Category: Family Storytime

Zoo!

July’s afternoon storytime session was “Zoo!”

The Plan

Books

Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Two at the Zoo by Danna Smith

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “Big Gray Elephant”
The big gray elephant slowly walks.
She doesn’t make a sound.
She swings her trunk from left to right,
When she puts her feet on the ground.
Swing, swing, left and right,
She doesn’t make a sound.
Credit: Alphabet Soup – Zoo Poems, Songs, and Fingerplays

Puppet Song: “Came to the Zoo” (Tune: My Body Lies Over the Ocean)
I came to the zoo to see lions, elephants, tigers, and bears!
I came to the zoo to see zebras. I love all the animals there!
Lions, tigers, elephants, zebras, and bears, and bears!
Lions, tigers, elephants, zebras, and bears!
Credit: Mel’s Desk

Action Rhyme: “Kangaroo”
Jump, jump, jump (jump)
Goes the kangaroo. (jump)
I thought only one – (hold up one finger)
But now I see two! (hold up two fingers)
Mommy and her baby
With his head popping out (wiggle thumb from fist)
He holds on tight (hug self)
As they jump all about! (jump around)
Credit: Preschool Education — Animals: Zoo

Song: “You Can Hear” (Tune: She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain)
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR ROAR!
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR ROAR!
You can hear the lions roaring, you can hear the lions roaring,
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR ROAR!
(Snakes hissing, bears growling, wolves howling, frogs croaking, zebras braying)
Perpetual Preschool

Craft

Puppets! The kids glued their foam pieces onto the bags. I got the kit from Oriental Trading, but the bag glue was kind of stinky. (I wound up having to re-glue some of the bags after the ripped at the seems.) They got to choose between zebra, lion, tiger, and giraffe.

How It Went

This was an awesome group of storytime kids. I skewed way older for this session (averaging around a 7-year-old), so I was mildly worried that the books would be too young for them. But I had nothing to fear! Their favorite book was “From Head to Toe” because I always do it in a big book form and let them play along with me. It’s a great book for movement. The kids loved the craft and once I fixed the bags, many of them chased each other around roaring and braying and well, whatever noise a giraffe makes.

September 28, 2011 8 Comments Short URL, , Family Storytime

School!

Every year at the first fall session, we have a few sad moments when I have to explain that to a child that some of their friends won’t be coming today because they go to school now. This year, I decided to try and help that transition by doing a whole storytime theme on school.

The Plan

Books

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
Mouse’s First Day of School by Lauren Thompson
Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton
Wow, School! by Robert Neubecker

Extension Activities

Song: “Come to School” (Tune: Farmer in the Dell)
We like to come to school
We like to come to school
Our school is such a happy place
We like to come to school
Credit: Preschool Education

Flannelboard Rhyme/Story: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

Flannelboard Song: “Wheels on the Bus”

Fingerplay: “Way Up High”
Way up high in the apple tree
I saw two apples smiling at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came the apples…
And mmm, they were good!
Credit: Childhood

Craft

How It Went

Thursday Morning
A pretty successful storytime theme! Of course, it was a bit hairy behaviorally because we had been on a storytime break for four whole weeks. I had to use a lot of my filler activities to shake out a lot of sillies. The favorite book of this group was “Mouse’s First Day of School.”

Friday morning
My daycare storytime LOVED this theme! The kids had a great time through all of the books, and one of their teachers stopped to take pictures during the class because the kids were having such a great time. Our craft was the best thing ever for everyone! I had a ton of kids drawing people on their buses, putting animals as passengers, and even one little girl who had her animals eat the people on her bus. This will remain one of my most favorite sessions with this group!

September 26, 2011 7 Comments Short URL, , Family Storytime

Dance!

Um, oops? This is a left-over from summer that I never wrote up! (And what’s worse is I found more drafts that I never finished saved in WordPress. Prepare yourselves for a blast from the past!)

The Plan

Books

The Animal Bop Won’t Stop by Jan Ormerod
Brontorina by James Howe
Color Dance by Ann Jonas
Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig
Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson

Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Five Dancing Ballerinas”
Five dancing ballerinas, prancing on their toes
The twirl and spin and jump; then off the stage she goes (count down)
Credit: Storytimes Online

Fingerplay: “Dance Your Fingers Up”
Dance your fingers up, dance your fingers down
Dance your fingers to the side, dance them all around
Dance them on your shoulders, dance them on you head
Dance them on your tummy, and put them all to bed
Credit: Best Kids Book Site

Song, Shakers, and Scarves: “Hokey Pokey” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

Action Rhyme: “We Can Jump”
We can jump, jump, jump
We can hop, hop, hop
We can clap, clap, clap
We can stop, stop, stop
We can nod our heads for yes
We can shake our heads for no
We can bend our knees a little bit
And we can sit down really slow
Credit: 1234 More Storytimes

Craft

Because this was the last storytime of the summer session, I went all out and bought these foam star shapes. Then, my sister and I hot-glued them to the wooden dowels and tied the ribbon around them. The kids just put foam shapes on their “dance wands.”

How It Went

Thursday morning
This was a really great way to end the storytime session. The kids had been attending for six weeks now and were pretty comfortable with me and their storytime friends, so participation was not an issue. They hopped and bopped all over the place, but settled down for the stories. I do not think this would be a good theme to open up a storytime session with. This group’s favorite book was “Dancing Feet.”

Friday morning
This storytime was PACKED with kids. I think I had around thirty, which is a lot of kids for our small space. There were a lot of reminders about making sure to have personal space before doing the activities. This group really enjoyed “Hilda Must Be Dancing,” as did I. Also, this group was just AMAZED with the dance wands. Afterwards, we had a brief little dance party on the rug before their teachers rounded them up to go home.

September 21, 2011 12 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Ocean!

A few weeks ago, I did the ocean as my storytime theme because I was clearly missing it from last summer where I did nothing but water themed storytimes!

The Plan

Books

Big Fish, Little Fish by Ed Heck
Fish Swish Splash Dash by Suse MacDonald
Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Rub-a-Dub-Sub by Linda Ashman

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “I’m a Little Octopus”
Arm #1 goes swish, swish, swish (swing arms back and forth)
Arm #2 helps me catch fish (wiggle hand back and forth)
Arm #3 pats my head (pat hand on head)
Arm #4 makes sure I’m fed (put hand to mouth)
Arm #5 swims me to shore (move arms in swimming motion)
Arm #6 touches the ocean floor (touch hand to floor)
Arm #7 can grab and tug (open and close hands)
But all eight arms give me a hug! (cross arms and hug yourself)
Credit: Pubyac (Library listserv)

Action Rhyme: “Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab”
Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab pinch and snap all day
Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab pinch and snap all day
With a pinch, pinch here and a snap, snap there
Here a pinch, there a snap, everywhere a pinch, snap
Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab pinch and snap all day.
Credit: Everything Preschool

Song & Puppet: “Did You Ever See a Fishy?”
Did you ever see a fishy, a fishy, a fishy
Did you ever see a fishy, swim this way and that?
Swim this way and that way, and that way and this way?
Did you ever see a fishy, swim this way and that?
Credit: Childhood

Song: “One, Two, Three, Four, Five”
One, two, three, four, five, (hold up fingers one by one, while counting)
Once I caught a fish alive. (put hands together and wiggle like a fish)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, (hold up fingers one by one, while counting)
Then I threw it back again. (make throwing motion)
Why did you let it go? (hold hands out asking why)
Because it bit my finger so. (shake hand, as if hurt)
Which finger did it bite? (hold hands out asking why)
This little finger on my right. (wiggle pinky finger)
Credit: Childhood

Flannelboard: “Five Little Ocean Friends”
Five little ocean friends on the ocean floor,
The starfish walks away and now there are four
Four little ocean friends living in the sea
The crab slides away now there are three
Three little ocean friends looking for a clue
“Glub, glub,” said the lobster now there are two
Two little ocean friends not having much fun
Off swam the sea horse now there is one
One little octopus sad and all alone
Back swims the starfish, back swims the crab,
Back swims the lobster, back swims the sea horse
And they played in the sea foam, safe in their home.
Credit: Beach Fingerplays from Carroll County Public Library

Craft

On Thursday, we made a paper plate fish that I got from KidsSoup for the Thursday group. For the Friday group, I redid a craft from last summer: Aquariums.

How It Went

Thursday morning
I had a pretty nice sized storytime crowd this morning; 16 kids — which is a perfect amount if you ask me. Everyone had a great time, but my absolute favorite part was when we read “Big Fish, Little Fish.” I have the kids read with me, identifying Big Fish and Little Fish. One of my little girls turned to her mom and said, “I did storytime all by myself!” So cute! The favorite book of this morning, though, was definitely “Hooray for Fish.”

Friday morning
Another pretty packed daycare storytime, with three daycares attending again. This group really enjoyed the “One, Two, Three, Four, Five” song and we sang through it several times at their request. Their favorite book was “I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean,” which we re-told as a flannelboard once I finished the book.

August 10, 2011 14 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Birthdays!

The Plan

Books

A Birthday for Cow by Jan Thomas
The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli
Don’t Spill the Beans! by Ian Schoenherr
Magic Box by Katie Cleminson
The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “A Birthday”
Today is everyone’s birthday
Let’s make us a cake (form cake with hands)
Mix and stir, stir and mix (stir)
Then into the oven to bake (push hands out)
Here’s our cake so nice and round (make a circle)
We frost it pink and white (spread frosting)
We put five candles on it (hold up hand)
To make a birthday bright!
Credit: Addison Public Library

Action Rhyme: “Birthday Months”
If your birthday is in January, turn around
If your birthday is in February, touch the ground
(March, march along; April, sing a song; May, wiggle your nose; June, shake your toes; July, jump up high; August, reach the sky; September, tap your shoe; October, call out “Boo!”; November, tickle your ears; December, give three cheers)
Credit: Addison Public Library

Song: “Happy Birthday” (English & Spanish)

Flannel: Five Candles
Five candles on a birthday cake
Five, and not one more
You may blow one candle out,
And that leaves four!
(There for all to see / three; Standing straight and true / two; Helping us have fun / one; We know its task is done / none)
Credit: Addison Public Library

Craft

Birthday party hats; purchased from Oriental Trading. These were self-stick, so all the kids had to do was color and their parents had to attach the string for the most part. (Looping the string through the hole, catching with the metal endpin.)

How It Went

I have to say — both of these storytime sessions were absolute DREAMS. I don’t know if knowing it was my birthday that week made them behave or if the storytime was just so engrossing that no one felt like running through the room; but I’m telling you — this is the stuff dreams are made of!

Thursday morning

This group had the most fun with “Magic Box.” And the book that I was worried about most, “Don’t Spill the Beans” turned out to be a huge success when I decided spur of the moment to have the kids whisper secrets after I read each page. Also, my mommas were thrilled when I sang with the kids “Happy Birthday” in both English and Spanish. I try my hardest to get some bilingual storytime moments, so I was happy to call upon my high school Spanish to remember how to sing “Feliz Cumpleaños.”

Friday morning

My daycare kids were thrilled with “The Secret Birthday Message” because they had just finished a unit on shapes! This book is all about a child finding a map to their present — but the map is not written out in words, but instead in all different kinds of shapes. They had a harder time with the action rhyme, “Birthday Months” — without parents around to remind them when it was their turn, most of the kids just did the action for every month — which I never even said anything. Their teachers, however, kept trying to get them to only do one. Sometimes it’s easier to just live and let live though!

August 3, 2011 8 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Jungle!

The Plan

Books

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
If I Were a Jungle Animal by Tom and Amanda Ellery
If You’re Happy and You Know It Jungle Edition by James Warhola
Starry Safari by Linda Ashman
Tall by Jez Alborough

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “I’m a Giraffe”
I’m a big tall giraffe stretching way up high (reach arms up)
A big tall giraffe, I almost reach the sky (stand on tiptoes)
I eat the leaves from the tallest tress (pretend to eat)
And when I run, I move with ease (pretend to run)
I’m a big tall giraffe stretching way up high (reach arms up)
Way…up…high! (reach on tiptoes)
Credit: Perry Public Library

Song: ”I Went to the Jungle One Day” (London Bridge)
I went to the jungle on day,
jungle one day, jungle one day.
I saw a lion on the way
And this is what he said, “ROAR!”
(Other animals: snake, monkey, elephant, frog, etc.)
Credit: Perry Public Library

Action Rhyme: “Monkey See, Monkey Do”
Monkey see, monkey do
Little monkey at the zoo
Monkey, monkey in the tree
Can you ________ like me?
(jump around, swing your arms, scratch an itch, eat a banana, screech)
Credit: Perry Public Library

Flannel: Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree

Craft


Thursday Morning


Friday morning

Thursday’s craft was purchased during a Michaels clearance sale. Friday’s craft came from Crayola.com.

How It Went

Thursday morning
My regular storytime kids had a great time with this theme! They loved the two books with interactive parts: “If You’re Happy and You Know It: Jungle Edition” and “From Head to Toe.” I had a new young lady this week who was an absolute delight — and she loved everything that we did from rhymes to songs to books to the craft. Her sincere thank-you at the end of storytime will remain one of the sweetest things I’ve ever encountered.

Friday morning
My daycare storytime groups included three different daycares! Since we had such a large group, I had to quickly come up with another craft because I did not have enough supplies for the amount of kids that came. Luckily, I had these puppets cut out, stored away for a rainy day. (When I have a surplus of volunteers or nothing for them to do, they cut out simple crafts for days just like this!) This group was hugely enthusiastic and I was pleased to see that at least one daycare knew almost every song or rhyme that we did! And even though I had to do a last minute craft, the kids were really engaged by coloring their elephants. They had a lot of creative moments once I presented my very unusual elephant.

August 1, 2011 6 Comments Short URLFamily Storytime

Puppies!

Week number two in storytime was dogs/puppies! (Yes, I am quite far behind in updating. Things have been crazy during the summer!)

The Plan

Books

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
One Pup’s Up by Marsha Wilson Chaill
Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! by Susan Meyers
Yip! Snap! Yap! by Charles Fuge

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “Some Dogs Bark”
Some dogs bark.
Some dogs growl.
Some dogs yip.
Some dogs howl.
Some dogs wiggle their tails!
Credit: Perry Public Library

Fingerplay: “Ten Little Doggies”
Ten little doggies went out one day, (hold up ten fingers)
To dig in the dirt and play, play, play. (dig, slap knees on each ‘play’)
Five were spotted, and five were not, (hold up one hand, then the other)
And at dinnertime they ate a lot! (pretend to eat)
Credit: Story Time Secrets

Flannelboard Song: “BINGO”

Flannelboard/Fingerplay: “Five Little Puppies”
Five little puppies were playing in the sun. (Hold up hand, fingers extended.)
This one saw a rabbit, and he began to run. (Bend first finger.)
This one saw a butterfly, and he began to race. (Bend second finger.)
This one saw a pussycat, and he began to chase. (Bend third finger.)
This one tried to catch his tail, and he went round & round. (Bend fourth finger.)
This one was so quiet, he never made a sound. (Bend thumb.)
Credit: Perry Public Library

Craft


(Modified this from a KidsSoup craft.)

How It Went

Thursday morning
For my regular kids, they were super entertained by “Yip! Snap! Yap!” because I let them make a ton of dog sounds to accompany each page. I also had a few that remembered “Dog’s Colorful Day” from when I did it either for color or counting storytime in the past. But everyone was laughing pretty hard during “Bark, George” and I would have to say that it was the clear favorite.

Friday morning
And for my daycare storytime, they responded better to “Puppies, Puppies, Puppies” which my other storytime was pretty “meh” about. Their favorite was hands down “Dog’s Colorful Day” because we counted each spot on every page, and at the end of the story, I let them tell me how Dog got his spots.

Overall, the craft was a regular craft. Nothing too thrilling, but it kept their attention.

July 27, 2011 12 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Transportation!

I am changing up how I do my storytime summaries for this summer. As of right now, I am repeating this storytime two to three times a week. Rather than bore y’all with the details of each individual session, I’m going to write down the plan, and then let you know how it went with each group.

The Plan

Books

Boats by Patricia Hubbell
Construction Countdown by K.C. Olson
Freight Train by Donald Crews
I Love Trucks! by Philemon Sturges
Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia

Extension Activities

Action Rhyme: “The Airplane”
The airplane has great big wins (arms outstretched)
Its propeller spins around and sings (spin one arm)
The airplane goes up (lift arms)
The airplane does down (lower arms)
The airplane flies high (arms outstretched, spin)
Over the town! (fly around)
Credit: Preschool Rainbow

Song: “Down By the Station”
Down the station
Early in the morning
See the little pufferbellies
All in a row
See the station master
Turn his little handle
Puff, puff, toot, toot!
Off we go!
Credit: Childhood

Action Rhyme: “Driving Round In My Car”
Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
(Go through different colors)
Credit: Childhood

Action Rhyme: “Hurry, Hurry Drive the Fire Truck”
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding
(More: turn the corner, climb the ladder, spray the water, back to the station)
Credit: Childhood

Flannelboard: Seals on the Bus

Craft

How It Went

Thursday morning
My regular group of storytime kids had a great time during this storytime theme. I still have a majority of little boys instead of little girls, and they LOVE anything having to do with wheels or things that go. The book that I thought went the best in this group was “I Love Trucks.” A lot of them recognized it from truck storytime a few weeks back and they were excited to see it again!

Friday morning
My daycare group has changed for the summer. I only have about half of the kids (10-15) from my school year group, but I also have some home daycares stopping by. I had several other books pulled in case of a massive change in age range, but I wound up following pretty much the exact same routine as my regular storytime. My daycare kids love participation stories, so the best book for them was “Construction Countdown.”

Our airplane craft was hugely successful and resulting in tons of kids running around the room, zooming with their planes around.

July 13, 2011 13 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Summer!

Afternoon storytime update! I did a summer theme with my 3-7 year-olds about three weeks ago at this point! (Between power outages and ALA’s Annual Conference, I took a much needed blog break!)

Started off storytime with “Mouse’s First Summer” by Lauren Thompson.

I swear, every single seasonal storytime that I do involves a “Mouse’s First” book. I absolutely plan on using this series to prime my crowd. Most of the kids know the names of seasons and that the weather changes, but this series lets them get some concrete images to associate with the season!

Afterwards, I led them in a cheerful rendition of “Mr. Sun.” I used this song as my opening song last summer session, and I was pleased that some of my regulars launched right into it with me!

Then, I read “It’s Vacation Time” by Lerryn Korda.

This was a book that inspired me to do a vacation storytime! However, I could not find enough material to do a successful storytime. So, I put this one into my summer storytime instead. The book ends with the group taking a vacation at home in their backyard.

Since the biggest problem in “It’s Vacation Time” is when the group forgets to pack their boat, this next song was a great fit right after:

Action Song: “Splashin’ Up and Down” (bounce up and down)
Splashin’ up and down in my little red rowboat
Splashin’ up and down in my little red rowboat
Splashin’ up and down in my little red rowboat
Won’t you be my darling?
(Additional Verses: lookin’ out to sea (shade eyes); wavin’ to a whale (wave), don’t stand up or you might tip over (lean to right or left)
Credit: Mel’s Desk

And then I got to use my new “Summer Shapes” flannelboard.

My next book was “Playground Day” by Jennifer Merz.

This was a great book for the crowd that I had at storytime. They were overjoyed to guess which animal was coming next. A lot of the kids figured out the trick (there’s a small animal hidden on each page as a clue to the next page) and said the animal’s name before I prompted them.

Before launching into my next song, we talked about different places that we went in the summertime (library, park) and it wasn’t long before someone called out pool, which took me straight to our flannelboard song:

Flannelboard Song: “If You’re Going” (Tune: If You’re Happy)
If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit,
If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit,
If you’re going to the pool, then a suit will keep you cool
If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit.
(Additional verses: hat, flip flops, sunglasses)
Credit: Mel’s Desk

This was a big hit. Some of my girls kept wanting to do the “shorts” verse because I had a picture of swim trunks up next to their swimsuit. That led me to an unexpected conversation about how boys and girls wear different clothes to swim in. My parents were cracking up in the background. “But why, Miss Katie? Why don’t boys wear bikinis?”

Going away from the bikini conversation, I asked the kids where else they could swim and thankfully a child shouted out about the ocean. Which led us to reading “Beach Day” by Karen Roosa.

I used this one last summer during beach storytime, and I didn’t re-read the book. One of the pages had been ripped out since the last time I did storytime. Sad face! I improvised, but it taught me a valuable lesson — always, always pre-read even if you know the story! I re-used this rhyme from last year, which was great after a beach book.

Action Rhyme: “Swimming”
Swimming in the water cool and bright (pretend to swim)
I kick my feet with all y might (kick feet)
And when I’m tired I turn and float (spin and hold arms out)
Pretending that I’m a boat! (rock hands)
I like to hold my breath and dive (take a breath and bend down)
I swim beneath the water and count to five (count to five)
Wow! What a dive!
Credit: Hummingbird Educational Resources

And then, I brought out “Jump” by Scott Fischer.

I chose “Jump” as my last book because it ends with a splash! It’s just a really fun animal book that was a great cap to the storytime. Then, for our craft we made a summer picture frame.

This was an Oriental Trading purchase and it was pretty successful. I wound up using Glue Dots for this project, and really, REALLY wish everything came self-stick these days!

July 6, 2011 7 Comments Short URL, Family Storytime

Clothes!

Ack! This storytime post got lost in my queue — this was weeks and weeks ago at this point!

I started off storytime with “Ella Sarah Gets Dressed” by Margaret Chodos-Irvine.

This is a super cute book about a little girl who has made up her mind on exactly what she will be wearing! Every family member tries to suggest a more reserved outfit, but Ella Sarah will not yield! This one elicited a lot of laughter from parents, and I prompted the kids several times, “Do you like Ella Sarah’s outfit?” and one little girl said, “It’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.” Clearly a winner with both!

Next up, I read “New Socks” by Bob Shea.

While this is a wonderful book, and I am totally in love with it — I’m not sure that the kids really knew what was going on. I think that this book would work much better as a one-on-one book instead of a group read. But that’s storytime! You learn as you go sometimes.

After our first two books, I whipped out my flannelboard of “Froggy Gets Dressed.” Instant hit, folks! Hysterics all around when everyone realized that Froggy forgot his underwear. And I had one little boy ask his mom if he remembered his underwear that morning. Thankfully, he did!

A quick action rhyme from my childhood:

Action Rhyme: “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe”
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, shut the door
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, begin again // that’s the end!
Credit: Childhood

And then it was on to “Too Purpley” by Jean Reidy.

I used this book in “Purple” storytime earlier this year, but had to use it again for this storytime! There’s tons of different kinds of problems with this little girl’s clothes. This storytime session’s favorite page was the page with lots of tags — apparently I have a lot of kids who hate tags, and a lot of parents who wanted to point that out!

One of my favorite activities this week was this action rhyme:

Action Rhyme: “Red, Red”
Red, red is the color I see
If you’re wearing red, then show it to me!
Stand up, take a bow, turn around
Then sit back down right on the ground!
(Additional colors: blue, black, brown, purple, pink, white)
Credit: Perpetual Preschool

The kids were REALLY good at playing this one — they were very careful to examine all their pieces of clothing and their shoes before standing up. Afterwards, we read “Bear Gets Dressed” by Harriet Ziefert.

This is a great lift-the-flap book that tells the weather forecast and then invites the reader to guess what kind of clothes Bear will need to wear. The kids were very enthusiastic shouting out answers to the book’s questions. Since we just finished talking about the weather — we sang a very appropriate weather song:

Song: “I’m Going to Take a Sweater” (Tune: Jolly Good Fellow)
I’m going to take a sweater, a sweater, a sweater
I’m going to take a sweater when I go out today
When I go out today, when I go out today
I’m going to take a sweater when I go out today
(Additional: Umbrella, hat, raincoat, etc.)
Credit: Best Kids Book Site

And then followed it up with a VERY successful action rhyme:

Action Rhyme: “Old Shoes, New Shoes”
Old shoes, new shoes,
(Child) is wearing (description) shoes
One, two, three four,
Now I stomp them on the floor!
Credit: Preschool Education

I am going to repeat this one as often as I can. The kids really enjoyed stomping on the floor, and I had some very creative descriptions during this one. My favorite was “shoes shoes.”

The last book for the day was “Polly’s Pink Pajamas” by Vivian French.

This book was a big hit because when I pulled it out I had a little girl proclaim that it was her favorite book! Well, you know that when kids endorse something, everyone is immediately interested in it. It was a great way to end the program.

Afterward, it was time for our craft!

I got this idea from the Best Kids Book Site. My teens cut out the clothes and the kids colored and strung them on the yarn clothesline. I thought this was a great idea and that the kids would really be able to be creative with their clothes. I had several kids who colored the clothes they were wearing that day!

June 6, 2011 10 Comments Short URL, , Family Storytime

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