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.