Tag Archives: toddler storytime

Z is for Zebra: A Storytime About the Letter Z

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We made it to the end of the alphabet today! It’s been a fun experiment, and our storytime families really seemed to enjoy calling out the letter each week, and calling out the words they knew. Today they came up with zebra, zoom, zipper and zoo, before we drew the letter Z in the air together.

Here’s a combination of the books and songs we did for Family Storytime last week, and Outdoor Musical Storytime today.

Books:

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham; illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Hilarious alphabet book about an attention-seeking moose, who can’t wait for his turn in the spotlight during the alphabet play. When the director, Zebra, chooses a mouse to represent the letter M, Moose goes on a rampage. The kids loved calling out the objects for each letter.

Zee by Michel Gay

This book appears to be out of print, which is sad, because it was a favorite of my own kids. Zee knows his parents need lots of coffee to wake up in the morning, so he prepares a special tray of coffee and breakfast. Unfortunately, he trips, and spills the tray, leaving only enough coffee to fill two doll’s teacups, which only wakes his parents up a little bit. My Family Storytime kids thought it was very funny.

Zero by Kathryn Otashi

In this sequel to One, the number Zero feels empty inside, and worries that she has no value. She tries to contort herself into different numbers, but nothing works, until she realizes that if she partners with the other numbers, together they can reach 10, 100, 1000, and higher! A wonderful allegory that also works well on the surface. It was perfect for my Family Storytime, which had a wide range of ages, so the younger kids could call out the smaller numbers, and the older ones could try their hand at the big numbers.

Old MacDonald Had a Zoo by Iza Trapani

The kids loved this adapted version of Old MacDonald Had a Farm, which describes Old MacDonald’s encounters with a variety of escaped zoo animals.

Songs:

When Ducks Get Up in the Morning

This is an old-standby of mine. We sang it to go along with Zee. I asked the kids to suggest different animals to sing about, and they came up with mice, alligators, and hippos. I ended with “When kids get up in the morning,” with the kids saying, “I’m hungry!”

[C] When ducks get up in the morning,
[G7] They always say, “Good [C] day!”
[C] When ducks get up in the morning,
[G7] They always say, “Good [C] day!”
[C] They say, “Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!”
[G7] That is what they [C] say.
[C] They say, “Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!”
[G7] That is what they [C] say.

Alphabet Song

We sang The Alphabet Song after reading M is for Moose. We sang it through three times, getting faster each time.

[C] A – B – C – D – [F] E – F – [C] G
[F] H – I – [C] J – K – [G7] LMNO – [C] P
[C] Q – R –[F] S –[C] T – U –[G7] V
[C] W – [F]X –[C] Y and [G7] Z
[C] Now I know my [F]AB[C]C’s,
[F]Next time [C] won’t you [G7]sing with [C] me.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

We did this one both with our bodies (crouching down and then jumping up on the “Blast Off”) and then with the parachute (I tossed pompoms on the parachute just before we got to the blast off part). Here’s a video from JingleJam with the tune:

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,
We’re going to the Moon.
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,
We’re going to the Moon.
If you want to take a trip,
Climb aboard my rocket ship.
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,
We’re going to the Moon.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Blast-off!

Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton

We did this song as our instrument play-along at the end. Here’s the tune:

[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

Stay & Play: Paper Striped Zebras

We’ve had a set of Kids Kraft Edgers (scissors that cut patterned edges) for years, and I’ve always wanted to use them, so for this Stay and Play, I printed out blank zebra templates (like this one from FreeStencilGallery.com), and put out the Kraft Edgers, glue sticks, colored paper, googly eyes, and markers. The kids were fascinated by the different patterns they could create with the scissors, and had a great time cutting and gluing stripes on their zebras.

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter Z? Or any topics you would like to see for a future storytime theme? Please share them in the comments below.

Y is for Yarn: A Storytime About the Letter Y

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Well, my journey through the alphabet was interrupted last week by a bad case of laryngitis, but this week I was finally able to get to the Letter Y.

We started by talking about words that begin with the letter Y, and I wrote each one down on a piece of paper: yellow, yak, yawn, and yarn. I also showed them a yo-yo, which the kids were VERY interested in. Then we drew the letter Y in the air together.

Here’s a combination of the books and songs I used for Family and Outdoor Musical Storytime.

Books:

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Jon Klassen

This is such a quirky story, but so much fun to read aloud. It’s one of my go-to read-alouds for older kids (like second grade), but I decided to try it for my Family Storytime, and they loved it too. When Annabelle finds a box of yarn, she makes sweaters for everyone in town, but miraculously never runs out of yarn, even when she starts covering the trees and buildings in sweaters. A greedy archduke steals the box, but finds it empty and throws it into the sea, where it makes its way back to Annabelle, full of yarn once more. The illustrations are mesmerizing.

Blue vs Yellow by Tom Sullivan

Blue and Yellow are arguing about which is the better color, until they crash into each other and discover together they can make a whole new color. The kids had a great time calling out the names of the blue, yellow (and green!) objects on each page.

You Are a Lion: And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo

I love this simple book of yoga poses. The kids loved doing the poses and pretending to be the different animals: lion, snake, cat, and dog. I wasn’t sure if there would be enough room for the lying down pose at the end, but they made it work.

I Dare You Not to Yawn by Hélène Boudreau; illustrated by Serge Bloch

Very cute, funny book warning kids what to avoid if they don’t want to be sent to bed in the evening: big stretches, cute baby animals, cuddly stuffed animals, and anything else that might make you have to yawn.

Songs

Do You See the Color Blue?

This song always gets the kids excited, as they look around the room pointing to things that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you [C] see the color yellow,
The [F] color yellow, the [G7] color yellow?
Do you [C] see the color yellow?
[F] Tell me [G7] what you [C] see.

Do you see the color red… etc.

You Sing a Song

We did this song with play scarves for Family Storytime, and the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. It’s such a versatile song, and works for all kinds of different motions.

[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,
And [C] we’ll sing a [Dm] song toge-[G]ther.
[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,
In [G] warm or [C] wintry [G] wea-[C]ther.

For Play Scarves

You’ll wave a scarf, and I’ll wave a scarf, and we’ll wave our scarves together…

You’ll peek-a-boo, and I’ll peek-a-boo… (put the scarf over your face, then pull it away)

You’ll throw a scarf, and I’ll throw a scarf…

For Parachutes

You shake the chute, and I’ll shake the chute, and we’ll shake the chute together…

You shake it fast, and I’ll shake it fast…

You lift it high, and I’ll lift it high…

Yellow Submarine by the Beatles

We did this for our instrument play-along at the end. It was one I used to sing with Thom Ball, who was an amazing musician, in some of our early musical storytimes, so it brought back some wonderful memories.

In the [D] town where I was [G] born,
Lived a [Am] man who sailed to [D] sea.
And he [D] told us of his [G] life
In the [Am] land of [D] submarines
So we [D] sailed up to the [G] sun,
Till we [Am] found the sea of [D] green.
And we [D] lived beneath the [G] waves,
In our [Am] yellow [D] submarine.

Chorus:
[G] We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow [G] submarine.
We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, [G] yellow submarine.

And our [D] friends are all a-[G]board.
Many [Am] more of them live next [D] door.
And the [D] band begins to [G] play
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo,
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

Chorus:
[G] We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow [G] submarine.
We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, [G] yellow submarine.

As we [D] live a life of [G] ease.
Every-[Am] one of us has all we [D] need.
Sky of [D] blue and sea of [G] green,
In our [Am] yellow [D] submarine.

Chorus:
[G] We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow [G] submarine.
We all live in a [D] yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, [G] yellow submarine.

Stay & Play: Yarn Resist Art

This project was inspired by a post on thepinterestedparent.com. It was a little labor-intensive to set up, but the kids had a good time with it.

Before storytime, I wrapped yarn around pieces of white cardstock and taped it on the back with removable tape. I tried to make several large X shapes on the front of the paper.

For the Stay & Play, we put out the yarn-wrapped paper and dot markers. I told the kids to dot different colors all over the paper, including the yarn. They had fun seeing the patterns that appeared when they pulled the yarn away. (Some kids even unwrapped the yarn, but left it taped to the back of the paper to create a very colorful kite!).

Do you have any favorite books or songs featuring the letter Y? Please share them in the comments below. I’m also almost at the end of the alphabet, so if you have any storytime themes you would like me to cover, I would love the challenge!

X is for X-Ray: A Storytime About the Letter X

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At last, the letter I have been dreading through my whole alphabet storytime: the Letter X! It actually wasn’t too bad, even though I had to focus on words that included the letter X, rather than words that started with it.

We started our storytime by asking the kids if they knew any words that contained the letter X. After a few examples, they actually thought of quite a few. Some of the older kids were suggesting words like exoskeleton and excavator, and even phoenix. I also showed them a xylophone, just to have an example of something that actually starts with the letter X, and we talked about how the smaller bars make higher sounds.

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

Books:

My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister; illustrated by Alex T. Smith

This was my only book featuring a word that started with the letter X, and it was a big hit at Family Storytime. Matthew is convinced that his Mom must have X-ray vision because she always seems to know when he’s getting into trouble, and so he decides to test her. The kids really enjoyed guessing how the Mom knew what Matthew was up to, based on details in the illustrations.

Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet

Several of the kids were familiar with this book, but they all enjoyed following along by tapping the different colors on the page and pretending to mix them together (in my Outdoor Musical Storytime, which gets a bigger crowd) I just had them pretend to tap the pictures by tapping the air. They loved guessing what color each combination would make.

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

This is one of those really simple books that works well for lots of ages. A little rabbit is asked why he is sitting in a box. “It’s not a box!” the rabbit insists, and the next page shows him driving a race car. The kids loved guessing what the rabbit is imagining the box is on each page.

Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox; illustrated by Patricia Mullins

A simple story, but full of suspense. When Hattie the hen sees a nose poking out of the bushes, the other animals are not impressed. But then she sees two eyes, two ears, two legs, and a body, until finally a fox leaps out of the bushes. Luckily, the cow scares it away with a loud, “MOO!” (the kids enjoyed joining in on that part).

Songs:

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

I did this one to go along with My Mom Has X-Ray Vision for Family Storytime. We sang it through three times, getting faster and faster.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes,
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.

Do You See the Color Blue?

This song always gets the kids excited, as they look around the room pointing to things that match each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do you [C] see the color blue,
The [F] color blue, the [G7] color blue?
Do you [C] see the color blue
Right [F] here [G7] in this [C] room?

Do you see the color red… etc.

The Jack-in-the-Box

Few things are as gratifying as demonstrating a jack-in-the-box at storytime. I brought one out today, and the kids LOVED it! They begged for me to play it over and over again. Then we sang this song together with the parachute.

The jack-in-the-box jumps up!
The jack-in-the-box goes flop.
The jack-in-the-box goes round and round.
The lid comes down with a plop!

A Hunting We Will Go

Oh, [C] a-hunting we will go!
A-[F]hunting we will go!
We’ll [G7] catch a fox and put it in a box,
And then we’ll let it [C] go!

Stay & Play: Letter X Brush Pen Resist Art

I adapted this activity from themeasuredmom.com, only I had the kids use brush pens instead of watercolors. Before storytime, I made X’s out of removable tape on pieces of cardstock. For the Stay & Play, I gave each child a paper with a taped letter X, and a variety of brush pens. They had fun decorating the paper, and then pulling away the tape to reveal their letter X.

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

W is for Watermelon: A Storytime About the Letter W

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As I’ve been planning my Storytime Journey through the Alphabet, I’ve been getting a little nervous about the last few letters, especially X. But the letter W has been a lot of fun!

As usual, we started by asking the kids to suggest words that start with the letter W. They came up with water, wet, weevil, and wolverine. I also brought out my puppy slide whistle, which is always a hit.

Here are the books, songs, and activities we did (a combination of my Family Storytime last week, and Outdoor Musical Storytime today).

Books:

I Went Walking by Sue WIlliams and Julie Vivas

This is such a charming, simple book in the vein of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The kids loved joining in on the “What did you see?” line every time I said “I went walking,” and enjoyed trying to guess which animal would appear on the next page.

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

This book was a little longer than I ones I usually read, but my Family Storytime (in the evening) has been getting a few early elementary-aged kids, who really enjoyed it. Super sweet story about a mouse named Wemberly who worries about everything, especially starting school, until she meets another worrier. A lot of the story revolves around Wemberly’s stuffed rabbit, so I had the kids each choose one of our storytime puppets to hold as I read the story.

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

Very cute story about a crocodile who loves watermelon, but worries that the watermelon seed he swallowed will sprout in his stomach. I had given out play scarves before I read this one, and I had the kids throw them in the air on the page where the crocodile burps out the seed.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

I couldn’t resist reading this classic about Max’s adventures with the Wild Things. The kids LOVED roaring and gnashing their teeth, and the story had them mesmerized.

Songs & Activities

Color Wheel

One of my coworkers recently brought in a large color wheel, so for Family Storytime, I made up a little chart of activities to go with each color: red = clap, orange = stomp, etc. The kids took turns spinning the wheel, and we all did the motions together.

If You’re Happy and You Know It

We did this song as a follow-up to Wenberly Worried. I like to add additional verses about different 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!”…

Wishy Washy Washer Woman

We sang this with the play scarves. I use the version in this video from Imagine More Story Adventures:

Way down in the valley where nobody goes,
There’s a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes.
She goes “Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh!”
And that’s the way she washes her clothes.

Repeat with drying her clothes (blowing on the scarves), folding her clothes, and wearing her clothes.

Waves on the Ocean

We did this one with the parachute, and put a toy cat on top to go up and down with the waves. It’s to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus:

The waves on the ocean go up and down,
Up and down, Up and down.
The waves on the ocean go up and down,
All day long!

Home Again

This was a song I wrote several years ago about Where the Wild Things Are and several other books by Maurice Sendak, so it seemed like a fun way to follow our reading of Where the Wild Things Are for our instrument play-along at the end.

[F] Darling, when you [C] feel afraid,
For [Bb] you can plainly [F] see,
The world is full of [C] monsters
Who look [Bb] just like you and [F] me.
Just [F] jump aboard your [C] tiny boat
Fol-[Bb]low the falling [F] star.
You’ll sail away through [C] night and day,
To [Bb] where the wild things [F] are.

And you will dance and [C] then
Let the [Bb] wild rumpus be-[F]gin.
But I will love you [C] best of all
When [Bb] you come home [F] again.

And darling, when the goblins come,
And no one seems to care,
Climb out your bedroom window
Into outside over there.
Bring your horn, and play a jig,
And charm them with a song.
They’ll set you free, and you will soon be
Home where you belong.

And you will dance and then,
Let the wild rumpus begin.
But I will love you best of all,
When you come home again.

[C] And if you fall into the [F] Night Kitchen,
[C] Just fly your plane up to the [F] Milky Way.
[C] Our world is full of dark and [F] strange visions,
But I [C] know that you will find a [A] way.

And when the moon is in a fit,
And you are in the dumps,
Lost in the rye with one black eye,
And diamonds are all trumps.
I will come and buy you bread,
One loaf or maybe two.
And I will bring you up
Cause happy endings can come true.

And we will dance and then,
Let the wild rumpus begin.
And I will love you best of all
Until the very end.

Stay & Play: Watercolor Painting

The kids always love painting of any kind, and their caregivers usually talk about how grateful they are to have someone else deal with the set-up and clean-up. The beauty of watercolor is that it is much less messy than most other forms of paint.

For the Stay & Play, I put out white construction paper, small cups of water, paint brushes, and watercolor sets. It was a challenge for some of the younger kids to learn to dip their brush in the water before dipping it in the paint, but they all eventually got the hang of it, and had a wonderful time!

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

U is for Umbrella: A Storytime About the Letter U

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Last Wednesday night and today we focused on the letter U for storytime. As usual, I started by asking the kids if they knew any words that started with the letter U, which was a challenge (a lot of them suggested “you.”) With a bit of prompting though, I got them to guess umbrella, unicorn, and up, and then we drew the letter U in the air together.

Here’s a combined list of the songs and books we did for both storytimes.

Books:

The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates

This is such a sweet, simple book about an umbrella that welcomes everyone, no matter how tall or different they may appear. I used it a while ago for a Welcoming Week storytime, and it worked perfectly for that theme too. The illustrations are funny, surprising, and adorable.

You Don’t Want a Unicorn by Ame Dyckman; illustrated by Liz Climo

This one got lots of laughs at my Family Storytime. When a little boy tosses a coin into a fountain and wishes for a unicorn, the narrator warns him that it’s not a good idea. Unicorns, it turns out, cannot be housebroken (and poop cupcakes), and worse, they love to throw unicorn parties, which get very messy.

A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Perfect Valentine by Amy Young

Since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, I used this unicorn book for Outdoor Musical Storytime today (what are the odds of finding a unicorn book about Valentine’s Day?). It’s a super sweet story about Sparkle the unicorn deciding to make a Valentine for his best friend Lucy. Even though he puts a lot of thought into it, he’s embarrassed by the results, and throws it away, but Lucy finds it in the trash, and absolutely loves it.

Those Are Not My Underpants by Melissa Martin; illustrated by Troy Cummings

The word “underpants” always gets a laugh, even more than “underwear” for some reason. In this story, Little Bear finds a pair of underpants hanging on a branch, and tries to find its owner, but all of the other animals explain why it can’t be their underpants. Finally, to his embarrassment, Little Bear discovers that they are his underpants.

Underwear! by Jenn Harney

This book is a fun bit of word play between a baby bear and a grown-up bear at bedtime, using phrases like “under where?” There’s one scene where the baby bear jumps out of the bathtub, surprising the older bear, and all the kids in Family Storytime shrieked with laughter.

Songs:

If All the Raindrops

We sang this one to go along with The Big Umbrella. I asked the kids to suggest foods they would like to fall out of the sky, and we sang it again with “If all the raindrops were hamburgers and ice cream…” and “apples and oranges.” It’s always been one of my favorite storytime songs, because not only does it give the kids a chance to suggest ideas for the verses, but it’s easy to get them to join in on the “Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah” line.

[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!Old MacDonald with Fantasy Animals

Old MacDonald

We sang this to go along with You Don’t Want a Unicorn at Family Storytime, but I asked the kids to suggest magical animals. I thought they would choose things like dragons or even Pokémon, but instead they started making up hilarious animal combinations, like “unicorn-octopus-whale,” which apparently says, “Eeep!” followed by a “unicorn-octopus-whale-crocodile” which says “Skoo!” You really never know what kids are going to come up with:

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

The Wishy Washy Washer Woman

We did this one at Family Storytime with play scarves, as shown in the video below, to go along with Those Are Not My Underpants.

Way down in the valley where nobody goes,
There’s a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes.
She goes “Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh!”
And that’s the way she washes her clothes.

Repeat with drying her clothes (blowing on the scarves), folding her clothes, and wearing her clothes.

Under the Umbrella

We did this song with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime, using the tune to Frère Jacques:

Rain is falling, (wave parachute up and down)
Rain is falling,
From the sky,
From the sky,
I’m under the umbrella, (lift the parachute up so the kids can go underneath)
Under the umbrella,
Nice and dry!
Nice and dry!

Under the Boardwalk by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick

We sang this song as our instrument play-along for Outdoor Musical Storytime. It was fun because so many of the parents already knew it.

Oh, when the [C] sun beats down and burns the tar up on the [G] roof.
And your shoes get so hot, you wish your tired feet were fire-[C]proof. [C7]
Under the [F] boardwalk, down by the [C] sea,
On a blanket with my [G] baby, is where I’ll [C] be.

Under the [Am] boardwalk, out of the sun.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be having some fun.
Under the [Am] boardwalk, people walking above.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be falling in love under the [Am] boardwalk, boardwalk.

From the [C] park you hear the happy sounds of the carou-[G]sel,
You can almost taste the hot dogs and french fries they [C] sell. [C7]
Under the [F] boardwalk, down by the [C] sea
On a blanket with my [G] baby, is where I’ll [C] be.

Under the [Am] boardwalk, out of the sun.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be having some fun.
Under the [Am] boardwalk, people walking above.
Under the [G] boardwalk, we’ll be falling in love under the [Am] boardwalk, boardwalk.

Under a Shady Tree by Laurie Berkner

I always end with this song for Outdoor Musical Storytime, and give the kids egg shakers to shake in time to the beat. This week, since it fit with our letter U theme, I also sang it at the end of Family Storytime (I also used it for the letter T the week before.)

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the breeze blow by?
Can you [C] feel it on your face?
This is our [F] special [G7] place.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the soft cool grass?
Can you [C] feel it with your toes?
We can [F] sit here while it [G7] grows.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

If you want to [G7] close your eyes,
And [C] sleep beneath the tree,
You can [F] rest your head on [G7] me.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Stay & Play: Coffee Filter Umbrellas

This was a cute and easy craft that I adapted from GluedtoMyCraftsBlog.com. Before storytime, I cut coffee filters in half (I cut little half circles along the flat edge, but it works just fine to just cut them in half). For the Stay & Play, I put out the coffee filter halves, along with dot markers, glue sticks, white cardstock, pipe cleaners, scissors (for trimming the pipe cleaners), and Scotch tape for taping the pipe cleaner handles onto the paper.

The kids had a good time assembling their umbrellas on the cardstock, and decorating them with the dot markers. One little girl hilariously offered hers to her Mom to keep the rain off, and the Mom made a big show of holding it over her head.

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

T is for Tree: A Storytime About the Letter T

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We’re getting close to the end of the alphabet, although I’m a little nervous about the letters at the end, especially V, X, Y, and Z. Luckily, today we were on the Letter T, which gave me lots of fun options for stories and songs.

As usual, at both Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime, I asked the kids if they knew any words that started with the letter T. They suggested tree, toe, turtle, and tiger. I also showed them a tamborine. Then we drew the letter T (both capital and lower case) in the air together.

Here are the stories, songs, and activities we did:

Books:

Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

Fun read-aloud about Mr. Gilly the garbage man, who drives around Trashy Town collecting trash. The kids loved joining in on the repeated line: Dump it in! Smash it down! Drive around the Trashy Town!” and then calling out “NO!” to the question, “Is the trash truck full yet?”

Little Blue Truck by Alice Shertle; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

This book has it all: animal sounds, a friendly blue truck, construction equipment. I read it earlier in the week a special needs preschool, and one of the students absolutely fell in love with it. In this first book in the series, Little Blue Truck tries to help a rude dump truck who gets stuck in the mud. When he gets stuck too, his animal friends rush to the rescue.

Clarabella’s Teeth by An Vrombaut

Adorable, funny, simple story about Clarabella the crocodile, who has so many teeth that by the time she finishes brushing them, her friends are getting ready for bed. Luckily, her friends come up with a gift idea to help her brush much more quickly.

Three Grumpy Trucks by Todd Tarpley; illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees

I love this story about three colorful toy construction vehicles who don’t want to stop playing, and keep asking to stay longer until they finally wear themselves out. The kids really liked all of the truck noises, and the grown-ups got a kick out of the line “I think you need a wiper change.”

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

Beautiful, interactive book that asks the reader to do different things (tap the tree trunk, touch the flower buds, wiggle their fingers, etc.) to help a tree go through the different changes that happen throughout the year. The kids loved joining in on the different actions.

Songs & Rhymes:

Old MacDonald

We sang this as a follow-up to Little Blue Truck. I asked the kids to suggest different animals for each verse:

[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!

Construction Song

I sand this as a follow-up to Three Grumpy Trucks. It’s to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell:

The backhoe scoops the dirt,
The backhoe scoops the dirt,
Hey-ho, look at them go!
The backhoe scoops the dirt.

The crane goes up and down…

The cement mixer stirs…

The dump truck bumps away…

Brush Your Teeth

We sang this as a follow-up to Clarabella’s Teeth. It’s always a hit!

When you wake up in the morning,
It’s a quarter to one,
And you want to have a little fun,
You brush your teeth,
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch!
You brush your teeth,
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch!

When you wake up in the morning,
It’s a quarter to two,
And you just can’t think of something to do,
You brush your teeth…

When you wake up in the morning,
It’s a quarter to three,
And your mind starts humming,
“Fiddle-dee-dee,”…

When you wake up in the morning,
It’s a quarter to four,
And you think you hear a knock on the door,
You get a little scared,
And then you brush your teeth…

When you wake up in the morning,
It’s a quarter to five,
And you just can’t wait to come alive!…

Way Up High in the Apple Tree

We did this rhyme with the parachute for Outdoor Musical Storytime. I put two shaker eggs on the parachute, and we pretended they were apples (it would have been even better with the apple-shaker instruments!).

Way up high in the apple tree,
Two little apples smiled at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could!
Down came the apples.
Mmmm! They were good!

Under a Shady Tree

This is my traditional closing song for Outdoor Musical Storytime, and we always sing it with egg shakers. This week, since it fit with our tree/Letter T song, I also did it at the end of Family Storytime.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the breeze blow by?
Can you [C] feel it on your face?
This is our [F] special [G7] place.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Can you [G7] feel the soft cool grass?
Can you [C] feel it with your toes?
We can [F] sit here while it [G7] grows.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

If you want to [G7] close your eyes,
And [C] sleep beneath the tree,
You can [F] rest your head on [G7] me.

[C] Under a shady tree, you and me.
Under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.
Under a shady tree you and me.
Lying under a [G7] shady tree you and [C] me.

Stay & Play: Mixed Media Trees

This was a really simple craft, but the kids had a good time with it. I printed out tree templates from Crafts on Sea on cardstock. For the Stay & Play, I put out the tree templates, crayons, markers, dot markers, glue sticks and squares of colored tissue paper. Some kids also glued actual leaves onto their trees.

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

S is for Slug: A Storytime About the Letter S

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Letter S may be my favorite storytime letter so far (and not just because Storytime starts with S). One of our regular families who comes to Outdoor Musical Storytime, always comes early to see how many banana slugs she can find in the park (today she found 27!). In her honor, I ordered a banana slug puppet, and featured banana slugs in our Stay & Play activity, and our instrument play-along song at the end.

I started the storytime by asking the kids if they knew any words that started with the letter S. They suggested seal, snake, and sand. I also demonstrated a slide whistle (one of my favorite instruments!), and held up my slug puppet, and a large spider that one of our library staff made on our 3D printer. Then we drew the letter S in the air together.

Here are the books and songs I used in either Outdoor Musical Storytime, Family Storytime, or both:

Books:

Shake the Tree by Chiara Vignocchi, Paulo Chiarinotti, and Silvia Borando

I read this one for Family Storytime, and it was a big hit. A mouse tries to shake a nut out of tree, but accidentally shakes down a hungry fox. The mouse escapes into the tree branches, and when the fox shakes the tree, he shakes down an angry warthog, who ends up shaking down a big bear. The bear shakes down all the animals, and the nut, which he eats. The kids enjoyed pretending to shake the tree along with the story. The book opens vertically, which is also fun.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

When I held this one up, a number of the older kids yelled, “I have that book!” It’s such a classic, simple story about a boy’s adventures in the snow. I had the kids try walking with their toes pointing outward, and then inward along with the story. They were very engaged all the way through.

Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

One of my favorite read-alouds! An adorable spider wants to be a family pet, but keeps getting put outside. The kids loved joining in on the “Aarrgh, Spider!” line, which is written in large enough text that the older preschoolers could pick it out whenever I got to that page. It made me really happy to see that they were paying attention to the written words.

Slug in Love by Rachel Bright and Nadia Shireen

This is such a cute, rhyming book about a slug named Doug who really wants a hug, but no one wants to hug him.

Songs & Rhymes

Way Up High in the Apple Tree

I did this one in Family Storytime to go along with Shake the Tree. I asked the kids to suggest other fruits, and we did the rhyme again with an orange tree and a banana tree.

Way up high in the apple tree (stretch arms up)
Two little apples smiled at me. (make circles with the thumb and fingers of each hand)
I shook that tree as hard as I could! (shake imaginary tree)
Down came the apples (lower arms quickly)
Mmmm! They were good! (rub stomach)

Five Little Snowmen

This is one of my favorite winter-time songs. The kids LOVE pretending to melt to the floor, and then pop up again.

Five little snowmen standing in a row, (hold up five fingers)
Each with a hat (touch head), and a brightly colored bow (adjust imaginary bowtie).
Five little snowmen dressed up all for show.
Now they are ready,`
Where will they go?

Wait! (hold out hands in a “Stop!” motion) Till the sun shines. (move hands in a circle)
Wait! Till the sun shines.
Then they will go
Down through the fields
With the melting, melting snow (“melt” all the way down to the floor, then pop up for the next four snowmen).

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We sang this with the parachute, lifting it up and down along with the song. I put a large 3D-printed spider in the middle of the parachute, and kids thought it was hilarious to see the spider bouncing up and down.

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.

Spider on the Floor

To the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It. This is an old Raffi song (video below) although I usually change the lyrics a little. I used the 3D printed spider to act out the words, while the kids made pretend spiders out of their hands. (In Family Storytime, I had the kids pretend their play scarves were spiders).

There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Who could ask for any more than a spider on the floor?
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.

Now the spider’s on my leg, on my leg.
Now the spider’s on my leg, on my leg.
Oh, he’s really, really big, this old spider on my leg.
There’s a spider on my leg, on my leg.

Now the spider’s on my tummy, on my tummy…
Oh, I feel so very funny with this spider on my tummy!…

Now the spider’s on my neck, on my neck…
Oh, I’m gonna’ be a wreck, I’ve got a spider on my neck!…

Now the spider’s on my face, on my face…
Oh, I’m such a big disgrace. I’ve got a spider on my face!…

Now the spider’s on my head, on my head…
Oh, it fills my heart with dread to have this spider on my head!…

Spoken: But it jumps off!

Now the spider’s on the floor, on the floor…

Who could ask for any more than a spider on the floor?…


Banana Slug Song by Bungee Jumpin’ Cows

I was happy to see that this song has been used in our local Outdoor Ed program, where every fifth grader in the public schools spends a week at a camp learning about nature. We did it as our instrument play-along at the end. The kids loved the BA-NA-NA Slug, Slug, Slug, Slug! part (the motions are in the video below). Here’s a link to the original song recording by Bungee Jumpin’ Cows, in case that’s easier to follow for the tune: https://bungeejumpincows.bandcamp.com/track/the-banana-slug-song

To the tune of Twist and Shout.

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

You know I love my [G] baby
([C] Love my [D] baby).
I like the [C] way that she [G] hugs
(The [C] way that she [D] hugs).
People [C] don’t [G] understand
([C] Don’t [D] understand).
She’s a [C] banana [G] slug.
([C]Banana [D] slug).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

She’s got just one foot
(Just one foot).
But she ain’t got no toes
(Ain’t got no toes)
She just hangs out in the forest
(In the forest).
Helpin’ it decompose
(Decompose).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

The way you shake your antenna
(Shake your antenna).
You know it gives me such bliss
(Gives me such bliss).
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon banana slug
(Banana slug).
And let me give you a kiss
(Give you a kiss).

BA (pat legs)
NA (pat shoulders)
NA (pat head)
SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! SLUG! (Pump hands up and down in the air).

Stay & Play: Liquid Chalk Marker Painted Slugs

These was a super simple Stay & Play activity, but the kids were really into it.

Before storytime, I printed out the slug templates from LearnCreateLove on white cardstock and cut them out. For the Stay & Play, I put out the printed templates, along with googly eyes, and liquid chalk markers, paint brush pens, and dot markers. The kids were having such a great time decorating their slugs that some of them didn’t want to leave.

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

P is for Paint: A Storytime About the Letter P

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Happy New Year!

This week we had a lot of fun with the letter P in our Outdoor Musical Storytime and Family Storytime. As usual, I started by asking the kids to suggest words that started with the letter P, and I wrote these on my whiteboard. They came up with polar bear, park, pig and penguin. Then we drew the letter p in the air together. I also showed them two musical instruments: pan pipes and a penny whistle.

Here’s the rest of what we did:

Books:

Peek-a-Moo by Marie Torres Cimarusti; illustrated by Stephanie Peterson

Really simple, but adorable lift-the-flap book, featuring different farm animals playing peek-a-boo. The kids enjoyed calling out the name of each animal before I lifted the flap to reveal which one it was.

A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Shawn Harris

Beautiful, simple story about a polar bear who emerges from the snow. Where is he going? The kids were mesmerized by the artwork and enjoyed roaring with the bear.

I Am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems

In this Elephant and Piggie book, Piggie is excited to receive a party invitation, but isn’t sure what to wear, so she asks Gerald to come with her. Gerald says they “must be ready” for it to be a fancy party, a pool party, or a costume party, and they end up dressing for all three. My coworker Claire and I read this one together and it got a lot of laughs.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow

One of my very favorite storytime books, about a boy whose mother tells him “you ain’t gonna paint no more,” but he can’t resist painting different parts of his body. It’s a parody of the song It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More, so I sing it to that tune. It’s fun to have the kids try to guess which body part the boy is planning to paint next, based on the rhyme. I gave out play scarves before I read this one, and had the kids pretend they were paintbrushes.

Songs:

Old MacDonald

We sang this one after reading Peek-a-Moo. I asked the kids to suggest different animals for each verse.

[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!

Going on a Bear Hunt

I read this to go along with A Polar Bear in the Snow. This was one of my favorite activities when I was a kid, and I love to throw it into a storytime.  The kids echo most of the lines (the ones in parentheses).  I like to play up wiping grass off my pants, and the mud off my feet, and shaking off the water from the lake.  It’s always a hit:

We’re going on a bear hunt!
(We’re going on a bear hunt!)
It’s a beautiful day!
(It’s a beautiful day!)
We’re not scared!
(We’re not scared!)

We’re coming to some grass.
(We’re coming to some grass).
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go through it.
(Have to go through it.)
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! (Rubbing hands together)

We’re coming to some mud.
(We’re coming to some mud.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go through it.
(Have to go through it).
Squilch! Squelch! Squilch! Squelch! (Clapping hands together).

We’re coming to a lake.
(We’re coming to a lake.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to swim across it.
(Have to swim across it.)
Splish! Splash! Splish! Splash!

We’re coming to a cave.
(We’re coming to a cave.)
Can’t go over it.
(Can’t go over it.)
Can’t go under it.
(Can’t go under it.)
Have to go inside.
(Have to go inside.)
Tiptoe…tiptoe…tiptoe…tiptoe…
It’s dark in here…
(It’s dark in here…)
It’s cold in here…
(It’s cold in here…)
Two yellow eyes…it’s a bear!

Run!
Swim across the lake!
Run through the mud!
Run through the grass!
Into the house!
Slam the door!
Lock it!
We’re never going on a bear hunt again!

Popcorn Kernels

I do this song every week with play scarves (like the JBrary video below) in my Family Storytime. But today, for Outdoor Musical Storytime, I put some colored pom-poms on our parachute and had the kids shake the parachute together along with the beat. They LOVED watching the pom-poms bounce up and down.

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!

Polly Wolly Doodle

We sang this as our instrument play-along song at the end. It’s a traditional folk song with lots of variations, but the lyrics I used are below. Here’s a YouTube video from The Countdown Kids, in case you don’t know the tune:

Well, I went down [C] south for to see my gal,
Sing polly wolly doodle all the [G] day.
My Sal, she is a spunky gal,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

Behind the barn [C] down on my knees,
Sing polly wolly doodle all the [G] day.
I thought I heard a chicken sneeze,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

A peanut sat [C] on a railroad track,
His heart was all a- [G] flutter.
Around the bend came a train,
Toot! Toot! Peanut [C] butter!

CHORUS

[C] Fare thee well, Fare thee well,
Fare thee well my fairy [G] fay.
For I’m going to Lou-siana for to see my Susi-anna,
Sing polly wolly doodle all [C] the day.

Stay & Play: Painting

This was probably the most open-ended Stay & Play Activity I’ve done: free painting with washable paint. I just put out white cardstock and brushes, and then put a dollop of several different colors of paint on small plastic paint palettes.

Some of the caregivers told me it was the first time their kids had ever painted before, since they were nervous about the mess it would make at home. The kids had such a great time exploring the colors on the paper, and mixing them together. (One tip: I’ve learned to always provide a large plastic bag for people to put their brushes and palettes in when they’re done, so they don’t end up getting left on the table or falling on the floor).

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

N is for Nest: A Storytime About the Letter N

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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

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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.