Tag: puppets

Storytime: Country Life

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Following up on last week’s “City Life” storytime, this time we went to the country! My library is in a suburban area, so it’s possible the kids here have some familiarity with rural or urban areas, or none at all. In either case, it’s good to explore our world with books!

It is very easy to plan a “Farm” storytime – there are plenty of books and rhymes and songs about farm animals. But I really wanted to reflect what it’s like for PEOPLE living in the country, and from a modern standpoint, at that. It’s much harder to find books featuring non-stereotypical Farmer and Farmer’s Wife-type books. However, there are some excellent newer ones out there. I was really happy to see the book, Frances in the Country by Liz Garton Scanlon & Sean Qualls, featuring a BIPOC child visiting her cousins in the country. And C is for Country by Lil Nas X & Theodore Taylor III is another fun modern title. And though we did sing Old MacDonald, hopefully we got a little broader sense of what actually living in the country is like.

See another take on this theme from 2020 here.

Early Literacy Tip: Learning shapes and practicing manipulating them as we do in our tractor craft this week is an important early literacy skill. A child who is able to distinguish between shapes is better equipped to notice the differences in shapes of letters. This helps not only with reading but also with writing.

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. This week it was hips & noses.

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

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

Intro: What does it mean to live in the country? There are fewer people on more land, it’s farther from cities and towns. Living in the country might mean there are farms, but it could also mean living in mountains, forests, even deserts. Even if you don’t live on a farm, a lot of people have the space to have a nice big garden in the country

Remember our elevator song from last week?  Here’s a version about the country!
Lifting Song: The Country Song (TT) (TB) (FT)
Oh, the country is great and the country is grand!
There are not a lot of buildings on a whole lot of land
And we live way out by the forest and the trees
We grow a lot of vegetables and maybe keep some bees
We put the seeds in the earth, we take the vegetables out
We put the seeds in the earth, we take the vegetables out
We put the seeds in the earth, we take the vegetables out
And we dance and shout!
Source: Jbrary

Bees are really important – they help pollinate the plants that give us food, as well as making honey.
Tickle Rhyme: Here Is the Beehive (TT) (TB) (FT)
Here is the the beehive (show fist)
But where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… (show fingers)
They’re alive!
Buzz buzz buzz! (tickle)
Source: Jbrary

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

This was the shorter of my two books, but I still paperclipped one set of pages to shorten! Parents were very skeptical about putting vinegar in a drink as described in the switchel recipe. I love that this one shows a mother and daughter doing the farm work.
Read: Hey, Hey, Hay! A Tale of Bales and the Machines that Make Them by Christy Mihaly & Joe Cepeda (TT) (FT)

Book Cover for Hey, Hey, Hay!

Read: Frances in the Country by Liz Garton Scanlon & Sean Qualls (TB)

Book cover for Frances in the Country

I made up these lyrics for the last time I did the Country Life theme. This time I left out the “taking a break” verse for time. Riding on a tractor looks like fun, but also hard work!
Bounce: Bumpin’ Up & Down in My Little Green Tractor (TT) (TB) (FT)
(bounce child, then lift, hug, or lean on the last line)
Bumpin’ up and down in my little green tractor
Bumpin’ up and down in my little green tractor
Bumpin’ up and down in my little green tractor
Over the fields we go!

Additional verses:
Mowin’ down the grass in my little green tractor…
(bounce or “steer” tractor)
Takin’ a break for cake and switchel…
(bounce or pretend to eat & drink)
Baling up the hay in my little green tractor…
(bounce or roll arms)
Source: adapted from the traditional

We got out scarves and did some songs. You see a lot of corn being grown in the country. Did you know that our state, Indiana, is the second largest producer of POPcorn in the US?
Scarf Song: Popcorn Kernels (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels (wave scarves overhead)
In the pot, in the pot (bunch up scarf in your fist)
Shake them, shake them, shake them! (shake)
Shake them, shake them, shake them!
‘Til they POP! ‘Til they POP! (toss scarves up into the air)
Source: Jbrary

If you live in the country, you might have room for a big garden!
Scarf Song: Picked a Strawberry (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Clementine)
Picked a strawberry, picked a strawberry
That was growing in the sun
Then I washed it, and I ate it
And I picked another one
Repeat with other foods: apple, grape, tomato, blueberry, etc
Source: Jbrary

We can also grow some apples!
Scarf Rhyme: Way Up High in the Apple Tree (TT) (TB) (FT)
Way up high in the apple tree, (pull scarf up through hand)
I saw two apples looking at me (make fists w/ scarf in one)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (shaking motion)
Down came the apples, (drop scarf)
and mmmm, they were good! (rub tummy)
Source: traditional

Everyone loves puppets! I made the barn for a farm storytime recently and I get some really rapt toddlers for this one!
Puppet Song: Old MacDonald had a Farm (TT) (TB) (FT)
Old MacDonald had a farm, E – I – E – I – O!
And on that farm he had a dog, E – I – E – I – O!
With a woof, woof here, & a woof, woof there
Here a woof, there a woof,
everywhere a woof, woof!
Old MacDonald had a farm, E – I – E – I – O!
How many other farm animals can you think of?
Source: traditional

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

Craft: Shape Tractor (TB) (FT)
Using some basic shapes, we made a tractor hauling hay in a trailer. My library had some yellow cotton balls in the craft closet, but white would work just as well.

Craft showing a green tractor with a red trailer attached, with three yellow cotton balls atop the trailer. Tractor and trailer are made from rectangles, and black circles are used as wheels.

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)
Green on Green – Dianne White & Felicita Sala
The Old Truck – Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey
Birdsong – Julie Flett
Farmhouse – Sophie Blackall
Summer Sun Risin’ – W. Nikola-Lisa & Don Tate
Everything Is Different at Nonna’s House – Caron Lee Cohen & Hiroe Nakata
City Dog, Country Frog – Mo Willems & Jon J. Muth
C Is for Country – Lil Nas X & Theodore Taylor III
Early One Morning – Mem Fox & Christine Davenier

This storytime was presented in-person on 8/15, 8/16, & 8/21/23.

Storytime Handout:

Handout including book suggestions and rhyme/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

Summer Storytimes: All Together Now, Part I

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Welcome back to the blog! My library’s Summer Reading Program is officially over, and I am deep into planning the fall. Summer is so busy that I take a break from blogging, but it was a great season, and I’d love to share it with you. I implemented all I learned in the last couple of years doing outdoor programming, and I think it was the best yet, despite worse weather and air quality this year (boo.)

Our library generally uses the theme and graphics from the Collaborative Summer Library Program, or CSLP, a national initiative that helps libraries plan summer programming. This year’s theme was “All Together Now,” with an emphasis on kindness and community. I focused on a different aspect of this each week for seven weeks in June and July. My program themes then were Community, We Work Together, Kindness, Family, Animal Helpers, and Helping Hands. More detail on how these were interpreted below. I also simplified the usual age requirements that I normally have for my indoor programs through the rest of the year. (So, instead of a Toddler Time for 1-2 year olds on Mondays and a Teddy Bear time for 2-3.5s on Tuesdays, I offered Family Time for 0-3.5 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.) Siblings are always welcome, and I don’t have a limit to the number of families who can participate, so the programs are open to all.

For each session, we had about 15-20 minutes of storytime rhymes, songs, and a book, then 20 minutes of free play at various sensory stations. We end with bubbles and a goodbye song. Stations are a really great way to promote socializing, practice skills like sharing and being gentle, and allow for unstructured play, which science tells us is so important to learning and development. I added a section of parachute songs weekly, too, which was a treat for everyone. It was easy to do thematically – “A parachute is hard to have fun with by yourself. You need some friends and have to work ‘all together!'”

I also am all about simplicity and repetition over the summer. I have a lot of moving parts, set up and tear down to deal with, so I don’t change a lot in the storytime part and plan everything ahead so I am purely in “execute” mode rather than worrying about planning or learning songs. I changed one song and the book each week, and had a mixture of weekly, rotating, and unique stations. Since so much was the same, I’ll write up the whole summer in two posts: this first one focusing on the storytime half, and the second post focusing on all of the hands-on stations!

And, in addition to being back from hiatus, I finally bit the bullet and bought a domain name and WordPress subscription. Welcome to the ad-free Storytime with Ms. Emily Library experience! Please let me know if anything is wonky or links not working correctly in the transition.

The Plan: Storytime Portion

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! (repeat as needed)
(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”)
Source: Glenside Public Library District

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
(We wiggled every week, but then added 2 more motions. Motions we did throughout the summer: jump, twirl, run, splash, hop, swim, stretch, stomp, wave, sway, march, lean, roll [arms,] hug)
Source: Jbrary

Intro: Our summer reading program is “All Together Now” and it is all about how wonderful things can happen when we work together. Short intro to the weekly theme (see below)

Themed Song (see below)

Transition Song: If You’re Ready for a Story
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands (clap, clap)
If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands (clap, clap)
If you’re ready for a story, if you’re ready for a story,
If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands (clap, clap)
Source: Miss Keithia (my predecessor)

Themed Book (see below)

Parachute! A parachute is really hard to have fun with all by yourself. We need friends, and we need to work together!

Parachute Song: Let’s Go Riding in an Elevator
Let’s go riding in an elevator, Elevator, elevator (parachute up and down)
Let’s go riding in an elevator, Ride along with me!
First floor, Second floor, Third floor, Fourth floor, Fifth floor… (shake parachute low, and get progressively higher)
And down, down, down, down, down! (lower parachute)
Source: Jbrary

I remind everyone to start rowing very gently, then after the first verse, say, “Oh, the wind is picking up, can we row more firmly?” and before the third verse, “Oh, no, there’s a storm! Row as strongly as you can!”
Parachute Song: Row Your Boat (3 verses)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently/Firmly/Strongly down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
(Wave the parachute gently, then firmly, then wildly!)
Source: traditional

Breathing Break
Whew, all that rowing got me out of breath! I’m ready for a breathing break. Let’s take a big breath in and lift the parachute up, then breathe out and lower it. We’ll repeat a few times.

Most people know the first verse, but the second verse is probably newer and much less well known. It was a fun way to get us “up” from falling down. We did this one twice, walking in one direction and then the other.
Parachute Song: Ring Around the Rosie
(walk in a circle with parachute)
Ring around the rosie,
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down! (fall and stay seated)

Cows are in the meadow, (crouching by the ‘chute)
Eating buttercups
Thunder, lightning, (shake the parachute)
we all stand up! (stand)
Source: traditional

It actually took a few weeks for the adults to “get” this one. Repetition is good for them, too. 🙂
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly
(tune of Skip to my Lou)
(kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower)
Up, up, up it goes,
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky
Count to 3 and watch it fly
Spoken:
Up on one…
Down on two…
Up on three…
and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves)
Source: Gymboree

Release to Stations
I have eight stations each week, which involve a mixture of dry, wet, and art/creativity stations. We spend about 20 minutes before I ring the bell to call everyone back to the grassy area. We’ll go into further detail on these in the next blog post.

Everybody loves bubbles! The trick to doing bubbles outside, I’m finding, is to figure out which way the wind is blowing and get upwind of your group!
Recorded Bubble Song: Pop, Pop, Pop by Nathalia
From the album “Dream a Little,” available on Spotify

CD album cover for Nathalia's Dream a Little

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!)
Source: King County Library System

Weekly Themes

Week 1: Friends 6/6, 6/7/23

Intro: Friends are the people who we love to play and hang out with, and who help us out when we need it. I love making new friends!

Themed Song: All Together Now I played this one on my ukulele, and asked the group to participate by doing the “response” part of the “all together now” chorus. If you don’t want to sing this one, play the original recording by the Beatles or the cover by Caspar Babypants.
I got the chord sheet from Jim’s Ukulele Songbook. It’s a great resource since he’s got a lot of functionality built into the site and among other things you can change the key of any of the songs and print sheets very easily. I prefer to play and sing this one in the key of G.

Themed Read: Who Has Wiggle Waggle Toes? by Vicky Shiefman & Francesca Chessa This is a story of friends having fun together. Can you join in?

Week 2: Community 6/12, 6/13, 6/14/23

Intro: We live in a community of people, and the people in our community help each other. Some people have jobs that let them help others every day.

I played this one on my ukulele and took suggestions from the group. I prompted them by asking, “who helps us when we’re feeling sick?” if there was a lull.
Themed Song: Community Helpers Song
(tune of Farmer in the Dell)
The teachers teach the kids
The teachers teach the kids
Heigh-ho, they help us so
The teachers teach the kids

Choose 3-5 verses!
The firefighters put out the fires….
The crossing guards help us cross…
The librarians find us books….
The dentists check our teeth…
The doctors keep us well…
The farmers grow our food…
The mail carriers deliver the mail…
Custodians keep us clean…

Click for a ukulele songsheet for “Farmer in the Dell”

I encouraged the group to give a cheer for every page to keep interest up.
Themed Read: Cheer: A Book to Celebrate Community by Uncle Ian Aurora & Natalia Moore

Week 3: We Work Together 6/19, 6/20, 6/21/23

Intro: Working together really makes things go smoother.

Instead of the ukulele this week, we did the ASL motions.
Themed Song: The More We Get Together
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, The happier we’ll be
For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends
The more we get together, The happier we’ll be

The more we read together… (ASL for read)
We’ll read big books and small books
Read short books and tall books…

The more we work together the stronger we’ll be… (ASL for work)
Source: traditional, ASL for verse one

Themed Read: Blocks by Irene Dickson

Week 4: Kindness 6/26, 6/27, 6/28/23

Intro: One important way to work together is to show kindness. Being kind means thinking of others and doing what you can to be a good neighbor.

The root of all kindness, I believe, is love. Here’s a traditional song your grownups might remember from their childhoods!
Themed Song: Skinnamarink
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo, I love you!
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo, I love you!
I love you in the morning, and in the afternoon
I love you in the evening, underneath the moon
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo, I love you!
Source: traditional, motions from Jbrary

Themed Read: How Kind! by Mary Murphy

Week 5: Family 7/3, 7/5/23

Intro: We can start working together with the people who are closest to us – our families! Who are the people in your family?

Here’s a song for all the people in our families – listen carefully! I included some different iterations to try to be as inclusive as possible. To keep things from getting too long, I sometimes combined (grandma and grandpa). Pairing it with a silly action (and telling grown-ups that they count, too) increases the fun.
Themed Song: If You Have a Brother
(tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man)
If you have a brother
A half-brother, a step-brother
If you have a foster-brother
Please stand up!
Repeat with other family members: sister, mommy, daddy, cousin, aunt, uncle, grandpa, grandma, etc. Ask for suggestions!
Pair with other silly actions: raise your hand, stick out your tongue, wiggle your foot, jump up and down, pat your head, etc.
Source: Abby the Librarian (though I changed the tune)

Themed Read: The Family Book by Todd Parr

Week 6: Animal Helpers 7/10, 7/11, 7/12/23

Intro: Does anyone have a pet at home? Did you know that some animals have important jobs, helping their humans? Some animals help humans who need them to get around or keep them safe. Some animals help soothe people who are lonely or need an animal to help them calm down. Today we are celebrating these animal helpers.

I talked briefly about different helper animals and what they do – including miniature horses, who can be used for the visually impaired! Cats and bunnies are generally therapy animals. I used puppets for each, and asked what sound each one made – including the rabbit! “You’re right, rabbits are quiet! But they can be helpful by being snuggly!”
Themed Song: Animal Helpers Song
(tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The dog helps his owner with a woof, woof, woof
Woof, woof, woof
Woof, woof, woof
The dog helps his owner with a woof woof
All day long!

The cat helps her owner with a meow, meow, meow…
The horse helps their owner with a neigh, neigh, neigh…
The bunny helps her owner with a snuggle, snuggle, snuggle…
Source: adapted from the traditional

So, I kind of realized after planning that this dog was not a working dog but a pet – the vest threw me off. It still seemed like the best option as far as length. If you know a better option, please let me know in the commets!
Themed Read: Best Day Ever! by Marilyn Singer & Leah Nixon

Week 7: Helping Hands 7/17, 7/18, 7/19/23

Intro: Who likes to be a helper? What are some ways you might help at home? Putting toys away, set the table, put laundry in the hamper, play with a younger sibling, etc.

Since we use this tune for our transitional song, which comes right after this one, I saved the “clap” action for that one and went right into it. I also played ukulele for this one!
Themed Song: If You’re Helpful and You Know It
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If you’re helpful and you know it, stomp your feet
If you’re helpful and you know it, stomp your feet
If you’re helpful and you know it and you really want to show it
If you’re helpful and you know it, stomp your feet

If you’re friendly and you know it, peekaboo…
If you’re thoughtful and you know it, shout hooray…
Then go right into “If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands”
Source: adapted from the traditional

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

thumbnail for ukulele songsheet

Themed Read: Kindness Makes Us Strong by Sophie Beer

Tune in to the next post to learn more about all the sensory stations – like the Fly Swatter Slap, Pool Noodle Sort, Ping Pong Fishing, Mystery Water, Feed the Croc, and more!

Storytime: Let’s Picnic

Posted on by msemilylibrary

One last May storytime to blog!

Going on a Picnic was actually my very first theme for storytimes I did on my own in a brand new position at a new library. I wasn’t blogging at that time, of course. I revisited it last month, updating some of the activities.

Early Literacy Tip: Singing games where we do motions as a group (like “Picnic in the Park”) encourage social responsiveness. These activities also help your child learn to feel comfortable in a group setting. When your child begins school, such positive associations will help them adjust to being part of a class.

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. This week it was knees and fingers.

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

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

Intro: As we get closer to summertime, I start thinking about some of the fun things we can do outside. One of those is to have a picnic! A picnic is a meal you eat outside. You might do other things like fly a kite, play ball, even take a nap!

I had a bag of flannel picnic pieces that I made a couple years ago for Five Hungry Ants (below), and Raffi’s song, Going on a Picnic, both of which mention certain foods. I think I added a couple of other items to fill it out. After the first session, I learned to do groups of things, not individual pieces for each verse! “Let’s pack some fruits and vegetables! How about dessert?” It just shortened the song to fit my audience’s attention span. The foods stayed up while we read our book, then the ants came!
Rhythm Rhyme: Pack a Lunch (TT) (TB) (FT)
(slap knees in rhythm to the rhyme)
Going on a picnic
Gotta pack a lunch
What should we bring to
Munch, munch, munch?
Let’s bring….
(how many picnic items can you think of?)

Optional last verse:
Ready for a picnic,
Ready with a lunch,
Now we’re ready to
munch, munch, munch!
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Felt board with various picnic foods, including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, slice of watermelon, red apple, bowl of salad with carrots and tomatoes, glass of lemonade, slice of cake on a plate, chocolate chip cookie, and salt and pepper shakers.

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

This one was okay. I’m not a huge fan of the Mouse books, but it did feature things I was going to talk about like watermelon and ants.
Read: Mouse’s First Summer by Lauren Thompson & Buket Erdogan (TT)

mouse's first summer book cover

This is such a funny and silly book, but also takes a little explaining for the littlest ones to get what’s going on. The adults were chuckling and smiling the whole way through, though, and even the littles seemed to really like the pictures.
Read: Pignic by Matt Phelan (TB) (FT)

Pignic book cover

For time, I only added four ants. It’s not a bad idea to start your counting songs and rhymes at numbers other than five on occasion. I believe the original source said she tosses the ants behind her after the big sneeze, and that has always gotten a lot of giggles for me. 🙂
We packed our lunch, and now it’s time to eat it! But we’re not the only ones who are hungry. Look who is coming to our picnic!
Counting Rhyme: Five Hungry Ants (TB) (FT)
Five hungry ants, marching in a line
They come upon a picnic, where they could dine
They marched into the salad
They marched into the cake
They marched into the pepper
Oh-uh! That was a mistake! AH-CHOOOOOO! (remove an ant!)
Four hungry ants…
(Continue to count down)
Source: Miss Mary Liberry blog

Same felt board as above, but with five black ants with small googly eyes and pipe cleaner antennae added to the top.

I modified the fruit just slightly from the Jbrary version, but it might be fun to brainstorm fruits and fit them into the structure of the song with your group (probably better with an older group).
Oh, good, the ants are gone! Let’s dig in. One thing that’s tasty at a picnic is a fruit salad!
Action Song: Fruit Salad (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Watermelon, watermelon (big circle with hands)
Strawberry, strawberry (chop with hands on each syllable)
Ba-a-a-a-nana, Ba-a-a-a-nana, (swing arms down, rocking)
Fruit salad, fruit salad! (dance it out!)

Pomegranate, pomegranate (pinch fingers)
Clementine, clementine (hold hands together then open)
Pi-i-i-i-neapple, pi-i-i-i-neapple (peak fingers & move around)
Fruit salad, fruit salad! (dance it out!)
Source: Jbrary

A good one to have in the back pocket, but I didn’t end up using it for time reasons. In the past, I encourage the room to really hit the “Boom Boom Boom” hard – A) because it’s fun and B) because at that point in the song I need a big breath!
Oh, no! The ants are back!
Song: The Ants Go Marching
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah! Hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah! Hurrah!
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain.
Boom, Boom, Boom!
(count up)
…two by two, tie his shoe…three by three, climb a tree…four by four, shut the door…five by five, take a dive
Source: traditional

I pretty much did as Michael Rosen does in this video, but encouraged the group to repeat the first four lines as call and response. Once again, as my sessions continued, I shortened to fit our attention. Three obstacles (grass, river, and mud) plus the cave seemed just about right. You can download my reminder sheet here. When we found the bear, I put on my Folkmanis baby bear puppet, which they loved!
It can be fun to play some games when you are on a picnic. Can we pretend to go hunting for a bear?
Retelling/Chant: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury (TT) (TB) (FT)
We’re going on a bear hunt (We’re going on a bear hunt)
We’re gonna catch a big one! (We’re gonna catch a big one!)
What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!)
We’re not scared! (We’re not scared!)
Oh, no! GRASS – Long, wavy grass
We can’t go OVER it, We can’t go UNDER it
We have to go THROUGH it
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
Repeat, going through a River, Mud, a Forest, s Storm, a Cave, finding the bear, and then running back through everything to home.
Source: traditional, as performed by Michael Rosen

I saw the first verse on a library blog, and decided to write some more verses to give the whole story of a day at a picnic. It was fun to come up with the rhymes, and figure out some action to go with each one just like She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain.
Ukulele/Action Song: Picnic in the Park (TB) (FT)
(tune of She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain)
Oh, we’ll all go on a picnic in the park (let’s go!) (come here motion)
Oh, we’ll all go on a picnic in the park (let’s go!)
Bring some lunch and bring a ball,
There’ll be so much fun for all
Yes, we’ll all go on a picnic in the park (let’s go!)

Oh, we’ll eat some chips and sandwiches outside (yum, yum)… (rub tummy)
Fruit salad and lemonade
Taste so good out in the shade…

We’ll play a game of tag or hide and seek (ready or not!)… (cup hands around mouth)
Run around, lickety split
I’ll tag you and then you’re it…

Oh, the sky is getting darker, will it rain? (drip drop)… (wiggle fingers down)
Thunder rumbles, then grumbles more
Pack our stuff before it pours…

(slowly)
I’m glad we had a picnic in the park (yawn)… (cover mouth)
We ran around and ate our lunch
Had some fun, all right a bunch…
Source: verse one by Rhyming Reasor (found on the picture of the handout, not in the text of the blog post),
remaining verses are original

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Picnic in the Park” here!

thumbnail for picnic in the park songsheet

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

Craft: Watermelon on a Stick (TB) (FT)
I made a point of letting them know that watermelon is one of my favorite fruits when we added it to the felt board. (Purportedly my word for it as a toddler was “Oh, Boy” since that’s what everybody said when it came out!) So our craft this week was to make paper plate watermelon slices on a stick! Color the plate, fold, and staple (hint – most staplers will staple through a craft stick!) Add some seed shapes and you’re done!

Picture of watermelon craft - paper plate colored pink in the middle and green around the edge, folded in half and stapled to a large craft stick. Black paper seeds are glued on.

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)
Truck, Truck, Goose! – Tammi Sauer & Zoe Waring
This Is the Way a Baby Rides – Susan Meyers & Hiroe Nakata
Pie Is for Sharing – Stephanie Parsley Ledyard & Jason Chin
Max and Marla Are Having a Picnic – Alexandra Boiger
Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack – Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin
The Watermelon Seed – Greg Pizzoli
In Our Backyard Garden – Eileen Spinelli & Marcy Ramsey
I Really Want a Bigger Piece! – Harriet Ziefert & Travis Foster
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! – Bob Barner

This storytime was presented in-person on 5/15, 5/16, & 5/17/23.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, 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: At the Pond

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Summer is coming, so I’ve been a little slow with blog posts!

A pond storytime is a lot of fun, since there are lots of extension activities that go along with pond animals – ducks, frogs, fish, turtles, even bugs! I actually had several extra rhymes and songs in reserve that I didn’t end up using in the time we had, but might be good alternate options for you.

Early Literacy Tip: Rhymes can help children look a bit more carefully at the natural world around them. Take the opportunities that rhymes offer to have conversations with your child. The rhyme “There Was a Little Turtle” gives you a chance to talk about turtles – where they live, what they eat, and that some kinds of turtles might bite!

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. This week it was shoulders and ears.

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

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

Intro: Today we are talking about a special ecosystem where plants and animals live together – a pond! Can anyone think of something they might find in or near a pond? Fish, ducks, turtles, frogs, mosquitos, water beetles, dragonflies, water lilies, reeds, mud…

This is such a fun rhyme! I’d done it in my Baby program but not for this group. The person who posted it to the Storytime Solidarity Facebook Group didn’t have a source, so if anyone knows where it came from or who wrote it, please let me know!
Bounce/Lift: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy (TT) (FT)
Fishy, fishy, fishy goes swishy, swishy, swishy (bounce)
Flip flop, flip flop, flip flop (rock side to side)
Uuuuup, (lift baby high in air) KERPLOP! (return baby to lap)
Source: Storytime Solidarity

I used my hands to do the motions as if they were duck “flippers,” except for the quacking of the beak.
Action Rhyme: Little Baby Ducklings (TT)
Little baby ducklings- dash, dash, dash
Jumped in the duck pond- splash, splash, splash
When their Mother called them- quack, quack, quack
Little baby ducklings- swam right back
Source: Preschool Express

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

Read: In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming (TT)

Book cover for In the Small Small Pond

What a lovely book. It’s very simple, just various animal and nature noises, but the colored pencil illustrations are exquisite, and the pacing lends itself so well to a group. I ask everyone to make the rain and thunder noises with lap pats and big claps, then we slowly ease back for the end of the book.
Read: A Perfect Day by Jennifer Yerkes (TB) (FT)

book cover for A Perfect Day

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, he snapped at a flea (pinch with thumb and fingers at each “snap”)
He snapped at a minnow, he snapped at me!
He caught that mosquito, He caught that flea (clap each “caught”)
He caught that minnow
But he didn’t catch me! (waggle finger)
Source: Jbrary

Song: All the Fish (TT) (TB) (FT)
All the fish are swimming in the water
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water
All the fish are swimming in the water:
Bubble, bubble, bubble, SPLASH!

All the ducks are quacking…
All the frogs are jumping…
All the kids are splashing…
Source: Caspar Babypants (from the album I Found You)

I didn’t end up using this one.
Rhyme: I Caught a Fish
One, two, three, four, five, Once I caught a fish alive
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Then I threw it back again
Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so
Which finger did it bite? This little finger on my right
Source: traditional

Action Rhyme: A Fat Little Frog (TT) (FT)
A fat little frog came hop, hop, hop!
He jumped on a log with a plop, plop, plop
He sat very still and he rolled his eyes
Then out came his tongue to catch some flies!
Source: King County (WA) Library System

I had a puppet (well, a plastic bath squirter for the fish…) for each verse, which made this one very engaging.
Song: Mmm-ah (TB) (FT)
Mmm-ahh (stick out tongue) went the little green frog one day,
Mmm-ahh went the little green frog
Mmm-ahh went the little green frog one day,
And they all went mmm, mmm, ahh
But… We know frogs go (clap) sha-na-na-na-na (wiggle arms)
Sha-na-na-na-na, Sha-na-na-na-na
We know frogs go sha-na-na-na-na
They don’t go mmm, mmm, ahh!

Bloop, bloop went the little blue fish one day…
But… we know fish go kissy-kissy-kiss
Quack, quack went the yellow duck one day…
But… we know ducks like to shake a tail feather… (shake bottom)
Source: Jbrary, duck verse original

a green frog puppet, a yellow duck puppet, and a small blue plastic fish bath squirter.

Another one that didn’t end up happening. So many great songs for pond animals!
Counting Song: Five Green & Speckled Frogs
Five green and speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs (yum, yum)
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were four green speckled frogs
(count down)
Credit: traditional

Ukulele Song: Six Little Ducks (TB) (FT)
Six little ducks That I once knew
Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones, too
But the one little duck
with the feather on his back
He led the others with a quack, quack, quack
A quack, quack, quack, A quack, quack, quack
He led the others With a quack, quack, quack
Source: traditional, as sung by Raffi

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Six Little Ducks” here!

Six Little Ducks songsheet thumbnail

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

Craft: Lily Pad (TB) (FT)
To make a cute little lily pad, we started with small green paper plates with a small wedge cut out. I provided die-cut frogs and flowers, plus a small strip of red paper curled around a pencil for the frog’s tongue. With googly eyes and some crayon details, they turned out pretty cute.

craft with a green plate with a small wedge cut out, decorated with a pink paper flower and frog with googly eyes and a long curly strip of red paper for a tongue.

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)
Scoot! – Cathryn Falwell
Ducks Away! – Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
Song of the Water Boatman – Joyce Sidman & Beckie Prange
The Wide-Mouthed Frog – Rex Schneider
Over and Under the Pond – Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal
At the Pond – Geraldo Valério
I’m a Duck – Eve Bunting & Will Hillenbrand
At the Pond – David Elliott & Amy Schimler-Safford
Maisy Goes on a Nature Walk – Lucy Cousins

This storytime was presented in-person on 5/8, 5/9, & 5/10/23.

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: Bunny Tales

Posted on by msemilylibrary

I don’t really do holiday programs, but I think it’s fine to do tangentially related programming around the time of holidays. Bunnies or rabbits are a great choice in the spring, and near Easter we see depictions of rabbits everywhere. Plus they’re cute. The hardest task is choosing a bunny book, since there are so many good options!

Early Literacy Tip: You don’t actually need to read books aloud to your children in order for them to benefit. Simply looking at and talking about the illustrations in books helps children develop appreciation for the visual arts, as well as new vocabulary. Talk about the colors you see – not only the names of the colors, but whether they are bright or pastel, sharp or soft.

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. This week it was hips and noses.

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

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

Intro: Who is this? It’s my friend bunny! He wants to say hello! I have two bunny puppets, a pink one and a white one in a hat. I used both!

I found a couple kids in the front and had the bunny puppet tickle their toes on the last line!
Action Rhyme: Rabbit’s Habit (TT) (TB) (FT)
Little rabbit has a habit That is very cute to see!
He wiggles his ears (wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!)
He wiggles his nose (wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!)
And he… Jumps on down to tickle your toes!
Source: Intellidance

And now for the rabbit in a hat puppet. This friend is shyer, if we’re very quiet, maybe she’ll come out.
Fingerplay: Little Bunny in a Hat (TT) (TB) (FT)
Little bunny in a hat, Sitting so still (index & middle fingers (bunny ears) hidden behind other hand)
Will she come out? Yes she will! (raise fingers)
She looks to the left (turn fingers left)
She looks to the right (turn fingers right)
She looks straight ahead (turn fingers to front)
And pops out of sight (hide behind other hand again)
Source: Jbrary

Photo of a white rabbit in a black top hat puppet, with a paper magic wand beside it.
I took this photo for a magic theme, but I didn’t use the wand this time.

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

The rhyme scheme makes it easy for your audience to help tell the story, filling in the missing color for each page turn.
Read: What Does Bunny See? by Linda Sue Park & Maggie Smith (TT) (FT)

book cover for What Does Bunny See?

If you have a very active group, this one is fun – there’s lots of actions to mimic. If you have a very quiet group (which I did this week), it feels a little awkward. :S
Read: Everybunny Dance! by Ellie Sandall (TB)

Book cover for Everybunny Dance

Fingerplay: Here is a Bunny (TT) (TB) (FT)
Here is a bunny with ears so funny (bunny ear fingers, bent)
And here is his hole in the ground (make circle w/ other hand)
At the first sound he hears, he pricks up his ears (extend ears)
And hops in the hole in the ground (fingers jump into the hole)
Source: Storytime Katie

Fingerplay: Bunnies Up! (TT) (TB) (FT)
(index and middle finger make bunny ears)
Bunnies up! Bunnies down!
Hold your bunny & turn around
Bunnies up! Bunnies down!
Put your bunny on the ground
Source: One Little Librarian

This one makes a great transition to the Sleeping Bunnies song.
Counting Rhyme: Come, My Bunnies (TT) (TB) (FT)
“Come my bunnies, It’s time for bed!”
That’s what Mother Bunny said
“But first let’s count you, just to see
If all my bunnies came back to me
Bunny one, Bunny two, Bunny three . . . Oh dear!
Bunny four, Bunny five, Yes, you’re all here!
You’re the cutest little bunnies alive!
Bunny one, two, three, four, five!”
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Action Song: Sleeping Bunnies (TT) (TB) (FT)
(begin with “bunnies” asleep on the floor)
Look at all the bunnies sleeping
’Til it’s nearly noon (point to wrist)
Shall we wake them with a merry tune?
(wave hands like a conductor)
Oh so still… Are they ill?
(dramatic pause, then sing fast and clap!)
Wake up, wake up, wake up little bunnies!
Wake up, wake up, wake up little bunnies!
(bunnies get up and hop around!)
Hop little bunnies, Hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, Hop, hop, hop
Stop little bunnies, Stop, stop, stop! (FREEZE!)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

I had two backup rhymes that I didn’t end up using.
Action Rhyme: Little Bunny Rabbit
(mime actions)
Little bunny rabbit goes hop hop hop
See how his ears go flop flop flop
See how his eyes go blink blink blink
See how his nose goes twink twink twink
Pet his white coat so soft and furry
Hop hop hop he’s off in a hurry!
Source: North Mankato Taylor Library

Song: I’m a Little Bunny
(tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little bunny with a cotton tail
See me hopping down the trail
When I see a carrot – my ears they shake
And then, of course, a bite I take! CRUNCH!
Source: Johnson County (KS) Library

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

Craft: Bunny Ears Headband (TB) (FT)
This was a very easy craft. I freehanded two ears on pink cardstock, cut strips of brown paper, and used some pink cotton balls that we had in the craft supply closet to make bunny ear headbands. I put out crayons in case they wanted to do any decorating. They turned out pretty cute!

Picture of the craft, showing a pink cotton ball glued to the back, and two pink ears glued to the front of a brown headband.

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)
Hat Tricks – Satoshi Kitamura
I Am a Bunny – Ole Risom & Richard Scarry
The Runaway Bunny – Margaret Wise Brown & Clement Hurd
Creepy Carrots – Aaron Reynolds & Peter Brown
Wolfie the Bunny – Ame Dyckman & Zachariah OHora
Bunny in the Middle – Anika A Denise & Christopher Denise
Big Bad Bunny – Franny Billingsley & G Brian Karas
A is for Another Rabbit – Hannah Batsel
One Brown Bunny – Marion Dane Bauer & Ivan Bates
Out of a Jar – Deborah Marcero

This storytime was presented in-person on 4/10, 4/11, & 4/12/23.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, 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: Big & Little

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Usually the songs and rhymes that I plan for my Toddler Time (ages 1-2) and my Teddy Bear (ages 2-3.5) sessions are very similar, with just two or three different extension activities that differ between the two. Family Time (ages 0-3.5) is usually a judgement call between the two plans based on the ages that show up. However, because of the books I chose to read, the two plans for this storytime were quite different!

I also was in love with the craft for this week – and I got gasps from the crowd when I revealed my sample both days! It was very simple, but made a BIG impact.

Early Literacy Tip: Children love to talk about how “big” they are. While they’re smaller than many people and things they interact with, they find joy in being bigger than younger siblings or a pet. Their learning and understanding of big and small are important for math readiness as it lays the foundation for understanding and comparing sizes. It sets them up to learn the concepts of less vs. more, smaller than vs. larger than, and equal to. Additionally, the frequent use of vocabulary like “large” and “small,” “big” and “little” helps increase your children’s spatial language.

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. This week it was arms and chins.

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

We just had to do this one!
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Intro: Let’s talk about size. What is big? [spread arms out!] What is little? [pinch fingers together] Can we practice?

I’ve done this one with bubbles, but not with balls. The flannel is super simple, and we do the rhyme three times, then say I have one more to add, now let’s count, and it makes an even 10.
Flannel Rhyme: Little Ball, Big Ball (TT) (TB) (FT)
A little ball (make a circle with your fingers)
A bigger ball (make a larger circle with your hands)
A great big ball I see (make a large circle with your arms)
Can you count the [yellow] balls? 1 – 2 – 3 (make 3 circles again)
Source: Jen in the Library

Flannelboard showing three balls of increasing size in yellow, green, and blue, plus one small pink ball to make ten total.

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

This is a board book, and I *still* skipped some pages for the wiggly toddler time group!
Read: Big Little by Leslie Patricelli (TT)

book cover for Big Little

Classic storytime book. I got some raised eyebrows and nervous titters from grownups when the squid’s tentacles are hanging out of the whale’s mouth, but everyone liked the twist!
Read: I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry (TB) (FT)

Book cover for I'm the biggest thing in the ocean

The next four activities were only for Toddler Time, then the next two were just for Teddy Bears and Family Time.

I pointed out that we’re doing a small, medium, and large sized jumping animal to reinforce our theme for this one.
Bounce: Grasshopper (TT)
There was a little grasshopper
Always on the jump
Because they never looked ahead
They always went BUMP! (tilt to side, drop between knees, or lift)
Repeat with bunny, kangaroo
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Action Rhyme: Tall as a Tree (TT)
Tall as a tree (arms over head)
Wide as a house (arms out to the side)
Thin as a pin (arms straight down by side)
And small as a mouse (crouch low)
Source: Dogeared Storytime

The little Folkmanis mouse finger puppet is the cutest, so it’s always exciting to find a new use for her!
Story Rhyme: Little Mousie Brown (TT)
(Index finger is mouse, opposite arm is candlestick)
Up the tall white candlestick
Went little Mousie Brown
But when she got up to the top
She could not get back down
She called for Mama, “Mama, Mama!”
But Mama was in town
So she called for daddy, “Daddy, Daddy!”
But Daddy wasn’t around
So little Mousie curled right up
And rolled right down!
Source: Jbrary

Photo of Folkmanis finger puppet mouse - brown with a white tummy and beige inner ears, with a beige rope tail.
Mousie Brown is the cutest

Rhythm Rhyme: The Elephant (TT)
(stomp feet rhythmically)
Right foot, left foot see me go
I am grey and big and slow
I come walking down the street
With my trunk and my four big feet
(extend arms in front of face, trumpet like an elephant!)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

We did this one every week last summer as part of the Oceans of Possiblities theme, and it was nice to revisit it.
Action Song: A Big Sea Star (TB) (FT)
(tune of A Ram Sam Sam)
A big sea star, a big sea star (stretch arms & legs out)
Little cuddle clam (hug yourself and get small)
and a big sea star (x2)

A pufferfish! (big breath and blow out)
A pufferfish!
Little cuddle clam and a big sea star (x2)
Source: Jbrary

Action Song: Slippery Fish (TB) (FT)
Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through
the water, Slippery fish, slippery fish,
Gulp, Gulp, Gulp! Oh, no!
It’s been eaten by …

A jellyfish, a jellyfish, floating in the water …
An octopus, an octopus, squiggling in the water …
A mako shark, a mako shark, lurking in the water …
Humongous whale, humongous whale, spouting in the water… Gulp, Gulp, Gulp – BURP! Excuse me!
Source: Jbrary

Flannelboard for "Slippery fish." Pictured is a small green and blue fish, a pink jellyfish, a gray and pink octopus, a white and pink tuna fish, a gray shark, and a blue whale
I didn’t use the white and pink “tuna fish” this time

Parachute Intro: Let’s get out our biggest prop, the parachute! Let’s practice by lifting it up and down, shaking fast and slow. (TT) (TB) (FT)

Parachute Song: Very, Very Tall (TT) (TB) (FT)
I’m very, very tall (reach up high)
I’m very, very small (reach down low)
Tall!
Small!
Now I’m a little ball (curl up)
Source: Old Town School of Folk Music, from the album Wiggleworms

I mean, I guess it’s big…
Parachute Song: London Bridge (TT) (TB) (FT)
London bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down
London bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.

Build it up with sticks and stones…
Source: traditional

Parachute Song: Parachute Fly
tune of Skip to My Lou
Up, up, up it goes
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky…
Count to 3 and watch it fly!
Spoken:
Up on 1…
Down on 2…
Up on 3, and Fly! (adults release while you gather up the ‘chute)
Source: Gymboree

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

Craft: Giant Squid (TB) (FT)
As I said, this was a craft that inspired gasps of delight when revealed, but the elements are really quite simple. I freehand drew a squid’s head on our largest size of blue construction paper (12″ x 18″) and asked a volunteer to trace and cut those out. I also drew large white circles for the eyes and a smile mouth on white construction paper – them being a little wonky really added to the fun look. We had small dark blue stickers for the pupils (black would have worked, too, but I used what I found), and I pre-cut lengths of blue crepe paper streamers for the tentacles. I put out glue sticks, tape, and staplers and let everyone choose what worked well for them, and we ended up with adorable giant squids that in most cases were bigger than the children that made them! I was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest from the Share and Remember blog.

Our craft - a blue squid made of construction paper and blue streamers. In full, it measures about 4 feet long

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)
I’m Not Small – Nina Crews
Tiny Little Fly – Michael Rosen & Kevin Waldron
Who’s the Biggest? – Delphine Chedru
Marta! Big & Small – Jen Arena & Angela Dominguez
Big and Small and In-Between – Carter Higgins & Daniel Miyares
Jump! – Scott M. Fischer
Little Mouse – Alison Murray
You Are (Not) Small – Anna Kang & Christopher Weyant
The Crayola Comparing Sizes Book – Jodie Shepherd
What Will Fit? – Grace Lin
Big and Small with Northwest Coast Native Art – NativeNorthwest.com

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/6, 3/7, & 3/8/23.

Storytime Handout:

Storytime handout with book suggestions, 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: Shadow Tales

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Doing a storytime about shadows is fun and exciting. It’s also a bit logistically difficult. I think I’ve seen others do this theme around Groundhog Day, but I hadn’t actually made that connection in my mind when I scheduled this for late February. I’d done this theme once before, pre-pandemic, and at that time I brought in one of those heavy-duty work lights with the halogen bulbs that have lots of scary warning stickers on them. For several of our rhymes and songs, we’re making motions and looking for our shadows to imitate us. Back then, I was able to put that big light toward the back of the room to shine on the group and project our shadows on the front wall, but I had a lot fewer kids attending then, and their grownups were more fastidious about keeping them within arms length. This time around, the only good place to put it was front and center, and I now have a larger and more mobile group. I just didn’t feel comfortable with that setup. I had a desk lamp I was able to use for my shadow theater, but it wasn’t a good fit for the wider room. A coworker let me borrow her ring light, but the light was too diffused to throw much of a shadow. Instead, we made do. I had a few flashlights, and when I lowered the main lights, there were still some can lights on the ceiling that stayed on and we were able to throw some shadows on the floor.

All that to say – it was still totally worthwhile to do, even with all the technical difficulties! Just lowering lights in storytime is fun and exciting, and a shadow made with a handheld flashlight still demonstrates the science, even if not everyone can see their distinct shadow at the same time.

Early Literacy Tip: Sharing nonfiction titles, even in an abbreviated way, helps introduce your child to new concepts, vocabulary, and general knowledge of the world around them. You can look at the pictures and read captions or paraphrase the “big ideas” of a book to create an age-appropriate experience with a factual book on a subject like shadows.

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. This week it was knees and noses.

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

Intro: Today we’re talking about shadows! A shadow is a dark spot that is made when light shines past something solid, like us! Let’s make some shadows on the walls. I’m going to lower the overhead lights and turn on this bright light behind us. Can you see our shadow on the wall? [This ended up being floor!]

I usually use this rhyme as a “filler,” but since it makes some nice big movements, it was a good option to do and see our shadow selves doing as well.
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Read: Share individual pages from What Makes Shadow by Clyde Robert Bulla & June Otani. This is where I shared our literacy tip.

Book cover of What Makes a Shadow?

Let’s try this rhyme and see what our shadows do.
Action Rhyme: My Shadow Movements (TT) (TB) (FT)
If I walk, my shadow walks
If I run, my shadow runs
And when I stand still, as you can see
My shadow stands beside me
When I hop, my shadow hops
When I jump, my shadow jumps
And when I sit still, as you can see
My shadow sits beside me
Source: Johnson County (Kansas) Library (link no longer functional)

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

Instead of reading a book here, I performed the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff using shadow puppets. I just improvised the traditional story on memory, but the novelty of the shadow theater was riveting for the little ones and I highly recommend trying this sometime! I found a puppet and scenery template for this story at this website and increased the size to fit about 11×17 inches, which fit nicely on the box I used. I liked this story because it only had four characters, and only two were “onstage” at one time, so I felt like I could handle that by myself pretty easily. I watched this Hallmark Channel video as a guide to how to make the theater (the side hole for manipulating the puppets is really helpful.) I didn’t make the box look super nice or fancy, but sketched a little theater outline on the outside with the help of a ruler. You can’t actually see it when it’s dark and the play is going on, so you really don’t need to do that. If you do need a script, there are lots of versions out there, in picture book form as well as by searching for “Billy Goats Gruff Script.”
Shadow Theater: The Three Billy Goats Gruff (TT) (TB) (FT)

Let’s try to retell that story with this rhythm rhyme!
We didn’t use rhythm sticks, but patted our laps and did the hand motions option from Jbrary.
Story Rhyme: Billy Goats Trip Trap (TT) (TB) (FT)
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Across the bridge they come
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Crossing one by one
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Baby takes a stroll
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Over the sleeping troll
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Louder taps I hear
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Middle goat is near
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Stomps the biggest goat
Trip, trap, trip, trap, Troll goes in the moat!
Source: Jbrary (see motions there)

Action Rhyme: Shadow, Shadow (TB)
Shadow, shadow turn around
Shadow, shadow touch the ground
Shadow, shadow dance on your toes
Shadow, shadow touch your nose
Shadow, shadow jump up now
Shadow, shadow take a bow
Shadow, shadow stomp your feet
Shadow, shadow take your seat.
Source: Storytimes and More

You can use pretty much any clip art here, I was inspired by Sunflower Storytime (website now unavailable) and Storytimes and More (link below). I found several of the same images they used. I laminated my printout and also a black piece of cardstock, then cut both out together to make the image and the art. Most are fairly easy, and the kids were excited to tell me each object until the last one, the sandwich on the plate, which was a difficult one. I got some good guesses, like a boat, but they laughed to see the actual picture.
Flannelboard Game: Guess That Shadow (TB) (FT)
I’m a shadow, look at me
Guess whose shadow I might be!
Source: Sunflower Storytime and Storytimes and More

Flannelboard for guess that shadow, showing clipart objects and black "shadows" in the exact shape. Includes a tree, house, bird, cupcake, airplane, and sandwich on a plate with a decorative toothpick sticking out of it.

I wanted them to have the opportunity to try puppet theater, so I made some spider puppets (a die cut spider on a craft stick) and we did the Itsy Bitsy Spider, using our opposite arm as the water spout. With all the lighting issues, only my shadow really made it on the wall, but we sang through it twice and I told them this will look amazing on their bedroom wall tonight with their grownup helping with a flashlight. They all loved that they were allowed to take their spiders home.
Fingerplay: The Itsy Bitsy Spider (TT) (TB) (FT)
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again
Source: traditional

Spider puppet showing a black spider die cut taped to a craft stick.

I didn’t actually play this for any of the storytime sessions, we just ran too long. But it’s a good one if you do have time.
Ukulele Song: Mr. Sun
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Hiding behind a tree

These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you

Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
Source: Raffi (from the album Singable Songs for the Very Young)

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Mr. Sun” here!

thumbnail of Mr. Sun ukulele songsheet

Another optional activity, which I didn’t use (or even plan to use), but I did include on my handout, is the classic Sesame Street video of Grover and his Furry Little Shadow.
Video: My Furry Little Shadow
Source: Sesame Street

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

Craft: Shadow Tracing (TB) (FT)
I encouraged grownups to use their phone’s flashlight feature or one of my traditional flashlights (I had about four available) to cast a shadow on a piece of paper using one of our farm animal toys or plastic trucks, then the kids could trace the shadow. ALTERNATELY, since I understand that this is on the higher skill spectrum for this age, they could just draw and color whatever they wanted. I had about half and half, so it was good to have both options out there. No original picture for this one, just a borrowed one from the site that inspired the idea, the Dad Lab.

Photo showing a preschooler tracing the shadow of a toy horse on a white sheet of paper.
Image from The Dad Lab

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)
Shadows – April Pulley Sayre & Harvey Stevenson
The Three Billy Goats Gruff – Jerry Pinkney
I Love My Shadow – Hans Wilhelm
Groundhug Day – Anne Marie Pace & Christopher Denise
Shadow – Suzy Lee
Groundhog’s Runaway Shadow – David Biedrzycki
Footprints and Shadows – Ann Dodd & Henri Sorensen
Maisy Goes Camping – Lucy Cousins
Moonbear’s Shadow – Frank Asch
The Night World – Mordicai Gerstein
Shadows and Reflections – Tana Hoban

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/20, 2/21, & 2/22/23.

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: Farm Friends

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Who doesn’t love mooing and oinking and clucking and neighing? Farm animals are a theme with so many options and resources – the hard part is choosing which songs, rhymes, activities, and books to present!

Although I only read Farmyard Beat in the Toddler Time session, I decided to do rhythm sticks as our prop this week in all the classes. I didn’t find a great transition as to how it related to the farm, but this was a new prop and the kids were all excited to try them out regardless of the theme.

Early Literacy Tip: Imitating animal noises is a great way for kids to practice making language sounds and developing sound meaning. Animal sounds also help children hear the smaller sounds in words, which is good for when they are starting to sound out words to read.

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.

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

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

Intro: I got out the “barn” that I made from a cardboard box spray painted red. What is this? It’s a barn! Where might we see a barn? On a farm. And who lives in a barn? Farm animals!

red barn box with white X details on the top and bottom "doors", with a split showing on the top door where it opens in the middle.

As we sang “on that farm he had a…” I popped out an animal from the barn doors, to much delight.
Puppet Song: Old MacDonald had a Farm (TT) (TB) (FT)
Old MacDonald had a farm, E – I – E – I – O!
And on that farm he had a dog, E – I – E – I – O!
With a woof, woof here, and a woof, woof there
Here a woof, there a woof, everywhere a woof, woof!
Old MacDonald had a farm, E – I – E – I – O!
Source: traditional

a pig puppet peeking out from the top portion of the barn box, which opens like a saloon door on the top half of the box.

One of my favorites! The graphics for the flannelboard come from the now-defunct Sunflower Storytime. Since the website is no longer available either in its original form or through the Internet Archive, I’m uploading my copy for you.
Flannel/Fingerplay: Ten Fluffy Chicks (TT) (TB) (FT)
Five eggs and five eggs, and that makes ten
Sitting on top is Mother Hen
Cackle, cackle, cackle (clap, clap, clap)
What do I see?
Ten fluffy chicks, as cute as can be
Source: Mel’s Desk

Download Sunflower Storytime’s printable here!

I thought this was really fun! When I did a search for the song to get the King County link, I learned that this was a Glenn Miller song.
Fingerplay: Boogie Woogie Piggy (TT) (FT)
This little piggy went to market (pinky)
This little piggy stayed home (ring)
But this little piggy is the boogie woogie piggy (thumb, waves back and forth)
and he boogie-woogied all the way home!

Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink,
boogie woogie piggy (x3) (use thumb to pull up nose on the oinks, then dance that piggy!)
And he boogie woogied all the way home!

This little piggy had roast beef (middle)
This little piggy had none (index)
But this little piggy is the boogie woogie piggy (thumb)
and he boogie-woogied all the way home!
(repeat Oink, oink, oink chorus)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

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

Read: Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig & Marc Brown (TT)

farmyard beat book cover

This was an absolute hit – the kids could finish the sentences for most of the farm noises, then I got to yell BOO!
Read: Cows Go Boo! by Steve Webb & Fred Blunt (TB) (FT)

cows go boo book cover

Rhythm Sticks Intro – Do you have the beat? Let’s make our own beat with rhythm sticks! (I did a little “er, this fit with the other book I read, let’s just have fun with this” in the two sessions that didn’t follow Farmyard Beat.) Practice: Lay them on your shoulders, tap fast & loud, tap soft & quiet, rub them together, roll them in a circle.

Rhythm Stick Song: Count the Beat (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10
8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8… 9… 10!
Source: Sarah French

Rhythm Stick Song: This Is the Way We Tap (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we tap our sticks
Tap our sticks, tap our sticks
This is the way we tap our sticks
At our storytime
(repeat with different motions: rub, tap them soft, tap the floor, tap our shoes, roll our sticks, tap them loud, etc)
Source: Sarah French

This was a little trickier, since they had to wait with their sticks on their shoulders until the last line, when they could do the action. I saved it for my oldest group.
Rhythm Stick Song: If You Have Some Rhythm Sticks (TB)
(tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
If you have some rhythm sticks, rhythm sticks, rhythm sticks
(keep sticks on shoulders until last line)
If you have some rhythm sticks,
You can tap them now (tap!)
(repeat with different motions: rub, hammer, drum)
Source: Sarah French

Recorded Song: Tap Your Sticks by Hap Palmer (TT) (TB) (FT)
from the album Rhythms on Parade
see the video: https://youtu.be/M-UKTeWNgOk

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

Craft: Muddy Pig Painting (TB) (FT)
This was another craft from the Sunflower Storytime blog (I miss it!) I printed the pig template on pink paper and asked a volunteer to cut them out. The kids glued them down, then used cotton balls to get the pig dirty with brown paint. Again, since Sunflower Storytime is no longer with us, I’m uploading the template!

Download the pig template here!

pink pig on green construction paper, with splotches of brown paint all over it.

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)
Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! – Candace Fleming & Lori Nichols
Old MacDonald Had a Farm – Jane Cabrera
Five Fuzzy Chicks – Diana Murray & Sydney Hanson
On the Farm – David Elliott & Holly Meade
Barnyard Banter – Denise Fleming
Big Red Barn – Margaret Wise Brown & Felicia Bond
Farm Lullaby – Karen Jameson & Wednesday Kirwan
The Greedy Goat – Petr Horáček
Color Farm – Lois Ehlert
Skip to My Moo – Iza Trapani & Maddie Frost

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/6, 2/7, & 2/8/23.

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

Book Babies Storytime

Posted on by msemilylibrary

As mentioned in my previous post, this year I’m tweaking my age groups and looking to offer something a little different for pre-walking babies and their caregivers. Book Babies is for ages twelve months and under, with a concentration on pre-walkers (so kiddos over twelve months but still not walking are welcome, too.)

I’ve advertised this program as a themeless session, letting them know that we’ll be repeating a lot of our activities, songs, and rhymes. This lets me keep the same schedule most of the weeks, rotating out one or two songs per month and changing props when it seems like the right time to try something new. It eases the prep time for an extra program, while still allowing some flexibility. Time always seems to be a sticky point for me. I only have 20-30 minutes for this group due to back-to-back programming, so I had to take a breath and NOT include all that I wanted to.

Before splitting the under-ones from their older counterparts, I worried about using props like the parachute with runners and walkers with the crawlers, so having them on their own makes it easier to make sure no one is getting hurt. I also have limited this class to 10 babies, so it’s easier for everyone to fit on the parachute and be close to each other and their little one.

Early Literacy Tip: Let your baby take the lead when it comes to books. Even if they sit still for only a minute or two, don’t give up! Keep books a positive time, and engage them with pictures and words, even if they aren’t the words written in the book. When they get fussy or seem finished, set it aside and try again later.

Here is our room setup, with the parachute out for babies to lay on/sit on, with a few chairs for those who prefer them to the floor. My pink short chair is perfect for this – I can move easily from it to the floor if I want to demo one way or another. I wish our parachute was colorful – I think the original idea was that you can write on it. There are some names on there from years ago that are probably grown with their own children by now.

Photo showing Book Babies setup, with a round white parachute spread on a purple rug, with purple chairs to either side. A board book is set on each wedge, and a small pink chair sits at the head, with a dog puppet on the chair and a frog stuffy laying on the parachute. An easel to the side of the chair has song lyrics on it.

Trying a new/old welcome song! This is the one my predecessor passed on to me, that I stopped using in favor of a quicker “Hello, Friends.” With a smaller group of babies, though, I like the slower pace of this one. For this and the next song, I use puppets to greet everyone.
Welcome/Puppet Song: Hello, Everybody
(tune of Skip to My Lou)
Hello, everybody and how are you?
Hello, everybody and how are you?
Hello, everybody and how are you?
How are you today?

Hello, [name 1], how are you?
Hello, [name 2], how are you?
Hello, [name 3], how are you?
How are you today?

I start this one with the same puppet as above, my floppy-eared dog, Scout. Then I’ll bring out one or two other puppets to say hello.
Welcome/Puppet Song: When Animals Get Up in the Morning
When dogs get up in the morning
They always say hello!
When dogs get up in the morning
They always say hello!
“Woof, woof, woof, woof,” That is what they say
“Woof, woof, woof, woof,” That is what they say
Source: King County (WA) Library System

This is a hit with every group I try it in, and the babies are no exception!
Bounce: Toast in the Toaster
I’m toast in the toaster,
I’m getting very hot
Tick tock, tick tock,
UP I pop!
Source: Jbrary

I feel that a body part song is an important part of baby programming. This one can be repeated with any body parts, and I started jotting down some different options to do each time. I’m currently doing three verses, always starting with “nose.”
Body Song: Hello, Everybody, Can You Touch Your Nose?
Well, hello, everybody,
Can you touch your nose?
Touch your nose,
Touch your nose?
Well, hello, everybody,
Can you touch your nose?
Touch…your…nose!

Other verses:
Touch your toes, rub your tummy, pat your back, touch your chin, touch your ears, squeeze your knees, touch your hands, pat your head, clap your hands, tickle your neck, etc.
Source: Jbrary

I learned this one as “roll it and pat it,” but I like the physicality of “stretch it” better. I found some videos by Intellidance showing some different ways of interacting with an infant for several traditional nursery rhymes, which was really great for offering different options for lap babies, laying down babies, and standing babies. Check out their channel for additional videos.
Fingerplay Rhyme: Pat a Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,
Baker’s man
Bake me a cake
As fast as you can
Roll it, And stretch it
And mark it with a “B” (can substitute first initial and name)
And put it in the oven
For baby and me!
Source: traditional

Let’s go on a little trip!
Bounce: A Smooth Road
A smooth road! (x4)
(slowly, and sway baby gently back and forth)
A bumpy road! (x4)
(a little faster, bouncing gently up and down)
A rough road! (x4)
(even faster, bouncing slightly harder and adding erratic swaying)
Oh, no! A hole!
(tip baby over, lift up, and/or let them fall safely through your knees)
Source: Jbrary

After all that excitement, let’s slow it down with a lullaby. Holding your baby close to your chest lets them hear your heartbeat, which is what they heard before they were born. It’s soothing and reminds them they are safe.
Ukulele Lullaby: 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!

Thumbnail for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ukulele songsheet

These first two times I read aloud to the group, but I plan to intersperse that with a couple minutes of individual reading. I may also use regular picture books in the future, but I’m starting by modelling board books.
Read: choose an age-appropriate board book such as:
Read, Read, Baby! by Anna W. Bardaus & Christine Grove
Whose Toes Are Those? by Jabari Asim & LeUyen Pham
BIG Little by Leslie Patricelli
Where’s Ellie? by Salina Yoon

Are you ready for a tickle? I’m ready for a little laughing! Let’s try this rhyme about bees.
Tickle Rhyme: Here Is the Beehive
Here is the beehive, but where are all the bees? (make fist)
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (open fingers)
They’re alive! Buzz, buzz, buzz! (tickle)

Prop Songs
For the first month, we’ll do the same ones, with the parachute. Later I’m thinking I’ll keep the parachute for the program setup (as a “mat” of a sort), but switch to other props like scarves and shaker eggs.

Parachute Song: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again
Source: traditional

Parachute Song: Come Under My Umbrella
tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie?
Come under my umbrella, umbrella, umbrella (lift up)
Come under my umbrella, it’s starting to rain (shake)
With thunder and lightning, and lightning and thunder (big shakes!)
Come under my umbrella, it’s starting to rain
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Parachute 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
Source: Jbrary

Parachute Song: Parachute Fly
tune of Skip to My Lou
Up, up, up it goes
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky…
Count to 3 and watch it fly!
Spoken:
Up on 1…
Down on 2…
Up on 3, and Fly!
Source: Gymboree

To adapt this for babies, we bounce or clap rather than scraping our hands past each other, and walk fingers up and down baby’s body, arms, or legs for the “if you want to take a trip” part.
Lifting Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom, We’re going to the moon
Zoom, zoom, zoom, We’re going to the moon
If you want to take a trip climb aboard my rocket ship
Zoom, zoom, zoom, We’re going to the moon
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Blast off!
Source: Jbrary

I find it really helpful to finish with a rhyme that definitively says that storytime is over. This one is short and sweet.
Goodbye Rhyme: Hands Up High
Hands up high! (Put your hands in air)
Now give a big sigh (sigh and bring hands down)
Our storytime’s over
So wave bye-bye (wave)
Source: Pasadena Public Library

And that’s it! We don’t have time for free play at the end, but I encouraged grownups to take a little time in the children’s department to play and socialize together.

Suggested books are a little different on my handout since at my library board books are not able to be held if they’re checked out. My handout says:
Check out our board book selections – they cannot be held or requested, so see what’s available anytime you visit the library! Here are some other titles that *can* be requested:
All of Baby Nose to Toes – Victoria Adler & Hiroe Nakata
Brown Baby Lullaby – Tameka Fryer Brown & AG Ford
Nose to Toes, You Are Yummy! – Tim Harrington
Kitty’s Cuddles – Jane Cabrera
I Love You, Baby Burrito – Angela Dominguez
Up, Up, Up, Down – Kimberly Gee
“More More More,” Said the Baby – Vera B. Williams

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/9, 1/16, & 1/23/23.

Storytime Handout:

Thumbnail for Book Babies handout with suggested books and rhyme and song lyrics.

Storytime: Let it Snow

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Regular storytimes are back! After a couple week’s break over the winter holidays, we’re back for a new year, with a few tweaks to the Itty Bitty programs at my library. I took the plunge and have started a program for pre-walking babies, who had been lumped together with toddlers in the past. It’s new for me, so I spent a lot of those three weeks off (and some time earlier, too…) figuring out what and how I’ll do things differently now that the age groups I’m serving have shifted a bit.

I’ll do a separate blog post for that baby program, but shifting there also means that one of my other programs has also shifted. What used to be “Book Babies” is now “Toddler Time” serving kids ages 1-2. The other two sessions remain the same: “Teddy Bears” is ages 2-3.5, and “Family Time” still serves 0-3.5. My resolution this year was was to expand my repertoire by incorporating some new hands-on props beyond shaker eggs and scarves – instruments, rhythm sticks, ribbon bracelets, etc. I jumped in with two feet by starting with the parachute!

In the past I’d been hesitant to incorporate parachute play where we had very mobile three-year-olds in the same room as crawlers or unsteady walkers. Separating them (in most classes) means I feel better about using the parachute with both groups.

You may also notice that there aren’t a ton of activities marked (TT) – that group was super wound up this week! I didn’t do half of what I’d planned, but we got out the parachute and they enjoyed that, and they spent a little extra time during free play, so it all evened out.

This week was a very common January theme, snow. We danced like snowflakes and made a blizzard with the parachute and some cotton balls, too!

Early Literacy Tip: Seeing patterns and trying to recognize things that are alike and things that are different is a fun game for children. Such activities help them develop the mathematical concepts of patterns and relationships.

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. This week was knees and cheeks.

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

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (FT)

Intro: This is the season for snow! Does anyone like to play in the snow? Let’s pretend it’s snowing right now.

Action Song: Watch the Snowflakes (TT) (TB) FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Watch the snowflakes, Watch the snowflakes
Floating down, Floating down
Oh so very slowly, Oh so very slowly
To the ground, To the ground
(repeat: from so very high, quickly, twirly)
Source: Jen in the Library

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

Read: Mouse’s First Snow by Lauren Thompson & Buket Erdogan (TT) (FT)

book cover for Mouse's First Snow, showing little mouse next to a mouse made of snow.

This is such a beautiful book, with stunning crisp photographs and a very simple, lyrical text. This group was fascinated. Bonus, it’s by an Indiana author!
Read: Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre (TB)

book cover for best in snow, showing a bluejay sitting on a snowy branch

I loved that Mouse got to do lots of fun things in the snow, like sledding! Here’s a rhyme about sledding.
Rhyme: Here’s a Hill (TT)
Here’s a hill (tilt one arm diagonally)
And here’s a hill (tilt other arm diagonally)
All covered with snow (wiggle fingers downward)
I’ll put on my coat, (mime putting a coat on)
And jump on my sled (hold the rope of a sled)
And ZOOM, down the hill I go! (clap, slide hands)
Source: Storytime Katie

For this one, we really emphasized going slow at the beginning, and fast at the end.
Bounce: Sledding (TT) (FT)
(tune of Row Your Boat)
Crunch, crunch, Crunch, crunch, crunch (sway slowly)
Up the hill so slow
Sliding, sliding, Sliding, sliding (bounce quickly)
Down the hill we go!
Source: Yogibrarian

I think it’s getting ready to snow again!
Action Song: A Snowy Sky (TB) (FT)
(tune of A Ram Sam Sam)
A big white sky, A big white sky
Snowflakes falling from a big white sky
A big white sky, A big white sky
Snowflakes falling from a big white sky
A winter breeze – BRRR!
A winter breeze – BRRR!
And snowflakes falling from a big white sky!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

I see some colors through the snow.
Flannel Activity: Colors in the Snow (TB) (FT)
Based on this post by Abby Johnson on the ALSC Blog (and in turn, inspired by Mel’s Desk!), we looked at some colorful shapes.
The idea is to lay out several shapes of one color, saying something like, “I see a white snowflake. And a white cloud. And a white rabbit. And a white pumpkin!” The kids will likely correct you that no, that is an ORANGE pumpkin, thank you very much. Then you start again with orange things, messing up at the end of each line. When all your items are out, you can say you see something that has all those colors, what could it be? A snowman!
My shapes were mostly die cuts, though I did search for a few shapes online like the cat, crow, cloud, rabbit, and leaf.

colors in the snow felt. Shapes in different colors are lined in a grid shape: white: snowflake, cloud, rabbit orange: pumpkin, butterfly, leaf black: cat, bat, crow red: ladybug, apple, fire truck a snowman with a black hat, orange nose and red scarf sits to the side.

I was so enamored with this snowman with his jaunty eyebrows that I copied it exactly from Storytime in the Stacks!
Flannel/Puppet Rhyme: A Chubby Little Snowman (TB) (FT)
A chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose
Along came a bunny,
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny,
Looking for some lunch
Ate that snowman’s nose,
With a nibble, nibble, crunch!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Chubby Little Snowman felt and puppet - the snowman's nose has been caught by the pink bunny puppet, who holds the carrot shape. The snowman felt is just the head, with eyes, a mouth and eyebrows.

This is a very catchy tune – fair warning, it’s been stuck in my head all week!
Action Song: Once there Was a Snowman (FT)
Once was there was a snowman, a snowman, a snowman
Once there was a snowman – Tall, tall, tall!
In the sun he melted, he melted, he melted
In the sun he melted – Small, small, small!
Source: Jbrary

Parachute Time!
We started by practicing a bit, lifting up and down, shaking fast and shaking slow

After one repetition through this song, I threw a couple of handfuls of cotton balls in the middle – fun! After a couple of songs when most of them had “jumped” off, we took a short break to collect them and throw them back in the middle. After Parachute Fly, I asked the kids to find and bring up the scattered cotton balls, which they were very happy to do.
Parachute Song: Snowflake in the Sky (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Snowflake, snowflake in the sky,
Love to watch you floating by
Down you fall upon the ground,
Down you fall without a sound
Snowflake, snowflake in the sky,
Love to watch you floating by
Source: Jbrary

I accidentally planned two songs that use Frère Jacques. Oops.
Parachute Song: Dance Like Snowflakes (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Dance like snowflakes, Dance like snowflakes
In the air, in the air
Whirling twirling snowflakes, Whirling twirling snowflakes
Everywhere, everywhere
Source: Jbrary

I watched a bunch of YouTube videos of using parachutes with kids to prepare, and saw this song used by several Gymboree classes. It seems like a good one for putting the parachute away. Hopefully in time I can teach the adults to actually let go at the end – this first time took us a couple tries!
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly (TT) (TB) (FT)
tune of Skip to My Lou
Up, up, up it goes
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky…
Count to 3 and watch it fly!
Spoken:
Up on 1…
Down on 2…
Up on 3, and Fly!
Source: Gymboree

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

Craft: Puffy Snow Paint (TB) (FT)
Sometimes it’s nice to do a messy craft – it may inspire some families to try it at home, and it might be the one chance kids from more fastidious families might have to be messy! This really cool puffy paint is easy to make, stores easily in between uses, and dries actually puffy. It’s made with equal (ish) parts foam shaving cream and white school glue. I mixed and kept it in a large zip-top bag with the air squeezed out, and it stayed good for 3 days. There was white chalk to draw with as well, and I free-hand cut out some small black circles and orange triangles in case they wanted to make snowpeople. Fun and cute!

craft showing snowflakes drawn on black construction paper with white chalk, and a snowman made of white puffy paint with two black paper eyes, three black paper buttons, and a orange paper nose.

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)
The Snowman Shuffle – Christianne Jones & Emma Randall
In the Snow – Sharon Phillips Denslow & Nancy Tafuri
Winter Is Here – Kevin Henkes & Laura Dronzek
One Snowy Morning – Kevin Tseng & Dana Wulfekotte
The Snowy Day – Ezra Jack Keats
A Big Bed for Little Snow – Grace Lin
In My Anaana’s Amautik – Nadia Sammurtok & Lenny Lishchenko
Making a Friend – Tammi Sauer & Alison Friend
Ten on the Sled – Kim Norman & Liza Woodruff
Over & Under the Snow – Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/9, 1/10, & 1/11/23.

Storytime Handout:

handout with suggested books, rhymes 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