Step Up Readers: a website devoted to all things beginning readers. And that’s all I’m going to say here. If you want to know more, click on over!
Flannel Friday: Where Is Truck?
Today, I have a set of props to go with a Thumbkin piggyback song!
These are laminated pieces clipart, backed by construction paper. I’ve used these for years in different kinds of “things that go” storytimes. I had two of each card and hide them both behind my back as I sing:
Tune: Where is Thumbkin?
Where is pick-up truck? Where is pick-up truck?
Here I am. Here I am.
How are you today, sir? Very well, I thank you.
Drive away. Drive away.
(Tow truck, dump truck, moving truck, firetruck)
If I were making them now, I might choose instead to do a set with photographs so that kids could see the real trucks instead of the clipart ones.
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Kelly is hosting the round-up today! You can also check out our website, Pinterest, or Facebook!
Babies: Body
For more information on how I plan and prepare my baby storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the baby rhymes/bounces/lifts/etc., visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.
The Plan
Books
For baby time, my library passes out individual copies of board books to each caregiver/child pair. I typically keep two or three to the side of me in case a baby tries to grab my copy. I read face out; caregivers read to their children.
Show Me by Tom Tracy
Tickle Time by Sandra Boynton
Where Is Baby’s Bellybutton? by Karen Katz
Early Literacy Tip
Today, I encourage you to point to or gently touch the body parts on your child when we talk about them. This will help them understand that the words we’re saying represent their bodies.
I was going to use the big hand from “All the Little Germs”, but it was way too big to fit underneath any of my shapes. So, I quickly cut out the approximation of a baby’s hand out of felt. Caregivers immediately started pointing to their baby’s hand when the little felt hand came out!
Repeating Extension Activities
- Cheek Chin**
- Open, Shut Them**
- Round the World**
- A Smooth Road*
- This Little Piggy**
- Tick, Tock**
How It Went
Tuesday morning
Is there anything better than hearing babies laugh as we read “Tickle Time”? (It’s not a trick question. The answer is: no, there is nothing better than babies giggling.) I chose to do a lot of repeating activities that talk about/mention body parts and paired with the literacy tip, it really helped caregives interact with the babies!
Thursday morning
This was my first time meeting this group since I was at PLA last Thursday and what a sweet set of babies! I had two of the little girls crawl into my lap and this was my first time ever seeing them! We don’t start teaching stranger danger for a while, right?
Toddlers: Bathtime
For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.
The Plan
Books
Animal Baths by Bob Barner*
Big Red Tub by Julia Jarman*
Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett Krosoczka
Dini Dinosaur by Karen Beaumont**
Early Literacy Tip
If your child dislikes bathtime, try to make it fun by singing a favorite song or playing with some toys.
Theme Extension Activities
Flannelboard: “Five Clean and Dirty Pigs”**
Flannelboard: “Five Elephants in the Bathtub”*
Action Song: “This Is the Way”
This is the way we wash our arms
Wash our arms, wash our arms
This is the way we wash our arms
When we’re in the bathtub.
(Legs, tummies, heads, hair)
Credit: Mel’s Desk
Repeating Extension Activities
- Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes*
- Open, Shut Them**
- This Is Big*
- Tick, Tock*
- Two Little Blackbirds**
How It Went
I loved watching the kiddos “wash” themselves at storytime. We really got into making sure our hair was clean. Lots of kids and parents laughed at Miss Katie’s funny hair after our song. “Five Elephants In the Bathtub” went right over Tuesday’s class’s heads, so I skipped it for Thursday. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s favorite book was “Dini Dinosaur”.
Flannel Friday: Counting Windows
Today’s Flannel Friday was inspired by Artistic Literacy — counting windows!
These are so versatile — you can use them every time you do a “Five Little Whatsits” rhyme.
Protip: Craft stores often sell felt letters as stickers. Use them to your advantage when making this set!
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Bridget is hosting the round-up today! You can also check out our website, Pinterest, or Facebook!
Babies: Baby’s Day
For more information on how I plan and prepare my baby storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the baby rhymes/bounces/lifts/etc., visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.
The Plan
Books
For baby time, my library passes out individual copies of board books to each caregiver/child pair. I typically keep two or three to the side of me in case a baby tries to grab my copy. I read face out; caregivers read to their children.
I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy**
I See by Helen Oxenbury**
I Went Walking by Sue Williams*
Early Literacy Tip
Babies love to look at faces. In fact, they will focus their attention on faces longer than they will focus on anything else. Read books with faces in it!
I temporarily taped the moon and star from “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” together to represent the entirety of baby’s day. I also like that these are fairly simple shapes and also simple words for babies to hear. It’s a bit abstract, but it got the job done!
Repeating Extension Activities
- Baa Baa Black Sheep*
- Icka Bicka Soda Cracker**
- Open, Shut Them**
- Round and Round the Garden**
- Tick, Tock**
How It Went
Tuesday morning
I was so unbelievably nervous to do my very first baby time. I truly, truly had a great plan that was laid out to me by my co-worker. She spent a good deal of a day teaching me all the regular rhymes, songs, and bounces in her rotation and I had more than enough time to prepare. But still — that morning, I thought I might throw up. (True story: I get pretty bad “stage” fright.) But the babies welcomed me with open arms and caregivers were instrumental in making me feel comfortable and letting me settle in the routine. I left smiling from ear to ear.
Thursday morning
I was at PLA presenting, so another staff member filled in! I was already missing the babies!
Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 6/17
For the first time in our library’s history, we ran our own summer reading program — Make Some Noise! What better opportunity to do a bi-weekly music and movement dance party? This program was advertised for ages 0-7 and their families.
The Plan
Book
How Can You Dance? by Rick Walton
I liked that this book talked about dancing in different ways: tree waving in the breeze, leading/marching in a band, etc. It gave the kids new ideas on how to move and really increased their participation. I also liked that the illustrations were diverse.
Props
Activity Scarves!
The Playlist
Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Clap Your Hands — They Might Be Giants
Jumping & Counting — Jim Gill
We Are the Dinosaurs — Laurie Berkner Band
Wave Your Ribbons in the Air — The Wiggles
Twist & Shout — Old Town School of Folk Music
Let’s Go Fly a Kite — Georgiana Stewart
Very, Very Tall — Old Town School of Folk Music
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins
How It Went
For the first time in my life, “We Are the Dinosaurs” was a flop. The kids weren’t really into marching and I led a very small parade of only ten or so kids around the room. Luckily, the kids loved the scarves and I found that the parents really enjoyed “Twist and Shout”! My favorite memory of the day is three of my little girls shaking hands together during the closing song. Absolutely adorable!
(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)
Toddlers: Things That Go
For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.
The Plan
Books
Digger and Tom! by Sebastien Braun
Freight Train by Donald Crews**
I Love Trucks by Philemon Sturges*
Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia**
Early Literacy Tip
Encourage your children to read informational books on topics that interest them. Things that go are a great bridge to non-fiction!
Theme Extension Activities
Flannelboard: “Clickety-Clack”**
Flannelboard: “If You Have a Red Truck”**
Prop Song: “Where Is Pick-Up Truck?”**
Action Rhyme: “Hurry, Hurry”**
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (ring bell)
(Turn the corner (lean over to one side, then the other), climb the ladder (pretend to climb), spray the water (pretend to spray a hose).)
Credit: Childhood
Action Song: “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 red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)
Credit: Childhood
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
Repeating Extension Activities
- Dance Your Fingers*
- Open, Shut Them**
- Where Is Thumbkin?**
How It Went
This was the storytime week that I finally felt like I hit my toddler groove. I figured out to plan more movement than I had originally thought and I stopped trying to get to that third book. (Yeah…I don’t know what I was thinking either!) The kids at my library really enjoy the flannelboard, more than at my last library if you can believe that. Tuesday’s favorite book was “Freight Train” and Thursday’s was “Toot Toot Beep Beep”.
Flannel Friday: Five Little Alligators
A quick laminated set of alligators for this Flannel Friday!
This was a clipart alligator and I just made five of him/her. I used this in Alligators & Crocodiles storytime, with this rhyme from Esther Storytimes:
One little alligator swimming in a pool
Another comes along and now there are two
Two little alligators swimming by a tree
Another comes along and now there are three
Three little alligators swimming near the shore
Another comes along and now there are four
Four little alligators swim, splash, and dive
Another comes along and now there are five
Five little alligators having lots of fun
Mama calls, “It’s time for bed!” and now the fun is done!
It occurs to me as I write this post that these could also potentially be crocodiles because I have no idea what the difference between the two animals are! Maybe the clipart will work for both.
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TBA is hosting the round-up today! You can also check out our website, Pinterest, or Facebook!
Flannel Friday Round-Up 1/30
This week’s round-up will be using a linking tool again! Though it is a thumbnail version on the site, you still need to click through to see it since I’m a WordPress.com hosted blog.
Borrowing instructions that Andrea shared: To share your Flannel Friday post, please click “Add Your Link” by the cute blue frog. Please enter the URL for your post rather than your website and label your post as “Post Name (Blog Name)” i.e. “Rockets! (Storytime Katie)”
If there are any tech problems, you are more than welcome to leave a link in the comments if the linking tool doesn’t work! I’m keeping the linking tool open until midnight on Friday (Central time) since it’s ALA Midwinter and we could all use a little extra time. Looking forward to everyone’s amazing submissions!
storytime katie 