storytime katie

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

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.***
Edible Colors by Jennifer Vogel Bass
Little Green Peas by Keith Baker*
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin**

Early Literacy Tip
When you enjoy a book, let your child know that you like it and why. Sharing your enjoyment gives them a positive attitude towards books which will influence them when they get to school and learn to read.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Rock and Roll Garden***

Featured Track: #6 Colors

Flannelboard: “Lunch”***

Repeating Extension Activities

• The Elevator Song***
• Everyone Can March*
• Popcorn Kernels***
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• We Wave Our Scarves Together***

How It Went

Monday morning (9:30)
Today was Week Seven of Seven for our fall session. In other words, I was a very sad panda because all of my storytime classes are done this week until JANUARY. I know that this it a good thing and will allow me to work on other projects (like my new Baby Bundles — Book Bundles for infants/early toddlers), but I will miss the kids. This storytime was wonderful. I got to see so many great journeys: a child who has struggled to engage sitting next to the flannelboard waiting for the next piece to be placed, another friend who stayed close to their caregiver for most of the weeks jumped into the bubble group this morning, and so many caregivers left the room with confidence in their own teachings. I loved ending today on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? because everyone read it chorally, cementing our group one last time.

Thursday morning (9:30)
This morning’s group had several guests with it — grandparents, other caregivers, and a brand new two-week old baby! We had a full house for our last session. Their favorite book was definitely Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. I will remember the wonderful smiles that the kids gave me this week. So many of my friends have opened up and become comfortable in our space. I am very much looking forward to the next session.

Thursday morning (10:30)
My most active storytime group loved Monsters Love Colors and acting out the mixing of colors. I had quite a few friends come right up to the book to wiggle and dance with me. This group has really mastered the scarves! When I said it was time to pull out the scarves, I had a whole crew of little ones waiting to get their own scarf. Afterwards, they gleefully participated and absolutely loved throwing their scarves into the air! We finished up in record time and I was actually able to pull out the Song Cube for them, so we sang “Itsy Bitsy Spider”.

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

Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington*
Kitten’s Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes
Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson***
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch by Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe**

Early Literacy Tip
Imagination plays a critical role in problem solving and learning. You can nurture your child’s imagination by playing games. We do this in storytime with the flannelboard and other prop objects.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Whaddaya Think of That?***

Featured Track: #8 What Falls in the Fall?

Flannelboard: Five Little Apples***

Repeating Extension Activities

• Egg Shakers Up***
• Put Your Shaker On***
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Tick, Tock***

How It Went

Monday morning (9:30)
This was a wonky storytime. It was the first morning after the time change and my toddlers had NO IDEA what their bodies were telling them. It’s naptime, it’s snacktime, it’s playtime, why are we still in stories? If I had been smarter, I would have swapped with week’s theme with last week’s. Singing always creates a magical setting in storytime. This week, our biggest winner was rhymes and songs, that’s for sure!

Thursday morning (9:30)
Thankfully by Thursday, the time change had evened out and my kiddos were doing much better. This group really enjoyed looking for Minka in Mouse’s First Fall. I brought the book around the circle and let each of the toddlers take a turn trying to find Minka. This took a bit longer, but was a worthwhile experience. I really love seeing the journeys that each of my toddlers take throughout the seven week session. This group has mastered “Put Your Shaker On” and really enjoys hearing our shakers.

Thursday morning (10:30)
I had our Marketing Director in storytime this morning taking pictures. I thought it might be a distraction to my toddlers, but they were totally involved in storytime. I had two of my toddlers come up and interact with me and the book, I had great shakers and dancers, and tons of good clapping. Hopefully, we got some good pictures!

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

If You’re Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera***
Music Class Today by David Weinstone*
Sing With Me! by Naoko Stoop**
What a Wonderful World by Tim Hopgood

Early Literacy Tip
If we always place an instrument or a spoon in a child’s right hand, we unconsciously encourage right-handedness. By alternating hands, we give our children a chance to experience use of both hands.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Wiggleworms Love You***

Featured Track: #11 Wheels on the Bus

Flannelboard: “Old MacDonald”***

Repeating Extension Activities

• Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes
• Roly, Poly***
• These Are the Colors Over You***
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Zoom, Zoom, Zoom*

How It Went

Monday morning (9:30)
Today’s storytime was all about incorporating music into our toddlers’ lives. I reminded parents that their voices do not need to be “concert-ready” and that storytime is a great place to add music! We sang a lot in storytime because of this, and I was definitely pushing my voice after my cold. I was grateful for good parent involvement as we sang favorites like “Old MacDonald” with the flannelboard and Jane Cabrera’s book version of If You’re Happy and You Know It!!

Thursday morning (9:30)
What a great day of singing! My voice is back to normal here, and I belted out our songs with gusto. This class had a WONDERFUL time with our wrist ribbons — they’ve really gotten the hang of our songs and rhymes. And they are excellent at doing clean up afterwards. I’m really proud of my kiddos. I also introduced the book Sing With Me! as a great way to share songs throughout the week if caregivers read just a page a night.

Thursday morning (10:30)
This class absolutely LOVED If You’re Happy and You Know It!. And I had a slew of caregivers follow me after class to our songs section which features tons of picture books about songs. The grown-ups were thrilled to see some more popular music books like Pharrell’s Happy and Kenny Loggins’s Footloose.

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

Busy Builders, Busy Week by Jean Reidy
Construction by Sally Sutton
The Mixed-Up Truck by Stephen Savage**
Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia**

Early Literacy Tip
Scarves are very versatile and can be almost anything. Sometimes we pretend they are popcorn, sometimes we pretend they are falling leaves or rain. All of this pretending encourages imaginative play and growth.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: More, Please!**

Featured Track: #5 Rocks and Flowers

Flannelboard: “Red Crane, Red Crane”**

Repeating Extension Activities

• The Elevator Song**
• Everyone Can March
• Popcorn**
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• We Wave Our Scarves Together**

How It Went

Monday morning (9:30)
Monday morning’s storytime didn’t happen! I was home sick with a cold. 😦

Thursday morning (9:30)
My first storytime back at work. I was really nervous about my voice giving out, but I managed! This group was so happy to see the scarves again and to do our first set of repeating rhymes. I’m really glad that I incorporated a weekly manipulative and that I’m repeating the rhymes/songs every three weeks. Their favorite book was definitely Tip Tip Dig Dig.

Thursday morning (10:30)
Seriously, I’m so glad that this theme was so excellent because I don’t know if I could have done back-to-back storytimes without an awesome theme. This group was ENTHRALLED during the flannelboard “Red Crane, Red Crane, What Do You See?” which is basically Brown Bear, Brown Bear using the characters from Tip Tip Dig Dig. I let both groups know that the cadence is different, especially during “blue dump truck” so when they were chanting with me everyone was prepared for the speedier rhythm. Their favorite book was The Mixed-Up Truck for sure. I had several boys who kept shouting “Noooo!” when I asked if trucks made cakes.

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

Dini Dinosaur by Karen Beaumont**
Get Out of My Bath! by Britta Teckentrup*
Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins
Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera***

Early Literacy Tip
All children need to learn how to stop what they’re doing. Playing games that incorporate the concept of stop gives the child an opportunity to practice and hone their stopping skills.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Songs for Wiggleworms***

Featured Track: #11 If All of the Raindrops

Flannelboard: “Five Clean and Dirty Pigs”**

Flannelboard: “Ten Little Raindrops”

Repeating Extension Activities

• Egg Shakers Up***
• Put Your Shaker On***
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Tick, Tock**

How It Went

Monday morning (9:30)
This was a really full group! My grown-ups were engaged with both of our books today: Dini Dinosaur and <emRow, Row, Row Your Boat. I’ve been having trouble using the flannelboard with all of my toddler groups this session, and that continued into the start of the third week. But I’ve really enjoyed handing out a different prop every week and using two extension activities with the prop. Today’s prop of egg shakers was a smashing success!

Thursday morning (9:30)
A fabulous storytime this morning! All of the toddlers were really engaged throughout the whole half hour. And I managed to talk a little bit about soft skills thanks to Mary’s great post! Their favorite book was Row, Row, Row Your Boat with lots of participation. I broke out of my flannelboard funk with this class! They LOVED jumping into the mud with “Five Clean and Squeaky Pigs” and then helping me to wash the piggies before we put them away.

Thursday morning (10:30)
Today was a day for running. Lots of toddlers were zooming in this class (it probably had to do with the yucky weather outside and our smaller class number — more room to run), but I had a toddler have a breakthrough today! The toddler had been having a hard time participating and sitting still in the previous two classes, but this class stood right in the middle of the rug and kept having the best reactions to the books. When I asked the toddler if I should turn the page to hear what happens next, toddler shouted, “YES!” enthusiastically and clapped when I turned the page. So rewarding!

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

Ah-Choo! by Lana Wayne Koehler & Gloria Adams
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell**
Here Comes Poppy and Max by Lindsey Gardiner**
Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun**

Early Literacy Tip
It takes longer for children who are just learning to talk to respond to our questions. We need to be patient and wait anywhere from 5-12 seconds for children to respond. That feels like a long time because adults usually respond in about 2 seconds.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Kids in the City***

Featured Track: #2 Kitty Cat (with puppets)***

Flannelboard: “Dog’s Colorful Day”

Repeating Extension Activities

• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
• Roly Poly***
• These Are the Colors***
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Zoom, Zoom, Zoom***

How It Went

Monday morning (9:30)
This group absolutely loved the little puppet show I put on while singing our featured track: “Kitty Cat” by Laura Doherty. And I’m so proud of all the kiddos for doing a great job using the wrist ribbons and cleaning them up. Dear Zoo was the biggest book hit. I had several toddlers who kept wandering up to the edge of the blue carpet “no fly” zone to try and reach for the pop-ups!

Thursday morning (9:30)
My first class of Thursday morning toddlers was nice and full! Their favorite book was definitely Here Come Poppy and Max, which incorporates a lot of large animal movement. This group was very into using the wrist ribbons and I saw some great caregiver engagement during this activity; modeling for the toddlers that weren’t yet participating. During the first few weeks, I often have to remind caregivers that we’re still learning our new friends and the room.

Thursday morning (10:30)
Second group of toddlers also really enjoyed Here Come Poppy and Max for their favorite book. These kiddos were spellbound during “Zoom Zoom Zoom” and I almost did the rhyme a third time just to see their smiling faces again. I had a few extra people (visiting relatives and two drop-ins) and I was happy that everyone jumped in and participated.

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

Apples and Robins by Lucie Felix
Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert**
Go, Shapes, Go! by Denise Fleming***
Round is a Mooncake by Roseanne Thong*

Early Literacy Tip
Identify the shapes you see and talk about them with your child. Circles and triangles are often parts of letters. Being able to see shapes will help children later recognize letters.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Rockin’ Red***

Featured Track: #19 Moving in a Circles (scarves)*

Flannelboard: “The Shape Game”**

Flannelboard: “The Shape Story”

Repeating Extension Activities

• Elevator Song**
• Everyone Can March
• Popcorn Kernels***
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• We Wave Our Scarves Together***

How It Went

Monday morning (9:30)
This is the toddler class most in demand this session and it was a very full group to start! I had some great, involved caregivers that were champs chiming in on songs that they were just learning. Both books in this group (Go, Shapes, Go! and Color Zoo) went over well. Many of the toddlers were friends of mine from our Shake, Shimmy, and Dance classes so they were glad to get up and move during Go, Shapes, Go. Also, “Popcorn Kernels” got a ton of smiles and we sang it three times!

Thursday morning (9:30)
I had a great time this morning getting to know so many new faces. My co-worker took over toddlers last winter, so it’s been a year since my toddler times and the kids have mostly transitioned over. I shortened Go, Shapes, Go! in this class; I stopped once the monkey was formed and didn’t read the rest of the book. It worked much better than Monday’s class and I continued it for the second Thursday session. I also used my edit as an extra early literacy tip to empower caregivers to end a book when their toddler is ready vs. when the book actually ends.

Thursday morning (10:30)
The 10:30 class was my most wiggly class. We only got through three animals in Color Zoo, and that’s okay! It did mean that I got to not only do the featured CD track — “Moving in a Circle” by The Learning Groove, but also got to teach everyone “The Elevator Song”. I saw a ton of great smiles from the kids as we sang the song twice. It truly is a magical trick for every storytime presenter’s bag!

To read more about how I plan and prepare my Toddler Storytimes, please visit this post.

Each session, I pick some extension activities to repeat from week to week. Most of the time these have nothing to do with my theme of the day and just allow me to add more movement or songs if that’s what the toddlers need that week. Of course, I don’t use every activity every week. I’ll note in the individual theme summaries which activities I used. These are the activities that I had planned for Fall.

This session, I’m trying to use a different manipulative (scarf, shaker, or wrist ribbon) in each storytime and I’ve tied different songs and rhymes to these props.

Action Rhyme: “Everyone Can March”
Everyone can march, march, march
Everyone can march, march, march
Everyone can march, march, march
And now let’s make a stop.
Verses: clap, jump, tap, etc.
Credit: Jbrary

Action Rhyme: “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes”
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes
Eyes and ears, a mouth and a nose
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes
Credit: Childhood

Action Rhyme: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach up high
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the sky
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your knees
Teddy bear, teddy bear, sit down please
Credit: Childhood

Action Rhyme: “This Is Big”
This is big, big, big (stretch hands far to sides)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (hold palms close vertically)
This is tall, tall, tall (hold palms far apart vertically)
This is fast, fast, fast (roll hands quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (roll hands slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)
Credit: Mel’s Desk

Action Rhyme: “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom”
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
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off!
Credit: Jbrary

Lift/Song: “The Elevator Song”
Oh the city is great and the city is grand
There’s a whole lot of people
on a little piece of land
And we live way up on the 57th floor
and this is what we do when we open the door.
We take the elevator up and the elevator down,
take the elevator up, take the elevator down
Take the elevator up and the elevator down
And we turn around.
Credit: Jbrary

Lift/Rhyme: “Tick, Tock”
Tick, tock, tick, tock
I’m a little cuckoo clock
Tick, tock, tick, tock
Now I’m chiming one o’clock
Cuckoo!
(Count up to three o’clock)
Credit: My co-worker Jane

Props

Scarf Song: “Popcorn Kernels”
Popcorn Kernels, popcorn kernels
In the pot, in the post
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Till they pop!
Till they pop!
Credit: Guerrilla Storytime (originally from Jbrary)

Scarf Song: “We Wave Our Scarves Together”
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together
because it’s fun to do.
Wave them up high
Wave them down low
Wave them in the middle
Because it’s fun to do.
Credit: Jbrary

Shaker Eggs: “Egg Shakers Up”
Egg shakers up
Egg shakers down
Egg shakers dancing all around the town
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees
And tuck them into bed
Credit: Jbrary

Shaker Eggs: “Put Your Shaker On”
Put your shaker on your head, on your head
Put your shaker on your head, on your head
Put your shaker on your head, put your shaker on your head
Put your shaker on your head, on your head
Credit: Modified from co-worker

Wrist Ribbons: “Roly, Poly”
Roly poly, roly poly,
Roly poly, up and down
Roly poly, roly poly,
Roly poly, up and down
(other verses: in and out, left and right)
Credit: Modified from Jbrary

Wrist Ribbons: “These are the Colors”
Red and yellow, green and blue
These are the colors over you
Red as a flower, blue as the sea
Yellow as the sun, green as a tree
Red and yellow, green and blue
These are the colors over you
Credit: Read Sing Play