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Storytime: Feeling Thankful (2022)

Posted on November 24, 2022November 30, 2023 by msemilylibrary

Each year in November, I turn back to this theme and spend some time with the abstract idea of gratitude and feeling thankful. This has been my fourth iteration, and with each year, some things stay the same but there are also tweaks and updates.

Since the American Thanksgiving tradition is problematic at best, I focus on feeling thankful, and honestly, that can be as broad a concept as you’d like it to be! You can say – “I’m thankful for pets” and do the song My Dog Rags. You can be thankful for tacos and sing a song about that. The sky is the limit.

Since November is Native American Heritage Month, I also make a point to incorporate or at least highlight books by Indigenous authors at this program (though of course it’s a good idea to be aware of and read and celebrate books by Indigenous and other marginalized groups in storytime all year long.) I am thankful for the wealth of fantastic picture books available from a wide range of perspectives!

Lastly, I’m thankful for you, readers! I appreciate your likes and comments and hope that me documenting my process is in any way helpful. I’m always open to ideas and suggestions, too. Wishing you peace, safety, a little relaxation, and lots of appreciation for all you do.

You can see the plans for every year I’ve done this theme here.

Early Literacy Tip: When we are warm, and fed, and snuggled with someone we love, our brains release a chemical called serotonin. This makes us feel good, but it also has the effect of helping us learn. When you snuggle with your child and sing and read together, their brains soak up the language they hear and the serotonin helps make that learning permanent. Snuggling, talking, and singing with your child helps get them ready to read.

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

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

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

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

Talk: What does it mean to feel thankful? When someone does something nice for you, saying “thank you” lets them know we appreciate them and are happy they did what they did! We can also think for a moment about all the good things in our lives and feel happy about them, too. Let’s practice saying “thank you” with this rhyme.

Figuring out how to do this rhyme without the middle finger AND using it to do the ASL sign for I love you is one of my proudest moments. 🙂
Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin? (BB) (TB) (FT)
Where is Thumbkin, Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am, Here I am,
How are you today, Friend?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

(repeat with pointer, pinky, then all three)
Where are three friends, Where are three friends?
Here we are, Here we are,
How are you today, Friends?
Very well, we thank you.
I love you, I love you.
Source: adapted from the traditional rhyme by Ms. Emily

Lyrics to Where are Three Friends with silhouettes of two hands with thumbs up and two hands showing the ASL "I Love You" sign.

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

This book is so great for the youngest group. I asked them to help me tell the story and prompted them at each “thank you” page.
Read: Thank You, Bees by Toni Yuly (BB) (FT)

I am always thankful when people are kind to one another. This book is by two Native American creators. Monique Gray Smith is of Cree, Lakota and Scottish descent, and Nicole Neidhardt is Diné, also known as Navajo.
Read: When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith & Nicole Neidhardt (TB)

I love those bees! Here’s a rhyme about the bees being inside their beehive.
Tickle Rhyme: Here Is the Beehive (BB) (FT)
Here is the beehive, but where are all the bees? (make fist)
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (open fingers)
They’re alive! Buzz, buzz, buzz! (tickle)
Source: Jbrary

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you – something I love and something I’m always thankful for are books and reading! Here’s a fun song about books.
Song: These Are My Glasses (BB) (TB) (FT)
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

Scarf distribution: I am thankful for songs we can sing with our scarves! Will you practice with me – wave high, low, in a circle, throw and catch!

I’m thankful for the weather, even when it rains!
Scarf Rhyme: Rain on the Green Grass (BB) (TB) (FT)
Rain on the green grass (wave low)
Rain on the trees (wave high)
Rain on the roof (hold over head)
But not on me! (let fall to the floor!)
repeat with Sun, Snow, Leaves
Source: Jbrary

Scarf Song: We Wave Our Scarves Together (BB) (TB) (FT)
(tune of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow)
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together…
Because it’s fun to do!

We wave them up high
We wave them down low
We wave them in the middle
Because it’s fun to do!
Source: Jbrary

I’m thankful for games we can play with our loved ones.
Scarf Game: Peek-a-boo (BB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo, I see you, I see you
I see your button nose, I see your tiny toes
I see you! Peek-a-boo!
Source: Jbrary

I’m thankful for time to read and be with you. I kind of did the hand motions of the ASL version with my scarf in hand, just for something to do with the scarves.
Scarf Song: The More We Get Together
See ASL movements here: https://youtu.be/YZLlZoD3gU8
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together
The happier we’ll be
For your friends are my friends
and my friends are your friends
The more we get together
The happier we’ll be

The more we read together, together, together
the more we read together
the happier we’ll be.
Read big books and small books
Read short books and tall books
The more we read together
the happier we’ll be.
Verse 2 Source: Story Time Secrets

This flannel was made from the template created by Mel at Mel’s Desk! I go over the lyrics first and add the flannel pieces, then play the song (recorded or ukulele). I encourage kids to snuggle with someone they love. Before or afterwards is a good time to mention today’s early literacy tip, whichever flows more naturally for you.
Flannel/Ukulele Song: Thanks a Lot
Thanks a lot, Thanks for Sun in the sky
Thanks a lot, Thanks for clouds so high
Thanks a lot, Thanks for whispering wind
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the birds in the spring
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the moonlit night
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the stars so bright
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the wondering me
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the way I feel
Thanks for the animals, Thanks for the land,
Thanks for the people everywhere
Thanks a lot
Thanks for all I’ve got
Thanks for all I’ve got
Source: From the Album “Baby Beluga” by Raffi

Thanks a lot flannel set with a yellow sun, white cloud, red bird, blue swirl for wind, yellow crescent moon, purple star, single person figure with arms raised, pink heart, elephant, evergreen tree, and group of three people of various skin tones with arms to the side.

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Thanks a Lot” here!

thumbnail of Thanks A Lot ukulele songsheet

Okay, we got pretty chill there for a moment, which is lovely. But now it’s time to bring our energy up again!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Thankful Tree
Since I’m at a new library this year, I just did the same craft that I did last year. I asked volunteers to cut out leaf shapes in various fall colors (red, yellow, orange, brown), and provided a piece of sky blue construction paper with a brown bare tree shape printed on it. I added the heading “I am thankful for…” at the top, and kids could write (with or without help) or draw the things they’re grateful for on the leaves and paste them on.

Download a PDF of the tree and leaves here!

Thankful tree craft - a dark brown bare tree figure on light blue paper with a heading, "I am thankful for..." and fall colored leaves listing gratitudes: books, love, storytime friends, feeling safe, family, and music.

Play Time
The babies 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* (BB) (TB) (FT)

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Gracias/Thanks – Pat Mora & John Parra
Thank You, Omu – Oge Mora
We All Play/Kimêtawânaw – Julie Flett
The Thankful Book – Todd Parr
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga – Traci Sorell & Frané Lessac
The Thank You Book – Mo Willems
Wild berries/Pikaci-mīnisa – Julie Flett
Thanku: Poems of Gratitude – Marlena Myles & Miranda Paul
Thank You, Earth – April Pulley Sayre
Grandma’s Tiny House – JaNay Brown-Wood & Priscilla Burris
Bear Says “Thank You” – Michael Dahl & Oriol Vidal
Thank You and Good Night – Patrick McDonnell

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/14, 11/15, & 11/16/22.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

Storytime: DINOvember

Posted on November 18, 2022November 14, 2024 by msemilylibrary

It’s DINOvember and we are having all the fun with dinosaurs! Even my baby program had fun with some dinosaur songs and rhymes, though I felt I needed to adapt a couple traditional baby/toddler rhymes to involve them more. But just like a monster storytime, we did a lot of roaring and stomping and pretending.

You can find other versions of this theme from 2021 and 2024.

Early Literacy Tip: Everybody knows at least one child who can rattle off the names of dozens of dinosaurs. There’s a reason for that! Children’s brains are wired to learn as much vocabulary as possible. So, don’t underestimate them: give them all the words you can! Use the most specific terms possible and they will soak them up like a sponge.

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

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

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

Intro: Today’s theme is all about dinosaurs! Even though they’re not around any longer, I love to imagine what these gigantic and amazing creatures might have been like. Some dinos were big, and some were little. Let’s do a rhyme.

Action Rhyme: Big Dino, Little Dino
Big Dino, Little Dino, turn around
Big Dino, Little Dino, touch the ground
Big Dino, Little Dino, reach up high
Big Dino, Little Dino, blink your eyes
Big Dino, Little Dino, touch your nose
Big Dino, Little Dino, touch your toes
Big Dino, Little Dino, slap your knees
Big Dino, Little Dino, sit down please
Source: Project I.Am.Abbey

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

I like the big flaps at the end of this board book, and all the cheerful, colorful dinosaurs in a prehistoric setting!
Read: Hello Dinosaurs! by Joan Holub & Chris Dickason (BB)

This one is so simple and perfect. The ending always makes the adults chuckle.
Read: We Love Dinosaurs by Lucy Volpin (TB) (FT)

It’s kind of amazing what even the two-year-olds already know about dinosaurs! I introduced each dinosaur with a very short description – “Triceratops had three horns and a big frill on its head – it was a plant-eater but used its horns to defend itself when needed.” The flannelboard dinosaurs can be used for both this song and “One Dinosaur Went Out to Play,” below, and the template is available at Mel’s Desk.
Action Song: All Through the Swamp
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The Tyrannosaurus Rex goes grr grr grr
Grr grr grr, Grr grr grr
The Tyrannosaurus Rex goes grr grr grr
All through the swamp

Additional verses:
The Triceratops’ horns go poke, poke, poke…
The Stegosaurus’ tail goes swish, swish, swish…
The Brachiosaurus’ mouth goes munch, munch, munch…
The Pteranodon’s wings go flap, flap, flap…
Credit: Mel’s Desk

laminated dinosaurs and fern for the flannelboard. Includes a yellow stegosaurus, orange t. rex, purple pteranodon, blue triceratops, and red brachiosaurus.

This and Dino Thumbs are the rhymes I quickly came up with for the youngest group, though I did do “Where Is T Rex” at all my sessions.
Fingerplay: Where is T Rex? (BB) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Where is Thumbkin?)
Where is T Rex? Where is T Rex? (use thumbs)
HERE I AM! HERE I AM! (use T-Rex voice!)
HOW ARE YOU TODAY, FRIEND?
VERY WELL I THANK YOU!
ROAR AWAY! ROAR AWAY!

Where is Pteranodon? (thumb spread from fingers like wings)
… Fly away! Fly away!
Where is brachiosaurus? (use pointer finger)
…Munch, munch, munch! Munch, munch, munch! (don’t retreat)
Source: original, adapted from the traditional

I’ve seen this as “Tommy Thumbs” and also with “Egg Shakers.” My rhyme sheet had a picture of thumbs with dinosaur finger puppets on them!
Fingerplay: Dino Thumbs (BB)
Dino Thumbs are up
Dino Thumbs are down
Dino Thumbs are 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 (fold arms)
Source: adapted from the traditional

Rhyme: Dinosaur Stretch (BB) (TB) (FT)
Spread your arms, way out wide
Fly like Pteranodon, soar and glide
Bend to the floor, head down low
Move like Stegosaurus, long ago
Reach up tall, try to be
As tall as Brachiosaurus eating on a tree
Using your claws, grumble and growl
Just like Tyrannosaurus Rex on the prowl
Source: Storytime Katie

This was on my plan, but I didn’t end up doing it at any of my sessions.
Action Rhyme: Five Little Dinosaurs
Five little dinosaurs sitting in a swamp.
The first one said, “Let’s stomp, stomp, stomp.”
The second one said, “Time for lunch!”
The third one said, “Let’s munch, munch, munch.”
The fourth one said, “Let’s stomp some more.”
The fifth one said, “Let’s all roar!” GRRRR!
Source: Everybody Loves Bubbles

Everyone enjoyed slapping their knees to make the sound of dinosaurs running!
Ukulele/Flannel Song: One Dinosaur Went Out to Play (TB) (FT)
(tune of Five Little Ducks)
One dinosaur went out to play
By a giant fern one day
She had such enormous fun
That she called for another dinosaur to come:
Oh, Diiiiiiiiiinosaur! (slap hands on thighs)

(count up to 5)
Last line:
…That they played until the day was done!
Source: Mel’s Desk

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

Thumbnail of ukulele songsheet for One Dinosaur Went Out to Play

Action Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes* (BB)

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

Craft: Dinosaur Parade Headband
In an attempt to make life easy, and since my library has a great selection of die cuts, I provided two green strips (2.24×12″, four strips per sheet of construction paper), and the four dinosaurs that we had dies for – T-Rex, Pteranodon, stegosaurus, and brachiosaurus. Glue sticks and staplers (pro tip: put the “bumpy side” of the staples on the *outside* of the headband) and everyone had a dinosaur parade to wear on their heads!

Dark green headband with four dinosaur shapes glued to it: orange T-Rex, purple Pteranodon, yellow stegosaurus, and red brachiosaurus.

For my older kids, I made a new manipulative for playtime (which was my suggested craft for our Storytime Shorts video series this month): Clothespin Stegosauruses! This was inspired by a craft I originally saw on Storytime Katie’s blog, and found another version on Oh, Hey, Let’s Play. She said she didn’t know where she originally got her artwork, but I loved it, so drew my own version based on hers. (If anyone finds the original source, let me know!) We have a ton of yard signs that were purchased for summer 2020 that were not used, so they are a great backer for this. You can also use cardboard. I put two mirror image dinos on one sheet of paper and printed on colored paper to glue to the stiff yard sign outline that I cut using an Exacto knife. Four was enough for my sore fingers, but that’s perfect for a toy that we’ll use at playtime but not take home. Then I colored wooden clothespins to match the colored dinos. In addition to the different colors, each dino has a different number of spikes, and the clothespins are numbered, too. Depending on a child’s age and development, they can start by just focusing on pinching the clothespins (strengthening hand muscles), then move up to color matching and/or number matching. I was fascinated by this article about kids not having the requisite hand strength for kindergarten activities and highlighted that when talking with caregivers about this activity.

Download a template for the Clothespin Stegosaurus here!

Play manipulative with four spikeless stegosaurus shapes, each a different color and with numbers written on their backs. The yellow one has six clothespins attached, while green, blue, and red show only the numbers, with a bowl of color-coded clothespins sitting next to them. Green has 3, blue has 4, red has 5, and yellow has 6.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones – Byron Barton
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! – Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen & Zachariah OHora
Dinosaur Vs. the Library (series) – Bob Shea
Dinosong – Tim McCanna & Richard Smythe
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night – Refe & Susan Tuma
One-osaurus, Two-osaurus – Kim Norman & Pierre Collet-Derby
Counting Dinos – Eric Pinder & Junissa Bianda
Old MacDino Had a Farm – Becky Davies & Ben Whitehouse
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs – Mo Willems

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/7, 11/8, & 11/9/22.

Storytime Handout:

Handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics.

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

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

Storytime: Friendly Monsters

Posted on November 11, 2022November 10, 2022 by msemilylibrary

Holidays are tricky. My first consideration in planning storytime is serving anyone in my community who cares to attend, and to make EVERYONE feel welcome and included. I tend to avoid a specific holiday program, but try to find a way to tap into the feeling of the season while being inclusive. There are tons of great books featuring and about monsters in children’s literature, plus we get to talk a bit about how to gently face fears and empower kids to confront them. All that and a lot of roaring and stomping? Yes, please! I invited everyone to dress up in whatever kind of costume they would like, and I wore my green dragon onesie. (I now don’t recommend fleece onesie costumes for storytime – I was sweating buckets by the end!)

Early Literacy Tip: It’s natural for kids to have fears. One way to help your child conquer a fear is to gently expose them to it. Books can take a common fear like monsters and make them fun and comfortable to talk about. They also model how to be brave and address a fear, which is empowering. Two great books for this purpose are Go Away, Big Green Monster and Tickle Monster.

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

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

Intro: Today we’re having some fun with friendly monsters! I love getting to play pretend, especially something that goes roar! Can we pretend to be monsters together?

Action Rhyme: Wild Things
Wild things, wild things, look at you!
Wild things, wild things, what can you do?
We can roar our roars! (roar)
We can gnash our teeth at you! (show teeth and growl)
We can wiggle our eyebrows! (wiggle)
We can show our claws, too! (extend fingers)
Wild things, wild things, look at you!
Wild things, wild things, what can you do? ROAR!
Source: Small Town Story Time Lady

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

I think this book would work really well one-on-one, and I had high hopes for it for my group, but it just didn’t go over great in Book Babies. Maybe it was just the day (it was Halloween and the energy was super wiggly).
Read: Let’s Play Monsters by Lucy Cousins (BB)

My other groups *loved* this book. Total hit.
Read: Monsters Go Night-Night by Aaron Zenz (TB) (FT)

These cute monsters came from the Picklebums.com blog, as well as the rhyme. But none of them have a nose! I went into Canva and did a little editing to the red one. I encouraged kids and grownups to play this one like “This Little Piggy” on their fingers.
Fingerplay: Five Little Monsters (BB) (TB) (FT)
This little monster has a big red nose
This little monster has purple toes
This little monster plays all night
This little monster is such a fright
And this little monster goes:
“Tee-hee-hee – I’m not scary, I’m just silly me.”
Source: picklebums.com

five printed and laminated monsters in variegated colors - red, blue, orange, dark green, and light green.

Puppet/Retelling: Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley (TB) (FT)
We had this puppet in our library inventory, so we retold the book. I admittedly felt a little awkward with this one – the pieces were kind of behind me and I kept stumbling over the words. I need more practice!

Action Song: Monsters Stomp (TB)
(tune of The Ants Go Marching)
The monsters stomp around the house hurrah, hurrah!
The monsters stomp around the house hurrah, hurrah!
The monsters stomp around the house
Their brothers and sisters send them out
So they stomp some more outside, Oh yeah,
Around the house, Boom, boom, boom!

The monsters roar around the house, rahrrr, rahrrr…
Source: Jbrary

It felt like I didn’t have much for the babies in this session, so I added a couple of bounces and tickles for them. I adapted this traditional one to have a couple of monster/Halloween references.
Bounce Rhyme: Jelly on a Plate (BB)
Jelly on the plate, Jelly on the plate
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble (wobble & bounce baby)
Jelly on the plate!

Additional verses:
Sausage in the pan… turn them over… (lift and turn baby)
Biscuits in the tin… shake them up… (gently wiggle and lift)
Sweeties in my sack… pick them out… (gently pinch tummy)
Monster in the house… turn him out… (supported fall back or side)
Candles on the sill… blow them out… whoosh! (blow on neck)
Source: adapted from Jbrary

This was on my plan, but I didn’t actually end up using it at any of the sessions.
Tickle Rhyme: Do I Hear a Monster?
If you think you hear a monster (cup hand to ear)
Growling somewhere outside (point outward)
It’s probably just your belly (rub tummy)
Needing some food inside! Nom, nom! (nibble or tickle tummy)
Source: Small Town Story Time Lady

Another one that’s only tangentially related to monsters, but was still fun.
Tickle: Treasure Hunt (BB)
Going on a treasure hunt, X marks the spot (draw an X on back)
Big circle (draw), Little circle (draw) Dot, dot, dot (poke 3x)
Spiders crawling up your back (walk fingers up back)
Bite, bite, bite! (gently pinch shoulders)
Snakes slither up your back (drag fingers up back)
Bite, bite, bite!
Tight squeeze (hug) Cool breeze (blow on neck)
Now you’ve got the… shivers! (tickle)
Source: Jbrary

Time for shaker eggs!
It is time to do the Monster Boogie! Do you know what a boogie is? It’s a dance! So think about what your monster dance is going to look like, but we’re going to start by stomping like a monster!
Recorded Shaker Egg Song: The Monster Boogie (BB) (TB) (FT)
Source: The Laurie Berkner Band, album: Buzz, Buzz

Oh, all that dancing has me worn out. I think I need a snack. Let’s make some popcorn!
Shaker Egg Rhyme: Pop, Pop, Pop (BB) (TB) (FT)
Pop, pop, pop, put the corn in the pot
Pop, pop, pop, shake it ’til it’s hot
Pop, pop, pop, lift the lid and what have you got? Popcorn!
Source: Jbrary

And now all that salty popcorn has made me thirsty! Let’s make ourselves a milkshake!
Recorded Shaker Egg Song: The Milkshake Song (BB) (TB) (FT)
Source: Old Town School of Folk Music, album: Wiggleworms

Action Song: Horns, Fangs, Knees, and Claws (BB) (FT)
(tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes)
Horns, fangs, knees, and claws, knees and claws
Horns, fangs, knees, and claws, knees and claws
Eyes, ears, tail, and paws
Horns, fangs, knees, and claws, knees and claws
Source: Madelyn’s Library Programming

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

Craft: Monster Mask
So I originally did a monster program in 2019, and reused the craft for this year. Then, I saw the craft first on Storytime Katie, who got it from Awesome Storytime. I had a PDF template saved in my files, but neither one of those sites has it – I’m not sure if they took it down or another library blog made the template – there’s no marking indicating. Since I couldn’t find the origin, I’ll upload my copy here, but if anyone knows the original source, let me know and I’ll defer to them!
In any case, this is a super cute craft that’s pretty easy. I used four colors of neon cardstock and asked volunteers to cut out the eyes and face and mouth. I mixed up the eyes with a different color monster, and used different sized hole punchers on all the scrap to provide polka dots for decorating. All the kids really enjoyed this, and were eager to show me their masks when they were done. One last tip – the part of the face between the edges of the mouth and the sides of the face are pretty skinny, making it flip-floppy (technical term). I provided mini craft sticks to reinforce that area, as shown in the picture.

Download a template for the monster mask here!

split picture of the front and back of the monster mask, showing multi colored polka dots, orange eyes, and a green face on the front, and the placement of two mini craft sticks and one large craft stick on the back.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Monster Boogie – Laurie Berkner & Ben Clanton
Eat Pete! – Michael Rex
Can You Make a Scary Face? – Jan Thomas
Tickle Monster – Édouard Manceau
Leonardo the Terrible Monster – Mo Willems
There’s a Monster in Your Book – Tom Fletcher & Greg Abbott
Monster Trucks – Anika Denise & Nate Wragg
The Monster at the End of this Book – Jon Stone & Michael Smollin
If You’re a Monster & You Know It – Rebecca Emberley & Ed Emberley

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/31, 11/1, & 11/2/22.

Storytime Handout:

program handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics

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

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

Storytime: Pumpkins

Posted on October 28, 2022October 17, 2025 by msemilylibrary

After moving to a new library, I’ve been using a lot of the themes that I developed while in a virtual-only setting at a different organization. It’s been really fun to see the in-person impact of some of the extension activities that seemed like, well, *maybe* real life kids would enjoy. (Virtual programs always felt like a shot in the dark since I wasn’t getting any immediate feedback.) I’m also working with a different book collection and a slightly younger audience, so books and some activities are adjusted. For example, the pumpkin vine prop I created back in 2020 was made with the book Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell in mind specifically. The new library doesn’t have this one (and it’s out of print so I can’t make the purchase), so I found a song that will work with the prop. I love that it’s like a puzzle, fitting pieces together to make a storytime that works for me now in this particular situation.

See other versions of this storytime from 2020 and 2025.

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

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

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

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

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

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

So how do they grow, in between being a tiny seed and a big pumpkin?
I found a video of this song but had some trouble finding the original provenance – the video said the song was by Mary Ann Hall, but I also saw Marcia Louis credited (and I did find a YouTube video of hers, so that’s pretty credible.) In any case, I was able to figure out the chords, changed the key to fit my voice better, and now it’s available as a ukulele songsheet for you!
This song is also a perfect replacement for the Mystery Vine book I didn’t have at this library. I could pull out a little of the vine after each verse and I got the extremely satisfying gasps of surprise when the green and orange pumpkins appeared! So fun. I set up the song by asking everyone to help me plant a pumpkin seed, let some rain fall down, let the sun shine, and then… a little pumpkin vine appeared!
Ukulele Song: Pumpkin Vine (BB) (TB) (FT)
I looked out my window and what did I find?
Green leaves growin’ on my pumpkin vine
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’ (x3)
Green leaves are growin’ on my pumpkin vine

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

Download a ukulele songsheet for Pumpkin Vine!

Thumbnail for Pumpkin Vine ukulele songsheet

Pumpkin vine prop, showing large plastic pot covered with two overlapping pieces of brown felt (so there's an opening in the middle). The vine is shown with leaves, small curlicue vines made with pipe cleaners, yellow flowers, a green pumpkin, and two orange pumpkins.

Gif of pumpkin vine prop, showing it coming out of the plant pot little by little.

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

To shorten this a bit I paperclipped one rhyme set near the beginning of the book, and it worked well for my younger kids.
Read: Pumpkin Day! by Candice Ransom & Erika Meza (BB) (FT)

To simplify and shorten, I ended the book when they were making pies and didn’t read the very last couple of pages. That also eliminates the reference to Halloween, in case that’s a concern in your community. I did it just to shorten the book, though.
Read: How to Help a Pumpkin Grow by Ashley Wolff (TB)

Book cover for how to help a pumpkin grow.

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

Just adding a bounce for the littles
Bounce: Bounce, Tickle, Hug (BB) (FT)
I bounce you here, I bounce you there
I bounce you, bounce you everywhere
I tickle you here, I tickle you there
I tickle you, tickle you everywhere
I hug you here, I hug you there
I hug you, hug you everywhere
Source: Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Public Library

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

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

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

Look at that pumpkin – it has a face! It looks happy, doesn’t it? Just like this one (show happy face pumpkin on a stick.) What about this one, how do you think it’s feeling?

I used the printable pumpkins from Sunflower Storytime to briefly discuss feelings, then we sang a verse for each one.
Song: If You’re Happy & You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it, shout hooray (hooray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, shout hooray (hooray!)
If you’re happy and you know it,
and you really want to show it
If you’re happy and you know it, shout hooray (hooray!)
…angry…stomp your feet…
…surprised…say “oh, my!”…
…sad…have a cry (boo hoo)…
…silly…do a dance…
Source: traditional

Jack-o-lantern puppets - five pumpkins with faces showing emotions of happy, sad, angry, surprised, and silly, printed and laminated and mounted to large craft sticks.

This is a fun rhyme, and I love how KCLS has options for babies, hand motions, and full body motions!
Bounce Rhyme: Pumpkin, Pumpkin Sitting on a Wall (BB)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Sitting on a wall (bounce)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Tip and fall (tip to side)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Rolling down the street (roll arms or legs)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Trick or treat! (lift)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

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

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

Craft: Pumpkin Patch
We did a take on a previous craft I did that also incorporated the green leaves and yellow flowers we sang about in our “Pumpkin Vine” song. I offered two methods for the yarn vines: grownups could draw swirling vine shapes on the page with glue, then older kids could follow the glue with the yarn. That would take a little more coordination, but is less messy. Alternatively, I had some liquid glue in a shallow bowl, and kids could dunk the yarn in to saturate it, then add the vines whichever way they wished. Messier, but easier. Both methods work on fine motor skills! Unfortunately, I saw a lot of grownups drawing the glue swirls and then sticking the yarn on themselves, just letting kids add the pumpkins, leaves, and flowers. 😦

Download a template for the pumpkin leaves and flowers here! (Pumpkins were die cut)

Craft showing paper orange pumpkins, yellow flowers, green leaves and green yarn representing a pumpkin vine, pasted to a brown sheet of construction paper.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Let it Grow – Mary Ann Fraser & Riley Samuels
Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party – Erin Barker
Pumpkin Eye – Denise Fleming
The Great Pumpkin Contest – Angie Rozelaar
Stumpkin – Lucy Ruth Cummins
Amara’s Farm – JaNay Brown-Wood & Samara Hardy
Pumpkin Countdown – Joan Holub & Jan Smith
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch – Mary Peterson & Jennifer Rofé
Pumpkin Trouble – Jan Thomas
Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch – Alyssa Satin Capucilli & Pat Schories

One of these I’d like to especially highlight is Let it Grow by Mary Ann Fraser & Riley Samuels. It didn’t come in on hold for me in time to use it in the program, but it’s such an excellent book I would have substituted it for How to Help a Pumpkin Grow. It also goes through the life cycle of the pumpkin – seed to vine to leaves to flowers to fruit. But it’s cleverly written, has a BIPOC character/family and even goes beyond the expected Jack-o-lantern size pumpkin – they let theirs grow to be a GIANT pumpkin, which they take to the fair and then use in the pumpkin regatta! The back matter talks about the real life regatta and has some great photographs that I’m sure would elicit lots of oohs and aahs. I’ll definitely be using this one next time!

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/24, 10/25, & 10/26/22.

Storytime Handout:

Handout including book suggestions and rhyme/song lyrics.

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

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

Storytime: Magic Hat

Posted on September 30, 2022September 29, 2022 by msemilylibrary

I did this program virtually at the beginning of 2021, and I was jazzed to be able to do it in person this month. EVERYONE enjoyed the rabbit in a hat puppet, and all the kids wanted a chance to pet it (there were a few that wanted to “rescue” it from its hat, too!) The rabbit in a hat craft was also a hit – I’d put out the toys for playtime and they were all so involved with the craft that they didn’t notice until several minutes later (usually toys come out and crafts are DONE.) Kitamura’s Hat Tricks book worked well for both the younger and older kids, though I’d wished I had something slightly simpler for the babies. But I had enough 1.5-2.5 year old kids in that group that they enjoyed it. Cleminson’s Magic Box was a backup title for the older kids, but I didn’t end up using it.

Early Learning Tip: Walking, running, and dancing all require the body’s ability to keep a steady beat. By doing lap bounces with your baby you are getting them ready for this later developmental stage. (BB)

Early Learning Tip: Counting songs are great ways to introduce children to consecutive numbers and counting. To mix it up, count up AND down, use your non-dominant hand for counting, and occasionally count from or to a number outside of 5 or 10, as we did today in “Six Magic Rabbits.” (TB) (FT)

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

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

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

Intro: Today’s theme is about Magic! Has anyone been to a Magic show? Or saw a magician do a magic trick?

I saw on the Once Upon a (Story) Time… blog the author mentioned a chalk story called “The Magician’s Hat.” One of the commenters identified the book it came from, and I ILLed it but didn’t get it in time to incorporate it into my planning. But I did want to include it here for your benefit and for my future self!
Drawing Rhyme: The Magician’s Hat
(refer to the pictures to see what to add for each line. The last line does not have an addition to the drawing)
The magician has an empty hat (1)
Turned upside down with a brim like that (2)
Then suddenly a head appears (3)
With two bright eyes… (4)
…and two long ears (5)
And a small round nose… (6)
…and whiskers, too. (7)
And magic stories just for you
Source: Chalk in Hand: The Draw and Tell Book by Phyllis Noe Pflomm (c)1986 via Once Upon a (Story) Time blog

Sometimes a magician will use a magic wand, like this one! But – perhaps you can do magic with your finger! It’s possible you’ll need your grownup to infuse your finger with some magic, so they might give it a little kiss or blow a little air on it. Okay, you’re ready! At the end, after it inevitably gets quieter when we “shh,” I said, “Oh, it got quiet! You DO have a magic finger!” That got some laughs from the grownups. 🙂
Fingerplay: Magic Finger (BB) (TB) (FT)
Magic finger in the air, Magic finger in my hair
Magic finger on my fist, Magic finger on my wrist
Magic finger on my shin, Magic finger on my chin
Magic finger on my hip, Magic finger on my lips (shhhh!)
Source: adapted from YouthLiterature.com via Storytime Katie (two middle lines by Ms. Emily)

Rhyme Game: Abracadabra (TB) (FT)
(children act as the “spell” indicates)
Abracadabra, Alaka-zitty
When I say KAZAM you’ll all be kitties! KAZAM!
Abracadabra, Alaka-zoo
When I say KAZAM you’ll all be kangaroos! KAZAM!
Abracadabra, Alaka-zion
When I say KAZAM you’ll all be lions! KAZAM!
Abracadabra, Alaka-zow
When I say KAZAM you’ll all be cows! KAZAM!
Abracadabra, Alaka-zap
When I say KAZAM you’ll all take a nap! KAZAM!
Abracadabra, Alaka-zids
When I say KAPOW you’ll turn back to kids! KAPOW!
Source: libraryfun.home.blog

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

Hattie the Rabbit just gives me all the joy.
Read: Hat Tricks by Satoshi Kitamura (BB) (TB) (FT)

I had this as a backup book, but didn’t end up reading it.
Read: Magic Box by Katie Cleminson

I used a black piece of felt to put over the rabbit and other items in the hat to keep them from showing. I had a seashell, a soft flamingo ornament, a kazoo, and a crocheted bee as my other items. At last, I told the kids my magic was a little rusty and asked if they could get out their magic fingers to help me out. Finally, the rabbit appeared! They LOVED this.
Rhyme with Puppet: Hat Trick (BB) (TB) (FT)
Magic, magic, in my hat!
I’ll pull out a rabbit – (pull anything other than a rabbit)
Ahhhh! What is that?!
(repeat until ready for the rabbit)

Magic, magic, in my hat!
I’ll pull out a rabbit –
See! Look at that!
Source: SLC Book Boy

Picture of a construction paper wand and a puppet of a white rabbit in a black top hat.

For my age group, I did only four rabbits.
Flannel Rhyme: Six Magic Rabbits (TB)
Six magic rabbits, each in a tall black hat
Along comes a magician who gives each one a pat
Then she waves her magic wand high above their ears
Abracadabra, poof! One rabbit disappears!
(Count down to one)

One magic rabbit, in a tall black hat
Along comes a magician who gives him a pat
Then she waves her magic wand high above his ears
Abracadabra, poof! The last rabbit disappears!
Source: Libraryfun.home.blog

flannel of six identical black hats with six identical white rabbit heads on top as if appearing from the hats

Before this rhyme, I mentioned that knowing our left and right is a learned skill (and not an easy one!) so grownups can help, or they can mirror me. We did it twice – the first time I demonstrated using only my hands, then the rabbit in the hat did it with us the second time.
Puppet Rhyme: Little Bunny in a Hat (BB) (TB) (FT)
Little bunny in a hat, Sitting so still (begin with bunny hidden)
Will she come out? Yes she will! (bunny pops out of hat)
She looks to the left (turn puppet left)
She looks to the right (turn puppet right)
She looks straight ahead (turn puppet to front)
And pops out of sight (hides in hat again)
Source: Jbrary

Fingerplay: Two Magic Rabbits (BB)
Two magic rabbits, sitting in a hat
One named Peter, one named Pat
Disappear Peter, Disappear Pat
Come back Peter, Come back Pat
Source: One Little Librarian

Fingerplay: Bunnies Up! (TB) (FT)
(index and middle finger make bunny ears if you don’t have a puppet)
Bunnies up! Bunnies down!
Hold your bunny & turn around
Bunnies up! Bunnies down!
Put your bunny on the ground
Source: One Little Librarian

What do magic rabbits like to do? Just like all rabbits, they like to bounce! Let’s do a new bounce rhyme. I have been doing “A Smooth Road” for almost all of my Book Babies sessions, so I thought it was time for a new bounce. I adapted this from We Wiggle and We Wiggle and We Stop and NOT the Bounce and Stop one that goes to the tune of Farmer in the Dell, despite the similar name.
Bounce Rhyme: We Bounce and We Bounce and We STOP (BB)
We bounce and we bounce and we STOP
We bounce and we bounce and we STOP
We bounce and we bounce and we bounce and we bounce
And we bounce and we bounce and we STOP!
Repeat with “lean” and “tickle”
Source: adapted from Jbrary

Hm, who else knows how to disappear? These bees like to disappear into their beehive. Let’s see if they’ll come out. My transition here was a bit of a stretch, but oh, well!
Tickle Rhyme: Here Is the Beehive (BB)
Here is the beehive, but where are all the bees? (make fist)
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (open fingers)
They’re alive! Buzz, buzz, buzz! (tickle)
Source: Jbrary

Action Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes* (BB)

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

Craft: Magic Rabbit in a Hat Puppet (TB) (FT)
Since I had so much fun with my puppet, I wanted the kids to have something they could use to recreate our rhymes and games. I used the template shared on Libraryfun.home.blog, printed them on white cardstock, and included a jumbo craft stick and some sparkly star stickers for this easy craft. The kids really enjoyed coloring their rabbits and decorating the hat, and seemed very engaged.

picture of magic rabbit in a hat craft - paper white rabbit with a bow tie is attached to a craft stick, then put through a slit in a black paper hat. The rabbit can peek up through the hat or be hidden below the rim.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Max and the Won’t Go to Bed Show – Mark Sperring & Sarah Warburton
The Magic Rabbit – Annette LeBlanc Cate
The Magic Hat – Mem Fox & Tricia Tusa
Foxy – Emma Dodd
Word Wizard – Cathryn Falwell
Spells – Emily Gravett
The Wizard – Jack Prelutsky & Brandon Dorman
Magic Candies – Heena Baek & Sophie Bowman
Magic Matt and the Dinosaur – Grace Maccarone & Norman Bridwell
Paddington and the Magic Trick – Michael Bond & R.W. Alley

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/26, 9/27, & 9/28/22.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

Storytime: Beep, Beep! (Cars and Busses)

Posted on September 2, 2022August 31, 2022 by msemilylibrary

There’s just something about vehicles that tickle the imagination of little ones. Maybe since driving looks fun but is out of reach. Maybe because being in a car is soothing to most babies. Maybe it’s all the fun noises we can make when talking about cars. Whatever it is, vehicles are ripe storytime fodder! I limited my focus to just cars and busses this time, though you could certainly go for planes, trains, boats, and even construction vehicles. I might make them separate themes in the future!

Early Literacy Tip: Rhymes like “The Hippopotamus got on the City Bus” call attention to the fact that “hip” is just one part of the bigger word “hippopotamus.” Also, when we complete the verses for cow, sheep and snake we show how familiar animal sounds can be found in other words that we regularly use. Recognizing and playing with the smaller sounds in words is called phonological awareness. Researchers have recognized this as a critical pre-reading skill that helps kids sound out words when they begin to learn how to read.

Instead of singing everyone’s name, after singing the first verse we went around the circle and each caregiver introduced themselves and their little one, giving their age and a tip for travelling with their little. There were some great suggestions, from leaving super early for long trips, letting kids run around at stops to get the energy out, to pulling toys from the regular rotation a few weeks before a plane trip to make them new and exciting! I hope to make some bookmarks with the tips on them for future sessions.
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (BB) (TB) (FT)**

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster (BB)
I’m toast in the toaster,
I’m getting very hot
Tick tock, tick tock,
UP I pop!
Source: Jbrary

Intro: What goes vroom, vroom, and beep beep? Cars! I love going for a drive. Let’s do a rhyme about something you’ll see on the road if you go for a drive: a stoplight!

I’ve got a long black rectangle, and three colored circles. What colors do I have? Red, yellow, and green. Look at what these shapes make all together!
Action/Flannel Rhyme: Green Means Go (BB) (TB) (FT)
Green means “GO!” Go! Go! Go! (roll arms quickly)
Yellow means “Slow.” Slow… slow… slow. (roll arms slowly)
Red means “STOP!” (ASL sign for stop: one hand making a chopping motion onto flat opposite hand)
Go! Go! Go! (roll fast)
Slow… slow… slow. (roll slow)
Stop! (ASL sign for stop)
Credit: Jbrary

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

Read: Toot, Toot, Beep, Beep by Emma Garcia (BB) (FT)

Read: Puppy Truck by Brian Pinkney (TB)

Loved this take on Clean and Dirty Pigs (itself a take on Green Speckled Frogs, of course) by Jessica over at Storytime in the Stacks. I also really enjoyed the process of designing the flannelboard pieces in Canva – you can read more about that (and download a copy of the template!) at my post here!
Counting Song: Five Cars So Squeaky Clean (TB)
(tune of Five Green and Speckled Frogs)
Five cars so squeaky clean,
Shiniest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go out for a drive, BEEP, BEEP!
One drove into the mud,
Spun out with a great big THUD!
Now there are four clean shiny cars
(count down)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

These cars have mud all over their windshields! Let’s help them see with this rhyme:
Rhyme: Windshield Wiper (TB)
(move arms back and forth like a wiper)
Oh, I’m a windshield wiper, This is how I go
Back and forth, back and forth
In the rain and snow
Source: King County (WA) Library System

What else has a windshield wiper, and can carry lots of people? A BUS. Do you know a song about the bus?
There are so many verses, I usually only do 3-4. I ask the audience if they have a favorite. I also ask them to help me by doing the motions since my hands are occupied playing my instrument!
Ukulele/Action Song: The Wheels on the Bus (BB) (TB) (FT)
The wheels on the bus go round and round (circle arms)
Round and round, Round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town

Additional Verses:
The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish (wiper motion)
The doors on the bus go open and shut (open/close hands)
The money on the bus goes clink, clink, clink (mime dropping a coin)
The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep (push a horn)
The driver on the bus says “Move on back” (cock thumb back)
The people on the bus go up and down (bounce up and down)
The baby on the bus says “Wah, wah, wah” (wring hands)
The parents on the bus say “Shush, shush, shush.” (bring index finger to lips)
Source: traditional

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

Thumbnail of ukulele songsheet for The Wheels on the Bus

Time to go for a drive!
Bounce: A Smooth Road (BB) (FT)
A smooth road! (repeat x4) (slowly, and sway baby gently)
A bumpy road! (x4) (a little faster, bouncing gently up and down)
A rough road! (x4) (even faster, bouncing and adding erratic swaying)
Oh, no! A hole! (tip over, lift up, and/or let them fall safely through your knees)
Source: Jbrary

Rhythm Rhyme: Hippopotamus on a City Bus (BB) (TB) (FT)
(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!” (motion hand down or fall thru knees)
A sheep…“Baaaack up!” (lean far back)
Credit: Jbrary

Action Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes* (BB) (TB) (FT)

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

Craft: Paper Plate Car (TB) (FT)
Inspired by this post at Glued To My Crafts, we made simple paper plate cars. I eschewed the headlight in front to simplify and just provided a half paper plate, two black circles for tires and two white quarter-circles for windows. We got out the dot markers to paint, but you could use anything to color the body of the car.

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
My Bus – Byron Barton
Truck, Truck, Goose – Tammi Sauer & Zoe Waring
Vroom! – Barbara McClintock
The Babies on the Bus – Karen Katz
Race! – Sue Fliess & Edwardian Taylor
Love Is a Truck – Amy Novesky & Sara Gillingham
Bunnies On the Bus – Philip Ardagh & Ben Mantle
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car – Kate Dopirak & Mary Peterson
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus – Mo Willems
Car Wash – Sandra & Susan Steen & G. Brian Karas

This storytime was presented in-person on 8/29, 8/30, & 8/31/22.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

Storytime: Camping

Posted on August 12, 2022August 7, 2025 by msemilylibrary

I have a short break before my next set of storytimes, so I took a look at my old files and will start blogging some of the older themes I did pre-pandemic. Today’s is the very first theme I did on my own when I started as an early literacy librarian (I’d done some ad hoc before, but it wasn’t the main part of my job.) This is back in summer of 2019, and it’s kind of amazing to look and see how they’ve changed since then.

If I did these themes again, I probably would tweak, but I like getting them blogged as a record of what came before, and ideas, songs, rhymes, and props that I might reuse. I hope they may be helpful for you, too!

Back then, I had two storytimes: one for Babies & Toddlers ages 0-2, and a “Stories and More” preschool class for ages 3-5. I’ll indicate what was used in each program with a (B) for babies and a (P) for preschool. I also did not have a handout or do early literacy tips at this point. Cheers for the evolution and education I’ve achieved since then!

You can find another version of this theme from 2025.

Welcome song: We Clap and Sing Hello* (B) (P)
*See lyrics for repeated songs on the Repeated Songs and Rhymes page

I read three books for the preschool class, which worked there, but I haven’t been able to do more than one with my current group of kids.
Read: Just Me & My Dad by Mercer Mayer (P)

Action Song: I’m Going Camping (P)
(tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I am going camping (point thumbs proudly to chest)
Time to pack (point to wrist)
My tent, my bedroll, and a snack (Make tent with hands; fold hands to cheek; pretend to eat)
I’ll sit by the campfire (warm hands over fire)
Its glow so bright (wiggle fingers like a fire)
Then snooze in my tent (pretend to snore)
‘Til the morning light! (arms circle over head)
Source: Lady Librarian’s Literacy, Lifestyle, and Lookbook Log

Counting Rhyme: Five Little Fireflies (B)
One little firefly shines very bright (hold up fingers)
Two little fireflies show their lights
Three little fireflies glimmer and glow
Four little fireflies watch them go!
Five little fireflies fly in the night
Blink! Blink! Blink! Blink! (open and close fingers)
My! What a sight!
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Read: Camping Day by Patricia Lakin (B) (P)

Rhyme: Sleeping Bag (P)
I was lying in my sleeping bag
I couldn’t go to sleep
I looked at my watch and wanted to weep!
I rolled to my left
I rolled to my right
but all I could hear were noises in the night!
I hear an owl! Hoo hoo hoo!
(have the kids name some things you might hear in the middle of the night, out in the woods, in your backyard. Some good options include a dog, a bear, a wolf, etc)
Source: Sturgis Kids

I made cardstock paper props for this song and gave each family a packet with each item so they had something to put in the middle for each verse.
Action Song: The Campfire Pokey (B) (P)
You put your marshmallow in
You take your marshmallow out
You put your marshmallow in
And you shake it all about
You do the campfire pokey
And you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about: Yum, Yum!
Repeat with hot dog, potato, popcorn, or anything else that you can roast over the campfire.
Last verse:
You put your whole dinner in…
Source: What Happens in Storytime

Download a copy of the template here!

thumbnail of campfire pokey props, with a pan of popcorn, marshmallow on a stick, hot dog in a bun, and potato.

Read: Ruby’s Sleepover by Kathryn White & Miriam Latimer (P)

Scarf Song: Popcorn Kernels (P)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels (wave overhead)
In the pot, in the pot (bunch up in fists)
Shake them, shake them, shake them / shake them, shake them, shake them (shake fists)
‘Til they POP, ‘til they POP (toss scarves up)
Source: Jbrary

This was a song my predecessor played at every single storytime program! It was well loved. We had a basket of unsharpened pencils in a bunch of different colors that they used as their sticks. The kids liked to find two of the same color.
Rhythm Stick Song: Tap Your Sticks by Hap Palmer (B) (P)
from the album Rhythms on Parade
see the video: https://youtu.be/M-UKTeWNgOk

Craft: Campfire (P)
Red, orange, and yellow squares of construction paper were glued to a black piece of construction paper, with two (regular) craft sticks glued crisscross underneath. Simple, but I like that there are some different materials and a 3D element in the sticks. Inspired by this craft at Once Upon a (Story) Time (photo credit to her blog, since I don’t have mine anymore!)

Photo of craft with red, orange, and yellow squares of construction paper glued to a black piece of construction paper, with two craft sticks glued crisscross underneath — photo from Once Upon a (Story) Time blog

Centers/Playtime (B) (P)
We spent 5-10 minutes in playtime and socialization each storytime. The babies and toddlers had a couple of baskets full of baby toys – stackers and sorters and pull toys, cars and rattles and toy phones, that sort of thing. I’m not sure where the library got them, whether they purchased them or had donations or looked at yard sales. The preschool group had more complex or interactive toys like puzzles, musical instruments, finger puppets, and toys that I’ve seen on the Lakeshore Learning site that require just a bit more sophistication.

Parachute Time (B) (P)
I honestly forget what I did during parachute time! I think we practiced holding it high, low, shaking fast and slow, and maybe did a song like the Itsy Bitsy Spider. It’s been a long time and when I get out the parachute again I’ll have to re-learn how to do it!

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (B) (P)

This storytime was presented in person on 6/18/19 & 6/20/19.

Flannelboard: Five Cars So Squeaky Clean

Posted on August 5, 2022August 31, 2022 by msemilylibrary

I have a three week break between my last summer program and the next one in August, so I’m working ahead! Here’s a project I’ve had a lot of fun playing with.

Inspired by this post at Storytime in the Stacks, I’m planning to use this rhyme at an upcoming transportation storytime. Searching Canva for simple cartoon cars, I found an adorable series of art featuring animals driving cars. An idea was hatched.

Using simple shapes in the Canva app, I was able to alter the animals faces to give them all surprised looks to really emphasize a difference between the “clean” and “dirty” sides, and cover the cars and the animals with dirt splotches. Their faces crack me up!

Several of the cars in the series were red, so in order to have five different colors I worked some editing magic to put the mouse in a blue car instead of the original. And I wish the giraffe’s car was more green than teal, but that’s okay. The “clean” side had more of the original artwork, with the exception of the bear in the taxi, whose “surprised” face was the original, and I replaced the giraffe’s big eye with a small one for the clean side. Otherwise, I made eyes bigger and gave them open-mouthed expressions. I was liberal with the mud splotches, too!

Want to download your own copy? Find it here!

Notes on construction – I printed single-sided on cardstock and held the two sides up to the light to match up one car at a time (printing back-to-back will NOT line up the cars, sorry), then put a small piece of rolled tape between the two to keep them together while I cut around them. When each car was cut, I laminated and put a small adhesive velcro dot (or half a dot) on each side, hiding them on a white part.

Enjoy the rhyme!

Five Cars So Squeaky Clean
(tune of Five Green and Speckled Frogs)
Five cars so squeaky clean
Shiniest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go out for a drive
BEEP, BEEP!
One drove into the mud
Spun out with a great big THUD!
Now there are four clean shiny cars

(count down)
last line:
…Now there are no clean shiny cars!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Flannelboard: Pirate Jack Gets Dressed

Posted on April 27, 2022April 27, 2022 by msemilylibrary

If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Pirate Jack Gets Dressed by Nancy Raines Day & Allison Black, check him out! This swashbuckler takes us through his morning dress routine, which consists of a long list of clothing items in a variety of colors, all in charming rhyme that begs to be read with a jaunty pirate-y accent. I love that there are some more unusual clothes, like a vest and sash, as well as colors often overlooked in books that focus on the rainbow, like gold and silver and brown. Hello, vocabulary!

A picture of the Pirate Jack Gets Dressed book cover.

Adding one clothing piece after another is a perfect fit for flannel adaptation. I first blogged about this set in a What We Wear/Clothing themed storytime and was inspired by a resource my state library put together on nominees for their Early Literacy Firefly Award (you can find their template in the 2020 program guide). I changed the set quite a bit, giving Jack his distinctive features from the book and lengthening his body so his sock and boot actually fit on his leg.

Photo of all the separate pieces of the Pirate Jack felt set, including gray long johns, a white shirt, yellow pants, a blue vest, a pink sock, a brown boot and brown peg leg, a red waist sash, an orange head sash, a silver (gray) hook, a purple coat, gold earrings, and a green parrot.

Thanks to reader Jennifer who asked about a template for this flannel set! I didn’t initially make a template, but scanned my finished pieces so you could recreate it if you wish. There are notes on the template that indicate where pieces might be layered, and a scan of a few of the back pieces to see how a couple of the trickier pieces are put together. One more note – my pieces are a little small. I think if I were doing this again, I would enlarge it a bit just to make it easier to see and work with. You should be able to use your printer dialog box to enlarge (probably anywhere from 20-50% might be good) and print on tablet (11×17) sized paper instead of the default letter (8.5×11).

Photo of Pirate Jack flannel with all the pieces put together so he is "dressed"

Pirate Jack is a great multi-use flannel. You could use this one for a Clothing theme, as I did, one for Pirates or the Ocean, or, of course, Colors. It’s a great fit for the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s Oceans of Possibilities theme for summer 2022. Enjoy!

Download the Pirate Jack template here!

thumbnail of 2 of 4 pages of the Pirate Jack template

Family Storytime: Feeling Thankful (2021)

Posted on February 8, 2022November 30, 2023 by msemilylibrary

I haven’t repeated storytime themes very often, but I find it comforting to do this theme every year in November, just tweaking my books and activities from year to year. With the tumult of the pandemic, I’m not sure how many of my families have actually experienced all three versions of this, but I’m finding it’s a worthy repeat. You can see the version I did in 2020 here (I hadn’t been blogging in 2019, but perhaps someday I’ll write up those older sessions.)

As in the past, I prefer not to focus on the American Thanksgiving tradition, culturally and problematically wrapped up in false narratives and violent colonialism, but on gratitude as a concept. I also like to use this opportunity to highlight Native authors and illustrators. This year I also talked kindness and family get-togethers (both of which I’m thankful for) as segues into our books.

Additionally, this was a significant storytime for me, as it was my last one at this library. I accepted another position (still doing storytime!) and this was a great theme for me to say goodbye and express my appreciation for all the storytime friends I’ve made and the library as a whole. More on that transition in an upcoming post!

You can see the plans for every year I’ve done this theme here.

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

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Our new repeated warm-up rhyme.
Warm-Up Rhyme: Open, Shut Them
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap clap!
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap, lap!

Creepy, crawly, Creepy, crawly
Right up to your chin, chin, chin
Open up your little mouth,
But do not let them In, in, in!

Higher, higher, Higher, higher
Almost to the sky, sky, sky
Then like little birdies
Watch them Fly, fly, fly!

Lower, lower, Lower, lower
Almost to the ground, ground, ground
Quickly pick them up again
And turn them round and round:
Faster, faster, faster!
Slower, slower, slower.

Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap clap
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap, lap!
Source: adapted from King County Library System (WA)

Talk: What does it mean to feel thankful? When would you say “thank you” to a person? Let’s practice with this fingerplay

Figuring out how to do this rhyme without the middle finger AND using it to do the ASL sign for I love you is one of my proudest moments. 🙂
Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin, Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am, Here I am,
How are you today, Friend?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

(repeat with pointer, pinky, then all three)
Where are three friends, Where are three friends?
Here we are, Here we are,
How are you today, Friends?
Very well, we thank you.
I love you, I love you.
Source: adapted from the traditional rhyme by Ms. Emily

Song: The More We Get Together
See ASL movements here: https://youtu.be/YZLlZoD3gU8
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together
The happier we’ll be
For your friends are my friends
and my friends are your friends
The more we get together
The happier we’ll be

The more we read together, together, together
the more we read together
the happier we’ll be.
Read big books and small books
Read short books and tall books
The more we read together
the happier we’ll be.
Verse 2 Source: Story Time Secrets

Breathing Break: Soup Breathing
Time for a mindful breathing break. I asked the kids to imagine they were holding a bowl of their very favorite soup, and asked what kind they liked. Then with their hands cupped in front of them, we slowly breathed in the delicious aroma through their noses, then slowly and gently breathed out through their mouths to cool off this hot soup. Afterward, I let them know that this exercise always makes me feel good and more grounded, and they could always get out their bowl of soup if they need help calming down or feeling more connected to their bodies.
Source: Lucky Little Learners

One more repeated activity.
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
(hands scrape past each other rhythmically)
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
If you want to take a trip (fingers walk up arm)
Climb aboard my rocket ship!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF! (crouch, then jump!)
Source: Jbrary

I’m thankful for time to get together with family! This grandma has a tiny house, but a BIG family!
Read: Grandma’s Tiny House by JaNay Brown-Wood & Priscilla Burris

Ukulele Song: If You’re Thankful and You Know It
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands
If you’re thankful and you know it
and you really want to show it
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands

Additional Verses:
Stomp your feet, Shout “hooray”, Do all three
Source: adapted from the traditional

This flannel was made from the template created by Mel at Mel’s Desk! I go over the lyrics first and add the flannel pieces, then play the song (recorded or ukulele). I encourage kiddos and parents to snuggle and hug, or kiddos can snuggle with a stuffed animal during this song. Afterwards is a good time to mention today’s early literacy tip.
Flannel/Ukulele Song: Thanks a Lot
Thanks a lot, Thanks for Sun in the sky
Thanks a lot, Thanks for clouds so high
Thanks a lot, Thanks for whispering wind
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the birds in the spring
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the moonlit night
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the stars so bright
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the wondering me
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the way I feel
Thanks for the animals, Thanks for the land,
Thanks for the people everywhere
Thanks a lot
Thanks for all I’ve got
Thanks for all I’ve got
Source: From the Album “Baby Beluga” by Raffi

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Thanks a Lot” here!

Craft: Thankful Tree
The concept is very similar to the “Thankful Wreath” from last year. Each craft packet had several leaf shapes in various fall colors (red, yellow, orange, brown), and a piece of sky blue construction paper with a brown bare tree shape printed on it. I added the heading “I am thankful for…” at the top, and kids could write (with or without help) or draw the things they’re grateful for on the leaves and paste them on.

Download a PDF of the tree and leaves here!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Let’s Be Kind by Ekaterina Trukhan
The Blue Table by Chris Raschka
Thanks a Ton! by Sabrina Moyle & Eunice Moyle
The Thank You Book by Mo Willems

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

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 11/23/21.

Storytime Handout: