Tag Archives: storytime themes

First M-Pressions: A Storytime About the Letter M

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Early Literacy Tip: Ask kids to point out the word or words starting with a particular letter in the titles of the books you read. (Example: Can you find a word starting with the letter M?”) Learning to recognize letters is a key part of learning to read, and noticing them in the books they read helps them make the connection between the words they know and say, and the written words they see on the page.

Last week, we celebrated the letter M, a letter which has lots of fun word tie-ins. As usual, we started by drawing the letter M in the air together, and then listed words that started with M. Some of the words the kids suggested were: Mommy, moon, and monster. I also pulled out other items from a paper bag: a mouse puppet, a microphone and a marker.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Llama Llama, Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney

I think this is one of the most relatable Llama Llama books (a friend of mine told me recently that whenever her teenaged daughter is upset with her, she asks her, “Llama Llama, mad at Mama?,” which probably just annoys her more, but I thought it was funny). It was also nice to include this book because we read Llama Llama, Red Pajama last week. In this story, Llama Llama gets increasingly frustrated by a trip to the store. When his temper finally explodes, his Mama tells him that she thinks shopping is boring too, but she enjoys being with him.

Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan

I love this book so much! Every Monday, Mabel’s family watches her take her breakfast and a chair out to the driveway to see the best thing ever: the garbage truck! The descriptions of the garbage truck and its sounds (gah-dump!) are so much fun to read.

Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley

This is a long-time favorite of mine: the rhyming story of a mouse who enjoys playing in a human family’s kitchen, and making a huge mess.

M is for Mango by Atinuke; illustrated by Angela Brooksbank

This is an adorable book that uses a series of M words to tell a simple story about a little boy named Mo, whose mango is stolen by monkeys in a small Nigerian village. Perfect for toddler storytimes.

Songs:

If You’re Happy and You Know It

We sang this variation of the classic song after reading, Llama Llama, Mad at Mama. I really like adding in other emotions to this song, both because I think it’s important for kids to be able to name and share their “negative” emotions, and also because they love to act them out. If you’re not familiar with the original version, here’s a video from Super Simple Songs.

[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!” (say “Boo hoo!” and pretend to cry)…

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

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!”…

Hickory Dickory Dock

We sang this with the parachute in Outdoor Musical Storytime, and with the play scarves in Family Storytime. With the parachute, I put a mouse puppet on top, and we bounced it up and down with the song. With the play scarves, I had the kids pretend the scarf was a mouse and run it up and down their arms. I use the same tune as the one in this Learning Station video, but add in the additional verses below.

[C] Hickory [G7] Dickory [C] Dock! (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse [G7] ran up the [C] clock. (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck one: BONG!
The [F] mouse ran down. (run fingers down arm)
[C] Hickory [G7] Dickory [C] Dock! (clap hands in rhythm)

Hickory Dickory Dock! (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock. (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck two: BONG! BONG!
The mouse went, “BOO!” (cover your face and then uncover it when you yell, “BOO!”)
Hickory Dickory Dock! (clap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock! (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock. (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck three: BONG! BONG! BONG!
The mouse went “Whee!” (run fingers down body quickly)
Hickory Dickory Dock! (clap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock! (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock. (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck four: BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG!
The mouse said, “No more!” (hold hands out palms up and shrug shoulders)
Hickory Dickory Dock! (clap hands)

Monkey See and Monkey Do

I wish I could remember who originally taught me this song, because it’s one of my favorites. You can ask the kids to suggest other actions. I always end with “when you sit back on the ground,” which is a great way to get everyone ready to listen to the next book. Click on the triangle for the tune.

[C] When you clap, clap, clap your hands,
The monkey clap, clap, claps his [G7] hands,
Monkey [C] see, and monkey do,
The monkey [G7] does the same as [C] you!

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

Mi Cuerpo Hace Musica

One of my storytime families requested this song, which was a perfect fit for our letter M theme. We sang it in Spanish and English like the Learning Groove video below.

[A] Mi cuerpo, mi cuerpo [D] hace músic-[A]a
Mi cuerpo, mi cuerpo [D] hace músic-[A]a
Mis manos hacen Clap! Clap! Clap!
Mis [E7] pies hacen Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
Mi [A] boca hace “La La La!”
[E7] Cintura hace [A] Cha cha cha! (shake your hips)
[A] Mi cuerpo, mi cuerpo [D] hace músic-[A]a
Mi cuerpo, mi cuerpo [D] hace músic-[A]a


My body, my body makes music!
My body, my body makes music!
My hands go Clap! Clap! Clap!
My feet go Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
My mouth goes, “La La La!”
My hips go Cha Cha Cha!

Stay & Play: Paper Masks

This was a fun and easy storytime, although it definitely helps to have volunteers to prep the masks in advance. Before storytime, I printed a variety of paper masks onto cardstock and cut them out. Unfortunately, the mask in the picture was one that a coworker had cut out years ago, and I don’t know where she found it, but there are a lot of cute mask templates available at FirstPalette.com: Printable Animal Masks | Kids’ Crafts | Fun Craft Ideas | FirstPalette.com

For the Stay & Play, I put out the masks, markers, craft sticks, and tape (for attaching the craft sticks to the back). I also put out some colored feathers and glue, which some kids enjoyed adding to their masks. It was so much fun to see them all modeling their finished masks.

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

L-emental: A Storytime About the Letter L

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Early Literacy Tip: When reading books with predictable or very familiar text, try pausing before you say a word, and let your child fill in the blank (For example, “The cow said, “_____”. Using prediction skills is a key part of learning how to read.

This week, we continued our journey through the alphabet, focusing on the Letter L. We started by drawing the letter L (upper and lower-case in the air together), and then talking about words that begin with L. The kids suggested lollipop, lion, and lamb. I pulled out some items from a paper bag: a ladle, a lid, and a lyre (which I brought around for the kids to strum).

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Red Light, Green Lion by Candace Ryan and Jennifer Yerkes

This is a cute book that kept the kids guessing. The text describes how things don’t always work out the way you expect, and demonstrates this on each page by ending with “Red Light, Green Li-” only to begin the next page with “Lion” or “Lifeboat” or “Livestock.” I tried to draw out the “Li…” each time, and the kids would laugh at the unexpected word.

Llama Llama, Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

The perfect book for letter L! Most of the kids knew the book already and were excited to see it. It’s such a classic rhyming story about an anxious Llama who gets upset when his Mama doesn’t come when he calls.

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Another classic picture book that a lot of the kids knew. I especially like this one because it’s fun to pause when you read the lines about each animal and have the kids supply the missing word (“Sheep said ____! Cow said _____!”) A sweet, rhyming story about a friendly blue truck who saves a grumpy dump truck with the help of all of his animal friends.

Moo-Moo, I Love You by Tom Lichtenheld and Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I wanted to include a picture book featuring the word “Love,” and this is one of my favorites (although it would also work well for letter M). Full of word play around the word “Moo,” (like “I would jump over the Moo-N for you!”) and sweet, funny pictures of cows, both the kids and their caregivers enjoyed this one.

Songs & Activities:

Red Light, Green Light

After reading Red Light, Green Lion, we played a short game of Red Light, Green Light. Instead of the traditional game of having the kids walk towards me when I said, “Green Light” and stop when I said, “Red Light,” I just had them do different actions (clapping, stomping, etc.) when I said “Green Light” and stop when I said “Red Light.” It works especially well if you hold up pictures of a red light and a green light each time.

Can You See the Color Red?

We sang this after reading Llama Llama Red Pajama. The kids always enjoying pointing to things around them that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Can you [C] see the color red,
The [F] color yellow, the [G7] color red?
Can you [C] see the color red,
[F] Right here [G7] where you [C] are?

Can you see the color blue… etc.

Love Somebody, Yes, I Do

For Outdoor Musical Storytime, we sang this with the parachute, shaking it in time with the song.There are lots of different versions of the song, but the one I do is closest to the one in the video by Musicaliti found below. We sang it through three times.

Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody and it’s you, you, you! (point to different people)
You, you, you!

Little Red Caboose

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. For Family Storytime, I had the kids line up to make a train, and we circled the row of shelves next to the storytime space as we sang and shook our egg shakers (it would also be fun with play scarves). There are lots of versions of this song, but the one I do is closest to the Sweet Honey and the Rock version below.

[C] Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [C] train.

[C] Get your tickets and get on board,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Get your tickets and get on board,
Riding behind the [C] train.

[C] Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [C] train.

I’ve got a brother on that train,
Riding behind the train.
You’ve got a sister on that train,
Riding behind the train.

[C] Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [G7] train.
Little red caboose,
Little red caboose,
Riding behind the [C] train

Stay & Play: Letter Stamps

This was a super easy Stay & Play, where I just put out our set of letter stamps, along with ink-pads, markers, and other fun stamps. Most of the kids stamped out their names with the help of a caregiver. It’s a great activity for both literacy (searching for each letter) and fine motor skills (figuring out the best way to coat the stamp in ink and press it onto the paper).

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

Go Fly a Kite! A Storytime About the Letter K

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Early Literacy Tip: Point out words and letters that behave in surprising ways, like the silent K in words like “knot” and “knee.” It’s helpful for kids to know that words don’t always follow the “rules.”

Still working our way through the alphabet! This week was Letter K. As usual, we started by drawing an upper and lower case K in the air together, and I asked the kids if they knew any words that started with K. They suggested koala, Kindergarten, kite and kangaroo. From my paper bag, I also pulled out a kazoo, a set of keys, and a kalimba (also known as a thumb piano. I brought it around for the kids to try).

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

Before I read this one, I talked about how the letter K is usually silent when it appears in front of the letter N. Out of habit, I usually pronounce “knuffle” this way, although I’ve read that it’s actually based on a Dutch word (knuffel) that’s pronounced “Kuh-nuffle.” However you pronounce it, this is one of my favorite read-alouds, about a little girl whose favorite toy goes missing at the laundromat, and leads her to say her first words.

Mama’s Kisses by Kate McMullan; illustrated by Tao Nyeu

I read this one for Family Storytime, which is a much smaller group, so they were able to find the baby animals hiding in the illustrations throughout the book. A sweet book about four animal mothers looking for their babies at bedtime.

Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman

I love this adorable story about a dog named Katie who is so excited when her owner brings home three little kittens that she just can’t stop herself from howling and chasing them around. She feels terrible for scaring them, but somehow it keeps happening, until she falls asleep, and wakes to find the kittens curled up on top of her. This book does such a good job of capturing the “cuteness aggression” that kids often struggle with around pets, and the kids loved howling along with the repeated “AROOOO’s!”

Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand

This book was a great lead-in to our Stay & Play and our last song. It’s a simple story about Bear and Mole making and flying a kite, which flies away and gets stuck in a tree. They are upset at first, until they discover that the lost kite is serving as an umbrella to a grateful nest full of baby birds.

Songs:

The Sleeping Bunnies

We sang this to go along with Knuffle Bunny. It’s one of my favorite songs to use with toddlers and preschoolers because they love lying down and then jumping back up. I usually sing it through three times.

See the little bunnies sleeping (crouch or lie down and pretend to sleep)
‘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! (jump up)
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop! (hop!)
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop!
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop!
Hop little bunnies, hop and stop!

Five Days Old by Laurie Berkner

We sang this after reading Mama’s Kisses. It’s one of my favorite Laurie Berkner songs, because the actions are built into the lyrics.

[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…

Old MacDonald

We sang this with the parachute in Outdoor Musical Storytime after reading Katie Loves the Kitten. I threw different stuffed animals on the parachute each time: a cat, a mouse, and (just for fun) a snake!

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

Repeat with different animals…

Let’s Go Fly a Kite by Richard M. Sherman and Robert Sherman

We sang this Mary Poppins song as our instrument play-along at the end. It would also work well with play scarves or ribbon wands.

With [G] tuppence for paper and strings,
You can have your own set of [C] wings.
With your [G] feet on the [G7] ground
You’re a [A] bird in [C] flight,
With your [G] fist holding [D] tight,
To the string of your [G] kite.

Oh, oh, oh,
[C] Let’s go fly a kite!
[G] Up to the highest height.
[D] Let’s go fly a kite,
And [G] send it soaring!
[C] Up through the atmosphere,
[G] Up where the air is clear,
[D] Oh, let’s go fly a [G] kite.

When you send it flying up there,
All at once you’re lighter than air.
You can dance on the breeze over houses and trees,
With your fist holding tight
To the string of your kite.

Oh, oh, oh
Let’s go fly a kite!
Up to the highest height.
Let’s go fly a kite,
And send it soaring.
Up through the atmosphere,
Up where the air is clear,
Oh, let’s go fly a kite!

Stay & Play: Paper Bag Kites

A fun and easy kite craft, with a paper lunch bag as the base. There are lots of different examples online, but the one I used was based on this Crafty with Natalie example: Paper Bag Kite! – Crafty with Natalie.

For the Stay & Play, I put out paper lunch bags, a hole punch, crepe paper, glue sticks, kids scissors, string, markers, and popsicle sticks. The kids decorated their bags with markers and bits of crepe paper, and the grown-ups helped them punch a hole in the bottom of the bag, tie a long piece of string through the hole, and tie and wrap the string to the popsicle stick. It was cute to see them running with their kites, especially at Outdoor Musical Storytime.

Do you have any favorite picture books or songs based on the letter K? Please share them in the comments below.

Jackpot! A Storytime About the Letter J

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Early Literacy Tip: Play rhyming games with your kids by asking them to come up with words that rhyme with another word, or asking them to guess which rhyming word you are thinking of. Rhymes are one of the best ways to help kids learn the sounds that make up the parts of words, an essential skill for learning to read later on.

This week, we focused on the letter J for storytime. As usual, I started by having the kids draw a capital and lowercase letter J in the air with me, and then asked them if they knew any words that started with J. They came up with jellybean, jellyfish, and jelly. I also pulled some items out of a paper bag: a jaw harp, a jar, and a jack-in-the-box (which I demonstrated several times. They loved it!).

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

This classic book was a childhood favorite of my own kids, and the storytime families were excited to see it too. Rhyming text and large, beautiful illustrations describe a fantasyland full of different kinds of berries and animals.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

I love this book about a young boy named Jabari who decides to jump off of the high dive for the first time, but keeps finding reasons to put it off (thinking of the dive he wants to do, doing his stretches, etc.). His Dad tells him that sometimes when he’s afraid, he takes a deep breath, and discovers that the fear feels more like a surprise. His trick works for Jabari, who finally does his dive. The descriptions and illustrations are perfect for storytime.

Joy by Yasmeen Ismail; illustrated by Jenni Desmond

Very cute story about a kitten’s joy at playing with a ball of yarn, until she takes a tumble. A sweet exploration of different types of feelings. I have a volunteer who helps with Family Storytime, and she acted out the kitten’s motions with a kitten stuffed animal as I read.

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw; illustrated by Margot Apple

Classic rhyming story about a group of sheep who take a joyride in a Jeep. Before I read it, I asked the kids to guess the last word in the title, based on the rhyme and the picture on the front cover.

Songs:

Peanut Butter and Jelly

This is an old camp song that I remember learning in Girl Scouts when I was a kid. Our library actually has a set of props for this, and I used them when I sang the song. I often ask the kids to suggest a type of berry to pick for the jam. At the end, I usually pretend to have peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth, and we all pour and drink a pretend glass of milk. The version I sing is a little different than the one in this Super Simple Songs video (they repeat the “Peanut, peanut butter” line after each action, while I only sing it once per verse. See below.), but the tune is basically the same.

First, you take the peanuts and you pick ’em, (pretend to pick peanuts)
You pick ’em, you pick ’em, pick ’em, pick ’em.
Then you smash them, you smash them, (clap your hands together)
You smash ’em, smash ’em, smash ’em.
Then you spread ’em, you spread ’em. (pretend to spread something on one hand)
You spread ’em, spread ’em, spread ’em.
Singing, “Peanut, peanut butter (wave your hands to the right)
And jelly! (wave your hands to the left)
Peanut, peanut butter (wave your hands to the right)
And jelly!” (wave your hands to the left)

Then, you take the berries and you pick ’em, (pretend to pick berries)
You pick ’em, you pick ’em, pick ’em, pick ’em.
Then you smash them, you smash them, (clap your hands together)
You smash ’em, smash ’em, smash ’em.
Then you spread ’em, you spread ’em. (pretend to spread something on one hand)
You spread ’em, spread ’em, spread ’em.
Singing, “Peanut, peanut butter (wave your hands to the right)
And jelly! (wave your hands to the left)
Peanut, peanut butter (wave your hands to the right)
And jelly!” (wave your hands to the left)

Then you take the sandwich and you bite it, (pretend to bite a sandwich)
You bite it, you bite it, bite it, bite it.
Then you chew it, you chew it, you chew it, (pretned to chew)
Chew it, Chew it.
Then you swallow it, you swallow it, (rub your tummy)
You swallow it, swallow it, swallow it.
Singing, “Peanut, peanut butter (wave your hands to the right)
And jelly! (wave your hands to the left)
Peanut, peanut butter (wave your hands to the right)
And jelly!” (wave your hands to the left).

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. I use the same tune as the Sing and Learn with Vicky video below:

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!

Jellies Floating

We sang this with the parachute at Outdoor Musical Storytime. I threw cotton balls on the parachute and told the kids they were our jellyfish.

To the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down.

Jellies floating up and down,
Up and down,
Up and down.
Jellies floating up and down,
In the sea.

Jellies floating all around,
All around,
All around.
Jellies floating all around,
In the sea.

Jump Up

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. The kids loved jumping up and down as we sang. It’s such a fun and 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: Beaded Jewelry

I actually did a different craft for Family Storytime, but didn’t get to take pictures. For that one, I just put out white cardstock, markers, and kids scissors, and told the kids to draw a picture and then cut it into a jigsaw puzzle. I told them they could challenge their caregiver to put the puzzle together, or have their caregiver cut the pieces and challenge them do to the puzzle.

For Outdoor Musical Storytime though, I put out a large selection of Pony beads and pipe cleaners, and let the kids make beaded bracelets. They always love threading the beads, and it’s a wonderful activity for developing their fine motor skills.

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

The I’s Have It! A Storytime About the Letter I

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Early Literacy Tip: Ask your child to guess what will happen next in a story. This is a great way to make sure they understand what’s happening, and keep them engaged in the book.

This week’s storytime focus was the Letter I. We started by drawing a capital and lower case letter I in the air together (I also wrote them on my whiteboard), and then we talked about the two main sounds that the letter I makes, and some words that start with I. The families suggested igloo, ice cream, and ice. I also pulled three items out of a paper bag: an insect (honeybee puppet), an instrument (a rainstick), and an ink pad.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Good Luck, Ice Cream Truck by Sorche Fairbank; illustrated Terry Runyan

Cute, rhyming book about waiting for the ice cream truck, but seeing lots of other trucks instead. When I read this in Family Stortyime, one of the kids started pointing to different animals on each page, and saying, “That one’s me, and that one’s my Dad.” And then other kids started joining in. It was so funny and sweet that I think I may ask kids to point to the animal they would like to be in future books with different animal characters.

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff; illustrated by Felicia Bond

Many of the kids were familiar with this book, which I read in a big book format for Outdoor Musical Storytime. It’s a fun one for asking the kids to guess what the mouse will ask for next (my early literacy tip for the week).

The Most Important Thing by Antonella Abbatiello

Different types of animals argue about which trait is the most important (long neck, spiky quills, tall ears, wings, etc.), and they all imagine what they would look like if they had that trait. The kids really enjoyed the pictures showing all the animals with wings or long necks, etc.

If by Sarah Perry

This is an older book, but the ideas and illustrations are imaginative and unforgettable. Each page depicts a different hypothetical scenario, ranging from the magical (if cats could fly) to the creepy (if teeth were toes). The kids were mesmerized by the illustrations (and so were the grown-ups).

Songs:

If You’re Happy And You Know It

Full disclosure: I also sang this song for the letter H last week (as well as Hickory Dickory Dock (below), but it works for both! Plus, it’s the kind of classic song that the kids are usually excited to sing with me.

[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!”

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We sang this with the play scarves in Family Storytime. I had the kids pretend the scarves were spiders that they “crawled” up their arms, and then threw into the air on the “down came the rain” line.

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

Hickory Dickory Dock

This was a repeat from last week that we did with the parachute. I put a mouse puppet in the middle of the parachute, and we shook the parachute in time to the song, and lifted it up and down to go with the lyrics.

Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck one: BONG!
The mouse ran down (run fingers down arm)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck two: BONG! BONG!
The mouse went, “BOO!” (cover your face and then uncover it when you yell, “BOO!”)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck three: BONG! BONG! BONG!
The mouse went “Whee!” (run fingers down body quickly)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)

If All the Raindrops

I do this traditional song a lot because it works well for so many ages, and gives the kids a chance to suggest their favorite foods for each verse. We sang it as our instrument play-along at the end.

[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 raindrops were ice cream and carrots… etc.

Stay & Play: Stamps & Inkpads

This was one of the easiest Stay & Play’s I’ve done, but the kids really enjoyed it. We have a huge collection of different types of stamps and inkpads, so I just put them all out, along with white paper and markers. They had a great time trying out all of the different stamps. One of the caregivers pointed out that stamping is a great way to practice different types of motor skills, because it takes a while for kids to get the hang of pressing down hard on the inkpad, but also being careful to make sure the ink covers the whole surface, and then using enough force and care to make sure the whole image gets imprinted on the paper.

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

Hip Hip Hooray: A Storytime About the Letter H

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Early Literacy Tip: When reading a book with a repeated word or phrase, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, pause to let your child fill in the word. You can also point to the word to reinforce their print awareness.

I was so excited this week to see storytime families actively engaging in our focus on letters and letter sounds. One of my regular Family Storytime kids came in announcing the letter of the day before I even said it, and, during our Hat activity at the end, I overheard a grandmother asking her grandson what letter the word hat starts with, and he said, “H!” She even took time to enunciate the “ha- ha- hat.” This was exactly what I was hoping for when I decided to revisit the alphabet in my storytimes: providing caregivers with simple, fun ways to practice basic early literacy skills in their daily routines.

As usual, this week I started by writing the Letter H on my whiteboard, and asking the kids to draw a capital and lowercase letter H in the air with me. Then we talked about the sound letter H makes and some common words beginning with H. I pulled some items out of a paper bag: a toy horse, a toy hippo, a harmonica, and a hat.

Here’s the rest of what we did (a combination of Family Storytime and Outdoor Musical Storytime).

Books:

I’m Hungry! / ¡Tengo hambre! by Angela Dominguez

I love the Lolo and Birdie books by Angela Dominguez. They are all very simple bilingual stories in English and Spanish, featuring a dinosaur who speaks Spanish, and a bird who translates into English. In this one, Lolo the dinosaur complains that he’s hungry, and Birdie suggests different foods he might like to eat (she is dismayed when he says he would like to eat “un pajaro azul” but appeases him with some galletas instead. It’s also a fun book to use for letter h, because you can point out that h is silent in Spanish. One Family Storytime family loved this book so much that they asked to borrow it.

How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward; illustrated by Diana Sudyka

I read this one at Outdoor Musical Storytime, which is held in one of our County parks, so there are lots of birds all around. I took a moment before I read it to demonstrate the Merlin app (a free app from the Cornell Bird Lab), and how you could use it to identify the bird songs nearby. The book describes different ways to look for birds, with lots of different types of birds hidden in the illustrations.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The kids at Outdoor Musical Storytime were excited when I held this book up, since many of them have it at home. They also enjoyed calling out the names of the different foods the caterpillar ate, and yelling out “hungry!” each time I paused on the line, “But he was still…”

There’s a Mouse in My House by Ross Collins

Funny, rhyming sequel to There’s a Bear in My Chair (which many of the kids had read). In this one, the polar bear complains about the mouse that has settled in his house. He would throw him out, he says, except the mouse knows tai kwon do. He eats like a buffalo, and leaves the bear one pistachio. But when the mouse’s friends show up to throw the bear a party, he decides they are nice after all.

Hooray for Hat by Brian Won

This is such a colorful, fun book, about a variety of grumpy animals who cheer up when someone gives them each a hat. The kids loved joining in on the repeated “Hooray for Hat!” line, which appears in large colorful letters. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I handed out the egg shakers at the end, and we all shook the shakers each time we yelled, “Hooray!”

Songs:

If You’re Happy and You Know It

This song is a classic for a reason, although I’ve tweaked it a bit by adding in different emotions. The kids always giggle when we pretend to cry “Boo hoo.” You can ask them to suggest other emotions as well.

[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!”

Two Little Blackbirds

We sang this after reading How to Find a Bird. I often give out play scarves with this one and have the kids pretend they are birds.

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!…

The Butterfly Song

A fun song to go along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

First comes a butterfly (Wave scarf or move your hands like a butterfly)
Who lays an egg. (Make a circle with your thumb and index finger).
Out comes a caterpillar (Wiggle your finger like a caterpillar)
With lots of legs.
Now see the caterpillar spin and spin (Spin the scarf),
A little chrysalis to sleep in (Bundle scarf up in a ball in your hand or make a fist).
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Out of the chrysalis, my, oh, my!
Out comes a beautiful butterfly! (Open up hand and wave scarf).

Hickory Dickory Dock

In Outdoor Musical Storytime, we sang this with a mouse puppet on the parachute, lifting the parachute up and down. For Family Storytime, I gave the kids scarves to make pretend mice that ran up and down their arms. Here’s a video from The Learning Station with the tune.

Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck one: BONG!
The mouse ran down (run fingers down arm)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck two: BONG! BONG!
The mouse went, “BOO!” (cover your face and then uncover it when you yell, “BOO!”)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck three: BONG! BONG! BONG!
The mouse went “Whee!” (run fingers down body quickly)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands in rhythm)
The mouse ran up the clock (run fingers up arm)
The clock struck four: BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG!
The mouse said, “No more!” (hold hands out palms up and shrug shoulders)
Hickory Dickory Dock (clap hands)

The Hokey Pokey

We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end. Parents always seem to enjoy doing this one with their kids.

[C] You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out.
You put your right hand in,
[G] And you shake it all about!
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That’s what it’s all [C] about!

Repeat with left hand, right foot, left foot, head, and whole body.

Stay & Play: Paper Bowl Hats

This was such an adorable project. I got the idea from raisecuriouskids.com.

Before the storytime, I had a volunteer punch holes on either side of each bowl and thread a long piece a ribbon from one hole to the other. For the Stay & Play, I put out the bowls, along with markers, and Washi tape in different patterns. The kids had fun decorating the bowls, and the caregivers helped them tie the ribbon into a loose chin strap. They all looked so cute in their little bowl hats!

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

G-neral Knowledge: A Storytime About the Letter G

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Early Literacy Tip: Ask your child to search for different characters or items in the illustrations of books, like finding the little mouse on each page of Good Night, Owl. This makes sharing the book a more interactive experience. It will also teach them to look for details in the illustrations, which can help them decipher unfamiliar words when they are learning to read later on.

This week we had fun with ghosts and the word “Go” as we focused on the letter G. As usual, I started by writing the letter G (both upper and lower- case) on my whiteboard and having the kids trace it in the air with me. Then we talked about the two different sounds that G makes. I asked the kids to think of words that start with G (adorably, the first one they suggested was “Grandma”) and then pulled some things starting with the letter G out of a paper bag (a glue stick, a glove, a toy giraffe, and a toy gorilla).

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

There’s a Ghost in this House by Oliver Jeffers

A girl who lives in a big haunted house asks the reader for help finding the ghosts she has never seen. Each page features a translucent overlay that makes ghosts suddenly appear in the scene. This book is a hit with kids of all ages!

Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper

Cute story about Little Green, who can only say the word “Go!” He uses this word to help some construction vehicles get their job done, but things quickly get out of control, until Little Red arrives to tell them when to “Stop!” The kids enjoyed joining in on the “Go’s” and “Stop’s.”

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees

An adorable giraffe named Gerald longs to dance but is impossibly clumsy, until a cricket helps him find his own music to dance to. A sweet, rhyming story with charming illustrations.

Good Night, Owl by Greg Pizzoli

Owl is all ready for bed, but keeps getting distracted by a “Squeek!” Trying to find the source of the noise leads him to empty his cupboards, pull up his floor, tear down his roof, and knock down his walls, until he finally spots the little mouse who is causing all of the commotion. The kids loved joining in on the “Squeek’s” and looking for the little mouse hiding on each page.

Songs:

We Are Spooky Ghosts

I wish I knew who wrote this song, which I learned many years ago from an Orff Music Curriculum. The original version was “We Are Scary Skeletons” and I often use it at Halloween, where I ask the kids to suggest different spooky things they would like to be. But my favorite way to sing it is with play scarves, where we all get to put the scarves on our heads and pretend to be ghosts. The video below is one I did during lockdown, when I was leading storytimes over Zoom from my house, and improvising with household items.

We are spooky ghosts
Floating down the street,
Floating down the street,
Floating down the street.
We are spooky ghosts
Floating down the street.
We’ll scare you!
BOO!

Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton

We sang this song after reading Giraffes Can’t Dance. It’s such a catchy song, and the kids enjoy pretending to be elephants and monkeys.

[C] Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow.
[G7] Zoo tomorrow, Zoo tomorrow.
[C] Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow,
And [G7] we can stay all [C] day.

CHORUS:
[F] We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
[C] How about you, you, you?
[G7] You can come too, too, too! (G7)
We’re [C] going to the zoo, [G7] zoo, [C] zoo!

See the elephants with the long trunk swinging,
Great big ears and a long trunk swinging.
Snuffing up peanuts with the long trunk swinging,
And we can stay all day!

CHORUS

See all the monkeys, they’re scritch, scritch, scratchin’.
Jumping all around and scritch, scritch, scratchin’.
Hanging by the long tails scritch, scritch, scratchin’,
And we can stay all day!

CHORUS

Well, we stayed all day, and I’m getting sleepy,
Sitting in the car getting sleep, sleep, sleepy.
Home already and I’m sleep, sleep, sleepy,
‘Cause we have stayed all day!

We’ve been to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
So have you, you, you!
You came too, too, too!
We’ve been to the zoo, zoo, zoo!

But Mommy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow
Zoo tomorrow, Zoo tomorrow.
Mommy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow,
And we can stay all day!

CHORUS

Go, Go, Go, Stop

I improvised this simple song to sing with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. We sang it a little faster each time.

To the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star:

Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP! (shake the parachute in time to the song, and freeze on the word STOP!”
Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP!
Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP!
Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP!
Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP!
Go, go, go, go, go, go, STOP!

So Glad I’m Here

This is a beautiful song (based, I believe, on a traditional African American gospel song). We used it as our instrument play-along at the end. I especially love this version by Elizabeth Mitchell. I added a final verse that says “I’m so glad you’re here.”

[C] I’m so glad I’m here,
So glad I’m here,
So glad I’m here, here to-[G7]day.
So [C] glad I’m here,
I’m [F] so glad I’m here,
So [G7] glad I’m here, here to-[C]day.

I’m gonna sing while I’m here,
Sing while I’m here,
Sing while I’m here, here today.
Sing while I’m here,
I’m gonna sing while I’m here,
Sing while I’m here, here today.

Love brought me here,
Love brought me here,
Love brought me here, here today.
Love brought me here,
Love brought me here,
Love brought me here, here today.

Joy brought me here,
Joy brought me here,
Joy brought me here, here today.
Joy brought me here,
You know joy brought me here,
Joy brought me here, here today.

I’m so glad you’re here,
So glad you’re here,
So glad you’re here, here today.
So glad you’re here,
You know, I’m so glad you’re here.
So glad you’re here, here today.

Stay & Play: Glue Ghosts

For the Stay & Play, I offered the kids two different ways to make ghosts.

For the first option, I put out black paper, ModPodge, some cardboard squares I cut out of cereal boxes, and googly eyes. I helped the kids pour a small amount of ModPodge on their paper, and gave them each a cardboard square to spread it into a ghost shape. I also provided scissors and white paper, in case they wanted to cut out a mouth. Most of them added lots of googly eyes. Unlike other kinds of white glue, the ModPodge dries into a thick, smooth layer, which makes it look like a transparent ghost.

For the second option, I put out black paper, glue sticks, googly eyes, white paper, and googly eyes, so the kids could cut out ghost shapes and glue them on the black paper.

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

F is for Fun: A Storytime About the Letter F

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Early Literacy Tip: Share the sounds that letters make, especially strong consonants like F or P, and make a game of noticing words you hear throughout the day that start with that sound.

This past week, we continued our journey through the alphabet by focusing on the letter F in storytime.

As usual, I started by writing the letter F on my whiteboard and asking the kids to write an upper and lower case letter F in the air with me. I emphasized the sound that the letter F makes, and asked them if they knew any words that started with that sound (In Family Storytime, I accidentally asked, “Do you know any F words?” and then quickly said, “No, not that one!” Luckily, none of the kids caught it, but the grown-ups laughed). The kids suggested frog, fish, and fun, which I wrote on the board. I also asked them to pull different items out of a paper bag: a paper fan, a fork, and a flower.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books

Follow Me, Flo by Jarvis

Cute story, featuring an adorable duckling named Flo, whose father invents a song to help her remember their path. When she gets lost and runs into a hungry fox, the song helps her find her way back to her Dad.

The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner; illustrated by Jonathan Lambert

I love this simple pop-up book based on an old joke (we have a non-circulating copy on our staff Story Shelf). A curious wide-mouthed frog asks different animals what they like to eat, until he learns that the alligator likes to eat tasty wide-mouthed frogs. The big pop-out alligator always gets a big response from the kids!

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

One of my favorite storytime books, featuring an adorable kitten who thinks the moon is a big bowl of milk in the sky that she can’t quite reach. The large black and white drawings, and simple, relatable story make it perfect for almost any age.

Can You Make a Scary Face by Jan Thomas

One of several interactive picture books by Jan Thomas. This one asks the reader to stand up, then sit down, then stand up again, and then pretend there is a little bug on their nose, which gets stuck in their shirt. The kids loved following the instructions on each page. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, my coworker Isabella held up a big frog puppet for the part with the giant frog.

Sam’s First Word by Bea Birdsong; illustrated by Holly Hatam

Funny story about a little girl named Sam, whose family and neighbor are all hoping their name will be her first word. They are so busy coaching her to say, “Mama,” or “Papa,” or “Nana” that they don’t notice that her actual first word is “Poop!” I’ve been reading this book at local preschools lately, and it’s been fun to ask the kids what their first word was (a lot of them don’t remember, but their guesses are often very funny).

Songs & Rhymes

Do As I’m Doing

We sang this after reading Follow Me, Flo. You can do different motions each time for the kids to copy, or ask the kids to suggest their own.

[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.

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

We sang this after reading The Wide Mouthed Frog. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I held up a frog puppet, and pretended to have it slurp a bug off of the kids heads each time we got to the “Yum Yum!” line.

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.

Down By the Banks of the Hanky Panky

This is a lapsit rhyme I used to use for baby storytime, where you bounce the baby from knee to knee. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put a frog puppet on the parachute, and we lifted the parachute up and down in time with the rhyme to make it “jump” around.

Down by the banks of the hanky panky,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky,
With a hip, a hop,
A hippity-hop,
Jump off the lilypad and kerplop!

Five Days Old by Laurie Berkner

We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end, after reading Sam’s First Word. It’s such a fun and happy song, and the kids always enjoy jumping up and down.

[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…

Stay & Play: Flower Painting

This is my all-time favorite process srt activity, especially for Outdoor Musical Storytime. I just put out white paper and a variety of flowers (this time I used nasturtiums, flowers from a broccoli plant, and lavender). The kids love squishing the petals into the paper and “painting” with their finger.

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

E-Z Does It! A Storytime About the Letter E

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Early Literacy Tip: Encourage kids to make up their own verses to favorite songs that you sing together (for example, ask them to come up with different types of animals for Old MacDonald to have on his farm). Singing together is one of the best and easiest ways to help kids develop phonemic awareness, the knowledge of the different sounds that make up words. Having them choose the words to the song makes it an even more fun and memorable experience.

As I mentioned before, this is the second time I’ve done a series of storytimes based on the letters of the alphabet, and I’m enjoying it even more this time. Our library system has made it a goal for our storytimes to help caregivers learn ways to reinforce early literacy skills throughout the day. I’ve struggled a bit with how to incorporate this, since admittedly I tend to focus more on the kids than the caregivers, but building my storytimes around individual letters has made it easier to model ways of focusing kids’ attention on words and letter sounds.

This week we focused on the Letter E. As usual, I started by writing a capital and lowercase E on my whiteboard, and then asked the kids to draw them in the air with me. I then talked about the different sounds the letter makes (I even mentioned that sometimes E is silent, although I didn’t go into a lot of detail), and asking the kids if they knew any words that started with E. They came up with elephant, eel, and eagle. I also pulled some other objects out of a paper bag one at a time: an egg shaker, an envelope, and an eraser.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Everybody Says Meow by Constance Lombardo

This book works well for a wide range of ages. A cat announces that now’s the time when everybody says, “Meow.” Except that one dog insists on saying, “Woof!” instead. When the cat decides to accommodate the dog, a frog suddenly shows up. Eventually the cat decides that everybody can just say whatever they want to, but then a lion’s roar scares everyone away. The kids always laugh at the unexpected animal sounds.

Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles; illustrated by Rod Clement

A classic, rhyming story about an emu who tries being other animals, because he thinks each one is “the best at the zoo.” He tries being a lion, a snake, and a seal, until finally he overhears a man saying the emu is by far the best. When he returns to his original enclosure though, he finds a new emu named Edwina, who thinks that he is the best thing she’s seen at the zoo. The large illustrations of each animal make this a great book for storytime.

Did You Eat the Parakeet? by Mark Iacolina

When her pet parakeet escapes from its cage, a girl accuses her cat of eating it. But she doesn’t realize that the parakeet is standing on her head the whole time. A funny, rhyming book with lots of visual irony.

The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett

All of the birds have laid eggs, except for Duck, who finds a large, mysterious one that everyone says is odd. Each bird’s egg hatches into their expected babies, but when Duck’s finally hatches, it turns out to contain an alligator, which scares all of the other birds away. The kids love the last page, which shows the alligator calling Duck “Mama.”

Songs:

Old MacDonald

We sang this song after reading Everybody Says Meow (it helps that the song has lots of E’s in it!). Each time we sang it, I asked the kids which animals they thought Old MacDonald should have and what sounds they would make.

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

Repeat with different animals…

The Elevator

This is an old standby of mine, which I especially love to use with babies and toddlers. For Outdoor Musical Storytime, we sang it with the parachute, lifting it up and down with the words of the song. It’s to the tune of Bumpin’ Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon (I have included a rough audio clip below so you can hear how it goes).

Riding up and down in an elevator (lift baby up and down, or have older kids stand up and crouch down)
Riding up and down in an elevator
Riding up and down in an elevator
First floor
Second floor (lift baby up, or have kids stand)
Third floor (lift baby higher, or have kids stretch up high)
DOWN! (lower baby, or have kids crouch back down)

Apples and Bananas

We sang this after reading Did You Eat the Parakeet? It’s a wonderful song for teaching vowel sounds, and for modeling different ways to play with words and sounds in general.

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.

I like to eat, eat, eat ayples and baynaynays…

I like to eat, eat, eat eeples and beeneenees…

I like to eat, eat, eat īpples, and bīnīnīs… (the ī symbol is for the long “i” sound, which sounds like “eye”)

I like to eat, eat, eat oh-pples and boh-noh-nohs…

 I like to eat, eat, eat ūpples and būnūnūs… (the ū symbol is for the long “u” sound, which sounds like “ooh)

I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner

A great song to do with egg shakers! I used it as my instrument play-along at the end of storytime.

[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: Fun With Googly Eyes

For the Stay & Play, I just put out white paper, markers, and a variety of Googly Eyes, which are always a big hit!

Do you have any favorite books, songs, or activities based on the letter E? Please share them in the comments below.

D-Lightful: A Storytime About the Letter D

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Early Literacy Tip: Take advantage of any opportunities to write your child’s name–on drawings or crafts they make or on nametags (I’ve started providing blank labels for nametags at storytime each week). Say each letter aloud as you write their name, and point out other words you come across together that start with the same letter.

I have been continuing my storytime journey through the alphabet in both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime (Note: This is my second time doing this series of themes. You can find my previous letter-themed storytime posts at the bottom of my Storytime Themes page).

As usual, I started both storytimes by writing a capital and lowercase letter D on my whiteboard and asking the kids what sound the letter makes. Thankfully, D is an easy letter that really only makes one sound. Then I asked the kids if they could think of any words that started with the letter D. They suggested: dog, Dad, and daisy. I also pulled some items out of paper bag: a dinosaur, a rubber duck, and a dime (in my Family Storytime, which has a smaller group, I let the kids take turns pulling the items out of the bag).

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

Books:

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion; pictures by Margaret Bloy Graham

One of my favorite books from childhood, and clearly a favorite of many of my storytime caregivers. When Harry buries the scrubbing brush for his bath and goes off on a messy adventure, he turns from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots. He looks so different that his family no longer recognizes him, until he begs for them to give him a bath. A slightly longer story than I usually read, but it was perfect for my Family Storytime crowd.

Dozens of Doughnuts by Brianne Farley

I love the illustrations in this book, especially the delicious looking doughnuts on the inside cover. LouAnn the bear is preparing to hibernate by making herself some doughnuts. But her friends keep showing up at the door asking to try some. In the end, there are no doughnuts left for LouAnn, who is extremely hungry and upset, until her friends come back to make more. The kids loved joining in on the repeated “Ding Dong’s” and growling like LouAnn when she loses her temper. This book is reminiscent of The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins (which would also fit the theme), but with doughnuts instead of cookies.

The Digger and the Dark by Joseph Kuefler

A cute story in The Digger series, which features the big trucks settling down to sleep, but being interrupted a group of playful, hungry raccoons. The raccoons keep the trucks awake every night until they finally discover the playground the machines have been building, and decide to play on that instead. The kids laughed every time I read the “Squeak Squeak” line that the raccoons say.

Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein

This is a delightfully silly, and somewhat violent story that always gets giggles. A baby dinosaur named Dinah hatches out of her egg and sees two small creatures kissing. She decides to try kissing too, but only succeeds in stomping, chomping, whomping, and even eating other creatures. Then she finds another baby dinosaur, and the two have fun stomping, chomping, and whomping with each other. The kids love the different sounds.

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

I read this one for Family Storytime. It’s the classic story of a girl who is frustrated with her art abilities, until her teacher makes her sign a picture of a dot she drew and hangs it in the classroom. This leads her to make lots of different type of dots, which in turn inspires others. A beautiful book for older kids.

Songs:

B-I-N-G-O

I sang this to go along with Harry the Dirty Dog. This is an old standby, but here’s a video from Super Simple Songs, just in case you’re not familiar with it. Traditionally, you leave out a letter each time you sing it, and clap instead. Sometimes I have the kids bark the missing letters instead of clapping.

[C] There was a farmer [F] had a [C] dog,
And Bingo [G] was his [C] name-o.
[C] B-I- [F] N-G-O
[G] B-I- [C] N-G-O
[Am] B-I- [F] N-G-O
And [G] Bingo was his [C] name-o.

There was a farmer had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(Clap!)-I-N-G-O!… etc.

We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner

We sang this song to go along with Dinosaur Kisses. It’s always a big hit with all ages, and a good movement song to help get the kids refocused.

[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!

Six Little Ducks

We have two different Monkee Mitt sets for the Five Little Ducks, so for Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put six of the ducks on the parachute and we waved the chute up and down in time to the song.

[C] Six little ducks that I once [G7] knew,
Big ones, little 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

Do As I’m Doing

I learned this song years ago when I was volunteering to lead music classes at my kids’ school (the school had a curriculum written by an Orff music instructor, who recommended this as an opening song). We did it as an instrument play-along at the end, and I demonstrated different ways to play the egg shakers (tapping them on the ground, waving them back and forth, holding them up high, etc.) each time we sang it. You can also do it with different motions (clapping, jumping, stomping, or even walking, skipping, or galloping in a line through the room).

[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.

Stay & Play: Dot Markers & Snap Dinos

For the Stay & Play, I just put out white paper and dot markers, which the kids always love. They are great because you can draw with them like a big marker or makes wtih dot them (which the kids enjoy doing with great enthusiasm–and noise!).

I also put out our set of Snap Dinos for the kids to play with. These are mix-and-match wooden pieces of different dinosaur parts (heads, bodies, tails, legs, etc.) that can be snapped together to create new and colorful dinosaurs (you can see part of one of the pieces in the photo above).

Do you have any favorite picture books, songs, or activities featuring the letter D? Please share them in the comments below.