiting to eat them. Another ant drills peepholes in the stump, looking out to see more colors outside, but the worried ant’s fears become more and more elaborate: It’s an orange aardvark wearing blue pajamas and carrying a bottle of ketchup! Eventually, the colors are revealed to be a rainbow, but maybe also an aardvark. The kids enjoyed pretending to drill with their fingers each time I read the “Whirrr” sound.

Songs & Rhymes:

Going on a Tiger Hunt

Instead of the usual bear hunt, we went on a tiger hunt to go along with It’s A Tiger! This is a great way to give the kids a chance to move around in between books.  I like to ham it up by pretending to get a grasshopper stuck in my shirt, wiping the mud off my feet, and shaking myself dry from the lake.  There are lots of variations, but this the script I use, with the kids repeating every line:

We’re going on a tiger hunt!
(We’re going on a tiger 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 tiger!

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 tiger hunt again!

The Butterfly Song

We gave out play scarves before I sang this one (as a follow up to Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da!). The kids LOVED it! We sang it through three times at both storytimes.

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 in your hand).
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).

Go Round and Round the Orange Tree

We sang this one with the parachute, and I put three oranges in the middle. Click on the triangle for the tune.

Go round and round the orange tree, (walk around in a circle with the parachute)
Go round and round the orange tree,
Go round and round the orange tree,
And pick some oranges just for me!
1 2 3! (shake the parachute so the oranges bounce up and down)

The Ants Go Marching

We sang this song as our instrument play-along at the end. It was adorable to see the kids marching along. Here’s a YouTube video from Super Simple Songs for the tune:

[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…

The ants go marching four by four…the little one stops to shut the door…

Stay & Play: Paper Butterflies

There are lots of variations of this simple craft online. I decided to make the popsicle stick a kind of handle so the kids could “fly” their butterflies around the park when they were done.

Before storytime, I printed out butterfly templates and cut them out. For the Stay & Play, I put out the cut-out paper butterflies, popsicle sticks, markers, glue sticks, and gem stickers. The kids spent a lot of time decorating them.

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