Families: Farm

For more information on how I plan and prepare my family storytimes, check out this introduction post. I starred the materials used in the plan. Some activities go unstarred because I only do this program once a week.

The Plan

Books

Charlie Chick by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker*
Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee*
Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera
Say Hello Like This! by Mary Murphy

Early Literacy Tip

Children love being able to identify animals and imitate the sounds they make. Identifying animals, matching each sound with an animal picture, and imitating animals sounds build children’s knowledge of the world around them.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Putumayo’s “Sing Along With Putumayo”*

Featured Track: #4 Old MacDonald Had a Farm*

Flannelboard: “B-I-N-G-O”*

Flannelboard: “Open Up the Barn Door”*

Puppets: “When Animals Get Up in the Morning”*
When animals get up in the morning, they always say hello
When animals get up in the morning, they always say hello
And what do they say? [Animal noise]
And that is what they say.
Credit: Jbrary

Fingerplay: “Ten Galloping Horses”
“Ten Galloping Horses”
Ten galloping horses came through the town
Five were white and five were brown
They galloped up and galloped down
Ten galloping horses came through town
Credit: Perry Public Library

Repeating Extension Activities

I had four back-up activities in case I needed them for time. I rarely used them, but here they are:

• Dance Your Fingers Up*
• Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes
• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Thumbkin*

How It Went

I had the grown-ups bounce the kids or have the kids bounce themselves while we read “Clip Clop” and that was hugely successful. “Charlie Chick” is mesmerizing to everyone, adults and kids. Today featured some excellent “B-I-N-G-Oing and some great “Old MacDonald” dancing!