We are back to indoor storytimes after a lovely summer outside, and I started with a Sports theme. I’m not much of an organized sports person myself, but I recognize all the good that can come from involving kids in sports and promoting physical activity for fun. Add in all the excitement that comes from the 2024 Paris Olympics and it was a great theme to explore. Plus, I found a bunch of kids sports equipment in our library storage from a long-ago grant; I’m always keen to use what we have.
Early Literacy Tip: Early experiences help to form the architecture of the brain and lay a strong foundation for both social and emotional development. Playing with other children at a young age, experiencing the fun of taking turns and sharing, and discovering that it is fun to pass a ball or beanbag to someone else and then get it back are great ways to learn important social and emotional skills. adapted from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting
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)
Intro: Today our theme is about sports! Sports are games that people play that help them move their bodies (which makes us feel good) and they are fun! Sometimes it can take lots of practice to learn how to play a sport really well. Can we think of some sports? There’s a big worldwide gathering of people who are the very best at their sports called the Olympics. Every four years they do it during the summer, with sports like swimming, soccer, running, gymnastics and much more. On other years, they do it during the winter, with sports like skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, and snowboarding.
Activity: Stretching (TT) (TB) (FT) The first thing an athlete should do before doing any sports is to warm up their bodies with some stretching! Let’s stretch down to our toes, up to sky, to the left, to the right, make a star shape, opposite toe touch.
Many sports use a ball. Let’s do a rhyme and see if we can identify these. This is the first flannel I’ve made in a good while! I made two sets of little, big, and biggest balls – since so many sports balls are different sizes, it was fun to brainstorm which ones to do. After they identified the first three balls, we did the rhyme. Then I got out the second set for them to identify, and we did it again. Lastly, we counted all the balls that were on the board – six! Flannel/Fingerplay: Little, Big, Biggest A little ball (make a circle with your fingers) A bigger ball (make a larger circle with your hands) A great big ball I see (make a large circle with your arms) Can you count them? 1 – 2 – 3 (make 3 circles again) Source: Storytime Katie
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)
This worked quite well for my active group. Read: Bounce by Doreen Cronin & Scott Menchin (TT) (FT)
I tried this one with my older group, and it was okay. Not as exciting as Bounce – probably would do better with preschoolers. Read: Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play by Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook (TB)
Can we train like Olympians? We didn’t do all of the actions, I think I chose four for each session. The flannel was made using graphics from Canva. Action Song: See the Olympians (TT) (TB) (FT) (tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb) (act out each verse) See the runners Run, run, run Run run run, Run run run See the runners Run, run, run At the Olympics!
Additional verses: Swimmers swim… Riders jump… Gymnasts twirl… Cyclists pedal… Soccer team kick… Crew row… Source: Storytime in the Stacks
A fun game that isn’t in this year’s Olympics but will be next time is baseball. Action Song: Baseball Player (TT) (TB) (FT) (tune of Frère Jacques) Baseball player, Baseball player (get in batter’s stance) Swing the bat, Hit the ball (pretend to swing) Run around the bases, Run around the bases (run in place) Home run! Home run! (cheer) Source: Adventures of a Bookworm
I like this rhyme a lot, but I didn’t end up using it in any of my sessions. By this time they were all getting a little squirrely so we skipped ahead to the beanbag activities. Being a good sport means treating each other with respect, win or lose. After a game is done, athletes shake hands with their competitors on a good game. Rhyme: Good Game When all the goals are scored (pretend to kick) And the final score is on the board (point to scoreboard) We go up to the other team who came (step forward) And always shake hands and say, “Good game!” (shake hands) Source: Handley Regional Library System (VA)
Beanbag Intro: Try to balance the bean bags on our hand (palm first, then back), foot, and head. Then try to toss up and catch.
Let’s start by listening to the directions on this song. Beanbag Action Song: The Beanbag Song (TT) (TB) (FT) (tune of Happy and You Know It) Put your bean bag on your toes, on your toes Put your bean bag on your toes, on your toes Put your bean bag on your toes, Then move it to your nose Put your bean bag on your nose, on your nose
Additional verses: Put your bean bag on your knee… Then shake it just like me…
The original rhyme talks about a tightrope, but because I was tying it to the Olympics, I went with balance beam. To be honest, this one didn’t go great. Our beanbags are very slippery synthetic fabric, not a grippy cotton, so we all had a lot of trouble. I changed the rhyme in my third session! Can you balance the beanbag on your head and walk like a gymnast on a balance beam? Beanbag Rhyme: Balance Beam (TT) (TB) With my bean bag on my head I stand so very tall I walk along my balance beam And will not let it fall Source: adapted from Allegan (MI) District Library
Let’s try tossing and catching by ourselves, and then maybe with a partner (like your grownup!) Beanbag Rhyme: Here Is a Beanbag (FT) Here is a beanbag I keep on the shelf I can toss it and catch it all by myself Here is a beanbag that I toss to you Please catch it and toss it right back to me too Source: Storytime with Ms. Kelly
A classic sports song – all the grownups sang loud for this one! Ukulele Beanbag Song: Take Me Out to the Ballgame (TT) (TB) (FT) (toss and catch the beanbag through the song) Take me out to the ball game Take me out to the crowd Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack I don’t care if I ever get back ‘Cause it’s root, root, root for the home team If they don’t win it’s a shame For it’s one… two… three strikes you’re out At the old ball game Source: traditional
Craft: Olympic Rings Art (TB) (FT) I’ve done this craft before, and I love the simplicity of the process art which turns out looking cool. Instead of toilet paper tubes (another staff member needs them and our stash is low), I used plastic egg halves, which worked just as well.
Play Time Instead of our usual toys, we did some sports conditioning with our bean bags, balls, and some equipment.I think we got the sports equipment from a grant, and it was very nice to use with the group. They had fun, it was a novelty, and (thankfully!) no one complained that they didn’t see the usual toys! I set it up station-style, and let everyone go where they wanted. It was toddler chaos as you can imagine, but in a good way.The stations included Balance Beam, Beanbag Toss, Ball Toss, Catch, Racquet Balance, and Beanbag Slalom.
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) Baller Ina – Liz Casal Jabari Jumps – Gaia Cornwall Jake at Gymnastics – Rachel Isadora Karate Kids – Holly Sterling Maisy Plays Soccer – Lucy Cousins Olympics! – B.G. Hennessy & Michael Chesworth Together We Swim – Valerie Bolling & Kaylani Juanita Watch Me Throw the Ball! – Mo Willems Peanut Goes for the Gold – Jonathan Van Ness & Gillian Reid Olympig! – Victoria Jamieson Goodnight Football – Michael Dahl & Christina Forshay
This storytime was presented in-person on 8/5, 8/6, & 8/7/24.
**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for: (TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2 (TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5 (FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5
† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF
Hello, again, readers! I hope you have had a wonderful summer, full of adventures and fun. We certainly did here at the library. I love summer, and everything it means at the library. Sometimes our negative feelings about summer reading as library staff can be in front of mind – it’s a lot of work, we’re out of our routines, we have a lot more people to manage with their needs and quirks and behaviors – it’s easy to get burnt out. But I love the summer reading season and I keep in mind that all that extra work, all that foot traffic and so on means that our library is an important part of our community. That means a lot in these uncertain days. And the smiles and appreciation of our patrons of all ages give me a lift every single day. So, fellow librarians, I hope you were able to take care of yourselves AND enjoy the vibrant chaos.
Our library generally uses the theme and graphics from the Collaborative Summer Library Program, or CSLP, a national initiative that helps libraries plan summer programming. This year’s theme was “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” Adventure is a broad theme! I used many of the weekly theme ideas from the CSLP manual and applied them to the framework I’ve been honing in the last couple of years: an outdoor storytime with sensory stations. It’s a big hit and I saw great numbers. All summer, I offered Family Time for ages 0-3.5 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with siblings welcome. As an organization we have also been working toward more weekend and evening programs, so there were a couple of those sprinkled in as well this year. I do have an indoor backup option when the weather is bad, so I still do registration and am limited by that, but it’s a bigger room than I usually use, so space isn’t generally an issue.
For each session, we had about 15-20 minutes of storytime rhymes, songs, and a book, including parachute play, then 20 minutes of free play at various sensory stations. We end with bubbles and a goodbye song. Stations are a really great way to promote socializing, practice skills like sharing and being gentle, and allow for unstructured play, which science tells us is so important to learning and development.
I only did one new station this year (in week 2, see below), the rest were all repeats from the last couple of years, which you can read about in depth at this blog post.
I don’t think I took any photos this year, so here’s one from last year – same set-up!
Repeating Weekly Plan Each week, the structure of the storytime was the same, with only three parts that changed depending on the theme: a themed song, a book, and one fresh parachute song. (Stations also changed weekly.) All the other songs and rhymes were the same:
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends (tune of Goodnight, Ladies) Hello, friends! Hello, friends! Hello, friends, it’s time to say hello! Hello, [name 1], hello, [name 2]! Hello, [name 3], it’s time to say hello! (repeat as needed) (ASL motions: salute for “hello,” then take the index fingers on each hand and you link them together as though they are hugging each other back and forth for “friends”) Source: Glenside Public Library District
Warm-Up Rhyme: We Wiggle and Stop (Use the ASL sign for the word “stop” – one hand “chops” across the opposite hand) We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP We wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle And we wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP (We wiggled every week, but then added 2 more motions. Motions we did throughout the summer: jump, twirl, run, splash, hop, swim, stretch, stomp, wave, sway, march, lean, roll [arms,] hug) Source: Jbrary
Intro: Our theme this summer is Adventure Begins at Your Library. Are you ready to go on an adventure? Short intro to the weekly theme (see below)
Themed Song (see below)
Transition Song: If You’re Ready for a Story (tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It) If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands (clap, clap) If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands (clap, clap) If you’re ready for a story, if you’re ready for a story, If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands (clap, clap) Source: Miss Keithia (my predecessor)
Themed Book (see below)
Parachute! What sorts of adventures can we have with our parachute?
Let’s head out on our adventure. Our road is going to start out very smooth. Can we wave the parachute slowly and gently? Parachute: A Smooth Road A smooth road! (repeat x4) (slowly, and gently) [Uh, oh! Our road has turned a little bumpy! Can we wave the parachute medium-fast?] A bumpy road! (x4) (a little faster) [Oh, no! The road has gotten very rough!] A rough road! (x4) (frantic waving of the parachute ensues!) Oh, no! A hole! (lift the parachute up high and then down) Source: Jbrary
Rotating Parachute Song (see below)
Breathing Break Whew, I am out of breath! I’m ready for a breathing break. Let’s take a big breath in and lift the parachute up, then breathe out and lower it. We’ll repeat a few times.
At this point the kids are usually darting under the parachute, so I go with it! Okay, if grown-ups can grab the edges of the parachute, kids can go underneath if they want (if you prefer to just watch from the outside, that’s always fine!) This was originally intended to be a song where we walk around in a circle, but with the age of the kids, grown ups generally wanted to stay kind of close to where their kid was and not walk around. So we just waved up and down until the very end, where we pulled the parachute down (briefly) around the kids underneath. I also originally intended to do a second verse where we stood up, but I didn’t think it was a good idea for the kids to be trapped under the parachute for the length of a verse, so I never did it. It’s included here in case you were curious! Parachute Song: Merry Go Round (tune similar to Mulberry Bush, see link below for a recording) The merry go round goes round and round (walk in a circle with parachute or wave it up and down) The children laugh and laugh and laugh So many were on the merry go round The merry go round collapsed! (fall to the ground or bring parachute down)
(stand up verse) Fishies in the ocean (stay crouched/fallen) Fishies in the sea We all jump up with a 1 2 3! (stand up) Source: Read Sing Play
Okay, grown ups – for our last parachute song we’re going to let the parachute fly – so let go at the very end after we count down and I say “FLY.” Parachute Song: Parachute Fly (tune of Skip to my Lou) (kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower) Up, up, up it goes, Down, down, down so low Raise our parachute to the sky Count to 3 and watch it fly Spoken: Up on one… Down on two… Up on three… and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves) Source: Gymboree
Release to Stations I have eight stations each week, which involve a mixture of dry, wet, and art/creativity stations. We spend about 20 minutes before I ring the bell to call everyone back to the grassy area. See more detail here.
Everybody loves bubbles! The trick to doing bubbles outside is to figure out which way the wind is blowing and get upwind of your group! Recorded Bubble Song: Pop, Pop, Pop by Nathalia From the album “Dream a Little,” available on Spotify
Goodbye Song: See You Later, Alligator (tune of Clementine) See you later, alligator (wave with one hand, then the other) In a while, crocodile (open and shut arms like a croc’s mouth) Give a hug, ladybug (hug yourself or a loved one) Blow a kiss, jellyfish! MWAH! (move hand like a jellyfish then blow a kiss!) Source: King County Library System
Intro: This week we’re talking about travel adventures. Sometimes you think the adventure will happen when you reach your destination, but adventures can happen on the way, too!
I varied whether I did the themed song or the book first, just depending on what made the most sense to me.
Themed Read: Go, Go, Go! by Bob Barner There are lots of ways of going on an adventure! This is a very simple book – a beginning reader – but I had the group do a noise and motion for each kind of vehicle, which made it very interactive.
Let’s get our own adventures underway! Themed Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat/Car/Plane/Bus Row, row, row your boat (row arms) Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream!
Additional verses: Drive, drive, drive your car (steering wheel arms) Gently down the street…Life is but a treat
Fly, fly, fly your plane (airplane arms) Gently in the sky…Watch the clouds go by
Drive, drive, drive your bus (big wide steering wheel) Gently down the way Stop to let some people out To ride another day Source: Grandview Heights Public Library (this is the source I had in my notes, but I’m not finding a link now)
Parachute Song: The Wheels on the Bus I used the verses that worked well with the parachute: Wheels: we just flapped the parachute Horn: We held the parachute taut and “beeped” our hand on it Wipers: we swished the parachute from side to side People: again, flapped the parachute up and down Source: traditional
Week 1 Stations:(details here) Pouring Station Pool Noodle Soup Fly Swatter Slap Kinetic Sand Sort Beanbags Sort Craft Sticks Color the Parachute Ice Painting
Week 2: Adventures Close to Home 6/10, 6/11, 6/12/24
Intro: This week we’re talking about adventures close to home. You can have an adventure in your backyard or close to home – camping, exploring, and more!
This is a fantastic book with a lot of opportunity for interaction. Whenever we said “Roll, roll, little pea” they joined and rolled their arms. They called out the animals on each page and we made their noise. Great storytime book. This story is about a little pea who finds adventure wherever it rolls Themed Read: Roll, Roll, Little Pea by Cécile Bergame & Magali Attiogbé
Let’s do a fingerplay about five plump peas. Themed Rhyme: Five Plump Peas Five plump peas in a peapod pressed (make a fist and cover with the other hand) One grew, two grew, and so did all the rest (raise all fingers on first hand one by one) they grew, and they grew, and they grew, and never stopped (hands get wide) They grew SO BIG that the peapod… POPPED! (hands spread wide, then CLAP!) Source: Jbrary
Since eyes, ears, mouth, and nose are all in the same place, I changed that line. We did this three times, getting faster! Parachute Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (move parachute to correct height) Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes Wave the parachute up and down Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes (repeat, faster) Source: traditional
Week 2 Stations:(details here) Pouring Station Lemon Sensory Bin Mystery Water Kinetic Sand Pool Noodle Sort Feed the Croc Color the Parachute Spray Silhouettes
New Station: Spray Silhouettes! I used liquid watercolors in spray bottles and provided a myriad of shapes to create negative image artwork. Some of the shapes were plastic food, big puzzle pieces, the shapes from a baby toy sorter, and duplos. Basically anything I could find that could lay mostly flat and be okay getting wet. It was important to set the spray bottles to “mist” instead of “stream,” and we still had kids who just saturated the paper, but it’s all about the process and not the product! Idea and photo on the sign from Picklebums.
Week 3: Adventures in Imagination 6/17, 6/18, 6/19, 6/20/24
Intro: This week we’re talking about adventures in imagination. When we imagine, we can make adventures anywhere with anything.
To start, we all pretended we had a stick. Then we did some kind of action for each imagined use as we read. Themed Read: Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
Let’s put our imagination hats on and get some practice. Themed Rhyme: Can You Pretend? Let’s hear you roar like a lion Let’s see you jump like a frog Let’s see you snap your jaws like a crocodile Let’s hear you howl like a hound dog Pretend you’re an elephant with a big, looooong, trunk Pretend you’re a monkey Let’s see you jump, jump, jump And now you’re a mouse Just let me see How very, very quiet you can be Source: YouthScope
Teddy Bear is going on an adventure – up and down a hill with LOTS of friends. Parachute Song: Funny Teddy Bear (tune of Grand Old Duke of York) Funny teddy bear Bear had a thousand friends Bear marched them up to the top of the hill and Marched them down again And when you’re up you’re up And when you’re down you’re down And when you’re only halfway up you’re neither up nor down Source: Storytime Katie via ALSC Blog
Week 3 Stations:(details here) Pouring Station Sponge Play Scooping Blocks Kinetic Sand Colored Ball Sort Pompom Sort Color the Parachute Fly Swatter Painting
Intro: This week we’re talking about animal adventures. Can you imagine going to see amazing animals in the wild?
Themed Read: It’s a Tiger! by David Larochelle & Jeremy Tankard
Can you imagine being a tiger? A SLEEPING tiger?! Themed Song: Sleeping Tigers (tune of Sleeping Bunnies) See the fearsome tigers sleeping till it’s nearly noon Shall we wake them with a merry tune Oh so still! Are they ill? Wake up, wake up, wake up sleeping tigers! Wake up, wake up, wake up sleeping tigers! Wake up tigers and roar, roar, roar (repeat, second time: pounce, pounce, pounce)! Source: adapted from the traditional
Even tiny animals might go on an adventure. Parachute: Itsy Bitsy Spider (move parachute up and down as indicated in lyrics) The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Up came the sun and dried up all the rain So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again Source: traditional
Week 4 Stations:(details here) Pouring Station Pool Noodle Soup Whisking Bubbles Kinetic Sand Beanbag Sort Craft Stick Sort Color the Parachute Shape Sorter Stamping
Intro: This week we’re going out to sea – get your lifejackets on!
I tried this book at the first session as a “sing aloud” but it just did not go over well, even with several pages clipped to shorten it. I ditched it for the other two sessions. Themed Read: Port Side Pirates by Oscar Seaworthy & Debbie Harter(Monday only)
This one worked much better – we did some kind of motion or noise for each page to make it interactive. I wish the book itself was bigger and the illustrations were more vibrant, though. Themed Read: Sheep on a Ship by Nancy Shaw & Margot Apple(Tuesday and Wednesday)
When the ocean gets rough, that’s an adventure! Themed Song: The Ocean Song (tune of The Elevator Song) Oh, the ocean is great and the ocean is grand! There are lots of big ships but very little land And we sleep down deep in a hammock near the floor And this is what we do when we go out to shore: (ready?) We… ride… the… waves going up, we ride the waves going down we ride the waves going up, we ride the waves going down we ride the waves going up, we ride the waves going down And we turn… a-… round! Source: Jbrary
I remind everyone to start rowing very gently, then after the first verse, say, “Oh, the wind is picking up, can we row more firmly?” and before the third verse, “Oh, no, there’s a storm! Row as strongly as you can!” Parachute: Row Your Boat (repeat 3 times) Row, row, row your boat Gently/Firmly/Strongly down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream (Wave the parachute gently, then firmly, then wildly!) Source: traditional
Week 5 Stations:(details here) Pouring Station Ping Pong Fishing Ice Play Kinetic Sand Pool Noodle Sort Feed the Croc Color the Parachute Dot Painting
Intro: This week we’re celebrating books, and all the adventures we can have in them!
Here’s a song about someone who wears glasses getting ready to read. I’ve found that if I set this one up right, it’s very fun, and if I don’t, it’s a little awkward. We practice making glasses, putting them on and taking them off. Then we make a book and practice opening and closing it (several times!) THEN we sing. Themed Song: These Are My Glasses These are my glasses, this is my book I put on my glasses and open up the book Now I read, read, read And I look, look, look I put down my glasses and Whoop! Close up the book! Source: “Whaddaya Think of That?” by the Laurie Berkner Band
I’ve used this book for years in outreach and for library tours, so I was a little disappointed that it didn’t go over quite as well with the toddler set as the preschoolers. A good reminder that developmental age matters! Another good option for this week would have been Hooray for Books! by Brian Won, but I wasn’t able to get it last minute.The parents enjoyed the jokes, but the kids got antsy. Themed Read: Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss & Tiphanie Beeke
Teddy Bear is going on an adventure – up and down a hill with LOTS of friends. Parachute Song: Funny Teddy Bear (tune of Grand Old Duke of York) Funny teddy bear Bear had a thousand friends Bear marched them up to the top of the hill and Marched them down again And when you’re up you’re up And when you’re down you’re down And when you’re only halfway up you’re neither up nor down Source: Storytime Katie via ALSC Blog
Week 6 Stations:(details here) Pouring Station Flower Sensory Bin Scooping Blocks Kinetic Sand Colored Ball Sort Pompom Sort Color the Parachute Finger Painting
Week 7: Adventures in the Dark 7/14, 7/15, 7/16, 7/17, 7/18/24
Intro: This week is about adventures you might have after dark. Have you ever taken a walk with your family after sunset in your neighborhood? Or maybe gone outside to chase fireflies after dark? I love fireflies. Did you know that the Indiana State Insect is the firefly?
Let’s do a rhyme about some fireflies. Can you make your hands “blink” like a firefly light? (Open and close fingers) Themed Song: Two Little Fireflies (like Two Little Blackbirds) Two little fireflies, Blinking in the sky (open and close hands) One blinked low, And one blinked high Fly away low, Fly away high Come back low, Come back high
Other options, choose 2 or 3 more: …Blinking in the grass…one blinked slow And one blinked fast… …blinking by the car. . .1 blinked near, one blinked far… …blinking by a gate… 1 flew wobbly and the other flew straight… …blinking by the lilies, 1 was serious, the other was silly… Source: adapted from the traditional
I love doing this one. It’s so silly. And thanks to a librarian friend, I can do the song with my ukulele, which always captures the group’s attention. Themed Read: Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas
In honor of our brave cowboy, let’s sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider! Parachute: Itsy Bitsy Spider (move parachute up and down as indicated in lyrics) The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Up came the sun and dried up all the rain So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again Source: traditional
Week 7 Stations:(details here) Pouring Station Sponge Play Fly Swatter Slap Kinetic Sand Beanbag Sort Craft Stick Sort Color the Parachute Chalk Art
This was my last set of regular storytimes before our Summer Reading Program begins, so I went with a fairly simple theme of Zoo and Zoo Animals. Many animals can be found at the zoo, and even if a song doesn’t directly show a certain animal in a zoo setting, I think it counts if you *might* find that animal at a zoo!
Early Literacy Tip: Being able to coordinate small muscles in hands and fingers enables children to hold things, cut with scissors, tie their shoes, and fasten buttons. Fingerplays like Kangaroo, the Itsy Bitsy Spider, or Where is Thumbkin develop fine motor skills which also help prepare children to later hold a pencil and manipulate it for writing. adapted from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting
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)
Intro: Today we are talking about the animals at the zoo! Has anyone been to the zoo before? What kinds of animals did you see?
I bought some finger puppets and looked for the “zooiest” animals, and came up with monkey, snake, and tiger, then got out the much-bigger alligator puppet as a surprise finish! Let’s say hello like the animals do. Puppet Song: The Zoo Wakes Up (TT) (TB) (FT) When monkeys get up in the morning, they always say hello When monkeys get up in the morning, they always say hello Oo-oo-ah-ah! That is what they say Oo-oo-ah-ah! That is what they say (repeat with other animals) Source: Storytime in the Stacks
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Let’s see if your favorite zoo animal shows up in this book! I skipped three animals, just because otherwise it was too long for my group. We didn’t do the zebra, hyenas, or the chameleon. Read: The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera (TT) (TB) (FT)
Those animals sure had fun on the bus! Here’s a bouncy rhyme about animals taking a ride on the bus! When I got to the sheep & cow verse, I mentioned we were heading to the petting zoo! Bounce: Hippopotamus on a City Bus (TT) (TB) (FT) (bounce or slap thighs rhythmically until the last line of each verse) A hip, a hip, a hippopotamus Got on, got on, got on a city bus And all, and all, and all the people said, “You’re squishing us!” (squish face or hug baby)
Additional verses: A cow, a cow, a cow got on a bus Yes, a cow, a cow, a cow got on the bus And all, and all, and all the people said,“Mooooove over!” (lean far to one side) A snake…“Sssssssssit down!” (fall thru knees or sit) A sheep…“Baaaack up!” (lean far back) Source: Jbrary
Oo, our hippo is hungry now! Can we make a giant hippo mouth with our arms? Cut for time in my second and third sessions. Action Song: Noisy Animals Eating (TT) (tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat) See the hippopotamus (extend arms together in front) Eating fruits and weeds (open arms up and down) Take a bite, chew it up Then spit out all the seeds (flick hands out, like spitting)
Additional verses: See the very tall giraffe, Eating fruits and trees… (extend one arm high, extend hand) See the wrinkly elephant, Eating fruits and weeds… (extend arm downward, like an elephant’s trunk) Source: King County (WA) Library System
Flannel Retelling: Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (TB) (FT) I used the template at kizclub.com for this one. I spent a lot of time a few years ago painstakingly cutting most of the inner bits with an Xacto knife, then laminated them. The effect is really nice – you can see through bars and such, but the pieces are still sturdy. I tried to leave a little bit of the animal sticking out the boxes that don’t already give a hint go help the kiddos guess what might be inside.
Can anyone think of an animal who gets around by jumping, lives in Australia, and carries its babies in a pouch? A kangaroo! Our local zoo just opened a kangaroo exhibit in the last couple of years, so many of them had seen that. I changed this from an action rhyme (the original instructions had full-body jumps) into a fingerplay. Fingerplay: Kangaroo (TB) (FT) Jump, jump, jump (jump pointer finger) Goes the kangaroo I thought I saw one (hold up one finger) But now I see two! (hold up two fingers) Mommy and her baby With his head popping out (wiggle thumb from fist) He holds on tight (hug self) As they jump all about! (bounce hand around) Source: Storytime Katie
Who at the zoo has spots? Cut for time in the second and third sessions. Tickle: Spots, Spots, Spots (TT) (tune of the baseball organ wind up) Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots (gently poke baby all over) A leopard has lots of spots What a lot of spots he’s got A tiger’s stripes are always nice (slow, tracing fingers up arm) But a leopard has lots of spots Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots (tickle, tickle, tickle!) Source: Jbrary
Can we move like zoo animals? Action Game: Zoo Animals Die (TB) (FT) I have found that I can’t really roll a big storytime die on the ground. It’s too much of a temptation for everyone to grab it, there’s not a lot of space for it to roll, and it’s more of a distraction than a tool. However, I had the (brilliant, IMHO) idea to throw the die up in the air and catch it instead (more like a coin toss). This has the added benefit that I can kind of cheat on what face to show, letting us do all six moves with fewer repeats. It worked!My library has a die with a foam center and clear plastic cover that I use – you can switch out the faces easily. At a previous library, I made the die from an empty square tissue box. Source: Storytime Sprout
What does the zookeeper do when the elephants get messy? They give them a bath, of course! The template for this flannel is from the ever-helpful but now defunct Sunflower Storytime. You can download a copy of it here. I used to tuck each elephant into the bath in a row, but saw another librarian on YouTube stacking them up tall. That’s a lot easier, and it looks a lot funnier to me, too. Counting Rhyme: Elephants in the Bathtub (TT) (TB) (FT) One elephant in the bathtub (hold up one finger) Going for a swim (swimming motion) Knock, knock (clap, clap) Splash, splash (pat lap) Come on in (motion with hand to come in)
(count up) Five elephants in the bathtub Going for a swim Knock, knock CRASH, CRASH! They all fell in! (wiggle arms downward; knock flannel pieces to the floor!) Source: Sunflower Storytime, see moves on Jbrary
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Craft: Animal Dot Painting (TB) (FT) Okay, so this is a bit of a cop-out craft, but sometimes we need a simple week! I’m doing lots of planning and organizing for my summer programs, so I printed out some animal dot painting coloring pages and called it a day. These were from Two Pink Peonies, and I am borrowing the photo from her, as well.
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) My Heart Is Like a Zoo – Michael Hall Xander’s Panda Party – Linda Sue Park & Matt Phelan Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? – Bill Martin Jr & Eric Carle Color Zoo – Lois Ehlert From Head to Toe – Eric Carle Fraidyzoo – Thyra Heder A Sick Day for Amos McGee – Philip C Stead & Erin E Stead Wild About Us! – Karen Beaumont & Janet Stevens ZigZag ZooBorns – Andrew Bleiman & Chris Eastland Where’s Walrus? – Stephen Savage
This storytime was presented in-person on 5/6, 5/7, & 5/8/24.
**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
Let’s talk feelings! I think a lot of adults (myself included) were taught that sad or angry feelings are “bad” and we should try not to feel them, or to “get over” them as soon as possible. Research is showing that this attitude is not the healthiest. All feelings are valid and they actually give us important information about ourselves and help us process the world and our place in it. (If you’re interested in reading more, I recommend the book Permission to Feel by Marc A. Brackett.)
All this to say, I hope this generation of kids gets permission to be more in tune with their feelings, learning strategies to process them and not simply hide or bottle them up. That starts with us normalizing talking about them, being able to identify them in yourself and others, and teaching ways to process without hurting yourself or others. I can’t say that this storytime is going to solve all the problems, but I hope it was one small step in the right direction.
Early Literacy Tip: Grown-ups, talking about both our own feelings and other people’s feelings is so important! Research shows that kids with emotional intelligence do better in school and life because they can self-regulate and build strong relationships. When you read books, talk about how the characters are feeling and make connections. This helps your child build the vocabulary they need to better recognize their own feelings and communicate with you. I’m trying to be better about sourcing my early lit tips, at least here on the blog. This one came whole cloth from Jessica at Storytime in the Stacks, who always includes excellent early lit/early development tips!
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)
Intro: Today we are talking about our feelings! Our feelings help us process the world around us. It’s okay to feel all the feelings. What are the names of some feelings?
Activity: Identify Feelings (TT) (TB) (FT) Show emotions on cartoon faces, and/or photos of kids’ faces. What might they be feeling? Sometimes it’s hard to tell what others are feeling. We can share our feelings to help others understand. (OPTIONAL – Read: I Feel by Juana Medina) I used the cartoon feelings faces from (now defunct) Sunflower Storytime, as well as feelings cards of photographs of actual kids that I put together from Canva images. I like that some of them are not cut and dried – what I labeled as “excited” could be read as “happy.” The tired yawning baby could be interpreted as crying. Feelings aren’t always easy to read! I didn’t use the Juana Medina book, but it is another good resource with lots of feelings and great illustrations of diverse kids.
Action Rhyme: Feelings (TT) (TB) (FT) Sometimes on my face you’ll see How I feel inside of me A smile means happy, a frown means sad And when I grit my teeth, I’m mad When I’m proud I beam and glow But when I’m shy, my head hangs low Source: North Olympic (WA) Library System
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Read: Mad, Mad Bear by Kimberly Gee (TT) (FT) Bear gets very mad, but some breathing, a snack, and a nap help him feel better.
Read: Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won (TB) This is a good one for interactivity – there are repeated phrases that the whole group can help yell out.
Here’s a silly song about being grumpy. Who looks sleepy? Who looks grumpy? Flannel Song: Five in the Bed (TT) (TB) (FT) There were five in a bed, and the little one said (5 fingers up) “Roll over, roll over” (make rolling motion) And they all rolled over and one fell out. There were four in a bed… (continue down to one)
There was one in the bed and the little one said, (tune of He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands) “Ahhhhhhhh. I’ve got the whole bed to myself! I’ve got the whole wide bed to myself! I’ve got the whole bed to myself, I’ve got the whole bed to myself! Goodnight!” Source: traditional
[My friend Rebecca at Oconee County Library cued me in to connecting the songs Five in the Bed and He’s Got the Whole World; I think it’s a brilliant mashup! I made my own copy of Five in the Bed flannel using inspiration from Adventures in Storytime for the faces and Making Learning Fun for the bed. The faces flip to show their sleeping and surprised faces (the little one starts out grumpy)]
Sometimes when I get hurt, I feel sad or mad or scared. We clapped and patted in rhythm through most of this. Rhyme: Boo Boo (TT) (TB) (FT) One, two, I’ve got a boo-boo Three, four, oh, it’s sore! Five, six, blow it a kiss Seven, eight, put the bandage on straight Nine, ten, now it’s better again! Source: North Olympic (WA) Library System
Breathing can help us feel, and it’s a great way to work through big feelings. Ukulele Song: Take a Breath (The Self-Reg Song) (TT) (TB) (FT) Verse 1: When I’m not doing fine, I keep this in mind I can take a breath or two When I want to feel well, I can be still I can take a breath or two Breathing in, Breathing out, Breathing in, Breathing out When I am still, I can be fine, Breathing in and out
Additional verses: …I can sing a song or two… …I can move my arms around…
Last verse: To change how I feel, I keep this in mind I can take a breath – I can hum a song – I can move my arms – And feel all right. Source: Raffi, from the album Dog on the Floor
We didn’t end up doing this one for any of the sessions. Whatever we feel, it’s good to remember our grownups love us no matter what. Action Song: I’ll Hug You (tune of Farmer in the Dell) I’ll hug you when you’re sad I’ll hug you when you’re glad, I’ll hug you when you’re feeling scared I’ll hug you when you’re mad Source: Librionyian
Let’s shake it out now with some shaker egg songs! 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
We shook our eggs along with the motions. Shaker Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It (TT) (TB) (FT) If you’re happy and you know it shout hooray… …grumpy…stomp your feet… …sad…have a cry (boo hoo!)… …silly…wave your arms… …surprised…shout “oh my!”… …scared…cover your eyes… Source: Rain City Librarian
Craft: Feelings Flower (TB) (FT) I looked around for a feelings craft that my little ones could do, but the ones I saw were generally too complex, requiring them to draw faces, or just didn’t fit quite what I wanted. So, finding inspiration in a couple of places, I created my own. The flower concept came from this video from Gru Languages, but they didn’t have a free printable and it involved both drawing faces as well as didn’t include all of the emotions I’d prefer. I also saw a feelings spinning wheel from Super Simple Songs, but again, it was a little more complex. So I created my own flower shape, labeled it with the feelings I wanted, and used the round tokens from Super Simple Songs. That way, the kids just needed to match the right feeling to the right petal (with their grown-up’s help), glue it down, and decorate by coloring. The kids really liked it – the faces were recognizable to them, and they liked how the petals folded in. I mentioned that it might be a good tool for them to use anytime they’re feeling big feelings and they’re having trouble putting them in words.(I did resize and place the Super Simple Songs tokens on a page to maximize how many could be printed without wasting paper, but because this isn’t my IP, I don’t feel comfortable sharing that sheet.)
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) I Feel! – Juana Medina I’m Sad – Michael Ian Black & Debbie Ridpath Ohi Grumpy Pants – Claire Messer How Do You Feel? – Lizzy Rockwell The Rabbit Listened – Cori Doerrfeld The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh – Supriya Kelkar & Alea Marley When Sadness Is at Your Door – Eva Eland When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry – Molly Bang I Am a Tornado – Drew Beckmeyer I Want to Be Mad for a While! – Barney Saltzberg
This storytime was presented in-person on 4/29, 4/30, & 5/1/24.
**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
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)**
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)
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)
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) 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.
**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
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)**
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)
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.
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
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
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
Pass out wrist ribbons. I believe we got these from Lakeshore Learning – they are nice and silky and just the right length for kiddos.
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
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
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
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
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.)
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) 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.
**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
Eggs are so intriguing! What’s inside? Who lays eggs? We explored eggs and the animals that lay them this week in storytime. (You could also do some breakfast-y type things, but I didn’t go that route.)
This was also a theme that lent itself very well to flannels. I made two new flannels and reused an old one for this theme!
Early Literacy Tip: Children are so curious about the world around them. Take advantage of this curiosity to help them develop background knowledge. When we talk with our children about things that interest them and when we share books to broaden their knowledge, all this learning they have about the world, big ideas and little facts, will help them later understand what they read.
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (TT) (TB) (FT)**
Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT) This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.
Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* I’ve actually stopped doing this one in general, but keep it in my flip display of rhyme and song lyrics so I can use it as a backup at any time.
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) 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.
**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
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)**
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: 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) 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.
**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
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!
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)**
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: 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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) 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.
**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
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)
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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!
Play Time The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme) 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.
**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
