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.
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!
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
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!
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.
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).
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!
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!
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: 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
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
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
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.
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.
Our local parks department runs a summer half-day camp for preschoolers, and asked the library to come out for a story and craft session once a week. It was another outdoor opportunity to connect with our community, so I was happy to do it! We had time each week for a book, a song, and a craft, and the kiddos were a lot of fun. The camp had their own weekly themes, so I tailored each session to what they were already doing. Where I could, I then used any overlapping animal themes for my weekly library storytime (dinosaurs, arctic, jungle), but did something different the weeks they had non-animal themes (transportation, olympics).
Pets: 6/17/21
I’d done a pet theme a few months earlier, so this was an easy one. I got to read a book that was a little long for my “all ages/family” virtual program, but was perfect for a group of preschoolers. I did a different voice for each pet and really hammed it up. They loved it! For our song, I wanted to get the ukulele out, so did “How Much is that Pet in the Window.” Their “job” was to make the animal noises after each line, and they took that job *very* seriously. 🙂
Book: Mr Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite by Stacy McAnulty & Edward Hemingway
Song: How Much Is that Pet in the Window? How much is that doggy in the window? Woof woof! The one with the waggily tail? How much is that doggy in the window? Woof woof! I do hope that doggy’s for sale
Additional verses: (What do other animals do and say?) Kitty…meow…whiskers so long Bird… tweet tweet…flappity wings Rabbit…hop hop…hoppity legs Fish… glub glub… swimmy fins Credit: Jen in the Library
Craft: Paper Plate Fishbowls In the past I’d used dried beans for the aquarium rocks, but for simplicity and weight I used crispy rice cereal for this group.My photo is from my original sample.
Dinosaurs: 6/24/21
Again, I’ve done dinosaurs in the past (pre-blog), so it was easy to pull together a song and book.I figured out the chords for Five Little Ducks the way I sing it (which seems to be a little different from a lot of the chord sheets I looked at, strangely enough). I also had flannel board dino pieces that I brought along and held up for each new dinosaur. They were from a template on the Mel’s Desk blog.
Book: We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Ukulele Song: One Dinosaur Went Out to Play (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, Diiiiiiiiiiiinosaur!” (slap thighs for “running” sounds)
(count up to 5) Last line: …That they played until the day was done! Credit: Mel’s Desk
Craft: Shape-o-Saurus Make a dino using simple shapes. This was a tough one to do on a windy day – shapes blew everywhere! But the kids still enjoyed it. I created a template to get all the shapes for two dinos on one sheet of construction paper, which you can download here. I printed them on red, green, and purple, but you could do any color you like.
Another easily adapted theme from sessions I’ve done in the past. I used a new-to-me book and tried to keep the craft as simple as possible. I figured a familiar song would be welcome and the kiddos were happy to call out the Wheels on the Bus verses we did together.
Book: Toad on the Road: A Cautionary Tale by Stephen Shaskan
Ukulele Song: The Wheels on the Bus 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 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 at eyes) The parents on the bus say “Shush, shush, shush.” (bring index finger to lips)
Craft: Name Train Simple craft this time. I printed a train engine on two halves of 11×17 paper and provided construction paper squares to make cars. (My cars were too big for kids to have one per letter, so we figured out how to get their name on using 4 cars or less…) For a little extra sensory experience, we glued down cotton ball steam – which is hard to see in the picture!
A cold weather theme for the middle of summer! I had an inflatable globe I’d intended to bring to point out the arctic and antarctic (the fact that polar bears and penguins get grouped together is one of my pet peeves), but I’d left it behind. Oh, well, next time! I also left the ukulele at home this week on purpose – our song worked better with motions, and I brought our storytime scarves for it. I added a verse about the dryer since it felt wrong to wash without drying!
Book: A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris
Scarf Song: The Walrus Washes His Winter Coat Oh, the walrus washes his winter coat Down by the wavy ocean He adds some water and he adds some soap and he waits…and he waits…and he waits.
Then the laundry shakes, shakes, shakes The laundry shakes and shakes and shakes The laundry shakes, shakes, shakes until it’s clean. (repeat)
Additional verses: The laundry spins … until it’s clean The laundry tumbles … until it’s dry Credit: Brytani Fraser via Jbrary
Craft: Polar Bear Scene This was inspired by Tompkins County Public Library (NY). I printed a picture of a polar bear on dark blue construction paper, and gave kids chalk and cotton balls. They could choose to fill the bear with either chalk or cotton, or the snow (or really, whatever they wanted.) I showed them examples of both and let them go. It was fun to see the variety of what they made.
Olympics: 7/22/21
This theme was actually not one I’d ever done before, so I pulled a lot of books to see what might fit. I considered Peanut Goes for the Gold by Jonathan Van Ness & Gillian Reid – it’s super cute and a pretty recent title (plus, Peanut uses they/them pronouns – bonus!), but ultimately decided to go with Jabari Jumps. I’d thought it would be more relatable, and worked with the song I’d chosen. Our craft was an abstract process art piece that the kids really got into.
Book: Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
Ukulele Song: If You’re Going to the Pool (tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It) If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit If you’re going to the pool, then a suit will keep you cool If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit (Additional verses: hat, flip flops, sunglasses, what else?) Credit: Teeny Tiny Library
Craft: Olympic Rings Inspired by the Happy Hooligans blog, this was a simple process art. I brought paper plates, tempera paint, toilet paper tubes, and construction paper, showed them how to make a ring, and let them at it! Some were done in three minutes, some lingered for ten.
Jungle: 7/29/21
The last session! Our book was on the longer side and the group got a little wiggly during it, so perhaps it is a better fit for slightly older kids – maybe kindergarten. The other option I was thinking of was Oh, No! by Candace Fleming & Eric Rohmann, which might have been better with the interactive option for the repeated phrase. I set up the chant by talking about monkeys and what the phrase “go bananas” meant – that helped them know exactly what to do on the last line! And the craft was one I was pretty proud of – I’d seen this lion fork painting at Crafty Morning and adapted the idea to painting the tiger’s stripes! (Since grouping savanna animals with jungle animals is another pet peeve of mine…) I found a picture of a stripeless tiger, made some jungle leaves, and the kids built their scene.
Craft: Tiger in the Jungle I asked the kids to glue down all the parts and pieces first – leaves and tiger, then gave them forks to dip into black paint to add the stripes. Lastly, they could draw any other elements on their page, such as vines or other animals.
This was the end of my storytime season – at my library we take the month of May off for planning our summer reading program. We start back up in June, and I’ll be doing OUTDOOR STORYTIMES! I’m very excited to be seeing the kids and caregivers in person again (and a little scared, too – will I remember names? Will it be terrible? Have I lost all my in-person skills?) Deep breath – we’ll be good.
Early Literacy Tip: Helping children cope with transitions is something we caregivers can do mindfully, whether going from one activity to another or going to a new school or moving to a new house. Ease into transitions by creating or continuing routines that evolve as a child gets older. A goodbye routine might be a special hug and kiss, but can evolve into pat and a smile by the time they are “big kids.” Simple songs can signal going to bed (it’s time to go bed, it’s time to go bed, heigh-ho the derry-o, it’s time to go to bed) or time alerts (5 minutes until bed… 3 minutes until bed…) As you show your child ways to cope, they will develop their own internal transition skills.
Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello
Rhyme: How Do You Say Hello? Hey! Hi! Howdy! Yo! There are many ways to say hello! Wave your hand. Nod your head Smile big or wink instead Blow a kiss. Tip your hat Shake your hands. Give a pat Of all the ways to say hello, Here’s the way I like to go… HELLO! (choose your favorite!) Credit: Storytime Katie
In this book, a little girl named Carmelita loves to say hello to all the people in her neighborhood. Many of them speak a different language, so she’s learned to say hello many different ways. Read: Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora
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! Say goodbye. Say goodbye. Credit: adapted from the traditional
Action Song: Say Hello to Your Toes (tune of London Bridge) Say hello to your toes, to your toes, to your toes! Say hello to your toes. Hello, toes! (repeat for knees, tummies, elbows, middle, etc.) Credit: Storytime Secretsvia the Reading Room
Fingerplay: Open, Shut Them(Hello/Goodbye Version) Open, shut them, open, shut them Put your hands down low, low, low Open, shut them, open, shut them Wave and say hello-lo-lo!
Open, shut them, open, shut them Raise your hands up high, high, high Open, shut them, open, shut them Wave and say goodbye, bye, bye! Credit: One Little Librarian
This one is a little long, but it’s so sweet. Read: Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari & Patrice Barton
Using this farm set from Oriental Trading, I hid various animals behind farm objects, with little bits of them sticking out. Flannel Song: Can We Find? (tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?) Can we find a pink pig? A pink pig? A pink pig? Can we find a pink pig? We want to say HELLO! (oink, oink!) (can be used for any hide-and-seek type game at home!) Credit: Sunflower Storytime
Action 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! (blow a kiss!) (can you think of other goodbye rhymes? wave goodbye, butterfly, toodle-oo, kangaroo, gotta go, buffalo, take care, teddy bear, etc) Credit: King County Library System
Discuss: This is our last storytime before our summer programs, so we’ll be saying goodbye for a little while, but I’ll be planning and getting ready to have some amazing fun storytimes for you starting again in June. This next book is about how saying goodbye to one thing always means saying hello to something else.
Read: Goodbye Brings Hello by Dianne White & Daniel Wiseman
Action Rhyme: Thank You Rhyme My hands say thank you with a clap, clap, clap And my feet say thank you with a tap, tap, tap Clap, clap, clap; tap, tap, tap We roll our hands around and we say goodbye Credit: Mansfield/Richland County Public Library (OH)
Ukulele Song: Hello Goodbye See songsheet for lyrics. I couldn’t resist singing this classic Beatles tune for a Hello & Goodbye theme! Honestly, it’s kind of perfect for contrary toddlers. I simplified it for storytime, but kept the full song on the sheet in case you have time or want to play the whole thing on your own. (The parts I eliminated for storytime are in gray.) You can channel the original from the Beatles, or maybe try to embody Caspar Babypants!If you’re in-person and not a singer, you could play these recordings instead.
Craft: Hello Goodbye Elephant Another simple craft from Sunflower Storytime. I love her printables! I had (too much?) fun making a purple elephant with pink polka dots.
Update 4/21/23: Since the Sunflower Storytime blog is no longer available, I’ll share the downloads that I had saved from their site. Download the Hello Goodbye Elephant here!
I also suggested these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video. Say Hello Like This! by Mary Murphy Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg Medina & Sonia Sánchez Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! by Cori Doerrfeld
Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars
This storytime was presented virtually on 4/27/21.
Here’s a flannel for an upcoming storytime on knitting. I first saw the rhyme on the Canton Public Library (MI)’s blog. I quickly realized that I need ALL the colors (!) so there are ten balls instead of five.
Ten Balls of Yarn Ten balls of yarn, sitting in a bowl (10 fingers up) One fell out and started to…. ROLL (roll arms) It bounced on my foot and there it sits (point to foot) How many balls are left to knit? (9 fingers up) (Count down until all the balls of yarn are on the floor) Credit: Canton Public Library (MI)
(TEMPLATE at the end of the post!)
Process
I found a simple ball of yarn graphic on Canva, and first just cut out the outline. I decided it looked way too boring so contemplated how to make it look more like yarn than just a blob. I felt a little overwhelmed thinking of cutting out all of the whitespace on the graphic – there are 11 skinny pieces for each ball, so that makes 110 total! Looking for another answer, I thought about using actual yarn glued down. It just didn’t look the way I wanted, used a lot of glue, and was difficult to do neatly.
So, I experimented cutting out the little pieces, and decided it was worth the effort (for me.) I really liked the way it looked and the option to put different shades of a color together for some visual interest. After a couple of tries, I found a method of taping and cutting the pieces that worked well and didn’t take too long. Tweezers and toothpicks are very handy tools for small pieces, especially during the gluing process!
It was kind of a fun puzzle to figure out how to best lay out the pieces for the various felt scraps I had.
The book One Red Sock by Jennifer Sattler was on one of Lindsey Krabbenhoft’s (of Jbrary fame) annual lists of favorite storytime books, and as soon as I read it I knew I’d have to create felt pieces for it. The book tells, in rhyming and predictive text, the story of a messy purple hippo that can’t find a second red sock to wear. Instead, she tries on a variety of other colors. It’s cute and the format is exactly the same as so many of our other felt rhymes, so it translates perfectly.
