STEM – Storytime with Ms. Emily Library

Stories & Stations: Bugs

Posted on June 5, 2026June 4, 2026 by msemilylibrary

Bugs is such a fun theme – there are so many kinds of bugs and so many ways to think about presenting a program on them! Even though “bugs” is not a scientific category, I like using it as it can include all kinds of creepy-crawlies including insects, arachnids, worms, snails, and even terrestrial crustaceans (AKA roly poly pill bugs!) My colleague planned this one, and I love the different ways she incorporated bugs in the stations. We used one of my flannels, Going on a Bug Hunt, which is a really nice activity that spans the age ranges that we’re seeing.

This was our last storytime of May, and our last indoor Stories & Stations* for the foreseeable future. In June and July we will be doing Stories & Stations outside, and when we return in August we may have a new staff member and possible rethinking of how and what we offer 0-5 year old kiddos in our community. I generally don’t blog over the summer months, so you probably won’t see me again until August – I hope everyone has a great summer! And one last note – if you are someone who maintains your library’s Storywalk, I’ve added quite a few new titles in the last month or so – submissions and ones I’ve done. These include a fun BUG one (Bug in a Bog by Jonathan Fenske) and our newest for the SRP theme Unearth a Story – Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen.

See other versions of this theme from 2021 (old library and new library).

*We are doing a new format for our storytimes in a transition period of personnel change and calling it Stories & Stations (you can read the whole saga of the whys and hows at this post.)

some bugs book cover, showing various bugs including bees, preying mantis, ladybug, wasps and more in a natural setting.

a good place book cover, showing a dragonfly, bee, ladybug and beetle on flowers.

Early Development Tip: When you enjoy a book, let your child know that you like it and why. Sharing your enjoyment gives them a positive attitude toward books. This positive attitude carries over when they get to school and start learning to read. Let your child choose their books and tell you why they like them. –from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*
Even with a larger number of kids, I still go around and sing this with everyone’s name. The kids really do love it, and it helps me learn names and storytime participants to learn each others’ names.

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wiggle and Wiggle and STOP*
This week I rolled my “Bug Movement” cube to select our two additional movements. You can download a copy of the six sides (that can be put on a square tissue container) here!

bug movement cube, showing "March like an ant" "zip like a dragonfly" and "buzz like a bee" showing on three sides.

we wiggle and stop thumbnail, with a graphic of two pink worms. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*
Okay, this one *seems* to be better for younger kids, but all I have to do is encourage the older kids to jump as high as they can at the end and it is instantly perfect for a 5 year old, too. I always give the option for a lap bounce and lift as well.

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: Our planet is home to millions of different kinds of bugs, each with their own special “job.” Some help pollinate the flowers (like bees & butterflies). Others like to eat old leaves and turn it into fresh soil (like worms & beetles). And many bugs are food for other animals (like birds & anteaters)! Whether they crawl, hop, or fly, every bug plays a vital role in keeping our environment healthy and vibrant. Let’s read about some bugs!

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Straight into our book this week! This is such a perfect book, as it showcases so many bugs and the things they do, with a really short text that’s great for all ages.
Read: Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi & Brendan Wenzel

A great backup with Cousins’ signature bright, bold colors.
Backup Read: A Good Place by Lucy Cousins

So let’s go on our own bug hunt!
Similar to Going on a Bear Hunt, but without the “Can’t go over it…” parts. Each time we get out a new flannel piece, they get excited! Then we do a little motion or sound to go with each. I only ended up doing bee, butterfly, ladybug, ant, and roly poly (who curls up when you flip him over).
Flannel/Rhythm Chant: Going on a Bug Hunt
Pat lap in rhythm and repeat between each bug:
We’re going on a bug hunt! (We’re going on a bug hunt!)
We’re going to see some big ones. (We’re going to see some big ones.)
What a sunny day! (What a sunny day!)
Are we ready? OK! (Are we ready? OK!)

Oh, my! A bee! A black & yellow bee, Flying over the flowers. BUZZ
Oh, my! An ant! A tiny, black ant, Crawling through the grass. SHH
Oh, my! A grasshopper! A big, green grasshopper, Hopping around the tree. BOING
Oh, my! A butterfly! A pretty, orange butterfly, Floating in the sky. WHOOSH
Oh, my! A spider! A big black spider, Creeping on the tree. CREEP
Oh, my! A ladybug! A bright red ladybug, climbing up a flower. CLIMB
Oh, my! A roly-poly! A gray, armored roly-poly, hiding under a rock. ROLL
Source: adapted from Small Town Story Time Lady Blog

Picture of felt bug hunt set, including a tree trunk, grass, flower, and rock, with a roly poly, bee, ladybug, butterfly, ant, grasshopper, and spider.

Closeup of the roly poly felt flipped to the other side, showing it rolled up in a ball.

going on a bug hunt thumbnail, with a graphic of a grasshopper and a bee. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get out our scarves! Can we roll our scarves like a roly poly pill bug?
Time for props!
Scarf Rhyme: Roly Poly
(roll scarf accordingly)
Roly poly, roly, poly, up, up, up
Roly poly, roly, poly, down, down, down
Roly poly, roly, poly, out, out, out
Roly poly, roly, poly, in, in, in
Roly poly, roly, poly, BIG, BIG, BIG
Roly poly, roly, poly, very, very small
Roly poly, roly, poly, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast!
Rol…ly… po…ly… in… your… lap!
Source: Rebecca Jane Flanagan

roly poly thumbnail, with a graphic of a toy ball. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Bugs have to pay attention to the weather, too.
Scarf Song: Rain Is Falling Down
Rain is falling down (flutter scarf down) –
SPLASH! (sweep scarf to the side)
Rain is falling down – SPLASH!
Pitter patter pitter patter (wave scarf up and down quickly)
Rain is falling down – SPLASH!

Sun is peeking out – PEEK! (hide behind scarf, then peek)
Sun is peeking out – PEEK!
Peeking here, peeking there,
Sun is peeking out – PEEK!
Source: Jbrary

Rain is falling down thumbnail, with a graphic of a sun peeking out from behind a raincloud, both with faces. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s a song about a spider who goes UP and DOWN. Can you make your scarf into a spider?
This was pretty easy to convert to a scarf song – we gripped our scarves in the middle to simulate a spider, climbed her up the spout, then the scarf becomes the rain falling. I held both ends above my head to make the sun before making a spider again.
Scarf Song: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Up came the sun and dried up all the rain
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again
Source: traditional

the itsy bitsy spider thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling spider next to a rain gutter attached to a red brick wall. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can you scrunch up your scarf in your hands and get small? We’re going to start this rhyme very quietly! Pretend to be a jumping spider!
Scarf Rhyme: Jack in the Box
Jack in the box (scrunch scarf up in fist)
Sits so still
Will he come out?
Yes, he will! (throw scarf in the air)
Source: Jbrary

jack in the box thumbnail, with a graphic of a colorful jester's head coming out of a box with a crank. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

After collecting our props, we released to stations! I let everyone know that I’d put out toys and puzzles in the current room, so they could stay if they wanted, and opened the door to the other room for everyone else to go to stations. I’m noticing that some of the youngest kiddos are staying to just play with toys the whole time and not bothering with stations, which is totally fine.

Art Station: Fingerprint Ladybug Bookmark
My colleague Ali created this, drawing all of the little bugs! She said it was okay to share the template, which you can download here! Kids could stamp their fingerprints to make the ladybug bodies. We put out just a couple of colors – red, orange, and purple. Such a cute and simple craft!

love bug bookmark, one with red stamped ladybugs and one with orange. each says "I will always be your love bug"

finger print art station, showing messy trays holding a bookmark with ladybug heads and spots that says "I will always be your love bug." Large stamp pads are on the table, as well as a package of wet wipes.

Gross Motor Stations: Flower Pistil Leap
We encouraged kids to buzz like a bee or flit like a butterfly from one flower to another for this simple station. Photographs of flower blooms were laminated and stuck to the floor with painter’s tape.

flower pistil leap station, with printed and laminated flowers in a zigzag pattern on the floor.

Fine Motor Station: Sorting Stations
We put out several sorting stations on the rug for multiple kids to enjoy at once. One was a repeat from last week – the craft stick sort. There’s also a ball sort and drop that I have used for several summers past (made with Baker and Taylor boxes, RIP). The instructions I used to make them are from the Taming Little Monsters blog. Then Ali created a spider sorting box – it’s long and skinny and she drew adorable spiders coming down. Each spider body is a hole outlined in a color, and we provided pom poms to put through the holes.

craft stick sort and spider sort stations, with colored craft sticks to be put into small boxes with small color coded holes, and a long cardboard box with spiders drawn on the side and a tray of pom poms nearby. The spider bodies are outlined in a color and are a hole sized for a pom pom to fit in

ball sort station, with brown cardboard boxes with holes in the top, cut to have a "tray" where the balls can be retrieved.

Sensory Station 1: Bug Sensory Bins
Another fun sensory bin, this time with uncooked rice colored green, with various plastic bugs, pom poms, fake flowers and foliage, and collecting/viewing cups to capture the critters!

bug sensory bin showing green colored rice in a bin with fake flowers, foliage, pom poms, and plastic bugs.

bug sensory bin station, showing two bins on a fitted sheet held down by two tables.

Sensory Station 2:
We also put the colored rice in shallow messy trays with letter cards to encourage finger tracing for the older kiddos. I pulled out the letters A N T and B U G to get them started and set the rest of the letter cards to the side.

letter tracing, showing green colored rice in shallow messy trays. letter cards above the trays spell A N T and B U G, with other letter cards to the side.

Toys and Puzzles
Our regular baby toys and puzzles, as well as soft food, babies in a basket, and lacing cards came out as another option for play. I didn’t capture a picture of this one.

After 20 minutes of free station time, I ring our bell to gather everyone again in the storytime room. Everyone helps put away the toys and puzzles before we end with our last two songs.

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

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

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! – Bob Barner
Hustle Bustle Bugs – Catherine Bailey & Lauren Eldridge
The Gentleman Bug – Julian Hector
Hello Bugs, What Do You Do? – Loes Botman
A Way with Wild Things – Larissa Theule & Sara Palacios
Six Little Sticks – Tiffany Stone & Ruth Hengeveld
How to Say Hello to a Worm – Kari Percival
Beehive – Jorey Hurley
Step Gently Out – Helen Frost & Rick Lieder
Giant Steps – Anaïs Lambert & Johanna McCalmont
Bug in a Bog – Jonathan Fenske
Becoming Charley – Kelly DiPucchio & Loveis Wise
Holey Moley – Lois Ehlert
Du iz tak? – Carson Ellis
Bugs on the Move – Charlotte Guillain
The Honeybee – Kirsten Hall & Isabelle Arsenault
A Closer Look – Mary McCarthy
One Million Insects – Isabel Thomas & Lou Baker-Smith

This storytime was presented in-person on 5/13 & 5/14/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

cold crunchy colorful, hello ocean/hola mar, and here book covers

Stories & Stations: Five Senses

Posted on May 29, 2026May 28, 2026 by msemilylibrary

I’ve never done a five senses storytime before, but doing it as a storytime with stations* was a perfect way to explore this concept! I had a lot of fun creating each of the stations, and they seemed to go over well.

*We are doing a new format for our storytimes in a transition period of personnel change and calling it Stories & Stations (you can read the whole saga of the whys and hows at this post.)

cold crunchy colorful book cover, showing photographs of ice cream, walnuts, and red and orange pansies

Hello Ocean/ Hola Mar book cover, showing a girl kneeling and examining a beach with the surf just behind her

here book cover, showing a light skinned child with short brown hair standing and looking up in a field with leaves around them.

Early Development Tip: You can encourage healthy brain development by helping your child explore their five senses. Talk with your child and see, hear, feel, smell, and listen to what is around you together. This will give them lots of new vocabulary to use to describe their world! –North Olympic (WA) Library System

Warm Up Song: Wiggle and Wiggle and STOP*
This week I did “pat” (lap) and “clap” in addition to Wiggle.

Intro: Most people have five different ways to experience the world around us – we call them our senses! Our five senses help us to [put up flannel pieces] see with our eyes, to smell with our nose, to hear with our ears, to taste with our tongue, and to feel or touch – we can feel with our whole body, but when we want to feel something usually we will reach out our hands to touch it. (That’s why I used a hand here [flannel]). See the flannel below, and download a copy of the senses labels here.

Okay, let’s limber up all of our senses.
This is such a silly one! The kids loved the tongue calisthenics, so even though I felt silly doing it, seeing them giggle was worth it!
Themed Action Rhyme: Five Senses Stretch
Rub your hands to get some feeling
Stretch your ears to make sure you’re hearing
Sniff, sniff to test your smell [what do you smell?]
Sniff, sniff to test your smell [do you smell anything else?]
Blink, blink to test your sight [How many fingers am I holding up?]
Blink, blink to test your sight [NOW how many?]
Lastly, it’s time for some tongue push-ups! Ready…
Stick your tongue out!
Up down—up down!
Now left right—left right!
Round and round!
Source: Teeny Tiny Library

five senses stretch thumbnail, with a graphic of a tongue, eyes, ear, hand, and nose. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can we can identify what senses we would use for these things?
This was a great idea that I saw on The Lion is a Bookworm’s blog. You can essentially use any random flannels you have in your collection, which I did. I tried to choose at least one that incorporated all the senses (food items) and some that *excluded* at least one sense. So, you can’t smell or taste the sun, you probably wouldn’t want to taste your dog, you can’t see the wind – at least not the wind itself! So, you’d put up an item, then go through the senses: Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you smell it? Can you touch it? Can you taste it? I love that this is a great activity to stimulate conversation and critical thinking. You can download my template for the senses words and symbols here!
Themed Flannel Game: Five Senses Flannel
Source: The Lion is a Bookworm

five senses flannelboard game - showing labels for see hear smell taste and touch, and flannels including an apple, dog, sun, pickup truck, flower, doughnut, and a symbol for the wind.

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

A nonfiction title that’s simple and full of colorful photographs of real objects. This was a good one, but a little bit long. I noticed some kiddos getting antsy toward the end.
Read: Cold, Crunchy, Colorful: Using Our Senses by Jane Brocket

I really love this book. It was a backup as I was thinking that the illustrations may be a little more difficult to see in a big group, but I kind of wish I had just gone for it.
Backup Read: Hello Ocean/Hola mar by Pam Muñoz Ryan & Mark Astrella

A second back up. I liked how this one connected the five senses with mindfulness practice.
Backup Read: Here: I Can Be Mindful by Ally Condie & Jaime Kim

Let’s get out our shaker eggs! Okay, how can you make your shaker SOUND?
Time for props! We did the full song for this one, with all the verses. “Drive your shaker like a car” is my favorite line!
Shaker Song: Shake Your Shakers
(tune of London Bridge)
Shake your shakers in the air,
Shake it here, shake it there
Shake your shakers in the air,
Shake your shakers

additional verses:
Shake it high and shake it low, shake it yes, shake it no…
Shake it up and shake it down, shake your shaker on the ground…
Shake it near and shake it far, drive your shaker like a car…
Shake it fast and shake it slow, shake it stop, shake it go…
Source: Jbrary

shake your shakers thumbnail, with a graphic of three shaky eggs - blue, purple, and yellow. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Mmm, a snack I love to TASTE is popcorn
Shaker Rhyme: Pop, Pop, Pop
Pop, pop, pop, Put the corn in the pot
Pop, pop, pop, Shake it ’til it’s hot
Pop, pop, pop, Lift the lid and what have you got?
Popcorn!
Source: Jbrary

pop pop pop thumbnail, with a graphic of a small pile of unpopped popcorn kernels and two popped. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Shaker Song: Shake it to the East
Shake it to the east,
Shake it to the west
Shake it all around and
Then you take a rest
Shake your shakers up
Shake your shakers down
Shake it, shake it, shake it, and
Then you settle down!
Source: Jbrary

shake it to the east (egg edition) thumbnail, with a graphic of four kids - three dancing with maracas and one sitting with a book. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can we pretend we are making a tasty milkshake? How would yours smell? Taste like? Look like? Sound like? Feel?
Shaker Song: The Milkshake Song
You take a little milk – pour some milk!
And you take a little cream – pour some cream!
You stir it all up, You shake it and you’ll sing…
Milkshake, milkshake shake it up, shake it up!
Milkshake, milkshake shake it all up!
Milkshake, milkshake shake it up, shake it up!
Milkshake, milkshake shake it all up!
Source: Old Town School of Folk Music, from the album Songs for Wiggleworms via Jbrary

the milkshake song thumbnail, with a graphic of a tall pink milkshake with a straw, whipped cream, and a cherry. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Art Station: Scented Paint
I saw this idea at Play to Learn Preschool. She used baking extracts to make her paint scented, but that seemed a little expensive. I found these “super strength flavorings” intended for candy making that came in small containers, so I opted for them. They worked okay, but our tempera paint had its own fairly strong paint smell. I think that when the paint dried the scent was a little bit stronger, but honestly, it wasn’t as super strong as I’d hoped. I did stick to only three colors/scents so they weren’t overwhelming. The scents that came in the three pack were grape, strawberry, and watermelon. I paired grape with purple, strawberry with pink, and watermelon with green. It was a nice simple art station for free expression, even if the scents weren’t very strong. [You can see the squirrel from the scavenger hunt (see below) on the window here, too!]

scented paint sample, showing abstract pink swirls and dots.

scented paint station, with messy trays with blank paper, and small plates with three colors of paint and brushes.

Gross Motor Stations: Balance Beam
We have a rubber balance beam that we got from a Special Olympics Young Athlete’s grant. I’ve been starting to use the equipment as movement stations (you’ll see more of that in my summer programming), but it’s really nice to be able to use. For this station, I encouraged kids to use their sense of feeling and “sense of balance” to walk the balance beam, and if they wanted an extra challenge, they could do it while balancing a beanbag on their body somewhere. [You can see another scavenger hunt item (see below) – a pink car – in this picture, too!]

balance beam station, with an orange rubber balance beam on a rug, with a sign explaining what to do. a pile of bean bags is nearby.

Fine Motor Station: Craft Stick Sort
Kids could use their SIGHT to match the color of craft stick to the color coded hole in the box. This is a station I have used for summer for many years, and an easy add to this setup.

Craft stick sort station, showing colored craft sticks strewn on a table with two small boxes with color coded holes.

Sensory Stations: Five Senses Stations
This was the biggest part of the station set up and required the most pre-program prep. I had a separate station for each of the five senses. Inspiration for this drew heavily from this post on The Lion is a Bookworm blog.

See Station
For sight I created a scavenger hunt using random flannels from my collection. I put them up around the room with painter’s tape and they stayed up just fine for about a week. There were a few difficult-to-find ones, but I tried to make them pretty findable for littles. I chose ten items – Pete the Cat, a Lois Ehlert squirrel, a pink owl, a soccer ball, a pink car driven by a bunny, a red tractor, an orange stegosaurus, a purple elephant, a mint green fish, and a rainbow popsicle.

See sign: "use your EYES to find objects around the room. Grab a scavenger hunt key and check them off as you find them." a line drawing of two eyes is on the sign.

See station - showing a sign explaining a scavenger hunt, a basket of golf pencils, and a finding aid with a photo of each hidden image.

scavenger hunt finding aid, with a photograph of the flannels used with numbers beside each.

Hear Station
For hearing I put various items in paper bags and stapled them closed. The kids could shake the bags to guess what was inside. These included coins, jingle bells, cotton balls, Lego pieces, popcorn kernels, and rubber bands. I wrote what the answer was on the bottom of the bag.

Hear sign: "Use your EARS to guess what is in each container, based on the sound it makes when you shake it! Note to adults: the answers are on the bottom of the containers." a line drawing of an ear is on the sign.

hear station, with a sign explaining and six white paper bags that have been stapled shut

Smell Station
For smelling I used various scented items on a cotton ball in a small condiment cup for sniffing. These were vanilla extract, almond extract, coffee grounds, and lemon, cinnamon, and spearmint essential oils. I wrote what they were on masking tape labels on the bottom of each cup.

Smell sign: "Use your NOSE to guess what is in each container. Note to adults: the answers are on the bottom of the containers." a line drawing of a nose is on the sign.

Smell station, showing six small condiment cups. Each has a cotton ball - the sign prompts participants to smell each and guess what it is, with answers written on the bottom of the cups.

Taste Station
For taste I wanted to provide something to actually taste, but I didn’t want to give anyone with allergies any trouble. Per The Lion is a Bookworm blog, I used table salt, Country Time lemonade mix, and granulated sugar to represent salty, sour, and sweet! I got the smallest paper tasting cups I could find (1/2 oz) and just put a few granules in each one. I marked them 1, 2, and 3 and had a post it on the back of the sign holder to show adults what was in each. I set up this station on the counter next to our sink and also provided some disposable cups in case someone wanted to rinse out a taste! [You can see a little bit of Pete the Cat from the scavenger hunt in this photo.]

Taste sign. "Use your TONGUE to guess what is in each container. Note to adults: the answers are on the back of this sign." a line drawing of a mouth with a tongue sticking out is on the sign.

taste station, showing three messy trays with small tasting cups on them, labeled 1, 2, 3. A sign explains what to do, and there are styrofoam cups next to the nearby sink.

Touch Station
For the touch station, I just gathered a bunch of items with different textures! It was fun to choose. I tried finding things that were natural as well as synthetic. You could do LOTS with this one. The items I ended up with were: a dust mop head, a natural sponge, cardboard with the corrugation exposed and ridged craft paper (similar but different feels), a smooth polished rock and a rough rock, a feather, a bit of tree bark, cotton balls, a small branch with needles from a pine tree, and a sprig of a juniper bush.

touch sign: "Use your HANDS to feel these objects! Describe them with words like rough, smooth, soft, and hard." A line drawing of two hands is on the sign.

touch station showing a sign explaining, with various textured objects - a fuzzy mop head, natural sponge, ridged cardboard, smooth rock, feather, rough rock, tree bark, pine branch with needles, and cotton balls.

Toys and Puzzles
Our regular baby toys and puzzles, as well as soft food, babies in a basket, and lacing cards came out as another option for play. I didn’t capture a picture of this one.

After 20 minutes of free station time, I ring our bell to gather everyone again in the storytime room. Everyone helps put away the toys and puzzles before we end with our last two songs.

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Five for a Little One – Chris Raschka
I Hear a Pickle – Rachel Isadora
My Ocean Is Blue – Darren Lebeuf & Ashley Barron
A Sense of Red – Kate Riggs & Eleonora Pace
Baby Loves the Five Senses – Ruth Spiro & Irene Chan
Have You Ever Seen a Flower? – Shawn Harris
Stop and Smell the Cookies – Gibson Frazier & Micah Player
I Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea – Janice Milusich & Chris Raschka
All Food Is Good Food – Molli Jackson Ehlert & Fanny Liem
Listen – Holly M. McGhee & Pascal Lemaître
Taking the Long Way Home – Jake Hope & Brian Fitzgerald
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle

This storytime was presented in-person on 5/6/26.

Storytime Handout:

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

change starts with us and the earth book book cover gallery

Stories & Stations: Earth Day

Posted on May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 by msemilylibrary

April 22 is Earth Day! Here is our Stories & Stations* storytime, planned by my wonderful colleague (we alternate planning weeks.) There were a few activities that were planned but for time reasons weren’t ready, so we made adaptations. It was a good reminder that our families like the experience of storytime, and they roll with us on our themes, but all the theming is really more for our ease of planning and not really something our 2- and 3-year-olds care about. It’s okay to repeat activities. It’s okay to go off-theme. Everything we do should be to promote early literacy and associate the library and books with fun, and all the rest is icing!

This week’s prop was beanbags, which I don’t use often enough in my regular storytimes! It was really great to see everyone shaking, tossing, and balancing their beanbags and having a really fun time with them.

See another version of this theme from 2021.

*We are doing a new format for our storytimes in a transition period of personnel change and calling it Stories & Stations (you can read the whole saga of the whys and hows at this post.)

change starts with us book cover, showing five children doing various things with the earth, including planting a tree, throwing away recycling, and holding protest signs.

the earth book book cover, showing a large picture of the planet earth with a heart on it and being held by two children.

Early Development Tip: Moving to music, dancing, swaying, running, and jumping help young children feel rhythm and begin to understand how their bodies work. Such movements also help them gain muscle control and improve their balance, which all contributes to your child’s gross motor development. –from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Warm Up Song: Wiggle and Wiggle and STOP*
This week I did “Stomp” and “Roll” (arms) in addition to Wiggle.

Intro: Today is a very special day called Earth Day! Our Earth gives us so many wonderful gifts: the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the crunchy apples we eat for a snack. Today people all over the world are on a mission to be kind to our Earth. We might check the ground for “lost” trash, or turn off the lights when we’re not home – there are lots of actions we can take to help keep our world clean, green, and beautiful.

Let’s start with a story about things we can do to help the Earth.
Sometimes it just makes more sense to start with our book and then go to the themed activity.
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Even though this is a board book, it is a relatively large format one, so it still works for reading to a group. It’s cute and age appropriate, although I always skip the page about eating less meat that shows a barnyard scene. It just feels a little too omnivore-shaming – I don’t disagree with the sentiment, but I wish the illustration featured a plate full of vegetables instead.
Read: Change Starts with Us by Sophie Beer

I read this title for my evening program, and it worked okay. Some of the points made feel just a little too simplified.
Read: The Earth Book by Todd Parr

Here’s an old song about loving our Earth. Someone wrote a new verse for Earth Day – let’s sing them both together!
Ukulele Song: This Land Is Your Land (Earth Day Edition)
This land is your land, This land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Waters
This land was made for you and me

This land is your land, This land is my land
Let’s work together to make it better
From the tall green forests to the clear blue waters
This land depends on you and me
Source: Woodie Guthrie, Earth Day verse from Santa Clarita Public Library

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “This Land Is Your Land” here!

thumbnail of ukulele songsheet for this land is your land

this land is your land thumbnail, with a graphic of an earth with clouds. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get out some beanbags! Let’s see, can you gently toss your beanbag and catch it? Okay, can you let your beanbag drop to the ground? How about tossing it from one hand to the other – if you can’t toss, then try just moving it from hand to hand. Okay, you are ready for our first beanbag rhyme!
I’ve adapted the traditional Tommy Thumbs rhyme for different uses – like for egg shakers and scarves. It also works for beanbags, but the motions are a little bit different since they are especially fun to toss and drop.
Beanbag Rhyme: Beanbags Up
Beanbags up (toss gently)
Beanbags down (let drop)
Beanbags dancing all around (toss from hand to hand)
Beanbags on your shoulder
Beanbags on your head
Beanbags on your tummy
And tuck them into bed! (between two hands)
Source: adapted from the traditional Tommy Thumbs

beanbags up thumbnail, with a graphic of four square beanbags: yellow, purple, red, and blue. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Earth Day is a great time to celebrate all the animals of the planet. How about the frog? Can you pretend your beanbag is a frog?
We start by bouncing our “frogs” on our toes – at the end, I made my frog jump extra high on the “Ribbit!” Then you can move to any other body parts.
Beanbag Song: Froggy’s Hopping
(tune of Round the Mulberry Bush)
Froggy’s hopping on my toes
On my toes, on my toes
Froggy’s hopping on my toes…
RIIIIIIBBIT!
Source: Allegan District (MI) Library

froggy's hopping thumbnail, with a graphic of a green frog about to land from a hop. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Mmm, the earth provides so many delicious things to eat! Can you pretend your beanbag is an apple now?
Beanbag Rhyme: Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree (beanbags/fists up)
Two red apples smiled at me (wiggle apples)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (shaking motion)
Down came the apples… (beanbags/fists fall)
And mmm, they were good! (rub tummy)
Source: traditional

way up high in the apple tree thumbnail, with a graphic of a tree with two red apples in it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Okay, it’s beanbag hard mode now! Can you balance your beanbag on your head?! If that’s too difficult, you can try balancing it on your hand, instead.
Beanbag Rhyme: Walk Along the Tightrope
With my bean bag on my head
I stand so very tall
I walk along my tightrope
And will not let it fall
Source: Allegan District (MI) Library

walk along the tightrope thumbnail, with a graphic of a figure on a tightrope and a child balancing a beanbag on their head. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Art Station: Fingerprint Stamped Flowers
I think originally we were planning to use actual flowers on the stamp pad, but that seemed too fragile for a bunch of kids to cycle through. So instead, we made flowers using our own fingerprints! We have these large stamp pads that are perfect for this sort of craft. This was a nice one since it didn’t require a lot of clean up (like the paint crafts from the last few weeks!)

Craft showing a stamped hand in green. Each finger tip has a flower stamped in different colors.

art station with paper, stamp pads, and baby wipes.

Gross Motor Stations: Walk the Plank
I think this was originally going to be a different activity, but we just grabbed a sign from a previous program (Oceans of Possibilities) and taped a line on the floor. Kids still enjoyed it!

walk the plank activity, showing a blue taped line on the floor and a sign

Gross Motor Station 2: Animal Habitat Building
Another borrow, this time from the Baby Animals program a few weeks ago. We got out our big blocks (like Legos, but much bigger!) to build habitats for some of our animal puppets. I love how the kids can be so creative in what they build with fairly limited materials.

Fine Motor Station 1: Seed Sorting & Cut the Grass
This was a re-use of two stations from the Garden program. It’s always good to have several activities available!

table showing a seed sorting station on one side and a cut the grass (construction paper) on the other.

Sensory Station: Kinetic Sand
Another quick one from the past is kinetic sand – and it’s always a hit. We had some little colorful animal figurines that were hidden in the sand.

Kinetic sand station, with two bins on top of a fitted sheet held down by two tables.

closeup of a kinetic sand bin, showing the bin, some plastic shovels, and plastic animals

Toys and Puzzles
Our regular baby toys and puzzles, as well as soft food, babies in a basket, and lacing cards came out as another option for play. I didn’t capture a picture of this one.

After 20 minutes of free station time, I ring our bell to gather everyone again in the storytime room. Everyone helps put away the toys and puzzles before we end with our last two songs.

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
To Change A Planet – Christina Soontornvat & Rahele Jomepour Bell
Thank You, Earth – April Pulley Sayre
The Earth Book – Todd Parr
My Friend Earth – Patricia MacLachlan & Francesca Sanna
Stand Up! Speak Up! – Andrew Joyner
We Are Water Protectors – Carole Lindstrom & Michaela Goade
Milk and Juice – Meredith Crandall Brown
Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival – Lindsay Moore
What a Wonderful World – Bob Thiele, George David Weiss & Tim Hopgood
The Old Boat – Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey
Lights Out – Marsha Diane Arnold & Susan Reagan
Earth Day – Emma Carlson Berne & Mike Bundad
Go Green With Sesame Street – Jennifer Boothroyd & Mary Lindeen
A Little Round Panda on the Big Blue Earth – Tory Christie & Luciana Navarro Powell
Home – Matt De La Peña & Loren Long
What Does It Mean to be Green? – Rana DiOrio & Addy Rivera Sonda
On Earth – G. Brian Karas
A Pocket Full of Rocks – Kristin Mahoney & E.B. Goodale
I Love Our Earth – Bill Martin Jr, Michael Sampson, Dan Lipow
Home – Isabelle Simler

This storytime was presented in-person on 4/22 & 4/23/26.

Storytime Handout:

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

papa please get the moon for me and max and the tag-along moon book covers

Storytime: Moon

Posted on January 30, 2026January 29, 2026 by msemilylibrary

Here’s a new take on a Moon storytime theme, planned by my fabulous coworker. In the past I’d separated the idea of the moon in a scientific way, talking about space and astronauts in one program (2019, pre-blog) and the idea of the moon “from the ground” – as an object we see in the sky at night and tell stories about and give almost human qualities to. In this program, both aspects are given some time to shine! There were a couple of songs that had a count-down to blast-off that we’d considered (in addition to our evergreen Zoom, Zoom, Zoom), so I did cut one of them to save feeling repetitive, but I’ll include both below as a resource. Note that most of the rhyme sheets and the MOON shapes flannel were made/designed by her and not me!

See other versions of this theme from 2020 and 2022.

papa please get the moon for me book cover, with a large moon showing a small crescent on the left and the remainder darkened with an abstract face. Below is a very small ladder

max and the tag-along moon book cover, with a large yellow moon in the top right corner framing a little boy looking upward from playing with cars

Early Literacy Tip: Talk about the shapes you see with your children! Circles and triangles are often parts of letters. Being able to see shapes will help children later recognize letters. from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet*
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: What’s something big big big that comes out at night? The Moon!

Flannel Activity: Spelling with Shapes
What shape is the Moon? A circle! Let’s spell the word, MOON. Can you spot any shapes in this word? The Os are circles! And this shape (triangle!) fits into the M and the N.
I had a few older siblings who jumped on this activity and were very excited to let us know the answers. For the younger, it may have been a little more difficult, so supplying the answers is fine.

Moon word flannel: the word moon is spelled in capital letters in grey felt, with a realistic looking felt moon above it.

Moon word flannel: the word moon is spelled in capital letters in grey felt, with tan triangles in the spaces of the M and N, and blue circles covering the Os. A realistic looking felt moon is above the word.

So the moon is round like a circle – kind of like our faces!
Fingerplay: The Moon is Round
The moon is round –
As round can be (trace the circle of your face)
Two eyes, a nose, (point at eyes and nose)
And a mouth like me! (point at mouth, then hug baby or self)
Source: Jbrary

the moon is round thumbnail, with a graphic of an illustration of a full moon with a face. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

We have a large board book edition of this in our office collection, in addition to our circulating hardback. Both have really fun fold-out pages, but the circulating one understandably has been pretty beat-up. Our office edition was perfect, though, and all those fold-out pages are wow-inducing!
Read: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle

Love this story of the moon that helps a little boy feel close to his grandpa.
Read: Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper

Sometimes the moon is hard to find. When it’s cloudy out, it can be covered up. Let’s see if we can find the hide and seek moon.
My take on the classic guessing game flannel. I reused the moon from my Five Coyotes set and created some clouds in dreamy sunset/twilight colors. We identified each color before we started since they were a little amorphous.
Flannel Board Rhyme: Find The Moon
Little moon, little moon, shining bright
Which cloud are you hiding behind tonight?
[Can you make a big wind gust to blow that cloud away? Woosh!]
Source: original

Find the Moon flannel, with four clouds (blue, peach, lilac, and mint green) with a white and gray moon peeking from behind the blue one.

find the moon thumbnail, with a graphic of four clouds (blue, purple, pink and green) with a moon peeking out from the blue one. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Some people actually get to go to the moon! They are called astronauts! Outer space is not easy to be in, so they have to wear very special clothes to protect them.
Action Song: If You’re Going To The Moon
(tune of Happy and You Know It)
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots (stomp, stomp)
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots (stomp, stomp)
If you’re going to the moon, this is what you have to do
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots (stomp, stomp)

Additional Verses:
…wear your suit (ziiiip)
…wear your helmet (pat head)
…wear your gloves (clap, clap)
Source: Harford County (MD) Public Library

If you're going to the moon thumbnail, with a graphic of an astronaut in a space suit reading a book. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now that we are suited up, it’s time to go!
Counting Rhyme: Climb Aboard The Spaceship
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Climb aboard the spaceship
We’re going to the moon
Hurry and get ready
We’re going to blast off soon
Put on your helmets
And buckle up real tight
Here comes the countdown
Let’s count with all our might
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1- Blast Off!
Source: Preschool Express

climb aboard the spaceship thumbnail, with a graphic of a space shuttle blasting off. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to get out our scarves! Shake them out, make sure they are working! Can you pretend your scarf is a blanket?
This wasn’t originally a scarf rhyme, but it works well, with an opportunity to snuggle the scarf under your chin at the beginning, and to throw it up in the air at the end (they loved that part!)
Scarf Rhyme: Sun And Moon
Moon comes out, Sun goes in (moon is a crescent as one hand and sun is other, fingers outstretched)
Here is a blanket to cuddle your chin
Moon goes in, and Sun comes out
Throw off the blankets and wiggle about!
Source: Sunflower Storytime (no longer online)

sun and moon thumbnail, with a graphic of a stylized moon and sun overlapping. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’ve done a modified version of this before, but I think these are the original Romper Room lyrics.
Scarf Song: Sky Stretch
Bend and stretch, Reach for the stars
There goes Jupiter, Here comes Mars
Bend and stretch, Reach for the sky
Stand on tippy toes, Oh so high!
Source: Romper Room via Molly Whuppie

sky stretch thumbnail, with a graphic of jupiter and mars with cartoon arms stretching up. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is the one I cut – it was just too similar to Climb Aboard the Spaceship.
Scarf Song: I’m A Little Astronaut
(tune of I’m A Little Teapot)
I’m a little astronaut flying to the moon
My rocket is ready, we blast off soon
I climb aboard and close the hatch
5-4-3-2-1, off we blast!
Source: Preschool Express

I'm a little astronaut thumbnail, with a graphic of an astronaut in their space suit doing a space walk. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Ready to dance in outer space?
Scarf/Ukulele Song: Baby Bear Waltz
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltzing with bears
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Dance ‘round the chairs
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 That’s what we’ll do
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltzing with you
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltz round the room
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Dance ‘round the moon
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Glide past the stars
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltzing to Mars
Source: Kathy Reid Naiman, from the album Say Hello to the Morning

Download a ukulele songsheet for Baby Bear Waltz!

baby bear waltz thumbnail, with a graphic of bears prancing with magic wands and stars. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s a slow song about the moon. You can snuggle up with your grown up or pretend your scarf is a blankie if you like, or dance and sway.
Scarf/Ukulele Lullaby: I See the Moon
(tune of Hush, Little Baby)
I see the moon and the moon sees me
Down through the leaves of the old oak tree
Please let the moon that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love

Over the mountain, over the sea
Back where my heart is longing to be
Please let the moon that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love
Source: Jbrary

Download a ukulele songsheet for I See the Moon

Thumbnail of I See the Moon ukulele chord sheet

i see the moon thumbnail, with a graphic of a watercolor gray and white moon with a smiling face. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The most appropriate time for this one we do every week!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft/Activity: Telescopes
A very simple craft – we used toilet paper rolls, paint sticks, and foam shape stickers to create our own telescopes to see the moon.

telescope craft - a brown toilet paper tube decorated with paint and foam shape stickers.

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*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Moonlight – Helen V. Griffith & Laura Dronzek
Kitten’s First Full Moon – Kevin Henkes
Like the Moon Loves the Sky – Hena Khan & Saffa Khan
The Moon Is Going to Addy’s House – Ida Pearle
City Moon – Rachael Cole & Blanca Gómez
Can’t Sleep – Chris Raschka
Hello, Moon – Evan Turk
Moonday – Adam Rex
Moonlight – Stephen Savage
Music for Mister Moon – Philip C Stead & Erin E Stead
The Mouse Who Ate The Moon – Petr Horáček
Goodnight, Moon – Margaret Wise Brown & Clement Hurd
Astronaut – Lucy M. George & AndoTwin
Moon – Marion Dane Bauer & John Wallace
Snail in Space – Rachel Bright & Nadia Shireen
Rocket Beams, Lunar Dreams – Chiara Colombi & Scott Magoon

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/14 & 1/15/26.

Storytime Handout:

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

book covers for everybody in the red brick building, squeak, rumble, whomp whomp whomp, and Sounds all around

Storytime: Sounds

Posted on November 14, 2025November 13, 2025 by msemilylibrary

I did this theme in 2020 when we were doing virtual-only storytimes, and had not repeated it since. It was a fun one to get out and retry with kids in person. I really enjoyed looking through all our library cabinets for musical instruments as well as bringing a selection of percussion instruments from home (including my favorites, the frog rasps and cabasa!) It made for a very noisy but fun time. There are so many great noise books, too! It was difficult to choose which to read. There’s a STEM element in talking about how sound is made and perceived, and also an opportunity to talk a little about the opposites of loud and quiet.

See another version of this theme from 2020.

everybody in the red brick building book cover, showing an apartment building with different scenes in each window.

squeak, rumble, whomp, whomp, whomp book cover, with a picture of a Black boy playing a trumpet with a black cat looking in the background.

sounds all around book cover, with an illustration of three kids playing instruments.

Early Literacy Tip: Studies show that, without guidance, a 4-year-old will give 95% of their visual attention to a book’s pictures. One way to support early literacy is to help children recognize that print has meaning. When we talk about the words on the page as we read them, children are making the connection between the written word and the meaning of the word. A great place to begin is by pointing out where sounds are written out differently from the other words. adapted from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: This is a program where I’m going to need a lot of help. Are you good at being noisy? Oh, thank goodness! I am going to need your help making a lot of noise today, because we’re going to be talking about SOUND! So, let’s all shout: HOORAY together. Louder! Even louder! Now quieter. Now whisper. Great job! When we talk or sing or clap our hands, we’re making sound. What else makes sound? How do we hear sounds? WHY do we hear sounds in our ears?

I showed two page spreads (pgs 12-15) and read snippets about both how our vocal chords work to make sound (touching our throats as we hum and fall silent, and noticing the difference in vibrations) as well as how our ears work to hear sound. I noted that of course we don’t expect little ones to understand all the science right away, but it’s great to explain because we share new vocabulary and concepts and start the seed of understanding.
Read: (selection from) Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer & Anna Chernyshova

Sounds can be all kinds of things! Sometimes they are loud, sometimes quiet. This rhyme will challenge you – can you clap without any sound?
When I first saw this rhyme, it made no sense to me, until I realized that the clap and tap were muted. So we practiced clapping and tapping our laps without sound before we started the rhyme and it worked really well!
Action Rhyme: Loud and Quiet
Quietly, quietly not a sound
I’m listening and I’m listening As I look around
No sounds as I nod, No sounds as I clap (mute clap)
No sounds as I tap my hands on my lap (mute tap)
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap
All that noise, well fancy that!
Source: Storytime Katie

loud and quiet thumbnail, with a graphic of hands with brown skin clapping, and feet with white skin stomping. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

I love how this story is circular: as the noises wake everyone, we meet all the occupants of the building, then a round of quiet noises lull everyone back to sleep. Plus, Oge Mora’s artwork is superb. I had a thought that this would make a great flannel story, but I didn’t have the time to make it.
Read: Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter & Oge Mora

This one is a fun romp through lots of noises – definitely preview it before you start because they aren’t all easy to do! I like how Marsalis groups similar sounds – a squeak could be a screen door, a mouse, or a amateur saxophonist!
Read: Squeak! Rumble! Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers

Our next rhyme has some sounds I hope you’ll help me make. The sound of a clock is tick tock! Can you tick tock by patting your lap? And then we hear a knock, knock on a door – can you knock by clapping your hands?
You could do this with flannel animals or puppets like I did. The original used rhythm sticks, but it worked just as well with puppets and making the sounds with our bodies. I used a cow, chicken, frog, bear, and lastly, a mouse! The mouse gave us a segue into the next rhyme.
Puppet Rhyme: Tick Tock Goes the Clock
Tick, tock, tick, tock goes the clock
Waiting for someone to… Knock, knock, knock!
Gasp! Who’s at the door? It’s a… (moo) A cow!
(try with any animal sounds you like)
Source: Jbrary

Photo of animal puppets - a chicken, cow, frog, bear, and mouse.

tick tock goes the clock thumbnail, with a graphic of a door and a clock. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I did this fingerplay on my left hand with my thumb and on my right hand with the mouse puppet. The first time out popped the mouse, the puppet was flung off of my finger and into the air – but I caught her! Very exciting. I was a little more careful with the popping the second time through.
Oh, that mouse is so cute. But very quiet.
Fingerplay: Quiet Mouse
Here’s a quiet little mouse (show thumb)
Living in a quiet little house (tuck thumb in fist)
When all was quiet as could be
OUT! popped she! (pop out thumb)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

quiet mouse thumbnail, with a graphic of a mouse peeking out of a hole in a tree stump. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This was a great hit during our Jingle Jam storytime, and seemed like a perfect fit for sounds, too.
One of my favorite ways to make sounds is to make MUSIC!
Action Rhyme: The Parade
Clap your hands! (clap, clap, clap)
Stamp your feet! (stomp, stomp, stomp)
The parade is coming down the street
Bum, bum, bum: a great big drum
Root-a-toot: a horn and flute
Bang, bang, bang: Cymbals clang
Ding-ding-ding: triangles ring
Clap your hands! (clap, clap, clap)
Stamp your feet! (stomp, stomp, stomp)
The parade is coming down the street
Source: King County (WA) Library System

the parade thumbnail, with a graphic of six marching band players with various instruments. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s an instrument that LOOKS like an animal. What does it sound like?
I was kind of amazed, but it was dead silent during this rhyme – everyone was rapt with the frog rasps. I highly recommend them! I decided to do three sounds throughout the song this time – in the past I’d done two for each individual frog and then three on the last verse.
Rhythm Instrument Song: Three Frogs in a Bog
There was a big frog (big sound, big sound, big sound)
Lived in a big bog (big, big, big)
He swam in the water (big, big, big)
Played on a big log (big, big, big)
Big log (big, big, big)
Big bog (big, big, big)
Big frog (big, big, big)

(repeat for middle-sized and little frogs)

And then one day (big sound, middle sound, little sound)
The frogs got together (big, middle, little)
They swam in the water (big, middle, little)
In the bright sunny weather (big, middle, little)
Three frogs (big, middle, little)
Three friends (big, middle, little)
The end! (big, middle, little)
Source: Ada Moreau Demlow

frogs in a bog thumbnail, with a graphic of three realistic illustrations of frogs, big, medium, and small. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to get out our instruments! There are a lot of choices – which will you pick?

instruments including shakers, bells, maracas, a drum, rain stick, ukulele, and more. — Library instruments! I didn’t get a picture of my personal instruments, but they were all offered in a square laundry basket.

Let’s get to know our instruments a bit with this next song.
It was a bit chaotic, but it worked. I changed the original words (shake/shaker) to fit (play/instrument), but I didn’t update the rhyme sheet.
Instrument Song: Can You Play?
(tune of London Bridge)
Can you play along with me?
Along with me, along with me?
Can you play along with me?
Put your instrument on your… knee!
Source: Jbrary

can you shake thumbnail, with a graphic of a blue and a green egg shape with motion lines around them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We were way over on time already, so I skipped this one. I think handing out instruments took longer than usual. I was going to choose instruments for the extra verses – egg shake, a drum beat, a triangle tingle, etc.
Instrument Song: Have You Ever Heard a Bell Ring?
(tune of Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?)
Have you ever heard a bell ring, a bell ring, a bell ring?
Have you ever heard a bell ring,
Ding dong, ding, ding, dong
Try with other sounds:
the wind blow, a clock tick, a car horn, an egg shake, a cow moo, etc.
Source: STEM In Libraries

have you ever heard thumbnail, with a graphic of a string of jingle bells on green ribbon. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s make some noise!
Recorded Song: Alabama, Mississippi
Alabama, Mississippi
Alabama, New Orleans
Alabama, Mississippi
Shake it on down to New Orleans

Shake, Shake, Shake
Shake it, baby
Shake, Shake, Shake
Shake it, baby
Shake, Shake, Shake
Shake it, baby
Shake it on down to New Orleans
Source: from the album Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes

alabama mississippi thumbnail, with a graphic of jazz instruments: trumpet, tuba, sax, harmonica, drum, bells, and trombone. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: Noisemaker
For an easy noisemaker, we decorated toilet paper tubes – I did my sample with regular washable markers, but put out the dot markers day of – they provide easier coverage! I also had foam shape stickers. We filled the tubes with generic cheerios to make the noise and stapled them shut. I made sure to note that it works best if the stapled shut ends are perpendicular to each other, to keep the middle open and prevent the tube from collapsing. I had pre-stapled one end before storytime and provided staplers for caregivers to close them after filling. To make it even easier, you could pre-fill and provide the finished noisemaker to decorate only.

photo of noisemaker craft - a toilet paper tube stapled at both ends (perpendicular angles) and decorated with markers and foam stickers.

Play Time
I put out a laundry basket of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older toddlers and siblings, we have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, plastic farm animals, and lacing cards and I rotate among a few of these options each session. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. The clean up bit is good practice for them – I often say “it’s hard to say goodbye to toys, so that’s why we practice every storytime!” I think that helps the grown ups who may be embarrassed that their kid is crying or refusing to put a toy away. So much of what we do in storytime is practicing skills, and I don’t expect the kids to “do it right’ every time, or even most times.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
It’s So Quiet – Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tony Fucile
Let’s Be Bees – Shawn Harris
Noisy Night – Mac Barnett & Brian Biggs
What Does Little Crocodile Say? – Eva Montanari
Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! – KL Going & Simone Shin
Song in the City – Daniel Bernstrom & Jenin Mohammed
Atticus Caticus – Sarah Maizes & Kara Kramer
Rumble & Roar: Sound Around the World – Sue Fliess & Khoa Le
Jazz for Lunch! – Jarrett Dapier & Eugenia Mello
Swish Slosh – Deborah Kerbel & Jacqui Lee
A Perfect Day – Jennifer Yerkes
Listen – Gabi Snyder & Stephanie Graegin
Boom Boom – Sarvinder Naberhaus & Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Quiet Down, Loud Town! – Alastair Heim & Matt Hunt
After the Buzz Comes the Bee – Rachel Isadora & Robie Rogge

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/12/25.

Storytime Handout:

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

book cover gallery of let it grow, pumpkin day, and it's a pumpkin

Storytime: Pumpkins

Posted on October 17, 2025October 17, 2025 by msemilylibrary

I’m blogging out of order today. This past week I did a “Things that Go” storytime, but this upcoming week is Pumpkins! I figure that might be more helpful and relevant in case you have a pumpkin theme coming up, too, and need a little inspiration or one more song.

As I’ve said before, to be inclusive I don’t do “holiday” programs. Not everyone celebrates, and I’ve found that I really don’t need to focus on a specific holiday. Instead, I try to find something that is tangential but universal. So, in October, pumpkins are perfect! I’ve also done Cats & Bats, Dress-Up, Monsters, Owls, and the Moon to evoke those Halloween/Spooky/Fall vibes. There are a couple of references to Jack-o-lanterns in my activities below, but that’s as close as we get to Halloween.

See other versions of this storytime from 2020 and 2022.

let it grow book cover, showing a large pumpkin still on the vine, with a bee and white flower.

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

book cover of It's a Pumpkin, with various woodland animals surrounding a large pumpkin

Early Literacy Tip: Narrative skill is one of the six skills identified as being important for early literacy. It has to do with learning how to describe things and being able to tell stories. Little stories, like the one in the Pumpkin on the Ground rhyme, are great for little ones to start learning how stories work. “First the pumpkin is a seed, then it is a plant, then it is a pumpkin!”

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: It’s pumpkin time! Pumpkins are great big gourds that get ripe around this time. They are very tasty and are good for you – AND they can be fun to carve a face into! But how do pumpkins grow? That’s what this song is asking.

The ASL sign for “pumpkin” is like this…
Show the sign – flick your finger onto the back of your opposite hand, as if you were thunking a pumpkin to check for ripeness.
Fingerplay: Pumpkin, Pumpkin on the Ground
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (ASL pumpkin sign)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball (arms circle in front)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (ASL pumpkin sign)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Source: Storytime Katie

pumpkin on the ground thumbnail, with a graphic of a large orange pumpkin. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I found a video of this song by a Montessori school but had some trouble finding the original provenance – the video said the song was by Mary Ann Hall, but I also saw Marcia Louis credited (and I did find a YouTube video of hers, so that’s pretty credible.) In any case, I was able to figure out the chords, changed the key to fit my voice better, and now it’s available as a ukulele songsheet for you! I originally used this prop with the book Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell, (as seen in the photos) but my current library does not own this book. Big kudos to Rebecca from Sturdy for Common Things for her inspiration for this prop, as well as excellent photos of the process of making it.
So how do pumpkins grow, in between being a tiny seed and a big gourd? Can you help me plant a pumpkin seed, let some rain fall down, let the sun shine, and then… we wait! And wait and wait and wait and wait and THEN! a little pumpkin vine appears!
Ukulele Song: Pumpkin Vine
I looked out my window and what did I find?
Green leaves growin’ on my pumpkin vine
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’
Green leaves are growin’ on my pumpkin vine

Additional verses:
…yellow flowers growin’
…honey bees buzzin’
…green pumpkins growin’
…orange pumpkins growin’
Source: Montessori de Terra Linda

Download a ukulele songsheet for Pumpkin Vine!

Thumbnail for Pumpkin Vine ukulele songsheet

photo of mystery vine prop extended - a big plastic pot with brown felt, and a green vine with felt leaves, flowers, pipe cleaner vines, a green pumpkin, and two orange pumpkins made of fabric.

an animated gif of the pumpkin vine prop, showing the progression.

pumpkin vine thumbnail, with a graphic of a pumpkin vine with yellow flowers, a green and orange pumpkin, and bees. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

This book also goes through the life cycle of the pumpkin – seed to vine to leaves to flowers to fruit. It’s cleverly written, has a BIPOC character/family and even goes beyond the expected Jack-o-lantern size pumpkin – they let theirs grow to be a GIANT pumpkin, which they take to the fair and then use in the pumpkin regatta!
Read: Let it Grow by Mary Ann Fraser & Riley Samuels

A leveled reader backup (I’m still waiting for Let it Grow to come in on hold!) but this is a solid choice. To shorten just a bit I paperclipped one rhyme set near the beginning of the book, (about the ponies and goats).
Read: Pumpkin Day! by Candice Ransom & Erika Meza

I do one evening program a month, and I change the age level to 0-5. I have noticed in the last couple months that I’m getting more older kids, so I decided to do a longer book for them.
Read: It’s a Pumpkin! by Wendy McClure & Kate Kronreif

Oh, look! I’ve found some pumpkins! Let’s sit them up on this gate. How many do we have? Do you have five pumpkins on your fingers?
Counting Fingerplay: Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate (hold up 5 fingers)
The 1st one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late!” (point to wrist)
The 2nd one said, “There are bats in the air” (flap hands)
The 3rd one said, “But we don’t care!” (shake head)
The 4th one said, “Let’s run, run, run!” (jog arms)
The 5th one said, “I’m ready for some fun!” (wiggle)
Then WHOOOOSH went the wind (curve hand in air)
And OUT went the light (clap hands together loudly)
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight! (roll arms)
Source: Adventures in Storytime

five little pumpkins flannel pieces, with a brown rectangle topped with five pumpkins of varying orange hues. in the upper right is a full yellow moon with a black bat flying across it.

five little pumpkins thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I saw several versions of this rhyme in various places, including my predecessor’s files, so I decided to combine them!
Maybe YOU can be a pumpkin sitting on a wall.
Rhyme: Pumpkin, Pumpkin Sitting on a Wall
Pumpkin, pumpkin, Sitting on a wall (bounce)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, Tip and FALL! (lean to side)

Pumpkin, pumpkin, Bouncing down the street (bounce)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, TICKLE those feet! (tickle)

Pumpkin, pumpkin, Bumping down the hill (bounce)
Can I catch you? Yes, I WILL! (big hug)
Source: adapted from King County (WA) Library System

Pumpkin, pumpkin thumbnail, with a graphic of a happy pumpkin sitting on a rock wall. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

One of these pumpkins has gotten out of control! Can you roll your arms like a pumpkin rolling down the hill?
I love this one – it always goes over well.
Action Song: Roly Poly Pumpkin
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Oh, the roly-poly pumpkin (roll arms, gradually speed up)
Went rolling down the hill
Once it started rolling It couldn’t keep still
It rolled and rolled Until it bumped into a rock (clap)
Then the roly-poly pumpkin (roll slowly)
Rolled to a stop (hands up)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

roly poly pumpkin thumbnail, with a graphic of a small pumpkin bouncing down a large brown hill. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I saw that Mel’s Desk created a rhyme/game reminiscent of the Brown Bear, Brown Bear books. She started hers with Brown Bat, but I decided to make mine Orange Pumpkin. Mine is also circular – I start and end with the same flannel piece, which is a plain pumpkin on one side and a jack-o-lantern on the other, so I just flip it over as we say the last line.
Flannel Rhyme: Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See?
Orange pumpkin, orange pumpkin, what do you see?
I see a red leaf looking at me!

Continue with:
Red leaf > Black cat > Gray owl > Brown bat > Yellow moon > Orange Jack-o-Lantern

Flannel for Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See, with an Orange pumpkin, red leaf, black cat, gray owl, brown bat, and yellow crescent moon. An inset shows the reverse side of the pumpkin, which shows a yellow jack-o-lantern face.

what do you see thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling orange pumpkin and a red maple leaf looking at the pumpkin. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I didn’t realize this was a traditional rhyme before I had already changed the words and made my own rhyme sheet for it. I wanted to de-gender the pumpkin, use the emotions I had puppets for, and I thought the end felt a little gruesome. Knowing it’s a traditional rhyme – maybe I wouldn’t have changed it, but I didn’t want to take the time to redo what I had already done. I’m including the traditional words as well for your benefit! I first showed my Jack-O-Lantern stick puppets and talked through the emotions. The puppets were originally created by Sunflower Storytime, which is no longer active on the web. You can download my copy of the PDF here! At the end of the rhyme, I plan to show the surprised pumpkin – maybe it will get some laughs?
Look at all these Jack-o-lanterns! Can you tell how they feel by their faces?
Puppet Rhyme: Pumpkin Happy
(make a face to match the emotions)
This is pumpkin happy, This is pumpkin sad
Now you see it silly, Now you see it mad
But roast a pumpkin – My, oh, my
My favorite pumpkin is pumpkin pie! (rub belly)
Source: adapted from the traditional Jack-O-Happy

Traditional Rhyme: Jack-O-Happy
This is Jack-O-Happy,
This is Jack-O-Sad,
Now you see him sleepy,
Now you see him mad!
This is Jack in pieces small,
But in a pie he’s best of all!

five jack o lanterns printed and laminated and mounted on jumbo craft sticks. They show a happy, sad, surprised, angry, and silly face.

pumpkin happy thumbnail, with a graphic of a happy jack o lantern and a slice of pie. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Pumpkin is so tasty, and can be made into so many different things. Let’s do the pumpkin chant!
Action Rhyme: Pumpkin Chant
(For each line, pat lap twice, clap twice, pat twice, then do action)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bread! (hands flat in front, one on other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin head! (hands on head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie! (hands in a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin eye! (hands around eyes)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin cake! (hands flat in front, one about 5 inches above the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin shake! (shake fists by head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin stew! (pretend to stir)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin BOO! (do a peek-a-boo)
Source: Jane Willis Johnston, via Jbrary

pumpkin chant thumbnail, with a graphic of a happy jack o lantern. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft:
My library is going through a transition, where our interim programmer who covered my maternity leave is no longer doing the Monday/Tuesday sessions while the new person who will be the permanent full time programmer is getting onboarded. Because we were down two sessions that are often full, I offered to do a second session back-to-back on Wednesdays. So, no crafts in the month of October. Crafts will be back in November!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Runaway Pumpkins – Teresa Bateman & Stephanie Fizer Coleman
How to Help a Pumpkin Grow – Ashley Wolff
Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party – Erin Barker
Hello, World! From Seed to Pumpkin – Jill McDonald
Pumpkin Eye – Denise Fleming
The Great Pumpkin Contest – Angie Rozelaar
Stumpkin – Lucy Ruth Cummins
Amara’s Farm – JaNay Brown-Wood & Samara Hardy
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch – Mary Peterson & Jennifer Rofé
Pumpkin Trouble – Jan Thomas
Penguin and Pumpkin – Salina Yoon
Mystery Vine – Cathryn Falwell

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/22 & 10/23/25.

Storytime Handout:

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

It is time, a butterfly is patient, and the very hungry caterpillar book covers

Storytime: Butterflies

Posted on September 19, 2025September 18, 2025 by msemilylibrary

I had always associated butterflies with springtime – the flowers are blooming, the world is becoming more colorful and warm – it just seems like butterfly time. But a friend of mine is a monarch enthusiast and she associates butterflies with autumn, since monarch butterflies migrate south in the fall. So my coworker and I decided to do our butterfly theme this month in September. She planned this one, so there were some new-to-me rhymes and songs, which is always fun.

A butterfly theme is perfect for incorporating your scarves, so flutter away!

it is time book cover, showing a boy looking at a green caterpillar on a plant.

a butterfly is patient book cover featuring a big blue butterfly as well as several other smaller ones and caterpillars

The Very Hungry Caterpillar book cover, showing a green and red caterpillar

Early Literacy Tip: When we say rhymes, play rhyming games with children, and point out the rhyming words, it helps them hear the smaller sounds in words which will help them later when they try to sound out words to read.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: Today we’re talking about butterflies! These wonderful creatures begin their lives as tiny eggs, then hatch into caterpillars. After that, they create a cocoon or chrysalis where they spend 1-2 weeks transforming into butterflies! Butterflies love the sun and have delicate wings that make beautiful patterns.

Butterflies are not born with wings. Let’s use our hands to go through the life cycle of a butterfly!
Fingerplay: My Friend Caterpillar
My friend caterpillar (fingers crawl up arm)
Made its cocoon one day (close hands together)
It turned into a butterfly (open hands with thumbs hooked)
And quickly flew away (flap hands)
Source: Storytime Katie

my friend caterpillar thumbnail, with a graphic of a monarch butterfly flying away from a leafed branch where there is a caterpillar and a chrysalis. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

This is an excellent and very simple primer on the life of a caterpillar. I always enjoy Lizzy Rockwell books. I did have a moment of difficulty, though, during the book. She says “A pupa is there” when referring to the chrysalis. I kind of tried to explain that a pupa and chrysalis and cocoon are all similar, but I was sure there were scientific differences. I just hadn’t checked before the program, which I regret. I learned later that a pupa is that particular stage (not the structure that holds it.) A chrysalis is the pupa of a butterfly, and moths spin cocoons from silk – a cocoon surrounds a pupa but it is not the same thing. More info at Wikipedia!
Read: It Is Time: The Life of a Caterpillar by Lizzy Rockwell

My backups. A Butterfly Is Patient is such a beautiful book, and I appreciate that it can be read on several levels. You can just read the larger text and give a very concise explanation, or you can read the smaller text as well which gives more detail.
Backup titles: A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long OR The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Does anyone know what butterflies eat? They drink sweet juice from flowers called nectar. Let’s count to 10 while we pretend to feed a butterfly.
The hand motions for this one are a bit simple, but it worked.
Action Rhyme: Butterfly Food
(tune of 1, 2, Buckle my Shoe)
1, 2, Nectar for you! (point outward)
3, 4, Find some more! (searching motion)
5, 6, Plants by sticks! (pretend to hold sticks)
7, 8, Nectar is great! (thumbs up)
9, 10, Let’s eat again! (eating motion)
Source: Carla @ Preschool Powol Packets

butterfly food thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange butterfly eating from a pink flower. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The butterfly song is about waiting for a caterpillar to make his transformation into a butterfly.
I pointed to each stage on the flannelboard, but also tried to add some volume dynamics. “Oh, oh, oh” was very soft and anticipatory, then louder on “out of the chrysalis.” I had created the butterfly and caterpillar flannel pieces for another set, and my colleague completed the life cycle by making the eggs and chrysalis and arrows!
Flannel Song: The Butterfly Song
(tune of Up on the House Top)
First comes the butterfly and lays an egg
Out comes a caterpillar with many legs
Oh see the caterpillar spin and spin
A little chrysalis to sleep in
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see
Out of the chrysalis, my oh my
Out comes a pretty butterfly
Source: Storytime Hooligans

flannel showing a monarch butterfly, a leaf with eggs, a monarch caterpillar, and a green chrysalis. gray arrows show the circular flow.

butterfly song thumbnail, with a graphic of the four butterfly life stages - egg, caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I skipped this one for time.
Fingerplay Song: Caterpillar
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Caterpillar, caterpillar (wiggle index finger)
In the tree, in the tree (spread arms like branches)
First you wiggle this way (wiggle finger to one side)
Then you wiggle that way (wiggle finger to other side)
Look at me, look at me (finger “looks” at you)
Source: Palatine Public Library District

caterpillar thumbnail, with a graphic of a realistic yellow, black, and white monarch caterpillar. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

When I hand out a prop, I generally will do a “practice” song – something that gets them using the prop and following directions, and doesn’t necessarily go with the theme.
Scarf Song: Let’s All Twirl
(tune of Mulberry Bush)
Let’s all twirl our scarves today
Scarves today, scarves today
Let’s all twirl our scarves today
All around the room
(toss, scrunch, shake)
Source: Library Village Blogspot

let's all twirl thumbnail, with a graphic of a dancing unicorn. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Oh, my scarf has turned into a butterfly! Can you turn your scarf into a butterfly? Where will it fly?
Demonstrate pinching the scarf in the middle to create “wings” on both sides. This one was fun because they got to toss their scarf up and catch it. Getting the tune right was tricky for me, so I had to practice a few times pre-storytime.
Scarf Song: A Butterfly is Landing on my Nose
(tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
A butterfly is landing on my nose
On my head, and on my toes
Now the butterfly is landing on my knee
She’ll fly away when I count to three:
1… 2… 3…! (toss scarf)
Source: The Loudest Librarian

a butterfly is landing on my nose thumbnail, with a phot of a dog with a butterfly on its snout. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Next, let’s use our scarves to wiggle, munch, and flutter!
The original song had a “big fat” caterpillar in the second verse. In addition to the syllables being awkward to sing, why fat-shame our poor caterpillar?!
Ukulele/Scarf Song: There’s a Tiny Caterpillar on a Leaf
(tune of If you’re happy & you know it)
There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf: wiggle, wiggle
There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf: wiggle, wiggle
There’s a tiny caterpillar, there’s a tiny caterpillar
There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf: wiggle, wiggle

additional verses:
There’s a big caterpillar on a leaf: munch, munch
There’s a pretty butterfly on a leaf: flutter, flutter
Source: Storytime with Miss Jennifer

there's a tiny caterpillar on a leaf thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling green caterpillar on a leaf. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Download a ukulele songsheet for If You’re Happy And You Know It here!

thumbnail for happy and you know it ukulele songsheet

Another one I skipped for time!
Scarf Song: Flutter, Flutter Butterfly
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Flutter, flutter, butterfly
Floating in the summer sky
Floating by for all to see
Floating by so merrily
Flutter, flutter, butterfly
Floating in the summer sky
Source: Storytime with Miss Jennifer

flutter butterfly thumbnail, with a graphic of a pink cartoon butterfly. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: Coffee Filter Butterfly
We used dot markers to decorate. I’ve also done washable markers and sprayed with water to make a watercolor or tie dye effect, but this time just markers! Clip it with a wooden clothespin and add a little bit of pipe cleaner for antenna, and you are set!

coffee filter butterfly craft, showing a white coffee filter pinched in the middle to create two wings. It's decorated with blue yellow, and purple dots, and secured with a wooden clothespin.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Ten Little Caterpillars – Bill Martin, Jr. & Lois Ehlert
Hello, Little One – Zeena Pliska & Fiona Halliday
Winged Wonders – Meeg Pincus & Yas Imamura
The Digger and the Butterfly – Joseph Kuefler
Señorita Mariposa – Ben Gundersheimer & Marcos Almada Rivero
Binkle’s Time to Fly – Sharmila Collins & Carolina Rabei
Goodnight, Butterfly – Ross Burach
Waiting for Wings – Lois Ehlert
Bianca and the Butterfly – Sergio Ruzzier
Papilio – Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, & Andy Chou Musser
Becoming Charley – Kelly DiPucchio & Loveis Wise

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/10/25.

Storytime Handout:

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

Storytime: Clouds

Posted on April 11, 2025April 10, 2025 by msemilylibrary

I’m dreaming of warm sunny days with soft puffy clouds drifting, although this spring has brought much more dark rainclouds and overcast skies. Clouds are like that, though! Clouds are a theme you can take in a few directions, obviously weather, but also shapes, or even imagination! There are a few newer titles on clouds, as well as classics like It Looked Like Spilt Milk, so I was able to find plenty of books for display and take-home.

Our craft this session, making cloud dough, was quite messy, but every so often I do like to tackle a messy craft. After all, I am on the clock so I’m getting paid to clean up!

book cover for ploof, showing a white cloud with big eyes and a small smile on a light blue sky

book cover for little cloud, showing a white scribbled cloud with abstract eyes, nose, and smile.

Early Literacy Tip: Playing with playdough, kneading bread dough, or squishing a soft ball are not only fun activities with a unique sensory component, they also help strengthen the hand muscles. These muscles will be important when your child is learning to write later on!

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

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

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

Intro: Last week we talked about springtime, and how much the weather changes in the spring. Today we’re talking about clouds, which play very important role in our weather. They can also be beautiful to look at, and come in all different shapes and sizes!

Can we pretend to be clouds? What does your cloud look like?
Song: I’m a Little Cloud (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little cloud up in the sky
You can find me way up high
Sometimes I’m puffy,
Sometimes stretched out
I just love to float about
Source: Jen in the Library

I'm a little cloud thumbnail, with a graphic of a white cloud with a smiling face and pink cheeks. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

A fantastic interactive read that touches not only on clouds, but also feelings and shapes. I see there’s a new one in the series, too, Paint with Ploof, which would be awesome if you’re doing the CSLP theme Color Our World this summer. So good I did it for all four of my sessions!
Read: Ploof by Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser (TT) (TB) (FT)

This was a backup title for me but I didn’t end up using it.
Read: Little Cloud by Eric Carle

If you were a cloud way up high in the sky, what might you see?
I was inspired by Abby the Librarian, but used either felt pieces that I already had or ones that we have a die cut for to make creating the felt easy and quick. I wanted to end with the sun, as a transition to the next rhyme.
Flannel Chant: Fluffy Cloud, What Do You See? (TT) (TB) (FT)
Fluffy cloud, fluffy cloud,
What do you see?
I see an orange butterfly looking at me!

What else might a cloud see? Try making up your own!
…green kite …white airplane …red rocket …yellow sun
Source: adapted from Abby the Librarian

flannel of fluffy cloud what do you see, with three white clouds, an orange and black butterfly, a green kite, white airplane, red rocket ship, and yellow sun.

Fluffy cloud what do you see thumbnail, with a graphic of a light blue cloud with a smiling face next to a monarch orange butterfly. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I imagine that the sun and the clouds are good friends.
Action Rhyme: Big Round Sun (TT) (TB) (FT)
Big round sun in the summer sky (circle arms overhead)
Waved to a cloud that was passing by (wave)
The little cloud laughed as it started to rain (wiggle fingers down)
Then out came the big round sun again (circle overhead)
Source: Mel’s Desk

big round sun thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling yellow and orange sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I ended up not using this one, but I reimagined my “Find the Moon” hide and seek game for the sun. There were just too many fun things to fit them all in!
Here come some clouds, it’s getting overcast! The sun is playing peekaboo
Flannel Rhyme Game: Find the Sun
Yellow sun, yellow sun,
Come out to play!
Which cloud are you hiding behind today?
Source: original

find the sun flannel, showing four big cloud shapes - blue, purple, mint green, and peach colored, with a yellow sun peeking from behind the blue one.

find the sun thumbnail, with a graphic of four clouds - teal, purple, pink, and mint green, and a sun with a face peeking from the blue one. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

And again, just not enough time for everything. I have done this one in the past and it’s fun to do, with the whooshing at the end! I would have used the large colored clouds shown in the “Find the Sun” rhyme above.
Counting/Flannel Fingerplay: Five Little Clouds
Five little clouds up in the sky (five fingers up)
Drifting, floating, way up high (drift hand)
When a big gust of wind came blowing through – Whoosh! (blow on hand)
One disappeared from the sky so blue (lower a finger, count down)
Source: Jen in the Library

five little clouds thumbnail, with a graphic of five different white cloud shapes outlined in black. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get our scarves out. The weather is turning windy!
I do this two or three times, hiding my scarf in different places. They especially like it when I put it under my shirt or up a sleeve!
Scarf Song: One Bright Scarf (TT) (TB) (FT)
One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow
Toss it up high, and wave it down low
Wiggle it fast, and wiggle it slow (hide the scarf)
Hey! Where did it go? (bring out) Here it is!
Source: Jbrary

one bright scarf thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow scarf. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We did this rhyme last week with our parachute. Let’s try it with our scarves this week!
Scarf Song: Rain Is Falling Down (TT) (TB) (FT)
Rain is falling down, SPLASH!
Rain is falling down, SPLASH!
Pitter patter pitter patter,
Rain is falling down, SPLASH!

Sun is peeking out, PEEK!
Sun is peeking out, PEEK!
Peeking here, peeking there,
Sun is peeking out, PEEK!
Source: Jbrary

rain is falling down thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling cartoon raincloud with a sun peeking from behind it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Oh, no! The weather is turning stormy! Can you make your scarf big?
Scarf Song: Big Dark Clouds (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of A Ram Sam Sam)
Some big dark clouds, Some big dark clouds (hold hands apart)
Raindrops falling from (wiggle fingers down)
Some big dark clouds (x2)

A thunderclap – BOOM! (clap) A thunderclap – BOOM! (clap)
Raindrops falling from some big dark clouds (x2)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

big dark clouds thumbnail, with a graphic of a dark gray stormcloud with a lightning bolt and raindrops. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The rain is going away, and now it’s time for the sun to come out again. Can your scarves be little puffy clouds floating in a beautiful sunshiny sky?
Scarf Song: Mr. Sun (TT) (TB) (FT)
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
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!

Mr. Sun thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Cloud Dough (TB) (FT)
Some days we go big on the craft. Cloud dough is fun but very messy! I did my best to control it, but it was inevitable. I meant to take pictures of the setup and the aftermath, but didn’t even get any pictures of my finished product! The recipe came from Southern Plate, and it’s basically 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part hair conditioner. I bought six 12 oz boxes of cornstarch and three large (28 oz) bottles of Suave conditioner and that lasted me through 50+ portions. I pre-measured 1/4 cup of cornstarch in big bowls we had in storage (they’re Halloween candy bowls!) so they had lots of space to mix. Then I pre-measured 2 Tbsp conditioner into small disposable bowls and gave everyone a plastic spoon. I did mention to grownups that if they were doing this at home, I would encourage them doing the measuring with their kid as it’s a great way to get some math and spatial skill practice in, but with the big group I didn’t want big scoops of cornstarch or conditioner going everywhere. Everyone got a small snack sized plastic bag to take their cloud dough home. Clean up was a lot, but, hey – I’m getting paid to clean up the mess!

photo of a hand gripping cloud dough, a white fluffy play-dough-like material. — Photo from Southern Plate blog

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
It Looked Like Spilt Milk – Charles G. Shaw
Partly Cloudy – Deborah Freedman
Cloudette – Tom Lichtenheld
Cloudy – Alice K Flanagan
When Cloud Became a Cloud – Rob Hodgson
Clouds – Marion Dane Bauer & John Wallace
Weather Together – Jessie Sima
The Little Cloud – Pam Fong
Cloudland – John Burningham
Moongame – Frank Asch
The Little Cloud – Pam Fong
Paint with Ploof – Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/24, 3/25, 3/26, & 3/27/25.

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

Storytime: Penguins

Posted on January 31, 2025January 30, 2025 by msemilylibrary

Penguins are just undeniably cute! I had done a penguin theme much earlier in my career, before starting this blog, so I’m glad to finally document this one. We had so much fun with this program, and it’s the first time in a long time that the plan seemed to go really, really, well for every single session. Each activity flowed well into the next and everyone seemed to keep focused and interested the whole way through. That’s rare – usually I do some tweaking from one session to the next, or realize that this song or that rhyme didn’t work well. This one was a pleasure start to finish for three days straight.

Well done mommy penguin book cover (illustration of adult and baby penguin hugging)

hello penguin book cover (photograph of penguin on beach)

Early Literacy Tip: Factual books, or nonfiction books, are a great way to expand children’s knowledge about the world. You can read the whole book or choose certain pages your child might be interested in. One great way to share these books with young children is to look at the pictures or photographs and read the captions.

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

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

Intro: Today we’re talking about an animal that lives where it is cold outside – Penguins! Penguins mainly live in Antarctica, but there are some that also live in Africa and South America. Penguins are birds, but they can’t fly in the air. Instead, they “fly” in the water – they swim! They have short legs and waddle around on land. Let’s find out more.
I had one kiddo insist when I said they live in Antarctica that no, they live in the South Pole. I was so impressed! We talked briefly about how that land may have different names, but that he was right.

Here I showed 3-4 pages from this very short nonfiction title and talked about the photographs.
Book: Hello, Penguin! by Kathryn Williams

Can we get two penguins out on our fingers?
Fingerplay: Two Little Penguins (TT) (TB) (FT)
(style of Two Blackbirds)
Two little penguins sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill
Waddle away Jack, waddle away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill

Two little penguins sitting on the ice
One bows once, the other bows twice
Waddle little penguins, waddle away
Come back, penguins – time to play!
Source: Storytime Katie

two little penguins thumbnail, with a graphic of two emperor penguins facing each other. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

This book hit all the high marks – it had noises, a repeated phrase, humor, drama, and a happy ending!
Read: Well Done, Mommy Penguin by Chris Haughton (TT) (TB) (FT)

Our penguins are playing with their friends in the water. Can they jump on the shore like Mommy Penguin?
My flannelboard has a black background, which works well most of the time. But occasionally I need a different color! I made a dark blue background (basically just a felt piece the size of board) that can go on top of the black when needed. That was a great color for the “sea,” and I added an ice shelf. My five penguins started in the ocean, then hopped up to the ice on the “pop.” This goes a little beyond counting up or counting down, since there are a number of penguins still swimming and a number that have hopped up and we can talk about both numbers.
Flannel/Counting Song: Five Penguins Swimming (TT) (TB) (FT)
Five little penguins swimming in the water
Swimming in the water, Swimming in the water
Five little penguins Swimming in the water
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble …POP!
(count down)
Source: adapted from All the Fish from Caspar Babypants

five penguins flannel, showing a two layer ice bank of light blue behind white felt. Three felt penguins are on the ice bank, and two are "swimming" beside it.

Five little penguins thumbnail, with a graphic of five identical cartoon penguins, each with a number 1-5 on its belly. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I think it’s time for penguin puppets! Can you come up and pick a puppet?
The kids love to have something to move around, and simple cardstock and craft stick puppets are an easy and cheap way to give them an extra somatic element.

Three paper penguin puppets - a white oval is attached to a craft stick, and a black die-cut penguin is glued to the white oval.

Can you hold up your penguin? Oh, we just landed on Antarctica – I see penguins all over!
Puppet Action Rhyme: Penguins Everywhere (TT) (TB) (FT)
The penguins are here, the penguins are there
the penguins, the penguins are everywhere!
The penguins are up, the penguins are down
The penguins, the penguins are all around!
The penguins are in, the penguins are out
the penguins, the penguins are all about!
The penguins go low, the penguins go high
The penguins, the penguins all wave goodbye!
Source: One Little Librarian (link no longer working)

penguins everywhere thumbnail, with a graphic of six small penguins, each dressed in winter accessories (hats/scarves) and doing winter play such as sledding, making snow angels, etc. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Reinforcing the facts learned in our nonfiction title as well as in our story:
What do penguins eat? Fish! Let’s do the penguin cheer!
At the “splash” our penguin puppets dove down to catch a fish. We did this three or four times!
Puppet Chant: Penguin Cheer (TT) (TB) (FT)
I like fishies, Yes, I do!
When I want fishies, Here’s what I do:
One, two three… SPLASH !
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Penguin cheer thumbnail, with a graphic of one penguin diving and a second standing with a fish in its mouth. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I debated doing this one on ukulele or just singing and ended up just singing. That way I could model moving the puppet around.
Let’s let our penguins play.
Puppet Song: The Penguin Song (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of My Bonnie)
The penguin slides over the ice bank
The penguin jumps into the sea
Look at her black and white feathers
That penguin’s as cute as can be
Swim fast, swim fast,
Oh, swim fast my penguin to me, to me!
Swim fast, swim fast
Oh, swim fast my penguin to me!
Source: Johnson County (KS) Library (link no longer working)

Download a ukulele songsheet for The Penguin Song

thumbnail for penguin song ukulele songsheet

penguin song thumbnail, with a graphic of a wavy ocean at the bottom of the page, with a penguin seeming to jump out of the waves. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

At this point I let everyone know that we were going to do a next-level exercise. We would be *trading in* our penguin puppet for a shaky egg. Everyone did a really good job of putting the puppet away in one bin and picking out an egg in the other.
Remember penguins are birds. And how are baby birds born? From eggs!
Shaker Rhyme: Eggs Up (TT) (TB) (FT)
Egg shakers up
Egg shakers down
Egg shakers dancing all around the town
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees
And tuck them into bed (tuck shaker under your arm)
Source: adapted from the traditional Tommy Thumbs

egg shakers up thumbnail, with a graphic of four egg shapes: red, blue, green, and yellow. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This one was good because I was sure to end with shaker on your feet (I think I did knee, elbow, tummy, then feet). Then we talked about how daddy penguins take care of the eggs before they hatch and keep them on their feet so they stay warm. We tried walking around with shaker on feet like a daddy penguin, to varying degrees of success, but high hilarity!
Shaker Song: Can You Shake? (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of London Bridge)
Can you shake along with me,
Along with me, along with me?
Can you shake along with me?
Put your shaker on your… knee!
(repeat with different body parts)
Source: Jbrary

Oh, did you hear that? Our penguin eggs are ready to hatch! Let’s listen carefully!
After hatching our eggs a few times, we returned our shaky eggs back to the “nest” bowl and moved on to Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.
Shaker Rhyme: Egg So Quiet (TT) (TB) (FT)
Egg so quiet (keep shaker egg still)
Egg so still
Will it hatch?
Yes, it will! (shake vigorously!)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

egg so quiet thumbnail, with a graphic of a large white egg with a crack across the middle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Heart Penguins (TB) (FT)
I found a sample of this penguin in my predecessor’s files, and it was an easy one to recreate. The two main parts were made by folding and cutting like you do a heart (though the black body was not heart shaped but more bullet-like. The white face and belly was the widest heart shape I could make on a half-sheet of white construction paper (so I would fold into fourths and then cut the shape and get two in one sheet). We have a paper die that’s for a heart border, which has four heart shapes strung together, with a smaller heart cut out of the middle. Cutting these into individual hearts made the feet, and the inner heart made the beak. My predecessor also was uncomfortable with googly eyes for kids under 2, so she printed out pairs of eyes on label paper. I have a lot left, so the eyes are just these stickers. They turned out very cute and were minimal work for me to prep.

penguin heart craft - a black penguin body with an elongated white heart shape for the face and belly. Sticker eyes and a small orange heart beak make the face and two larger orange hearts make the feet.

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Waiting for Mama – Gianna Marino
Flora and the Penguin – Molly Idle
What’s in the Egg, Little Pip – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
Baby Penguins Love Their Mama! – Melissa Guion
If You Were a Penguin – Florence Minor & Wendell Minor
A Penguin Story – Antoinette Portis
The King Penguin – Vanessa Roeder
Vampenguin – Lucy Ruth Cummins
Harriet Gets Carried Away – Jessie Sima
Grumpy Pants – Claire Messer

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/13, 1/14, & 1/15/25.

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

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

Storytime: Eggs

Posted on April 20, 2024April 19, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Eggs are so intriguing! What’s inside? Who lays eggs? We explored eggs and the animals that lay them this week in storytime. (You could also do some breakfast-y type things, but I didn’t go that route.)

This was also a theme that lent itself very well to flannels. I made two new flannels and reused an old one for this theme!

Early Literacy Tip: Children are so curious about the world around them. Take advantage of this curiosity to help them develop background knowledge. When we talk with our children about things that interest them and when we share books to broaden their knowledge, all this learning they have about the world, big ideas and little facts, will help them later understand what they 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. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

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

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* I’ve actually stopped doing this one in general, but keep it in my flip display of rhyme and song lyrics so I can use it as a backup at any time.

This is Big Big Big thumbnail, with a graphic of an anthropomorphic ruler. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: (point out eggs on the flannelboard) Oh, my, what are these? Eggs! A lot of animals are born from eggs. I wonder what is inside these eggs?

This is an old standby – I use it a lot!
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, And what do I see?
Ten fluffy chicks as yellow as can be
Source: Mel’s Desk

Flannel from Sunflower Storytime, now defunct. You can download it here.

ten fluffy chicks thumbnail, with a graphic of two clutches of five eggs with a brown hen on top. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Tickle: Chicken in the Barnyard (TT) (TB) (FT)
Chicken in the barnyard (circle baby’s hand or tummy)
Staying out of trouble
Along comes a turkey (move fingers up arm or chest)
Gobble, gobble, gobble! (tickle under arm or chin)
Source: Jen in the Library

chicken in the barnyard thumbnail, with a graphic of a small yellow chick running away from a turkey. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Read: Whose Chick Are You? by Nancy Tafuri (TT)
This one was nice and simple, but I wished there were turtle eggs or something that was non-avian.

Read: Egg by Kevin Henkes (TB) (FT)
The surprise factor was fun! I also appreciated how there were opportunities to talk about emotions. The last (twist) page didn’t quite hit home for my group, but overall the book worked.

Do you know a famous rhyme about a big egg who sits on a wall?
A bit of a mash-up: I did the full body movement I found on the intellidance video, while giving the option to rock in a lap as well. I didn’t do the “and crack” she does at the end, but launched straight to “Humpty Dumpty fell in a puddle…” My flannel is double sided, so a quick flip shows Humpty cracked.
Action Rhyme: Rock on the Wall (TT) (TB) (FT)
Rock and rock and rock on the wall (rock side to side)
Rock and rock and hope we don’t fall…
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall (bounce up and down)
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall! (tilt back or thru legs)
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men (bounce or rock fast!)
Couldn’t put Humpty together again
Humpty Dumpty fell in a puddle
Humpty Dumpty needed a cuddle (give baby a big hug)
Source: Felt-tastic Flannelboard Funtime & Intellidance (see it here as a lap rhyme, and here as a full body action rhyme)

flannel of rock on the wall, with a piece of dark red felt with brown bricks. Two eggs are superimposed, one sitting at the top of the wall with a smile and a big red bowtie, the second on its side at the bottom of the wall frowning, with cracks and tie askew.

rock on the wall thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon humpty dumpty sitting on the wall and another at the bottom, cracked. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I worked HARD on this flannel, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. To get the heathered look on the duck and duckling, I started with a heathered gray felt and painted it with watercolors. It worked, though it took a long time to dry! I also painted the duck egg a light blue/teal. I wanted all three eggs to look different, and the ducks to be a little more realistic.
Wow, here are some more eggs! They look different, don’t they?
Flannel Story: Three Eggs in a Basket (TT) (TB) (FT)
There were three eggs in a basket.
The first egg started to rock. Tap, tap, CRACK! Out came a little chick.
The second egg started to rock. Tap, tap, CRACK! A duckling popped out.
The third egg began to rock back and forth. Tap, tap, CRACK! Out popped a little turtle! (Did you know turtles came from eggs?)
Along came a mother hen. “Where is my baby?” she asked. Which one is her baby?
Along came a mamma duck. “Where is my baby?” she asked. Which one is her baby?
Along came a mamma turtle. “Where is my baby?” she asked. Which one is her baby?
All of the mothers have found all of their babies! Yay!
Source: Librarian Is on the Loose

flannel for three eggs in a basket, showing a simple brown basket with three eggs - a brown one with a yellow chick showing on top, a larger blue egg with a duckling, and a round white egg with a turtle. ARound the basket are a large brown/gray duck, brown hen, and green turtle.

Turtles aren’t the only reptiles that hatch from eggs. Did you know dinosaurs also hatched from eggs?
Action Rhyme: Inside Her Eggshell (TT) (TB) (FT)
Inside her egg shell, white and round
Baby dinosaur is safe and sound
But she wants to come out into the light
So she pushes and shoves with all her might
Her shell soon cracks and creaks and pops
One big jump and out she pops!
Source: Yogibrarian

inside her eggshell thumbnail, with a graphic of a dinosaur sitting in a cracked egg. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Activity: Dino Eggs (TT) (TB) (FT)
Can you find any eggs around our room? See if you can find an egg and bring it to your grownup. Then we’ll see what’s inside!
I “hid” plastic eggs with felt dinosaurs made from our die cutter around the room. There aren’t many places to hide things, so this was mostly on top of the chairs that remain at the tables, and a couple in the windowsills. The kids loved finding eggs and bringing them up to the mini-flannelboard (we use with outreach) that was low enough for them to reach (mine is up higher). After the scrum of kids retreated, we counted how many dinos they found.
Source: Falling Flannelboards

Now let’s come up and pick out an egg shaker!

Couldn’t do an egg program without some egg shaking!
Shaker Rhyme: Egg Shakers Up (TT) (TB) (FT)
Egg shakers up, egg shakers down
Egg shakers dancing all around the town
Dance them on your shoulders, Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees, And tuck them into bed!
Source: Jbrary

egg shakers up thumbnail, with a graphic of four different colored egg shapes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This one actually didn’t work that well. The kids were confused about rolling the egg on the floor, even though I was demoing. I nixed it for the third group.
Shaker Rhyme: Little Egg (TT) (TB)
Once there was a little egg that jumped down to the floor
It started rolling all around then rolled right out the door
Little egg, roll, roll, roll, Roll all around
Little egg roll, roll, roll, All across the ground
Source: Jen in the Library

little egg thumbnail, with a graphic of a grassy hill with a gray egg rolling down it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This was a backup and came in handy when I didn’t do the Little Egg rhyme.
Shaker Song: Shake Your Shaker (FT)
(tune of Grand Old Duke of York)
You shake your shaker high
You shake your shaker low
You shake your shaker fast, fast, fast
And then you shake it slow
Source: Harris County (TX) Public Library

shake your shaker thumbnail, with a graphic of three different colored egg shapes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We ended with a recorded song.
Recorded Song: I Know a Chicken (TT) (TB) (FT)
Source: The Laurie Berkner Band, from the album Whaddaya Think Of That?

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

Craft: Egg Babies (TB) (FT)
Inspiration for this craft came from Krokotak, but I wanted the option to choose what egg baby was inside your egg. I used Canva to find outline images of animals that hatch from eggs, and sized them and an egg shape to fit. There were enough egg babies for each child to choose several, and they could switch them out in their egg or glue one down.

Download the egg template here. Download egg babies here.

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

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

Tickle the stars thumbnail, with a graphic of blue and pink stars. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
An Egg Is Quiet – Dianna Aston & Sylvia Long
Guess What Is Growing Inside this Egg – Mia Posada
Egg – Amy Sky Koster & Lisel Jane Ashlock
Hatch! – Roxie Munro
Where Are the Eggs? – Grace Lin
Tillie Lays an Egg – Terry Golson & Ben Fink
First the Egg – Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Hello, I’m Here! – Helen Frost & Rick Leider
Duck, Duck, Dinosaur – Kallie George & Oriol Vidal
Mother Bruce – Ryan T. Higgins

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/25, 3/26, & 3/27/24.

Storytime Handout:

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

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