Tag Archives: preschool crafts

N is for Nest: A Storytime About the Letter N

Posted in Storytime themes by

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.

M is for Mitten: A Storytime About the Letter M

Posted in Uncategorized by

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.”

[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?

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.

K is for Kindness: A Storytime About the Letter K

Posted in Storytime themes by

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.

H is for House: A Storytime for the Letter H

Posted in Storytime themes by

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.

B is for Book: A Storytime About the Letter B

Posted in Storytime themes by

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

Posted in Storytime themes by

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.

Law of the Jungle: A Storytime for World Rainforest Day

Posted in Storytime themes by

This Thursday (June 22) is World Rainforest Day, so we based our Outdoor Musical Storytime on rainforest animals.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell

I love picture book biographies, and this is one of the few that is short enough to read with preschoolers. It tells the story of Jane Goodall, who dreamed of living with wild animals when she was a young child, and grew up to see her dream come true.

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

Fun, colorful adventure that imagines a journey into the jungle, where the narrator is constantly being surprised by a tiger (RUN!). After several narrow escapes, the tiger is discovered to be friendly. This one was a big hit with the kids.

Wild Baby by Cori Doerrfeld

Very cute rhyming story about a baby orangutan who wanders off after a blue butterfly.

Rhymes & Songs:

Monkey See and Monkey Do

When you clap, clap, clap your hands,

The monkey clap, clap, claps his hands,

Monkey see, and monkey do,

The monkey does the same as you!

Repeat with other motions: jump up and down; make a funny face; turn yourself around; and sit back on the ground.

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree

Five little monkeys sitting in a tree,

Teasing Mr. Alligator,

“Can’t catch me!

You can’t catch me!”

Along comes Mr. Alligator

Quiet as can be, and…SNAP

That monkey right off the tree!

Kids LOVE this fingerplay rhyme for some reason. I like to do it with the Monkee Mitt and an alligator puppet. Whenever the alligator chomps a monkey off the tree, I have it spit it out into the crowd and say, “Yuck! That monkey tastes terrible!” which always gets big laughs. The kids enjoy gathering up the monkeys and putting them back on the mitt at the end.

Going on a Tiger Hunt

Instead of the usual bear hunt, we went on a tiger hunt.  This is a great way to give the kids a chance to move around in between books.  I like to ham it up by pretending to get a grasshopper stuck in my shirt, wiping the mud off my feet, and shaking myself dry from the lake.  There are lots of variations, but this the script I use, with the kids repeating every line:

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

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 tiger hunt again!

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

The Lion Sleeps Tonight by Solomon Linda

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. Here’s a YouTube link to the version by The Tokens if you’re not familiar with the tune (there are lots of variations):

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

[C] In the jungle, the [F] mighty jungle,
The [C] lion sleeps to- [G7]night.
In the [C] jungle the [F] quiet jungle,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

Near the [C] village, the [F] peaceful village,
The [C] lion sleeps tonight.
Near the [C] village, the [F] quiet village,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

Hush, my [C] darling, don’t [F] fear, my darling,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.
Hush, my [C] darling, don’t [F] fear, my darling,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.

[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.

Stay & Play: Paper Plate Pythons

I found this craft on Craftymornings.com, although I did it slightly differently. It was messy, but a big hit, and several adults commented on how much they liked it.

Before the storytime, I cut paper plates into spiral snake shapes, and cut squares of bubble wrap roughly 6″ x 6″.

For the Stay & Play, I put out the paper plates snakes, the bubble wrap squares, Tempera paint, glue sticks, googly eyes, and some strips of red paper for the tongues.

For each child, I helped them put a small blob of two different colors of paint on the bubble wrap. Then I showed them how to fold the bubble wrap square in half and squish the paint around before opening it up and stamping it on their paper plate snake. In most cases, the paint was wet enough to hold the googly eyes and paper tongue, but I provided glue sticks just in case.

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

Rockin’ Robin: A Storytime About Birds

Posted in Storytime themes by

It was a wet and chilly day today, and I wasn’t sure anyone would come to Outdoor Musical Storytime, but a few brave families ventured out (some of them said the kids were getting stir crazy indoors). I had just learned about the Christmas Bird Count, which the Audubon Society runs from December 14 to January 5, so I did a storytime about birds.

Most of my storytime participants are too young to take part in the Bird Count itself, but I found out that the Golden Gate Audubon Society allows people to register as Feeder Watchers (by registering for one of their Bird Count events, and putting Feeder Watcher in the comments field). I handed out information about how to participate, along with a list of the Most Common Birds of San Francisco from iNaturalist. We also demonstrated the American Sign Language sign for Bird, and how to say “Bird” in other languages (grown-ups in my group told us how to say it in Spanish, French, Russian, and Cantonese). One of my favorite things about the Bay Area is the diversity of languages and cultures, and I love to give people a chance to share words in their native language whenever I can.

Here are the books and songs that we did:

Books:

The Baby BeeBee Bird by Debbie Redfield Massie; illustrated by Stephen Kellogg

This is one of my all-time favorite books, about a little bird who arrives at the zoo, and keeps all of the other animals awake all night with her singing. I read the part of the little bird, and Claire read the narration and the other animals. The kids loved joining in on the animal noises and the “BeeBee Bobbi’s.” The large illustrations make it perfect for storytime too.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell; illustrated by Patrick Benson

Another of my all-time favorites, this one about three baby owls who wake up to find that their mother is gone. They grow increasingly worried, but when they close their eyes and wish for their mother to come back, she comes swooping back. Such a sweet relatable story with adorable owl pictures. The kids loved the repeated “I want my Mommy!” line.

Birds by Kevin Henkes; illustrated by Laura Dronzek

This book provided a great way to talk about the different types of birds: owls, flamingos, black birds, robins, etc., and I love the whimsical ideas and illustrations. The kids especially liked the description of how when a flock of birds flies out of a tree all of a sudden, it’s like the tree yelled, “Surprise!”

Songs & Rhymes:

Baby Bumblebee

We did this as a follow-up to The Baby BeeBee Bird (mostly because they sound so similar). I asked the kids what animals they would like to bring home, and then tried to come up with rhymes. We had snake, turtle, kitty, duck, and dinosaur. Here’s a video of the Dr. Jean version, which is similar to the one I usually use (not the one where the bumblebee gets squished!). Full disclosure: I once had a woman complain that she didn’t like that all of the animals in the song bit or scratched, but I was puzzled because I think it’s meant to be a cautionary tale about why you shouldn’t bring home wild animals!.


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!

I’m a Wide-Eyed Owl

I actually have a little tune for this one that I learned from a friend, but I don’t have a recording of it. You can make up your own, or just chant it as a rhyme:

I’m a wide-eyed owl (make circles with your fingers to look like eyes)

With a pointed nose (make a V with your index fingers and hold it up to your nose),

I have pointed ears (hold your index fingers up on either side of your head),

And claws for toes (wiggle your fingers like claws).

I live in a tree,

And I’m looking at you (point your finger).

When I flap my wings (flap arms),

I say, “Whoooo! Whooo!”

Two Little Black Birds

We handed out play scarves before we sang this one, and had the kids pretend the scarves were birds. We changed the color of the bird each time:

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 high!
And the other flew low!…

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.)

Little Bird

We did this one with the play scarves as well, and “flew” them around like birds.

C
Little Bird, Little Bird,
C
Fly through my window.
G7
Little Bird, Little Bird,
G7
Fly through my window.
C
Little Bird, Little Bird,
C
Fly through my window.
G7                       C
Find molasses candy.

Chorus:
G7
Fly through my window, my sugar lump!
C                            G7            C
Fly through my window, my sugar lump!
G7                        C
Find molasses candy!

Black Bird, Black Bird, Fly through my window…

Rockin’ Robin by Jimmie Thomas

We did this as our instrument play-along. The original version by Bobby Day has a LOT of verses, but I just did the ones below.

Here’s a link to the original song:

Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
[G] Tweet, tweet, tweet tweet.

[G7] He rocks in the [G] treetops all day long,
[G7] Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and [G] a-singin’ his song.
[G7] All the little birds on [G] J-Bird Street,
Love to hear the robin go [G7] tweet, tweet, tweet.

Rockin’ [C] robin (tweet, tweet, tweet);
Rockin’ [G] robin (tweet, tweedle-dee);
[D] Blow rockin’ robin, cause we’re [C] really gonna [G] rock tonight. (Tweet, tweedle-dee!)

[G7] Every little swallow, [G] every chickadee,
[G7] Every little bird in the [G] tall oak tree,
The [G7] wise old owl, the [G] big black crow,
[G] Flappin’ their wings [G7] singin’ go bird, go.

Rockin’ [C] robin (tweet, tweet, tweet).
Rockin’ [G] robin (tweet, tweedle-dee);
[D] Blow rockin’ robin, cause we’re [C] really gonna [G] rock tonight. (Tweet, tweedle-dee!)

Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
Tweedily deedily [Am] dee, [D] Tweedily deedily dee.
[G] Tweet, tweet, tweet tweet.

Stay & Play: Feather Painted Owls

I found this adorable craft on The Pinterested Parent. I precut circles out of yellow and black paper for the eyes, and little triangles for the nose. For the Stay & Play today, I put out white cardstock, colored feathers, paper plates with a squirt of three different colors of tempura paint, the precut paper shapes, and gluesticks.

To be honest, I think the feather painting itself would have been enough of a craft, and made some really cool designs. But the owls turned out to be really cute too!

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

Christmastime is Here!

Posted in Storytime themes by

Paper plate angel by Sarah

Paper plate angel by Sarah

My last Family Storytime of 2013.  It was a cozy one with just two families, so I sat on the floor and shared some longer books than I usual would have, and it was wonderful.  These were the ones I read:

image

Little Porcupine’s Christmas by Joseph Slate; illustrated by Felicia Bond (Amazon.com link)

I actually just happened to see this one on display right before storytime, and fell in love with it.  Little Porcupine wants to have a part in the Baby in a Manger play, but the other animals make fun of him, calling him a “Spiky Stick Ball.” His mother comforts him, telling him he is “the light of her life,” and, although he is sad not to be in the play, he runs the lights and manages the stage.  In the middle of the play, everyone suddenly realizes they don’t have a Christmas star, and Little Porcupine saves the day.  Such a sweet story, and it was eagerly snatched up at the end.

image

Dragon’s Merry Christmas by Dav Pilkey (Amazon.com link)

My daughter and I love all of the Dragon books.  In four short chapters, Dragon: decorates a Christmas tree (outside his house because he can’t bear to chop it done); makes and devours a candy wreath (only eating the pieces that “fall” off); loses his mittens (and his coat); and buys some Christmas presents for himself.  In the last story, he gives away all of his presents to animals who need them more, and goes to sleep thinking he hears angels singing (they are really the grateful animals singing outside his house).  Lovely collection of stories that are both funny and sweet.  One of the girls checked this one out, and every other Dragon book we had on the shelf.  Storytime win!

image

Merry Un-Christmas by Mike Reiss; illustrated by David Catrow (Amazon.com link).

For anyone who ever wished it could be Christmas every day, this book shows that you can really have too much of a good thing.  Noelle lives in Christmas City, where everyday is Christmas, except one: Un-Christmas Day.  Noelle loves Un-Christmas Day, when she doesn’t have to open any presents or eat five kinds of pie.  Best of all, she gets to go to school.  I’ve read this to several different age groups, and they all loved it, especially the second graders.

image

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry (Amazon.com link)

I learned about this one from my friend Kerri’s blog, What Is ML Reading?  Mr. Willowby has a perfect Christmas tree, except that it’s a little too tall.  His butler cuts a bit off the top and gives it to the maid, who uses it as her own Christmas tree, but it’s a bit too tall for her mantel.  So she cuts off the top…  Fun, rhyming story with a treetop that just never seems to run out.  The kids enjoyed this one too.

INSTRUMENT PLAYALONG WITH A CD: Linus and Lucy from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi (Amazon.com link).  This was so much fun!  Even my coworkers were humming the tune after story time.

CRAFT: Paper Plate Angels

Paper plate angel by Sophia

Paper plate angel by Sophia

Once again, my wonderful coworker, Gail Benjamin, handed down her leftover craft supplies from a holiday program she did the previous weekend.  You can find printable instructions from Enchanted Learning.

Basically, you cut the plate along the lines, and tape or staple it together.  Then the kids draw a face, and decorate it with glitter.  (I put another paper plate underneath to catch the extra glitter). Gail says her daughter made one years ago in preschool, and they still use it to top their Christmas tree.

OTHER BOOKS:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Amazon.com link)I read this to a second grade class the other day.  I was worried that they would be bored because I know they have all seen the cartoon and the movie a million times, but they were mesmerized.  It’s so much fun to read too.

Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood (Amazon.com link)

By the creators of The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear.  In this story, the little mouse is guarding his Christmas presents from the big hungry bear, until he learns the bear has never gotten a present.  Bravely he sets out on his sled in the snow to bring the bear a gift.  The illustrations are adorable.

What are your favorite Christmas books?

Down on the Farm

Posted in Rhymes and songs, Storytime themes by

photo (36)

Construction paper farm by Joaquin

This week’s storytime was lively and a lot of fun, even though I was fighting laryngitis, which always makes things a bit interesting. A coworker commented that I sounded like Peter Brady singing “Time to Change.” But the kids hung in there with me anyway.

The theme for this week was farm stories and farm animals. Here are the books we read:

Farmer-Duck

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury

This was an interesting read-aloud. An unfortunate duck is forced to slave away every day while the farmer lies in bed and eats chocolates, until the other animals stage a rebellion and scare the lazy farmer away. It’s basically Animal Farm without all that unpleasant allegorical aftermath, and I was amused to see that a couple of horrified reviewers on Amazon declared it was “dangerous” Communist propaganda. That interpretation would never have occurred to me (and all the other Amazon reviewers loved the book). My storytime kids enjoyed the repeated line, “How Goes the Work?” and getting to yell out, “QUACK!” each time.

farmflu

Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman and Nadine Bernard Westcott

This one worked really well. It’s a rhyming book about a boy who is left in charge of his family’s farm when the cow comes down with the flu. He tucks her into bed and coddles her just like his Mom would do, but then all the other animals on the farm mysteriously come down with the flu as well. The kids love chiming in on the sneezes in different animals voices, and the pictures are colorful and hilarious.

Egan_SeriousFarm

Serious Farm by Tim Egan

I wasn’t sure how this one would go over because it was a bit lengthier than the other books, but the kids liked it a lot. Farmer Fred is always very serious, much to the dismay of his animals. They try everything they can think of to make him laugh: Edna the cow stands on the fence and tries to crow like a rooster; the pigs bark like dogs; and all the animals try on Farmer Fred’s clothes and dance around the farm yard. But nothing works, and the animals finally decide to seek out a more humorous place to live. In the course of their escape, they finally manage to make Farmer Fred lighten up, a little, but he still doesn’t think there’s anything funny about corn.

cowlick-christin-ditchfield-hardcover-cover-art

Cowlick by Christin Ditchfield; illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

This is a funny book that works well for toddlers as well as older kids. It describes in rhymed verse how a sneaky cow invades a little boy’s bedroom and leaves him with an unexpected gift. Always a hit.

SONGS:

Old MacDonald: One of the kids requested that we choose animals in alphabetical order, like we did the previous week. Our farm included an alligator, a baby(!), a cat, a dog, and an Ella (one of the storytime participants).

If You’re Happy and You Know It: We did this as a follow-up to Serious Farm. We added other emotions, and I asked the kids what they do when they felt that way. We ended up with, “When you’re sad and you know it, cry ‘Boohoo!'” “When you’re angry and you know it, go ‘ERRRRRRRR!'” and “When you’re shy and you know it, hide your eyes…peekaboo!'”

Baby Bumblebee: As usual, I asked the kids to suggest other animals they might bring home, which is always a fun challenge. We came up with: “I’m bringing home a baby skunk. Won’t my Mommy fall into a funk?” and “I’m bringing home a baby killer whale. Won’t my Mommy turn so very pale?”

I Bought Me a Rooster: My CD player broke last week, so I had to play my uke and sing for our instrument play time. This is a fun cumulative song, where the kids suggest animals and the sounds they make. The trick is remembering all the animals in order, as the song gets longer and longer.

CRAFT: Construction Paper Farm

photo (35)

Construction paper farm by Jonas

I adapted this craft from the one on Lines, Dots, and Doodles. I cut out the barns and grass ahead of time, and gave the kids a choice of adding cotton ball sheep and feather chickens (see Joaquin’s example at the top of the page). It was cute to see all the different ways they each constructed their farms.

OTHER BOOKS:

I had a stack of books to choose from, and let the kids pick the ones I actually read. Here are some of the ones we didn’t get to:

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

You can’t go wrong with David Shannon. When a curious duck decides to test out a little boy’s bicycle, the other farm animals are intrigued. The illustration of all the animals on bikes always gets a big laugh.

Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley; illustrated by Elizabeth Fuller

I’ve always been impressed by Joy Cowley. She’s a New Zealand author who writes literally hundreds of books for the very beginning reader, including many of the Story Box and Sunshine Books (we have these in the library, but they are uncatalogued, so you just have to look for the collection of tiny paperbacks near the Easy Reader section). The beauty of these books is that they have basically the same sentence structure on each page, so kids can easily learn the pattern and read the book, building their confidence and sight word vocabulary at the same time. But somehow Cowley still manages to make these incredibly simple books entertaining, by throwing in a little twist at the end. Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm is a more typical picture book, but it’s a cute rhyming story about some farm animals who get fed up with their owner’s constant bathing, and run away to the city. The illustrations are adorable, especially the cow in the washtub. It would also work well for a bathtime theme.

Click Clack Moo! Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin; illustrated by Betsy Lewin

I couldn’t do a list of farm books without including the Click Clack Moo series about Farmer Brown and his scheming duck. I think Dooby Dooby Moo is my favorite. The humor in this one appeals to adults (who will understand the labor dispute references), as well as kids.

Two friends of mine, Neely Dean and Tanya Scoville, both pointed out a classic I forgot to mention: Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown (author of Goodnight Moon).   A joyful, soothing poem about the sights and sounds of a cheerful farm.

Kim Day, a children’s librarian at the Burlingame Library, also recommended The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill, illustrated by Russell Ayto, an adorable story about Marjorie, a cow who wishes she had some special talent, and then one day appears to have laid an egg.  You can watch the book being read aloud on Youtube here.

What are your favorite farm books?