Family Storytime: Arctic Animals

To do an arctic animal storytime in July, we needed to put on our pretend hats! I don’t think I would have come up with this theme myself, but the parks camp I did outreach to had this as their theme, so I adapted it for my outdoor storytime.

To be honest, I felt like this storytime was a little “off.” Maybe I wasn’t super comfortable with some of the materials. Maybe the audience was just a little more wiggly than usual. Maybe the imminent threat of rain made me feel rushed. More than likely, it was a combination of things. I don’t dwell. Some days you just have an off day, and that’s okay.

You can see the virtual program that does not include the full books read aloud here.

Early Literacy Tip: Counting up or down in songs like Five Little Polar Bears helps kids strengthen their number recognition. And don’t be afraid to change up the number – eight little polar bears or ten little polar bears will let kids hear lesser-used numbers.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Hello, friends! Hello, friends!
Hello, friends, it’s time to say hello!
Hello, [name 1], hello, [name 2]!
Hello, [name 3], it’s time to say hello!
(ASL motions: salute for “hello,” then take the index fingers on each hand and you link them together as though they are hugging each other back and forth for “friends”)
Credit: Glenside Public Library District

Our new warm-up for the last few weeks of the summer session.
Warm-Up Rhyme: We Wiggle and Stop
(Use the ASL sign for the word “stop” – one hand “chops” across the opposite hand)
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle
And we wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
(Try other motions such as jump, twirl, stretch)
Credit: Jbrary

This book might have been the start of my “offness” – although I like that it shows a wide variety of arctic animals AND it shows the arctic in the summertime AND it’s a book you can sing, it just wasn’t right for my group. It was too long, and because it was a regular sized book, the pictures were too small. I skipped a few pages, but I could still see the attention wandering.
Read: Way Up in the Arctic by Jennifer Ward & Kenneth J. Spengler

For the virtual, I stuck velcro on the back of these laminated pieces, but for the in-person session, I taped craft sticks on the bears to make them easier to hold.
Counting Song: Five Little Polar Bears
Five little polar bears riding on a sled
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more polar bears riding on a sled!”
(count down)
Credit: Literary Hoots

Another regular-sized book. The illustrations of cut and torn paper are AMAZING, but again, probably too small for my audience to really see.
Read: A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris

Movement: Arctic Animal Movement
Can you…
…Walk on four feet like a polar bear?
…Turn your head like a snowy owl?
…Swim like an orca/beluga whale?
…Flap your wing like an arctic tern?
…Stomp your feet like a caribou?
…Hop like an arctic hare?
Credit: Guilderland Public Library

Breathing Break: Five Finger Breathing
Our breathwork visualization for the last few weeks of the summer session. We inhale while tracing up a finger, pause at the top, then exhale while tracing down, and pause at the bottom. Repeat for all five fingers. At the end, I let them know this is a great way to get calm, get centered or focused, and get ready for the next thing. I also remind them they can take a ten finger break if they need to, and it’s always available for them whenever they need it.

One more new repeated activity. This has always been a favorite song!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
(hands scrape past each other rhythmically)
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
If you want to take a trip (fingers walk up arm)
Climb aboard my rocket ship!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF! (crouch, then jump!)
Credit: Jbrary

I always try to do several songs that use a particular prop so that the kids have some time with them. Today was scarves! To collect them at the end of the in-person session, I sang “If You Have a Red Scarf” to the tune of The Muffin Man and directed kids to listen for their color.

Scarf Song: Dance Like Snowflakes
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Dance like snowflakes
Dance like snowflakes
In the air, in the air
Whirling, twirling snowflakes
Whirling, twirling snowflakes
Everywhere, everywhere
Credit: Jbrary

Scarf Song: We Wave Our Scarves Together
(tune of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow)
We wave our scarves together (3x)
because it’s fun to do!
Wave them up high
Wave them down low
Wave them in the middle
Because it’s fun to do!
Credit: Jbrary

I added the “drying” verse because this song is too fun to just do two verses! For the “tumble” action, we threw our scarves up and caught them, like they were tumbling around in a dryer. This song was probably the most successful activity of the storytime!
Scarf Song: The Walrus Washes His Winter Coat
Oh, the walrus washes his winter coat
Down by the wavy ocean
He adds some water and he adds some soap
and he waits…and he waits…and he waits.

Then the laundry shakes, shakes, shakes
The laundry shakes and shakes and shakes
The laundry shakes, shakes, shakes
until it’s clean. (repeat)

Additional verses:
The laundry spins … until it’s clean
The laundry tumbles … until it’s dry
Credit: Brytani Fraser via Jbrary

Recorded Song: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear by Jazzy Ash

Craft: Polar Bear Scene
This was inspired by Tompkins County Public Library, and I loved how they suggested different mediums and let the kids decide what to do with them. So I printed an outline of a polar bear on a dark blue sheet of construction paper, provided cotton balls and chalk, and gave both example photos below. Kids could use the cotton for snow or for the bear, and chalk for the opposite, or do whatever they liked!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk & Alexandria Neonakis
The Bear Report by Thyra Heder
Sea Bear by Lindsay Moore

Goodbye Song: See You Later, Alligator
(tune of Clementine)
See you later, alligator (wave with one hand, then the other)
In a while, crocodile (open and shut arms like a croc’s mouth)
Give a hug, ladybug (hug yourself or a loved one)
Blow a kiss, jellyfish! MWAH! (move hand like a jellyfish then blow a kiss!)
Credit: King County Library System

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 7/13/21.

Storytime Handout: