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.
The Loudest Librarian! 