up down and around and goodnight veggies book covers

Stories & Stations: Garden

Posted on by msemilylibrary

This week we celebrated spring with a gardening theme! We are doing a new format for our storytimes in a transition period of personnel change and calling it Stories & Stations (you can read the whole saga of the whys and hows at my last post.)

I had worked with a community member earlier in the year to do a one-off all-ages drop-in evening program about gardens, so I reused some of those activities in the planning for this, and added a few others. Gardens and gardening is a fun theme – you can talk about flowers, vegetables, bugs, dirt, weather, the earth, and the environment – so many possibilities!

See another version of this theme from 2021.

up down, and around book cover, showing kids by a large corn stalk
goodnight, veggies book cover, showing a cutaway side vew of a garden, with two beets on either side of a worm wearing a sneaker and hat.

Early Development Tip: Helping children hear the smaller sounds in words, the syllables, by clapping them out is one way to develop their phonological awareness. Children can hear the syllables more easily than each individual sound in words. –from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 
Even with a larger number of kids, I still go around and sing this with everyone’s name. The kids really do love it, and it helps me learn names and storytime participants to learn each others’ names.

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wiggle and Wiggle and STOP*
This week I went with garden themed actions so in addition to wiggling, we also did “dig” and “pick” – digging was a little frenetic, which is fun, but for “pick” I said that we’re picking some delicate berries, so we were very fastidious! Spinning the actions in different ways (do it slowly! Make your voice quieter! Pick as high up on the berry bush as you can!) is a great way to give this song some dynamics.

we wiggle and stop thumbnail, with a graphic of two pink worms. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 
Okay, this one *seems* to be better for younger kids, but all I have to do is encourage the older kids to jump as high as they can at the end and it is instantly perfect for a 5 year old, too. I always give the option for a lap bounce and lift as well.

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: Today we’re talking about gardens and gardening. It’s fun to grow plants and this is the time of year we see little plants start to grow. In a garden, you can grow flowers or vegetables or fruit. Do any of you have a garden at home?

A garden can attract a lot of wildlife! Let’s see who else is enjoying our veggies!
I made this flannel set awhile ago, it’s always nice to get more use out of them. For time, I only did the frog, crow, mouse, and worm.
Guessing Game: Something In My Garden
There’s something in my garden, Now, what can it be?
There’s something in my garden,That I can’t really see.
I hear its funny sound…. RIBBIT – RIBBIT – RIBBIT
A … FROG is what I found! RIBBIT – RIBBIT – RIBBIT

Repeat with other animals found in a garden.
Ribbit – Frog – bugs from a lettuce plant
Thump – Rabbit – nibbling a carrot
Squeak – Mouse – tasting a blackberry
Caw – Crow – pecking at some corn
Buzz – Bee – gathering pollen from a flower
Wiggle – Worm – chewing an old leaf
Flutter – Butterfly – sipping nectar from a hyacinth
Source: Storytime Katie

Laminated printed "flannel" showing a frog, lettuce plant that has bugs on it, rabbit, carrot, crow, corn, mouse, blackberry, worm, flat brown leaf, hyacinth flower, bee, and butterfly.

something in my garden thumbnail, with a graphic of a rabbit hiding behind some carrot greens and a frog behind some lettuce. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s play a game with some gardening words. We are listening for the syllables that make up the words – a syllable has the smaller sounds in words.
I planned to do garden, flower, worm, vegetable, but was running behind so we only did garden and vegetable!
Word Game: Super Duper
Super duper, 1 – 2 – 3
Can you say this word with me?
Say it! Clap it! Pat it! Tap it! Whisper it! Shout it!
Practice words and separate the syllables for great early learning!
Source: Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

super duper thumbnail, with a graphic of a red and yellow diamond shaped superhero insignia with the word wow in the middle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

This is an oldie but a goodie, and I make it interactive by telling the group to either stand up or raise their arms when I say UP, crouch or touch the floor when I say DOWN, and either spin their bodies or their arms when I say ALL AROUND.
Read: Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres & Nadine B Westcott

up down, and around book cover, showing kids by a large corn stalk

Another awesome title for my backup – I love the illustrations so much, especially that cool worm with his knee sock, sneaker, and hat.
Read: Goodnight, Veggies by Diana Murray & Zachariah OHora

goodnight, veggies book cover, showing a cutaway side vew of a garden, with two beets on either side of a worm wearing a sneaker and hat.

Let’s get out our ribbons! I know a song about a little teapot, do you? I was thinking about gardening, and something we use in the garden also has a handle and a spout – a watering can! So let’s be watering cans to help our gardens grow.
We go straight to our props after the book! This week was our wrist ribbons. There’s no need to theme these prop activities, but if I can find some kind of thread, I can’t help myself. I kind of balled up the ribbons in my hand until the last line and let them be the “water” coming out. I am sure someone else could change the “steamed up” line to be more like a watering can, but I never got there.
Ribbon Song: I’m a Little Water Can
I’m a little water can short and stout
Here is my handle, here is my spout
When I get all steamed up then I shout:
“Tip me over and pour me out!”
Source: adapted from the traditional

i'm a little water can thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow watering can tipped and watering a small sprout. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I usually do this one as a shaker song, but it works just as well with scarves or ribbons.
Ribbon Song: Wave Your Ribbons High
(tune of Grand Old Duke of York)
You wave your ribbons high
You wave your ribbons low
You wave your ribbons fast, fast, fast
And then you wave them slow
Source: Harris County (TX) Public Library

wave your ribbons thumbnail, with a graphic of blue, yellow, and green ribbons. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

A garden needs pollinators like bees and butterflies!
This one was originally a beanbag rhyme. It works really well with ribbons or scarves, too! For the last line, we threw our ribbons up in the air and caught them.
Ribbon Rhyme: Butterfly, Butterfly
Butterfly, butterfly in the sky
Flap your wings and up you fly
Back and forth to and fro
Up, up, up and… Away you go!
Source: Evansville-Vanderburgh Co (IN) Public Library

butterfly butterfly thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow and blue butterfly. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

King County shows the first two lines as a chorus repeated between every other two lines, but for time I just did it straight through. The tune I did was something akin to Going to Kentucky (which I think sounds like some traditional clapping/jump rope songs like Miss Lucy had a baby…)
Ribbon Song: I Have a Little Streamer
I have a little streamer, I wave it in the air
I wave it over here and I wave it over there
It can be a flag waving way up high
It can be a sailing ship slowly floating by
It can be a carousel going round and round
It can be a shooting star falling to the ground
It can be a branch swaying in the breeze
It can be a flying kite caught up in the trees
Source: King Co (WA) Library System

little streamer thumbnail, with a graphic of a pennant flag, a shooting star, and a kite. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

After collecting our props, we released to stations! I let everyone know that I’d put out toys and puzzles in the current room, so they could stay if they wanted, and opened the door to the other room for everyone else to go to stations. I’m noticing that some of the youngest kiddos are staying to just play with toys the whole time and not bothering with stations, which is totally fine.

Art Station: Garden Process Art
We cut the tops off brussels sprouts and celery into sticks to do some paint stamping, and also had brown paint and brushes and dried beans for kids to create their gardens however they liked. I was inspired by this post by Buggy and Buddy.

garden art station, with messy trays with brown construction paper, plates with paint, brussels sprouts and celery, and bowls with dried beans.

Gross Motor Stations: Weed Toss & Garden Yoga
This is just a beanbag toss game with a sign to help kids imagine their beanbags are weeds in the garden that need to be pulled and tossed into the bucket. I also had a poster with “Garden Yoga Poses” over by the rug, but I didn’t see anyone doing them and I forgot to get a picture. The free printable poster is from Childhood 101.

garden weed toss, showing beanbags and buckets with a sign on the wall explaining that the beanbags are weeds to pull and toss

Fine Motor Station 1: Seed Sorting
Someone put this container on the free table in our break room – it was originally for tea, and has six compartments in a box with a hinged lid. It was perfect for this! I printed some labels and added some dried seeds from our seed library and beans from the sensory bins. There were tongs for older kids to practice, but anyone could sort the seeds using their fingers, too.

seed sorting station, showing a box with 6 sections. a mix of seeds are in the two middle sections, and the four others are labeled: sweet corn, lima beans, pinto beans, and black beans.

Fine Motor Station 2: Match the Seed to the Plant
I did some extra stations since I had these activities leftover from the previous program. This was a set of cards that show a plant and a seed that could be matched. The cards are a free printable from Preschool Powol Packets. I did modify the cards: cards said something like “sunflowers” and “sunflower seeds” which felt too easy. I kept the label on the plant but removed it from the seeds.

Garden seed match card station, showing cards with either a plant or its seed for matching.

Fine Motor Station 3: Cut/Tear the Grass
I’ve used this activity before, and it’s a fun one. We put out safety scissors for the older kids, but younger ones can tear. It works on lots of developmental skills, including crossing the midline as well as pincer grip/scissor manipulation. Plus it’s fun to see what is hidden! I taped a few of the sheets to the edge of the table so they were vertical, but put the others down flat for varying ways to interact. Download a printable PDF of the artwork here!

cut the grass station, showing green construction paper sheets with 1 inch strips cut halfway down to make grass. Underneath are papers with various things that may be found in grass: flowers, apples, bugs, etc.

green construction paper sheets with 1 inch strips cut halfway down to make grass. Underneath are papers with various things that may be found in grass: flowers, apples, bugs, etc. Pictured is a leaf and a pillbug

Sensory Station: Garden Sensory Bins
I made these for that earlier program (mentioned in the intro, above) and I knew we had a garden theme planned, so I’d saved everything, making this a really easy station! The “dirt” was made of a mix of dried black beans and pinto beans (giving it a look of potting mix with perlite in it) and added various “garden” things like shovels, fake flowers and foliage, plastic bugs and critters like frogs and salamanders, little seed starter peat pots, pom poms. Like last week’s kinetic sand station, I put this one on a fitted sheet held down by two tables to make cleanup easier.

garden sensory bin, showing two bins on a fitted sheet with black beans and various gardening toys like shovels, plastic bugs, fake flowers, plant labels, and small seed starter containers

Toys and Puzzles
Our regular baby toys and puzzles, as well as soft food, babies in a basket, and lacing cards came out as another option for play. I didn’t capture a picture of this one.

After 20 minutes of free station time, I ring our bell to gather everyone again in the storytime room. Everyone helps put away the toys and puzzles before we end with our last two songs.

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Miguel’s Community Garden – JaNay Brown-Wood & Samara Hardy
Lola Plants a Garden – Anna McQuinn & Rosalind Beardshaw
Here Are the Seeds – JaNay Brown-Wood & Olivia Amoah
How to Say Hello to a Worm – Kari Percival
No Nibbling! – Beth Ferry & AN Kang
Prunella – Beth Ferry & Claire Keane
Flower Garden – Eve Bunting & Kathryn Hewitt
My Garden – Kevin Henkes
Planting a Rainbow – Lois Ehlert
Jayden’s Impossible Garden – Mélina Mangal & Ken Daley
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt – Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal
Everything Grows in Jiddo’s Garden – Jenan A. Matari & Aya Ghanameh
The Hidden Rainbow – Christie Matheson
Uncle John’s City Garden – Bernette G. Ford & Frank Morrison
No, No, Gnome! – Ashlyn Anstee
See Marcus Grow – Marcus Bridgewater & Reggie Brown

This storytime was presented in-person on 4/15/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

I was born a baby and animals move book covers

Stories & Stations: Baby Animals

Posted on by msemilylibrary

My library is in a transition time. Our longtime and beloved preschool programmer just retired after more than 40 years! We won’t be hiring her replacement for several months, so we are doing some creative programming solutions. Rather than splitting age groups for Itty Bitty (0-3.5) and Preschool (3.5-6) ages as we have up until now, my Itty Bitty colleague and I are increasing our capacity and offering storytime for ages 0-5 until the end of summer. To streamline and make it relevant to that wider age range, we changed our format to “Stories & Stations,” using my summer programming formula as a basis. We’ll be indoors in April and May, and outdoors (as weather permits) in June and July.

So, what does that mean? Instead of a 45 minute storytime (which included a craft and playtime), we are doing just 15-20 minutes of traditional storytime activities and then doing 20 minutes of exploring various stations in a more free-form way. That helps with breaking up a bigger group. We are fortunate to have two children’s storytime rooms that adjoin and have a temporary wall and pass-through door. That gives us a lot of flexibility. We ultimately decided to keep the wall closed and keep the storytime portion in one room and the stations in the other, opening the door when we are ready to release to stations.

We also decided to go “light” on our themes – really only having one or two truly themed songs/rhymes during the storytime portion and a themed book, then moving to props and songs that work well for them regardless of whether they’re on theme or not. I realize a lot of libraries do this already!

For the stations portion, we planned four stations in the second room: art, gross motor, fine motor, and sensory. Then we put out our baby toys and wooden puzzles in the storytime room as another station. This spread out the group enough that everyone got a chance to try different things and not feel crowded doing it.

Our first session was around Easter, so we chose “baby animals” as the theme. It was my colleague’s turn to do the planning, and we have both enjoyed how easy it is to put together a plan with this new template. Baby animals was a cute and fun theme (and one I’ve never done before), and the plan worked well for our older newcomers as well as our tried-and-true itty bitties. We had to do some tweaking on timing, but stations were all received well and everyone seemed to have a good time.

I was born a baby book cover, showing a small Black boy in a diaper only, with various baby animals standing behind him, including a cow calf, fawn, piglet, bear cub, rabbit kit, and horse foal.
animals move book cover, showing a photograph of a kitten pouncing in a meadow

Early Development Tip: Musical activities stimulate the auditory cortex and language centers in the brain. When children listen to and create rhythms, they’re engaging the same brain processes needed for decoding language. –My Little Conservatory

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 
Even with a larger number of kids, I still go around and sing this with everyone’s name. The kids really do love it, and it helps me learn names and storytime participants to learn each others’ names.

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wiggle and Wiggle and STOP*
I’ve used this as my warm-up song every summer for a few years! We decided with the broader age range to put “Wake Up Feet” on hold as it skews a bit younger. Wiggle and STOP is one everyone enjoys! I realized after re-watching the Jbrary video that I’ve morphed into a different tune. One of these days I’ll record my version. I have been doing “Wiggle” and two other verses/actions that change each week. Some options are jump, twirl, run, splash, hop, swim, stretch, stomp, wave, sway, march, lean, roll [arms,] hug, but you can really use any action here!

we wiggle and stop thumbnail, with a graphic of two pink worms. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 
Okay, this one *seems* to be better for younger kids, but all I have to do is encourage the older kids to jump as high as they can at the end and it is instantly perfect for a 5 year old, too. I always give the option for a lap bounce and lift as well.

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: Spring is here, and this is the time of year that many animals will have their babies! Did you know that most animals have a special name we use for their babies? Who knows what a baby cat is called? A kitten! A baby owl is called an owlet, and he likes to stay in the nest until he’s ready to fly. A tiny kangaroo is a joey, and when she travels, she sits in her mama’s pouch. And a baby goat is called a kid (just like you!) Learning their names helps us understand how every big animal started out small.

Let’s see if you can guess the names of these animals.
My colleague had both some printed photographs of baby animals and she also made a flannel that highlighted the babies in their natural habitats. We talked about the photos and then she had a very cute guessing game rhyme for the habitats. I unfortunately forgot about the rhymes and didn’t have them printed out, so I just showed the animals and asked them to guess the baby names – which were not easy! It was good to have a few stumpers – I think everyone learned something! Rabbit was maybe the most surprising. I noted that we sometimes call a baby rabbit a bunny, but that’s really just a nickname. Rabbit babies are actually called kits! The flannel she made for this was really beautiful, too.
Flannel Game: Guess that Animal
My baby is called a tadpole.
I have four legs that help me jump.
I like to live near ponds and rivers.
I say “ribbit”.
What am I? A frog!

My baby is called a kit.
I have four legs.
I like to eat carrots.
I am small and fast.
What am I? A rabbit!

My baby is called a calf.
I have four legs.
I have a trunk that I use to grab my food.
I am big and gray.
What am I? An elephant!

My baby is called a pup.
I live in the ocean.
I have fins and a tail.
I’m a carnivore. I like to eat meat.
What am I? A shark!
Source: Ms Ali

printed cards of photos of baby animals - a kitten, puppy, lamb, calf, and chicks.

animal habitat flannel showing a pond with lily pad, a meadow with flowers, a savannah with acacia tree, and ocean with small school of fish
animal habitat flannel revealing animals: frog on the lily pad, a rabbit in the meadow, an elephant on the savannah, and shark in the ocean

What if we had a whole farm of baby animals?
I think we ended up doing 3 or 4 verses total. The phrasing was a little awkward, but it almost made it even more silly fun!
Themed Song: Old MacDonald Had a Baby Farm
Old MacDonald had a baby farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had a puppy, E-I-E-I-O!
With a woof, woof here
And a woof, woof there
Here a woof, there a woof,
Everywhere a woof, woof!
Old MacDonald had a baby farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Additional verses:
kitten – meow, lamb – baa, calf – moo, chicks – cheep, foal – neigh
Source: adapted from traditional

old macdonald had a baby farm thumbnail, with a graphic of a red barn. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

This title would be a little long for the youngest group, but with a mixed group it seemed to work okay.
Read: I was Born a Baby by Meg Fleming & Brandon James Scott

I was born a baby book cover, showing a small Black boy in a diaper only, with various baby animals standing behind him, including a cow calf, fawn, piglet, bear cub, rabbit kit, and horse foal.

A neat back up – the photographs are pretty cool, and there were some very unusual babies, like porcupettes. It also has a built-in interactive element with all the movement!
Read: Animals Move by Jane Whittingham

animals move book cover, showing a photograph of a kitten pouncing in a meadow

Let’s get our scarves out now. Baby animals love to play! Can we roly poly our scarves like a baby puppy likes to roll in the grass?
We go straight to our props! There’s no need to theme these, but if I can find some kind of thread, I’ll make it! My coworker did this one like Jbrary does, to the tune of Frere Jacques, but I do it more as a chant like I saw in a video from storyteller Rebecca Jane Flanagan.
Scarf Rhyme: Roly Poly
(roll scarf accordingly)
Roly poly, roly, poly, up, up, up
Roly poly, roly, poly, down, down, down
Roly poly, roly, poly, out, out, out
Roly poly, roly, poly, in, in, in
Roly poly, roly, poly, BIG, BIG, BIG
Roly poly, roly, poly, very, very small
Roly poly, roly, poly, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast!
Rol…ly… po…ly… in… your… lap!
Source: Rebecca Jane Flanagan

roly poly thumbnail, with a graphic of a toy ball. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s have a snack. Ms. Ali says that before it becomes popcorn, we have baby kernels!
Scarf Song: Popcorn Kernels
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels (wave scarves overhead)
In the pot, in the pot (bunch up scarf in your fist)
Shake them, shake them, shake them!
Shake them, shake them, shake them! (shake)
‘Til they POP! ‘Til they POP! (toss scarves up into the air)
Source: Jbrary

popcorn kernels thumbnail, with a photograph of two popped popcorn kernels. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can you scrunch up your scarf in your hands and get small? We’re going to start this rhyme very quietly!
Scarf Rhyme: Jack in the Box
Jack in the box (scrunch scarf up in fist)
Sits so still
Will he come out?
Yes, he will! (throw scarf in the air)
Source: Jbrary

jack in the box thumbnail, with a graphic of a colorful jester's head coming out of a box with a crank. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We had one more scarf song ready but I was out of time at this point, so I skipped it!
Scarf Song: Fish In The Sea
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
Fish in the sea go swish, swish, swish,
swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish
Fish in the sea go swish, swish, swish
All day long

additional verses:
Dolphins in the sea swim round and round
Waves on the sea go up and down
Source: Jbrary

Fish in the sea thumbnail, with a graphic of waves at the bottom and photos of a clownfish, small school of fish, dolphin and yellow tropical fish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now we released to stations! I asked littles to come first, then the older kids, then I got out the toys and put them up in the storytime room for those who wanted to play right away.

Art Station: Sponge Paw Print Painting
My colleague cut out different kinds of animal prints from sponges, including birds, elephants, lizard/dino, humans, and die cut dog paws. We had art smocks and just let everyone make whatever they wanted from the sponge prints.

animal paw print art station showing a table with blank paper and paint, and on the wall is a sign for the station and examples of art
animal paw print art station table, with 8 messy trays and small plates with paint and sponges in the shape of different animal prints. there are art smocks on the chairs.

Gross Motor Station: Koala Swing
We have some small athletic cones, so this was basically a slalom, which turned into a Koala swing! Kids could grab a beanbag to be their koala joey and safely swing them from “tree” to “tree.”

koala swing station, showing athletic cones with pictures of trees on them

Fine Motor Station: Habitat Building
So this went through a bit of an evolution – I think the original idea was to make habitats with smaller materials, but it got changed to using our big blocks (like Legos, but much bigger!) to build habitats for some of our animal puppets. It was a very popular station, even if it was a little less “fine motor” skills. We are happy to be flexible and use the materials we have!

big blocks habitat station showing big legos on a rug with realistic animal puppets

Sensory Station: Animals on Vacation (Kinetic Sand)
Ha, so we didn’t feel like we really needed to theme every station, but this was just too good. We got out our kinetic sand from summers past and added our plastic farm animals for fun. Another very popular station.

kinetic sand station, showing a fitted sheet held down by two tables, and two clear bins with sand and plastic farm animal figurines

Toys and Puzzles
Our regular baby toys and puzzles, as well as soft food, babies in a basket, and lacing cards came out as another option for play. I didn’t capture a picture of this one.

After 20 minutes of free station time, I ring our bell to gather everyone again in the storytime room. Everyone helps put away the toys and puzzles before we end with our last two songs.

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Little Blue Truck’s Springtime – Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry
Close Your Eyes: A Book of Sleepiness – Lori Haskins Houran & Sydney Hanson
Five Fuzzy Chicks – Diana Murray & Sydney Hanson
Pouch – David Ezra Stein
Puppies – Julie Murray
Baby Penguins Love Their Mama – Melissa Guion
Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? – Eric Carle
Hello, Baby! – Mem Fox & Steve Jenkins
Kitty’s Cuddles – Jane Cabrera
Baby Animals Moving – Suzi Eszterhas
Hello, Baby! I’m Your Mom – Eve Bunting & Jui Ishida
In Between – April Pulley Sayre
The Little Lamb – Phoebe Dunn
Loon Baby – Molly Beth Griffin & Anne Hunter
Peep Leap – Elizabeth Verdick & John Bendall-Brunello
Sweetest Kulu – Celina Kalluk & Alexandria Neonakis

This storytime was presented in-person on 4/8/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

clothesline clues to jobs people do and thank you neighbor book covers

Storytime: Helping Hands

Posted on by msemilylibrary

So remember back in January when I was trying to figure out how to do a “Community” storytime that was not about community helpers? So this week we actually DID the community helpers theme! See, there’s a method to my madness. This was a really great storytime – the activities flowed into each other very well and made sense. I presented it twice, first to a morning toddler group and second to an evening group for kids 5 and under and their families. Both went well!

clothesline clues to jobs people do book cover, with clotheslines and a firefighter's uniform and hose
thank you neighbor book cover, showing a girl walking a dog waving to neighbors like a mail carrier, kids on skateboards, and others.

Early Development Tip: Play a game of “I Spy” while doing errands with your child and point out various community helpers. Take this opportunity to build your child’s vocabulary and talk about different ways people help each other. -North Olympic (WA) Library System

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* 
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: A few weeks ago, we talked about our community – it’s made up of people who care for and help each other. Anyone can be a helper! But some people have special helping jobs. So, who are some of those people? Let’s celebrate them today.

Here’s a rhyme about some of those helpers and the jobs they do.
A throwback – this was a fun one and I love how it both highlights some community helper jobs but also asks kids to ask how they will be a helper.
Fingerplay: This Little Helper
This helper builds our houses (thumb)
This helper brings our mail (pointer)
This helper teaches the children (middle)
And this one has groceries to sell (ring)
And this little helper, yes, it’s me (pinky)
When I grow up, what kind of helper will I be?
Source: North Olympic (WA) Library System

this little helper thumbnail, with a graphic of a handprint with each finger a different color. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now, if we’re going to use our helping hands, let’s get them warmed up.
Shoutout to my fellow Indiana library for sharing this! This is such a fun song, and worked really well for both age groups. You could use this as a general movement song anytime. Really exaggerate the slow and the fast!
Action Song: Fun with Hands
(tune of Row Your Boat)
Roll, roll, roll your hands As slowly as can be
Roll, roll, roll your hands Do it now with me
Roll, roll, roll your hands As fast as fast can be
Roll, roll, roll your hands Do it now with me
(repeat: clap, shake, wave)
Source: Carmel Clay (IN) Public Library

fun with hands thumbnail, with a graphic of colorful hands reaching up - red pink, green, and yellow. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

The guessing game nature of this one makes it automatically interactive, and it’s easy enough for the littles to guess, too.
Read: Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling, Deborah Hembrook & Andy Robert Davies

clothesline clues to jobs people do book cover, with clotheslines and a firefighter's uniform and hose

I really liked this one, and thought it might be a good option for the evening/older group. Unfortunately, either they weren’t in the mood or it was just a little too abstract for them.
Read: Thank You, Neighbor by Ruth Chan

thank you neighbor book cover, showing a girl walking a dog waving to neighbors like a mail carrier, kids on skateboards, and others.

What do these helpers do?
This was fun as a ukulele song, though I think I would feel a little more awkward if I didn’t have a uke in my hands, since there aren’t really any hand motions to do. I originally thought I’d make a flannel for this one, but I just relied on my rhyme sheet graphics to point out some different jobs, and that worked just fine.
Ukulele Song: Community Helpers Song
(tune of Farmer in the Dell)
The teachers help us learn
The teachers help us learn
Heigh-ho, they help us so
The teachers Help us learn!

Other job ideas:
Firefighters put out fires…
The doctors keep us well…
The farmers grow our food…
Mail carriers deliver the mail…
Crossing guards help us cross…
Librarians find us books…
Source: Intentional Storytime

Download a ukulele songsheet for The Farmer in the Dell here!

farmer in the dell ukulele songsheet thumbnail

community helpers song thumbnail, with a graphic of six helpers: a teacher, a mail carrier, firefighter, doctor, librarian, and farmer. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Who brings our mail? A letter carrier!
Another great movement rhyme. I tried to “paint a picture” with every verse. So for example, I said, “what if the mail carrier was late? They’d RUN!” “What if there was a big dog sleeping in the yard and they wanted to sneak by? They’d tiptoe!” “What if they were feeling silly? They would jump/skip” etc.
Action Rhyme: Little Letter Carrier
I am a little letter carrier
Who loves nothing better
Than to walk, walk, walk (walk in place)
To deliver your letter!
(repeat with other actions like run, hop, skip, spin, march, etc)
Source: Jen in the Library

little letter carrier thumbnail, with a graphic of a koala dressed as a letter carrier holding an envelope. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get out our shakers! Teachers are big helpers. They help us learn our ABCs! Let’s shake along while we sing.
Did I really need a rhyme sheet for the Alphabet Song? Maybe not. But I liked having a visual!
Shaker Song: The Alphabet Song
Source: traditional

alphabet song thumbnail, with a graphic of an apple and a pencil. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Farmers and farm workers help by growing and picking our food! Can you pretend your shaker is an apple?
Shaker Rhyme: Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree (raise shaker(s) up)
I saw two apples looking at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could (shake)
Down came the apples… (drop shaker)
And mmm, they were good! (rub belly)
Source: traditional

way up high in the apple tree thumbnail, with a graphic of a tree with two red apples in it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Construction workers make the buildings, including our houses! What tools do they use?
This one worked really well for the shakers, even if it wasn’t originally intended for that.
Shaker Rhyme: A House for Me
The builders’ hammers go tap, tap, tap (tap shaker in opposite hand)
And the saws go see-saw-see (move shaker forward and back across opposite arm)
They hammer and hammer
And they saw and saw
And they build a house for me (peak hands above head)
Source: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

a house for me thumbnail, with a graphic of a hammer and nails and a saw. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Wee-ooo, wee-oo! Oh, no, it sounds like the fire truck is going by. Can we be firefighting helpers and fight a fire?
And again, this wasn’t originally a shaker tune, but it works so well!
Action/Shaker Song: Hurry, Hurry
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (turn a steering wheel with shaker in one hand)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (ring a bell/shake shaker)

Additional verses:
Turn the corner (lean far left and right)
[We’re here, we need to climb up]
Put the ladder up, (climb a ladder)
[Can you put out the fire with your fire hose?]
Spray the fire hose (hold a hose and move it back and forth)

[Wow, you put out the fire! You are heroes! Okay, time to go back to the station. But we don’t need to hurry anymore, right?]
Slowly, slowly, drive the fire truck
Slowly, slowly, drive the fire truck
Slowly, slowly, drive the fire truck
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
Source: adapted from Old Town School of Folk Music from the Songs for Wiggleworms album

hurry hurry thumbnail, with a graphic of a red fire truck. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Astronauts and scientists help us by learning more about our world and our universe!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: High Five Card
I don’t know how I thought of this one, it just came to me. I had browsed other “community helper” crafts, many of which included hats or pictures of little people wearing different uniforms, which felt like a lot of prep and cutting things out. Then I thought, we’ve been talking about helpers, why not thank a helper? And the theme is “helping HANDS!” This went well with our early learning tip, as well. So all it required was some paint for the handprints, crayons for writing inside, and printed off cards. Paint can be a little messy, but it was not too bad and everyone liked their cards! My hand was a bit big for the space I left in the middle in my sample, but the littles’ hands fit perfectly.

Download a printable High Five Card here!

Craft greeting card showing the front reading "You Deserve a High Five!" with a painted handprint, and the inside saying "Thank You for being a helper"

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Firefighter Flo! – Andrea Zimmerman & Dan Yaccarino
Fire Chief Fran – Linda Ashman & Nancy Carpenter
Leo Gets a Checkup – Anna McQuinn & Ruth Hearson
Someone Builds the Dream – Lisa Wheeler & Loren Long
Thank a Farmer – Maria Gianferrari & Monica Mikai
Teachers Rock! – Todd Parr
Crown: Ode to the Fresh Cut – Derrick Barnes & Gordon C James
Blue Bison Needs a Haircut – Scott Rothman & Pete Oswald
The Loud Librarian – Jenna Beatrice & Erika Lynne Jones
Stanley the Mailman – William Bee
Pigs Dig a Road – Carrie Finison & Brian Biggs
Millie Waits for the Mail – Alexander Steffensmeier

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/25 & 3/26/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

paint with ploof and the hidden rainbow book covers

Storytime: Rainbows

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Who doesn’t love rainbows? They’re so magical, and yet they are a great way to talk about science! For our storytimes the week of St. Patrick’s Day, we chose to do a rainbow theme. It’s related (find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!) but only tangentially, so it incudes everyone whether they celebrate the holiday or not. My coworker decided to focus on the colors of the rainbow, and although we did some color activities, I also talked about the weather aspect of rainbows. Springtime seems to be a prime time for the conditions to be right to make a rainbow. I think you could also borrow some of these activities for a Pride themed storytime in June. So there are lots of ways to use a rainbow theme!

paint with ploof book cover, showing a cloud painting a rainbow in the sky
the hidden rainbow book cover, with flowers arranged in the colors of the rainbow

Early Development Tip: Weather and seasons are things your children experience and can relate to. Try using their experiences to talk about the science behind weather, like rainbows. Sometimes we ourselves don’t know all the facts, but we can find out right along with our children by using books at the library. Simple scientific knowledge about everyday events gives children a strong foundation for later school learning. –from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* 
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: It’s almost springtime, and we will be seeing a lot of different kinds of weather. It can be cloudy and cold one day and sunny and warm the next day! It may rain, and it could even snow! What’s the weather like today? Let’s do a song about different kinds of weather.

Let’s see if you can tell me the weather based on these symbols.
I chose just four of these to do – snow, wind, rain, and sun. You can download my printable flannel template here!
Ukulele/Flannel Song: What’s the Weather?
(tune of: Clementine)
What’s the weather, what’s the weather,
What’s the weather, everyone?
Is it windy, is it cloudy,
Is there rain, or is there sun?
Source: Jbrary

Download a ukulele songsheet for What’s the Weather here!

what's the weather ukulele songsheet thumbnail

What's the weather flannel, showing eight circles with a blue background and various weather symbols: sun, wind, clouds, sun behind clouds, snow, rain, cloud with lightning, and fog

what's the weather thumbnail, with a graphic of four blue circles with weather symbols on them: wind, clouds, rain, and sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

When there is sunshine right after rain, it makes a… rainbow! Wow, how beautiful! What colors do we see?
I made a very simple rainbow flannel with half-circles of the colors – I didn’t count on the fact that stacking that much felt makes for a very thick rainbow! It did stay up on the board, though, so it works. I also talked a bit about how scientists differentiate between the lighter blue and the darker blue called indigo, but in our song we’ll just say the color blue to cover both. I changed the words a bit as the original said “only seen on rainy days” which felt not quite precise enough for me. (I admit I can be an unnecessarily nitpicky person!)
Flannel Song: Rainbow Colors
(tune of Twinkle Twinkle)
First comes red and orange, too
Shiny yellow, green and blue
Purple ends the arc up high
When rain and sun meet in the sky
First comes red and orange too
Yellow, green, blue, and purple, too!
Source: adapted from Metropolitan (OK) Library System

flannel of a rainbow

rainbow colors thumbnail, with a graphic of watercolor splotches running together in red, orange, yellow, green blue, indigo, and purple. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Another interactive book with Ploof! In this sequel, Ploof is trying to make a rainbow. I love that it touches on uncomfortable feelings without making them “bad” and that it celebrates trying.
Read: Paint with Ploof by Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser

paint with ploof book cover, showing a cloud painting a rainbow in the sky

A sweet book with flowers the color of the rainbow.
Backup Read: The Hidden Rainbow by Christie Matheson

the hidden rainbow book cover, with flowers arranged in the colors of the rainbow

What do we need to make a rainbow again?
Fingerplay: Big Round Sun
Big round sun in the springtime sky
Waved to a cloud that was passing by
The little cloud laughed as it started to rain
Then out came the big round sun again
[And what else came out?] A rainbow!
Source: King County (WA) Library System

big round sun thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling yellow and orange sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s do one more weather rhyme.
I added the rainbow verse to tie everything together!
Fingerplay: Rain Is Falling Down
Rain is falling down, SPLASH
Rain is falling down, SPLASH
Pitter patter, pitter patter
Rain is falling down, SPLASH

Sun is peeking out, PEEK
Sun is peeking out, PEEK
Peeking here, peeking there
Sun is peeking out, PEEK

Rainbow in the sky, WOW!
(arc hand across, then make “exclamatory wow” hands (open to interpretation))
Rainbow in the sky, WOW!
So many colors do I see
Rainbow in the sky, WOW!
Source: adapted from Jbrary

rain is falling down, rainbow edition thumbnail, with a graphic of a rainbow with a cloud in front of it and a sun behind it. the graphic is behind the text on the last verse. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

It’s time to get our scarves out! And what’s this? My ribbons! You can choose one scarf and one ribbon. I would suggest choosing two different colors! Can we make a rainbow with all these colorful scarves and ribbons?
I don’t use our ribbons often, so this was a great opportunity to hand them out – I figure why not add more color!? They really enjoyed throwing their scarves up in the air on this one.
Scarf Rhyme: Make a Rainbow
Let’s wave our scarves high!
Let’s wave our scarves low!
Let’s wave our scarves fast!
Let’s wave our scarves slow!
Now let’s crumple up our scarves
One, two, three… RAINBOW!
Source: Librionyian

make a rainbow thumbnail, with a graphic of rainbow colored lines radiating in an arc. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Wave your scarves over your head!
I think I originally saw this as a parachute song (though I didn’t note that source), with a parachute that only has red, yellow, green, and blue. To make it a rainbow, I changed the lyrics to also include orange and purple. I don’t love doing the same tune more than once in a storytime, but this one and Rainbow Colors were far enough apart that it didn’t seem too odd.
Scarf Song: These Are the Colors
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Red and yellow, Green and blue
Orange and purple over you
Red as an apple, Green as a tree
Yellow as the sun, And blue as the sea
Red and yellow, Green and blue
Orange and purple over you
Source: adapted from Storybook Stephanie

these are the colors thumbnail, with a graphic of a green tree with red apples on it, and a yellow sun rising over a blue sea. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Look, it’s raining again!
Another opportunity to let our scarves drop. Is a scarf drop the storytime equivalent of a mic drop? I think so! We did rain and sun, naturally.
Scarf Rhyme: Rain on the Green Grass
Rain on the green grass, (shake low)
Rain on the trees (shake high)
Rain on the roof (hold above head)
But not on me! (drop)
Source: Jbrary

rain on the green grass thumbnail, with a graphic of rain falling on and around a yellow umbrella. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s dance our rainbow scarves. Can you listen for your colors?
Okay, so most of my kiddos are too little to both know what colors they have and wait to do a motion during their color. But it’s fun anyway. Note that the rhyme sheet is two pages long, though the preview below shows just the first page. Click the thumbnail to download the full PDF.
Scarf Rhyme: Rainbow Dancers
Rainbow dancers: Let’s get ready
Hold your scarves nice and steady
Hear the colors of the rainbow Listen for your time to go
Shake red… Shake orange… Shake yellow… Shake green… Shake blue… Shake purple!
Red scarves: turn around
Orange scarves: up and down
Yellow scarves: reach up high
Green scarves: fly, fly, fly
Blue scarves: tickle your nose
Purple: touch your toes
Everybody dance around,
Swirl your scarves Up and down
Now: Shake purple… Shake blue… Shake green… Shake yellow… Shake orange… Shake red!
Rainbow dancers dance around
Scarves swirl up and Scarves swirl down
Our colorful dance is at an end
Thank you, thank you, All my friends!
Source: Jbrary

rainbow dancers thumbnail, with a graphic of a large wavy rainbow behind the text. Rhyme sheet is 2 pages but thumbnail only shows one. click the image to download a non-branded PDF with both pages

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Paint a Rainbow
My colleague had planned this craft, inspired by ABCDeeLearning, and she used color-coordinated pompoms held by wooden clothespins dipped in paint to make the rainbow. I decided to go an easier route and just got out our dot markers. At one time we had four of each rainbow color (which is one for each table I set up for crafts), but over time we’ve either lost a couple markers or they’ve gone dry. I replaced those with the pompoms and paint, but only needed to replace three missing markers, so it was not a lot of mess and trouble for me. Add some cotton balls and liquid glue and it’s an easy peasy craft!

rainbow dot craft on white coverstock with dotted colored arcs and cotton balls making clouds on each end of the rainbow.

And here’s my setup on each table.

craft set up, showing a rainbow coloring sheet with cotton balls, rainbow dot markers, and liquid glue

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Rainbow Bear – Bill Martin, Michael Sampson, Nathalie Beauvois
Planting A Rainbow – Lois Ehlert
A Rainbow of Rocks – Kate DePalma
Black Is a Rainbow Color – Angela Joy & Ekua Holmes
The Rainbow Snail – Karin Åkesson
Colors All Around – Wiley Blevins & Elliot Kreloff
Elmer and the Rainbow – David McKee
How Do You Eat Color? – Mabi David & Yas Doctor
Bear Sees Colors – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
Rainbow Hat – Hong Hai
Rainbow – Marion Dane Bauer & John Wallace
Raindrops to Rainbow – John Micklos Jr. & Charlene Chua
Wow, Said the Owl – Tim Hopgood

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/18/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

unearth a story CSLP graphic, with two dinosaurs reading in a jungle setting

“Unearth a Story” Ideas!

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with some storytime inspiration? I have! I was struck by the Storytime Muse with ideas for my summer programs, which will again be outdoors. During the short storytime portion, we get out our parachute and do some fun songs with it – always the same each week. I’ve themed them loosely for the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) theme that my library uses. For “All Together Now,” for example, I said we all had to work together to make the parachute move. For “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” I used tunes like Row Your Boat for an adventure on water or A Smooth Road for one on land.

This year’s theme is “Unearth a Story,” and we chose weekly themes like dinosaurs, dirt/mud, worms, and buried treasure. Having some parachute activities that fit the overall theme is perfect for my plan. I’m looking forward to using these three and maybe they will help you, too. Happy summer planning!

See detailed posts about previous Outdoor Summer Storytimes here.

unearth a story CSLP graphic, with two dinosaurs reading in a jungle setting

Not an original, but a new way to use this song for a parachute! This would be an abbreviated version, not doing the “stop and eat their food” part. We would imitate the kind of movement we’re singing about with the parachute – marching being even and steady ups and downs, tiptoeing being very tiny waves, jumping being very big ones, and running being wild, fast shaking! Then, make the earth flat by pulling the ‘chute backward. Granted, the littlest ones might not be able to follow directions well enough to actually execute that part, but preschoolers would probably love that.
Parachute Song: We Are the Dinosaurs
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching (wave chute in steady beat)
We are the dinosaurs, whaddaya think of that?
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching
We are the dinosaurs we make the earth flat (pull parachute back to make flat)
(tiptoeing, jumping, running)
Source: Laurie Berkner, from the album Whaddaya Think of That?

We are the dinosaurs thumbnail, with a graphic of dinosaurs stomping the ground (illustrations from the picture book). click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I think the hard part of this one for me will be to remember to reverse the tune so my voice is high for “first level” and goes down, since I’m so used to the opposite for the elevator version of the song!
Parachute Song: Let’s Go Digging
(tune of Let’s go Riding on an Elevator)
Let’s go digging deep in the earth, in the earth, in the earth
Let’s go digging deep in the earth, dig along with me!
[Let’s start at the ground level and dig down!]
(start with chute high and high voice)
First level, second level, third level, fourth level, fifth level… (voice goes down)
[Oh, look! I found a fossil!/buried treasure/worm/dino bone]
And up, up, up, up, up! (voice goes up)
Source: piggyback lyrics by Ms. Emily Library

Let's go digging thumbnail, with a graphic of things found underground: a worm, a bone, a fossil, and a treasure chest. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

In my groups, some kids always want to go underneath the parachute. This rhyme would be a good one to direct the adults to do the waving and the kids to go under and pretend to be worms!
Parachute Rhyme: I’m a Worm
I’m a worm and I’m wiggling so slow (wave slowly)
I help to make the flowers grow (raise parachute high on “grow”)
But when I see a bird I wiggle quickly down (wave and lower chute)
Where I can wiggle and play underground! (wave low to ground)
Source: original (Ms. Emily Library)

I'm a worm thumbnail, with a graphic of a pink earthworm peeking up from below ground. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

I saw anaconda and chez bob book covers

Storytime: Gulp! (Animals Eating Animals)

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Okay, so yes, a storytime about animals getting eaten and swallowed up by other animals may seem a little morbid or inappropriate for babies and toddlers. But there are SO MANY books, rhymes, and songs that fit this theme! Little ones delight in sharks, snakes, crocodiles, lions, and bears being fearsome and sometimes eating other animals. All the activities we did were silly and fun, and not gruesome or graphic like a Discovery Channel special. And it was very puppet-friendly so we had lots of puppets as well as flannels!

Because some of my coworkers were not convinced that “Animals Eating Animals” (the title I’d given this theme in the past) would not alarm our adult caregivers, we did officially call this storytime “Gulp! A Storytime” in our marketing. In any case, we had fun and I promise no blood was shed in storytime.

See another version of this theme from 2021.

I saw anaconda book cover, showing a very large snake looking at a pale skinned child holding binoculars
chez bob book cover, showing a yellow alligator wearing a chef's hat and tux shaking salt on a bird sitting on his nose in front of a bird-sized table.

Early Development Tip: Children have wonderful imaginations. Encourage pretend play and find ways to expand it so that children explore different situations and characters. You can enrich their play by following their lead, adding new words, offering “what if” situations, and incorporating writing and print into their play. This kind of play adds to their “sense of story.”

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* 
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: Out in the wild, animals sometimes eat other animals to stay alive. This makes them carnivores, or meat-eaters, or omnivores, which means they eat plants and animals. What about you? Are you a carnivore, omnivore, or even a herbivore (only eat plants)? One thing I love is that there are a lot of really funny stories and songs about animals eating animals!

How about turtles? They eat bugs and small fish!
I demoed this one with just my hands first, then I said, “Oh, turtle is here and wants to do this rhyme with us!” I really love this Folkmanis turtleneck turtle puppet – so adorable, and with a perfect mouth for snapping!
Fingerplay: There Was a Little Turtle
There was a little turtle (make fist with thumb sticking out)
who lived in a box (cover fist with arm)
he swam in the puddles (fist wiggles like swimming)
he climbed on the rocks (fist climbs up opposite arm)
He snapped at a mosquito, he snapped at a flea (pinch fingers)
He snapped at a minnow, he snapped at me (pinch fingers)
He caught that mosquito, He caught that flea (clap!)
He caught that minnow (clap!)
But he didn’t catch me! (waggle finger)
Source: Jbrary

There was a little turtle rhyme sheet with turtleneck turtle puppet in front of storytime easel

there was a little turtle thumbnail, with a graphic of a turtle with a green head and feet and brown shell. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Very similar to the Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly structure, but it’s an anaconda eating lots of animals (including a little kid!) Not to worry, it throws them all up at the end. Super fun with lots of interesting flaps.
Read: I Saw Anaconda by Jane Clarke & Emma Dodd

I saw anaconda book cover, showing a very large snake looking at a pale skinned child holding binoculars

This may be my all-time favorite animals eating animals book. It’s hilarious and clever, with lots of opportunities for funny voices and expressive reading. It is a little long for my littles, though, so I didn’t end up doing it. If I had a mixed group with preschoolers I definitely would, though!
Backup Read: Chez Bob by Bob Shea

chez bob book cover, showing a yellow alligator wearing a chef's hat and tux shaking salt on a bird sitting on his nose in front of a bird-sized table.

Oh, no! There’s a big snake back here!!!
I remember hearing some recording of this when I was a kid, and it’s stuck with me ever since. I got a snake puppet to “eat” me, but I’ve also seen people do this with one of those collapsible crawling tunnels and actually being “swallowed,” which is also cool!
Poem: Boa Constrictor
(your arm or your grownup can be the snake)
I’m being eaten by a boa constrictor
A boa constrictor, a boa constrictor
I’m being eaten by a boa constrictor
And I don’t like it– one bit
Well, what do you know? It’s nibblin’ my toe!
Oh Gee! It’s up to my knee! Oh My! It’s up to my thigh!
Oh Fiddle! It’s up to my middle! Oh Heck! It’s up to my neck!
Oh Dread! It’s upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff…
Source: Shel Silverstein from Where the Sidewalk Ends

boa constrictor rhyme sheet with stuffed snake on storytime easel

boa constrictor thumbnail, with a graphic of a large coiled brown snake. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

If you go to the swamp, look out for the crocodiles!
Action Rhyme: The Hungry Crocodile
Here comes the hungry crocodile with his sly, toothy smile
Going chomp chomp chomp In the swamp swamp swamp
So swim fast, fish. Birds, fly away.
Move along, turtles and crabs, Hurry on your way
For here comes the hungry crocodile w/ his sly, toothy smile
Going chomp chomp chomp In the swamp swamp swamp
Source: King County (WA) Library System

hungry crocodile thumbnail, with a graphic of a green crocodile with mouth open. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The crocodile has a cousin – the alligator!
We had this frog flannel in storage – obviously made for Five Green and Speckled Frogs, but it works just as well for this song, especially with a big alligator puppet. I love how jazzy it is!
Counting/Puppet/Flannel Song: Five Frogs
Five frogs were hoppin’ on a log
One hopped off into the pond
Then a big alligator came a-swimmin’ along
He went, “Chomp! Mm-mm.” Now he’s gone. (Count down)
Source: Anna Moo, from the album Anna Moo Crackers

flannel of 5 green frogs, each with different colored speckles. Above the flannelboard, an alligator puppet

five frogs thumbnail, with a graphic of five frogs sitting on a log with an alligator swimming in the water underneath them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Did you know there may be a CARNIVORE in your HOUSE? Who has a cat or dog?
Action Song: The Old Gray Cat
The old gray cat is sleeping, (lay head in hands)
Sleeping, sleeping
The old gray cat is sleeping
In the house (peak hands up to make a roof above head)

additional verses:
The little mice are creeping… (creep fingers)
The little mice are nibbling… (pretend to eat)
The old gray cat is creeping… (creep/stalk fingers)
The little mice go scampering… (quickly, and pat lap)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

the old gray cat thumbnail, with a graphic of a gray cat with eyes closed and two brown mice in front of her. Click the image to download a non-branded PDF.

Who said they have a dog? I have a dog, too! (show puppet)
I made a new Bark, George box! The one from my previous library was made by a volunteer and stayed there. It was fun to make my own using inspiration from Literary Commentary. To share, I showed the book and acknowledged the author, but said I’d be retelling the story with my dog puppet instead of reading the book today.
Puppet Retelling: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

Download my one-page script for Bark, George here!

bark george puppet, made from a box covered in brown paper with eyes, muzzle, ears, and tongue added. The mouth is where the box opens on a hinge.
bark george puppet, made from a box covered in brown paper with eyes, muzzle, ears, and tongue added. The mouth is where the box opens on a hinge. Shown in this picture with a frog puppet halfway out of the mouth.

bark george book cover showing a picture of a brown dog looking up

I had this on my list as an optional song so I didn’t end up using it for time, but it is a really fun one. I usually say, something like, “Let’s do a song about a baby shark! OH, not THAT baby shark!” I don’t think I’ll ever do Baby Shark in storytime again. Since it got popular it’s been ruined for me!
Action Song: The Shark Song
Oh, there’s a shark, do-do, do-do-do
A baby shark, do-do, do-do-do
He lives in the ocean, do-do, do-do-do
He eats fish, CHOMP-CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!
He has a fin, do-do, do-do-do
A dorsal fin, do-do, do-do-do
And that’s the end, do-do, do-do-do
[But it’s not the end! What about sister shark?]
(repeat with sister, mama, daddy, grandma, etc)
Source: The Ooey Gooey Lady

the shark song thumbnail, with a graphic of a happy looking shark and two small fish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s turn to the ocean. Oh, here’s a little fish. Little fish is just swimming along…
Yes, I changed great white shark to mako shark because I read that mako sharks actually do eat octopus AND have been found in the bellies of sperm whales. Science! Someday I will redo this flannel to make each piece a little larger than the last one rather than being mostly the same size. I didn’t use the tuna fish for this group, just to make it a little shorter.
Action/Flannel Song: Slippery Fish
Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through the water,
Slippery fish, slippery fish, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp!
Oh, no! It’s been eaten by an …

Jellyfish … floating in the water
Octopus … squiggling in the water
[Tuna fish … flashing in the water]
Mako shark … lurking in the water
Humongous whale … spouting in the water…
Gulp! … Gulp! … Gulp! … BURP!
(Cover mouth) Excuse you!
Source: Jbrary

slippery fish flannel, showing a small green fish, a pink jellyfish, a gray octopus, a white tuna fish, the head of a gray shark with mouth open, and a blue whale

slippery fish thumbnail, with a graphic of a small blue fish, pink jellyfish, red octopus, shark with an open mouth, and big blue whale. The whale is behind the text. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Shark Attack Craft
Inspired by this newsprint shark craft from iHeartCraftyThings, this was a silly shark scene. It did involve a lot of pieces and gluing. I enlisted the help of volunteers to cut everything out (and just used gray construction paper rather than newsprint.) I also added a small die-cut fish for the shark to be about to eat! I am thinking about making glue sponges for the future – they seem a lot easier than glue sticks. What do you think? Has anyone used them before? If I’d had more time, I might have pre-glued the shark and the water and let them do the facial features, but it seemed to work out and I didn’t get any complaints from grownups.

Shark craft showing a large shark face looking down at the water in front o fit where a little green fish is swimming. There are lots of sharp white teeth!

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree – Daniel Bernstrom & Brendan Wenzel
One Day at the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea – Daniel Bernstrom & Brandon James Scott
Swallow the Leader – Danna Smith & Kevin Sherry
That is NOT a Good Idea! – Mo Willems
Lucky Duck – Greg Pizzoli
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean – Kevin Sherry
What Does an Anteater Eat? – Ross Collins
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly – Simms Taback
Duckworth, the Difficult Child – Michael Sussman & Júlia Sardà
Don’t Eat Eustace – Lian Cho
One Fox – Kate Read
Seals Are Jerks! – Jared Chapman
The Wolf, the Duck, & the Mouse – Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
I’m Hungry! / ¡Tengo hambre! – Angela Dominguez 
This is Not My Hat – Jon Klassen
I Want My Hat Back – Jon Klassen
Mina – Matthew Forsythe
Tadpole’s Promise – Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross
Pierre – Maurice Sendek
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates – Ryan T Higgins
Carnivores – Aaron Reynolds & Dan Santat

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/11/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

will ladybug hug and can i give you a squish book covers

Storytime: Hugs

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Hugs is a great generic theme to use the week of Valentine’s Day without explicitly dealing with the holiday. Most toddlers are very hug-positive, though it’s also a great opportunity to introduce the idea of consent and that perhaps not everyone likes hugs, or there may be times they prefer not to hug. I also love that we can do lots of self-hugs, which are always available!

See another version of this theme from 2021.

will ladybug hug book cover, with an illustration of a friendly open armed ladybug
Can I give you a squish book cover, with an enthusiastic merboy with arms raised looking at friends dolphin, crab, octopus, and fish.

Early Development Tip: (two tips again today!) Rhymes can boost memory retention. The repetition and predictability of rhyming words allow children to anticipate what’s coming next, helping them build vocabulary and comprehension skills.
Help your child understand that their bodies are their own and that they have the right to make decisions about their body. This includes letting your child decide if they would like to offer or receive a hug or kiss from family members or friends rather than making them. Learn more about discussing consent with young children here: https://tinyurl.com/mr2mt6k4

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* 
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: There are lots of ways to tell someone you love them. We can use our words – let’s say “I love you!”. We can sign it with our hands – do you know the ASL sign? [demo] We can write it on a card. OR you might ask if you can give them a hug. Sometimes you don’t feel like giving a hug, or you might not feel comfortable with a hug. That’s okay! It’s always okay to say, “I don’t feel like a hug right now.” And your friends may also feel that way, so it’s always a good idea to ask before giving hugs.

Let’s practice giving ourselves a hug!
Action Rhyme: Up and Down
Put your arms up, Put your arms down
Put them in the middle, Move them all around
One arm to the left, One arm to the right
Give yourself a hug, And hold on tight!
Source: Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Public Library

up and down thumbnail, with a graphic of two children with light brown skin hugging themselves. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

A perfect book for toddlers about celebrating different kinds of hugs, including respecting others’ wishes not to hug. It’s short and to the point and very cute.
Read: Will Ladybug Hug? by Hilary Leung

will ladybug hug book cover, with an illustration of a friendly open armed ladybug

I used this one for my evening session of this program, which is open to older kids (up to age 5.) I tend to have an older crowd, so I try to choose books that are just a little bit longer and more story-driven than the ones I choose for the littles. This one also shows different kinds of affection as well as big hugs for Mama.
Backup Reads: Can I Give You a Squish? by Emily Neilson

Can I give you a squish book cover, with an enthusiastic merboy with arms raised looking at friends dolphin, crab, octopus, and fish.

There’s a missing word in this rhyme, can you guess it?
Flannel Rhyme: Looking for a …
I’m looking for something warm and snug
You open your arms and give a great big…
…rug? NO! …bug? NO! …mug? NO! …plug? NO! …pug? NO! …slug? EW, NO! …hug? YES!
Source: Pasadena Public Library

Laminated clipart of a green rug, cartoon ladybug, blue mug, orange electrical cord and plug, pug dog, yellow slug, and an icon of a "hug" - pink heart with arms around it.

looking for a hug thumbnail, with a graphic of a stylized "hug" - a pink heart with arms crossed around it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

There are lots of ways to hug. Here are a few for inspiration from The Catalogue of Hugs by Joshua David Stein, Augustus Heeren Stein & Elizabeth Lilly. [show 3-4 examples]
Such a cute book, but I didn’t want to use it for my read aloud, so I shoehorned a couple pages in here!

book cover for catalogue of hugs, showing a child hanging off her adult's outstretched arm ("the sloth")

Bounce: Bounce, Tickle, Hug
I bounce you here, I bounce you there
I bounce you, bounce you everywhere
I tickle you here, I tickle you there
I tickle you, tickle you everywhere
I hug you here, I hug you there
I hug you, hug you everywhere
Source: Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Public Library

bounce, tickle, hug thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

In creating the rhyme sheet for this one, I had to look hard to find an example of heart hands that are made like the rhyme. Most show the bottom of the heart made with the thumbs!
Did you know you can make a heart shape with your hands? Here’s how:
Fingerplay: Make a Heart
I put my hands together (hands palm-to-palm)
This is how I start
I curve my fingers right around (curl fingertips)
And I can make a heart!
Source: Verona Story Time

make a heart thumbnail, with a photograph of light skinned hands making a heart in the manner described by the rhyme. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Make your heart hands when we say “love!”
I skipped this for time for the second program.
Action Song: Love, Love, Love
(tune of Three Blind Mice)
Love, love, love, Love, love, love (make heart hands)
See how it grows, see how it grows
I love my friends and they love me
We love others and then, you see
There’s more than enough for my family
It’s love, love, love
Source: Preschool Education

love love love thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of light skinned arms hugging a red heart. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s an old song about loving someone sooo much!
Not directly a hug song, but I always get so much enthusiasm from the adults for this. I think many of them forgot about the song but remembered it from their childhoods. I hope they sing it with their kids now they are reminded!
Action Song: Skinnamarink
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo, I love you!
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo, I love you!
I love you in the morning, and in the afternoon
I love you in the evening, underneath the moon
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo, I love you!
Source: traditional Find hand motions at this video from Jbrary.

skinnamarink thumbnail, with a graphic of small red hearts scattered on the margins. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Okay, it’s time to get out our scarves! Can you shake out your scarf and make sure it’s working right?
This is a good one to get us comfortable using our scarves.
Scarf Song: One Bright Scarf
One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow
Toss it up high, and wave it down low
Wiggle it fast, and wiggle it slow (hide the scarf)
Hey! Where did it go? (bring out) Here it is!
Source: Jbrary

one bright scarf thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow scarf. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can you pretend your scarf is a loving ladybug? She wants to hug you!
This was of most relevance after reading Will Ladybug Hug, but it worked fine for the other program, too.
Scarf Rhyme: Ladybug, Ladybug
Ladybug, ladybug, Fly out of the farm
And land right on my little arm
Ladybug, ladybug Fly out of the tree,
And land right on my little knee
Ladybug, ladybug Fly out of your bed
And land right on my little head
Ladybug, ladybug Fly out of the rose
And land right on my little nose
Source: Storytime Secrets

ladybug ladybug thumbnail, with a graphic of a flying ladybug, whose flight path is indicated by a dotted line which includes a heart shape. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now your scarf is a teddy bear – or your favorite stuffy or lovey! Can you give him a cuddle and a hug?
Scarf Song: Hug Your Bear
(tune of Row Your Boat)
Hug, hug, hug your bear
Squeeze him very tight
Hold him high and help him fly (toss scarf)
Then hug with all your might
Source: Jbrary

hug your bear thumbnail, with a graphic of a teddy bear hugging a pink heart. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Stamped Hearts Craft
A second craft using hearts in two weeks! Oh, well, ’tis the season. My colleague planned this one – we used toilet paper tubes that were bent into a heart shape as well as pieces of celery to stamp hearts on pink paper. They turned out super sweet!

picture of light pink paper stamped with white, red, and dark pink hearts.

Here’s what the toilet paper tubes looked like – I forgot to take a picture of the setup as a whole. They aren’t hard to bend, but they generally only look good from one end. We also used our art smocks, which are always nice to have on hand whenever paint is out.

toilet paper tubes bent into heart shapes, with a piece of celery on a paper plate. also pictured is a pink art smock folded up.

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Kitty’s Cuddles – Jane Cabrera
How to Hug – Maryann Macdonald & Jana Christy
Hug Machine – Scott Campbell
Don’t Hug Doug – Carrie Finison & Daniel Wiseman
I Hug – David McPhail
Group Hug – Jean Reidy & Joey Chou
Hug Me, Please! – Przemysław Wechterowicz & Emilia Dziubak
10 Hugs and Kisses – Nicola Slater & Chronicle Books
How To Send A Hug – Hayley Rocco & John Rocco
Hugs are (Not) for Everybody – Ella Russell & Udayana Lugo
I Need A Hug – Aaron Blabey
So Many Cuddles – Ruth Austin & Clare Owen
The Hug – Eoin McLaughlin & Polly Dunbar
The Perfect Hug – Joanna Walsh & Judi Abbot
The Very Best Hug – Smriti Prasadam-Halls & Alison Brown
Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug – Jonathan Stutzman

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/18 & 2/19/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

cat knit, don't worry wuddles, and knit together book covers

Storytime: Knitting & Yarn

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Any other knitters out there? Knitting and yarn is a fun storytime theme and I love that I get to share one of my hobbies with the littles. They always have some wide eyes when I show them a couple of knit stitches, and it’s a great way to think about the origins of things, tracing a sweater or hat all the way back to sheep. I did make up a couple of piggyback songs for this one (the first time I did this theme) and they work pretty well.

One thing I struggled a bit with is using Baa Baa Black Sheep. I couldn’t think of another way to use my “naked sheep” flannel and I wanted to do a sheep activity of some kind. I took another look at the origins and decided to use the song, though I did make some slight changes. I believe this is one of those rhymes that originally did not have any racial meaning, though of course connotative meanings get added over time and can also do real harm even if they weren’t original. The document that I have seen in the past of a list of problematic rhymes and songs has two notations for this song. The first looks to be the song basically as we sing it today, and the illustration does not show anything objectionable that I could tell – I’m not sure why it was listed in the document. The second is from a book called “Negro Folk Rhymes” which *does* include objectionable language, but from what I can tell is an adaptation of the original and not widely known. The tune to the song is the same as Twinkle Twinkle and the ABCs, so that’s not something that is tied to racism (unlike the “One Little, Two Little” song.) So, I did not do any “black sheep” verses, opting instead to do red, blue, and pink, and changed the word “master” to “mister.” Is it enough? I hope so. If you have an opinion that respectfully disagrees, I would love to hear it. And I’d love to hear alternative options for different colored and naked sheep flannel games, too!

See another version of this theme from 2021.

cat knit book cover, showing a irritated dark gray cat tangled up in red yarn, with the ball end in the foreground with a pair of knitting needles in it.
don't worry wuddles book cover, showing a shaggy sheep with a small yellow duckling making off with some wool.
knit together book cover, showing a mother and daughter hugging. The daughter is wearing a knit hat and scarf and the title is made with red yarn.

Early Development Tip: (two tips today!) Lacing activities help children develop fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination, motor planning, visual perception, improved attention, patience, and perseverance. In addition, lacing helps children practice the precursor skills for shoe tying and writing.
We count up and down from the number five often in storytime! It’s a great idea to mix it up sometimes and choose a different number to start with, such as in our rhyme “Six Balls of Yarn.”

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* 
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: [Have some knitting to show.] This is yarn! And I’m knitting with my yarn! Knitting is a way to make yarn into clothes like sweaters, mittens, hats, scarves. Is anyone wearing a something made of yarn today? Are any grownups knitters?

In order to knit, your fingers need to be all warmed up. And someone who really knows how to weave and knit a beautiful web is spider!
Okay, a bit of a stretch, but it was a good way to get us started. I always repeat this one with GREAT BIG SPIDER with your whole hand and sing loudly and tiny shy spider with fingertips in a whisper.
Fingerplay: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again
Source: traditional

the itsy bitsy spider thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling spider next to a rain gutter attached to a red brick wall. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

A funny and short book, perfect for my group. Lots of smiles and laughs.
Read: Cat Knit by Jacob Grant

cat knit book cover, showing a irritated dark gray cat tangled up in red yarn, with the ball end in the foreground with a pair of knitting needles in it.

Knit Togetheris a lovely story about a girl and her mom who work on designing a knit piece together, but my library doesn’t actually own it. I borrowed it from my home library as a backup but didn’t end up using it. My library DOES have Don’t Worry Wuddles, which is a cute one about a duckling who takes all of a sheep’s wool to keep the other animals warm, but it’s a little ambiguous about knitting – it kind of looks like the yarn is just wound around the animals.
Backup Reads: Knit Together by Angela Dominguez OR Don’t Worry Wuddles by Lita Judge

knit together book cover, showing a mother and daughter hugging. The daughter is wearing a knit hat and scarf and the title is made with red yarn.
don't worry wuddles book cover, showing a shaggy sheep with a small yellow duckling making off with some wool.

Do you know where woolen yarn comes from? Sheep! Sheep’s wool come in different colors, like white, black, gray, and brown, just like we have different hair colors. But I have some EXTRAORDINARY colored sheep!
See my note above for all my dithering about using this rhyme. I do like the second and third verses, I found them at Book Besotted Librarian but I don’t know if they are traditional or not. The last verse I’ve previously attributed to Piper Loves the Library (where I definitely stole the flannel pattern), but going to the site her rhyme is much different. It’s possible I made it up, but I don’t remember! The flannel is fun – the “naked sheep” has a removable sweater! Note that the rhyme sheet is two pages; the preview only shows the first, but the PDF includes both.
Nursery Rhyme: Baa, Baa, Sheep
Baa, baa red sheep have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full
One for the mister, One for the dame
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane

Baa baa blue sheep have you any wool?
Yes, ma’am, yes ma’am, three needles full
One to mend a jumper, One to mend a frock
And one for the little girl, With holes in her socks

Baa baa pink sheep have you any wool?
Yes, child, yes, child, three bags full
One for the kitten, One for the cats
And one for the guinea pigs to knit some woolly hats

Baa baa, naked sheep have you any wool?
No, friend, no, friend, I’m cold right through!
Baa baa, naked sheep, what can we do?
Knit a sweater for me and you!
Source: traditional, 2nd and 3rd verses from Book Besotted Librarian, last vs adapted from Piper Loves the Library

flannel for baa baa sheep, showing sheep with red, blue and pink wool, and a sheep wearing a striped sweater.

baa baa sheep page one of two, thumbnail, with a graphic of a dark faced sheep with red wool and a light faced sheep with blue wool. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Sometimes I put on glasses to read a book or to do my knitting!
We practice putting our glasses on and off, and opening and closing our books before we started. For “yarn” I pretended to hold a ball of yarn, and for “knit” I fiddled my fingers together.
Action Song: These Are My Glasses
These are my glasses, And this is my book
I put on my glasses, And open up the book
Now I read, read, read, And I look, look, look
I put down my glasses and…
WHOOP! Close up the book

These are my glasses, And this is my yarn
I put on my glasses And start to knit my yarn
Now I look, look, look, And I knit, knit, knit
I put down my glasses and…
WHOOP! It’s time to quit
Source: Laurie Berkner, from the album Whaddaya Think of That?
second verse by Ms. Emily

These are my glasses thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of glasses, a green book, a pair of knitting needles, and a skein of pink yarn. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I have some lovely yarn here! What colors do you see?
I used only six colors from my Ten Balls of Yarn set, as ten gets a bit much for this age. The flannel was a labor of love. I am so pleased with how it turned out, even though it was a lot of work! Click the link for more on how I made it, plus a downloadable template. For this storytime, I made a new felt basket to put them in! I also used a cat puppet to pull the balls off of the flannelboard.
Counting Rhyme: Six Balls of Yarn
Six balls of yarn, sitting in a bowl
One fell out and started to…. ROLL (roll arms)
It bounced on my foot and there it sits
How many balls are left to knit?
(count down to one)
Source: Canton Public Library (MI)

picture of ten balls of yarn flannel updated with a brown basket. The yarn colors are purple, green, white, blue, black, red, orange, yellow, brown, and pink.

six balls of yarn thumbnail, with a graphic of six multicolored yarn balls in a basket. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm clothes can be knitted with warm yarn – like a sweater!
I have not figured out motions for this song that work REALLY well – I directed the group to rub their arms during the first part of the song, and do an exaggerated forward and back motion with their arms during the “bring back” portion. I played this on ukulele, so I wasn’t able to do any of the motions myself, which always makes it harder.
Ukulele Song: My Sweater
(tune of My Bonnie)
My sweater is warm and cozy
My sweater is warm and dry
When I play in very cold weather
Oh, bring me a sweater to wear
Oh, bring me, bring me, bring me a sweater to wear, to wear
Bring me, bring me, oh bring me a sweater to wear!
Source: Johnson County (KS) Library

Get a copy of the ukulele song sheet for My Bonnie!

my bonnie ukulele songsheet thumbnail

my sweater thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange turtleneck sweater with a heart. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Rhythm Sticks Intro: Let’s get out our rhythm sticks and practice! Can you make your sticks go Fast & Loud? Slow & Quiet? In a Circle? Drive them like a car? Rest them on your shoulders? Tap the ground? Okay, listen carefully! Fast, Quiet, Shoulders, etc.
It’s always good to do some practice with the sticks before we really get started. I use unsharpened pencils instead of traditional rhythm sticks to make it easier for the littles.

Let’s pretend our sticks are knitting needles!
I actually have a pair of jumbo knitting needles, so that’s what I used for my sticks! I have used variations on this rhyme many times – it works really well! This time I wanted to capitalize on the sticks, so made sure we did some tapping and rolling. The tricky one was tapping your sticks while turning in a circle, but the challenge made it fun.
Rhythm Stick Rhyme: Knitting Needles UP
Knitting needles up!
Knitting needles down!
Tap your knitting needles and turn around
Knitting needles up!
Knitting needles down!
Roll your knitting needles around and around
Source: One Little Librarian

knitting needles up thumbnail, with a graphic of a light skinned hand holding a pair of knitting needles. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What kinds of noises do our needles make?
Rhythm Stick Song: Click Clack Went the Knitting Needles
(tune of Mmm Ahh Went the Little Green Frog)
Click, clack went the knitting needles one day (pretend to knit)
Click, clack went the knitting needles
Click, clack went the knitting needles one day,
and they both went click clack click!

But… We know needles go
Tappy-tappy-tap! Tappy-tappy-tap! (big taps!)
Tappy-tappy-tap!
We know needles go
Tappy-tappy-tap!
They don’t go click, click, clack

Additional verse:
Roll, roll went the big ball of yarn one day… (roll arms/sticks)
But… we know yarn goes
Bouncy-bouncy-bounce… (bounce sticks in a vertical position)
Source: Canton Public Library (MI)

click clack thumbnail, with a graphic of some green yarn being knit into a smallswatch. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can you listen carefully to the instructions in this song?
This was a song that a colleague played every week in storytime at my old library. It’s fun and has some good instructions, but isn’t too hard. I even had one caregiver ask about it afterwards as she wanted to play it at home!
Recorded Rhythm Stick Song: Tap Your Sticks
Source: Hap Palmer, from the album Rhythms on Parade

image of Rhythms on Parade album cover showing animals following a kangaroo

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Yarn Hearts Craft
As this was the week before Valentine’s Day, I chose a craft that could be made into a Valentine if they wished. We have a die cut for a large heart with scalloped edges, so I cut those out in pink paper. Then I cut short lengths of yarn in varying colors and provided liquid glue for adhesion. Tip: wrap yarn around your hand (4 fingers) many times, then cut the whole bunch at the bottom and the top for neat, even short lengths of yarn. I mentioned that kids could follow the lines of glue on their papers or just scattershot, making sure their yarn was touching some glue. For even older kids, you could encourage them to draw or write with the glue and then follow it with the yarn. It’s a craft that scales for age!

photo of a pink heart with scallops around the edge with colored yarn glued on in a haphazard way.

Is it helpful to see the setup for crafts? This is what it looked like on each table. I put everything on a messy tray except some baby wipes for gluey hands.

photo of craft setup, showing piles of different colored yarn, pink paper hearts, and liquid glue on a messy tray, with a package of baby wipes on the table next to it.

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Where Is the Green Sheep? – Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
Extra Yarn – Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
Sweater Weather – Matt Phelan
Hide and Sheep – Andrea Beaty & Bill Mayer
A Hat for Mrs. Goldman – Michelle Edwards & G Brian Karas
While We Wait – Judy Ann Sadler & Élodie Duhameau
Silli’s Sheep – Tiffany Stone & Louis Thomas
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters – KG Campbell
The Mitten – Jan Brett
Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep – Eric Barclay
Knitty Kitty – David Elliott & Christopher Denise
If You Want to Knit Some Mittens – Laura Purdie Salas & Angela Matteson
Penguin in Love – Salina Yoon

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/11/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

say hello like this and hello hello book covers

Storytime: Hello & Goodbye

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Some of baby’s first gestures are waves, so a hello and goodbye theme is great for babies and toddlers! We did a lot of waving and smiling and tried different kinds of greetings. My coworker did the majority of the planning and a lot of the rhyme sheet designs this week, though I did move a few things around and added one song I really wanted to try with this group. We thankfully have the freedom to be flexible with our own styles. I did try to balance hello and goodbye, but we may have skewed a little more on the hello side.

See another version of this theme from 2021.

say hello like this book cover, with an illustration of two yellow chicks peeping
Hello, Hello, book cover, with illustrations of colorful animals including a pangolin, iguana, lizard, fish, and a Rhinoceros Hornbill bird.

Early Literacy Tip: The concept of loud and soft plays an important role in music and throughout life. Children need to know when a loud voice is OK and when a soft voice is required. Through music they can have fun learning the difference between loud and soft. from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* 
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: We can say hello & goodbye in many different ways – hi, howdy, hiya, bye, see ya, later! If you speak another language, you may have different words, like in Spanish you can say hola and adios. You might say hello and goodbye without words, like giving someone a hive five or fist-bump. Sometimes saying goodbye to things or people we love can be hard, but each goodbye brings a chance for a new hello!

Here’s a fingerplay you might know about friends saying hello and goodbye!
I gave the adults a heads up that the last line is a bit different from what they may have learned (the traditional “run away” is not really the best way to say goodbye!)
Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am! Here I am!
How are you today, friend? Very well, I thank you!
Say goodbye. Say goodbye.
Source: traditional

where is thumbkin thumbnail, with a graphic of two hands of light skin tone giving the thumbs up gesture. The pads of the thumbs have smiley faces on them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

If you were a dog what might you say to say hello? What if you were a cow?
I do this one very often with my Book Babies programs, but hardly ever with the toddlers. They loved seeing the puppets and making the animal noises.
Puppet Song: Dog Says Hello
(tune of Farmer In The Dell)
The dog says hello
The dog says hello
Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof
The dog says hello
(Repeat with other animals)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

the dog says hello thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon puppy with a speech bubble saying woof! click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Lots of fun and opportunities for movement and noises to make.
Read: Say Hello Like This! by Mary Murphy

say hello like this book cover, with an illustration of two yellow chicks peeping

My backup. I wish there was a nice title that includes both hellos and goodbyes featuring humans and simple enough for toddlers. Tall order! This one only seems tangentially related to greetings, but it is a beautiful book.
Read: Hello, Hello by Brendan Wenzel

Hello, Hello, book cover, with illustrations of colorful animals including a pangolin, iguana, lizard, fish, and a Rhinoceros Hornbill bird.

Action Rhyme: How Do You Say Hello?
Hey! Hi! Howdy! Yo!
There are many ways to say hello!
Wave your hand, Nod your head
Smile big or wink instead
Blow a kiss, Tip your hat
Shake your hands, Give a pat
Of all the ways to say hello,
Here’s the way I like to go…
HELLO! (choose your favorite!)
Source: Storytime Katie

how do you say hello thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a cowboy tipping his hat. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s practice saying hello and goodbye in different ways!
I chose a few words ahead: HELLO Quiet, loud, happily, GOODBYE silly, sadly, musically (like an opera singer!)
Action Rhyme: Bread and Butter
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam (pat knees rhythmically)
Let’s say hello as quiet as we can
Hello! (whisper)
Source: traditional

bread and butter thumbnail, with a graphic of anthropomorphic pat of butter and toast standing next to a jar of strawberry and grape jams. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

When we wave, we use our hands – let’s open and shut them.
Open Shut Them is a rhyme I’ve known for a long time – the person doing storytime here 20 years ago used it regularly. This is not that version (lay them in your lap, lap, lap), but a hello and goodbye version.
Fingerplay: Open Them Shut Them
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Put your hands down low, low, low
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Wave and say hello-lo-lo!

Open, shut them, open, shut them
Raise your hands up high, high, high
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Wave and say goodbye, bye, bye!
Source: One Little Librarian

open shut them thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s try this goodbye song.
This is the goodbye song my home library uses! I searched online and it appears to be an Mother Goose on the Loose song.
Action Song: Can You Kick with Two Feet?
Can you kick with two feet?
Two feet? Two feet?
Can you kick with two feet?
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick

additional verses:
Can you clap with two hands…
Can you kiss with two lips… (blow kisses)
Can you wave bye-bye…
Source: Mother Goose on the Loose via the IndyPL

can you kick thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling and waving happy frog. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get out our shakers! Can we sing hello to them?
My colleague put the words for the hello and goodbye portion of this on the same rhyme sheet, but I did them separately, so I just flipped back to the sheet when I was ready to put them away.
Shaker Song: Hello, Shakers
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Hello, shakers!
Hello, shakers!
Hello, shakers!
It’s nice to play with you!
Source: adapted from our hello song

hello, shakers thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow egg with a speech bubble saying hello and a blue egg with a speech bubble saying goodbye. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Shaker Song: Can You Shake?
(tune of London Bridge)
Can you shake along with me?
Along with me, along with me?
Can you shake along with me?
Put your shaker on your… knee!
(repeat with different body parts)
Source: Jbrary

can you shake thumbnail, with a graphic of a blue and a green egg shape with motion lines around them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The recording sings “clap” but we sang “shake” for the first verse.
Recorded Shaker Song: Clap Everybody and Say Hello
Clap everybody and say hello
Clap everybody and say hello
Clap everybody and say hello
No matter what the weather
(repeat: stamp, wiggle, jump, dance, sing)
Source: Kathy Reid-Naiman, from the album Sally Go Round the Sun

shake everybody and say hello thumbnail, with a graphic of five shaker eggs of varying colors. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

A reprise of our “Hello Shakers!”
Shaker Song: Goodbye, Shakers
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Goodbye, shakers!
Goodbye, shakers!
Goodbye, shakers!
We’ll see you again soon!
Source: adapted from our hello song

hello, shakers thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow egg with a speech bubble saying hello and a blue egg with a speech bubble saying goodbye. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Hello, Goodbye, Worm Craft
My colleague put this one together – it’s so cute. We have dies for a worm and a rectangular sheet with a square flap cut out. So the idea is to make our own lift-the-flaps so we can say hello and goodbye to the worm. She drew a window (though I noted that they could draw a door if they wanted) which opened to see the worm.

collage of three pictures of the craft - one showing the folded sheet closed, with a window drawn on. The second shows a flap opened (window pane) showing a worm. Third showing the folded sheet open, showing the full landscape of the worm on grass.

Is it helpful to see the setup for crafts? This is what it looked like on each table. I put everything on a messy tray.

craft setup for worm craft, showing die cut worms, die cut papers with flaps in several colors, glue sticks and crayons.

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Hello – Aiko Ikegami
Hello, Baby! – Mem Fox & Steve Jenkins
Hello, Day! – Anita Lobel
Hello Day – Charlie Mylie
Hello, Sun! – Sarah Jane Hinder
Hello, Friend! Hola, Amigo! – 123 Andrés & Sara Palacios
Hello, Hello Opposites – Brendan Wenzel
Hello, New House – Jane Smith
Hello, Tobi! – Andrea Cáceres
Hey, Wake Up! – Sandra Boynton
Ploof – Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser
Hello Goodbye Dog – Maria Gianferrari & Patrice Barton
Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! – Cori Doerrfeld
Bad Bye, Good Bye – Deborah Underwood & Jonathan Bean
Bye Bye Time – Elizabeth Verdick & Marieka Heinlen
Bye-Bye, Crib – Alison McGhee & Ross MacDonald
Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away – Meg Medina & Sonia Sánchez
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodbye? – Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
The Goodbye Book – Todd Parr

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/4/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

all are neighbors and they're heroes too book covers

Storytime: Community

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Our library stays open for holidays like Veteran’s Day, President’s Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr Day. The idea is that these are holidays that have some deep meaning behind them and we should be available to provide information, education, and context. These usually end up being some of our busiest days, since kids are out of school and some other businesses are closed. This year, my coworker and I decided to do a “Community” theme for the week of MLK Day, since it is also a day of community service.

This theme was a little tricky to plan. I really wanted to focus on the community/communities that kids are a part of, as well as what it means to be a good community member. Searching for “Community Storytimes” online brought back results about “Community Helpers” almost exclusively. That is more about the jobs that people do rather than what a community is and how we can be a part of it. It also made searching for books more difficult, for the same reason. But I widened my searches to friendship, neighborhoods, citizenship, helping, and anything else I could think of and I’m really happy with the plan I put together. It’s simple enough to work well for toddlers, while still focusing on the aspects of the theme I wanted to hit, which did include community helpers, but didn’t focus on that concept alone. It flowed well and everyone seemed to enjoy it. (Gee, how many times can I write “community” in this intro?!)

all are neighbors book cover, showing diverse children playing
They're Heroes Too book cover, showing characters from the book, varying and diverse community helpers.

Early Literacy Tip: Singing games and playing music in groups encourage social responsiveness. Such activities also help your child learn to feel comfortable in a group setting. When your child begins school, such positive associations will help them adjust to being part of a class. from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* 

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* 
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* 

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: We live in a community of people, and the people in our community help each other. Some people have jobs that let them help others. Many people are helpful even outside of their job! We can all do our part to make our community beautiful and welcoming.

Here’s a rhyme about some of those helpers and the jobs they do.
My nod to the community helpers idea! But I liked that the last line puts it back on the kids to be helper, and asks them to think about what they would like to do to help.
Fingerplay: This Little Helper
This helper builds our houses (thumb)
This helper brings our mail (pointer)
This helper teaches the children (middle)
And this one has groceries to sell (ring)
And this little helper, yes, it’s me (pinky)
When I grow up, what kind of helper will I be?
Source: North Olympic (WA) Library System

this little helper thumbnail, with a graphic of a handprint with each finger a different color. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Such a great book, with so much diversity and inclusion!
Read: All Are Neighbors by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman

all are neighbors book cover, showing diverse children playing

Although this one is, yes, about community helpers, it also shows that kids can be hero helpers, too, which I loved. I think that is the element that is missing from too many of the other jobs books and lesson plans.
Read: They’re Heroes, Too: A Celebration of Community by Pat Brisson & Anait Semirdzhyan

They're Heroes Too book cover, showing characters from the book, varying and diverse community helpers.

What does your neighborhood look like?
The easiest community to understand, I think, is the physical one of a neighborhood.
Fingerplay: Five Little Houses
One little house, all alone it stood (count on fingers)
Then another was built. There grows the neighborhood!
(count up)

Five little houses, All together they stood
On a beautiful street in a happy neighborhood
Source: Jbrary

five little houses thumbnail, with a graphic of a colorful group of houses on a street with a tree and sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We can start being a helper by being a good neighbor! Let’s greet each other
I simplified the actions on this a little bit, and changed hip bump to fist bump. I don’t love doing two songs with the same tune, but occasionally it’s fine.
Action Song: Hello, Neighbor
(tune of Goodnight Ladies)
Hello, neighbor (wave)
What do you say? (high five)
It’s going to be a beautiful day
Greet your neighbor (wave)
Boogie on down (wiggle)
Give a bump (fist bump)
And turn around!
Source: Dr. Jean Feldman

Hello neighbor thumbnail, with a graphic of 9 diverse children greeting each other. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s sing an old song about how good it is when we get together and work together
ASL Song: The More We Get Together
See ASL movements here: https://youtu.be/YZLlZoD3gU8
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together the happier we’ll be
For your friends are my friends
and my friends are your friends
The more we get together the happier we’ll be

The more we read together, together, together
the more we read together the happier we’ll be
Read big books and small books (hands wide and then close horizontally)
Read short books and tall books (hands close and then wide vertically)
The more we read together the happier we’ll be
Source: traditional, verse 2: Story Time Secrets

the more we get together thumbnail, with a graphic of hearts and books. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Parachute Intro: A parachute is really hard to have fun with all by yourself. We need a community of friends!
I don’t get the parachute out very often for our indoor storytimes, so it’s a treat when we do.

If we lived in a tall apartment building, we could visit our neighbors by riding in the elevator!
Parachute Song: Let’s Go Riding On an Elevator
Let’s go riding on an elevator, elevator, elevator
Let’s go riding on an elevator, Ride along with me!
First floor, Second floor, Third floor, Fourth floor, Fifth floor…
And down-down-down-down-down!
Source: Jbrary

let's go riding on an elevator thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a set of elevator doors. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s work together to row the boat!
I remind everyone to start rowing very gently, then after the first verse, say, “Oh, the wind is picking up, can we row more firmly?” and before the third verse, “Oh, no, there’s a storm! Row as strongly as you can!”
Parachute Song: Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream (wave gently)
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
(wave more intensely and replace “gently” with firmly and strongly)
Source: traditional

row your boat thumbnail, with a graphic of a brown rowboat with oars. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Breathing Break: Wow, rowing the boat really made me out of breath! Can we take a little breathing break? Let’s breathe in when we lift up, breathe out when we set it down. I repeat for about 5 breaths.

At this point, they don’t care about anything but shaking the parachute and crawling under it, so it doesn’t really matter how it connects to the theme! Our space and the participants are such that it would be difficult to actually walk in a circle for this one, so we just wave it and fall and then get back up.
Scarf/Parachute Song: Ring Around the Rosie
Ring around the rosie (walk in a circle and/or wave the parachute)
A pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down! (stay seated/down)

Cows are in the meadow
Eating buttercups
Thunder, lightning, (vigorous waving)
We all stand up! (stand!)
Source: traditional

ring around the rosie thumbnail, with a graphic of a pocket with flowers coming out of it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is a great way to put the parachute away. I ask for only grownups to hold on, and then let them know they are letting go at the end.
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly
(tune of Skip to my Lou)
(kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower)
Up, up, up it goes,
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky
Count to 3 and watch it fly
Spoken:
Up on one…
Down on two…
Up on three…
and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves)
Source: Gymboree

parachute fly thumbnail, with an aerial photo of children holding the edges of a multicolored parachute. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: My Neighborhood Craft
We used some leftover square and triangle shapes in varying construction paper colors to make houses and apartments on a sheet of light blue construction paper, and added details with crayons and some 3D clouds with cotton balls.

photo of craft, showing two small houses and one tall apartment building, with a road, landscaping, a sun, and cotton ball sky. The buildings are made with construction paper shapes, and the rest is crayon.

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Cheer – Uncle Ian Aurora & Natalia Moore
All the Beating Hearts – Julie Fogliano & Cátia Chien
All of Us – Kathryn Erskine & Alexandra Boiger
A Little Book About Activism – Courtney Ahn
What Can a Citizen Do? – Dave Eggers & Shawn Harris
Miguel’s Community Garden – JaNay Brown-Wood & Samara Hardy
I Am We – Susan Verde & Peter H Reynolds
Thank You, Neighbor! – Ruth Chan
Stand Up! Speak Up! – Andrew Joyner
The All-Together Quilt – Lizzy Rockwell
Around the Neighborhood – Sarah L. Thomson & Jana Christy
The Power of One – Trudy Ludwig & Mike Curato
Fix-it Familia – Lucky Diaz & Micah Player
Maybe Something Beautiful – F. Isabel Campoy, Theresa Howell & Rafael López
The Umbrella – Beth Ferry & Tom Lichtenheld
I Promise – LeBron James & Nina Mata
All Kinds of Special – Tammi Sauer & Fernando Martin

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/21/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF