Early Literacy Tip: Point out any sound effects or animal sounds written in the books you read together (the book Animals Go Vroom! has a lot), and have fun saying them with your child. Onomatopoeia (words meant to represent sounds) are wonderful for helping kids learn the sounds that letters make.
This week we celebrated the letter V in storytime. It’s not the easiest letter to work with, but we still had a lot of fun.
As usual, we started by writing an upper- and lower case letter V in the air together, and then talking about words that started with V. The kids suggested violin and vase. I also pulled some items out of a paper bag: a toy vehicle, a toy van (actually a Mystery Machine!), and a bottle of vanilla, which I carried around for the kids to smell.
Here’s the rest of what we did:
Books:
Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman
This book was too small for Outdoor Musical Storytime, but the kids at Family Storytime thought it was hilarious! It features a variety of vegetables wearing different types of underwear, with rhyming text. The kids enjoyed naming the veggies.
Animals Go Vroom! by Abi Cushman
This was a fun, simple picture book featuring different animals driving a variety of vehicles. Small cut-outs reveal the animal on the next page, and a sound that relates to them, but really refers to something happening to the vehicle on the next page. For example, the HISS on the page with the cutout showing the snake turns out to be a flat tire on the next page. The kids enjoyed calling out the different animal names.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This one caused a stir at Outdoor Musical Storytime, because so many of the kids recognized it. It’s the classic story of a caterpillar who eats through different foods every day, until he finally transforms into a butterfly. I like to pause every time I say, “But he was still…” and let the kids say the word “HUNGRY!”
Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon
I love this sweet story about a penguin who gets tired of the snow and decides to go on vacation on a tropical island. At first, he doesn’t know what to do on the sand, but then he meets a friendly crab who shows him how to have fun at the beach. When he returns to his icy home, the crab tags along, and the two friends enjoy playing in the snow together until the crab has to return home. The illustrations are adorable.
This Old Van by Kim Norman; illustrated by Carolyn Conahan
I handed out the egg shakers before I read this one, and the kids played along as I read/sang. It’s a cute, colorful adaptation of This Old Man, about a charming old van that encounters lots of different types of vehicles on the way to a derby.
Songs & Activities:
If All the Raindrops
I sang this song after reading Vegetables in Underwear, because it’s my go-to food song. I always ask the kids to suggest different foods they would like to fall from the sky, and we make up our own verses for those.
[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.
If all the raindrops were cookies and ice cream…
Dinosaurs in Cars by Nancy Stewart
We sang this after reading Animals Go Vroom. I learned it from a librarian in San Francisco who covered storytimes for me long ago. It’s such a cute, catchy song!
[C] There were five dinosaurs, [F] driving in cars,
[C] Having a really good [G7] time.
They said, [C] “We’ll step on the gas, and [F] go really fast!”
And they [C] did…until one [G7] had a flat [C] tire.
Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk!
She said, “Go on without me!”
Then there were four dinosaurs…
Repeat, until the last dinosaur has a flat tire, then say,
“She said, ‘I know! I’ll fix the tire! and then I’ll pick up all my friends!”
Then there were five dinosaurs,
Riding in a car, having a really good time.
They said, “Step on the gas, and go really fast!”
And they did, and down the road they went flying.
ROAR!
Playscarf Snowball Fight
After reading Penguin on Vacation at Family Storytime, we had a “snowball” fight with the play scarves. I let the kids each take several scarves, and then we all bundled them up into balls and threw them at each other for a few seconds. The kids mostly threw them at me, and occasionally at their caregivers.
Veggies in the Pot
I came up with this one to sing with the parachute at Outdoor Musical Storytime. We have a few random plush vegetables (carrots, corn, and peas) that I threw onto the parachute each time. You could also print out pictures of different vegetables or cut them out of felt.
(To the tune of The Noble Duke of York)
Veggies in the pot!
Veggies in the pot!
They’re in the pot
And nice and hot.
Veggies in the pot!
Carrots in the pot!
Carrots in the pot!
They’re in the pot
And nice and hot.
Carrots in the pot!
Corn in the pot…etc.
Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner
We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end. The lines in parenthesis are meant to be echoed by the audience, but with my younger kiddos, I just sang the song without them. It’s a really fun song.
[C] Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco
[G7] Ate a burrito with Tabasco.
[C] They put it on their rice, they put it on their beans,
[G7] On their rutabagas and on their collard [C]greens.
CHORUS:
[C] Hey, Victor! (Hey, Victor!)
[G7] Hey, Freddie! (Hey, Freddie!)
Let’s eat some (Let’s eat some)
[C] Spaghetti! (Spaghetti!)
Hey, Victor! (Hey, Victor!)
[G7] I’m ready (I’m ready)
To eat some spaghetti with [C] Freddie!
Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco
Moved from El Cerrito all the way to Alaska.
Oh, they ate their rice, they ate their beans,
They ate their rutabagas and they ate their collard greens.
CHORUS
Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco
They like to eat slow, they never eat fast.
Oh, they ate their rice, they ate their beans,
They ate their rutabagas and they ate their collard greens.
CHORUS
Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco
They like to eat fast, they never eat slow.
Oh, they ate their rice, they ate their beans.
They ate their rutabagas and they ate their collard greens.
CHORUS
[C] Hey, Victor! (Hey, Victor!)
[G7] Hey, Freddie! (Hey, Freddie!)
Let’s eat some (Let’s eat some)
[C] Spaghetti! (Spaghetti!)
Hey, Victor! (Hey, Victor!)
[G7] I’m ready (I’m ready)
To eat some spaghetti with [C] you!
Stay & Play: Rubber Band Guitar
Before we did this craft, I talked about vibrations and showed the kids how the strings of my ukulele vibrate when I strum them to make the sound.
For the Stay & Play, I put out paper cups, markers, a variety of rubber bands, and a wide selection of washi tape. The kids decorated the cups with the markers. Their caregivers helped them stretch the rubber bands around the cup, and together they put different colored pieces of washi tape around the bottom to hold the rubber bands in place. They enjoyed plucking the rubber bands to make different sounds.
Do you have any favorite picture books or songs featuring the letter V?