Tag: summer 2011

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

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