Horses!

The Plan

Books

Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash
Clip Clop by Nicola Smee
Horseplay! by Karma Wilson
In My Barn by Sara Gillingham & Lorena Siminovich

Extension Activities

Flannelboard Activity: Color Matching Horses

Action Rhyme: “I Gave My Horse an Apple”
I gave my horse an apple, (pretend to give something)
And she gave me a neigh. (neigh)
I gave my horse a carrot, (pretend to give something)
And she moved her head this way. (move head up and down)
I gave my horse a sugar lump, (pretend to give something)
She gave me a smile. (smile big)
And then she took me for a ride,
For more than half a mile. (slap hands on thighs like galloping)
Credit: Storytime in a Box

Fingerplay: “Ten Galloping Horses”
Ten galloping horses, (hold up ten fingers)
Came through town. (slap hands on legs like galloping)
Five were white, (hold up five fingers)
And five were brown. (hold up five fingers on other hand)
They galloped up, (slap up toward top of thighs)
They galloped down, (slap down toward knees)
Ten galloping horses, (hold up ten fingers)
Came through town. (slap hands on legs like galloping)
Credit: King County Library System

Prop Song: “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”

Craft

This was a craft kit that we purchased from Oriental Trading. The whole kit was self-stick adhesive foam and super easy to put together. Kids were able to do the craft themselves and it gave them a lot of confidence. Their confidence definitely showed when they showed me the final project!

How It Went

This theme was such a great theme for storytime — the kids LOVE horses and it shows. Really, all of the books that I read were wonderful choices and really captured the attention of the kids. “Are You a Horse?” probably got the most laughs, and “Clip Clop” is a favorite that many of the kids have seen before. The prop that I made was one of the best decisions ever because it really engaged them during “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain.” Once again, a really great storytime.