Storytime: Color Wheel – Green

Welcome back to me catching up on programs from a few weeks ago! Here is our LAST in the Color Wheel series, and possibly the easiest one to plan: Green. This has been a great series, and it largely allowed for broad options in choosing rhymes, songs, and books (except purple!) Green is no exception, and I had, in fact, done “green” storytimes in the past as a March theme. I did a few new-to-me activities as well as a couple old favorites. I was even inspired to make up a new rhyme!

In planning these color-based themes, I brainstorm objects/animals/plants that are generally the color in question and songs and rhymes that work with those things. Here’s my list for green!

Frogs
Turtles
Peas
Plants/Trees
Broccoli/other veg
Alligator/Crocodile
Kiwi
Caterpillar
Snake
Grass
Avocado
Lime

Early Development Tip: Take advantage of the many opportunities during the day to give words to feelings—your child’s feelings and your own. This can be done when the child is playing, making transitions from one activity to another, or while looking at the facial expressions of characters as you read books together. Your child is not only learning vocabulary, but also learning how to identify different feelings which helps with self-regulation.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (TT) (TB) (FT)**

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT)
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.

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (FT)

Intro: Look at these beautiful colors on this color wheel! Today’s color is green! Green is made when we mix yellow and blue together. Can you think of anything that is green? Write answers on whiteboard in green pen. Is anyone wearing green today?

I made this color wheel, using the “chart” feature in Canva, since I wanted an unusual seven-wedge pie, including pink, which I couldn’t find already made.

I did this rhyme at the beginning of all of the color sessions. Just in case someone doesn’t wear a particular color, I gave out small colored dot stickers (that my library already had) to each kid as they arrive.
Action Rhyme: The Color I See (TT) (TB) (FT)
Green, green is the color I see
If you’re wearing green, then show it to me
Stand up, take a bow, turn around
Show me your green and sit back on the ground
Source: Librarian vs. Storytime

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Read: What Does Little Crocodile Say? by Eva Montanari (TT) (FT)
This was an absolute hit. I asked the group to help me tell the story by helping me make the noises. Everyone participated! The little ones enjoyed that, and the grown-ups also had fun with the story – lots of “awwws” on the last reveal.

Read: Turtle Walk by Matt Phelan (TB)
Although this is a lovely book, with simple and repetitive words, it was just a little too conceptual for my group. I tried pointing out that the seasons were changing, and everyone liked the cute pictures of the turtles playing in the snow, but I’m not sure they really got that concept of the time passing.

The order of activities depended on which book we read – we followed it with the rhyme matching, then did the other.

This was very fun. I did it as shown in the KCPL video first, with just hand motions, then got out my crocodile puppet, which they loved! I offered to let them pet the croc after, and a few were very excited and few hung back.
Action Rhyme: The Hungry Crocodile (TT) (TB) (FT)
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
With his sly, toothy smile
Going chomp chomp chomp
In the swamp swamp swamp
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Here’s a rhyme about a hungry turtle.
Fingerplay: There Was a Little Turtle (TT) (TB) (FT)
There was a little turtle (make fist)
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, (pinch with thumb and fingers at each “snap”)
he snapped at a flea
He snapped at a minnow,
he snapped at me!
He caught that mosquito, (clap each “caught”)
He caught that flea
He caught that minnow
But he didn’t catch me! (waggle finger)
Source: Jbrary

And don’t forget about the green frog!
Fingerplay: Mr. Bullfrog (TT)
Here is Mr. Bullfrog (make fist)
Sitting on a rock (place fist on other palm)
He jumps into the water… (lift fist, building anticipation)
KERPLOP! (clap hands together)
Source: Storytime with Miss Tara and Friends

Action Rhyme: Funny, Funny, Froggy (TB) (FT)
Funny, funny froggy, Hop, hop hop!
Funny, funny froggy, Stop, stop, stop!
Funny, funny froggy, Jump with me
Funny, funny froggy, Now go free!
Source: adapted from Books and Bibliotheks

We passed out scarves. I’ve done this rhyme several times without in the past, but it lends itself very well to scarf play!
Now let’s think about some green plants. Can we pretend to be trees?
Scarf Rhyme: Be a Seed (TT) (TB) (FT)
Be a seed, small and round (crouch, with scarf scrunched)
Sprout, sprout, sprout up from the ground (stand up)
Shake your leaves for all to see (shake arms and scarf)
Stretch your arms up, you’re a tree! (stretch tall)
Source: Jbrary

Again, I don’t think this was originally meant to be used with scarves, but it works well. For bees buzzing, we shook our scarves.
What makes trees green? Their leaves! Demo: We’re going to have a big leaf, little ladybug, and then the bees are going to come buzzing around. Can you buzz like a bee?
Scarf Song: A Big Green Leaf (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Ram Sam Sam)
A big green leaf, a big green leaf (hold scarf apart)
Little ladybug (pinch fingers/scarf close)
On a big green leaf (x2)

A bumblebee- BZZ! (tickle or wave scarf around)
A bumblebee- BZZ!
And a little ladybug On a big green leaf (x2)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

We waved the scarves rhythmically until we we came to the body part, then put the scarves there. I moved from place to place where food might go – head, chest, lap, then feet.
There are also a lot of green plants that are good to eat, and good for your body. This is a silly song about green zucchini!
Scarf Song: Green Zucchini (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Alouette)
Green zucchini, I like green zucchini
Green zucchini, That’s what I like best
Do you like it on your head?
Yes, I like it on my head!
On your head? On my head! Ooooooh!
Source: Jbrary

We’d done the lemonade chant a couple weeks ago for the “Yellow” theme, and looking at my “list of green things” and saying broccoli out loud, it just fit. Our scarves were just accessories for this. I held mine loosely between fingers while clapping.
And one more rhyme about good green things to eat! We pretended to be a big tree earlier. Have you ever eaten a tree? Or something that LOOKS like a tree – broccoli!
Chant: Broccoli (TB)
Broccoli (clap, clap, clap!)
Peas and beans (clap, clap, clap!)
All these greens (clap, clap, clap!)
Taste good to me! (clap, clap, clap!)
Broccoli, peas and beans
All these greens taste good to me
Turn around, Jump up and down
Sit down to lunch and Go to town! Nom, nom!
Source: original, adapted from the traditional “Lemonade” clapping game

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Green Finger Paint Art (TB) (FT)
Everyone got a blob of blue and a blob of yellow paint to mix up, then paint whatever they liked! You can see a bit of blue toward the back of the croc that didn’t get blended.

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* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)

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
Our Green City – Tanya Lloyd Kyi & Colleen Larmour
A New Green Day – Antoinette Portis
Is This Your Class Pet? – Troy Cummings
Eco Girl – Ken Wilson-Max
The Swamp Where Gator Hides – Marianne Berkes & Roberta Baird
A Good Place – Lucy Cousins
Green on Green – Dianne White & Felicita Sala
In the Tall, Tall Grass – Denise Fleming

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/4, 3/5, & 3/6/24.

Storytime Handout:

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

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5