This storytime theme was so much fun, with lots of opportunities for roaring and stomping!

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap; illustrated by Greg Pizzoli

Fun, interactive picture book about a shy dinosaur who is easily frightened. The narrator suggests different ways to make him feel comfortable: saying “Hello” in different ways, and singing, “Happy Birthday!” Even the older kids in my Family Storytime enjoyed doing the different actions.

Dino Duckling by Alison Murray

Sweet story about a dinosaur who belongs to a family of ducklings. Mama Duck always says that differences don’t matter, and everyone belongs, but when it comes time for the ducks to fly south for the winter Dino is sure that he will have to stay behind. Luckily, the ducks find a way to keep everyone together.

I’m Hungry! / ¡Tengo hambre! by Angela Dominguez

A lot of the caregivers at Outdoor Musical Storytime are native Spanish speakers, and they were very excited to see this bilingual book. A bilingual bird tries to help a Spanish-speaking dinosaur find food, but he doesn’t seem interested in eating anything but the bird himself. Luckily, the bird is able to persuade him to try cookies instead. This is a brilliant example of a bilingual book, because the bird is essentially translating the Spanish words for anyone who doesn’t already know them.

Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin; illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

We gave out egg shakers before I read this one, and the kids played them along with the repeated “Love My Doggy Ice Cream” song. Groovy Joe is excited to enjoy some ice cream, but keeps getting interrupted by hungry dinosaurs. But, as Joe says, “It’s awesome to share!”

Songs:

Can You Name the Dinosaur?

For this song, I printed out pictures of different types of dinosaurs (stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, and velociraptor) and put them in a bag. Each time I sang the song, I’d hold up a dinosaur and the kids would call out the name.

To the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Can you name the dinosaur,
The dinosaur, the dinosaur?
Can you name the dinosaur
I have here in my hand?

I Found a Little Egg

For this one, I printed out small pictures of animals that hatch from eggs (a baby bird, a snake, and a dinosaur) and put them inside plastic eggs. I had the kids pretend to hold an egg in their hands. Each time we sang the song, I would ask them to guess what animal was inside, and then crack it open.

To the tune of I’m a Little Teapot.

I found a little egg out on the ground,
I kept it warm and safe and sound.
I waited and I watched my egg with pride.
Can you guess who was inside?

The Dinosaurs March Up and Down

We sang this one with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. It’s to the tune of When Johnny Comes Marching Home.

The dinosaurs march up and down,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The dinosaurs march up and down,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The dinosaurs march up and down,
They stomp their feet upon the ground,
And we all roar loud
When the dinosaurs march around!

Two Little Blue Birds

We sang this with play scarves for Family Storytime after reading I’m Hungry! / ¡Tengo hambre!

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

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

We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. Always a hit!

[Dm] We are the [C] dinosaurs marching, marching.
[Dm] We are the dinosaurs. [A] Whaddaya think of that?
[Dm] We are the dinosaurs [C] marching, marching.
[Dm] We are the [A] dinosaurs. [Dm] We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.
We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.

[F] We stop and eat our [C] food, [F] when we’re in the [C] mood.
[F] Stop and eat our [C] food on the [Dm] ground.
[F] We stop and eat our [C] food, [F] when we’re in the [C] mood.
[F] Stop and eat our [C] food, and [Dm] then we march [A] around.

[Dm] We are the [C] dinosaurs marching, marching.
[Dm] We are the dinosaurs. [A] Whaddaya think of that?
[Dm] We are the dinosaurs [C] marching, marching.
[Dm] We are the [A] dinosaurs. [Dm] We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.
We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.

[F] We stop and take a [C] rest, [F] over in our [C] nest.
[F] Stop and take a [C] rest at the end of the [Dm] day.
[F] We stop and take a [C] rest, [F] over in our [C] nest.
[F] Stop and take a [C] rest, and [Dm] then you’ll hear us [A] say…

[Dm] We are the [C] dinosaurs marching, marching.
[Dm] We are the dinosaurs. [A] Whaddaya think of that?
[Dm] We are the dinosaurs [C] marching, marching.
[Dm] We are the [A] dinosaurs. [Dm] We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.
We make the [C] earth [Dm] flat.

[A] And then we RO-AR-OAR!
[A] Because [Dm] we [C] are the [Dm]dino-[D]saurs!

Stay & Play: Duplo-Painted Dinosaurs

I found this fun process-art activity on stayathomeeducator.com. Before storytime, I printed a couple of different dinosaur templates and cut them out. For the Stay & Play, I put out the paper templates, some blank paper to put underneath the templates while the kids were stamping, small paper plates with different colors of tempera paint, and duplo blocks. The kids had a great time dipping the duplos into the paint and stamping them onto the dinosaurs.

We also put out two Snap Dino sets for kids to play with, and they were a big hit!

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