Tag: food

Preschool Storytime: Pizza!

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Everyone loves pizza! I wanted a theme that was fun and relatable, and this one has all the ingredients to fill us up with literary goodness. Yum!

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

Early Literacy Tip: Play gives you and your children lots of opportunities to pretend. As you are playing with your children, make a point of adding in a word or two they may not know. You are adding to their vocabulary in a fun way, teaching new words without sitting down to memorize what words mean. Children will remember these words because they are hearing them and using them while being involved in the situation.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Action Song: I Am Hungry
(tune of Frère Jacques)
I am hungry, I am hungry (rub tummy)
Yes, I am! Yes, I am! (nod head)
Grumble, rumble, rumble, Grumble, rumble, rumble (rub tummy)
Yum, yum, yum! Yum, yum, yum! (mime eating)
Credit: librionyian

I actually found some good pizza books in our leveled readers section. It’s a good resource that I sometimes forget about when I’m looking for theme books. The books are physically a little smaller, but that doesn’t matter much for small or virtual storytimes. I liked that this one featured a dad helping out with the pizza making, and a diverse cast of kids.
Read: Pizza Party! by Grace Maccarone & Emily Arnold McCully

Fingerplay: Pat A Cake Pizza Man
Pat a cake, pat a cake, pizza man (clap hands)
Make me a pizza as fast as you can (shake finger)
Roll it (roll arms)
Toss it (pretend to toss in air)
Sprinkle it with cheese (sprinkling motion)
Put in the oven (pushing motion)
And bake it fast please!
Credit: Mansfield/Richland County Public Library (OH)

It irked me that all the pizza makers are “men” so I adapted this rhyme to gender non-specific “pizza maker.” It was a tiny bit harder to say, but practice makes perfect. I also liked the pizza-specific actions, in theory. In practice I realized that many of these actions are not very action-y and very similar to the other rhymes I did, so in the future I’d probably revert back to the bigger gross motor movements of Teddy Bear.
Action Rhyme: Pizza Maker, Pizza Maker Turn Around
(mime actions)
Pizza maker, pizza maker turn around
Pizza maker, pizza maker touch the ground
Pizza maker, pizza maker give the dough a toss
Pizza maker, pizza maker ladle on the sauce
Pizza maker, pizza maker sprinkle on the cheese
Pizza maker, pizza maker touch your knees
Pizza maker, pizza maker put it in the oven
Pizza maker, pizza maker press the oven button
Pizza maker, pizza maker rub your tummy
Pizza maker, pizza maker eat some pizza! Yummy!
Credit: Jen in the Library

Have you ever had a pizza delivered to your house?
Read: “Hi, Pizza Man!” by Virginia Walter & Ponder Goembel

Flannel/Clapping Song: P-I-Z-Z-A
(tune of B-I-N-G-O)
There is a treat that’s good to eat and pizza it its name-a
P-I-Z-Z-A! P-I-Z-Z-A! P-I-Z-Z-A!
And pizza is its name-a
(spoken) Oh yum! I’m gonna eat one!

There is a treat that’s good to eat and pizza it its name-a
(clap)-I-Z-Z-A! (clap)-I-Z-Z-A! (clap)-I-Z-Z-A!
And pizza is its name-a
(Continue until you are clapping all the letters.)
Credit: Jen in the Library

I used Jen in the Library’s post as a template, but decided to make my pizza slices double-sided, based on the background color of my felt board. The opposite side of the full slice looked like just the pizza crust that was gnawed on, effectively becoming a placeholder for our claps. I like the way it turned out!

We’ve eaten so much pizza, it will feel good to get a little exercise.
Action Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
(start slow and repeat, speeding up)
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes!)
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes!)
Eyes and ears and a mouth and nose!
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes!)
Credit: traditional

What would you do if a raccoon was trying to steal your pizza?
Read: Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin & Daniel Salmieri

Ukulele Song: I Wish I Were a Pepperoni Pizza
(tune of the Oscar Meyer jingle)
Oh, I wish I were a pepperoni pizza
That is what I’d truly like to be
For if I were a pepperoni pizza
Everyone would be in love with me!
(repeat with other four-syllable pizza topping combos, such as:
mushroom sausage… onion pepper… ham pineapple… cheesy cheesy…)
Credit: Perpetual Preschool

Download a ukulele songsheet for I Wish I Were a Pepperoni Pizza

thumbnail for ukulele songsheet of "I Wish I Were a Pepperoni Pizza"

Craft: Pizza Pretend Play Kit
So this wasn’t so much a craft, but a collection of pieces that kids could use to “make” pizzas at home for their families. I could certainly have promoted painting the edge of the plate brown for the crust, and/or making the toppings “look” like actual toppings, but I went simple and promoted the benefits of pretend play. The toppings were just foam shapes we had – mostly skinny triangles and a few squares. The sauce is just a wavy shape of construction paper, and the cheese is short pieces of yarn. Craft idea adapted from Storytime Katie.

Pizza craft with paper plate, construction paper sauce, foam pieces in yellow, red, green, and brown, and white yarn pieces for cheese.

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Pizza Pat by Rita Golden Gelman & Will Terry
Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by Kimberly & James Dean
Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 11/3/20.

Storytime Handout:

Preschool Storytime: Pumpkins

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Another typical fall theme! I like the idea of a pumpkin storytime much more than a “Halloween” one since not everyone celebrates. Book choices are more limited when all reference to Halloween is excluded. I tried to focus more on the gourd for at least two books, though I couldn’t resist including Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party. Even though there’s a host of “monstrous” guests included in this beautiful, simple counting book, it doesn’t specifically reference Halloween. I began this storytime by calling the theme a mystery, then read Cathryn Falwell’s Mystery Vine with the help of a prop I had a lot of fun making (I even hand-dyed the cord green since I couldn’t find any that wasn’t plain white.) I can’t wait to use it in an in-person storytime in the future for more of an impact!

See other versions of this storytime from 2022 and 2025.

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

pumpkin day book cover, showing a Black boy holding a pumpkin and sitting on a pile of them, with a farm scene in the background.

Early Literacy Tip: Narrative skills have to do with learning how to describe things and being able to tell stories. Little stories, like the one in “Pumpkin, Pumpkin,” are great for children to start learning how stories work. “First the pumpkin is a seed, then it is a plant, then it is a pumpkin!”

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Read with prop: Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell
As I read, I pulled out a little more vine to reveal leaves, smaller vines, flowers, a green pumpkin, and finally some orange pumpkins. Big kudos to Rebecca from Sturdy for Common Things for her inspiration for this prop, as well as excellent photos of the process of making it.

A Mysterious Vine appears!

Fingerplay: Pumpkin, Pumpkin
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground
(ASL for pumpkin: gently flick middle finger on back of other hand)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball (arms circle in front)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (ASL pumpkin sign)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Credit: Jbrary

Action Song: Roly Poly Pumpkin
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Oh, the roly-poly pumpkin (roll arms, gradually speed up)
Went rolling down the hill
Once it started rolling
It couldn’t keep still
It rolled and rolled
Until it bumped into a rock (act surprised)
Then the roly-poly pumpkin (roll slowly)
Rolled to a stop (clap)
Credit: King County Library System

Have you ever been to a pumpkin patch? Here’s a story about what it’s like.
Read: Pumpkin Day! by Candice Ransom & Erika Meza

I borrowed this idea from Adventures in Storytime, and used the printable pumpkins from Sunflower Storytime. We sang the song first, then we talked about feelings, then sang it again substituting “Happy ones and sad ones and silly ones and mad ones” (randomized with a shuffle) when those pumpkins were shown.
Song: Did You Ever See a Pumpkin?
(tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie?)
Did you ever see a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin?
Did you ever see a pumpkin that grows on a vine?
Short ones and tall ones and big ones and small ones
Did you ever see a pumpkin that grows on a vine?
Credit: Adventures in Storytime

Laminated pumpkins mounted on craft sticks with faces depicting 5 feelings: happy, sad, mad, scared, and silly.

Another borrow from Adventures in Storytime – I loved her idea of doing the fingerplay on the opposite hand the second time through to strengthen the non-dominant side a little!
Fingerplay: Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate. (hold up 5 fingers)
The 1st one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late!” (1 finger, point to wrist)
The 2nd one said, “There are bats in the air.” (2 fingers, flap hands)
The 3rd one said, “But we don’t care!” (3 fingers, shake head)
The 4th one said, “Let’s run and run and run!” (4 fingers, jog arms)
The 5th one said, “I’m ready to have some fun!” (5 fingers, wiggle)
Then WHOOOOSH went the wind, (curve hand in air)
And OUT went the light. (clap hands together loudly)
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight! (5 fingers, roll arms)
Credit: Adventures in Storytime

Read: Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party by Erin Barker

Action Rhyme: Pumpkin Chant
(For each line, pat lap twice on 1st pumpkin, clap twice on 2nd, pat twice on 3rd, then do action for last word)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bread!
(Hold hands flat in front, one on top of the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin head!
(Put hands on head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie!
(Hold hands in a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin eye!
(Curve hands around eyes)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin cake!
(Hold hands flat, one about 5 inches above the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin shake!
(shake fists by head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin stew!
(Pretend to stir stew)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin BOO!
(do a peek-a-boo)
Credit: Jane Willis Johnston, via Jbrary

Craft: Pumpkin Patch
I was rummaging around and found some cute foam stickers that included pumpkins, leaves, and mice on corn (also a fox wearing a headdress that I threw away – why can’t designers understand that is cultural appropriation!?) That sparked an idea to make a pumpkin patch using green yarn to make vines. I suggested two different methods. Grownups could draw swirling vine shapes on the page with glue, then older kids could follow the glue with the yarn. That would take a little more coordination. Alternatively, grownups could put some liquid glue into a shallow bowl, dunk the yarn in to saturate it, then the kids could add the vines whichever way they wished. Messier, but easier. Both methods work on fine motor skills!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer & James Graham Hale
The Great Pumpkin Contest by Angie Rozelaar
Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree & Anne-Sophie Lanquetin

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 10/27/20.

Storytime Handout:

Preschool Storytime: Friends

Posted on by msemilylibrary

This was a bit of a miscellany of a theme, but all three books did, indeed, feature friends. Rhymes and songs were loosely associated, but overall it flowed well. This was the last storytime I did on Facebook live before re-recording a permanent version for YouTube, so there is no video. Throughout these virtual storytimes, I encouraged parents to create their own props using household materials. Shakers can be made from rice or beans inside small plastic food containers, sippy cups with holes taped closed, leftover plastic Easter eggs, even cardboard tubes with the ends secured. I always mention before shaker songs that if you don’t have one handy, a “magic shaker” can be used by making the shaking motion and “ch-ch-cha”ing along. With everyone staying safer at home, we weren’t providing handouts or Take and Make packets at that time. I tried to suggest either crafts made with household materials or activities caregivers could do with their child.

Welcome Song: Clap and Sing Hello

Action Rhyme: Roly Poly
(Roll hands and change voice to coordinate with the lyrics)
Roly poly, roly, poly, up, up, up (arms up, voice higher)
Roly poly, roly, poly, down, down, down (arms down, voice low)
Roly poly, roly, poly, out, out, out (arms far from chest, voice expansive)
Roly poly, roly, poly, in, in, in (arms close to chest, voice and lips collapsed)
Roly poly, roly, poly, BIG, BIG, BIG (large movements, voice loud)
Roly poly, roly, poly, very, very small (roll only index fingers, voice quiet)
Roly poly, roly, poly, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast! (roll quickly, voice frenetic)
Rol…ly… po…ly… in… your… lap (roll very slowly, then lay hands down, speak in slow motion)
Credit: Rebecca Jane Flanagan

Read: Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris & LeUyen Pham

A song for quarantine. This one was suggested on Storytime Underground for virtual storytimes. The original goes “I am here and you are here.” You can also add motions to extend the song.
Action Song: I Am Here and You Are There
I am here and you are there but we are all together.
I am here and you are there and we’re going to have some fun.
I’m going to clap my hands.

Repeat, clapping hands throughout verse 2
I am here and you are there but we are all together.
I am here and you are there and we’re going to have some fun.
I’m going to clap my hands.
I’m going to stamp my feet.

Repeat, clapping hands AND stomping feet throughout verse 3
I am here and you are there but we are all together.
I am here and you are there and we’re going to have some fun.
I’m going to clap my hands.
I’m going to stamp my feet.
I’m going to nod my head.

Repeat, clapping hands AND stomping feet AND nodding head throughout verse 4
I am here and you are there but we are all together.
I am here and you are there and we have had some fun!
Credit: King County Library System

Fingerplay: Dance Your Fingers Up
Dance your fingers up, dance your fingers down
Dance them to the side and dance them all around.
Dance them on our shoulders, dance them on your head.
Dance them on your tummy, and put them all to bed!
Credit: King County Library System

Read: The Doghouse by Jan Thomas

Flannel Game: Little Mouse
Little Mouse, little Mouse,
Are you in the red house?

Picture of flannel pieces for the hide-and-seek game Little Mouse. Includes 7 houses of varying colors and sizes and one mouse small enough to hide behind any of them.

Shaker Song: We Shake and We Shake and We STOP
We shake and we shake and we STOP
We shake and we shake and we STOP
We shake and we shake and we shake and we shake
And we shake and we shake and we STOP

Additional verses:
We circle and circle and STOP… (draw a circle with shaker)
We tap and we tap and we STOP… (tap on different body parts)
We roll and we roll and we STOP… (roll arms)
Credit: Jbrary

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!
Credit: Jbrary (see video for motions)

Read: The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems

Fingerplay: 5 Little Hot Dogs
Five little hot dogs (wiggle 5 fingers on one hand)
frying in a pan, (other hand flat as a pan, 5 fingers wiggle above it)
The grease got hot (rub hands together)
and one went BAM! (1 finger up, then CLAP on “bam”)

(Count down, then last verse:)
No little hot dogs frying in a pan
The grease got hot and the pan went BAM!
Credit: Jbrary

Activity Suggestion: Draw a picture of YOUR favorite food. Or, draw a picture of your favorite meal that you eat this week, or make a food journal and draw a picture of each night’s dinner. Do as much or as little as you like. Here are my favorites, a strawberry and a blueberry!

Line drawing of a strawberry and a blueberry on lined notebook paper.

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 4/28/20.

Preschool Storytime: Food

Posted on by msemilylibrary

This was the last of my virtual programs before our summer reading program started up. At this time we weren’t providing Take and Make packets. Since we were in lockdown there were no handouts and I tried to suggest either crafts made with household materials or activities caregivers could do with their child. It was so fun to work with titles that introduced foods with which some of my patrons may be unfamiliar. The books were a lovely introduction and I was happy that several of the songs and rhymes I found from Jbrary had multicultural verses or ones I could adapt to our books.

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

Early Literacy Tip: Cooking is great for math skills, spatial awareness, reading recipes, following directions, sequencing, and more. It’s sensory – kids can smell, taste, touch, hear, and see so much during the process, and they are much more likely to be willing to try unfamiliar foods that they had a hand in making.

Read: Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed & Anoosha Syed

Action Song: The Soup is Boiling Up
(tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
The soup is boiling up, (both hands make spiraling motions upward)
The soup is boiling up,
Stir slow around we go, (pretend to stir)
The soup is boiling up.
Additional verses:
The daal is boiling up…
The chili is boiling up…
The beans are boiling up…
The spaghetti is boiling up…
Credit: Jbrary

Rhyme: At the Kitchen Door
1, 2, 3, 4 _______’s at the kitchen door. (insert child’s name)
5, 6, 7, 8 eating _________ off a plate. (insert child’s favorite food and make eating noises)
Credit: Jbrary

Read: 1 Big Salad by Juana Medina

This is a great one for vocabulary, and you can encourage kids and caregivers to make up their own actions!
Action Cheer: Fruits and Veggies Unite
Form banana, form, form banana (one arm lifts over head in an oblong shape)
Form banana, form, form, banana (second arm mirrors)
Peel banana, peel, peel banana (one arm “peels” off to the side)
Peel banana, peel, peel banana (second arm mirrors)
Go bananas, go, go, bananas! (wave arms wildly)
Go bananas, go, go, bananas!
Additional verses:
Form the orange … peel the orange … squeeze the orange
Form the apple … slice the apple … eat the apple
Form the corn … shuck the corn … pop the corn
Form potato … peel potato … mash potato
Credit: Jbrary

Action Song: Knife, Fork, Spoon, Spatula
(form a knife, fork, spoon, and spatula shape with arms for each word, then shake hands during the “Cha cha chas”)
I’m a Knife, Fork, Spoon, Spatula, cha cha cha
I’m a Knife, Fork, Spoon, Spatula, cha cha cha
I’m a Knife, Fork, Spoon, I’m a Knife, Fork, Spoon,
I’m a Knife, Fork, Spoon, Spatula, cha cha cha
Credit: Jbrary

Read: Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zheng & Charlene Chua

I borrowed the idea to add some multicultural foods to this classic rhyme from Jbrary’s adaptation which they call Sweet Potatoes in the Pot, and added a few verses that fit with our books today.
Bouncing Rhyme: Jelly on a Plate
Jelly on a plate, Jelly on a plate,
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, Jelly on a Plate

Naan on the tawa, Naan on the tawa,
Turn it round, turn it round, Naan on the tawa.

Tamales in the steamer, tamales in the steamer,
Wrap them up, wrap them up, Tamales in the steamer

Daal in the pot, daal in the pot,
Simmer, simmer, simmer, simmer, Daal in the pot

Salad in the bowl, salad in the bowl
Toss it up, toss it up, Salad in the bowl

Bao in the steamer, bao in the steamer
Eat them up, eat them up, bao in the steamer
Credit: adapted from Jbrary

Activity suggestion: Spend some time together in the kitchen this week. Have fun! Make a salad using your favorite veggies, or, if you’re feeling ambitious, try a new recipe like daal or bao or something else that sounds good. Here’s a great article from The Kitchn that shows how to include your kids in the process of making meals. I love that it includes ideas for babies from 0-18 months up to children age 9, because it’s never to early to get kids involved in cooking and eating healthy foods!

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 5/26/20.