storytime – Storytime with Ms. Emily Library

Storytime: Construction Zone

Posted on May 3, 2024May 2, 2024 by msemilylibrary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

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

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

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Skyscraper – Jorey Hurley
Go! Go! Go! Stop! – Charise Mericle Harper
Hooray for Trucks! – Susan Hughes & Suharu Ogawa
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building – Christy Hale
Little Excavator – Anna Dewdney
Someone Builds the Dream – Lisa Wheeler & Loren Long
The Digger and the Duckling – Joseph Kuefler
Crane Jane! – Andrea Zimmerman & Dan Yaccarino
I’m Dirty! – Kate & Jim McMullan
Bulldozer’s Big Day – Candace Fleming & Eric Rohmann
Who Made this Cake? – Chihiro Nakagawa & Junji Koyose

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

Storytime Handout:

handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics.

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

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

Storytime: Dance with Me

Posted on April 27, 2024April 26, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Dancing is such a broad topic, you could really do a series on dance! This theme really seemed to work especially well for each of my sessions. I think having a lot of gross motor opportunities plus music appealed to them. Plus, we got out our wrist ribbons for the first time. Everyone loved waving theirs around.

Early Literacy Tip: By integrating movement and literacy, children use more of their senses to retain information. Movement stimulates the brain and memory.

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

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

Intro: I love to dance! How about you? It’s so fun to listen to music and move your body. Before we do some moving and grooving, let’s loosen up with some stretching.

Stretch: We stretched down and touched our toes, stretched high up, out to the sides, made a big star shape with our arms and legs out, then lastly crossed the midline by touching opposite hands to opposite feet. (Next level stretching!) I added another quick development tip here about how crossing the midline develops some key brain functions!

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* I just mentioned in the last blog post that I rarely do this rhyme anymore, but I actually made it a part of this week’s plan. It was a good next step after stretching.

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

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

Read: Everybunny Dance! by Ellie Sandall (TT) (TB) (FT)
This was extremely interactive and fun. The kids followed along as I did the motions and sound effects. We talked about how fox was feeling and how it’s always nice to clap at the end of a performance.

Read: Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig & Marc Brown
I do love this title and its companion book, Farmyard Beat, but Everybunny Dance was so good I used it for all three sessions.

Can we count some ballet dancers on our fingers?
I didn’t end up using this one, purposely for the first session, and then realizing that adding it to the agenda for the other sessions would make everything run too long. The graphics for this flannel I got many many years ago, and am not sure of the source.
Counting Rhyme: Five Ballet Dancers
Five ballet dancers, prancing on their toes
They twirl and spin and jump
then off the stage one goes (count down)
No ballet dancers are left – what do we do now? We applaud!
Source: Jen in the Library

printed and laminated flannelboard showing five animals dancing. A pig in a dress, a mouse in shorts, a lavender cat doing splits, a bunny executing a jeté leap, and a frog in shorts waving his arms.

five ballet dancers thumbnail, with a graphic of the animals from the flannelboard. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Our fingers can do their own dancing!
Fingerplay: Dance Your Fingers (TT) (TB) (FT)
Dance your fingers up,
Dance your fingers down
Dance your fingers side to side,
Dance them all around
Dance them on your shoulders,
Dance them on you head
Dance them on your tummy,
and put them all to bed (tuck under arms)
Source: Storytime Katie

dance your fingers thumbnail, with a graphic of hands with diverse skin tones walking and waving. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now we need to warm up our feet.
Action Rhyme: Walking, Walking (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques) (each line 2x)
Walking, walking
Hop, hop, hop
Running, running, running
Now we stop! (ASL sign for stop)

Tiptoe, tiptoe
Hop, hop, hop
Dancing, dancing, dancing
Now we stop!
Source: adapted from Jbrary

walking, walking thumbnail, with a graphic of four animals dancing, rabbit, cat, dog, and bear. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Pass out wrist ribbons. I believe we got these from Lakeshore Learning – they are nice and silky and just the right length for kiddos.

rainbow colored wrist ribbons drying on a table. The wristbands sit on the table while the ribbons drape over.

Here are my ribbons drying after the program. PS – I wash my scarves, ribbons, and any other fabric with Soak. I’ll put them in the sink, fill with cold water, add a small squeeze of Soak Unscented, and let them sit for about 15 minutes. No need to rinse, I just squeeze out the water and let them air dry. It’s wonderful, baby safe and really works. I don’t think these ribbons had ever been washed before, and the first sinkful of cloudy water showed it. By the third day, the water was clear and the ribbons were looking brighter.

Who is this? A sheep! A sheep who likes to dance…
Puppet Song: Dancing Sheep (TT) (TB) (FT)
Shh! It’s time to go to sleep
But into my bedroom one sheep creeps
“Don’t go to bed,” the one sheep said
“I would rather dance instead!”

Soon he was…

Dancing on the ceiling!
Dancing on the floor!
Dancing on the window!
Dancing on the door!

He kept on… (repeat the chorus, speeding up)

“Stop that dancing, silly sheep
It is time to go to sleep!”
Soon the sheep lay on the floor
Soon the sheep began to snore
Then I started… (repeat chorus until tired)
Source: Jen in the Library, video at Deschutes Public Library

dancing sheep thumbnail, with a graphic of a dancing sheep on the top, bottom, and both sides of the sheet. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Well, that was silly! I think the thing for us to do now is… a silly dance contest!
I rely pretty heavily on my flip chart of song lyrics to remind me what to do next, so even though there are too many words to print for this song, I still made a sheet for it.
Recorded Song: Silly Dance Contest (TT) (TB) (FT)
Source: Jim Gill, from the album Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes

silly dance contest thumbnail, with a graphic of various animals dancing: bear, frog, alligator, elephant, snake, cat, rabbit, dog, sheep, fox, and turtle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Breathing Break: 5 Finger Breathing (TT) (TB) (FT)
Whew! I need a breathing break. Will you breathe with me? We’ll take a big breath in while we trace up our finger, and let it out as we trace down.

How about a nice slow song? A waltz! A waltz is a dance of threes. It goes, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 (demo a box step). A waltz is also a partner dance! If you have someone you’d like to dance with, now’s the time!
Many of our grownups picked up their little ones to dance, which was exactly what I hoped would happen!
Ukulele Song: Baby Bear Waltz (TT) (TB) (FT)
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

It’s time to shake the sillies out!
Recorded Song: Shake My Sillies Out (TT) (TB) (FT)
Source: Raffi, from the album In Concert with the Rise and Shine Band

shake my sillies out thumbnail, with a graphic of two children dancing. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I let them keep their wrist ribbons for this one, and collected them after.
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Ribbon Sticks (TB) (FT)
Now they get to make their own ribbons for dancing! I cut lengths of crepe paper streamers to about 2.5 feet, then cut them down the length to get them a bit thinner and get more material out of what I had. (You can stack 6-8 streamers and cut them together easily.) I used jumbo craft sticks and had grownups staple the streamers to the sticks. (Did you know staplers go through craft sticks?!) They were very excited to make their own ribbons and everyone wanted to show them to me as soon as they were done! (My example one was a little sad – I took the reject streamers that were too short or a little crumpled.)

a ribbon stick with four multi colored streamers attached to a craft stick.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Firebird – Misty Copeland & Christopher Myers
Hilda Must Be Dancing – Karma Wilson & Suzanne Watts
John’s Turn – Mac Barnett & Kate Berube
I Got the Rhythm – Connie Schofield-Morrison & Frank Morrison
Boys Dance – John Robert Allman & Luciano Lozano
Amy Wu & the Ribbon Dance – Kat Zhang & Charlene Chua
Duck Sock Hop – Jane Kohuth & Jane Porter
How Do You Dance? – Thyra Heder
Téo’s Tutu – Maryann Jacob Macias & Alea Marley
Bea at Ballet – Rachel Isadora

This storytime was presented in-person on 4/15, 4/16, & 4/17/24.

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

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)**

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.

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)

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

Storytime: Rain

Posted on April 12, 2024April 9, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Rain is a great storytime theme for any time of year, but it feels especially apt in the springtime. I’ve done general weather programming in the past (pre-blogging days!), but there’s enough material to focus on rain, and some excellent books to highlight.

Early Literacy Tip: The Itsy Bitsy Spider is more than just a fun song. It describes the natural world. In simple words, we learn that after rain makes everything wet, the sun will shine and dry out the wet areas. What an enjoyable way to learn about what happens after it rains! Often our songs and rhymes describe how the world works.

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

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

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

Intro: This week we are enjoying some rainy weather (if not in reality, in our storytime!) We often get a lot of rain this time of year, and sometimes that means we stay inside. Sometimes we might play outside. But either way, rain is important for our world – can you think of what needs water? (Everything needs water!)

Let’s sing what’s maybe the most famous song about rain!
After singing this in a regular way, we invited Itsy Bitsy’s cousins, Very Quiet Spider (very small hand motions and whispers) and Great Big Spider (whole hand spider and booming voice) to the party.
Action Song: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again
Source: traditional

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

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

Read: Let’s Go Puddling! by Emma Perry & Claire Alexander (TT) (TB) (FT)
This worked so well I went ahead and used it for all three sessions. It’s a sweet book with the possibility of engaging the crowd with motions and a few sound effects. There are a couple of spots where the text finishes a sentence on the next page spread, so definitely do a little practice run before reading live. A bonus for us, this is one of the five titles on the ballot this year for our state’s Early Literacy Firefly Award. They always release a program guide which has lots of great ideas, and you can see the archived guides going back to 2018.

Read: Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre
A backup title in case Puddling didn’t come in on time. As with all of Sayre’s books, it integrates very simple rhyming text with gorgeous nature photography.

Can we make the sound of a rainstorm?
Activity: Make a Rainstorm (TT) (TB) (FT)
Though this works best with a very large group (like a whole auditorium), it was not bad in our smaller groups of 25-40. The adults were able to switch a little faster than the kids, so there was a good amount of overlap from one motion to the next, which is actually good!
Here’s what we did:
Two fingers making circles on opposite palm
Rubbing hands together
Snaps
Light claps
Hard claps
Jump up and say “Kaboom!” for thunder a couple times during hard claps
Light claps
Snaps
Rubbing hands
Two fingers
Hands up – what a beautiful rain we made!

Fingerplay: During the Spring (TT) (TB) (FT)
During the spring, it often showers (flutter fingers down)
Or… the sun shines for many hours (form circle with arms)
Both are very good for the flowers! (cup hands, extend arms)
Source: Storytime Katie

during the spring thumbnail, with a graphic of a sun and rain cloud above three flowers. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Look at all this rain! Let’s pull on our rain boots and stomp some puddles.
Action Song: Stomping in the Rain (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Farmer in the Dell)
We’re stomping in the rain,
We’re stomping in the rain
We can’t go yet, we must get wet
We’re stomping in the rain
(repeat: clapping, jumping, turning, tiptoeing, etc)
Source: Adventures of a Bookworm

stomping in the rain thumbnail, with a graphic of four children jumping in a puddle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

It’s time to get in the car and go. But how will we see out the windshield?
Action Rhyme: Windshield Wiper (TT) (TB) (FT)
I’m a windshield wiper,
This is how I go
Back and forth, back and forth,
In the rain and snow
Source: Adventures of a Bookworm

Windshield wiper thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of windshield wipers and the pattern they leave on the glass. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to get out our scarves! Can we make the sound of the rain with our scarves?
Scarf Song: Rain Is Falling Down (TT) (TB) (FT)
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

Scarf Rhyme: Falling Raindrops (TT) (TB) (FT)
Raindrops, raindrops, Falling all around (wave scarf in a circle)
Pitter-patter on the roof (wave high)
Pitter-patter on the ground (wave low)
Here is my umbrella (open scarf and put above head)
It will keep me dry
When I go walking in the rain (march)
I hold it up so high (reach high)
Source: Bayviews.org

falling raindrops thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow duckling walking with a green umbrella in the rain. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Scarf Song: Under My Umbrella (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie)
Come under my umbrella, umbrella, umbrella
Come under my umbrella, It’s starting to rain
With thunder and lightning
And lightning and thunder
Come under my umbrella, It’s starting to rain
Source: traditional

Under my umbrella thumbnail, with a graphic of a cloud with raindrops and a multicolored umbrella. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s do some more stomping!
Recorded song: Boots (TT) (TB) (FT)
B-O-O-T-S Boots! B-O-O-T-S – black boots
In my black boots, In my black boots
I stomp around in my black boots
In my boots (stomp, stomp)
In my boots (stomp, stomp)
I stomp around in my boots!
Source: The Laurie Berkner Band, from the album Victor Vito

Boots thumbnail, with a graphic of four pairs of boots: yellow and blue polka dotted, green frogs, red, and black. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Raindrop Stamping (TB) (FT)
Inspiration for this craft came from Adventures of a Bookworm! I had white clouds pre-cut and provided light blue paper for them to glue them on. Then, they used toilet paper tube stamps pinched on one side to make a raindrop shape to dip into darker blue paint.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Rainy Days – Deborah Kerbel & Miki Sato
Welcome, Rain! – Sheryl McFarlane & Christine Wei
Raindrop, Plop! – Wendy Cheyette Lewison & Pam Paparone
Soaked – Abi Cushman
Singing in the Rain – Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown, & Tim Hopgood
The Blue Umbrella – Emily Ann Davison & Momoko Abe
When the Storm Comes – Linda Ashman & Taeeun Yoo
Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car – John Burningham
Puddle – Hyewon Yum

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/18, 3/19, & 3/20/24.

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

Storytime: Color Wheel – Green

Posted on April 5, 2024April 4, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Welcome back to me catching up on programs from a few weeks ago! Here is our LAST in the Color Wheel series, and possibly the easiest one to plan: Green. This has been a great series, and it largely allowed for broad options in choosing rhymes, songs, and books (except purple!) Green is no exception, and I had, in fact, done “green” storytimes in the past as a March theme. I did a few new-to-me activities as well as a couple old favorites. I was even inspired to make up a new rhyme!

In planning these color-based themes, I brainstorm objects/animals/plants that are generally the color in question and songs and rhymes that work with those things. Here’s my list for green!

Frogs
Turtles
Peas
Plants/Trees
Broccoli/other veg
Alligator/Crocodile
Kiwi
Caterpillar
Snake
Grass
Avocado
Lime

Early Development Tip: Take advantage of the many opportunities during the day to give words to feelings—your child’s feelings and your own. This can be done when the child is playing, making transitions from one activity to another, or while looking at the facial expressions of characters as you read books together. Your child is not only learning vocabulary, but also learning how to identify different feelings which helps with self-regulation.

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

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

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

Intro: Look at these beautiful colors on this color wheel! Today’s color is green! Green is made when we mix yellow and blue together. Can you think of anything that is green? Write answers on whiteboard in green pen. Is anyone wearing green today?

I made this color wheel, using the “chart” feature in Canva, since I wanted an unusual seven-wedge pie, including pink, which I couldn’t find already made.

A round color wheel showing the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink, with a highlighted white outline wedge around blue, which can spin on a push pin in the middle.

I did this rhyme at the beginning of all of the color sessions. Just in case someone doesn’t wear a particular color, I gave out small colored dot stickers (that my library already had) to each kid as they arrive.
Action Rhyme: The Color I See (TT) (TB) (FT)
Green, green is the color I see
If you’re wearing green, then show it to me
Stand up, take a bow, turn around
Show me your green and sit back on the ground
Source: Librarian vs. Storytime

The Color I see thumbnail, with a graphic of a clothes rack with various colored clothing. The place where the color name is repeated is shown as a blank within the text. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Read: What Does Little Crocodile Say? by Eva Montanari (TT) (FT)
This was an absolute hit. I asked the group to help me tell the story by helping me make the noises. Everyone participated! The little ones enjoyed that, and the grown-ups also had fun with the story – lots of “awwws” on the last reveal.

What does little crocodile say book cover

Read: Turtle Walk by Matt Phelan (TB)
Although this is a lovely book, with simple and repetitive words, it was just a little too conceptual for my group. I tried pointing out that the seasons were changing, and everyone liked the cute pictures of the turtles playing in the snow, but I’m not sure they really got that concept of the time passing.

The order of activities depended on which book we read – we followed it with the rhyme matching, then did the other.

This was very fun. I did it as shown in the KCPL video first, with just hand motions, then got out my crocodile puppet, which they loved! I offered to let them pet the croc after, and a few were very excited and few hung back.
Action Rhyme: The Hungry Crocodile (TT) (TB) (FT)
Here comes the hungry crocodile
With his sly, toothy smile
Going chomp chomp chomp
In the swamp swamp swamp
So swim fast, fish
Birds, fly away
Move along, turtles and crabs
Hurry on your way
For here comes the hungry crocodile
With his sly, toothy smile
Going chomp chomp chomp
In the swamp swamp swamp
Source: King County (WA) Library System

the hungry crocodile thumbnail, with a graphic of a green cartoon croc. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s a rhyme about a hungry turtle.
Fingerplay: There Was a Little Turtle (TT) (TB) (FT)
There was a little turtle (make fist)
who lived in a box (cover fist with arm)
he swam in the puddles (fist wiggles like swimming)
he climbed on the rocks (fist climbs up opposite arm)
He snapped at a mosquito, (pinch with thumb and fingers at each “snap”)
he snapped at a flea
He snapped at a minnow,
he snapped at me!
He caught that mosquito, (clap each “caught”)
He caught that flea
He caught that minnow
But he didn’t catch me! (waggle finger)
Source: Jbrary

there was a little turtle thumbnail, with a graphic of a green turtle with a brown and green shell. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

And don’t forget about the green frog!
Fingerplay: Mr. Bullfrog (TT)
Here is Mr. Bullfrog (make fist)
Sitting on a rock (place fist on other palm)
He jumps into the water… (lift fist, building anticipation)
KERPLOP! (clap hands together)
Source: Storytime with Miss Tara and Friends

Mr. Bullfrog thumbnail, with a graphic of a realistic looking clipart bullfrog on a rock. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Rhyme: Funny, Funny, Froggy (TB) (FT)
Funny, funny froggy, Hop, hop hop!
Funny, funny froggy, Stop, stop, stop!
Funny, funny froggy, Jump with me
Funny, funny froggy, Now go free!
Source: adapted from Books and Bibliotheks

Funny funny froggy thumbnail, with a graphic of a silly cartoon frog with its tongue sticking out. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We passed out scarves. I’ve done this rhyme several times without in the past, but it lends itself very well to scarf play!
Now let’s think about some green plants. Can we pretend to be trees?
Scarf Rhyme: Be a Seed (TT) (TB) (FT)
Be a seed, small and round (crouch, with scarf scrunched)
Sprout, sprout, sprout up from the ground (stand up)
Shake your leaves for all to see (shake arms and scarf)
Stretch your arms up, you’re a tree! (stretch tall)
Source: Jbrary

Be a seed thumbnail, with a graphic of an acorn and a tree. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Again, I don’t think this was originally meant to be used with scarves, but it works well. For bees buzzing, we shook our scarves.
What makes trees green? Their leaves! Demo: We’re going to have a big leaf, little ladybug, and then the bees are going to come buzzing around. Can you buzz like a bee?
Scarf Song: A Big Green Leaf (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Ram Sam Sam)
A big green leaf, a big green leaf (hold scarf apart)
Little ladybug (pinch fingers/scarf close)
On a big green leaf (x2)

A bumblebee- BZZ! (tickle or wave scarf around)
A bumblebee- BZZ!
And a little ladybug On a big green leaf (x2)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

a big green leaf thumbnail, with a graphic of a green leaf with a small ladybug crawling on it, and a black and yellow bumblebee flying opposite. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We waved the scarves rhythmically until we we came to the body part, then put the scarves there. I moved from place to place where food might go – head, chest, lap, then feet.
There are also a lot of green plants that are good to eat, and good for your body. This is a silly song about green zucchini!
Scarf Song: Green Zucchini (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Alouette)
Green zucchini, I like green zucchini
Green zucchini, That’s what I like best
Do you like it on your head?
Yes, I like it on my head!
On your head? On my head! Ooooooh!
Source: Jbrary

green zucchini thumbnail, with a graphic of two zucchini, one whole and one partially sliced into medallions. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We’d done the lemonade chant a couple weeks ago for the “Yellow” theme, and looking at my “list of green things” and saying broccoli out loud, it just fit. Our scarves were just accessories for this. I held mine loosely between fingers while clapping.
And one more rhyme about good green things to eat! We pretended to be a big tree earlier. Have you ever eaten a tree? Or something that LOOKS like a tree – broccoli!
Chant: Broccoli (TB)
Broccoli (clap, clap, clap!)
Peas and beans (clap, clap, clap!)
All these greens (clap, clap, clap!)
Taste good to me! (clap, clap, clap!)
Broccoli, peas and beans
All these greens taste good to me
Turn around, Jump up and down
Sit down to lunch and Go to town! Nom, nom!
Source: original, adapted from the traditional “Lemonade” clapping game

broccoli thumbnail, with a graphic of a dinner plate featuring broccoli, peas, and green beans. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Green Finger Paint Art (TB) (FT)
Everyone got a blob of blue and a blob of yellow paint to mix up, then paint whatever they liked! You can see a bit of blue toward the back of the croc that didn’t get blended.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Where Is the Green Sheep? – Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
Our Green City – Tanya Lloyd Kyi & Colleen Larmour
A New Green Day – Antoinette Portis
Is This Your Class Pet? – Troy Cummings
Eco Girl – Ken Wilson-Max
The Swamp Where Gator Hides – Marianne Berkes & Roberta Baird
A Good Place – Lucy Cousins
Green on Green – Dianne White & Felicita Sala
In the Tall, Tall Grass – Denise Fleming

This storytime was presented in-person on 3/4, 3/5, & 3/6/24.

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

Storytime: Sun, Moon, Eclipse!

Posted on March 29, 2024April 1, 2024 by msemilylibrary

I don’t generally post my storytime plans until after they have occured, but I thought this one might be helpful to anyone else doing an eclipse program for the April 8, 2024 event.

We are in the path of totality, so my library is holding a lot of programming for all ages and making a big event of the day. I’ll be holding these Sun, Moon, Eclipse sessions the week before to get our little ones excited for the upcoming event.

I had done Moon storytimes before, so I figured I could adapt that and add some sun activities. I’m not usually good at coming up with original material, but I did think up a rhyme and a song to directly discuss the eclipse – “Eclipse-a-Boo” and “These Are My [Eclipse] Glasses.” You can see my renditions of these on my virtual program, Storytime Shorts (available to view April 1, 2024 at 9:00 am EDT). I also got a lot of inspiration from Lady Librarian Life, who did an eclipse themed storytime in 2017, when the last eclipse was visible from the US.

Early Development Tip: Hearing rhymes and patterns in sounds helps to trigger speech. Scientific evidence shows that early exposure to nursery rhymes and songs with strong sound patterns significantly enhances a child’s ability to hear the smaller sounds that words are made up of, which in turn helps develop early reading skills. When you engage your child with rhymes and songs, you help your child build a strong foundation for learning to read.

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

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. 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* (FT)

Intro: Our theme today is a special one – we’re preparing for an amazing and rare astronomical event, a total solar eclipse. This will happen one week from today, April 8, and we are in the right place to see it in its totality. This means that the moon will get in between the earth and the sun, casting its shadow and blocking our view of the sun for just a few minutes. Today we’re celebrating the main players – the sun and the moon.

So how do the sun and moon usually work? Who’s out in the daytime/at night?
Fingerplay: Sun and Moon (TT) (TB) (FT)
(One hand is the moon as a crescent and the other is the sun – spread five fingers for sun’s rays)
Moon comes out, Sun goes in
Here is a blanket to cuddle your chin (tickle chin)
Moon goes in, and Sun comes out
Throw off the blankets and bustle about! (fling arms wide and wiggle)
Source: Sunflower Storytime (no longer published)

Sun & Moon thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling sun and moon. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Apparently this is adapted from a Romper Room tune, which is before my time. To get the tune, I found the link to a video of it being performed by Dany Rosevear of Singing Games for Children. She’s a great resource for songs and guitar/ukulele chords.
Let’s stretch up to the sky.
Stretch: Sky Stretch (TT) (TB) (FT)
Bend and stretch, reach for the moon!
Sway back and forth to our little tune
Bend and stretch, reach for the sun!
Sit down slowly now, our song is done
Source: Lady Librarian Life

Sky Stretch thumbnail, with a graphic of a sun and moon with multicolored hands reaching up. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Read: Our Friend Moon by Lea Redmond (TT) (FT)
It would be great to be able to read Eclipse, but I don’t think it will come in on time for me. I’m 3rd on the holds list right now and there’s only one week to go! Instead, I plan to read Our Friend Moon for the Monday and Wednesday groups, a lovely little board book that I helped Kickstart!

Read: A Day in the Sun by Diana Ejaita (TB)
A newer title with lovely illustrations, showing daytime activities around the world.

Have you ever seen the moon during the daytime?
Rhyme: Ms. Moon (TT) (TB) (FT)
Ms. Moon, Ms. Moon
You’re up too soon!
The sun is still in the sky
Go back to your bed,
And cover up your head,
And wait till the day goes by
In the morning
the sun wakes up,
And marches all the day
At noon he stands straight overhead
And at night? He goes away
Source: Lady Librarian Life

Ms. Moon thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling full moon surrounded by stars. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Flannel: Eclipse (TT) (TB) (FT)
This isn’t a rhyme or song, but I just made a simple sun and a black circle to represent the moon to try to show what the eclipse would look like. I pulled out a moon flannel from my “Five Coyotes” set, too. The plan is to just explain what happens and show the moon eclipsing the sun.

Flannelboard pieces of a realistic white moon with light gray craters, a bright yellow sun with short rays, and a black circle that would cover the sun but show the rays. The black circle is 80% covering the sun in this picture.

I was trying to think of a simple way to incorporate the eclipse into a rhyme, and the image just struck me of the sun and moon playing, and the rhyme practically wrote itself (except that last line, which, I realize, is a little awkward…)
During an eclipse, the sun and moon seem like they’re playing peek-a-boo!
Action Rhyme: Eclipse-A-Boo (TT) (TB) (FT)
The sun is playing peek-a-boo
Oh, look, the moon is playing, too
Peek a boo, goodbye, sun
Hide and seek is so much fun!
Peek a boo, hello, moon
I didn’t expect to see you so soon
Peek a boo, sun returns
Much fun with sun and moon in turns
Source: original

Eclipse-a-Boo thumbnail, with a graphic of a sun with a surprised face peeking out from behind a big smiling sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Another one that just came in a flash of inspiration. I was thinking about eclipse glasses, and Laurie Berkner’s song popped into my head. It took a little wrangling to make it work, but I am very pleased with the end rhymes of both verses!
It’s very important to protect our eyes while we’re watching the eclipse. There are special glasses we’ll wear to keep our eyes safe from the brightness of the sun.
Song: These Are My [Eclipse] Glasses (TT) (TB) (FT)
These are my glasses,
There is the sun
I put on my glasses before I look above
And I look, look, look
and I see, see, see
I take off my glasses
When we reach totality! …Oooh! Aaah!…

These are my glasses,
There goes the moon
I put on my glasses as the moon moves on
And I look look look
Until down the moon slips
I take off my glasses – What a cool eclipse!
Source: original, to tune of Laurie Berkner’s These Are My Glasses

These are my eclipse glasses thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a boy and a girl wearing dark eclipse glasses. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

At this point I’m thinking I’ll get out shaky eggs for the group to accompany us as we sing.
Here’s a song I love to sing about the sun. Another librarian wrote some lyrics to celebrate the last eclipse, so listen carefully!
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

Additional verses:
Ms. Moon, Moon, Ms. Silver Moon please shine down on me…

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please come out real soon
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Hiding behind the moon…
Source: Raffi, with vs 2-3 by Lady Librarian Life

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

I’ll probably put my ukulele down for this one to do the hand motions.
This song mentions the daytime and nighttime, but I love that it says you’re loved always
Song: Skinnamarink (TT) (TB) (FT)
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo
I love you!
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo
I love you!
I love you in the morning,
and in the afternoon
I love you in the evening,
Underneath the moon
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo
I… Love… you!
Boo-boopee-doo!
Source: traditional, see Jbrary doing motions

Skinnamarink thumbnail, with a graphic of small red hearts surrounding the words. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We only ever do the chorus in storytime, but the verses of this song really made me dislike it. It’s very controlling/unhealthy relationship! In my songsheet, I found some alternative lyrics from the children’s musician Bill Crosby (not Bill Cosby) that I like. BUT, for this storytime, I plan to just do the chorus a couple times.
Help me by shaking your shakers!
Ukulele Song: You Are My Sunshine (TT) (TB) (FT)
You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray
You’ll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away
Source: traditional

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for You Are My Sunshine here!

thumbnail of You Are My Sunshine ukulele songsheet.

You Are My Sunshine 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: Chalk Eclipse (TB) (FT)
It’s a simple craft, and not original, but it still makes a beautiful presentation. Use some black or dark construction paper, white or yellow chalk, and some thin cardboard or cardstock. Cut out a circle with the cardstock – I used a die cut, but you can also trace around a bowl to make a nice circle. Hold down the circle on your construction paper, or tack it down with a little bit of tape. Then draw a thick line around the circle with your chalk, and use your finger to smudge the chalk outward. Always start from the circle outward, then pick up your finger to do it again (don’t go back and forth). Then remove the cardstock circle and you have this cool image of an eclipse!

Picture of the chalk eclipse craft, showing the corona of the sun behind a black moon.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Hello, Moon – Evan Turk
Kitten’s First Full Moon – Kevin Henkes
Moonlight – Helen V Griffith & Laura Dronzek
Moonday – Adam Rex
The Moon Remembers – EB Goodale
A Day in the Sun – Diana Ejaita
Sun Flower Lion – Kevin Henkes
May There Always Be Sunshine – Jim Gill & Susie Signorino-Richards
Sunny Days – Deborah Kerbel & Miki Sato
Stella Keeps the Sun Up – Clothilde Ewing & Lynn Gaines

This storytime will be presented in-person on 4/1, 4/2, & 4/3/24.

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

Storytime: Color Wheel – Purple

Posted on March 22, 2024April 19, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Wow, I didn’t expect purple to be such a difficult color to program for! There should be more books about grapes, plums, and violets. But I was glad that I found a flannelboard set of the Gigantic Turnip in our storage, and the PB & J song is such a standard. I got creative on the rest, with the help of some other color storytime blogs.

In planning these color-based themes, I brainstorm objects/animals/plants that are generally the color in question and songs and rhymes that work with those things. Yes, it was shorter this time. Here’s the list:

Grapes
Eggplant
Blackberry (ish)
Cabbage
Onion
Violets
Plums
Lavender/Lilac flowers
Grape Jelly
Turnips

Amazingly, there aren’t songs about purple cabbage and red onions. 🤔

Early Development Tip: Purple is a beautiful color, and there are so many different words to describe the color purple. Learning synonyms (like lilac, lavender, orchid, violet, fuschia, eggplant, plum) helps young children expand their vocabulary. Research shows that who know more find it easier learn 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. This week it was thighs & heads.

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

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

Intro: Look at these beautiful colors on this color wheel! Today’s color is purple! Can you think of anything that is purple? Write answers on whiteboard in purple pen. Is anyone wearing purple today?

I made this color wheel, using the “chart” feature in Canva, since I wanted an unusual seven-wedge pie, including pink, which I couldn’t find already made.

I plan to do this rhyme at the beginning of all of the color sessions. Just in case someone doesn’t wear a particular color, I gave out small colored dot stickers (that my library already had) to each kid as they arrive.
Action Rhyme: The Color I See (TT) (TB) (FT)
Purple, purple is the color I see
If you’re wearing purple, then show it to me
Stand up, take a bow, turn around
Show me your purple and sit back on the ground
Source: Librarian vs. Storytime

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

Today’s story is a very old one. There are a lot of books that retell it, but today I’m going to tell it to you using our flannelboard to illustrate.
Tell: The Giant Turnip (TT) (TB) (FT)
I pulled the bones of the story from this one on the Arts on the Move site, but modified it a bit to suit my own taste. (The woman was the gardener and the man had a fantastic turnip soup recipe) The flannel was donated to my library with a bunch of others. It was made on very thin white material (milk filters?) and colored. In the picture they had finally pulled the turnip and they’d all fallen down!

picture of flannel story of the giant turnip, with a brown lump of a hill, purple turnip with green stem, a man, woman, and girl dressed in traditional Russian attire, and a dog, cat, and mouse.

This was a good transition; we started by pulling our turnips, and ended with sniffing purple flowers to flow to the next activity.
Let’s put our pretend hats on and see what purple things we can pretend.
Action Activity: Purple Pretending (TT) (TB) (FT)
(act out different purple activities. Here are some we tried)
Pull a purple turnip
Eat a purple popsicle
Climb a purple mountain
Act like a purple monster
Color with a purple crayon
Spread purple jam on bread
Fly like a purple bird
Chew purple bubble gum
Sip purple grape juice
Smell purple flowers
Source: The Lion Is a Bookworm

purple pretending thumbnail, with a graphic of two thought bubbles in purple. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Several of my purple ideas were flowers, so I expanded a bit on that theme and changed a generic flower rhyme to this. I wanted realistic renditions of these very different flowers, so opted for photographs. We talked a little about how the different purple flowers were different – darker, lighter, more pinky purple, etc.
Several lovely flowers are purple. In fact, we get the names for some of my favorite purple shades come from flowers. Violet, Lavender, Lilac, Orchid.
Counting Rhyme: Four Purple Flowers (TT) (TB) (FT)
Four pretty purple flowers in the meadow grew
“Hmmm,” I said, “I bet they smell pretty, too!”
I bent down to sniff but they tickled my nose
Ah-CHOO! Oh, no!
Away one flower blows!
(count down)
Source: adapted from Jen in the Library

Flannel of printed and laminated photographs of violets, lilacs, lavender, and orchids.

four purple flowers thumbnail, with a graphic of lavender, violets, lilacs, and orchids. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I felt like I needed another grape song, so adapted the itsy bitsy spider.
Does anyone like grapes? There are green grapes, but there are also PURPLE grapes! I like to eat grapes, but so does this caterpillar.
Song: Up the Grapevine (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
The itsy bitsy caterpillar climbed up the twisty vine
She reached for purple grapes and then began to dine
The plump grape burst and all the juices ran down
So the itsy bitsy caterpillar slid down to the ground – Whee!
Source: original, adapted from the traditional

Up the grapevine thumbnail, with a graphic of a grapevine with a green caterpillar beginning to climb the base of the vine. Purple grape clusters hang down. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Purple grapes make a delicious grape jelly. And you can use THAT to make… a PB&J!
Lots of ways to do this song, here’s mine.
Song: Peanut Butter and Jelly (TT) (TB) (FT)
Peanut, peanut butter… and jelly! (clap and pat)
Peanut, peanut butter… and jelly!
Verses:
First you take the peanuts & you crush ‘em, you crush ‘em (x2 each verse) (crush fist into opposite hand)
Then you take some grapes & you squish ‘em, you squish ‘em (stomp feet)
Then you take the bread and you spread it, you spread it (swipe hand across opposite hand)
Then you take the sandwich and you eat it, you eat it (hands to mouth)
(last chorus sung as if your mouth is full!)
Source: traditional

peanut butter and jelly thumbnail, with a graphic of peanuts, grapes, a knife with peanut butter on it, one piece of bread spread with jelly and another with peanut butter, and a sandwich cut diagonally with one bite taken out of it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

And here’s where I ran out of purple ideas… So we got out our shakey eggs!
That PBJ gave me so much energy! Let’s shake some of our energy out with some shaker egg songs.
Shaker Song: Shake Your Shaker (TT) (TB) (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 blue, purple, and yellow eggs. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Shaker Song: Shake it to the East (TT) (TB) (FT)
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 thumbnail, with a graphic of four kids. Three have maracas and are shaking, and the fourth is sitting reading a book. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Perhaps this is a grape milkshake? Or even a PBJ flavored one?
(OMG, a PBJ flavored milkshake sounds awesome!)
Shaker Song: The Milkshake Song (TT) (TB) (FT)
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! (x2)
Source: Old Town School of Folk Music, from the album Songs for Wiggleworms

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

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

Craft: Purple Process Art (TB) (FT)
I provided tissue paper squares in various shades of purple, glue sticks, purple crayons, and some purple stickers (smiley faces and stars, not pictured) from the sticker bin for them to create whatever they would like.

craft showing a flower and bunch of grapes made with tissue squares and crayons.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
The Turnip – Pierr Morgan
Peanut Butter & Jelly – Nadine Bernard Westcott
Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson
The World Needs More Purple People – Kristen Bell, Benjamin Hart, & Daniel Wiseman
Purple is Best – Dana Meachen Rau & Mike Cressy
Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes – Margie Palatini & Barry Moser
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse – Kevin Henkes
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story – Patrick McDonnell
Monster Boogie – Laurie Berkner & Ben Clanton
Creepy Crayon – Aaron Reynolds & Peter Brown
The Purple Puffy Coat – Maribeth Boelts & Daniel Duncan

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/19, 2/20, & 2/21/24.

Storytime Handout:

handout thumbnail, including suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics.

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

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

Book Babies Storytime (October and beyond)

Posted on March 15, 2024March 15, 2024 by msemilylibrary

I started doing a separate infant program (0-12 months or pre-walking) in January 2023. By October, I noticed that the individual families in my group were completely different from the ones that started in January – those had moved on to my toddler sessions. So, I started recycling my previous plans, though I did switch a couple of things out, wanting to try new activities occasionally.

So for this post, I’ll show my general outline, and list just the new rhymes/songs since October. Going forward, I won’t list individual program plans, but maybe an update post with new stuff every few months. You can always go back and see the previous full plans here.

I’d love to hear your feedback and any rhymes/songs/activities that you do for this age group that you think work particularly well! As always, please leave a comment – I’m always happy to see what you think.

The books featured in the photos below are just some of the board books made available for individual reading.

See all the Book Babies plans here.

The general plan goes like this:

Hello/Welcome song
- I use a puppet as well as singing each child’s name in the song
Animal Hello
- Use several animal puppets, with animal noises incorporated in the song
Body Song
Fingerplay
- If too complex for babies (i.e., anything more involved than Pat-A-Cake), encourage grownups to do the motions as a kind of “puppet show” for babies.
Bounce
Lift
- Occasionally there’s a song that incorporates bounces and lifts, of course. Any combination will do, or one longer song with multiple verses may be substituted for both
Lullaby
- I always play this on ukulele
Reading time
- Currently doing individual reading for 2-3 minutes, but have read board books to the group before
Tickle/On Your Back
- Often good for post-diaper change, usually uses leg motions
Props or Dancing
- Include 3-4 songs and rhymes that go with the month’s prop
Lifting Song – Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
- Consistent at each program
Goodbye Rhyme

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

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

New since October

Body Song

Body Song: Eyes, Nose, Cheeky, Cheeky, Chin
Eyes, nose, cheeky, cheeky, chin
Eyes, nose, cheeky, cheeky, chin
Eyes, nose, cheeky, cheeky, chin
Cheeky, cheeky, chin, nose, eyes!
Source: Jbrary

Eyes nose cheeky chin thumbnail, with a graphic of children pointing to each body part with a speech bubble of the word above them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Fingerplay

Fingerplay: Popcorn, Popcorn
Popcorn, popcorn
Put it in the pan, (swish hands back & forth)
Shake it up! Shake it up! (shake hands)
(pause)
BAM! BAM! BAM! (clap hands)
Source: Westerville (OH) Public Library

popcorn, popcorn thumbnail, with a graphic of a bucket of popcorn with a smiling face. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Bounce/Lift

Bounce/Lift: Bug Bounce
1, 2, 3, Baby’s on my knee
Fuzzy, buzzy bumblebee… Tickles me!
1, 2, 3, Baby’s on my knee
Grasshopper hops… Up he pops!
1, 2, 3, Baby’s on my knee
Ants march down and… All around! (tickle)
1, 2, 3, Baby’s on my knee
Ladybug flies… (lift) Says goodbye! (wave hands)
Source: I found this one in my predecessor’s files!

bug bounce thumbnail, with a graphic of a bee, grasshopper, ant, and ladybug. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lullabies

This was a very special one for me. I remember my dad singing this to me. I modified the second verse to secularize it, but also learned that there are quite a few more verses than I knew about. It was originally written in the 1920s and as all folk songs, there are lots of lyric variations.
Ukulele Lullaby: Down in the Valley
Down in the valley, The valley so low
Hang your head over, Hear the wind blow
Hear the wind blow, dear, Hear the wind blow
Hang your head over, Hear the wind blow

Roses love sunshine, Violets love dew
The winds in the trees, dear, Know I love you
Know I love you, dear, Know I love you
The winds in the trees, dear, Know I love you
Source: traditional
See Andy Griffith playing and singing it from the Andy Griffith Show.

Download a ukulele songsheet for Down in the Valley

Ukulele songsheet Thumbnail for Down in the Valley

down in the valley thumbnail, with a graphic of a blowing cloud, a rose, and a violet. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lullaby: Sleep, Sleep, My Baby
Sleep, sleep, my baby
Sleep, sleep, my love
Fall asleep my little dove
Dream of the ocean, dream of the stars
Rest your head in my strong arms

Sleep, sleep, my baby
Sleep, sleep, my love
Fall asleep my little dove
Dream of the whales, dream of the fish
Don’t forget to make a special wish

Sleep, sleep, my baby
Sleep, sleep, my love
Fall asleep my little dove
Dream of the mountains, dream of the sea
You will always, always, be with me
Source: Jbrary

Download a ukulele songsheet for Sleep, Sleep, My Baby

Ukulele songsheet Thumbnail for Sleep, Sleep My Baby

sleep my baby thumbnail, without graphics. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Tickle/On Your Back

Tickle: Round the Garden
Round and round the garden (draw circle on belly)
Goes the teddy bear
One step, two step (walk fingers up torso)
Tickle baby bear! (tickle under arms or chin)
Ten little piggies (walk fingers down legs)
On two tiny feet (grasp feet)
Wiggle once (wiggle one foot)
Wiggle twice (wiggle other foot)
Good enough to eat! (legs together and nibble toes!)
Nom, nom, nom, nom!
Source: Intellidance

Round the garden thumbnail, with no graphics. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Leg Rhyme: Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin went to France (legs dance side to side)
To teach the babies how to dance!
First he did the rumba, the rumba, the rumba (legs together, circular motion)
Then he did the kicks, the kicks, the kicks (kick out)
Then he did the samba, the samba, the samba (legs crisscross rapidly)
Then he did the splits, the splits, the splits! (legs apart)
Source: Vancouver Public Library

charlie chaplin thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon rendition of chaplin in his signature suit, hat, and mustache. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Props

Action/Parachute Song: Autumn Leaves
(tune of London Bridge)
Autumn leaves are Falling down,
Falling down, falling down
Autumn leaves are Falling down
All around the town

The wind will blow them round and round…
Round and round, round and round
The wind will blow them round and round
All around the town
Source: King County (WA) Library System

autumn thumbnail, with a graphic of orange leaves swirling in a wind. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Scarf Song: Let’s Go Riding in an Elevator
Let’s go riding on an elevator, elevator, elevator
Let’s go riding on an elevator – Ride along with me!
First floor, Second floor, Third floor, Fourth floor, Fifth floor…
And down-down-down-down-down!
Source: Jbrary

Let's go riding in an elevator thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of an elevator door, showing a button to the right and a potted plant to the left. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Scarf Rhyme: Jack in the Box
Jack in the box (scrunch scarf up in one 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 jack in the box with a colorful jester head popped out of it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We’d done another version of peek-a-boo, but this one is simpler.
Scarf Rhyme: Peek A Boo
Peek a boo!
Where are you?
Hiding in your place!
Peek a boo!
I see you!
With your smiling face!
Source: traditional

peek a boo thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon cat holding a pink plaid transparent scarf in front of its face. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Dancing (instead of props)

Dancing Song: In and Out the Window
(swing baby to the center of the circle)
Go in and out the window, Go in and out the window,
Go in and out the window, As we have done before

Stand up and face your partner… (swing baby close to another)
Source: Jbrary

In and out the window thumbnail, with a graphic of two toddlers peering out of opposite windows at each other. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

the elevator song thumbnail, with a graphic of an elevator repeated three times, with a fourth rendition showing the doors open and a child peeking out at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Storytime: Color Wheel – Pink

Posted on March 9, 2024March 9, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Okay, so I know that pink isn’t officially on the color wheel (and according to Pink Is Not a Color by Lindsay Ward isn’t even a color but just a “tint”), but I had plenty of ideas for pink and I was able to schedule it during the week of Valentine’s Day, so it got added to our color wheel!

In planning these color-based themes, I brainstorm objects/animals/plants that are generally the color in question and songs and rhymes that work with those things. Here’s this week’s list:

Pigs
Flamingos
Strawberry ice cream
Watermelon
Axolotl
Blobfish
Shrimp
Radish
Flowers
Hearts
Bubblegum
Worms
Ballet costumes/tutus

This was an odd week for me – I ended up getting a cold and stayed home on Monday and Tuesday, and thankfully my colleagues covered for me. So I only presented the program once on Wednesday. I realize that presenting three times really does help me get a good feel for what works best and how to adjust a bit here and there. Doing just one didn’t really do that for me, so it would be interesting to see how different groups react to some of the activities. I know a few things my colleagues weren’t familiar with just got skipped, which is fine! It all worked out in the end.

Early Development Tip: The song Sticky Bubblegum incorporates cross-lateral movement (crossing the midline of the body, which promotes brain/body development and gross motor skills), body part identification, pretend/imaginative play, vocabulary, and listening and doing.

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

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

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

Intro: Look at these beautiful colors on this color wheel! Today’s color is pink! Can you think of anything that is pink? Write answers on whiteboard in red pen. Is anyone wearing pink today?

I made this color wheel, using the “chart” feature in Canva, since I wanted an unusual seven-wedge pie, including pink, which I couldn’t find already made.

I plan to do this rhyme at the beginning of all of the color sessions. Just in case someone doesn’t wear a particular color, I gave out small colored dot stickers (that my library already had) to each kid as they arrive.
Action Rhyme: The Color I See (TT) (TB) (FT)
Pink, pink is the color I see
If you’re wearing pink, then show it to me
Stand up, take a bow, turn around
Show me your pink and sit back on the ground
Source: Librarian vs. Storytime

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

I believe that both of my colleagues chose this book to read. My Wednesday group was a little young, so I chose it, too. It’s silly and very short, with very bold graphics, so a great storytime choice.
Read: The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli (TT) (TB) (FT)

I’d planned to read this one to my slightly older group on Tuesday. It’s a bit longer, but has lots of animals in it, plus a seek and find feature. But because I was out sick, it didn’t get a reading.
Read: Pinky Got Out! by Michael Portis & Lori Richmond

Can you pretend you have a great big watermelon in your arms?
Action Song: Watermelon (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Watermelon, Watermelon,
On the vine, On the vine,
Sweet and pink and yummy, Sweet and pink and yummy,
Please be mine! Please be mine!

Watermelon, Watermelon,
Thump, thump, thump, Thump, thump, thump,
I think you are ready, I think you are ready
Big and plump! Big and plump!
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Watermelon thumbnail, with a graphic of a whole watermelon and a slice of watermelon. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s do a silly fingerplay about a small pink animal who lives in the soil and likes to wiggle around. What is it? An earthworm! But oh, no, these worms have lost their wiggle!
Fingerplay: The Worm Wiggle (TT) (TB) (FT)
Here are some worms who are, oh, so sad (limp fingers)
They’ve lost all the wiggles that they once had
They wonder if you, just for today
Would lend them your wiggles so they can play?
Wiggle them up and wiggle them down
Wiggle the worms around and around
Wiggle them high and wiggle them low
Wiggle them fast and wiggle them slow
Wiggle them over your shoes and your socks
Then wiggle them back into their box (fold into other hand)
Source: Storytime with Miss Tara

the worm wiggle thumbnail, with a graphic of five worms wiggling in various ways. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I really wanted a flamingo rhyme, but couldn’t find one other than “If You’re a Flamingo and You Know It.” So I wrote this one to be a little shorter but still action based. (It might work a little better if we had read the flamingo book and knew some facts about flamingos)
I can think of two other animals that are pink. Can you think of one with wings?
Action Rhyme: Pink Flamingo (TT) (TB) (FT)
I’m a pink flamingo, flapping to the coast (flap arms)
I stand on one leg, straight as a post (stand on one leg)
I wade in the water and search for a bite (hand nibbles downward)
These pink shrimp taste just right (rub tummy)
When the day is over and the sun gets low
I tuck my head under my wing and sleep just so
(cover head with arm, AND stand on one leg if you can!)
Source: original

Pink flamingo thumbnail, with a graphic of three flamingos, one flying, one bending down while standing on one leg, and one with their head tucked backward in sleep (also on one leg). click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Maybe you’ve done this nursery rhyme on your toes before, but let’s try it on our fingers.
Fingerplay Rhyme: This Little Piggy (TT) (TB) (FT)
(wiggle each toe or finger on one side, starting with the thumb)
This little piggy went to market
This little piggy stayed home
This little piggy had roast beef
And this little piggy had none
And this little piggy cried “wee wee wee” all the way home (tickle!)

(now try on the other hand or foot, starting with the pinky)
This little piggy had a rub-a-dub-dub
And this little piggy had a scrub-a-dub-dub
This little pig-a-wig ran upstairs
And this little pig-a-wig cried out ‘BEARS!’
Down came the jar with a big slam bam (clap or pat foot)
And this little piggy had all the jam
Source: traditional, second verse found with King County (WA) Library System

This little piggy thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon pig and a spilled jar of purple jam. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I would have done this one with the Tuesday group, but my colleague decided to nix it for This Little Piggy. I have used this in the past, but I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about it before! I got the flannel printout pieces from the now-defunct Sunflower Storytime. Since they don’t have it online anymore, I feel okay posting it here for you. (If you are the Sunflower original and want me to desist, please just let me know!) The flannel is fun because it’s reversable – the pigs flip and the dirty side shows!
The other animal I am thinking of is pink – lives on a farm, likes to take mud baths, says OINK!
Counting Song: Five Pigs So Squeaky Clean
(tune of Five Green and Speckled Frogs)
Five pigs so squeaky clean,
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play, Oink! Oink! (clap, clap)
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a great big thud
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs (count down)
Source: Sunflower Storytime (no longer online)

Download Sunflower Storytime’s flannelboard template here.

flannelboard pieces for Five Pigs So Squeaky Clean - five printed and laminated ovals containing a cartoon pig in each. The first two have brown splotches on them, the last three are clean pink. The dirty pigs face right and the clean pigs face left.

five pigs so squeaky clean thumbnail, with a graphic of five pigs: three clean and two dirty. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Not sure if this got done on Monday, but it was crossed off my Tuesday sheet!
Song: Sticky Bubble Gum (TT) (FT)
(Spoken intro)
Did you bring your bubble gum?
What about pretend bubble gum?
Can you find some pretend bubble gum in your pocket? Reach in and get it out.
Unwrap it, and stick the wrapper back in your pocket – we don’t want to litter!
Is your gum pink like mine is?
Let’s pop it in and start chewing
Is it soft and squishy? Is it yummy?
Let’s blow an imaginary bubble – show me with your hands as you blow it
Bigger, bigger – oh, no it popped!
There’s sticky bubble gum everywhere. Pull it off your forehead, nose, chin…
Now squish it all together in a big sticky ball of bubble gum.
And SMASH IT!
Oh, no, it’s so sticky that my hands are stuck together.
The only way I know to get them unstuck is to sing the sticky bubblegum song.
(Singing)
Sticky sticky sticky sticky bubble gum
Bubble gum, Bubble gum
Sticky sticky sticky sticky bubble gum
Sticking your hands to your knees! and UN-STICK!
Source: Carole Peterson (see her perform this, including the guided intro, at https://vimeo.com/95412823)

Sticky bubblegum thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of lips blowing a pink bubble. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What color is a hug? Hugs aren’t really a color, but when people think of love, a lot of times they think of pink! Pink can be a love color.
Action Rhyme: Up and Down (TT) (TB) (FT)
Put your arms up, Put your arms down
Put them in the middle, Move them all around
One arm to the left, One arm to the right
Give yourself a hug, And hold on tight!
Source: Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Library (storytime page no longer functional)

up and down thumbnail, with a graphic of a boy and a girl giving themselves a hug. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I like making up Down By the Bay rhymes! Here are the ones I came up with that have to do with the pink things we talked about today.
Silly Song: Down By the Bay (PINK Edition!) (TT) (TB) (FT)
Down by the bay,
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home, I dare not go
For if I do, my mother will say:
“Did you ever see a pig wearing a fancy wig,
Down by the bay?”

Additional verses:
…flamingo doing the limbo…
…worm watering his fern…
…slug giving another slug a hug…
…have a time you couldn’t make a rhyme…
Source: adapted from the traditional

Download a ukulele songsheet for Down By the Bay!

Thumbnail of "Down By the Bay" ukulele song sheet

down by the bay pink edition thumbnail, with a graphic of a pig wearing a curly blonde wig, two slugs crisscrossed with pink hearts above them, a pink worm holding a watering can by a potted fern, and a flamingo behind a limbo stick. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Pink Hearts (FT)
Very simple – I used our die-cutter to make big pink hearts that they could decorate with crayons or dot markers. I didn’t make a sample, but pictured below is a sample I made for an “I Love Me” program, just to see the shape of the heart.

Craft showing a pink scalloped heart shape with the name EMILY written vertically down the middle, with "I like my smile" "My hands let me be creative" "I am friendly" "I am kind" also written on it, decorated with hearts, stars, stickers, and jewels.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
On Account of the Gum – Adam Rex
Pink Is Not a Color – Lindsay Ward
Pig Takes a Bath – Michael Dahl & Oriol Vidal
Have You Ever Seen a Flower – Shawn Harris
Pink is for Everybody! – Ella Russell & Udayana Lugo
How to Say Hello to a Worm – Kari Percival
Fussy Flamingo – Shelly Vaughan James & Matthew Rivera
The Book Hog – Greg Pizzoli
I Love My Tutu Too! – Ross Burach
Ice Cream Face – Heidi Woodward Sheffield

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/12, 2/13, & 2/14/24.

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

Storytime: Color Wheel – Orange

Posted on March 1, 2024March 9, 2024 by msemilylibrary

We are trucking along on our color series and this week’s session was our first secondary color, orange. There were plenty of books and rhyme ideas, and I even had to cut a rhyme about carrots in the end. I’m very pleased that I was able to work in using our parachute for this session, too.

In planning these color-based themes, I brainstorm what is orange and songs and rhymes that work with those things. Here’s this week’s list:

Pumpkins
Oranges
Carrots
Basketball
Goldfish
Tigers
Orange tabby cats
Monarch butterflies
Traffic cones
Fall leaves

Early Development Tip: Your child may enjoy flap books. It’s a kind of peek-a-boo game using a book! Developing an enjoyment of books goes a long way for them later when they need persistence to stick with learning to read.

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

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

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

Intro: Look at these beautiful colors on this color wheel! In the next couple of months, we’re going to get to know each of these colors in our storytimes. Today’s color is orange! Can you think of anything that is orange? Write answers on whiteboard in orange pen. Is anyone wearing orange today?

I made this color wheel, using the “chart” feature in Canva, since I wanted an unusual seven-wedge pie, including pink, which I couldn’t find already made.

I plan to do this rhyme at the beginning of all of the color sessions. Just in case someone doesn’t wear a particular color, I gave out small colored dot stickers (that my library already had) to each kid as they arrive.
Action Rhyme: The Color I See (TT) (TB) (FT)
Orange, orange is the color I see
If you’re wearing orange, then show it to me
Stand up, take a bow, turn around
Show me your orange and sit back on the ground
Source: Librarian vs. Storytime

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

I was surprised that this didn’t really go over as well with the 1-2 year olds. The flaps just didn’t hold their attention – maybe it was just a bad day no matter what book. But I chose not to revisit this one for my other two sessions.
Read: Where is Tippy Toes? by Betsy Lewin (TT)

This one went much better. I was kind of amazed how quiet and attentive they were, especially after the opening lines that include a “Shhh!” I made a little joke about tigers being orange, but this tiger was a little more yellow that I’d hoped, and the adults got a chuckle out of that.
Read: Don’t Wake Up the Tiger by Britta Teckentrup (TB) (FT)

This one I only did after reading Tippy Toes, so needed a little transition.
Tippy Toes is an orange cat – but there’s a BIG cat who is also orange – a TIGER! What kind of markings does a tiger have? What about their friends the leopards?
Tickle Song: Spots, Spots, Spots (TT)
(tune of the baseball organ build up)
Spots, spots, spots, spots,
Spots, spots, spots, spots
A leopard has lots of spots
What a lot of spots he got!
A tiger’s stripes are always nice…
But a leopard has lots of
Spots, spots, spots, spots,
Spots, spots, spots, spots… (tickle!)
Source: Jbrary

Spots, spots, spots thumbnail, with a graphic of a tiger and leopard dancing. click the image to download a non-branded PDF.

Action Rhyme: Tiger, Tiger (TB) (FT)
Tiger, tiger, turn around
Tiger, tiger, touch the ground
Tiger, tiger, reach up high
Tiger, tiger, touch the sky
Tiger, tiger, find your nose
Tiger, tiger, touch your toes
Tiger, tiger, touch your knees
Tiger, tiger, sit down please
Source: Storytime Jennifer

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

Oh, look at this! This is a beautiful bug who has lovely orange wings – a monarch butterfly. But it doesn’t start life with wings. I used a caterpillar and butterfly felt from other sets I’ve made.
Fingerplay: My Friend Caterpillar (TT) (TB) (FT)
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

flannel pieces of an orange monarch butterfly and a yellow, black, and white monarch caterpillar

my friend caterpillar thumbnail, with a graphic of a tree branch with a caterpillar on the leaf, a cocoon hanging from the branch, and a monarch butterfly flying away. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Oh, our butterfly has landed on this large, round, vegetable in the garden. What is it? A pumpkin!
I really enjoy this one. The dynamic speed with the rolling arms (as well as the cadence of the song) really hooks the littles.
Action Song: Roly Poly Pumpkin (TT) (TB) (FT)
(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 spread)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

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

Time to get out the parachute! I have one more song about a pumpkin. Can we walk in a circle?
Parachute Song: Ring Around the Pumpkin (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Ring around the Rosies)
Ring around the pumpkin
Orange, big, and round
Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seeds
We all fall down!
Source: The Lion is a Bookworm Blog

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

Something else that is round and orange is a basketball. Can you pretend to bounce like a basketball?
We bounced up and down once by ourselves, then I added two small foam basketballs to the parachute to bounce!
Parachute Rhyme: Bouncing Ball (TT) (TB) (FT)
I’m bouncing, bouncing everywhere,
I’m bouncing, bouncing like a ball,
I bounce and bounce until I fall! (drop to the floor)
Source: Librionyian

bouncing ball thumbnail, with a graphic of a basketball with cartoon motion lines indicating a bounce. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

For the coup de grâce on our parachute, I threw in some fake autumn leaves.
Parachute Song: Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of London Bridge)
Autumn leaves are falling down
Falling down, falling down
Autumn leaves are falling down
All around the town

The wind will blow them round and round…
Source: King County (WA) Library System

autumn leaves thumbnail, with a graphic of orange leaves swirling in lines indicating wind. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is a great way to put the parachute away.
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Skip to my Lou)
(kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower)
Up, up, up it goes,
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky
Count to 3 and watch it fly
Spoken:
Up on one…
Down on two…
Up on three…
and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves)
Source: Gymboree

Parachute fly thumbnail, with a graphic of an overhead view of children holding on to a colorful parachute with balls bouncing on top. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Color Mixing (TB) (FT)
Here’s a fun and no-mess way to explore color mixing. Start with a heavy duty zip-top bag (I practiced with gallon size, but ended up buying quart size.) Did you know you can remove the white write-on labels using hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol!? I added a dollop of red and a dollop of yellow to each bag, squeezed out the air and taped them down to the tables using clear packing tape. I also printed out half-sheets of the various “orange” things we talked about. The pictures are black and white outlines so that that they could move the paint around to “color” them in or “find” them under the paint. The kids moved the paint around in the bag to mix up the paints and make orange. You might experiment with your paint – I found that I needed more yellow and less red to get a good orange color. Afterward, I told everyone they could take their bag of paint home (plus the image papers) if they wanted. A few did, but not the majority!

Download a template for the background images here.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Creepy Carrots! – Aaron Reynolds & Peter Brown
Leaf Jumpers – Carole Gerber & Leslie Evans
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch – Mary Peterson & Jennifer Rofé
I’m a Little Pumpkin – Hannah Eliot & Anna Daviscourt
Señorita Mariposa – Ben Gundersheimer & Marcos Almada Rivero
It’s a Tiger! – David LaRochelle & Jeremy Tankard
Dino-Basketball – Lisa Wheeler & Barry Gott
Orange Pear Apple Bear – Emily Gravett
An Orange in January – Dianna Hutts Aston & Julie Maren
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild – Peter Brown

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/5, 2/6, & 2/7/24.

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