S is for Slug: A Storytime About the Letter S

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Letter S may be my favorite storytime letter so far (and not just because Storytime starts with S). One of our regular families who comes to Outdoor Musical Storytime, always comes early to see how many banana slugs she can find in the park (today she found 27!). In her honor, I ordered a banana slug puppet, and featured banana slugs in our Stay & Play activity, and our instrument play-along song at the end.

I started the storytime by asking the kids if they knew any words that started with the letter S. They suggested seal, snake, and sand. I also demonstrated a slide whistle (one of my favorite instruments!), and held up my slug puppet, and a large spider that one of our library staff made on our 3D printer. Then we drew the letter S in the air together.

Here are the books and songs I used in either Outdoor Musical Storytime, Family Storytime, or both:

Books:

Shake the Tree by Chiara Vignocchi, Paulo Chiarinotti, and Silvia Borando

I read this one for Family Storytime, and it was a big hit. A mouse tries to shake a nut out of tree, but accidentally shakes down a hungry fox. The mouse escapes into the tree branches, and when the fox shakes the tree, he shakes down an angry warthog, who ends up shaking down a big bear. The bear shakes down all the animals, and the nut, which he eats. The kids enjoyed pretending to shake the tree along with the story. The book opens vertically, which is also fun.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

When I held this one up, a number of the older kids yelled, “I have that book!” It’s such a classic, simple story about a boy’s adventures in the snow. I had the kids try walking with their toes pointing outward, and then inward along with the story. They were very engaged all the way through.

Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

One of my favorite read-alouds! An adorable spider wants to be a family pet, but keeps getting put outside. The kids loved joining in on the “Aarrgh, Spider!” line, which is written in large enough text that the older preschoolers could pick it out whenever I got to that page. It made me really happy to see that they were paying attention to the written words.

Slug in Love by Rachel Bright and Nadia Shireen

This is such a cute, rhyming book about a slug named Doug who really wants a hug, but no one wants to hug him.

Songs & Rhymes

Way Up High in the Apple Tree

I did this one in Family Storytime to go along with Shake the Tree. I asked the kids to suggest other fruits, and we did the rhyme again with an orange tree and a banana tree.

Way up high in the apple tree (stretch arms up)
Two little apples smiled at me. (make circles with the thumb and fingers of each hand)
I shook that tree as hard as I could! (shake imaginary tree)
Down came the apples (lower arms quickly)
Mmmm! They were good! (rub stomach)

Five Little Snowmen

This is one of my favorite winter-time songs. The kids LOVE pretending to melt to the floor, and then pop up again.

Five little snowmen standing in a row, (hold up five fingers)
Each with a hat (touch head), and a brightly colored bow (adjust imaginary bowtie).
Five little snowmen dressed up all for show.
Now they are ready,`
Where will they go?

Wait! (hold out hands in a “Stop!” motion) Till the sun shines. (move hands in a circle)
Wait! Till the sun shines.
Then they will go
Down through the fields
With the melting, melting snow (“melt” all the way down to the floor, then pop up for the next four snowmen).

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We sang this with the parachute, lifting it up and down along with the song. I put a large 3D-printed spider in the middle of the parachute, and kids thought it was hilarious to see the spider bouncing up and down.

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.

Spider on the Floor

To the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It. This is an old Raffi song (video below) although I usually change the lyrics a little. I used the 3D printed spider to act out the words, while the kids made pretend spiders out of their hands. (In Family Storytime, I had the kids pretend their play scarves were spiders).

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?…

Banana Slug Song by Bungee Jumpin’ Cows

I was happy to see that this song has been used in our local Outdoor Ed program, where every fifth grader in the public schools spends a week at a camp learning about nature. We did it as our instrument play-along at the end. The kids loved the BA-NA-NA Slug, Slug, Slug, Slug! part (the motions are in the video below). Here’s a link to the original song recording by Bungee Jumpin’ Cows, in case that’s easier to follow for the tune: https://bungeejumpincows.bandcamp.com/track/the-banana-slug-song

To the tune of Twist and Shout.

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

You know I love my [G] baby
([C] Love my [D] baby).
I like the [C] way that she [G] hugs
(The [C] way that she [D] hugs).
People [C] don’t [G] understand
([C] Don’t [D] understand).
She’s a [C] banana [G] slug.
([C]Banana [D] slug).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

She’s got just one foot
(Just one foot).
But she ain’t got no toes
(Ain’t got no toes)
She just hangs out in the forest
(In the forest).
Helpin’ it decompose
(Decompose).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

The way you shake your antenna
(Shake your antenna).
You know it gives me such bliss
(Gives me such bliss).
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon banana slug
(Banana slug).
And let me give you a kiss
(Give you a kiss).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

Stay & Play: Liquid Chalk Marker Painted Slugs

These was a super simple Stay & Play activity, but the kids were really into it.

Before storytime, I printed out the slug templates from LearnCreateLove on white cardstock and cut them out. For the Stay & Play, I put out the printed templates, along with googly eyes, and liquid chalk markers, paint brush pens, and dot markers. The kids were having such a great time decorating their slugs that some of them didn’t want to leave.

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

22Jan2024

R is for Rocket: A Storytime About the Letter R

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

This week, we featured the letter R in both Family Storytime and Outdoor Musical Storytime.

As usual, I started by asking the kids to name any words they knew that started with R. They suggested rain, rabbit, roar, and rainbow. Then we wrote the letter R (upper and lower case) in the air together.

Here are the books and songs that we did:

Books:

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krause Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

This is a fun book to read, especially for two voices, so Claire and I read it together for Outdoor Musical Storytime. Two people argue about the creature they see. One says it’s a duck. The other insists it’s a rabbit. The argument continues until the creature runs away. But now they both have doubts about what it actually was.

Tiny Little Rocket by Richard Collingridge

A story that describes an exciting journey into space in a tiny red rocket ship. The kids loved joining on the “scream!” and calling out things they saw in the illustrations. I had a pretty lively group of preschoolers at Outdoor Musical Storytime, and I was worried this would be a bit too long, but they were very engaged.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

One of my favorite Elephant and Piggie books. In this one, Gerald and Piggie are excited to run, skip, and jump outside on a beautiful day, until it starts to rain. Piggie complains that she hates the rain, but then they see two worms having fun, and decide to try having fun too. But just as Piggie realizes how much she loves the rain, it stops. Luckily, Gerald has a plan to keep the fun going.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera

Colorful, animal-filled adaptation of the classic song, with lots of opportunities for the kids to join in on the animal sounds. I gave out instruments before we read this one at Family Storytime.

Songs:

See the Little Bunnies Sleeping

I learned this song from a local daycare provider, and it’s been a big hit. I have the kids crouch down and pretend to be asleep, then pop up and hop. We usually sing it 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!

Zoom Zoom Zoom

We sang this one with the parachute at both storytimes (I have a little parachute that we used for Family Storytime. The kids put puppets on top, and thought it was hilarious to watch them fly up in the air at the end).

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!

Rain is Falling Down

We did this one with play scarves, throwing them up in the air and catching them. I use the tune from JBrary in the video below:

Rain is falling down. SPLASH!
Rain is falling down. SPLASH!
Pitter patter, Pitter patter,
Rain is falling down. SPLASH!

Snow is falling down. SHHH!
Snow is falling down. SHHH!
Swirling, twirling, swirling, twirling,
Snow is falling down. SHHH!

If All the Raindrops

We sang this one as our instrument play-along. I asked the kids to suggest foods that they would like to have fall from the sky. They came up with macaroni and broccoli, bananas and juice, and chicken wings and carrots.

[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 snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes…

If all the sunbeams were bubblegum and ice cream…

If all the raindrops were (ask the kids to suggest other types of foods)…

Stay & Play: Straw Rockets

For this easy Stay & Play, I precut these paper rocket ships from Playdatebox.com. I also rolled some strips of paper into pencil-sized tubes, and taped one end of each one to seal it closed.

For the Stay & Play, I put out the paper rockets, markers, tapes, the rolled paper tubes, and some paper straws. After the kids colored the rockets with the markers, I showed them how to tape a paper tube on the back, with the sealed end on the top. Then they made the rockets fly by putting their paper straw into the tube and blowing (it helps not to push the straw too far in).

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

2Jan2024

P is for Paint: A Storytime About the Letter P

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Happy New Year!

This week we had a lot of fun with the letter P in our Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime. As usual, I started by asking the kids to suggest words that started with the letter P, and I wrote these on my whiteboard. They came up with polar bear, park, pig and penguin. Then we drew the letter p in the air together. I also showed them two musical instruments: pan pipes and a penny whistle.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Peek-a-Moo by Marie Torres Cimarusti; illustrated by Stephanie Peterson

Really simple, but adorable lift-the-flap book, featuring different farm animals playing peek-a-boo. The kids enjoyed calling out the name of each animal before I lifted the flap to reveal which one it was.

A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Shawn Harris

Beautiful, simple story about a polar bear who emerges from the snow. Where is he going? The kids were mesmerized by the artwork and enjoyed roaring with the bear.

I Am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems

In this Elephant and Piggie book, Piggie is excited to receive a party invitation, but isn’t sure what to wear, so she asks Gerald to come with her. Gerald says they “must be ready” for it to be a fancy party, a pool party, or a costume party, and they end up dressing for all three. My coworker Claire and I read this one together and it got a lot of laughs.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow

One of my very favorite storytime books, about a boy whose mother tells him “you ain’t gonna paint no more,” but he can’t resist painting different parts of his body. It’s a parody of the song It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More, so I sing it to that tune. It’s fun to have the kids try to guess which body part the boy is planning to paint next, based on the rhyme. I gave out play scarves before I read this one, and had the kids pretend they were paintbrushes.

Songs:

Old MacDonald

We sang this one after reading Peek-a-Moo. I asked the kids to suggest different animals for each verse.

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

Going on a Bear Hunt

I read this to go along with A Polar Bear in the Snow. This was one of my favorite activities when I was a kid, and I love to throw it into a storytime. The kids echo most of the lines (the ones in parentheses). I like to play up wiping grass off my pants, and the mud off my feet, and shaking off the water from the lake. It’s always a hit:

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

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 bear hunt again!

Popcorn Kernels

I do this song every week with play scarves (like the JBrary video below) in my Family Storytime. But today, for Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put some colored pom-poms on our parachute and had the kids shake the parachute together along with the beat. They LOVED watching the pom-poms bounce up and down.

Popcorn kernels, Popcorn kernels,
In the pot, In the pot.
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
‘Till they pop! ‘Till they pop!

Polly Wolly Doodle

We sang this as our instrument play-along song at the end. It’s a traditional folk song with lots of variations, but the lyrics I used are below. Here’s a YouTube video from The Countdown Kids, in case you don’t know the tune:

Well, I went down [C] south for to see my gal,
Sing polly wolly doodle all the [G] day.
My Sal, she is a spunky gal,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

Behind the barn [C] down on my knees,
Sing polly wolly doodle all the [G] day.
I thought I heard a chicken sneeze,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

A peanut sat [C] on a railroad track,
His heart was all a- [G] flutter.
Around the bend came a train,
Toot! Toot! Peanut [C] butter!

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

Stay & Play: Painting

This was probably the most open-ended Stay & Play Activity I’ve done: free painting with washable paint. I just put out white cardstock and brushes, and then put a dollop of several different colors of paint on small plastic paint palettes.

Some of the caregivers told me it was the first time their kids had ever painted before, since they were nervous about the mess it would make at home. The kids had such a great time exploring the colors on the paper, and mixing them together. (One tip: I’ve learned to always provide a large plastic bag for people to put their brushes and palettes in when they’re done, so they don’t end up getting left on the table or falling on the floor).

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

13Dec2023

N is for Nest: A Storytime About the Letter N

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Last week, I stumbled across an abandoned hummingbird nest in the library garden, which seemed like the perfect tie-in for our Letter N storytime this week. It was beautifully constructed, with moss and tree bark on the outside, and the kids loved looking at it.

As usual I started by asking the kids to suggest words that start with the letter N, and writing them on my whiteboard. They came up with: no, not, nose, and note. Then we wrote the letter N (both capital and lower case in the air together.

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

Books:

No, David by David Shannon

Whenever I read this book, I like to tell the families that the author wrote a version of it when he was five years-old, because he was always in trouble. It’s a simple book, full of hilarious illustrations, and the kids LOVED it, especially the picture of David running down the street naked.

Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward and Steve Jenkins

Beautiful rhyming book showcasing the nests of a wide range of birds: woodpeckers, hummingbirds, hornbills, eagles, flamingos, owls, etc. The kids enjoying calling out the birds they recognized.

I Will Take a Nap by Mo Willems

This is one of the more surreal Elephant and Piggie books, where Gerald decides he is cranky and needs to take a nap. Piggie decides to nap too, but her snoring keeps Gerald awake…or does it? Suddenly, Piggie is floating in the air and has the head of a turnip, and Gerald realizes he is dreaming. My coworker Julia and I read this one together.

The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin; illustrated by Scott Magoon

One of the Nuts series by Eric Litwin (the author of some of the original Pete the Cat books). In this one Hazel and Wally Nut are having too much fun to go to bed, and keep ignoring Mama Nut’s requests. The kids loved joining in on the “We’re nuts!” chant.

Songs:

The No Song

I think this song is also called The Argument. It’s basically the tune to Reveille, but you sing, “No, no, no, no, no” all the way through the first half, while shaking your head no, then “yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” for the second half while nodding. If you have an older group, you can divide them up and have them sing both parts at the same time.

No, no, no, no, no, no,
No, no, no, no, no,
No, no, no, no, no, no no!
No, no, no, no, no, no,
No, no, no, no, no,
No, no, no, no, no, no no!

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes,
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes,
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes,
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!

The Noble Duke of York

We did this song with the parachute, lifting it up and down to match the lyrics. Here’s a video from BarneyClassics, in case you’re not familiar with the tune.

The noble Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them all to the top of the hill, (stretch up high or lift parachute)
And he marched them down again. (crouch down low or lower parachute)
And when you’re up, you’re up. (stretch up high)
And when you’re down, you’re down. (crouch down low)
And when you’re only halfway up,
You’re neither up, nor down. (stretch up high, then quickly crouch down)

Two Little Blackbirds

We sang this with play scarves (pretending they were birds), as a follow-up to Mama Built a Little Nest.

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!…

Two little blackbirds sitting on a gate.
One was early,
And the other was…late!… (I like to drag the pauses out as long as possible before saying “Late!” until the kids are all yelling it out.)

I’m a Nut

This is an old camp song. The version I do is similar to the one in this JBrary video, although I add some additional verses:

[C] I’m a little acorn round,
Lying on the [G7] cold, cold ground.
[C] Everybody steps on me.
That is why I’m [G7] cracked you [C] see!

(Chorus)
[C] I’m a nut (clack your tongue twice)
[C] I’m a nut (clack your tongue twice)
[C] I’m a nut (clack your tongue twice)

[C] Called myself on the telephone,
Just to see if [G7] I was home.
[C] Asked myself out for a date,
Didn’t get home ’til [G7] half past [C] eight.

(Chorus)

[C] I’m a little piece of tin.
Nobody knows just [G7] where I’ve been.
[C] Got four wheels and a running board
I’m a Ford, yeah, [G7] I’m a [C] Ford.
(Honk honk, rattle rattle, crash crash,
beep beep, a-oo-ga)

Stay & Play: Paper Nests & Pom-Pom Birds

I meant to bring little paper plates for this project, but I forgot them. Luckily, I had some cardstock for the kids to use a base.

Before the storytime, I shredded some brown and white paper, and cut small triangles out of yellow paper for beaks. For the Stay & Play, I put out the shredded paper pieces, the yellow triangles, small pieces of yarn, some white glue and gluesticks, pom-poms of different sizes, and googly eyes. The kids had fun putting googly eyes and beaks on their pom-poms to make birds (some of them glued smaller pom-pom “heads” onto larger pom-pom bodies). Then they made their nests by gluing the shredded paper and yarn onto the paper.

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

6Dec2023

M is for Mitten: A Storytime About the Letter M

Posted in Uncategorized by worldsloudestlibrarian

We are halfway through the alphabet in our storytime series about letters. I’m still enjoying the challenge, and the kids seem to like the weekly letter themes too.

As usual, today at Outdoor Musical Storytime I asked the kids to suggest words that start with the Letter M. They suggested Mommy, monkey, and mouse. Then we drew the letter M in the air together.

UPDATE: I did a slightly expanded version of the storytime below tonight for Family Storytime, so I’ve added in the additional book and song that we did.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Mouse was Mad by Linda Urban; illustrated by Henry Cole

Adorable book about handling big emotions. Mouse is so mad that he hops and stomps and screams and rolls around on the ground, but he can’t do any of these things as well as his friends Hare, Bear, Bobcat, and Hedgehog, and he keeps ending up in mucky mud puddles. Finally, he tries standing still and just breathing, and finds that he isn’t mad anymore.

The Mitten by Jim Aylesworth; illustrated by Barbara McClintock

I decided to do this longer version of the classic story about a lost mitten that becomes a refuge for a bunch of cold animals, rather than the more well-known one by Jan Brett (which I also love!), because the illustrations are a bit larger and easier for the kids to see in our outdoor setting. It also has a cute, repeated refrain that each animal says as they ask to be allowed to squeeze into the crowded mitten for warmth. This was a much longer book than I usually read, but the kids really seemed to like it.

Mooncake by Frank Asch

This is one of my long-time favorites: one of the Moonbear series by Frank Asch. In this one, Bear wonders what the Moon tastes like, so he builds a rocket, but falls asleep while counting down to lift off. He wakes up on a snowy day (something he’s never seen before), and thinking he is on the Moon, makes and eats a little Mooncake (made out of snow) and explores until he is frightened by strange footprints (his own). He gets back in the rocket, but again falls asleep, waking up when it is Spring again. The kids enjoyed joining in on the countdowns.

Moose Tracks by Karma Wilson and Jack E. Davis

Hilarious rhyming book about a house that is suddenly full of mysterious moose tracks. The twist at the end is the best!

Songs:

If You’re Happy and You Know It

I did this one to go along with the book Mouse Was Mad, since it’s all about feelings. I added in verses about other emotions:

[C] If you’re happy and you know it, clap your [G7] hands! (clap, clap)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your [C] hands! (clap, clap)
If you’re [F] happy and you know it, and you [C] really want to show it,
If you’re [G7] happy and you know it, clap your [C] hands! (clap, clap)

If you’re sad and you know it, cry, “Boo hoo!”…

If you’re angry and you know it, say, “I’m mad!”… (stomp feet while saying, “I’m mad!”)

If you’re shy and you know it, hide your face… (cover your eyes, and then uncover them and say, “Peek-a-boo!”

If you’re sleepy and you know it, yawn and stretch…

If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “Hooray!”…

Mitten Song

Really simple but cute song about mittens. This video from HeadHz includes an additional verse that I haven’t used before. I just do the chorus:

Thumb in the thumb’s place, (wiggle your thumb)
Fingers all together, (squeeze your other fingers together)
This is the song we sing in mitten weather.

Hickory, Dickory, Dock

For our parachute activity, I brought out a mouse puppet and tossed it into the middle of parachute as we sang this song. Here’s a video from Super Simple Songs, in case you aren’t familiar with the tune:

Hickory dickory dock, (shake the parachute)
The mouse ran up the clock. (lift the parachute in the air)
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down. (lower the parachute)
Hickory, dickory, dock. (shake the parachute)

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

We actually do this one every week with the parachute (it’s a shorter version of the traditional Zoom, Zoom, Zoom song). The kids LOVE running underneath when we raise the chute in the air.

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! We’re going to the moon! (shake the parachute in rhythm)
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! We’re be there very soon! (shake the parachute in rhythm)
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (shake the parachute for each number)
Blast Off! (raise or throw the parachute as high as you can, then let it fall back down).

Mairzy Doats by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston

I loved this song when I was a kid, so I was happy to have an excuse to use it for an instrument play-along at the end of storytime. Here’s a link to the ukulele chords with chord charts from Doctor Uke, which is a wonderful site for learning how to play the ukulele, and finding the chords to popular songs.

[C] Oh, mairzy doats and [Cmaj7] dozy doats and [C6] liddle lambsy [C#dim] divey.
A [Dm7] kiddley divey, [G7] too. Wouldn’t [C] you?
[C] Oh, mairzy doats and [Cmaj7] dozy doats and [C6] liddle lambsy [C#dim] divey.
A [Dm7] kiddley divey, [G7] too. Wouldn’t [C] you?

If the [Gm7] words sound [C7] queer and [Gm7] funny to your [C7] ear,
A [F] little bit jumbled and [F6] jivey.
Sing, [Am7] “Mares eat [D7] oats and [Am7] does eat [D7] oats
and [G7] little [F] lambs eat [Em7] i-[G7sus] vy.”

Stay & Play: Paper Mittens

This was a really easy craft, but the kids had a lot of fun with it. I just put out paper in different colors, along with markers and dot markers. They needed a grown-up’s help to trace their hands to make a mitten shape, but then they spent a lot of time decorating their mittens.

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

21Nov2023

K is for Kindness: A Storytime About the Letter K

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

It’s Thanksgiving week! And since we are on the Letter K in our storytime series, I decided to feature the word Kind, and have the kids make Kindness Cards to give to friends and family. Coincidentally, one of our regulars gave me a handmade card right at the beginning of storytime (my coworker said she was almost like a plant in the audience).

As usual, at the beginning of storytime, we talked about the letter K and I asked the kids if to suggest any K words they knew. This was a tricky one for them, because they kept coming up with words that started with C, like Cobra. In the end, with a bit of prompting, they suggested kite, kick, kitten, and kangaroo. I also demonstrated a kalimba (a type of thumb piano from Zimbabwe). I only wish I had thought to bring a kazoo!

Because of the holiday closures, I only had Outdoor Musical Storytime this week, but here are the books and songs we did for that:

UPDATE: I did the Letter K again for my Family Storytime the week after I posted this, so I’m adding in the extra book and songs I did for that.

Books:

King Baby by Kate Beaton

Hilarious look at the world from the point of view of a baby, who sees his parents as his royal subjects who always do his bidding (although they don’t always understand what he wants). Eventually, he learns that it’s even more satisfying to do things himself, as he masters crawling, walking, and more, just in time for the arrival of… Queen Baby! This book always gets laughs from both kids and parents.

I Love You Blue Kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark

This was one of my daughter’s favorite books when she was little, and my Family Storytime kids loved it too. Very sweet story about a little girl named Lily and her stuffed Blue Kangaroo. When Lily receives a whole bunch of new stuffed animals, Blue Kangaroo worries that there’s no place for him anymore, but Lily proves him wrong.

Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand

Simple story with large, colorful illustrations about a Bear and a Mole who are excited to make and fly a kite on a windy day, only to have it blow away in the storm. To their surprise, it ends up getting stuck in a tree, where it serves to protect a nest of birds from the rain. I used a thunder tube on the page with the thunder, which the kids loved.

How Kind! by Mary Murphy

When Chicken gives Pig an egg, he is inspired to do something kind for someone else, and starts a chain of kind acts that pass from one animal to the other. The kids enjoyed calling out the names of the animals.

Songs:

Five Days Old by Laurie Berkner

Although this song title doesn’t start with the letter K, it fit so well with the book King Baby that I had to include it. Plus it does have a verse about “kicking my legs.” It’s a lively, happy song that gets the kids moving.

[C] I’m sitting here, I’m [F] one day old, and [C] I’m sitting here I’m [F] two [G7] days [C] old.
[C] I’m sitting here, I’m [F] three days old, and [C] I’m sitting here I’m [F] four [G7] days [C] old.
[F] One [C] day, I’ll [F] be a [C] year, then [F] I’ll be [C] two, then [G7] three, then four.
[C] As for now I’m [F] sitting here, I’m [C] five days old and [F] no [G7] days [C] more!

I’m jumping up, I’m one day old…

I’m clapping my hands, I’m one day old…

I’m kicking my legs, I’m one day old…

Getting really tired, I’m one day old…

I’m jumping up, I’m one day old…

Popcorn Kernels

I do this song every week with the play scarves at Family Storytime, but this week it actually fit with the letter K theme (for kernels). The kids love bundling up the scarves in their hands and then throwing them in the air at the end. It’s to the tune of Frère Jacques.

Popcorn kernels, Popcorn kernels,
In the pot, In the pot.
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
‘Till they pop! ‘Till they pop!

My Kite Is Flying High

I found this song on PreschoolEducation.com. We used it with the parachute, lifting the parachute up for the first verse, and then lowering it to the ground for the second. I did it again with play scarves at my Family Storytime.

To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell:

My kite is up so high,
My kite is up so high,
Oh, my! Just watch it fly
My kite is up so high.

My kite is falling down,
My kite is falling down,
Oh, no! It’s down so low.
My kite is falling down.

All Around the Kitchen by Dan Zanes

We did this as our instrument play song at the end. Super catchy and fun, with motions for the kids to follow. The original song is by Pete Seeger, but I used the Dan Zanes version below. You can strum the whole song with Am.

CHORUS:

[Am] All around the kitchen,
Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!
All around the kitchen,
Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!
All around the kitchen,
Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!
All around the kitchen,
Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!

[Am] Well, you stop right there (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Put your hands in your hair (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Put your arms in the air (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Spin around in a circle (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).

CHORUS

[Am] Well, you stop right there (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Make your arms into trees (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Then you wave them in the breeze (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Walk and wobble your knees (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).

CHORUS

[Am] Well, you stop right there (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Make your arms into wings (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Then you flap those things (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).
Fly around in a circle (cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo).

CHORUS

Stay & Play: Kindness Cards

This was such a simple project, but the results were adorable. I just put out white cardstock, markers, dot markers, and googly eyes, and told the kids to make cards to give their friends, families, teachers, or anyone else. Some of the adults helped the kids write messages inside.

If you have favorite books or songs featuring the Letter K, please share them in the comments below.

17Nov2023

J is for Jungle: A Storytime About the Letter J

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

We had a lot of fun with the Letter J this week in both Outdoor Musical, and Family Storytime.

As usual, I started by asking the kids if they knew any words that started with the letter J. They came up with jeans, jump, jam, and jelly. I wrote those on my dry erase board, and then we drew the letter J (both capital and lower case) together in the air. I also demonstrated a jaw harp, which the kids seemed fascinated by (it’s a really convenient instrument, because you can carry it in your pocket).

Here’s a combination of the books and songs we did for both storytimes:

Books:

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

This was one of my own kids’ favorite books when they were little, and a number of the kids were excited to see it. A catchy rhyme describes a boy and a bear’s adventures gathering “billions of berries” and featuring elephants skating on raspberry jam, a train full of blackberries and more.

Jazzy in the Jungle by Lucy Cousins

I used this one for my Family Storytime, which is in the evening and gets a smaller group. It’s a cute story about a mother lemur trying to find her baby (Jazzy) in a game of hide-and-seek. The book has lots of irregularly-shaped pages that the kids took turns flipping to see if Jazzy the lemur was there.

Good Job, George by Jane O’Connor; pictures by Andrew Joyner

This one was new to me, but my Family Storytime group really enjoyed it. George is a boy who loves to be helpful, so when his parents decide to paint one of the rooms in the house, he is eager to jump right in. Unfortunately, he accidentally lets the family dog into the room with the paint, and causes a huge mess!

Jump! by Scott M. Fischer

This is an older title, but it’s always a big hit. It starts with a bug chanting, “I’m a bug, I’m a bug, I’m a snug little bug, and I’m sleeping on a jug, until I see a frog and I….JUMP!” The book continues with the frog jumping to escape a cat, the cat jumping to escape a hound, etc. For my Family Storytime group, I had given out play scarves, and I had the kids throw them into the air on the “JUMPs!” (for Outdoor Musical Storytime, I just had the kids jump).

Bedtime in the Jungle by John Butler

This is a beautifully illustrated adaptation of the “Over in the Meadow” song, but about animals in the jungle preparing for bedtime. The kids enjoyed calling out the names of the animals.

Songs:

Peanut Butter & Jelly

This is an old camp song that I remember learning as a kid. Somewhere along the way, our library acquired a toy set with peanuts, grapes, and bread, which I used as props. I do a slightly different version of the one in the Super Simple Songs video below, and have the kids mime picking the peanuts and grapes (or whatever other fruit they suggest), mash them, spread them, and eat the sandwich. I usually pretend to have peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth at the end, and then we all mime pouring and drinking a glass of milk.

First you take the peanuts, and you pick ’em,
You pick ’em, you pick ’em, pick ’em, pick ’em.
Then you smash them, you smash them,
You smash ’em, smash ’em, smash ’em.
Then you spread ’em, you spread ’em.
You spread ’em, spread ’em, spread ’em.
Singing, “Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!
Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!”

Then you take the grapes and you pick ’em,
You pick ’em, you pick ’em, pick ’em, pick ’em.
Then you smash them, you smash them,
You smash ’em, smash ’em, smash ’em.
Then you spread ’em, you spread ’em.
You spread ’em, spread ’em, spread ’em.
Singing, “Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!
Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!”

Then you take the sandwich and you bite it,
You bite it, you bite it, bite it, bite it.
Then you chew it, you chew it, you chew it,
Chew it, Chew it.
Then you swallow it, you swallow it,
You swallow it, swallow it, swallow it.
Singing, “Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!
Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly!”

Down in the Jungle

For Family Storytime, I gave out play scarves before we sang this one, and then we mimed washing them. I asked the kids to suggest different animals each time we sang it.

Down in the jungle where nobody goes,
There’s a little baby elephant washing his clothes.
With a rub-a-dub here, and a rub-a-dub there.
That’s the way he washes his clothes!

The Jack in the Box

It’s great to show the kids a Jack in the Box if you have one (I couldn’t find mine!). For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I had the kids do the song with the motions in the video below a couple of times, and then we did it 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!

Jump Up by Dan Zanes

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. It’s such a happy song!

[C] Jump up day is breaking
[G7] Jump up let’s get shaking
[C] I know you’re lying down
[F] Jump up and we’ll dance a-[C]round

Jump up bells are ringing
And i hear friends are singing
Oh yea, it’s a crazy sound
Jump up and we’ll dance around

Jump up stand on your tip toes
Reach out grab a rainbow
Turn it upside down
Jump up and we’ll dance it around

Jump up clouds are passing
Look up the sky is laughing
I know we’ll be laughing too
Jump up I want to dance with you

Jump up you know i love you
That’s right i love love love you
A new day is shining down
Jump up and we’ll dance around

Stay & Play: Tissue Paper Jungles

Before storytime, I cut a bunch of colored tissue paper into small pieces. For the Stay & Play, I put out the tissue paper squares, white cardstock, some sponge brushes, cups of water, and animal stickers. (For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I also provided glue sticks, so the kids could add leaves or grass to their pictures). They had a great time painting their paper with the water, and then putting the tissue paper squares on top, and watching the color spread onto the page. They also had fun adding the animal stickers.

Do you have any favorite picture books or songs featuring the Letter J? Please share them in the comments below.

9Nov2023

I is for Ice Cream: A Storytime About the Letter I

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

This week, we had fun with the Letter I in both Outdoor Musical and Family Storytime. The kids have really gotten into our letter series, and love to try to guess which letter we are doing each week. One Mom told me that she and her preschool-aged son have started something similar at home, tackling two letters a week.

As usual, I started by asking the kids to suggest words that started with the Letter I (they suggested igloo, ice, ice cream, and insect). I wrote them on my white board, and then we drew the letter I (both capital and lower case) in the air together.

Here are the books and songs that we did:

Books:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani

We were lucky enough to have a big book version of this on hand. It’s one of my favorite books for toddlers: an extended version of the traditional song, which depicts the spider climbing up (and falling from) lots of other surfaces. The big book version is even better (even though I always struggle to hold the book and turn the pages!) because it’s easier for the kids to see the spider in the pictures.

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

This is a favorite of one of my storytime families, and it was huge hit with both of my storytime groups. It features a little boy in the jungle, who keeps having run-ins with a tiger: in a cave, hidden in a pile of leaves, on a boat, and in a treasure chest. Luckily, the tiger turns out to be friendly. The kids loved joining in on the “IT’S A TIGER!” parts, and a number of the parents with kids on their laps would bounce them up and down as if they were running away.

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

Before I read this book, I held up a picture of an inchworm, and talked about how they move. I had the kids pretend their finger was an inchworm, and bend and straighten it as if it was crawling. I also showed them a yardstick, to show how big an inch is. The story is about an inchworm who escapes being eaten by a hungry robin by offering to measure its tail. He then ends up measuring several other types of birds, until a nightingale insists that he measure his song. At first the inchworm doesn’t know what to do, but then he tells the bird to sing and he will measure, and he quickly inches away.

Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems

One of my favorite Elephant and Piggie books, where Gerald can’t decide whether or not to share his ice cream with Piggie. Claire and I read this one together for Outdoor Musical Storytime, and it got a lot of laughs.

Songs & Rhymes:

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. I also held up a large 3D Printed spider, and we sang “The Great Big Hairy Spider” as the second verse.

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.

Inchworm

This is such a pretty song. I had the kids pretend their fingers were inchworms and creep them up their arm as we sang. I don’t sing the “Two and Two are Four” at the beginning of this video.

Inchworm, inchworm,
Measuring the marigolds.
You and your arithmetic
Will probably go far.
Inchworm, inchworm,
Measuring the marigolds.
Seems to me you’d stop and see
How beautiful they are.

Inside the Space Shuttle

For Outdoor Musical Storytime, we did this rhyme with the parachute. The kids loved running underneath as soon as we lifted it up in the air.

Inside the space shuttle, (lower parachute to the ground)
Just enough room.
Here comes the countdown:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (shake parachute as you count)
Blast-off! (lift parachute up high)

Icky Sticky Bubblegum

For Family Storytime, I did this song with play scarves, and had the kids pretend the scarves were bubble gum, stretching them out and then pretending the scarves were sticking to different body parts. I asked the kids to suggest parts of the body for the gum to stick to each time we sang. They suggested arm, eye, neck, and leg. I sing a slightly different version from the one in the JBrary video below:

Icky sticky sticky bubble gum,
Bubble gum, Bubble gum,
Icky sticky, sticky bubble gum,
Sticking my hands to my knee…
1,2,3, UNSTICK!

If All the Raindrops

We did this song as our instrument play-along at the end. After singing the original three verses, I had the kids suggest other foods they would like to fall from the sky (my favorite was tofu stir fry!).

If all the snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes…

If all the sunbeams were bubblegum and ice cream…

If all the raindrops were (ask the kids to suggest other types of foods)…

Stay & Play: Pony Bead Inch Worms

This may be one of my absolute favorite Stay & Play crafts! I found the idea on Craftulate.com.

For the Stay & Play, I put out pipe cleaners, pony beads, and googly eyes (the kind with adhesive backs). At first I wasn’t sure if threading the beads onto the pipe cleaners would be too challenging for the toddlers and young preschoolers who come to my storytimes (I was also a little worried that someone might stick a pony bead up their nose, based on personal experience with my daughter!). But the kids absolutely LOVED the beading. And they loved the worms. I had been a little worried that they wouldn’t understand the concept behind the book Inch by Inch, until I heard one little girl hold up her worm and say to her mother, “The Measure Worm can measure my dress!”

Do you have any favorite books or songs that work well for a Letter I theme? Please share them in the comments below.

2Nov2023

H is for House: A Storytime for the Letter H

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

When I started my series of letter-themed storytimes, I didn’t really take the time to figure out which letter would fall on which week. So it was purely by accident that we ended up featuring the Letter H on Halloween!

For both my Outdoor Musical and Family Storytimes, I started by asking the kids to call out any words they could think of that started with the letter H, so that I could write them on my white board. They came up with hot, hat, hippo, and happy. I had also brought a harmonica, which the kids seemed fascinated by.

Here’s a combination of the books and songs I used for both storytimes:

Books:

Mr. Bat Wants a Hat by Kitty Black; illustrated by Laura Wood

Very cute story about a bat who wants a hat so badly that he takes one from a baby. Naturally, the baby cries, and eventually, Mr. Bat feels so guilty that he returns the hat, and is given some pink socks as a reward. For my family storytime group, I had given out play scarves before I read this, and I had the kids pretend the scarves were bats whenever Mr. Bat swooped down.

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler; illustrated by S. D. Schindler

This is such a simple and hilariously-illustrated book about a common problem: Hiccups! I also read it to a special needs preschool class today, and one little guy laughed out loud every time I read the “Hic! Hic! Hic!” (Protip: I used to always space the “hic’s” out, but the kids seem to find it much funnier when I read them fast and all-together: hic-hic-hic!”)

The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey

Adorable story about Oscar, a dachshund who is often called “Wiener Dog” by the other dogs in his class. Things get even worse when his mother buys him a hot dog costume for Halloween. But when the other dogs are frightened into a pond by a scary monster, Oscar saves the day by revealing that it is really just a couple of cats in a costume. He paddles out to help the other dogs to shore, and earns a new nickname: Hero Sandwich!

There is a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers

This is my new favorite book! It features a little girl in a spooky old house saying that she has heard the house is haunted, but she has never seen a ghost. In between the regular pages, which show the girl in different parts of the house, are white filmy pages with pictures of adorable ghosts on them. When you flip these pages so that they cover the regular paper pages, it looks like the ghosts are in the room with the girl, lurking on the staircase, hiding under the table, bouncing on the bed, etc. I also read this to two second grade classes, who were completely enthralled by finding and counting all the ghosts.

Songs:

My Hat, It Has Three Corners

This is an old camp song, where you start by doing motions to accompany each word, and then gradually leave the words out and only do the motions. It’s a fun challenge that gets harder and harder each time, and usually leaves the kids laughing. I use the ASL sign for hat, instead of the motion shown in this YouTube video by Miss Nina:

The motions are:

My: point to yourself
Hat: pat your head
Three: hold up three fingers
Corners: point to your elbow

The first time through, sing the whole song with both the words and the motions:

My hat, it has three corners.
Three corners has my hat.
And had it not three corners,
It would not be my hat.

The second time through, leave out the word “My,” and only do the motion (pointing to yourself). The third time through, leave out the word “My” and “Hat,” and only do the motions. The third time through, leave out “My,” “Hat” and “Three,” and the fourth time through, leave out “My,” “hat,” “three,” and “corners.”

On Halloween

This is a fun, easy Halloween song set to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus. For each verse, I asked the kids for suggestions of Halloween things they might see in the house. We had pumpkins, mummies, cats, bats, and witches. I always end with “The kids at the door say, ‘Trick or Treat!’”

[C]The ghosts in the house say, “Boo! Boo! Boo!”
[G7] “Boo! Boo! Boo! C] Boo! Boo! Boo!”
The ghosts in the house say “Boo! Boo! Boo!”
On Hallo-[C]ween!

Oh, A-Haunting We Will Go

For our instrument play-along, we did a Halloween version of “A-Hunting We Will Go!” I asked the kids for things that we might catch, and then we came up with rhymes on the spot. They came up with “we’ll catch a dinosaur and put it in a store,” and “we’ll catch a ghost and put it on some toast.” Here’s a Lingokids video with the original song, which is also a favorite of mine.

Oh, [C] a-haunting we will go!
A-[F]haunting we will go!
We’ll [G7] catch a witch and put her in a ditch,
And then we’ll let her [C] go!

Stay & Play: Paper Shape Halloween Houses

Before the storytimes, I cut a bunch of colored paper squares (about 5″ x 5″) for the house base, and large triangles for the roof. I also cut some 4″ squares out of white paper, and folded them in half lengthwise, to make small doors, and some 3″ x 5″ rectangles out of white paper, which I folded in half widthwise to make windows.

For the Stay & Play, I put out white cardstock, glue sticks, the colored paper squares and triangles, the white paper windows and doors, and some markers, googly eyes, and Halloween stickers (with ghosts, cats, vampires, etc.). I showed the kids how to glue the triangles and colored squares on their cardstock to make a house, and then glue half of their white paper doors and windows on so that they would open like a “lift-the-flap.” Then they decorated their houses with markers, googly eyes, and the stickers.

What are your favorite books or songs for Halloween or other words that start with the letter H? Please share them in the comments below.

19Oct2023

F is for Fall: A Storytime About the Letter F

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

I’m still enjoying the challenge of our storytime adventures through the alphabet. This week we did the letter F in both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime. I started by asking the kids to suggest words that started with the letter F. They came up with finger, fall, flower, frog, and fox. I wrote them down on my whiteboard and then we all drew the letter F in the air. I also demonstrated a few notes on my flute (an instrument I rarely get to play, since I can’t sing while playing it.) The kids were intrigued by the way you make sound by blowing across the hole, rather than into it.

Here’s a combination of the books, songs, and activities I used for both storytimes.

Books:

Foodie Faces by Bill & Claire Wurtzel

This is such a cute book, featuring faces made out of fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, whipped cream, bagels, and lots of other foods. The text is a simple rhyme, which describes different feelings. The kids loved calling out the feelings, and also the different types of foods.

In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes; illustrated by Laura Dronzek

A beautiful book about the Fall, featuring squirrels, apples, pumpkins, and of course, falling leaves. Before we read it, I had handed out play scarves for the song Leaves Are Falling to the Ground, and I asked the kids to hold on to their scarves and then throw them on the page where all the leaves blow off the trees. It was a bit hit!

I’m a Frog by Mo Willems

Adorable Elephant and Piggie book where Gerald is shocked when Piggie tells him she is a frog. He worries that he might turn into a frog too, until she explains that she is just pretending. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, Claire read the part of Gerald and I read Piggie. The kids especially loved the page where they argue, “Yes, you can!” and “No, I can’t!”

Is Everyone Ready for Fun by Jan Thomas

Jan Thomas is one of those authors that really understands what makes a great storytime book: humor, repetition, and opportunities for kids to take part in the story. In this one, three cows declare that it’s time to jump, dance, and wiggle on Chicken’s sofa, with Chicken objecting every time. I did this one for Family Storytime, and the kids loved it!

If You Find a Leaf by Aimée Sicuro

I used this one in place of In the Middle of Fall for Family Storytime, which gets a slightly older audience. It’s a beautiful book about all of the things you can do with fall leaves: pretending they are hats or Halloween masks or parachutes. I had given out play scarves before I read it, and I had the kids pretend they were leaves, as we acted out the different ideas in the book. It would be fun to hand out actual leaves as well.

Songs:

If You’re Happy and You Know It

I did this one to go along with the book Foodie Faces, since it’s all about feelings. I usually add in verses about other emotions:

If you’re sad and you know it, cry, “Boo hoo!”…

If you’re angry and you know it, say, “I’m mad!”… (stomp feet while saying, “I’m mad!”)

If you’re shy and you know it, hide your face… (cover your eyes, and then uncover them and say, “Peek-a-boo!”

If you’re sleepy and you know it, yawn and stretch…

If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “Hooray!”

Aiken Drum

For Family Storytime, which draws a smaller crowd, I did this song to go along with Foodie Faces. I brought out a basket of play food, and asked the kids to come up and pick foods to be the parts of Aiken Drum’s face. We laid them out on the floor. In the end he had eyes made of lemons, a nose made of grapes, a mouth made of corn, and ears made of eggs.

[C] There was a man lived [F] in the moon,
[C] In the moon, [G] in the moon.
There [C] was a man lived [F] in the moon,
And his [C] name was [G] Aiken [C] Drum.

Chorus:

[C] And he played upon a [F] ladle, [C] a ladle, a [G] ladle,
He [C] played upon a [F] ladle, and his [C] name was [G] Aiken [C] Drum.

[C] And his eyes were made of [F] lemons,
[C] Lemons, [G] Lemons.
His [C] eyes were made of [F] lemons,
And his [C] name was [G] Aiken [C] Drum.

[C] And he played upon a [F] ladle, [C] a ladle, a [G] ladle,
He [C] played upon a [F] ladle, and his [C] name was [G] Aiken [C] Drum.

And his nose was made of grapes… 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.

Five Green & Speckled Frogs

For Outdoor Musical Storytime, we sang this with the parachute. I had the kids shake the parachute in rhythm as I sang the song and held up toy frogs. Each time we got to the line about the frog jumping into the pool, I threw a frog onto the parachute. For Family Storytime, I had a frog puppet and a fly toy that I let the kids take turns feeding to the frog.

Five green and speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log.
Eating the most delicious bugs! Yum Yum!
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are four green speckled frogs!

Four green and speckled frogs…etc.

You Are My Flower

This is a classic bluegrass song that’s really simple to play. We did it as our instrument play-along at the end. Here is a link to the YouTube video for the version by Elizabeth Mitchell:

[C] The grass is just as green, the sky is just as [G7] blue.
The day is just as bright and the birds are singing [C] too.

You are my [C] flower, that’s blooming in the mountain for [G7] me.
You are my flower, that’s blooming there for [C] me.

The [C] air is just as pure, the sunlight just as [G7] free,
And nature seems to say, it’s all for you and [C] me.

You are my [C] flower, that’s blooming in the mountain for [G7] me.
You are my flower, that’s blooming there for [C] me.

So [C] wear a happy smile, and life will be worth-[G7]while.
Forget your tears, but don’t forget to [C]smile.

You are my [C] flower, that’s blooming in the mountain for [G7] me.
You are my flower, that’s blooming there for [C] me.

When [C] summertime is gone and snow begins to [G7] fall,
Just sing this song and say to one and [C] all.

You are my [C] flower, that’s blooming in the mountain for [G7] me.
You are my flower, that’s blooming there for [C] me.

Stay & Play: Paper Fans

It’s actually been hot this week in the Bay Area, so this simple activity turned out to be a nice gift to the families, especially at Outdoor Musical Storytime. I pre-folded paper fans accordion style out of different colors of paper. For the Stay & Play, I told the kids to flatten the paper and draw whatever designs they wanted with markers. Then they refolded them to make them back into fans.

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