Tag Archives: crafts for preschoolers

Yellow Pages: A Storytime About the Color Yellow

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Last week we continued our colors of the rainbow series of storytimes by focusing on the color Yellow. I started by asking the kids to suggest things that are yellow. They came up with bananas, lemons, flowers, and school buses.

Here are the books and songs we did for Family Storytime and Outdoor Musical Storytime.

Books:

The Duckling Gets a Cookie?! by Mo Willems

One of the Pigeon books by Mo Willems, this one features the Duckling, who gets a cookie (with nuts), and upsets the Pigeon, who complains that he never gets anything he asks for. But for once the Pigeon has a happy ending, when the Duckling gives him the cookie.

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

This book was a bit out of season, since it’s almost summer, but the kids enjoyed it. It’s about a yellow leaf that doesn’t want to let go of the tree, until it meets a red leaf who agrees to let go at the same time. I gave out play scarves before we read it, and the kids enjoyed waving them through the air and dropping them like leaves.

Counting to Bananas by Carrie Tillotson; illustrated by Estrela Lourenço

A funny, rhyming counting book, featuring a banana who complains that the narrator keeps putting animals in a book about fruit. He gets even more upset when the animals include baboons and apes, who love to eat bananas.

Yellow Copter by Kersten Hamilton; illustrated by Valeria Petrone

Very cute rhyming story about a yellow helicopter who rescues a teacher stranded at the top of a ferris wheel. I read this one at Family Storytime, and gave out play scarves for the kids to spin around like propellors as I read.

Songs:

Do You See the Color Yellow

This song always gets the kids excited, as they look around the room pointing to things that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you [C] see the color yellow,
The [F] color yellow, the [G7] color yellow?
Do you [C] see the color yellow,
[F] Right here [G7] in this [C] room?

Do you see the color blue… etc.

Leaves Are Falling on the Ground

To the tune of The Wheels on the Bus. I got this one from PreschoolExpress.com, who credits Jean Warren as the author. We handed out play scarves before we sang it, and pretended they were leaves falling through the air, then swished them in the air like rakes for the second verse:

The leaves on the trees are falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
The leaves on the trees are falling down,
All through the town.

Let’s rake the leaves into a mound,
Into a mound, into a mound.
Let’s rake the leaves into a mound
All through the town.

The kids in the town jump up and down,
Up and down, up and down.
The kids in the town jump up and down,
All through the town.

Yellow Bird

This is a traditional song called Little Bird. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I sang it with the parachute, and had the kids walk underneath the parachute as if they were flying through the window.


[C] Yellow Bird, Yellow Bird,
[C] Fly through my window.
[G7] Yellow Bird, Yellow Bird,
[G7] Fly through my window.
[C] Yellow Bird, Yellow Bird,
[C] Fly through my window.
[G7] Find molasses [C] candy.

Chorus:

[G7] Fly through my window, my sugar lump!
[C] Fly through my [G7] window, my [C] sugar lump!
[G7] Find molasses [C] candy!

Black Bird, Black Bird, Fly through my window…

I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas

The kids always love this silly camp song, which goes through all of the long vowel sounds. Here’s a video from Super Simple Songs:

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.

Ay lake to ate, ate, ate, ayples and baynaynays…

Ee leek to eat, eat, eat, eeples and beeneenees…

I like to īte, īte, īte, īpples, and bīnīnīs… (the ī symbol is for the long “i” sound, which sounds like “eye”)

Oh, loke to oh-te, oh-te, ohte, oh-pples and boh-noh-nohs…

 Ū lūk to ūte, ūte, ūte, ūpples and būnūnūs… (the ū symbol is for the long “u” sound, which sounds like “ooh)

Stay & Play: Flower Painting

This is such an easy process art activity, but it’s always a big hit. Before storytime, I gathered a bunch of flowers from my yard (I try to stick to edible flowers like nasturtiums, oxalis, lavender, and geraniums). For the Stay and Play, I put out white card stock and the flowers. The kids had a great time squishing the flower petals onto the paper to make different colors.

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

Orange You Glad? A Storytime About the Color Orange

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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.

Red Letter Day: A Storytime About the Color Red

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Recently, in the Storytime Solidarity Facebook group, someone posted about doing a series of storytimes based on the colors of the rainbow. Having just finished my series of storytimes based on letters of the alphabet, I thought that would be fun to try too. So last week I started with the color Red in both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime.

Here are the books and songs I used (a combination of both storytimes):

Books:

Firefighter Flo by Andrea Zimmerman; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

This simple story about a firefighter and her crew putting out a fire is full of great sound effects that the kids really enjoyed joining in on. It also starts and ends with a fun chant: Hey, Yo, Firefighter Flo! You’re a hero! You’re a pro!

I’m Brave by Kate & Jim McMullan

By the author/illustrator team behind I Stink, this book describes all of the parts and tools of a brave firetruck. It was a big hit with the older kids at my Family Storytime.

Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven

This is a long-time favorite of mine, a story about a little red bird who wonders why a lion has a green tail. She follows him for the day as he plays in a field of orange flowers, then disappears into his cave. The next day, she is surprised to see that his tail has turned orange. One night, a big storm washes the bird’s nest away. The lion rescues her and carries her into his cave, where she discovers that he is using his tail to paint pictures of his daily adventures on the walls. It’s a longer story than I usually read, but it usually keeps the kids engaged.

Red, Red, Red by Valeri Gorbachev

Cute story about a series of animals who wonder why Turtle is rushing to see “Red, Red, Red.” They each try to guess what he is seeking, and follow him until he leads them to see the beautiful red sunset.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

I had a big book version of this, which made it perfect for Outdoor Musical Storytime. An adorable little mouse worries that a big hungry bear will take his freshly picked strawberry, until he is convinced to share it with the book’s narrator. The illustrations are both beautiful and funny.

Songs & Rhymes

Do You See the Color Blue?

This song always gets the kids excited, as they look around the room pointing to things that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you [C] see the color red,
The [F] color red, the [G7] color red?
Do you [C] see the color red,
[F] Right here [G7] in this [C] room?

Do you see the color blue… etc.

Two Little Red Birds

I handed out two play scarves to each of the kids before we sang this one, and we pretended they were birds.

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

Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Firetruck!

We sang this one as a follow-up to Firefighter Flo for Outdoor Musical Storytime and I’m Brave for Family Storytime. I had the kids pretend to put on their fire fighter gear, and then we slid down the pole before climbing into the truck. We sang the whole thing through three times, getting faster each time. For Family Storytime, I sprayed the kids with water from the atomizer I had brought for our Stay & Play, which they LOVED!

There are lots of different versions, but these are the words I use. Here’s a video from Kiboomers with the tune.

Hurry, Hurry, Drive the fire truck!
Hurry, Hurry, Drive the fire truck!
Hurry, Hurry, Drive the fire truck!
Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!

Hurry, Hurry, Spray the water…

Hurry, Hurry, Climb the ladder…

Hurry, Hurry, Save the kitty cat…

Hurry, Hurry, Back to the station…

Way Up High in the Apple Tree

We did this rhyme with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. I put two apple-shaker instruments on the parachute first, so the kids could see them bounce up and down.

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!

Little Red Caboose

Before lockdown, I used to always end my Family Storytimes with this song. I would give the kids egg shakers and we would march around the children’s area in a train. I brought it back again this week, and it was a big hit. There are lots of versions of this song, but the one I do is closest to this version by Sweet Honey in the Rock.

[C] Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [C] train.

[C] Get your tickets and get on board,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Get your tickets and get on board,
Riding behind the [C] train.

[C] Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [C] train.

I’ve got a brother on that train,
Riding behind the train.
You’ve got a sister on that train,
Riding behind the train.

[C] Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [C] train.

Stay & Play: Coffee Filter Flowers

I found this idea on Little Bins for Little Hands. It’s a really easy and fun way to make paper flowers. I put out white coffee filters, markers, dot markers, and pipe cleaners, along with a couple of small plastic atomizers filled with water. After the kids decorated their coffee filters, they sprayed them with the atomizers to make the ink run a little. Then I helped them pinch the bottom of the coffee filter together, and wrap the pipe cleaner around them (we had to let some of them dry a little before adding the pipe cleaners).

What are your favorite books or songs about the color red? Please share them in the comments below.

A Whale of a Time: A Storytime About Whales

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Our coastal town is having a Whale Fest this weekend, so I thought it would be fun to do a storytime about whales.

Here are the books and songs that I did (a combination of Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime). I also printed out this brochure of whales and other marine mammals from savethewhales.org.

Books:

Oona in the Arctic by Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Raissa Figueroa

This is a stunningly beautiful book, with a sweet story about Oona the mermaid coming to the rescue of a lost baby beluga whale. It was a bit too long for my usual Outdoor Musical Storytime crowd, but a big hit at Family Storytime.

The Whale in My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan

Cute, funny story about a boy who finds his swimming pool occupied by a very large whale. He tries everything he can think of to get it to move, but then discovers that having your own whale isn’t so bad after all. One family asked to check this one out after storytime.

I Love You, Blue by Barroux

Sweet, simple story about a lighthouse keeper who makes friends with a whale named Blue. When he finds Blue at the bottom of the ocean feeling sick, he asks him to open his mouth, and sees that the whale has swallowed hundreds of bags. Taking the bags away makes Blue feel much better. This was a great book for Whale Fest, which focuses a lot on the importance of keeping trash out of the ocean.

Breathe by Scott Magoon

This is a beautiful book, with very little text, showing a baby beluga whale’s day with his mother. The kids enjoyed taking breaths together on the pages that said “Breathe.”

Songs:

Slippery Fish

We sang this one with a fish, octopus, shark, and whale puppet. Lots of swimming schools around here use this song, and it’s always a big hit.

Slippery Fish, Slippery Fish,
Swimming in the water.
Slippery Fish, Slippery Fish,
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

She was eaten by an octopus, octopus,
Swimming in the water.
Octopus, Octopus,
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

He was eaten by a great white shark,
Great white shark,
Swimming in the water,
Great white shark, Great white shark.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

She was eaten by a humongous whale,
Humongous whale,
Swimming in the water,
Humongous whale,
Humongous whale,
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
BURP!! Pardon me!

The Waves on the Sea

We did this one with the parachute, and put a whale puppet 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

We sang this as our instrument play-along at Outdoor Musical Storytime.

[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!

Down By the Bay by Raffi

We had so much fun doing this song as an instrument play-along at the end of Family Storytime that I may make it a regular ending song. We sang the first verse the way it’s written below, but I asked the kids for suggestions for the additional verses. They came up with “Did you ever see a shark going to the park?” and “Did you ever see a mouse burning a house?”

https://youtu.be/jAjhLexlrDc

[C] Down by the bay, where the watermelons [G7] grow,
Back to my home, I dare not [C] go,
For if I [F] do, my mother will [C] say,
“Did you ever see a whale with a polka dot tail
[G7] Down by the [C] bay?”

Stay & Play: Whale Puppets

I got this idea from OutUpontheWaters.com. It was a bit more involved than my usual crafts, but the kids seemed to enjoy it.

Before storytime, I pre-folded blue construction paper. Unlike the directions, I didn’t cut the paper. Instead, I folded it half lengthwise (hotdog style), and then crosswise (hamburger style). Then I folded the top layer on one side back, so that the end of the paper lined up with the fold. I flipped it over and folded the other top layer the same way. In the end, the sheet was folded in half lengthwise, with crosswise folds that made the shape of a capital letter M.

I also cut several tear-drop shaped pieces of construction paper for the flippers, and semi-circles out of red paper for the inside of the mouth. Finally, I cut some white paper into rectangles to make the water spouts (I let the kids cut the small lines to make it look like water spray).

For the Stay & Play, I put out the folded papers, the paper flippers, the paper mouths, the white paper rectangles, kids’ scissors, googly eyes, markers, and glue sticks. The kids had fun gluing the parts of their whale together and cutting the white paper rectangles to make the spray coming out of the top of the whale’s head. A few kids put the fish stickers I had given out at the end of storytime in the whale’s mouth, which was hilarious.

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

Go Wild: A Storytime for National Wildlife Week

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Last week was National Wildlife Week, which seemed like a fun theme opportunity, especially for our Outdoor Musical Storytime at the park. For that one, and for Family Storytime, I asked the kids what kinds of animals and insects they have seen outside. They mentioned rabbits, deer, turkeys, and birds. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I also handed out a Scavenger Hunt featuring animals and plants that are commonly found at the park, so that the kids could look for them after storytime.

Here are the books and songs we did for both storytimes.

Books:

What About Worms by Ryan T. Higgins

One of the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading books, featuring an adorable tiger who is not scared of anything, except worms. His fear of worms leads him to break a flowerpot (which might be full of worms), drop an apple (in case it contained a worm), and run away from a book (that seemed to be about worms). Unfortunately, a group of grateful worms is so happy to find the things he left behind that they all decide to give him a “worm hug.” SO much fun to read aloud, and always gets a lot of laughs.

Can I Keep It? by Lisa Jobe

A little boy catches a variety of animals (a frog, a squirrel, a bird) and asks if he can keep them. Each time, his Mom asks where he thinks those animals would prefer to live, and he reluctantly sets them free. But then he finds a stray cat, who prefers to live with him. Very sweet, simple story, with large illustrations. A family asked to check it out after storytime.

The Lost Little Bird by David McPhail

When a bluebird hits his head, he finds that he can’t remember what kind of bird he is. He asks a nightingale, an owl, and a crow, but none of those seem right. Finally, he meets another bluebird, who not only helps him figure out what kind of bird he is, but helps him find a new home as well. I was happy to read this book because years ago, I had a library patron named Howard Rathlesberger, who built and posted bluebird houses all over San Mateo County. I think of him whenever I see a bluebird.

Kitty by Rebecca Jordan-Glum

Funny story about a grandmother who misplaces her glasses while pet-sitting, and mistakes a raccoon for the family cat. Naturally, the “kitty” makes a huge mess! I read this one for Family Storytime. The kids especially enjoyed the illustrations.

How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham

When a pigeon flies into a window and breaks its wing, a little boy brings it home and cares for it until it is ready to fly again. Sweet story, and a nice reminder that wildlife can be found in cities as well as more rural areas.

If Only by Mies van Hout

Simple story about a child who wishes he could be a butterfly, not knowing that the butterfly wishes it could be a stick insect, and the stick insect wishes it could be a whirligig beetle. Each insect wishes it could be something else, until the dragonfly wishes it could be a child. The kids enjoyed pretending to be the different insects: fluttering like a butterfly, buzzing like a bee, etc.

Shoo Fly

We sang this song after reading If Only. I had the kids suggest different animals they would like to be for each verse. They came up with a dancing giraffe, a butterfly, a snake, and a cat. There are lots of versions of this traditional song, but the one I do is closest to the one in this YouTube video by Greg and Steve.

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 wiggle, I wiggle,
I wiggle like a wiggling worm.
I wiggle, I wiggle,
I wiggle like a wiggling worm.
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.

Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

Another song with lots of versions. This one by Dr. Jean is closest to the one I do. We sang it for Family Storytime, after reading Can I Keep It?, and I asked the kids to suggest different animals to bring home. It’s always a fun challenge to come up with a rhyme for each animal: “I’m bringing home a baby lion. Won’t my Mommy really start a’crying?” etc.

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!

Two Little Bluebirds

We sang this one with scarves at Family Storytime, and just with hand motions at Outdoor Musical Storytime.

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!…

Rockin’ Robin by Jimmie Thomas

We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end. The original song has LOTS of verses, but I just did the first two.

Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
[G] Tweet, tweet, tweet tweet.

[G7] He rocks in the [G] treetops all day long,
[G7] Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and [G] a-singin’ his song.
[G7] All the little birds on [G] J-Bird Street,
Love to hear the robin go [G7] tweet, tweet, tweet.

Rockin’ [C] robin (tweet, tweet, tweet);
Rockin’ [G] robin (tweet, tweedle-dee);
[D] Blow rockin’ robin, cause we’re [C] really gonna [G] rock tonight. (Tweet, tweedle-dee!)

[G7] Every little swallow, [G] every chickadee,
[G7] Every little bird in the [G] tall oak tree,
The [G7] wise old owl, the [G] big black crow,
[G] Flappin’ their wings [G7] singin’ go bird, go.

Rockin’ [C] robin (tweet, tweet, tweet).
Rockin’ [G] robin (tweet, tweedle-dee);
[D] Blow rockin’ robin, cause we’re [C] really gonna [G] rock tonight. (Tweet, tweedle-dee!)

Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
[G] Tweet, tweet, tweet tweet.

Stay & Play: Bead Earthworms

I adapted this idea from Little Lifetime Learners. For the Stay & Play, I put out plastic beads, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes. I showed the kids how to fold the end of the pipe cleaner over to make “head” that would also keep the beads from sliding off. They had a great time threading beads onto the pipe cleaners, and then adding googly eyes (although one kid reminded me that “worms don’t have eyes.”)

What are your favorite books or songs about wildlife? Please share them in the comments below.

Somebunny Loves You: A Storytime About Rabbits

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In honor of Easter and Spring, I did a Rabbit Theme for Family Storytime this week.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Wolfie, the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah O’Hora

This one is so much fun to read aloud. When a baby wolf is left on their doorstep, Dot’s parents immediately decide to adopt him. But Dot (a young rabbit) knows that he is dangerous, and warns them repeatedly that “He’s going to eat us all up!” But when Wolfie is threatened by an enormous bear, Dot surprises everyone by defending her new little brother.

Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes

Simple, sweet story about a rabbit who imagines what it would be like to be like other things he sees in the world: green like the grass, tall like a tree, still like a stone. A peaceful, beautiful book that the kids seemed mesmerized by.

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

This is one of my favorite books about feelings. When Taylor’s block tower gets destroyed by a flock of birds, all of the other animals offer advice: talk about it, get angry, destroy someone else’s tower. None of it helps, until the rabbit comes along and merely listens.

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

This hilarious first story about Trixie and her Knuffle Bunny, who gets lost on a trip to the laundromat, is always a hit with both adults and kids. It was immediately checked out by one of the families after storytime.

Songs & Rhymes:

See the Little Bunnies Sleeping

One of our local daycare providers always used this song with her kids, and I can see why. They love the moment when they get to jump up and hop after crouching down and pretending to be asleep. We sang it through 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!

Here is a Bunny

This is a simple fingerplay rhyme, but a fun one:

Here is a bunny (hold up two fingers like bunny ears)
With ears so funny,
And here is his hole in the ground. (make a circle with the thumb and index finger of your other hand)
When a noise he hears,
He pricks up his ears, (move your bunny ears)
And jumps through the hole in the ground! (put your bunny ear fingers into the hole).

The Wishy Washy Washer Woman

We sang this with the play scarves after reading Knuffle Bunny. I use the version in this video from Imagine More Story Adventures:

Way down in the valley where nobody goes,
There’s a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes.
She goes “Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh!”
And that’s the way she washes her clothes!

Repeat with drying her clothes (blowing on the scarves), folding her clothes, and wearing her clothes.

Love Somebunny, Yes I Do!

For our instrument play-along at the end, I changed the words to Love Somebody, Yes I Do. There are lots of different versions of the song, but the one I do is closest to the one in the video by Musicaliti found below. We sang it through several times.

Love somebunny, yes I do!
Love somebunny, yes I do!
Love somebunny, yes I do!
Love somebunny and it’s you, you, you! (point to different people)
You, you, you!

Stay & Play: Cotton Ball Rabbits

Before storytime, I printed and pre-cut blank rabbit templates on white cardstock (I used this one from clipartix.com), and cut some small triangles out of pink paper. For the Stay & Play, I put out the paper rabbits and pink triangles, along with cotton balls, gluesticks, markers, and googly eyes.

The kids had a great time gluing the cotton balls to the paper. It’s such a fun, tactile activity.

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

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates!

Z is for Zebra: A Storytime About the Letter Z

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We made it to the end of the alphabet today! It’s been a fun experiment, and our storytime families really seemed to enjoy calling out the letter each week, and calling out the words they knew. Today they came up with zebra, zoom, zipper and zoo, before we drew the letter Z in the air together.

Here’s a combination of the books and songs we did for Family Storytime last week, and Outdoor Musical Storytime today.

Books:

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham; illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Hilarious alphabet book about an attention-seeking moose, who can’t wait for his turn in the spotlight during the alphabet play. When the director, Zebra, chooses a mouse to represent the letter M, Moose goes on a rampage. The kids loved calling out the objects for each letter.

Zee by Michel Gay

This book appears to be out of print, which is sad, because it was a favorite of my own kids. Zee knows his parents need lots of coffee to wake up in the morning, so he prepares a special tray of coffee and breakfast. Unfortunately, he trips, and spills the tray, leaving only enough coffee to fill two doll’s teacups, which only wakes his parents up a little bit. My Family Storytime kids thought it was very funny.

Zero by Kathryn Otashi

In this sequel to One, the number Zero feels empty inside, and worries that she has no value. She tries to contort herself into different numbers, but nothing works, until she realizes that if she partners with the other numbers, together they can reach 10, 100, 1000, and higher! A wonderful allegory that also works well on the surface. It was perfect for my Family Storytime, which had a wide range of ages, so the younger kids could call out the smaller numbers, and the older ones could try their hand at the big numbers.

Old MacDonald Had a Zoo by Iza Trapani

The kids loved this adapted version of Old MacDonald Had a Farm, which describes Old MacDonald’s encounters with a variety of escaped zoo animals.

Songs:

When Ducks Get Up in the Morning

This is an old-standby of mine. We sang it to go along with Zee. I asked the kids to suggest different animals to sing about, and they came up with mice, alligators, and hippos. I ended with “When kids get up in the morning,” with the kids saying, “I’m hungry!”

[C] When ducks get up in the morning,
[G7] They always say, “Good [C] day!”
[C] When ducks get up in the morning,
[G7] They always say, “Good [C] day!”
[C] They say, “Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!”
[G7] That is what they [C] say.
[C] They say, “Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!”
[G7] That is what they [C] say.

Alphabet Song

We sang The Alphabet Song after reading M is for Moose. We sang it through three times, getting faster each time.

[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.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

We did this one both with our bodies (crouching down and then jumping up on the “Blast Off”) and then with the parachute (I tossed pompoms on the parachute just before we got to the blast off part). Here’s a video from JingleJam with the tune:

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!

Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton

We did this song as our instrument play-along at the end. Here’s the tune:

[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

Stay & Play: Paper Striped Zebras

We’ve had a set of Kids Kraft Edgers (scissors that cut patterned edges) for years, and I’ve always wanted to use them, so for this Stay and Play, I printed out blank zebra templates (like this one from FreeStencilGallery.com), and put out the Kraft Edgers, glue sticks, colored paper, googly eyes, and markers. The kids were fascinated by the different patterns they could create with the scissors, and had a great time cutting and gluing stripes on their zebras.

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter Z? Or any topics you would like to see for a future storytime theme? Please share them in the comments below.

Y is for Yarn: A Storytime About the Letter Y

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Well, my journey through the alphabet was interrupted last week by a bad case of laryngitis, but this week I was finally able to get to the Letter Y.

We started by talking about words that begin with the letter Y, and I wrote each one down on a piece of paper: yellow, yak, yawn, and yarn. I also showed them a yo-yo, which the kids were VERY interested in. Then we drew the letter Y in the air together.

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

Books:

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Jon Klassen

This is such a quirky story, but so much fun to read aloud. It’s one of my go-to read-alouds for older kids (like second grade), but I decided to try it for my Family Storytime, and they loved it too. When Annabelle finds a box of yarn, she makes sweaters for everyone in town, but miraculously never runs out of yarn, even when she starts covering the trees and buildings in sweaters. A greedy archduke steals the box, but finds it empty and throws it into the sea, where it makes its way back to Annabelle, full of yarn once more. The illustrations are mesmerizing.

Blue vs Yellow by Tom Sullivan

Blue and Yellow are arguing about which is the better color, until they crash into each other and discover together they can make a whole new color. The kids had a great time calling out the names of the blue, yellow (and green!) objects on each page.

You Are a Lion: And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo

I love this simple book of yoga poses. The kids loved doing the poses and pretending to be the different animals: lion, snake, cat, and dog. I wasn’t sure if there would be enough room for the lying down pose at the end, but they made it work.

I Dare You Not to Yawn by Hélène Boudreau; illustrated by Serge Bloch

Very cute, funny book warning kids what to avoid if they don’t want to be sent to bed in the evening: big stretches, cute baby animals, cuddly stuffed animals, and anything else that might make you have to yawn.

Songs

Do You See the Color Blue?

This song always gets the kids excited, as they look around the room pointing to things that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you [C] see the color yellow,
The [F] color yellow, the [G7] color yellow?
Do you [C] see the color yellow?
[F] Tell me [G7] what you [C] see.

Do you see the color red… etc.

You Sing a Song

We did this song with play scarves for Family Storytime, and the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. It’s such a versatile song, and works for all kinds of different motions.

[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,
And [C] we’ll sing a [Dm] song toge-[G]ther.
[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,
In [G] warm or [C] wintry [G] wea-[C]ther.

For Play Scarves

You’ll wave a scarf, and I’ll wave a scarf, and we’ll wave our scarves together…

You’ll peek-a-boo, and I’ll peek-a-boo… (put the scarf over your face, then pull it away)

You’ll throw a scarf, and I’ll throw a scarf…

For Parachutes

You shake the chute, and I’ll shake the chute, and we’ll shake the chute together…

You shake it fast, and I’ll shake it fast…

You lift it high, and I’ll lift it high…

Yellow Submarine by the Beatles

We did this for our instrument play-along at the end. It was one I used to sing with Thom Ball, who was an amazing musician, in some of our early musical storytimes, so it brought back some wonderful memories.

In the [D] town where I was [G] born,
Lived a [Am] man who sailed to [D] sea.
And he [D] told us of his [G] life
In the [Am] land of [D] submarines
So we [D] sailed up to the [G] sun,
Till we [Am] found the sea of [D] green.
And we [D] lived beneath the [G] waves,
In our [Am] yellow [D] submarine.

Chorus:
[G] We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow [G] submarine.
We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, [G] yellow submarine.

And our [D] friends are all a-[G]board.
Many [Am] more of them live next [D] door.
And the [D] band begins to [G] play
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

Chorus:
[G] We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow [G] submarine.
We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, [G] yellow submarine.

As we [D] live a life of [G] ease.
Every-[Am] one of us has all we [D] need.
Sky of [D] blue and sea of [G] green,
In our [Am] yellow [D] submarine.

Chorus:
[G] We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow [G] submarine.
We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, [G] yellow submarine.

Stay & Play: Yarn Resist Art

This project was inspired by a post on thepinterestedparent.com. It was a little labor-intensive to set up, but the kids had a good time with it.

Before storytime, I wrapped yarn around pieces of white cardstock and taped it on the back with removable tape. I tried to make several large X shapes on the front of the paper.

For the Stay & Play, we put out the yarn-wrapped paper and dot markers. I told the kids to dot different colors all over the paper, including the yarn. They had fun seeing the patterns that appeared when they pulled the yarn away. (Some kids even unwrapped the yarn, but left it taped to the back of the paper to create a very colorful kite!).

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter Y? Please share them in the comments below. I’m also almost at the end of the alphabet, so if you have any storytime themes you would like me to cover, I would love the challenge!

X is for X-Ray: A Storytime About the Letter X

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At last, the letter I have been dreading through my whole alphabet storytime: the Letter X! It actually wasn’t too bad, even though I had to focus on words that included the letter X, rather than words that started with it.

We started our storytime by asking the kids if they knew any words that contained the letter X. After a few examples, they actually thought of quite a few. Some of the older kids were suggesting words like exoskeleton and excavator, and even phoenix. I also showed them a xylophone, just to have an example of something that actually starts with the letter X, and we talked about how the smaller bars make higher sounds.

Here’s the rest of what we did (this is a combination of Outdoor Musical and Family Storytime):

Books:

My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister; illustrated by Alex T. Smith

This was my only book featuring a word that started with the letter X, and it was a big hit at Family Storytime. Matthew is convinced that his Mom must have X-ray vision because she always seems to know when he’s getting into trouble, and so he decides to test her. The kids really enjoyed guessing how the Mom knew what Matthew was up to, based on details in the illustrations.

Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet

Several of the kids were familiar with this book, but they all enjoyed following along by tapping the different colors on the page and pretending to mix them together (in my Outdoor Musical Storytime, which gets a bigger crowd) I just had them pretend to tap the pictures by tapping the air. They loved guessing what color each combination would make.

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

This is one of those really simple books that works well for lots of ages. A little rabbit is asked why he is sitting in a box. “It’s not a box!” the rabbit insists, and the next page shows him driving a race car. The kids loved guessing what the rabbit is imagining the box is on each page.

Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox; illustrated by Patricia Mullins

A simple story, but full of suspense. When Hattie the hen sees a nose poking out of the bushes, the other animals are not impressed. But then she sees two eyes, two ears, two legs, and a body, until finally a fox leaps out of the bushes. Luckily, the cow scares it away with a loud, “MOO!” (the kids enjoyed joining in on that part).

Songs:

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

I did this one to go along with My Mom Has X-Ray Vision for Family Storytime. We sang it through three times, getting faster and faster.

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.

Do You See the Color Blue?

This song always gets the kids excited, as they look around the room pointing to things that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you [C] see the color blue,
The [F] color blue, the [G7] color blue?
Do you [C] see the color blue
Right [F] here [G7] in this [C] room?

Do you see the color red… etc.

The Jack-in-the-Box

Few things are as gratifying as demonstrating a jack-in-the-box at storytime. I brought one out today, and the kids LOVED it! They begged for me to play it over and over again. Then we sang this song together with the parachute.

The jack-in-the-box jumps up!
The jack-in-the-box goes flop.
The jack-in-the-box goes round and round.
The lid comes down with a plop!

A Hunting We Will Go

Oh, [C] a-hunting we will go!
A-[F]hunting we will go!
We’ll [G7] catch a fox and put it in a box,
And then we’ll let it [C] go!

Stay & Play: Letter X Brush Pen Resist Art

I adapted this activity from themeasuredmom.com, only I had the kids use brush pens instead of watercolors. Before storytime, I made X’s out of removable tape on pieces of cardstock. For the Stay & Play, I gave each child a paper with a taped letter X, and a variety of brush pens. They had fun decorating the paper, and then pulling away the tape to reveal their letter X.

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

U is for Umbrella: A Storytime About the Letter U

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Last Wednesday night and today we focused on the letter U for storytime. As usual, I started by asking the kids if they knew any words that started with the letter U, which was a challenge (a lot of them suggested “you.”) With a bit of prompting though, I got them to guess umbrella, unicorn, and up, and then we drew the letter U in the air together.

Here’s a combined list of the songs and books we did for both storytimes.

Books:

The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates

This is such a sweet, simple book about an umbrella that welcomes everyone, no matter how tall or different they may appear. I used it a while ago for a Welcoming Week storytime, and it worked perfectly for that theme too. The illustrations are funny, surprising, and adorable.

You Don’t Want a Unicorn by Ame Dyckman; illustrated by Liz Climo

This one got lots of laughs at my Family Storytime. When a little boy tosses a coin into a fountain and wishes for a unicorn, the narrator warns him that it’s not a good idea. Unicorns, it turns out, cannot be housebroken (and poop cupcakes), and worse, they love to throw unicorn parties, which get very messy.

A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Perfect Valentine by Amy Young

Since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, I used this unicorn book for Outdoor Musical Storytime today (what are the odds of finding a unicorn book about Valentine’s Day?). It’s a super sweet story about Sparkle the unicorn deciding to make a Valentine for his best friend Lucy. Even though he puts a lot of thought into it, he’s embarrassed by the results, and throws it away, but Lucy finds it in the trash, and absolutely loves it.

Those Are Not My Underpants by Melissa Martin; illustrated by Troy Cummings

The word “underpants” always gets a laugh, even more than “underwear” for some reason. In this story, Little Bear finds a pair of underpants hanging on a branch, and tries to find its owner, but all of the other animals explain why it can’t be their underpants. Finally, to his embarrassment, Little Bear discovers that they are his underpants.

Underwear! by Jenn Harney

This book is a fun bit of word play between a baby bear and a grown-up bear at bedtime, using phrases like “under where?” There’s one scene where the baby bear jumps out of the bathtub, surprising the older bear, and all the kids in Family Storytime shrieked with laughter.

Songs:

If All the Raindrops

We sang this one to go along with The Big Umbrella. I asked the kids to suggest foods they would like to fall out of the sky, and we sang it again with “If all the raindrops were hamburgers and ice cream…” and “apples and oranges.” It’s always been one of my favorite storytime songs, because not only does it give the kids a chance to suggest ideas for the verses, but it’s easy to get them to join in on the “Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah” line.

[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!

Old MacDonald

We sang this to go along with You Don’t Want a Unicorn at Family Storytime, but I asked the kids to suggest magical animals. I thought they would choose things like dragons or even Pokémon, but instead they started making up hilarious animal combinations, like “unicorn-octopus-whale,” which apparently says, “Eeep!” followed by a “unicorn-octopus-whale-crocodile” which says “Skoo!” You really never know what kids are going to come up with:

[C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm,
E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!
And on that farm he [F] had a [C] unicorn-octopus-whale,
E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!
With an eep-eep here, and an eep-eep there,
Here a eep, there a eep,
Everywhere a eep-eep.
[C] Old MacDonald [F] had a [C] farm,
E-I- [G7] E-I- [C] O!

The Wishy Washy Washer Woman

We did this one at Family Storytime with play scarves, as shown in the video below, to go along with Those Are Not My Underpants.

Way down in the valley where nobody goes,
There’s a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes.
She goes “Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh!”
And that’s the way she washes her clothes.

Repeat with drying her clothes (blowing on the scarves), folding her clothes, and wearing her clothes.

Under the Umbrella

We did this song with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime, using the tune to Frère Jacques:

Rain is falling, (wave parachute up and down)
Rain is falling,
From the sky,
From the sky,
I’m under the umbrella, (lift the parachute up so the kids can go underneath)
Under the umbrella,
Nice and dry!
Nice and dry!

Under the Boardwalk by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick

We sang this song as our instrument play-along for Outdoor Musical Storytime. It was fun because so many of the parents already knew it.

Oh, when the [C] sun beats down and burns the tar up on the [G] roof.
And your shoes get so hot, you wish your tired feet were fire-[C]proof. [C7]
Under the [F] boardwalk, down by the [C] sea,
On a blanket with my [G] baby, is where I’ll [C] be.

Under the [Am] boardwalk, out of the sun.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be having some fun.
Under the [Am] boardwalk, people walking above.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be falling in love under the [Am] boardwalk, boardwalk.

From the [C] park you hear the happy sounds of the carou-[G]sel,
You can almost taste the hot dogs and french fries they [C] sell. [C7]
Under the [F] boardwalk, down by the [C] sea
On a blanket with my [G] baby, is where I’ll [C] be.

Under the [Am] boardwalk, out of the sun.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be having some fun.
Under the [Am] boardwalk, people walking above.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be falling in love under the [Am] boardwalk, boardwalk.

Under a Shady Tree by Laurie Berkner

I always end with this song for Outdoor Musical Storytime, and give the kids egg shakers to shake in time to the beat. This week, since it fit with our letter U theme, I also sang it at the end of Family Storytime (I also used it for the letter T the week before.)

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the breeze blow by?
Can you [C] feel it on your face?
This is our [F] special [G7] place.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the soft cool grass?
Can you [C] feel it with your toes?
We can [F] sit here while it [G7] grows.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

If you want to [G7] close your eyes,
And [C] sleep beneath the tree,
You can [F] rest your head on [G7] me.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Stay & Play: Coffee Filter Umbrellas

This was a cute and easy craft that I adapted from GluedtoMyCraftsBlog.com. Before storytime, I cut coffee filters in half (I cut little half circles along the flat edge, but it works just fine to just cut them in half). For the Stay & Play, I put out the coffee filter halves, along with dot markers, glue sticks, white cardstock, pipe cleaners, scissors (for trimming the pipe cleaners), and Scotch tape for taping the pipe cleaner handles onto the paper.

The kids had a good time assembling their umbrellas on the cardstock, and decorating them with the dot markers. One little girl hilariously offered hers to her Mom to keep the rain off, and the Mom made a big show of holding it over her head.

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