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K is for Kindness: A Storytime About the Letter K

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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.

J is for Jungle: A Storytime About the Letter J

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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.

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

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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!).

[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: 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.

H is for House: A Storytime for the Letter H

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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.

F is for Fall: A Storytime About the Letter F

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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:

[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!”

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.

E is for Elephant: A Storytime About the Letter E

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I had a lot of fun focusing on the Letter E in both my Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime this week. We started by talking about the sounds that E makes, and I asked the kids if they knew any words that started with E. They came up with Elephant, Eagle, Eye, Ear, and Egg. I wrote those on my portable whiteboard, and then we drew the letter E in the air together.

Here’s a summary of the books and songs I used in both storytimes:

Books:

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

My family storytime on Wednesday nights has been bringing in some older preschoolers and early elementary school students, and this book was a big hit with them. It’s an hilarious story about Penelope the T-Rex who can’t help but eat her human classmates, even though her teacher always makes her spit them out again. But when Walter, the class goldfish, bites her finger, she realizes what it’s like to be someone’s snack, and finally learns to enjoy her classmates as friends, instead of meals.

Elephants Cannot Dance by Mo Willems

In this Elephant and Piggie book, Piggie tries to teach Gerald to dance, even though he tells her that elephants can’t dance. Although he struggles and eventually gives up trying to follow her instructions, some squirrels ask him to teach them to dance “The Elephant.” In my Outdoor Musical Storytime, I had the kids stand up and try to follow Piggie’s instructions along with the book.

Do Your Ears Hang Low? by Jenny Cooper

Adorable version of the classic song. For both of my storytimes, I handed out play scarves, and had the kids pretend that the scarves were long ears as I read the book. The last page features a mirror, which I carried around so that each of the kids could see themselves “in the book.” They all loved it!

The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett

Very cute, simple story about a duck who finds an huge egg. He thinks it’s the most amazing egg in the world, but the other birds, who each have their own eggs, disagree. Gradually all of the eggs hatch into baby birds, except for duck’s, which hatches into an alligator. The kids all laughed at the alligator calling duck “mama.”

Songs:

I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas

We sang this in Family Storytime after We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. It was a great fit, because it not only featured the E word “Eat,” but also emphasizes the long E sound. I started by teaching the kids the ASL signs for Apple, Banana, and Eat, so they could sign along with the song while I played it on the ukulele. Each time you sing the song, you change the vowels to A, E, I, O, or U, using the long sound of each (the one that sounds like the name of the letter).

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)

Elephants Have Wrinkles

There are different versions of this song, but this is the one that I use. As we sang each verse, I asked the kids for suggestions of where elephants have wrinkles (they came up with eyes, ears, mouth, legs, ears, tails, and bellies), and we sang the song faster each time.  Click on the triangle for the tune:


Elephants have (pat legs on each syllable)
Wrinkles, Wrinkles, Wrinkles (clap hands on each syllable)
Elephants have (pat legs on each syllable)
Wrinkles (clap hands on each syllable)
Everywhere! (stomp feet on each syllable)
On their nose! Oh-oh! (touch your nose, and mime a trunk)

Repeat

Elephants have wrinkles…

On their legs! On their nose! Oh-oh!

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

I did one to go along with Do Your Ears Hang Low. We sang it three times, getting faster and faster each time. I always start by asking the kids if they remembered to bring their heads, which usually gets a laugh.

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.

I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. Laurie Berkner’s video is below:

[C7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken)
And she laid an egg. (And she laid an egg)
Oh [F7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken)
And she [C7] laid an egg. (And she laid an egg)
[G7] Oh my goodness! (Oh, my goodness)
It’s a [C7] shaky egg! (It’s a shaky egg!)

Now shake them [C7] fast!
Shake them [F7] fast!
Shake them [C7] fast!
[G7] Shake your eggs!
[C7] Shake them [G7] fast!

[C7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken)
And she laid an egg. (And she laid an egg)
Oh [F7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken)
And she [C7] laid an egg. (And she laid an egg)
[G7] Oh my goodness! (Oh, my goodness)
It’s a [C7] shaky egg! (It’s a shaky egg!)

Now shake them [C7] slow!
You know how it [F7] goes.
Shake them [C7] slow,
[G7] Because you know how it goes.
[C7] Shake them [G7] fast! Oh, shake those eggs!

[C7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken)
And she laid an egg. (And she laid an egg)
Oh [F7] I know a chicken, (I know a chicken)
And she [C7] laid an egg. (And she laid an egg)
[G7] Oh my goodness! (Oh, my goodness)
It’s a [C7] shaky egg! (It’s a shaky egg!)

Now shake them [C7] in a circle.
Shake them [F7] round and round.
Don’t let them touch the [C7] ground.
[G7] Now shake them up and down.
[C7] You’ve got to shake them up and [G7] down.

Stay & Play: Googly Eye Monsters

Super simple, but fun. I just put out large and small pom-poms, glow-in-the-dark googly eyes, and glue sticks for the kids to make their own monsters. The kids were especially excited about the glow-in-the-dark eyes, and it was a good activity since it’s close to Halloween.

What are your favorite Letter E books, songs, or activities? Please share them in the comments below.

D is for Duck: A Storytime for the Letter D

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I’m enjoying my storytime journey through the alphabet. This week we did the letter D in both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime. I started by showing the kids a drum (a djembe), a dog puppet, and for fun, a didgeridoo (an instrument that I once received as a birthday gift, which I recently learned is actually called a mago by the Australian Aboriginal peoples who play it). We talked about the letter D and the sound it makes. I drew the letter on my little whiteboard, and then we drew it together in the air.

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

Books:

Truck Full of Ducks by Ross Barach

Funny book about a service run by a dog who provides a “truck full of ducks” on demand. But when one of his ducks eats the paper with the customer’s address, he ends up asking everyone he meets if they need a truck full of ducks. He meets animals who have requested an ice cream truck, a pirate seeking a cracker truck for his parrot, an alien who requested a tow truck, and even someone who called for a duck removal service, before he makes his way into the deep dark woods to his actual customer: a fox who wants ducks for his bath. The kids especially loved the picture of all the ducks stopping at a rest stop, with all of their little duck feet showing underneath the restroom doors.

Dalmatian in a Digger by Rebecca Elliott

Cute book with lots of sound effects for the kids to join in on, like “Dugger Dugger Digger,” and featuring a variety of animals driving construction vehicles: a camel in a crane, a duck in a dump truck. It was a big hit with the kids who love trucks and big machines.

Down by the Station by Will Hillenbrand

Adorable adaptation of the traditional song, featuring lots of baby animals all rising the train to the children’s zoo. Each verse adds a new animal sound.

Dinosaur Stomp by Paul Stickland

This book seems to be out of print, unfortunately, which is sad, because it was a big hit with my family storytime kids. It’s a simple, rhyming pop-up, featuring large colorful dinosaurs. We have it on a small shelf of non-circulating books for storytime. One preschooler was so taken with it that she spend twenty minutes flipping through it after storytime, and cried when she had to leave.

Is There a Dog in This Book? by Viviane Schwarz

A fun sequel to There Are Cats in This Book, where the three colorful cats are frightened by the arrival of cute, purple dog, but soon discover that it is scared too. We had a small enough group for Family Storytime that I was able to let each kid take a turn opening one of the books many flaps, and petting the dog.

Songs:

When Ducks Get Up in the Morning

This is an old-standby of mine. The kids always enjoy suggesting animals for each verse. We sang about pigs, cats, dinosaurs, turtles, and whales.

[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.

Six Little Ducks

Another favorite duck song.

[C] Six little ducks that I once [G7] knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, [C] fair ones too.But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back.
He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

Chorus:
[G7] “Quack! Quack! Quack! [C] Quack! Quack! Quack!”
[G7] He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

[C] Down to the river they would [G7] go,
Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, [C] to and fro.
But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back.
He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

Chorus

[C] Home from the river they would [G7] come,
[C] Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble, ho hum hum.
But the one little duck with the [G7] feather on his back.
He led the others with his [C] “Quack! Quack! Quack!”

Chorus

We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner

Most of the families were familiar with this song, which always gets the kids up and stomping. Laurie Berkner’s original video is below.

[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!

Do As I’m Doing

I gave out play scarves before we sang this one, and demonstrated different motions each time we sang it: twirling the scarves, throwing them in the air, playing peek-a-boo, etc.

[C] Do as I’m doing, follow, follow [G7] me.

[C] Do as I’m doing, follow, [G7] follow [C] me.

[C] Follow, [G7] follow, [F] follow [C] me.

[F] Follow, [C] follow, [G7] follow [C] me.

Follow, [G7] follow, [F] follow [C] me,

[F] Follow, [C] follow, [G7] follow [C] me.

Dee Dee Dee by Jeff Moss

An old, but very catchy song from Sesame Street. We sang it as our instrument play-along at the end.

[Bb] Dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, [C7] doggy.
Dee-dee, dangerous [F] dragon.
Dee-dee, dee-dee, [Bb] donkey, duckie,
[F] Dinosaur!
Oh, [Bb] dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee, [C7] dinner.
Dee-dee, dee-dee, [F] De-licious.
Dee-dee, dee-dee, dee, [Bb] don’t drop dishes
[C7] Down on the floor!
Oh, [Cm7] do a dance.
Dig some dirt.
Dunk a [Bb] doughnut for dessert.
Draw a [C7] daisy that’s dee-de-lightful to [F] see
When “D” is handy, it’s fine and dandy.
Dee, dee-dee, dee
[Bb] “D” is such a very nice [C7] letter.
Each day I like it [F] better,
That lovely letter called [Bb] “D!”
Having fun!
But [F] now I’m dee, dee, dee, [Bb] done!

Stay & Play: Complete the Drawing

This was a really simple activity, but I justified it because the word drawing also starts with the letter D. I printed out several of these Finish the Drawing pages from Finish the Picture Drawing Prompt Worksheets for Kids – Free Printable (thesavvysparrow.com). The kids could choose from the astronaut picture shown above, a pair of glasses that they could add a face to, a scene outside a window, or a picture of what a group of people are looking at. Then I just put out markers for them to draw whatever they liked. Some of them got really caught up in creating their drawings.

What are your favorite books or songs featuring the letter D? Please share them in the comments below.

B is for Book: A Storytime About the Letter B

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I’m enjoying my “Reading through the Alphabet” series of storytimes so far. This week, I focused on the Letter B in both my Outdoor Musical and Family Storytimes.

I started by holding up three objects that start with the letter B: a bird puppet, a banana, and a slice of bread (a wooden one from a toy food set). I asked the kids what they had in common, and some of the older ones immediately guessed “they start with B.” I wrote the letter B on a small white board, and then we all drew it in the air before I read the first book.

I used the same books for both storytimes, but changed some of the songs (for Outdoor Musical Storytime, we did a parachute song; for Family Storytime we did a song with play scarves and another one with bean bags). All of the songs are listed below.

Books:

The Baby BeeBee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie; illustrated by Steven Kellogg

This is a long-time favorite of mine that is so much fun to read aloud. The animals at a zoo are awakened by a very noisy little bird who sings “Beebeebobbibobbi” all night long. Together they hatch a plan to give him a taste of his own medicine. The kids love joining in on all of the animals sounds and “Beebeebobbi’s.”

A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems

My coworker Claire and I read this one together (she read the part of Piggie and the whale, and I read Gerald). In this book, Gerald promises to get Piggie’s “big ball” back from the big guy who took it from her, but the big guy turns out to be a whale who is much bigger than he is. They are both surprised when the whale thanks them for finding his “Little Ball,” and even more surprised to learn that the whale has no friends to play with because “little guys have all the fun.” Gerald and Piggie invite him to play Whale Ball, a game they just made up, and the three of them end up having “big fun.”

The Button Book

Fun interactive book where different animals press colored buttons on each page to see what they do. The red one makes a loud “BEEP!” the orange one makes everyone clap, the blue ones makes everyone sing, the green one makes everyone blow raspberries, etc. In my Family Storytime, which has a smaller group, I had the kids take turns pressing the buttons. In Outdoor Musical Storytime, I had them all pretend to press an imaginary button. They all enjoyed the anticipation of seeing what each button would do.

Songs:

I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

There are lots of different versions of this song, including the gruesome camp version where the poor bumblebee gets squished. The version I do is closest to the one in this video by Dr. Jean. I had the kids suggest different animals, and we created new verses on the spot for them: I’m bringing home a baby elephant/Won’t my Mommy say, “Oh, what a smell-a-phant!”, 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!

Hop, Little Bunnies!

I learned this one from a local daycare provider, who used it every day with her kids. The motions are pretty self-explanatory, but you can either have the kids physically pretend to sleep and then hop around, or you can have them make bunny ears with their fingers. There are different versions of the song, but the tune I used is the same as in this video by Little Baby Bums Nursery Rhymes for Babies:

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!

There’s a Bean Bag on My Head

For Family Storytime, I handed out bean bags, and we sang this song to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It. I asked the kids to suggest other body parts to put the bean bag on and we made up new verses: “There’s a bean bag on my eye…and I toss it to the sky; There’s a bean bag on my toe…and I shake it to and fro,” etc.

There’s a bean bag on my head, on my head. (Put the bean bag on your head)
There’s a bean bag on my head, on my head.
There’s a bean bag on my head,
Now I’ll tuck it into bed. (Hide the bean bag behind your back)
There’s a bean bag on my head, on my head.

We Bounce and We Bounce and We Stop

For Outdoor Musical Storytime, we did this one with the parachute. I threw a bunny puppet into the middle and we all shook the parachute to make it bounce. For Family Storytime, I just had the kids bounce in place, and then we added additional verses (We clap and we clap and we stop, etc.). Click on the triangle for the tune.

[C] We bounce and we bounce and we stop!
[C] We bounce and we bounce and we stop!
[C] We bounce and we bounce and we bounce and we bounce,
[C] And we bounce and [G7] we bounce and we [C} stop!

Two Little Blackbirds

I used this one as a scarf song for Family Storytime as a follow-up to The Baby BeeBee Bird. I gave each child two play scarves, and had them pretend they were birds as we sang. We actually changed the lyrics to “Two Little BeeBee Birds,” but the other lyrics were the same as below.

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.)

Bananaphone by Raffi

I used this one as our instrument playalong for both storytimes. It’s such a catchy, fun song!

[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring
[G] Bananaphone! [D]
[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring
[E7] Bananaphone
[Am] I’ve got this feeling, [G] so ap-[Em]pealing
[A7] For us to get together and [D7] sing, sing!

[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring
[G] Bananaphone! [D]
[G] Ding dong ding dong [D] ding dong ding
[E7] Donanaphone!
[Am] It grows in bunches. [G] I’ve got my [Em] hunches.
[A7] It’s the best! Beats the rest
[D7] Cellular, modular, interactivodular!

[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring
[G] Bananaphone!
[G] Ping pong ping pong [D] ping pong ping
[E7] Pananaphone
[Am] It’s no baloney. [G] It ain’t a [Em] phony,
[A7] My cellular [D7] Bananular [G] phone.

Don’t [F#] need quarters, don’t need dimes,
To [Bm] call a friend of mine!
Don’t [F#] need computer or TV
To [Bm] have a real good time!
I’ll [E7] call for pizza, I’ll call my cat
I’ll [A] call the white house, have a chat!
I’ll [A7] place a call around the world.
[D7] Operator get me Beijing-jing-jing-jing!

[G] Ring ring ring ring [D] ring ring ring
[G] Bananaphone! [D]
[G] Yin yang yin yang [D] yin yang ying
[E7] Yananaphone.
It’s a [C] real live mama and [C#dim7] papa phone,
A [G] brother and sister and a [E7] dog-aphone,
A [A7] grandpa phone and a [D7] grandmaphone too! [E7] Yeah!
My [A7] cellular, [D7] bananular [G] phone!

[G] Bananaphone, ring [D7] ring [G] ring!
[G] Bananaphone, ring [D7] ring [G] ring!

Stay & Play: Make-Your-Own Book

For the Stay & Play, I brought multicolored construction paper, a stapler, white paper, and markers. The caregivers and I all helped the kids choose a color for their book cover, fold it in half, along with two or three sheets of white paper for the inside, and staple it together with two or three staples near the fold. I brought some multicolored duct tape for any families who wanted to cover up the staples.

After they made their books, the kids were free to write and draw on the covers and inside. They seemed very engaged and excited to have their own books.

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

All in the Family: A Storytime for Family Fun Month

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I recently learned that August is Family Fun Month, which I was excited to try as a storytime theme for Outdoor Musical Storytime. Here’s what we did:

Books:

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

I had never read this one aloud before, but it was a big hit! Simple story about Wally and Hazel Nut, who are too busy singing their song (“We’re Nuts! We’re Nuts! We’re Nuts!”) to hear their mother’s repeated refrain, “All little Nuts need to go up to bed!” Most of the kids and grown-ups were singing along by the end.

Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root; illustrated by Jill Barton

This book is so much fun to read aloud, and I was able to borrow a Big Book version from another library, which made it even better for storytime. When Junie, Jakie, and the Baby beg to go to the lake on a hot, hot day, their Poppa worries that their rattletrap car won’t be able to survive the trip. Sure enough, they are met with one disaster after another: a flat tire, a missing floorboard, a detached gas tank, and finally a missing engine! Luckily, with some quick thinking, and their supply of chocolate raspberry fudge delight, they are able to make the journey. The joy of the book is in the sound effects: fizzelly sizzelly, wappity bappity, lumpety bumpety, etc.

Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa by Anna Dewdney

I wanted to include grandparents in my family theme, and this Llama Llama book is so sweet! When Llama Llama goes for his first overnight alone at his grandparents’ house, he enjoys getting to try new things, like building a chair for his Little Llama stuffie. But he can’t stop thinking about Little Llama, who he has accidentally left at home. He is especially upset at bedtime, until Grandpa shares the special toy that HE had when he was a young llama.

Songs:

No More Monkeys

I love this lively, musical version of the traditional Five Little Monkeys rhyme, written and performed by  Caribbean singer-songwriter Asheba. The kids really enjoyed all of the jumping up and down!

[C] Five monkeys were playing on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his [G7] head.
Mama called the doctor, and [F] the doctor said,
[C] “No more monkeys [G7] jumping on the [C] bed!”
[C] “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
No more monkeys [G7] jumping on the bed!
[C] No more monkeys [F] jumping on the bed!”
[C] That is what the [G7] doctor [C] said.

Four monkeys were jumping on the bed…
(Repeat, counting down to one…)

One monkey was playing on the bed,
She fell off and bumped her head.
Mama called the children, and the children said,
“YES! More monkeys jumping on the bed!”
“Yes! More monkeys jumping on the bed!
Yes! More monkeys jumping on the bed!
Yes! More monkeys jumping on the bed!”
That is what the children said.

The Wheels on the Bus (with parachute)

My coworker, Rachel, recently surprised me with a 20 foot parachute, which I was excited to try with our Outdoor Musical Storytime group. We did The Wheels on the Bus, which was a nice follow-up to Rattletrap Car, and gave us lots of opportunities to move the parachute in different ways. Some kids wanted to hold the handles, while others just wanted to run underneath, but they all had fun:

[C]The wheels on the bus go round and round. (Walk the parachute around in a circle)

[G7]Round and round, [C] Round and round.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

[G7]All over [C] town.

The doors on the bus go open and shut… (Step in towards the middle of the parachute, then out again)

The windows on the bus go up and down… (Raise the parachute up in the air, then lower it)

The people on the bus go bumpety bump… (Shake the parachute).

Baby Shark

I couldn’t resist throwing in the quintessential preschool ear-worm, about a family a sharks. We did it as our instrument play-along at the end:

C] Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

[F] Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

[Am] Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

[G] Baby shark!

Mommy shark…

Daddy shark…

Grandma Shark…

Grandpa Shark…

Let’s go hunt!…

Run Away…

Safe at last…

That’s the end…

Stay & Play: Craft Stick Families

For the Stay & Play, we put out jumbo craft sticks, pieces of yarn in different colors, glue sticks, googly eyes, and markers, for the kids to make families (their own, or one they invented). Some of them were very determined to make sure every member of their family was represented.

Do you have favorite books about families having fun together? Please share them in the comments below.

This Land Is Your Land: A Storytime About Parks

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July is Park and Recreation Month, and since I have been holding my weekly Outdoor Musical Storytime in a local park for the past couple of years (originally because of the pandemic, but also because the library branch closest to the park doesn’t have any open hours in the mornings), it seemed like the perfect time to celebrate the parks in our area.

Like other libraries in California, we offer free passes to many of the state parks for patrons to check out, so I brought one of our park backpacks along to show it to the storytime families. We have similar passes for our County Parks, but those were all checked out.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

The Hike by Allison Farrell

This book was new to me, but it ended up being perfect for the theme. Three kids and a dog hike to the top of the mountain to read a poem, plant a flag, and release some feathers into the wind. Along the way they get lost, but find their way again, and see lots of animals and birds, which one of them draws in her sketchbook. The kids enjoyed calling out things they saw in the pictures.

Where’s My Teddy? by Jez Alborough

This is a long-time favorite of mine: a rhyming story about a boy named Eddie who finds a giant teddy bear while he is searching for his own lost teddy in the woods. He runs into a bear, who is looking for his own lost teddy, and the two are so frightened that they both run back home. This is the first book in a trilogy about Eddie and the Bear, with the two eventually becoming close friends.

The Bear Went Over the Mountain by Jane Cabrera

This version of the classic children’s song is perfect for storytime. When a baby bear goes over the mountain, he gets stuck in a tree. Luckily, his friend Hare comes to rescue him, and her friend Fox brings them tea. The last verse shows a boy climbing the stairs to his bedroom, where all of the animals are revealed to be his toys, cuddled up in bed. The ending got lots of “Awws.”

Songs & Rhymes:

Two Little Ravens

Since I was trying to focus on animals commonly found in the park, I changed the traditional Two Little Blackbirds rhyme to Two Little Ravens, and held up a picture of a raven for the kids to see. Click on the triangle for the tune:

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

Two little ravens 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 California Quail

The California Quail is the state bird, and it happens to be a common sight in the park where we have our storytime. I held up a picture of the bird for the kids to see and played a clip of its call before we sang this song, which is to the tune of I’m a Nut. We ended by making sounds like the quail, which makes a cawing sound in a rhythm similar to the word “Chicago.”

I’m a California Quail,
See me walking on the trail.
Got six feathers called a crown (put the back of your hand on your forehead and wiggle your fingers),
See it bobbing up and down (bob your head up and down).

Caw-CAW-Caw! Caw-CAW-Caw!

Going on a Bear Hunt

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!

The Bears Go Marching In

Fun variation of When The Saints Go Marching In. The kids loved it!

[C] Oh, when the bears go marching in,

Oh, when the bears go marching [G7] in,

Oh, [C7] how I want to be in that [F] number,

When the [C] bears go [G7] marching [C] in!

Repeat with other actions, like:

Oh, when the bears go clapping in…

Oh, when the bears go stomping in… etc.

This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie

We did this one for our instrument play-along (where we hand out shakers for the kids). Here’s an old recording of Guthrie himself.

CHORUS

[C] This land is [F] your land, this land is [C] my land.
From [G7] California to the New York [C] island.
From the redwood [F] forest to the Gulf Stream [C] waters
[G7] This land was made for you and [C] me

As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway.
I saw below me that golden valley,
This land was made for you and me.

CHORUS

I’ve roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps,
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts.
And all around me a voice was sounding
“This land was made for you and me.”

CHORUS

Stay & Play: California Quail Coloring Sheet & Scavenger Hunt

For the Stay & Play, we put out crayons, along with these coloring sheets from coloringhome.com, featuring our state bird, the California Quail.

My main goal for the Stay & Play this week, other than introducing the state bird, was to encourage families to explore the park and learn about some of the major plants and animals. So I created a simple Scavenger Hunt, featuring nine common animals, birds, and plants. Before I handed it out, I held up a large picture of Poison Oak, and talked about the old “leaves of three, let them be” rhyme. The park does try to keep the poison oak trimmed back, but there’s usually some growing around the edges of the picnic areas that I want the families to be aware of.

We also all signed a big handmade thank you card to give to the park employees.

Do you have favorite picture books about parks or outdoor activities? Please share them in the comments below.

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