Welcome back, friends! I’m back from leave and started up my first storytime last week. I’m down to part-time hours, so I’m offering a Wednesday morning Family Time (ages 0-3.5 and siblings) and a Wednesday afternoon Book Babies (0-12 months, or pre-walkers.) I’m collaborating with a coworker, who is offering a Monday and Tuesday storytime with the same theme as my Family Time. Since we are both part-time now, we’re switching off all the planning duties for our weekly themes, and I started with a camping theme.
Coming back after four months away does feel like riding a bike – I know how to do it, but getting back on I was a bit wobbly. I felt like I could have read the room better and skipped activities or brought the group back with more movement. This new set up will take some getting used to – having three storytimes per week used to mean that I could tweak and try different things as the days went by, but now I’m one and done, with no opportunity to try again.
New challenges, new opportunities, right? Camping is a theme I’ve done once before, way back in 2019 and at a different library for a different age group. So this time around I’ve revamped it quite a bit, and found some new songs and rhymes that I liked.
I’ve also got some ideas simmering, so stay tuned for some new Storytime with Ms. Emily Library content coming this fall!
You can find another version of this theme from 2019.
Early Literacy Tip: Singing with our children is one way to help them hear the smaller sounds in words, especially if there is a different note for each syllable. In “Walking, Walking” the word “walking” has two syllables and two different notes. Learning to hear the individual sounds of words is called phonological awareness, and developing this skill will help your child later with reading.
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †
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.
Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*
Intro: Has anyone been camping before? It’s so fun! You get to spend time outdoors, observe nature, cook over a campfire, and sleep in a tent!
Fingerplay: Here Are the Campers
Here are the campers (hold up 2 fingers)
Here is the tent (bend fingers of other hand over like tent)
And when it was night that’s where they went (fingers go under other hand)
Fireflies flicker in a friendly way (fists open & shut)
And the campers sleep tight ‘Til the light of day (head on folded hands)
Source: adapted from Sturgis Kids Wiki
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*
This is a beautiful book, and short, but it ended up being a little too abstract, or maybe too quiet for my group. I ended up just describing the pictures on the last few pages rather than reading the text.
Read: Gather Round by David Covell
Two fun books that were my backups. I like to give myself options and choose a book based on the moment. Looking back, I probably should have chosen Red Canoe for my audience. It’s pretty short and snappy. A few of the boats aren’t “camping” boats (like the tugboat at 1:00), but most of the rest are.
Backup titles: Red Canoe Shows Up at Two by Victoria Allenby OR The Sharing Book by Dianne White & Simone Shin
I wanted to highlight a lot of the things that I love best about camping, and hiking is one of them! I set the scene for each verse before we sang the song. I always want what we do to make sense, and telling the “story” of our hike gets everyone more excited.
Let’s go on a hike! Okay, we’ll start by walking down the trail, then – oh! there’s a log fallen over the path! We’ll have to jump over it. Then a long, straight stretch – we should race!
Action Song: Walking, Walking
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Walking, walking (Walking, walking)
Jump, jump, jump (Jump, jump, jump)
Running, running, running (Running, running, running)
Now we stop! (Now we stop)
[Okay, let’s keep hiking – until we get to a stream. We’ll need to hop across the rocks. And beyond that there’s a large ridge – can we climb to the top?]
Hiking, hiking (Hiking, hiking)
Hop, hop, hop (Hop, hop, hop)
Climbing, climbing, climbing (Climbing, climbing, climbing)
Now we stop! (Now we stop!)
[Oh, it’s so beautiful up here! Let’s look around – I see the stream, and the trail. Can we take a big breath of fresh air?]
Source: adapted from Jbrary
It’s going to be dark soon, let’s build our fire. There are so many sights and sounds when you go camping that you don’t see or hear at home.
Action Song: The Fire at the Camp
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The fire at the camp goes Crackle, crackle, POP (wiggle fingers, then clap)
Crackle, crackle, POP, Crackle, crackle, POP
The fire at the camp goes Crackle, crackle, POP
All night long!
Additional verses:
Fireflies at night go blink, blink, blink… (open and close hands)
Rain on my tent goes pitter, pitter, PAT… (pat lap)
The moon up above glows so bright… (circle arms above head)
The water in the river goes whoosh… (move hand up and down)
The leaves in the trees go rustle… (wave hands)
Source: The Crazy Outdoor Mama via Pinterest
I didn’t end up doing this one but had it available in case I needed it.
Fingerplay: Two Little Fireflies
Two little fireflies Blinking in the sky
One blinked low And one blinked high
Fly away low, Fly away high
Come back low Come back high
Two little fireflies Blinking in the grass
One blinked slow And one blinked fast
Fly away slow, Fly away fast
Come back slow Come back fast
Source: Indiana Firefly Award 2020 Program Guide
When you’re camping, you may hear wildlife! Birds, squirrels, cicadas, owls. Maybe even something like a coyote! Don’t worry, these coyotes are just having fun howling at the moon.
I love using this song – it’s just a lot of fun to do all the howling and snoring!
Flannel/Counting Song: Five Coyotes
Five coyotes, sittin’ on a hill
Just sittin’ and a howlin’ at the moon: Aahh-ooo!
One coyote had his fill
So he went to sleep and snoozed *snore!* (count down)
Source: adapted by Rebecca Ballard from Nancy Stewart
You might be able to go on a lake or river when you camp, so let’s row our boats.
Originally I’d planned to use scarves for this program, but we were going to use them for next week, so I changed to shakers. For several songs, including this one, we just shook our eggs in rhythm with the song.
Shaker Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream!
Rock, rock, rock your boat
Gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile
Don’t forget to SCREAM! (Aaah!)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently to the shore
If you see a lion there
Don’t forget to ROAR! (Grrrrr!)
Source: traditional
Did you know you can make popcorn over a campfire?
Shaker Rhyme: Pop, Pop, Pop
Pop, pop, pop, put the corn in the pot
Pop, pop, pop, shake it ‘til it’s hot
Pop, pop, pop, Lift the lid and what have you got?
Popcorn!
Source: Jbrary
Popcorn is tasty, but my FAVORITE campfire treats are s’mores!
The shaker was really just a rhythm prop for this one. We started by patting our laps and clapping, then miming the stacking of the graham crackers and chocolate, and toasting over a fire.
Shaker Rhyme: Campfire, Campfire
(in the style of Pat a Cake)
Campfire, campfire, Toast me a s’more
Graham crackers, chocolate But we need more: Marshmallow!
Toast it and roast it and Get it just right
Put it on top for a Toasted delight!
Source: adapted from The Crazy Outdoor Mama via Pinterest
Okay, friends. It’s getting dark; it’s time to get into our tents, and find our sleeping bags, and say goodnight. Can you make twinkling stars with your shakers?
Ukulele and Shaker Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Source: traditional
Download a Ukulele Songsheet here!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*
Craft: S’mores
A borrow from Miss Mariah’s Library – s’mores cross-sections using jumbo craft sticks, construction paper, and cotton balls, decorated with chalk or white crayon.
Play Time
I put out a laundry basket of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older toddlers and siblings, we have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, plastic farm animals, and lacing cards and I rotate among a few of these options each session. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. The clean up bit is good practice for them – I often say “it’s hard to say goodbye to toys, so that’s why we practice every storytime!” I think that helps the grown ups who may be embarrassed that their kid is crying or refusing to put a toy away. So much of what we do in storytime is practicing skills, and I don’t expect the kids to “do it right’ every time, or even most times.
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
The Hike – Alison Farrell
The Camping Trip – Jennifer K. Mann
Make More S’mores – Cathy Ballou Mealey & Ariel Landy
Fatima’s Great Outdoors – Ambreen Tariq & Stevie Lewis
Maisy Goes Camping – Lucy Cousins
Hiking Day – Anne Rockwell & Lizzy Rockwell
A Bed of Stars – Jessica Love
Camp Rex – Molly Idle
Hungry Bird – Jeremy Tankard
Daddy & Me, Side by Side – Pierce Freelon & Nadia Fisher
Bear Hug – Lawrence Pringle & Kate Salley Palmer
Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark – Jonathan Stutzman & Jay Fleck
This storytime was presented in-person on 8/6/25.
Storytime Handout:
*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
Storytime with Ms. Emily Library 