Tag: construction

Storytime: Construction Zone

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Anything involving big vehicles seems to be a hit for toddlers and preschoolers. Today we focused on the construction site, building and digging and rolling and dumping. We touched a bit on small scale building, too, with a rhyme about building blocks, as well as a DIY project with Five Little Nails. For a take entirely focused on building with blocks, see my post on Building Fun.

Early Literacy Tip: Building with blocks or Legos develops a child’s early math, science, and spatial reasoning skills. Through play, your child is discovering shapes, balance and gravity, what fits together, and learning experimentation by rebuilding after a fall.

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

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* (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.

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* (TT) (FT)

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 are talking about construction – building things. Big things like buildings and skyscrapers, and even small things like block towers. Speaking of, let’s start out by building a tower with some blocks. And block towers sometimes (almost always!) fall down!

Action Rhyme: Tower
We’re making a tower (fists stack atop each other)
In our building-block town
Along comes the baby… (fingers wiggle)
…And it all falls down! (hands fall outward)
Source: original

Tower thumbnail, with a graphic of a stack of blocks with a baby looming in the background. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Read: Snakes on the Job by Kathryn Dennis (TT)
I always like the idea of these Snakes books by Dennis more than the actual books. The rhyme schemes are a little wonky and the interactive element (the hissing) doesn’t always make a lot of sense. It’s cute for sure, but awkward to read aloud.

book cover for snakes on the job.

Read: Tip, Tip, Dig, Dig by Emma Garcia (TB) (FT)
I’m a big fan of ALL Garcia’s books. They are so simple but they work incredibly well, and the artwork is bright and silly and appealing. I wish they were all available in a larger picture book format now instead of just board books.

book cover of tip tip dig dig

Can we stretch up really high like a crane?
Stretch: Cranes Reach Up (TT) (TB) (FT)
Cranes reach up, Cranes reach down
Cranes reach out (reach straight out)
And all around (turn around)
Source: Jbrary

cranes reach up thumbnail, with a graphic of a crane lifting multicolored building blocks. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

With our tall crane, we can build a skyscraper.
Rhyme: Skyscraper (TT) (TB) (FT)
Brick by brick by brick by brick (fists stack atop each other)
My building’s so high it’s scraping the sky
Brick by brick by brick by brick
My building will sway when the wind blows this way (sway)
Brick by brick by brick by brick
Now I’m ready to stop and a flag goes on top (wave hand)
Source: Jen in the Library

skyscraper thumbnail, with a graphic of a tall building with lots of windows and a flag on top. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Storytime Katie made some amazing flannels for this, but I didn’t have much time so just cut out printouts of the art from Tip, Tip, Dig, Dig. I had a lot of really interested kiddos right up at the flannelboard, trying to get as close as they could!
Can we name the machines we might see at the construction site?
Flannel: Red Crane (TT) (TB) (FT)
Red crane, red crane, what do you see?
I see a yellow digger looking at me!
…purple mixer
…orange roller
…blue dumper
…green ‘dozer
Source: Storytime Katie

printed pieces for "red crane" flannelboard, showing a purple cement mixer, yellow digger, red crane, orange road roller, blue dump truck, and green bulldozer.

Red crane thumbnail, with a graphic of the red crane and yellow digger from tip tip dig dig. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What if we wanted to build something at home? Maybe all we need is a hammer and five nails.
I found it easiest to go from pinky to thumb on this one.
Fingerplay: Five Little Nails (TT) (TB) (FT)
(start with five fingers up)
Five little nails, standing straight and steady
Here I come, with my hammer ready…
Bam, bam, bam that nail goes down (bend finger down)
Now there are just four nails to pound (count down)
Source: Mel’s Desk

five little nails thumbnail, with a graphic of a hammer and five nails sticking up out of a piece of wood. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We didn’t do all of the verses on this one, just measure, saw, stir, and paint.
If we were building a house what tools might we use?
Action Song: The Construction Worker Song (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we measure the wood
Measure the wood, measure the wood
This is the way we measure the wood
When we construct a building

Additional verses:
Saw the wood / Pound the nails / Drill a hole / Use a screwdriver / Stir the paint / Paint the walls / Stack the bricks
(What other verses can you think of?)
Source: Stratford (CT) Library

construction worker song thumbnail, with a graphic of a house frame under construction and a group of four multicultural workers in front of it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I didn’t end up using this one for time reasons, but always better to have too much than too little!
Action Rhyme: Here is a Steam Shovel
Here is a steam shovel (Forearm erect, hand drooping)
And here is the ground (two arms enclose area)
See the great boom (forearm moving side to side)
Swing round and round
It dips, it bites, (forearms dips, thumb and fingers grasping)
It lifts, it throws (forearm lifts, thumb and fingers spin)
My, how the hole in the ground grows! (hands make circle)
Digging, scooping, (mime)
Lifting, throwing,
See how the hill (peak hands)
Beside it is growing
Source: Jen in the Library

here is a steam shovel thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow steam shovel. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

For the falling down verse, we “fell” by leaning to one side or another. Then we built the bridge back up with sticks and stones, it fell again, and then we tried iron and steel.
Here’s a traditional song. What might we build it up with?
Song: London Bridge (TT) (TB)
London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down
London bridge is falling down, my fair lady

Additional verses:
Build it up with sticks and stones / …wood and clay / …iron and steel / …silver and gold
Source: traditional

london bridge thumbnail, with a graphic of the iconic bridge spanning a river. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

There’s a dump truck song that uses the pervasive and racist “Five Little” tune that I’ve used in the past but no longer. It’s a bounce with a tip at the end. To replace it, I found this rhyme, and I’m glad it has the same fun bounce and tip without the problematic tune.
Dump trucks are used to haul heavy loads of materials. Let’s bounce along like a dump truck.
Bounce: Dump Truck (TT) (TB) (FT)
Dump truck, dump truck (bounce or pat knees and clap hands)
Bumping down the road
Spilling gravel as we travel with our heavy load (sway side to side)
Dump truck, dump truck bumping down the road
Dump truck, dump truck, time to UNLOAD! (lean back or to the side)
Source: adapted from ImagineIf Libraries (MT)

dump truck thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon dump truck with a load of gravel in the back. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

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

Craft: Dump Truck (TB) (FT)
I love a craft that seems impressive but was easy for me to assemble! Our library has the dump truck Ellison die, so it was quick work to cut some out of yellow construction paper. They glued the truck cab and trailer to a background sheet, then used a brad to attach the box bed so it could pivot upward to dump. There were tissue squares that could be glued to the bed for the load, and crayons for any other decorating or details.

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)

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

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

Tickle the stars thumbnail, with a graphic of blue and pink stars. 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)
Skyscraper – Jorey Hurley
Go! Go! Go! Stop! – Charise Mericle Harper
Hooray for Trucks! – Susan Hughes & Suharu Ogawa
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building – Christy Hale
Little Excavator – Anna Dewdney
Someone Builds the Dream – Lisa Wheeler & Loren Long
The Digger and the Duckling – Joseph Kuefler
Crane Jane! – Andrea Zimmerman & Dan Yaccarino
I’m Dirty! – Kate & Jim McMullan
Bulldozer’s Big Day – Candace Fleming & Eric Rohmann
Who Made this Cake? – Chihiro Nakagawa & Junji Koyose

This storytime was presented in-person on 4/22, 4/23, & 4/24/24.

Storytime Handout:

handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics.

*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

Storytime: Building Fun

Posted on by msemilylibrary

My storytime groups sometimes seem to struggle with the actual books in storytime. I never had this issue with books pre-pandemic. At that time I was serving a wider audience (up to age 5 instead of up to 3.5 now), but even the younger kids seemed to have more attention span. So, when I see a book that I think will be a good fit for my group, I try to build a theme around it. This time, I was looking at books nominated for my state’s Early Literacy Award, the Firefly. A nominee from a few years ago seemed like a fun candidate: Blocks by Irene Dickson. With it, I could create a theme that’s a little unusual – building blocks – but with the ability to expand into things like shapes and construction if blocks was too narrow. Turns out I was able to stay mostly with blocks in rhymes and songs, anyway. I pulled out all our block-like toys for playtime, and it was gratifying to see all the kids having lots of fun with building.

Early Literacy Tip: The benefits of block play are well documented! As kids play, they are working on math skills such as counting, sorting, measuring, and comparing, as well as recognizing shapes (a precursor to recognizing letters). For science skills, grownups can help kids learn about gravity, balance, and cause and effect. If you play with a friend, blocks can help teach sharing, impulse control, communication, compromise, and taking turns.

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

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (BB) (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. This week was knees and cheeks.

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

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

Intro/Talk: What are these? Blocks! I love playing with blocks. You can make whatever you like. And once you’ve done building, then you can knock over the blocks and start again! Can we identify some of the basic shapes we have in these blocks? I just pointed out the shape in the Book Babies class, but the other two had kids on the older edge of the spectrum that were able to tell me about squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles.

I don’t do a lot of original material, but this one just came to me!
Rhyme: Tower (BB) (TB) (FT)
We’re making a tower (fists stack atop each other)
In our building-block town
Along comes the baby… (fingers wiggle)
…And it all falls down! (hands fall outward)
Source: original

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

So, even though I built this theme around Blocks, it still felt a little too advanced for the baby class. Patricelli is tried and true for babies, so it seemed to work better for them.
Read: Bigger! Bigger! by Leslie Patricelli (BB)

Book cover of Bigger! Bigger! by Leslie Patricelli

Read: Blocks by Irene Dickson (TB) (FT)

Book cover of Blocks by Irene dickson

This was a great song to follow the book Blocks!
Song: The More We Build Together (TB) (FT)
The more we build together, together, together
The more we build together
The happier we’ll be

For my blocks are your blocks
And your blocks are my blocks
The more we build together
The happier we’ll be!

(verse 2)
The more we share together…
Source: adapted from the traditional

Making block flannels was easy, the tricky part was figuring out how to arrange them on my landscape-oriented flannelboard in a way that ten would fit!
Flannel Rhyme: One Block, Two Blocks (BB) (TB) (FT)
(hold up fingers)
One block, two blocks, Three blocks, four
Five blocks, six blocks, Seven blocks, more!
Eight blocks, nine blocks, Now there’s ten
Let’s knock them over And build again!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

10 felt blocks of varying colors stacked up to make a tower. They consist of two rectangles on the bottom, three squares, a rectangle and a square, two squares, and a triangle on top.

We did the fists stacking motion, but I kept moving mine up until I was reaching all the way up, and wiggled my fingers upstretched for the line “’til you reach the sky”
Song: Stack Your Blocks (BB) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Row Your Boat)
Stack, stack, stack your blocks
Build your tower high
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
‘Til you reach the sky
Source: Indiana Firefly Award 2018 Program Guide

And now that we’ve got a really tall tower…
Song: All My Blocks Are Falling Down (BB) (TB) (FT)
(tune of London Bridge)
All my blocks are falling down (hands start upstretched, then fall down for each line)
Falling down, falling down
All my blocks are falling down
Let’s start over!

Pick them up and start again… (pretend to pick up blocks)
…Now knock them over! (hands wipe outward)
Source: Indiana Firefly Award 2018 Program Guide

Bounce Rhyme: Bounce, Tickle, Hug (BB)
I bounce you here, I bounce you there
I bounce you, bounce you everywhere!
(repeat with “Tickle” and “Hug”)
Source: Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Public Library

Let’s pretend we are a big crane building a tall building.
Stretch: Cranes Reach Up (BB) (TB) (FT)
Cranes reach up
Cranes reach down
Cranes reach out
And all around
Source: Jbrary

Now that we’ve built a big apartment building, what would it be like to live inside?
Lifting Song: The Elevator Song (BB) (TB) (FT)
Oh, the city is great and the city is grand
There are lots of tall buildings on a little piece of land
And we live way up on the fifty-seventh floor
And this is what we do when we go out the door:

We take the elevator up
We take the elevator down
We take the elevator up
We take the elevator down
We take the elevator up
We take the elevator down
And we turn around!
Source: Jbrary

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

Craft: 2D Building Blocks
Last week’s craft was a little involved, so it was nice to simplify this week. All it involves is basic construction paper shapes, a white sheet of paper, and a glue stick. To maximize a 9×12″ sheet of construction paper, I based my shapes on 3s – squares were 3×3″, triangles were squares cut in half, rectangles and bridges were 3×6″, and the circle cutout was a die-cut (I think 2.5″, but I didn’t measure). This craft was inspired by Storytime Katie!

Building Block craft sample, showing a purple bridge topped by a blue square and two orange and yellow triangles, then a red square and a green triangle, showing a kind of rocket structure.

Play Time
This week I broke out all our block-like toys. Babies got the foam blocks (plus one basket of their usual toys). Older kids got the foam blocks, shape puzzles, and these really neat giant blocks that are not Legos but similar. Our library has had them for a long time but they haven’t been put out for years (even before the pandemic). You do have to watch out that falling towers have a free space – they are big!

Photograph of block toys, including a bin of foam blocks, giant legos scattered on the floor, and two simple shape puzzles.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (BB) (TB) (FT)

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building – Christy Hale
The Rabbit Listened – Cori Doerrfeld
Again, Essie? – Jenny Lacika & Teresa Martínez
Fort Building Time – Megan Wagner Lloyd & Abigail Halpin
Brick by Brick – Heidi Woodward Sheffield
Snakes on the Job – Kathryn Dennis
The Busy Building Book – Sue Tarsky & Alex Ayliffe
B Is for Bulldozer – June Sobel & Melissa Iwai
Can I Play Too? – Samantha Cotterill
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! – Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen & Zachariah OHora

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/17, 10/18, & 10/19/22.

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:
(BB) Book Babies, ages 0-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

Preschool Storytime: City Life

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Life in the big city! There are so many titles that depict city life, it was hard to choose. My library is in a small town surrounded by countryside but fairly close to the larger city of Indianapolis. It’s no Big Apple, but I assumed many of them have some personal experience with tall buildings and busy streets. I quite enjoyed the extension activities for this week as well.

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

Early Literacy Tip: Rhymes like “The Hippopotamus got on the City Bus” call attention to the fact that “hip” is just one part of the bigger word “hippopotamus.” Also, when we complete the verses for cow, sheep and snake we show how familiar animal sounds can be found in other words that we regularly use. Recognizing and playing with the smaller sounds in words is called phonological awareness. Researchers have recognized this as a critical pre-reading skill that helps kids sound out words when they begin to learn how to read.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Read: City Shapes by Diana Murray & Bryan Collier

What shapes are these? Black rectangle, green circle, yellow circle, red circle – it’s a stoplight! There are stoplights everywhere, but there are LOTS in a city where there are many vehicles and traffic.
Flannel Rhyme: Green Means Go
Green means “GO!” Go! Go! Go! (roll arms quickly)
Yellow means “Slow.” Slow… slow… slow. (roll arms slowly)
Red means “STOP!” (ASL sign for stop: one hand making a
chopping motion onto flat opposite hand)
Go! Go! Go! (roll fast)
Slow… slow… slow… (roll slow)
STOP! (ASL sign for stop)
Credit: Jbrary

A simple stoplight flannel. I chose to leave the pieces unglued so we can “construct” it. Yes, I did have to look up the order of the colors!

In the city, it’s very busy, and the city is always growing and changing. Sometimes old buildings are torn down and new buildings are constructed. Here’s a stretch about a tall crane that helps build them.

Stretch Rhyme: Cranes Reach Up
Cranes reach up
Cranes reach down
Cranes reach out
And all around
Credit: Jbrary

Read: Skyscraper by Jorey Hurley
I asked the kids to notice the trees in almost every spread, showing the changing seasons. It takes a long time to build a skyscraper!

A tongue twister and a memory challenge!
Song: She’ll Be Driving a Bulldozer
(tune of She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain)
She’ll be driving a bulldozer when she comes…Push it back! (pushing motion)
She’ll be driving a bulldozer when she comes…Push it back! (pushing motion)
She’ll be driving a bulldozer, she’ll be driving a bulldozer,
She’ll be driving a bulldozer when she comes…Push it back!

Additional verses: (at the end of each verse, do ALL the previous refrains in reverse order. So, the last one would be “Clean it up! Lift it high! Mix it up! Look out below! Scoop it up! Push it back!”)
…running a big digger… Scoop it up! (scooping motion)
…working a dirt-dumper… Look out below! (hands around mouth)
…on a cement mixer… Mix it up! (roll arms)
…moving a tall crane arm… Lift it high! (reach arm up)
…steering a street-sweeper… Clean it up! (sweeping motions)
Credit: Rob Reid’s Storytime Slam! 15 Lesson Plans for Preschool and Primary Story Programs.  Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin: Upstart Books.  p8

Lap Bounce: Bumpity-Bumpity Goes the Dump Truck
(tune of Michael Finnegan)
Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck (bounce gently)
Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
Dump out the load! (lean to side or back)
Credit: Jbrary

With so many people, there can be a lot of traffic on the road in a city. Many people ride together on buses, trains, and subways to reduce traffic and get from one place to another more quickly.

Rhythm Rhyme: Hippopotamus on a City Bus
(slap thighs rhythmically until the last line of each verse)
A hip, a hip, a hippopotamus
Got on, got on, got on a city bus
And all, and all, and all the people said,
“You’re squishing us!” (squish face or hug baby)

Additional verses:
A cow, a cow, a cow got on a bus
Yes, a cow, a cow, a cow got on the bus
And all, and all, and all the people said,“Mooooove over!”
(lean far to one side)
A snake…“Sssssssssit down!” (motion hand down)
A sheep…“Baaaack up!” (lean far back)
Credit: Jbrary

Read: Noisy Night by Mac Barnett & Brian Biggs

Lifting Song: The Elevator Song
Oh, the city is great and the city is grand
There are a whole lot of people on a little piece of land
And we live way up on the fifty-seventh floor
And this is what we do when we go out the door:
We take the elevator up, we take the elevator down (3 times)
And we turn around!
Credit: Jbrary

Craft: Cityscape
Draw a city with white chalk on black construction paper, then decorate with vehicle foam stickers. I used ALL my stickers on mine!
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

Photo of craft: white chalk drawing on black paper of buildings, a road, a harbor, and a railroad, with colorful vehicle stickers such as cars, buses, boats, trains, and helicopters.
All the stickers!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Good Morning, Digger by Anne Rockwell & Melanie Hope Greenberg
Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper
City Moon by Rachael Cole & Blanca Gómez
Windows by Julia Denos & E. B. Goodale

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 9/1/20.

Storytime Handout:

Handout with booklist, rhymes, and songs.