ukulele – Page 3 – Storytime with Ms. Emily Library

Book Babies Storytime Update

Posted on January 17, 2025January 15, 2025 by msemilylibrary

Hello, readers, and welcome to 2025! Do you ever have those weeks where it feels like everything is happening at once? It’s been like that for me lately. I have a couple of storytimes in the backlog to share with you soon, but today I figured I’d give a quick update on my Book Babies programs and the new songs and rhymes I’ve been using for the last few months.

You can see all my previous posts about Book Babies, which would include lots of rhymes and songs to do. I’ve gotten to the point that I’m recycling old plans, but I do still switch out activities here and there to keep it fresh for me, and to replace songs or rhymes that didn’t quite jive (or I’m just not in the mood for!) It’s fun to see what works with a particular group.

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

See all the Book Babies plans here.

The general plan goes like this:

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

Here is an updated room setup, with the parachute out for babies to lay on/sit on. I started to put out round floor mats at each wedge/seat, with the caveat that anyone can pull up a chair to sit at if they don’t want to get down on the floor. My pink short chair is perfect for this – I can move easily from it to the floor if I want to demo one way or another. There’s a random board book at each place for them to use during our individual reading time.

parachute set up showing a white parachute on a purple rug, with rainbow colored circular mats arranged around the edge and board books in front of every mat. At the head of the room is a small pink upholstered chair and an easel with rhyme sheets taped to it.

I am happy to report that after a couple of years of having a “color the parachute” station during our outdoor summer storytime, it’s much more colorful and fun!

closer photo of white parachute, showing colorful signatures, drawings, scribbles, hand prints, etc. board books are arranged at the end of each wedge and circular mats are on the floor around the edge.

New since April 2024

Fingerplay

Fingerplay Rhyme/Tickle: This Little Train
This little train ran up the track (walk fingers up baby’s arm or leg)
It went Choo! Choo! (tap baby’s nose or belly button)
And then it ran back (walk fingers back down)
The other little train (other arm or leg) ran up the track
It went Choo! Choo! And then it ran back
Source: King County (WA) Library System

this little train thumbnail, with a graphic of a toddler with arms out - the left arm has an adult's fingers walking toward the shoulder, and the right arm has a tiny train engine and coal car heading toward the shoulder. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I have used this one for Hispanic Heritage Month themed toddler storytimes before, but this is the first time I’ve used this song for babies. I do have several Spanish-speaking families, so I was glad to include it!
Song: La linda manita
(flip hand back and forth)
La linda manita (What a pretty, tiny hand)
que tiene el bebé (the baby has!)
qué linda, qué bella (How pretty, how beautiful)
qué preciosa es (How precious it is!)
Source: traditional, watch: https://youtu.be/OWAunlWlMUI

la linda manita thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a child's hand gripping an adult's thumb. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Bounce/Lift

Bounce: Two Little Boats
(rock forward and back)
Two little boats went out to sea
All is calm as calm can be
(rock side to side)
Gently the wind begins to blow
Two little boats rock to and fro
(Bounce up and down)
Loudly the wind begins to shout
Two little boats they bounce about
STOP! (freeze) goes the storm, the wind, and rain
And two little boats sail on again (rock forward and backward)
Source: Intellidance

two little boats thumbnail, with a graphic of two sailboats with colorful sails. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Bounce/Lift: Jelly on the Plate
Jelly on the plate, jelly on the plate (bounce)
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble (turn baby side to side)
Jelly on the plate (bounce)
Additional verses:
Sausage in the pan…Turn them out (lean baby outward)
Biscuits in the tin…Shake them up (wiggle and lift baby)
Sweeties in the jar…Pick them out (gently pinch belly)
Candles on the cake…Blow them out… (blow on neck or belly)
Source: Jbrary

jelly on the plate thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange jello mold on a plate, a skillet with a sausage, a traditional danish cookie tin, a mason jar of wrapped candies, and a pink birthday cake with three smoking candles. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I looked, and Lynn and Dover are indeed towns nearby Boston!
Bounce: Trot to Boston
Trot, trot to Boston,
Trot, trot to Lynn
You’d better be careful
Or you might fall in! (tilt or lean)

Trot, trot to Boston,
Trot, trot to Dover
Look out everyone
You might fall over! (tilt or lean)
Source: The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

trot to boston thumbnail, with a graphic of a brown horse. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lullaby

So many variations of this song, but Raffi’s is a sweet one. I remind caregivers that you can sing any name instead of “Irene,” and in fact I did try to go around the room and sing each child’s name in the chorus. Irene is repeated four times each chorus, so you can potentially get 12 names in as written, and of course you can repeat the chorus as many times as you need.
Ukulele Lullaby: Goodnight Irene
(Raffi’s version)
Foxes sleep in the forest
Lions sleep in their dens
Goats sleep on the mountainside
And piggies sleep in pens

Chorus: Irene goodnight, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, Goodnight Irene
I’ll see you in my dreams

Whales sleep in the ocean
Zebras sleep on land
Hippos sleep by the riverside
And camels sleep on sand (Chorus)

Coyote sleeps in the canyon
And birdie sleeps in a tree
And when it’s time for me to rest
My bed’s the place for me (Chorus)
Source: Raffi, from the album The Corner Grocery Store and Other Singable Songs

Download a ukulele songsheet for Goodnight, Irene

thumbnail for goodnight irene ukulele songsheet, with a graphic of a fox curled up in a brown den. click the image to download a full PDF

goodnight irene thumbnail, with lyrics only (chorus is in dark blue). click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Tickle/On Your Back

I converted this from one to do with arms to a leg rhyme and it works pretty well. I emphasized that they didn’t need any precision doing the different motions, but in, out, in, out, cha-cha works!
Leg Song: Knife, Fork, Spoon, Spatula
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
I’m a knife, fork, spoon, spatula – cha, cha, cha!
I’m a knife, fork, spoon, spatula – cha, cha, cha!
I’m a knife, fork, spoon, I’m a knife, fork, spoon,
I’m a knife, fork, spoon, spatula – cha, cha, cha!
Source: Jbrary

knife fork spoon thumbnail, with a graphic of a small knife, fork (with spaghetti twirled around it) and spoon to the left, and a large spatula with a smiley face to the right. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Another one I’ve converted to doing with legs! We also talked about whether to push and pull from baby’s perspective or caregiver’s – it could go either way!
Leg Action Rhyme: Roll, Roll, Sugar Babies
Roll, roll sugar babies, Roll, roll sugar babies (bicycle legs)
Push! Pull! Tap, tap, tap! (push, pull, tap feet together)
Roll, roll sugar babies, Roll, roll sugar babies
Push! Pull! Tap, tap, tap!
Roll up high, Roll down low
Roll real fast, Roll real slow
Roll, roll sugar babies, Roll, roll sugar babies
Push! Pull! Tap, tap, tap!
Can repeat and replace “push” and “pull” with “up and down” or “left and right”
Source: Jbrary

roll roll sugar babies thumbnail, with a graphic of two babies with pacifiers lying on their backs with arms out. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Props

Although I know I originally got this from Jbrary, I realize listening to the recording that I have morphed it and my version sounds a bit different! Perhaps sometime I’ll record a quick video of my version.
Shaker Song: We Shake and STOP!
We shake and we shake and we STOP
We shake and we shake and we STOP
We shake and we shake and we shake and we shake
And we shake and we shake and we STOP!
…tap, …wave, …clap, …tickle
Source: Jbrary

we shake and stop thumbnail, with a graphic of a blue and a purple egg with motion lines around them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I think I was looking for a new peek-a-boo song. This one wasn’t really a fantastic improvement on the other ones I’ve done, so it may be left on the scrap pile.
Scarf Song: Where Is Baby?
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Where is baby? Where is baby?
Oh, so cute, Oh, so cute
Who’s behind this scarf?
Who’s behind this scarf?
Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-boo!
Source: adapted from Madison (ID) Library District

where is baby thumbnail, with a graphic of a dark skinned infant halfway hiding behind a transparent green plaid scarf. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Scarf Rhyme: Mix the Batter
Mix the batter, stir the batter, (stir motion)
Shake the flour in (pour motion)
Mix the batter, stir the batter,
pour it in a tin (pat lap)
Sprinkle little raisins on, (wiggle fingers down)
Pop it in to bake (move scarf forward)
Open wide the oven door… (spread arms wide (w/out scarf)
and out comes a cake! (throw scarf in the air)
Nom, nom, nom (pretend to eat)
Source: Plano (TX) Library

Mix the batter thumbnail, with a graphic of a birthday cake with three lit candles on top. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This one could certainly be done with scarves, too.
Parachute Song: Leaves Are Falling
(tune of Farmer in the Dell)
The leaves are falling down,
The leaves are falling down
Red, yellow, green, and brown,
The leaves are falling down

The snow is falling down… (whispering)
Quiet, soft, float to the ground…
The snow is falling down
Source: Handley (VA) Regional Library System (verse 2 original)

leaves are falling thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange/red maple leaf. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Dancing (instead of props)

Dancing Song: Here We Go
(tune of Here We Go Looby Loo)
Here we go in, in, in
Here we go out, out, out
Here we go in, in, in
Then we turn ourselves about

Here we go uppity-up,
Here we go down-ditty down
Here we go uppity-up
Then we turn ourselves about
Source: The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

here we go thumbnail, with a graphic of a dark skinned mother holding up her baby, and a light skinned man with a goatee holding up his. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Dancing Play: Washing Machine
Okay, babies, let’s do some laundry! (start low to the ground)
Can we put in the clothes? Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! (arm motions in, or bounce slowly with sounds)
Shake in the soap! Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch! (shake hands or bounce baby quickly)
Fill up with water! Blub-ub-ub-ub-ub! (like water gurgling up) (wiggle baby while lifting up to standing)
Here we go! (hold baby securely)
Twist, twist, twist in the washing machine (twist torso back and forth with baby in arms)
Twist, twist, twist until we’re clean!
Spiiiiiiin and STOP! (spin in a circle, then stop)
Annd the water goes down! Blub-ub-ub! (gurgle water down) (wiggle baby while lowering)
Source: Intellidance

washing machine thumbnail, with a graphic of a front loading washer showing a round window half filled with water. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What are your favorite baby activities? Share in the comments!

Storytime: Boxes

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

What can you do with a box? What CAN’T you do with it!? December seems to be a time when the cardboard boxes start to pile up, so what a great time to celebrate both the imaginative things you can do with boxes as well as the fun and mystery of an unopened box. We talked a little about presents and gifts, as well.

You can find another version of this theme from 2021.

Early Literacy Tip: Research shows that constructive play (creating and building with different types of materials) supports children’s physical, cognitive and emotional development. When we pretend and act out stories, we’re using problem-solving skills and it prepares us to write stories of our own someday. –Storytime in the Stacks

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intro: Today we’re celebrating something like this… point to brown felt box on flannelboard. What is it? A box! Boxes can be fun to play with, to build with, and sometimes, when we’re lucky, they have something wonderful inside of them!

I have a box here, and I think there’s something inside. It’s heavy! And I think I hear something.
This was a box left from my predecessor that I don’t use very often (I think she put her book in it and other special props). I had four puppets in the box: cat, duck, frog, and turtle. Turtle came last to transition to the next rhyme. Turtle didn’t make any noises, so there was some mystery and anticipation in the last repetition. After taking turtle out, I showed everyone that the box was now empty.
Puppet Game: Here Is a Box (TT) (TB) (FT)
Here is a box where something is hid
I wonder whatever is under the lid?
Let’s listen for a shout and see who comes out!
(make animal noises and guess who is in the box)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Remember to put your puppets in “butts up” so it’s easy to slip them on while holding the box!

here is a box thumbnail, with a graphic of a red lidded box. the lid is suspended above the box, and gold confetti is coming from it. in the air between the lid and box is a black question mark. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Don’t be shy, turtle, come on out! Have you ever heard of a box turtle? This turtle LIVES in a box. He’s a little feisty today – he’s hungry!
It was a little awkward because I can’t clap like I normally would for the “caught” lines, but I slapped my thigh with my free hand and the adults clapped, so it worked just fine. After one time through, we repeated, after I asked the turtle if he was still hungry and he nodded. My (adorable!) turtleneck turtle has a mouth that moves so it works a little differently than the ones in the Jbrary video.
Fingerplay: There Was a Little Turtle (TT) (TB) (FT)
There was a little turtle (make fist)
who lived in a box (cover fist)
he swam in the puddles (fist wiggles like swimming)
he climbed on the rocks (fist climbs up opposite arm)
He snapped at a mosquito (pinch with thumb and fingers at each “snap”)
He snapped at a flea
He snapped at a minnow
And he snapped at me!
He caught that mosquito (clap each “caught”)
He caught that flea
He caught that minnow
But he didn’t catch me! (waggle finger)
Source: Jbrary

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

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

The classic storytime book about boxes. It works so well it’s hard not to feature it!
Read: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis (TT) (FT)

A newer title, and one from an Indiana author! The illustrations on this one are pretty great. I’m not in love with the rhyme scheme, but I think that’s a personal preference.
Read: Grace & Box by Kim Howard & Megan Lötter (TB)

I felt like I needed another action activity, and one especially featuring pretending with boxes. Sometimes you have to just make up your own!
I love to pretend in a box – what could it be? Let’s all get out a big box to play in.
Rhyme Song: In My Box (TT) (TB) (FT)
In my box, I have found (hold arms out like a box)
I can really get around
My box is a bus: Beep, beep, beep! (wide steering wheel then horn)
Turns into a submarine and dives down deep (tip “wheel” down and crouch)
In my boat I row, row, row (row arms)
Now it’s a race car: go, go, go! (narrow steering wheel and run in place)
Let’s hop into an airplane to glide and fly (arms out to sides)
Then 3, 2, 1 – my rocket zooms to the stars in the sky (count down then clap and jump)
Source: original

in my box thumbnail, with a graphic of a rabbit driving a race car illustration from Not a Box book. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Boxes can also hold anything – there are surprises under every lid.
We talked about how many boxes there were (I only used four: blue, brown, green, and pink) and what colors they were, then we did the rhyme for each one.
Flannel Rhyme: Mystery Boxes (TT) (TB) (FT)
Little BLUE box
Let’s look and see
What’s inside there?
1… 2… 3!
Source: adapted from One For the Books blog

mystery boxes thumbnail, with a graphic of four lidded boxes: blue, brown, green, and pink. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Do you ever have the issue where you can’t sing a storytime tune when the time comes? This happened to me twice for this song! So frustrating. I originally had the Elevator song before this one. That tune messed me up and I could not get the Buffalo Gals tune going and just belted out some weird melody I knew was totally off. Oh, well, it happens, and the adults are very gracious. After that, I was running through the tune in my head over and over and felt pretty confident the second session, but again when it was time for it, I blanked. By my third time doing this program, I switched the order to do this one first, which worked! I was able to do this tune without any problem. So if you’re ever struggling, try switching the order of activities or songs.

I didn’t use my ukulele for this one, but I do have a chord sheet for it! I only did three verses for this age group and it seemed just right.
Sometimes when I have too many wiggles, I have to get out my wiggle box.
Shaker Song: Wiggle Box (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Buffalo Gals)
Let’s open up the wiggle box, the wiggle box, the wiggle box,
Let’s open up the wiggle box, And wiggle our cares away!

additional verses:
There’s a lot of wiggles in the wiggle box… So wiggle and dance today!
There’s a lot of giggles in the wiggle box… So wiggle and laugh today!
Now throw all your wiggles in the wiggle box… And lock that box up tight!
(slowly, relaxed)
Now that wiggle box is closed up tight… We’re ready for a story today!
Source: Verse 4 from Anne’s Library Life, remainder original

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Wiggle Box” here!

wiggle box thumbnail, with a graphic of a brown box with a lid askew, with many-colored wiggly lines coming from it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s a big box! What could it be? Maybe an elevator?
Okay, a bit of a stretch, but the kids don’t care. I changed from my original plan of scarves to shakers since we used scarves last week, but the prop songs work perfectly well with either.
Shaker Song: Let’s Go Riding on an Elevator (TT) (TB) (FT)
Let’s go riding on an elevator, elevator, elevator
Let’s go riding on an elevator – Ride along with me!
First floor, Second floor, Third floor, Fourth floor, Fifth floor…
And down-down-down-down-down!
Source: Jbrary

let's go riding on an elevator thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of an elevator with buttons on the right and a potted plant on the left. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This was the stand-out hit of this session. We did it three times and I think they wanted to do it again. Sue is a genius.
Remember the Jack-in-the-Box? Let’s play.
Ukulele/Action/Shaker Song: Turn Around (TT) (TB) (FT)
Can you turn around with me?
It’s as easy as can be
Round and round and round just so
Then ker-PLOP! Down we go! (fall/crouch to floor)
Jack is quiet–shhh! (finger to lips)
In his box… (arm covers head)
Open the lid… (open arm up)
And up he… POPS! (jump up)
Source: Sue Schnitzer, from the album “Wiggle and Whirl”

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Turn Around” here!

turn around thumbnail, with a graphic of a jack in the box. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Two uke songs in a row! This is such a fun tune. Since I was playing ukulele, I couldn’t lead any special movements (which you can see with the source link below), but encouraged everyone to just dance and shake their shakers.
Sometimes a box comes with a very special present inside!
Ukulele/Shaker Song: Mail Myself to You (TT) (TB) (FT)
I’m gonna wrap myself in paper, I’m gonna dot myself with glue
Stick some stamps on top of my head, I’m gonna mail myself to you!

I’m gonna tie me up in a red string, I’m gonna tie a blue ribbon too
Climb on up inside my mailbox, I’m gonna mail myself to you!

When you see me in your mailbox Cut the string and let me out!
Wash the glue off my fingers Stick some bubble gum in my mouth

Take me out of my wrapping paper Wash the stamps off my head
Pour me out an ice cream soda…slurp! Put me in a nice warm bed!
Source: Woody Guthrie See motions at: https://youtu.be/no034U7ivfA

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Mail Myself to You” here!

Mail Myself to you Ukulele songsheet thumbnail

Mail myself to you thumbnail, with a graphic of a blue box wrapped in a red ribbon, with a "Fragile" sticker. click the image to download a non-branded PDF — 2 pg sheet, PDF includes both

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

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

Craft: Box Coloring Page (TB) (FT)
I wanted to keep it very simple this week, to give plenty of time to play with boxes. This is a simple sheet with a square in the middle and lots of white space around it, giving the opportunity to draw something imaginary à la Not a Box.

You can download the sheet here!

Play Time
Something special this week! Instead of our usual toys, we played with boxes. I asked my coworkers to save and bring in some boxes and got a great selection, both large and small. I made two “cars” – larger rectangular boxes that I cut the top flaps off and added a cardboard steering wheel using a large brass brad (it turned!). I also made a tunnel by taping two similar-sized boxes together with their flaps taped up. Other than that, the boxes went out as they came to me and families could play however they wanted. I did have some scissors, extra brads, and large clips set out that could be used for “building” but for the most part the kids just stacked the boxes and crawled in them. The cars and tunnel were all popular, but everyone was great about sharing and taking turns.

My two “cars” and the (somewhat flimsy) tunnel on the left, and the aftermath of box play on the right. I offered boxes to anyone who wanted to take them home after the last session, and both cars went, but nothing else!

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
A Box Can Be Many Things – Dana Meachen Rau & Paige Billin-Frye
Boxitects – Kim Smith
Big Box, Little Box – Caryl Hart & Edward Underwood
The Box Turtle – Vanessa Roeder
Inside, Outside, Upside Down – Stan & Jan Berenstain
Fraidyzoo – Thyra Heder
Big Box of Shapes – Wiley Blevins & Elliot Kreloff
My Book Box – Will Hillenbrand
Scaredy Cats – Jeff Mack
The Big Sibling Getaway – Korrie Leer
A Gift for Goose – Tad Hills
Thank You Bear – Greg Foley

This storytime was presented in-person on 12/16, 12/17, 12/18, & 12/19/24.

Storytime Handout:

handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics.

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

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

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

Storytime: Feeling Thankful (2024)

Posted on November 22, 2024November 21, 2024 by msemilylibrary

If you’ve been following me for a bit, you may have noticed this theme before. I’ve done a “Feeling Thankful” theme every year since 2019. (I wasn’t blogging that year, so I don’t have a post for that one!) It’s a favorite not only because I enjoy the flow and activities we do, but also because it gives me a moment to step back and really think about the gratitude I feel for doing the work I do. I have the privilege of then sharing that gratitude with my families in a way that’s heartfelt and meaningful, while giving them a jumping off point for talking about kindness, empathy, and gratitude with their kids.

Not a ton changes from year to year, but I do switch a few things out to keep it fresh for myself as well as for any of my regulars who have been with me for a year or more. This year I went with some different scarf songs and found a new book to share.

Thanks once again for being a reader. I hope these posts are helpful to you whether you are a fellow librarian, a teacher, caregiver, or anyone else who is interested in early literacy. I love being part of a profession that is generous with our ideas, and I am thankful for all the librarians and teachers who have helped me by sharing their materials online.

If you’re looking for more ideas, take a look at the Feeling Thankful themes from every year I’ve done this theme here.

Early Literacy Tip: When we are warm, fed, safe, 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. Source: Mel’s Desk

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

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

Intro: 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

where is thumbkin thumbnail, with a graphic of silhouettes of two hands with thumbs up and two hands showing the ASL "I Love You" sign. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

I liked all my book choices so much I had trouble deciding. So I did a different one for each of my three sessions.

I think I shared this one my first year or so of doing this theme, and it’s a perfect one for the littlest kids. Very simple, and we all repeat the “Thank you” every other page. It also is the easiest to transition from this book to “Here Is the Beehive,” for obvious reasons.
Read: Thank You, Bees by Toni Yuly (TT)

One from last year. This is a board book, so it’s not very big, but it does work for my group. It focuses mostly on HOW to say thank you, both in words and in actions.
Read: The Thank You Book by Danna Smith & Juliana Perdomo (TB)

The newest one (or at least newest to me). Also a board book, but large enough that I can share it easily. This one is more of the litany of things TO be thankful for.
Read: I Am Thankful by Kathryn Jewitt & Lizzy Doyle (FT)

I had some honey on my toast this morning. Does anyone here like honey, too? Where does honey come from? Bees! I’m thankful for the bees that pollinate our plants and make us honey!
Tickle Rhyme: Here Is the Beehive (TT) (TB) (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

here is the beehive thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow beehive with several bees flying around it, centered on a red circle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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 someone who wears glasses when she reads a book.
We practice making glasses with our hands, and then a book. We open and close the book several times before we get started with the song!
Song: These Are My Glasses (TT) (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

these are my glasses thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of glasses folded next to a small pile of books. A red mug is alongside. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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 all of the beautiful plants, especially the trees. Can we pretend to be a little acorn?
We start by scrunching up our scarves in our fists and crouching low to make our bodies small like a seed.
Scarf Rhyme: Be a Seed (TT) (TB) (FT)
Be a seed, small and round (crouch, with scarf scrunched)
Sprout, sprout, sprout up from the ground (stand up)
Shake your leaves for all to see (shake arms and scarf)
Stretch your arms up, you’re a tree! (stretch tall)
Source: Jbrary

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

I’m thankful for delicious food that we can make and eat with our loved ones. (And breakfast – I LOVE breakfast!)
Scarf Rhyme: Mixin’ Pancakes (TT) (TB) (FT)
(mime actions)
Mixin’ pancakes, stirrin’ pancakes
Pour ’em in the pan
Fryin’ pancakes, flippin’ pancakes
Catch ’em if you can! (throw scarf up and catch)
Source: adapted from poet Christina Rossetti

mixin' pancakes thumbnail, with a graphic of a girl in an apron and chef's toque flipping a pancake in a frying pan. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’m thankful for toys and games to play.
We did this one three times each session. They loved throwing the scarves up!
Scarf Rhyme: Jack in the Box (TT) (TB) (FT)
Jack in the box (scrunch scarf up in fist)
Sits so still
Will he come out?
Yes, he will! (throw scarf in the air)
Source: Jbrary

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

This flannel was made from the template created by Mel at Mel’s Desk! I add the flannel pieces as the recorded song mentions them (if you’re playing ukulele for this one, you could go over the pieces first and then sing the song). Before or afterwards is a good time to mention today’s early literacy tip, whichever flows more naturally for you.
We’re going to do a quiet song now. This one is nice to snuggle to. If you’d like to snuggle with your grownup, that’s great. If not, no need to force it, but let’s listen to the words and all the things we can be thankful for.
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

thanks a lot thumbnail, showing lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This was a new addition to this year’s Feeling Thankful, and it fit very well. A lot of my grownups know and love this song.
I’m thankful for friends and family, and I am especially thankful for each and every one of you. A good way to say thank you to someone we’re close to is to tell them we love them!
Song: Skinnamarink (TT) (TB) (FT)
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo
I love you!
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo
I love you!
I love you in the morning, and in the afternoon
I love you in the evening, underneath the moon
Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink, Skinnamarinky-doo
I love you!
Source: traditional, see hand motions from Jbrary

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

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

Craft: Thankful Tree (TB) (FT)
There aren’t a ton of “thankful” crafts (I try to stay away from overtly Thanksgiving imagery like turkeys), so I have just been alternating between a tree and a wreath each year, with the same idea behind both. Leaves are used to decorate, and on them to write things they are thankful for (with or without grownup help). I try to remind my group that they don’t need to fill every leaf with a word, and they can even leave them blank and fill them out over time as they think of things. I asked volunteers to cut out the leaf shapes in various fall colors (red, yellow, orange). Each child gets a piece of sky blue construction paper with a brown bare tree shape printed on it, with the heading “I am thankful for…” at the top. If you have an idea for a new “thankful” craft, please share in the comments!

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

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Thank You, Omu – Oge Mora
The Thankful Book – Todd Parr
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga – Traci Sorell & Frané Lessac
The Thank You Book – Mo Willems
Thank You, Earth – April Pulley Sayre
The Thank You Letter – Jane Cabrera
When We Are Kind – Monique Gray Smith & Nicole Neidhardt
The Blue Table – Chris Raschka
Thank You, Neighbor! – Ruth Chan
Gracias/Thanks – Pat Mora & John Parra
Bear Says Thanks – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
To Dogs, With Love – Maria Gianferrari & Ishaa Lobo
Grandma’s Tiny House – JaNay Brown-Woods & Priscilla Burris

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/18, 11/19, & 11/20/24.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

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

Storytime: DINOvember 2024

Posted on November 15, 2024November 14, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Dinosaurs are a tried and true storytime theme, and I celebrate DINOvember every couple of years. This year, we did more shaker egg activities, and I found a fantastic new book that’s perfect for my age group. It is short and simple, has facts about dinosaurs, and a great surprise fold-out page at the very end. Plus – it’s written by an actual dinosaur scientist (who is also a woman of color) and I love pointing out actual jobs that people have in storytime.

You can find other versions of this theme from 2021 and 2022.

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. –Mel’s Desk

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

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

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

Intro: Today we’re talking 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.

I changed the claws/jaws rhyme to claws/pause and roar – roaring seemed more fun that clacking our teeth together. It added that anticipatory element as well.
Action Rhyme: Dinosaur, Dinosaur (TT) (TB) (FT)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, turn around
Dinosaur, dinosaur, stomp the ground
Dinosaur, dinosaur, show your claws
Dinosaur, dinosaur, now let’s pause… and ROAR!
Dinosaur, dinosaur, big and tall (reach up high)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, quick and small (crouch low)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, shake the ground (stomp again)
Dinosaur, dinosaur, sit back down!
Source: adapted from Verona Storytime and Plainfield-Guilford Township (IN) Library

dinosaur, dinosaur thumbnail, with a graphic of a large green brachiosaurus, and a small magenta dino similar to Compsognathus. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

As mentioned in the intro above, this book has all the elements to make it work perfectly in a toddler storytime. Everyone loved it. During the “dig, dig, dig” refrain, we had our tools out and did the digging motion, which made it even more interactive.
Read: Dig, Dig, Dinosaur by Anjali Goswami & Maggie Li (TT) (TB) (FT)

This was on my cart as a backup, but I didn’t end up using it.
Read: We Love Dinosaurs by Lucy Volpin

This dinosaur flannel comes from Mel’s Desk – inspiration for a lot of the program. I did it on paper, but I’ve seen a lot of cute felt versions, too.
There are so many kinds of dinosaurs! Who is this again? Stegosaurus! Let’s see who comes to play with Stegosaurus when she calls for some friends.
Song: One Dinosaur Went Out to Play (TT) (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 to make “running” sounds and repeat, counting up to five dinosaurs)

Last verse: Five dinosaurs went out to play
By a giant fern one day
They had such enormous fun
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

printed and laminated dinosaurs with a large green fern, including a purple pteranodon, yellow stegosaurus, blue triceratops, orange t-rex, and red brachiosaurus.

one dinosaur went out to play thumbnail, with a graphic of the Mel's desk flannel dinos - a purple pteranodon, yellow stegosaurus, blue triceratops, orange t-rex, and red brachiosaurus. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We talked very briefly about each dino before doing their verse. This actually felt a little long, I maybe would shorten it or replace it next time.
Now that the dinos are all together, what do they do?
Song: All Through the Swamp (TT) (TB) (FT)
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…
Source: Mel’s Desk

all through the swamp thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This storytime went a little long, so I dropped this rhyme and “Inside Her Eggshell” for my two sessions that did a craft as well.
Let’s stretch our bodies.
Action Rhyme: Dinosaur Stretch (TT)
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

dinosaur stretch thumbnail, with a graphic of five children dressed in dinosaur costumes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Oh, my! I found a dinosaur nest! Did you know that dinosaurs hatch from eggs? Come on up and get yourself a dinosaur egg.
Shaker Rhyme: Dino Eggs (TT) (TB) (FT)
Dino eggs are up, Dino eggs are down
Dino eggs 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
Source: adapted from the traditional “Tommy Thumbs”

dino eggs up thumbnail, with a graphic of three spotted dino eggs, the middle of which has a smiling baby dinosaur peeking out. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I wonder what kind of dinosaur is inside my egg? I guess I’ll just have to wait until it hatches.
Shaker Rhyme: Inside Her Eggshell (TT)
Inside her egg shell, white and round
Baby dinosaur is safe and sound
But she wants to come out into the light
So she pushes and shoves with all her might
Her shell soon cracks and creaks and pops
One big jump and out she pops!
Source: Yogibrarian

inside her eggshell thumbnail, with a graphic of a green cartoon dinosaur sitting in a cracked egg, with the top half of the egg on its head. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Shaker Rhyme: Egg So Quiet (TT) (TB) (FT)
Egg so quiet , Egg so still (keep shaker still)
Will it hatch?
Yes, it will! (shake hard!)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

egg so quiet thumbnail, with a graphic of a white egg with cracks around its middle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Shaker/Recorded Song: We Are the Dinosaurs (TT) (TB) (FT)
Source: The Laurie Berkner Band, from the album: “Whaddya Think of That?”

we are the dinosaurs thumbnail, with a graphic of the Ben Clanton dinosaur illustration from the We Are The Dinosaurs book. The lyrics of only the chorus are pictured. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Dinosaur Parade Headband (TB) (FT)
Our library has these four dinosaur dies for our die cutter, which makes this an easy craft for me. The bands are made by cutting a piece of 9 x 12″ construction paper in quarters, and each band is made from two strips stapled together. The kids glued dinos on and grownups stapled the bands together to fit. Whenever we do a headband, I remind grownups to keep the smooth side of the staples on the inside so hair doesn’t get caught.

I made sure to put out my dinosaur manipulative: Clothespin Stegasauruses. I talk more about making these at this post from 2022.

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* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Hello Dinosaurs! – Joan Holub & Chris Dickason
Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones – Byron Barton
Iamasaurus – Anne Ylvisaker & Mark Hoffmann
Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur? – Helen Yoon
We Are the Dinosaurs – Laurie Berkner & Ben Clanton
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night – Refe & Susan Tuma
One-osaurus, Two-osaurus – Kim Norman & Pierre Collet-Derby
Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur – Cirocco Dunlap & Greg Pizzoli
Old MacDino Had a Farm – Becky Davies & Ben Whitehouse
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs – Mo Willems

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/11, 11/12, 11/13, & 11/14/24.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

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

Storytime: Pockets

Posted on November 9, 2024November 9, 2024 by msemilylibrary

I find pockets in clothing are kind of exciting. You can store treasures that you find on your adventures. And if you’ve walked around without any or adequate pockets (ahem, women’s clothing, I’m looking at you), you know how much you miss them when they’re gone.

I was actually surprised at how few books about children and their pockets there were to be found in my library – I wonder if the waning popularity of letting children roam and explore outdoors makes pockets a little less important to today’s children. Or perhaps it hasn’t been a publishing trend. In any event, I was inspired by the new book The Pocket Book by Hinrichs & Breckenreid, and bought a couple others for the collection to support this theme. In addition, we talked about kangaroos and their incredible biological pockets, as well as their adorable joeys.

I was extra crafty for this session, too. In addition to creating some pockets for the flannel board, I knit a little worm finger puppet and used my sewing machine to add some pockets to an apron. I enjoy crafting a lot so this was fun!

Early Literacy Tip: Crafts and activities like our lacing pocket develop fine motor skills, which means strengthening and developing accuracy in our finger muscles. These are the same muscles they will need for writing. And writing a P for Pocket or your child’s name help develop their letter knowledge. The activities you do with your children all work together to help build a strong foundation for reading later on. -adapted The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

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

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

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

Intro: Do your clothes have any pockets today? Mine do, and that’s always exciting! You can put all kinds of things in your pocket to save for later.

First, let’s find a pocket! Maybe your pocket is pretend, maybe it’s real.
At the end of the song, we talked about what they would want to put in their pockets. I got some good answers, such as a rock, their pet, or a hand!
Action Song: Where’s Your Pocket? (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Where’s your pocket? Where’s your pocket?
Find it now, find it now
What will you put in it? What will you put in it?
Tell me now! Tell me now!
Source: Rachel Anne Mencke Blog

where's your pocket thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of overalls with pink arrows pointing to three visible pockets. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

This book is a bit abstract, so we spent some time looking at the items on the page and what they could represent.
Read: The Pocket Book by Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs & Julia Breckenreid (TT) (FT)

I also tried this sweet book about a joey who’s afraid of everything. The kids enjoyed making the noises of the animals that joey encounters. In the session I read this book, I moved the kangaroo rhyme up to directly follow the book, then kept the order of the other activities the same.
Read: Pouch! by David Ezra Stein (TB)

This rhyme works with anything – just think of a one-line hint to put in the middle to describe your object. I kept two of the hints from the Wielded Pen’s original post, but replaced the clock and the flashlight with small toys – a bouncing ball and a matchbox car.
When creating the felt, I cut two pieces of felt for each pocket and hand-sewed them together with embroidery floss and glued die-cut numbers on the fronts. Because they needed to hold a bit of weight and stay up on the board, I added some extra Velcro to the backs to keep them stuck on. It worked, and they held the weight of the toy car without an issue. Of course, you could always print pictures of the items instead of using real items.
Let’s try a guessing game. I have four pockets up on the board. Can you guess what’s inside each of them? I’ll give you a hint.
Rhyming Game: What’s In My Pocket? (TT) (TB) (FT)
I have a little pocket where something can hide
[Hint!]
Do you know what’s inside?

Hints from storytime:
…It opens doors and starts the car (key)
…It’s used to draw in a coloring book (crayon)
…It’s fun to bounce and catch outdoors (ball)
…When we play it rolls and I say “vroom!” (toy car)
Source: The Wielded Pen

what's in my pocket thumbnail, with a graphic of a plain pocket with a question mark above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

A fun song that was new to me. The recording is nice, with the instrumentation dropping out each time a finger is lost, but I wanted a bit more space in between the verses for us to count the remaining fingers, so I just sang the tune myself. Mar’s recording (linked below) is helpful as she gives some tips and tricks for adults.
When I put my hand in my pocket, I can keep all my fingers warm. But have you ever lost something in your pocket?
Action Song: Five Fingers in My Pocket (TT) (TB) (FT)
I’ve got five fingers in my pocket (show hand & put in pocket)
Five fingers hidden away
Five fingers in my pocket
Look! Aww, one went away! (show hand with 4 fingers)

Count down to no fingers, then bring 5 out again
Last line: Five fingers here to stay!
Source: Music with Mar via Story Tree

Five fingers in my pocket thumbnail, with a graphic of a the outline of a hand holding up four fingers with the thumb hidden. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I didn’t happen to have a finger puppet for a worm, so I looked to see if there were any free knitting patterns out there. Of course there were! This was a quick and relatively easy (if you know how to knit in the round on dpns) pattern from Chem Knits for a cute stripey worm made from a small amount of fingering weight yarn.
Oh! I felt something in my pocket. Something that wiggles!
Fingerplay: Wiggly Worm (TT) (TB) (FT)
Wiggly is a wee worm who wiggles everywhere
Can you keep your eyes on it as it wiggles here and there?
Wiggly starts down at my toes
And wiggles all the way up to my nose!
It wiggles back down without a peep
Creeps into my pocket and goes to sleep
Source: King County (WA) Library System

photograph of knitted worm finger puppet that is blue and beige stripes with large black eyes.

wiggly worm thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange and green striped worm. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I remembered that my predecessor had a couple of “storytime aprons,” and as I was planning this session I thought one had a bunch of pockets on it. But when I looked, one was a “flannel” apron with a fuzzy surface and standard pockets at the bottom, and the other was just a regular apron. So I cut out some pocket shapes from felt and sewed the extras on the regular apron for this pocket zoo.
I have a special apron that has LOTS of pockets! Wow! What do you think is in these pockets? Would you believe that I have a zoo in my pockets?
Puppet Song: Pocket Zoo (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Old MacDonald)
In my pocket is a zoo, E I E I O!
There’s a froggy in there, too E I E I O!
With a ribbit-ribbit here and a ribbit-ribbit, there
Here a ribbit, there a ribbit
Everywhere a ribbit-ribbit!
In my pocket is a zoo, E I E I O!
Source: Rachel Anne Mencke Blog

photograph of a burgandy apron with five extra pockets on the bib - purple, green, orange, and blue. a finger puppet is peeking out of each of these - frog, snake, tiger, and dog.

pocket zoo thumbnail, with a graphic of four white pockets with animals peeking out from them: frog, monkey, snake, and pig. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

There’s an animal at the zoo who is very special, and has a pocket that they use to carry their babies around. Do you know what animal that is? A kangaroo! What would you call a baby kangaroo? A joey
Action Rhyme: Brown Kangaroo (TT) (TB) (FT)
The brown kangaroo Is very funny
She leaps and she runs and she hops like a bunny
And on her tummy is a pocket so wide
Her baby jumps in and goes for a ride
Source: Rachel Anne Mencke Blog

brown kangaroo thumbnail, with a graphic of a kangaroo with a joey in her pouch. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I had this one in my back pocket (ha, ha) but didn’t need it as we had plenty to do in the time available.
Have you ever picked flowers and put them in your pocket? Let’s play a game.
Action Song: Ring Around the Rosie
Ring around the rosie,
A pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down!

Cows are in the meadow,
eating buttercups
Thunder, lightning,
We all stand up!
Source: traditional

ring around the rosie thumbnail, with a graphic of a pocket full of pink and yellow flowers. The pocket has a heart patch sewn on. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

My groups really enjoy when we do songs with my ukulele, so I kind of shoehorned this one in. But it made me think about that song that mentions “sunshine in my pocket,” and everyone likes this one.
I have one more thing in my pocket – a song!
Ukulele Song: You Are My Sunshine (TT) (TB) (FT)
You are my sunshine, My only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You’ll never know, dear,
How much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away
Source: traditional

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

thumbnail of You Are My Sunshine ukulele songsheet.

You Are My Sunshine thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Joey in a Pocket Lacing Craft (TB) (FT)
This craft was originally inspired by this post by Saroj Ghoting on her blog (which has a lot of great resources for early literacy asides in storytime). I modified it a bit, adding a little paper joey to add in the pocket. Doing the lacing was a bit of a stretch for my littlest crafters, but with their grownups’ help they were all able to do it. Some of my crafts are extremely simple (just decorating with paint or stickers, for example), and some are a little more involved. I think it’s good to have a mix of easy and challenging in addition to offering many craft mediums.
I didn’t find any scrapbook paper in my library’s craft stash, so I just printed pockets with some fun patterns using Canva. (I started with a plain one and colored it as my example, but decided to go with the patterns for the group.) To get the crafts ready, I printed and cut out the pockets from cardstock and paired them with a half sheet of plain cardstock. I then punched holes – the trick here is to make sure all your edges are close enough for the hole puncher to reach. I put a little bit of painter’s tape on to keep the pocket from shifting around, then removed it when all the holes were punched. You also need an even number of holes if you want your yarn to start and end from the back. I taped the end of the yarn to the back and threaded the first hole to get them started. I also wrapped the end of the yarn with tape to make a shoelace-like aglet to make it easier to do the lacing (the only step I forgot to photograph.)

Click here to download the joey and pocket pattern!

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
A Pocket Full of Kisses – Audrey Penn & Barbara Leonard Gibson
What’s in Your Pocket? – Heather L. Montgomery & Maribel Lechuga
A Dress with Pockets – Lily Murray & Jenny Løvlie
Sharko and Hippo – Elliott Kalan & Andrea Tsurumi
The Whole Hole Story – Vivian McInerny & Ken Lamug
A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes – Elizabeth Garton Scanlon & Robin Preiss Glasser
Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? – Eric Carle
Marsupial Sue – John Lithgow & Jack E. Davis
Wombat – Philip Bunting
A Pocket for Corduroy – Don Freeman

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/4, 11/5, & 11/6/24.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

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

Storytime: Hats

Posted on October 19, 2024October 19, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Another fun theme that’s relatable for my toddlers who wear their hats in sun and snow all the time. The hat hide-and-seek flannelboard game with Walrus was a big hit, and my Folkmanis Bunny in a Hat puppet is also a big attention draw. I was pleased to see several families (grownups as well as kids) wear their hats, even if they didn’t stay on long during the program!

Early Literacy Tip: Parents, when you share wordless books with your children, there’s no limit to the conversations you can have together! Taking part in lots of conversations helps your child learn new words, gives them a big vocabulary, and helps them become good readers. Talking with your child will help them get ready to read. –Mel’s Desk

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

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

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

Intro: Last week we talked about what we wear on our feet – shoes and socks. What do we wear on our heads? Hats! Just like shoes, there are so many kinds of hats – some are good for a specific activity or job, and some we wear just because we like how they look.

Hats come in all shapes and sizes!
Action Rhyme: Tall Hat, Small Hat (TT) (TB) (FT)
Tall hat, (tall hands above head)
Small hat (small rounded hands on head)
Big hat, (hands wide to either side of head)
Cap (one hand flat on head)
Let me take them off again (hands move down and to lap)
And put them in my lap
Source: Librionyian

tall hat small hat thumbnail, with a graphic of a tall black top hat, a tiny purple top hat attached to a headband, a red hat with a wide floppy brim, and a brown newsboy style cap. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

I actually only “read” one book this week because my following activities were so tied to it, though I kept Hooray For Hats as a backup. I took a lot of inspiration from Jessica at Storytime in the Stacks on how to present Where’s Walrus as a wordless picture book, and how to present wordless books as an early literacy tool from Mel’s Desk.
Walrus is going to be wearing a lot of hats in this book to hide from the zookeeper. Let’s see if you can find Walrus.
Read: Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage (TT) (TB) (FT)

Walrus is hiding here at the library! Let’s see if we can find him.
This flannel was again inspired by Storytime in the Stacks. You can find a template for the hats (plus more varieties) at her post. We both used a very affordable download from Etsy seller Creative Cat and Co for the animal faces. To present, I just went hat by hat, talking a little about each one and what it was for, leaving the last one for Walrus.
Flannel Rhyme: Where’s Walrus? (TT) (TB) (FT)
Walrus, walrus, where could you be?
Are you under the baseball cap? Let’s look and see!
[That’s not Walrus? Who is it? Panda! Well, maybe Walrus is under the next hat – a chef’s hat!]
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

where's walrus thumbnail, with a graphic of a walrus wearing a blue baseball cap that is obscuring his eyes and nose. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I intended to do this guessing game after finding Walrus, but it just didn’t seem right for my first group, so I skipped it. And looking at the clock when we were done, it was a good thing – I ended right on time. With the craft for the next two sessions, I knew it wouldn’t fit, so it didn’t get used at all. But it’s a possible activity for you, so I’m including it here! The original I saw didn’t include a space helmet, so I wrote a verse for it.
Flannel Game: Whose Hat Am I?
I’m hard and yellow, sturdy as can be
To protect your head – who wears me? [Construction worker – Hard Hat]
One, two, three strikes you’re out
I am worn in the field and in the dugout [Baseball player – Baseball cap]
I’m tall and white, take a look
Someone wears me when they cook [Chef – Chef’s hat or toque]
Hocus pocus, look about
A magician taps me and a rabbit jumps out! [Magician – Top hat]
On your birthday, I’ll be there
Sitting up atop your hair [Party goer – Party hat]
I am special, you can see
Worn by those of royalty [King or queen – Crown]
Tall with stars and a pointy peak
Look for my owner if magic you seek [Witch or Wizard – Magic hat]
If there’s a fire, I’ll be there
Protecting my brave owner’s hair [Firefighter – Fire helmet]
I’m made of straw with a brim so wide
Can you tell whose head will be inside? [Cowpoke – Western hat/Stetson]
A knitted hat for young and old
To keep a head warm in the cold [Anyone! – Winter hat]
When my owner walks in outer space
I keep them safe in that airless place [Astronaut – Space helmet]
Source: Stratford (CT) Library

That cowpoke hat is quite something! Let’s do a bounce
Bounce: I Hop on My Horse (TT) (TB) (FT)
I hop on my horse and go to town (bounce)
I ride up high (arms up, or lift child)
and I don’t fall down (arms low, or lower child)
I wear a hat so my hair won’t blow (hand on head)
And when I want to stop I just say “Ho!” (tilt back)
Source: Madison (WI) Public Library

i hop on my horse thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocking horse wearing a red western style hat and bandanna. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This rhyme is about a grandma and a grandpa who wear a hat.
Rhyme: Grandma’s Glasses (TT) (TB) (FT)
These are grandma’s glasses
This is grandma’s hat
And this is the way she folds her hands
And lays them on her lap

These are grandpa’s glasses
This is grandpa’s hat
And this is the way he folds his arms
And takes a little nap (snore)
Source: Adventures of a Bookworm

grandma's glasses thumbnail, with a graphic of a sunhat with a flower and a newsboy style cap, plus a pair of blue-rimmed and black-rimmed glasses. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Did you know that sometimes when you go to see a magic show, the magician will have a very special hat?
This is a draw and tell rhyme that I thought about using for a magic storytime but didn’t have time in that session. This time I made sure to fit it in, and they did enjoy it – by the time I got to the ears, I heard excited voices saying – “rabbit!” The numbers refer to the photos below, showing what to add at each line.
Drawing Rhyme: The Magician’s Hat (TT) (TB) (FT)
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 (I just added some stars here)
Source: Chalk in Hand: The Draw and Tell Book by Phyllis Noe Pflomm (c)1986 via Once Upon a (Story) Time blog

And I’m pretty sloppy, so honestly you don’t need to draw perfectly to get this one!

a photo of my drawing for the Magician's hat - a fairly slapdash affair with crooked stars and a bunny with lopsided eyes and ears.

the magician's hat thumbnail, with a graphic of yellow and gold stars and exclamations. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Little bunny would like to say hello! But bunny is a little shy.
Everyone loves the Bunny in a hat puppet – she gets lots of pets after storytime. After showing the rhyme with the puppet, I tell them, you can do this one with your fingers! And we do it together with just our hands, and then I did it a third time with the puppet and them following along.
Fingerplay: Little Bunny in a Hat (TT) (TB) (FT)
Make a bunny with your index and middle fingers, hide in other hand
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 left)
She looks to the right (turn right)
She looks straight ahead (turn to front)
And pops out of sight (hides in hat/fist again)
Source: Jbrary

bunny in a hat puppet - white rabbit in a black hat. Also pictured is a magician's wand.

Little bunny in a hat thumbnail, with a graphic of a white rabbit peeking her head out of a black top hat, with yellow stars in the air around her. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

If you wear a hat, you won’t get rain on your head!
A bit of a stretch for a hat storytime, but I wanted another simple one for our scarves.
Scarf Rhyme: Rain on the Green Grass (TT) (TB) (FT)
Rain on the green grass (shake on floor)
Rain on the trees (shake high)
Rain on the roof (hold above head)
But not on me! (drop scarf)
repeat with: Sun, Snow, Leaves
Source: Jbrary

rain on the green grass thumbnail, with a graphic of an umbrella in the rain. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Speaking of the weather, have you ever tried to wear a hat when it’s windy outside?
Scarf Song: Hats Are Blowing (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Hats are blowing, Hats are blowing
In the air, Everywhere!
Every time the wind blows, Someone’s hat, away it goes
Hold on tight. You’ll be all right!
Source: Storybook Stephanie

hats are blowing thumbnail, with a graphic of a cloud blowing wind and a wide-brimmed hat flipped and blowing in the breeze. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is a silly song. Every time we sing a word that starts with the letter “B”, let’s lift up our “hat” (scarf), and when we sing another “B” word, put your hat on. Listen carefully!
I’m always trying to add in a ukulele tune, so I was pleased to realize I could replace one word in this traditional tune and make it a hat tune. Jim Gill does this one with the hands up/down twist. I try to raise and lower the neck of my ukulele to lead the group. It’s hard! I kept trying to change position whenever I change chords, not just at B words. But it’s all fun.
Note that I changed the key of this song after trying my original sheet – C just worked better for my voice. Feel free to use what works best for you!
Ukulele/Scarf Song: My Bonnet (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of My Bonnie)
(raise hands or scarf when you hear a word that starts with “B,” and lower them the next time you hear one!)
My Bonnet lies over the ocean
My Bonnet lies over the sea
My Bonnet lies over the ocean

Oh, Bring Back my Bonnet to me
Bring Back, Bring Back
Oh, Bring Back my Bonnet to me, to me
Bring Back, Bring Back
Oh, Bring Back my Bonnet to me!
Source: adapted from traditional, hear the Jim Gill version here

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet in the key of C here!
Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet in the key of G here!

thumbnail for "my bonnie" ukulele songsheet

my bonnet thumbnail, with a graphic of an old fashioned bonnet and an ocean wave. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

It’s time to put our astronaut helmets on so we can zoom, zoom, zoom!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Origami Hat Decorating (TB) (FT)
A traditional origami hat! When I was a kid we made these out of newspapers, but for a plain hat to decorate I used white butcher paper that we have as a library supply. I cut pages to approximately newspaper size, 15 x 22″, and made the hats myself. If I had a slightly older group, I may have let them fold. You can find instructions here, using the “pirate hat” instructions: https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Newspaper-Hat. We decorated with dot markers and the library’s extensive supply of stickers.

an origami hat decorated with multicolored dots from dot markers, plus heart and star stickers and two round stickers of animals in space.

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Very Good Hats – Emma Straub & Blanca Gómez
Hooray for Hat! – Brian Won
Bedtime Bonnet – Nancy Redd & Nneka Myers
A Hat for Minerva Louise – Janet Morgan Stoeke
I Had Ten Hats – David McPhail
Finders Keepers – Keiko Kasza
I Want My Hat Back – Jon Klassen
Do YOU Have a Hat? – Eileen Spinelli & Geraldo Valério
Hat Tricks – Satoshi Kitamura
Kindergarten Hat – Janet Lawler & Geraldine Rodriguez
Hats Are NOT for Cats! – Jacqueline K Rayner
A Hat for Mrs. Goldman – Michelle Edwards & G Brian Karas
The Magic Hat – Mem Fox & Tricia Tusa

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/14, 10/15, & 10/16/24.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

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

Storytime: Squeaky Clean

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

After last week’s Messy storytime, it was time to talk about clean up! Toddlers can be very interested in being helpful, and the vast majority of my kiddos love to help put away any props we use during storytime, and the toys we play with at the end. I pointed that out to caregivers, and reminded them that kids of all ages crave to be a contributing part of the family, if you give them a chance.

For this Clean theme, I thought about tidying up messes we make with objects, as well as cleaning our hands and bodies and the clothes we wear. I couldn’t find many rhymes or songs about tidying, but we did start with a cleaning up flannel activity. (Of course, there’s always the Barney “Clean Up” song, but as someone who heard that nonstop in the 90s, I’m okay never singing it myself.) The rest have to do with bathtime or washing clothes.

See another take on this theme at this Bathtime post.

Early Literacy Tip: Bath time is a wonderful opportunity to encourage play and imagination! You can be pirates or sea turtles, or you can use bubbles to practice fine motor skills and finger dexterity. Practice narrative skills by telling a story together using bath toys. -adapted from Yogibrarian

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

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

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

Intro: Last week we made a big mess, and this week we’re talking about cleaning up! This can be picking up our toys, washing our hands, or washing our whole bodies.

Activity: Cleaning Up (TT) (TB) (FT)
What a big mess! Let’s see if we can put all these things back in their proper place.
Inspired by Verona Storytime, I made a paper bag labeled with a refrigerator, a laundry basket, and a toy box, as well as four items that would go in each one, using Canva graphics. After my first session, I realized twelve was too many, so next time I just put out nine and that seemed just right. The kids called out where things went, and corrected me when I tried to put them in the wrong place!

Download the Cleaning Up flannel printable here!

Cleaning up flannel photo, with laminated and printed graphics of various objects scattered on the flannelboard, with three white paper lunch bags labeled with a picture of a laundry hamper, four binned toy cabinet, and refrigerator on them. — Objects haphazardly strewn on the board include a pair of jeans, a toy dump truck, a half gallon jug of milk, a bunch of grapes, a pair of socks, a striped shirt, a ring sorter toy, a wedge of cheese, a ball, a toy dinosaur, carrot sticks in a plastic bag, and a pair of green pajamas.

Uh, oh, my hands got dirty picking up all of those things from the dusty floor. What can I do to clean up?
Try to sing this one SLOWLY so you can show each part.
Action Rhyme: Wash Your Hands (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Row Your Boat)
Wash, wash, wash your hands,
Get them nice and clean
Wash the tops and wash below,
And wash them in between

Scrub, scrub, scrub your hands,
Fingernails and thumbs
Wrists and palms and pinky too,
Wash them every one!
Source: Waukee (IA) Public Library

wash your hands thumbnail, with a graphic of two pairs of hands with soap and bubbles - the left pair is light peach and the right pair is medium brown. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

After reading this one at my first session, I think my group would do better with just two sets of animals – they were definitely getting wiggly toward the end.
Read: How Do You Take a Bath? by Kate McMullan & Sydney Hanson (TT)

A silly and fun bath story.
Read: Bubble Bath Pirates! by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (TB) (FT)

After we wash, maybe there’s a little time to play in the tub!
I realized I should have also made a bubble to add to this flannel.
Flannel Song: Baby in the Tub (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The baby in the tub goes Splash, splash, splash (pat lap)
Splash, splash, splash, Splash, splash, splash
The baby in the tub goes splash, splash, splash
All through the bath!

The duck in the tub goes quack… (hand makes a duck bill)
The boat in the tub goes toot… (pull a horn)
The bubbles in the tub go pop… (clap)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

flannel of "baby in the tub" with a white bathtub on gray clawed feet, a baby with brown hair and dusky skin, a yellow duck, a red, blue, and yellow toy tugboat, and a pink bar of soap.

baby in the tub thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow duck in a bubble filled pink tub. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The template for this flannel is from the ever-helpful but now defunct Sunflower Storytime. You can download a copy of it here. I used to tuck each elephant into the bath in a row, but saw another librarian on YouTube stacking them up tall. That’s a lot easier, and it looks a lot funnier to me, too.
Someone else wants to take a bath! Move over, baby!
Counting/Flannel Rhyme: Elephants in the Bathtub (TT) (TB) (FT)
One elephant in the bathtub (hold up one finger)
Going for a swim (swimming motion)
Knock, knock (clap, clap)
Splash, splash (pat lap)
Come on in (motion with hand to come in)

(count up)
Five elephants in the bathtub
Going for a swim
Knock, knock
CRASH, CRASH!
They all fell in! (wiggle arms downward; knock flannel pieces to the floor!)
Source: Sunflower Storytime, see moves on Jbrary

Flannel of elephants in the bathtub, with an old fashioned white claw foot tub with five elephants stacked on top of each other on the top: blue, purple, lime green, yellow, and orange.

elephants in the bathtub thumbnail, with a graphic that mimics the flannel, only the elephants are all side by side in the tub. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This one took a little explanation before we got started, as I can’t do any motions when I’m playing ukulele. I always say the second “bar of soap!” in a high voice to make it funnier, and I encouraged them to either raise their arms and/or have a grown up lift them up during that echo part. I also thought this song needed MORE, so wrote a couple more verses!
What makes all of these bubbles? Soap!
Ukulele Song: Little Bar of Soap (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
Oh, I wish I were a little bar of soap (bar of soap!) (lift arms and/or lift child)
Oh, I wish I were a little bar of soap (bar of soap!)
Oh, I’d slippy and I’d slidey over everybody’s hidey
Yes, I wish I were a little bar of soap (bar of soap!)

Oh, I wish I were a squeaky yellow duck (quack quack)… (make a duck bill)
I’d be your friend in the tub while you rub and scrub-a-dub…

Oh, I wish I were a bubble floating there (bloop, bloop)… (pulse fingers)
I’d float until I drop, and then land with a big POP! (clap)…
Source: Jbrary, verses 2-3 original

Download a ukulele songsheet for Little Bar of Soap here!

I wish I were a little bar of soap ukulele songsheet thumbnail.

little bar of soap thumbnail, with a graphic of a blue anthropomorphic bar of soap with a smiling face and arms and legs. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s make sure we get clean all over. Can you use your scarf like a washcloth?
Scarf Song: This Is the Way We Wash (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we wash our face,
wash our face, wash our face!
This is the way we wash our face
When we take a bath!
(arms, legs, back, tummy, etc.)
Source: Jbrary

this is the way we wash thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange washcloth and blue bar of soap. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I so love both this song and the Walrus song, I tried to do both at the first session. It went fine because we don’t do a craft for that one, but I had to choose one or the other for the other two sessions, where I have a little less time. Using our scarves was so much fun. I always start with my scarf way up high and hold out the “Waaaaay,” then swoosh my scarf down low when I get to “down in the valley.”
When we take a bath, we take off our clothes. But what if our clothes are dirty, too? Should they come in the bath with us? No! They go in the laundry.
Scarf Song: Wishy Washy Washer Woman (TT) (TB)
Waaay down in the valley where nobody goes
There’s a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes
She goes wishy washy up, she goes wishy washy down
She goes wishy washy up, she goes wishy washy down
That’s how the wishy washy washer woman washes her clothes!

…drying her clothes, she goes whoo-eee! (shake in a circle)
…folding her clothes, she goes side, side (clap to one side, then the other)
Source: traditional

wishy washy washerwoman thumbnail, with a graphic of two teal wash buckets filled with bubbles and an old-fashioned washboard in each. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s a silly song about a walrus who needs to wash his coat.
Scarf Song: The Walrus Washes (TT) (FT)
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)

The laundry spins… (twirl scarf in a circle)
The laundry tumbles… (throw scarf in the air and catch)
Source: Brytani Fraser via Jbrary

the walrus washes thumbnail, with a graphic of a walrus and some soap bubbles. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can you catch the bubbles with your scarf?
Yes, there were three songs with the Happy and You Know It tune this storytime, which I generally try to avoid, but it was fine.
Bubble Song: Bubbles in the Air (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Happy and You Know It)
There are bubbles in the air (In the air)
There are bubbles in the air (In the air)
There are bubbles in the air,
There are bubbles in my hair
There are bubbles in the air (In the air!)

There are bubbles way up high… in the sky
Way down low… on my toe
Source: Jbrary

bubbles in the air thumbnail, with a graphic of bubbles behind the lyrics of the song. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Bubble Wrap Bath Scene (TB) (FT)
This is a craft I’ve have done before, but it’s been a while! This is a not-too-messy painting craft, with the novelty of using bubble wrap to make the bubbles. I also set out crayons and a rubber duck print to glue on. I prep my bubble wrap by cutting it into 2-3 inch wide strips, maybe 5 inches long, then creating a tube by taping the two short ends together, bubble side out. That way the kids can put their hands in the ring and dip it in the paint without having to grip it on a “clean side” – the inside should stay clean for them (ideally!) The original bathtub and duck printables were from Sunflower Storytime (no longer available.) Download my copies here:

Sunflower Storytime’s bathtub printable (print on cardstock or construction paper)

Rubber duck printable (print on yellow copy paper)

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Car Wash – Sandra & Susan Steen & G. Brian Karas
Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash – Sarah Weeks & Nadine Bernard Westcott
Lion Needs a Haircut – Hyewon Yum
Tidy – Emily Gravett
Love-a-Duck – Alan James Brown & Francesca Chessa
Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur? – Helen Yoon
Off to See the Sea – Nikki Grimes & Elizabeth Zunon
Scaredy Bath – Zoë Foster Blake & Daniel Gray-Barnett
How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps – Nicola Winstanley & John Martz
Bath! Bath! Bath! – Douglas Florian & Christiane Engel

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/23, 9/24, 9/25, & 9/26/24.

Storytime Handout:

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

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

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

Storytime: Shapes

Posted on September 13, 2024September 13, 2024 by msemilylibrary

The one bad thing about being caught up with blogging your storytimes is that there’s no backlog to hold you over when you’re on break! I usually do three weeks of programming per month, so there are sometimes one or two weeks of a break. In the summer I’m doing seven weeks straight, and I know there are other libraries that do longer sessions of 6-9 weeks before taking a break, but the frequent short break works best for me and my community. What sort of schedule do you use for your storytimes?

In any case, this session was our last of my “early concepts” themes, after doing the alphabet and numbers/counting (and a color series earlier in the spring.) Shapes are so important for learning letters and recognizing patterns. They can get more advanced, since there are tons of kinds of shapes, but I generally kept this session to the most basic ones.

Early Literacy Tip: Identify the shapes you see and talk about them with your children. Circles and triangles are often parts of letters. Being able to recognize shapes is the first step to recognizing letters, which will help your child learn to read later. –adapted from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

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

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

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

Intro: Today we are learning about shapes! I see some shapes on the board. Let’s see if we can identify them.

Shape Flannel
This was from a pre-made set purchased from Oriental Trading. I went with our most basic shapes: square, circle, triangle, and rectangle.

basic felt shapes - an orange square, red circle, yellow triangle, and blue rectangle.

I took each shape off the board and described it a bit: “This shape has four corners, and four sides, and all the sides are the same length. Hm, what shape could it be?” Then launched into the song. I had several kids call out “square” before we got to the end, which is totally fine! Jbrary suggests giving each kid a felt shape to shake but with so many kids I adjusted the words and it worked better for my group. And I would always rather do the Muffin Man tune than Mary Had a Little Lamb, which is droning and boring to me.
Song: What Shape This Is (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man)
Do you know what shape this is,
What shape this is,
What shape this is?
Do you know what shape this is?
So shout, “Hooray for… SQUARES!”
(repeat, showing different shapes)
Source: adapted from Jbrary

what shape this is thumbnail, with a graphic of various colored shapes with happy faces on them - red circle, golden rectangle, orange triangle, blue oval, pink heart, green square, and yellow diamond. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Read: Big Box of Shapes by Wiley Blevins & Elliot Kreloff (TT) (FT)

Although the kid were actually quite intrigued by the illustrations, I’m not sure this is an effective shapes book for this age. Plus, whenever I said, “Where’s Cat?” they pointed out the second Kitty – a little confusing. It was not very obvious where Cat might be hiding, so the guessing and predicting weren’t generally right, which I think might be discouraging. Super cute book, but maybe better for older kids or one-on-one rather than storytime.
Read: Kitty & Cat: Bent Out of Shape by Mirka Hokkanen (TB)

kitty and cat bent out of shape book cover

So let’s do something with our shapes. Maybe we can try to build a house!
I adapted this one just a bit to hide my cute little mouse behind the rectangle of the door. After the rhyme was done, we knocked and – whoop! There was little mouse!
Flannel Rhyme: Build a House (TT) (TB) (FT)
Some houses are wood and some are stone
But let’s build one with shapes alone
Start with a square but we won’t stop
Add a triangle up on the top
Then a rectangle for the door
Now square windows 1, 2, 3, 4
A little circle just for fun
And a big yellow one for the sun
A house of circles, rectangles, triangles, and squares…
Now I wonder… who lives there?
Source: adapted from Keen on Librarianship

build a house thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

There are some shapes that are special, like this one (put up felt heart). Let’s make a heart with our hands!
This rhyme sets us up for the next one.
Action Rhyme: Make a Heart (TT) (TB) (FT)
Put your hands together
This is how we start
Now curve your fingers around
And now we make a heart!
Source: King County (WA) Library System

a pink felt heart shape in the corner of the flannelboard (where you can see the "build a house" felt in the background)

make a heart thumbnail, with a photograph of hands forming a heart as described in the rhyme. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

So, what on our bodies looks kind of like a circle? (Our head!) And we can see a bit of a square with our middles.
We went through each of the motions first, then repeated the song a couple times, getting faster.
Action Song: Shapes Song (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes)
Circle, square and triangle (Triangle) (point to head, torso, then make a triangle with fingers)
Circle, square and triangle (Triangle)
Heart and star and rectangle (make heart with hands as above, jump into a star shape with arms and legs out, then jump body back together with arms and legs in)
Circle, square and triangle (Triangle)
Source: Yogibrarian

shapes song thumbnail, with a graphic of a waving boy with a superimposed circle shape around his head and square at his middle, and a photograph of hands making a triangle shape with a triangle drawn over the top. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I made this one up, but didn’t end up using it. Each group was getting wiggly by this time in the session, so I decided to get out the scarves rather than try to plow through. I’m curious how it would have gone! (I even made some polygon visuals to add to the board at the end!) This could also be done with shakers instead of clapping.
Clapping Rhyme: Sides and Corners
No corners, one side,
That’s the way the circle rides (roll arms)
Two sides short, and two sides long
That’s the way a rectangle is strong: 1, 2! 1, 2! (clap)
Three corners, three sides
That’s the way a triangle slides: 1, 2, 3!
Four sides, all the same
That’s the way a square is named: 1, 2, 3, 4!
Five or more, what you’ve drawn
Is some kind of polygon: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more! (clap a lot!)
Source: original

sides and corners thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s warm up our scarves by doing some shaking.
Scarf Song: Shake it to the East (TT) (TB) (FT)
Shake it to the east, shake it to the west
Shake it all around and then you take a rest
Shake your scarves up, shake your scarves down
Shake it, shake it, shake it and then you settle down
Source: Jbrary

shake it to the east for scarves thumbnail, with a graphic of a compass pointing east. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s take a closer look at our scarves. Can you lay your scarf on your lap or on the ground? How many corners does it have? How many sides? Are they all the same?
I was pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to get more shapes out of our scarves. I’ve only seen the four corners verse online.
Scarf Song: My Scarf (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of My Hat It Has Three Corners)
My scarf it has four corners,
Four corners has my scarf
If it had not four corners,
It would not be my scarf!

[But what if we folded it in half vertically? Now it has four corners, and four sides, but two sides are shorter than the others – it’s now a… Rectangle!]

My scarf it is a rectangle…

[Let’s try folding our scarves from corner to corner diagonally. Now my scarf has three corners and three sides. What is it now?]

My scarf it is a triangle…

[Hm, we’ve made a few shapes, but what about a circle? Is there a way to make our scarf a circle? Here I try folding in the corners and holding up a lumpy shape – that doesn’t look very good. Oh, I have an idea! Can you make your scarf a shape like this? (twirl in a circle)]

My scarf it is a circle…
Source: adapted from Jbrary

my scarf thumbnail, with a graphic of three scarves seemingly held up by the top two corners in green, blue, and orange. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I know another way to make a scarf circular, or like a ball. We can scrunch it up!
Scarf Song: Popcorn Kernels (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Popcorn kernels, Popcorn kernels (wave scarves overhead)
In the pot, In the pot (bunch up scarves in your fists)
Shake them, shake them, shake them (shake)
Shake them, shake them, shake them
’til they POP! ’til they POP!(toss scarves up into the air)
Source: Jbrary

popcorn kernels thumbnail, with a photograph of two popped popcorn kernels. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What was this again? (point to yellow circle by house)
Scarf Rhyme: Big Round Sun (TT) (TB) (FT)
Big round sun In the summer sky (use scarf to make a circle with your arms above head)
Waved to a cloud
That was passing by
The little cloud laughed
As it started to rain
Then out came the
Big round sun again
Source: Mel’s Desk

Big round sun thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling sun with red rays. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s sing to Mr. Sun to help us play outside! Shake along or make a circle shape with your arms.
Ukulele Song: Mr. Sun (TT) (TB) (FT)
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Hiding behind a tree

These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you

Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
Source: Raffi (from the album Singable Songs for the Very Young)

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Mr. Sun” here!

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

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

Craft: Shape Pictures Craft (TB) (FT)
Very simple, just a bowl full of different colored and sized shapes – squares, circles, triangles, and rectangles, and encouraged them to make whatever they would like – rockets, houses, vehicles, or even just abstract art!

shape craft, with a train engine and car trailing a line of steam made with cut out colored shapes on a dark blue background.

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
City Shapes – Diana Murray & Bryan Collier
Some of These Are Snails – Carter Higgins
Round – Joyce Sidman & Taeeun Yoo
Go, Shapes, Go! – Denise Fleming
Round Is a Tortilla – Roseanne Greenfield Thong & John Parra
Shapes & Shapes – Ivan Brunetti
The Shape of You – Mượn Thị Văn & Miki Sato
Baby Party – Rebecca O’Connell & Susie Poole
Circle / Triangle / Square – Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
Circle! Sphere! (¡Círculo! ¡Esfera!)– Grace Lin

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/9, 9/10, & 9/11/24.

Storytime Handout:

shapes handout, with suggested books, rhymes, and song lyrics.

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

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

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

Storytime: Counting/Numbers

Posted on August 23, 2024August 21, 2024 by msemilylibrary

After last week’s alphabet theme, this week we’re celebrating numbers and counting. I have to say that I found this week easier to plan. There are lots of counting and number rhymes and songs to choose from!

We also got out our rhythm sticks (which for me are unsharpened neon-colored pencils). Keeping a beat and counting a certain number of times is a natural use of sticks, though I bet you could adapt many of those rhymes to shaker eggs.

Early Literacy Tip: Learning the numbers in order is a great first step to math literacy. Working on showing numbers out of order, counting down as well as up, and identifying different numbers of items is a great way to develop those skills further.

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

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

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

Intro: Last week, we talked about the alphabet – letters are the foundation of reading! This week, we’re talking about numbers and counting – the foundations of math. Let’s practice counting!

Number Flannel
This was from a pre-made set purchased from Oriental Trading. Unfortunately they only include 0-9 digits, so I made my own extra 1 to make 10. I had it up throughout this program.

Number flannel thumbnail, with a graphic of the numbers 1-10.

One of the easiest ways to count is on our fingers. I have 10 fingers! How many do you have? Let’s see what we can do with them.
I did my best to not be ableist here by asking how many fingers they have, instead of assuming they all had ten. I have indeed had kids in the past with a malformed hand and it’s possible some kids might have a different number of fingers. Something to keep in mind when deciding whether to use this one!
Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers (TT) (TB) (FT)
I have ten little fingers And all they all belong to me
I can make them do things Would you like to see?
I can squeeze them up tight I can open them wide
I can clap them together And make them all hide
I can wave them up high Wave them down low
I can hold them together just like so
I have ten little fingers And they all belong to me
Do you have ten little fingers? Let’s count and see!
Source: Jbrary

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

Let’s test our listening!
Chant: Show Me One (TT) (TB) (FT)
Show me a one, one – (hold up 1 finger)
You’ve got your one! You’ve got your one!
(count up to 5, then choose random numbers or actions)
Source: Jbrary

Show Me One thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a hand with one finger up, labeled "1" and a second hand with two fingers up, labeled "2." click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

This is a great title, very simple and short. The illustrations really tell the story, so we talked through what the dog was doing on each page.
Read: One Two That’s My Shoe! by Alison Murray (TT)

A fun game of hide and seek – the illustrations on this one are very dynamic, and again it is quite simple. There was a lot of roaring happening as we read!
Read: One-Osaurus, Two-Osaurus by Kim Norman & Pierre Collet-Derby (TB) (FT)

Here’s the traditional version of this rhyme.
This one played very well after One Two That’s My Shoe, so we did it to accompany that book, but skipped it after One-Osaurus.
Action Rhyme: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (TT)
1, 2, Buckle my shoe (touch toes)
3, 4, Shut the door (clap)
5, 6, Pick up sticks (wiggle fingers upright)
7, 8, Lay them straight (lay one hand in other w/ fingers straight)
9, 10, A big fat hen! (arms wide)
Source: traditional

one two buckle my shoe thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of buckled mary jane style children's shoes and a brown hen. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Are you good at jumping? I know you’re doing great at counting! Let’s put them together.
Recorded Song: Jumping and Counting (TT)
Source: Jim Gill, from the album “Irrational Anthem and More Salutes to Nonsense”

Those dinosaurs sure had fun with their game. Let’s get our fingers out again – and play our own game. We’re going to tell a story using our fingers and numbers. This story is about some friends who go out dancing!
Though I don’t usually make a lyric sheet for recorded songs, I thought it would be helpful for everyone to see what “finger dance” is coming next.
Recorded Song: One From the Left (TB) (FT)
Source: Jim Gill, from the album “Vote for Jim Gill”

One from the left thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a hand on each side of the name of the dance holding up that number of fingers. 1- whoop de do, 2- snips galore, 3 - the finger mix, 4- bend and straight, 5 - clap and clap and clap and clap again. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What are these? Carrots! How many do we have? (count) Who likes to eat carrots? (We do!) Someone else loves carrots, and is very hungry. Rabbit would like some lunch.
Lady Librarian Life used peas and a slightly different rhyme that I adapted to carrots because I already had them. Puppets eating food always seem to be a hit.
Rhyme: Down in the Garden (TT) (TB) (FT)
Down around the corner
In the garden we found
Four crunchy carrots
Growing from the ground
Along comes a rabbit
Who wants something to munch
She takes one carrot
And eats it for lunch – Nom, nom, nom!
(count down)
Source: adapted from Lady Librarian Life

down in the garden flannel, showing the number flannel with four orange carrots under the 1-4. Also pictured is a pink bunny puppet and the lyric page.

down in the garden thumbnail, with a graphic of a pink bunny sitting next to a mound of dirt with four carrot tops growing from it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

You have been doing so great with counting, let’s learn the first three numbers in Spanish! Does anyone here like hot chocolate? A molinillo is used to stir and mix hot chocolate traditionally in Mexico, where chocolate originated.
Such a fun and simple song. We did it without rhythm sticks the first session, but I realized that they can easily be incorporated by tapping the rhythm on the first part and using them to stir when we get to bate bate. I actually have a decorative molinillo, so I showed it and demonstrated how it works.
Ukulele Song: ¡Chocolate! (TT) (TB) (FT)
(a leader sings each line and the group echoes it)
Uno, dos, tres, CHO (Uno, dos, tres, CHO)
Uno, dos, tres, CO (Uno, dos, tres, CO)
Uno, dos, tres, LA (Uno, dos, tres, LA)
Uno, dos, tres, TE (Uno, dos, tres, TE)
¡Chocolate! (¡Chocolate!) ¡Chocolate! (¡Chocolate!)
¡Bate! ¡Bate! (¡Bate! ¡Bate!) ¡El chocolate! (¡El chocolate!)
Source: traditional; check out the version by José-Luis Orozco

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

thumbnail for Chocolate ukulele songsheet.

a decorative molinillo, painted with different patterns in black, white, mustard, and rust colors.

chocolate thumbnail, with a graphic of a molinillo and traditional pitcher as well as a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s practice some different ways to tap our sticks.
Rhythm Sticks Chant: Bread and Butter (TT) (TB) (FT)
Bread and butter,
Marmalade and jam
Let’s tap our sticks
As high as we can!
(repeat, change underlined word. Try low, fast, slow, loud, quiet, etc)
Source: Jbrary

bread and butter thumbnail, with a graphic of a piece of bread with butter and a knife, a jar of marmalade, and a jar of grape jam. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Rhythm Sticks Song: Count the Beat (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (tap in rhythm)
8 9 10, 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 – 9 – 10!
Source: Jbrary

count the beat thumbnail, with a graphic of two sets of unsharpened pencils, crossed and in pink and yellow. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Jbrary has this one as a shaker egg song, so I adapted to work with rhythm sticks. The “tap again” and “that’s the end” lines came from Storytime Katie.
Rhythm Sticks Rhyme: One, Two, Tap it on Your Shoe (TT) (TB) (FT)
1, 2, Tap it on your shoe
3, 4, Tap it on the floor
5, 6, Stir and mix
7, 8, Stand up straight
9, 10, Tap it again! (repeat)
2nd time: That’s the end!
Source: adapted from Jbrary

one two tap it on your shoe thumbnail, with a graphic of two green unsharpened pencils to either side of the lyrics. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

My group seemed a little antsy, so I cut this one from the last session.
Rhythm Sticks Rhyme: So Glad to See You (TT) (TB)
I’m so glad to see you,
I really couldn’t wait
Can you tap your sticks
While you count to 8?
(tap 8 times. Repeat with different actions, such as tap your shoulder, tap the floor, alternate sticks, roll sticks)
Source: Librerin

so glad to see you thumbnail, with a graphic of the numbers 1-8 in a decorative font on colorful circles, and a crossed set of unsharpened blue pencils. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Counting Leaves Craft (TB) (FT)
I found this worksheet at Hello Wonderful. I simplified by not doing the circular stickers in the middle of each flower. I have two green stamp pads and four tables for crafts. So I split them between two, and also provided some green finger paint on every table, so that’s why my leaves look different.

craft showing five flowers with increasingly tall stems. In the center of each flower is a number, 1-5 (with the tallest stem showing 5). The flowers are colored with crayons and each stem has a fingerprinted number of leaves corresponding with the number on the flower. The first three are pale green (stamp pad), the last two are a much darker green (fingerpaint)

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Ducks Away! – Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
Counting Kisses – Karen Katz
Goodnight, Numbers – Danica McKellar & Alicia Padrón
One is a Piñata – Rosanne Greenfield Thong & John Parra
Swallow the Leader – Danna Smith & Kevin Sherry
Counting Kindness – Hollis Kurman & Barroux
Ten in the Bed – Jane Cabrera
My Bus – Byron Barton
Two Dogs on a Trike – Gabi Snyder & Robin Rosenthal

This storytime was presented in-person on 8/19, 8/20, & 8/21/24.

Storytime Handout:

handout including recommended books, rhymes, and song lyrics.

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

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

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

Storytime: Alphabet

Posted on August 16, 2024August 15, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Sometimes you just need to get back to basics. That’s how I was feeling after sitting down with the calendar and trying to brainstorm storytime themes for the rest of the year. So today we’re celebrating the alphabet, and upcoming we’ll get to counting, shapes, messy, and clean. Although knowing the alphabet is a fundamental literacy skill, and there are many online storytime write-ups of alphabet themes, I found this one challenging to put together. I tried to choose rhymes and songs I liked and ended up with a plan that worked okay, but got some tweaking with every session. What are your favorite alphabet activities?

Early Literacy Tip: Singing the alphabet song helps children learn the names of the letters. Singing the names of the letters to a different tune breaks the letters down in different ways and helps them hear the names more clearly. Experiment with other common tunes like “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “This Old Man,” or “Row Your Boat.” adapted from Mel’s Desk

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

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

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

Intro: Today our theme is the alphabet! It’s all the letters that make up words, and one of the early steps of learning to read and write is knowing the alphabet. You’re just getting started and you have lots of time to practice, so don’t worry if you don’t know it yet. Can we sing the alphabet song together?

Song: The Alphabet Song (TT) (TB) (FT)
The first time through, we sang the traditional tune, to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” The second time, I shared today’s early literacy tip and sang to “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
I have always felt a little awkward with the alphabet song – there’s no motion to do with my hands. I asked on the Storytime Solidarity FB group for suggestions, and got lots of good ones, including clapping, shaking shakers, stomping, jumping, or patting your lap to the beat, having an alphabet chart and pointing to the letters, or doing the “There’s a Dog in School” song. Others do the letters in ASL, but I have never learned it and don’t want to get it wrong. For this week, I had the letters on the flannelboard (made with the die cutter) and pointed to them as we sang each time, and that worked well. If I start incorporating the song in future storytimes, I’ll think I’ll do clapping. Thanks to all who gave a suggestion!

Flannel showing multicolored capital letters on a blue background.

This rhyme features things from the first four letters of the alphabet. What are those letters again? A, B, C, & D!
We previewed the motions for A B and C, and when we got to Circle, we spun around and around and around and around to extend the spinning!
Rhyme: A Is for Alligator
A is for alligator chomp, chomp, chomp
B is for bunny, hop, hop, hop
C is for circle, spin around and around
D is for dizzy, and we all fall down!
Source: King County (WA) Library System

A is for Alligator thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon alligator. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Both my younger and older classes were entranced for the first few pages (maybe through G), then got wiggly. I did skip to the end, which is not the easiest to do with this book. But it is a beautiful and fun title!
Read: Animalphabet by Julia Donaldson & Sharon King-Chai (TT) (TB)

After the first two groups struggling with Animalphabet, I switched to this classic. (Which is not one that I grew up with – in fact I read it for the first time in preparation for this week!) Again, they loved the first part (and I had several people reciting the first few pages with me out loud), but after the letters fell and we were going through the alphabet the second time, they were distracted. To keep it interactive, I asked them to say “Boom Boom” with claps whenever I said “Chicka Chicka,” which they quite enjoyed. I notice that there aren’t any of those interspersed between letters the second time through, only at the very end. So perhaps that was a factor?
Read: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr, John Archambault, & Lois Ehlert (FT)

Cute, and the biggest hit with Toddler Time, I cut it for time in the last session.
Can we spread our arms really wide for a big A? How about a little a?
Bounce: Big A Little A (TT) (TB)
Big “A,” Little “a” (spread hands wide apart, then bring them close together)
Bouncing “B” (bounce up and down)
The cat’s in the cupboard (cover your eyes)
And can’t see me! Peek-a-boo!
Source: Loudest Librarian

Big A little A thumbnail, with a graphic of two capital and two lowercase letter a's in various font and color styles, as if cut from magazines. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

My little mouse flannel gets more mileage with a letter hide and seek. They love this game!
One of our alphabet wants to play a game – can we find them?
Flannel: Letter Hide & Seek (TT) (TB) (FT)
Letter B, letter B
Playing hide and seek
Are you in the RED house?
Let’s take a peek!
Source: original

Little house flannel, showing seven houses (two one-story, three two-story, and two three-story) in different colors. Green, red, orange, yellow, brown, pink, and blue. Also pictured is a little brown mouse not used in this storytime. — Houses flannel shown with mouse, but I subbed the letter B

Letter hide and seek thumbnail, with a graphic of five houses from the above flannelboard with a letter B peeking from behind one. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We talk about ABC a lot, but what about the letter at the END of the alphabet? Here’s a song about ZOOMING down the highway.
Action Song: Zoom Down the Highway (TT) (TB) (FT)
Zoom down the highway, Zoom down the highway,
Zoom down the highway (slide arms forward on “zoom”)
FAST! (clap)
Up goes the drawbridge (x3)
(raise child up on knees, or lift arms from a flat to a vertical position)
A ship is going past

Down goes the drawbridge (x3)
(reverse previous movement)
The ship has passed at last

So we can… Zoom down the highway… (repeat verse one)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

zoom down the highway thumbnail, with a graphic of a coupe car with motion lines behind it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’m not super good with puppets. I tried to make this one silly with googly eyes and a scrunchy (since I don’t have any actual monster puppets), but I felt a little awkward and I’m sure that telegraphed into the rendition. I probably would have dropped it for the last session, but that’s what tied in the craft, so no.
Who is this? IT’S a monster! An alphabet monster! Can you make a monster with your hand?
Rhyme: Alphabet Monster (TB) (FT)
I’m the Alphabet Monster and nothing tastes better
To the Alphabet Monster than eating a letter
Today I will eat an “M” if I may
With the million more letters I munch every day
I’m hungry now. What shall I do?
I think I’ll eat a “y” an “o” and a “u”…
That means YOU! (nom, nom, nom)
Source: Yogibrarian

alphabet monster thumbnail, with a graphic of a cute blue monster holding letters of different fonts and colors, with other letters floating in front of it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Shakers Intro: Let’s practice our shakers. Shake high, low, slow, fast, in a circle.

I saw this one on almost every single storytime blog about the alphabet I visited. It seemed a little hokey to me, but then I saw the librarian at Waukee Public Library sharing it (see link below), and I liked her style. I got a similar set of magnetic alphabet letters and I liked the idea of picking a random letter each verse. She also had a fourth letter verse I didn’t see anywhere else.
Let’s practice some letters with this action rhyme.
Action Rhyme: Alphabet Beat (TT) (TB) (FT)
(choose any four letters, name a object or word that starts with that letter and the name of the letter)
Clap your hands and stomp your feet
Everybody’s doing the alphabet beat
Bear, Bear, Bear – B – B – B
Bear, Bear, Bear – B – B – B

Wave your hands high, swing your arms low
The alphabet beat is the way to go (2nd letter)

Shake to the left and shake to the right
The alphabet beat is out of sight (3rd letter)

Sparkle really fast. Sparkle really slow (wiggle fingers)
The alphabeat’s great, and now you know (4th letter)

(I didn’t include this end verse)
Now give a high five to a nearby friend
The alphabet beat has come to the end!
Source: Waukee (IA) Public Library

alphabet beat thumbnail, with a graphic of animal letters (from the magnetic set used in person): a B shaped as a bear, P for panda, F for flamingo, L for lion, R for rhino, T for tiger, and Z for zebra. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This song features some very special letters. A, E, I, O, U. Grownups, what are they called? Vowels!
Ukulele/Shaker Song: Apples and Bananas (TT) (TB) (FT)
(begin with the correct pronunciation, then change the vowel sounds for each verse to a, e, i, o, and u)
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas

Additional verses:
I like to ate, ate, ate ayples and ba-nay-nays…
I like to eet, eet, eet eeples and ba-nee-nees…
I like to ite, ite, ite iples and ba-ni-nis…
I like to ote, ote, ote oples and ba-no-nos…
I like to ute, ute, ute uples and ba-nu-nus…
Source: Raffi, from the album “One Light, One Sun”

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

apples and bananas ukulele songsheet thumbnail.

apples and bananas thumbnail, with a graphic of a red apple and yellow banana with cute faces. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Craft: Alphabet Monster (TB) (FT)
We have a large supply of all kinds of stickers, so I pulled out all of the letter ones to make a simple monster coloring sheet fit with our theme. Googly eyes help make them fun, and I stressed that any letters would be good for their monsters, no need to try to spell anything. Idea from Verona Storytime, monster printable from PreschoolAlphabet.blogspot.com.

Monster craft, showing a monster with a large egg-shaped body, two three fingered hands, two small legs/feet, two horns, and a large smile with three uneven teeth. Mine is colored with crayons, has three plastic googly eyes, and several different color/font/size letter stickers.

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

I actually have not done this one for the last two weeks (since being back from summer.) I like it a lot, but it extends the goodbye period and by this time most grownups are packing up and getting going. So I think I’m going to nix it for the foreseeable future.
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars*

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

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets – Sara O’Leary & Jacob Grant
Oops Pounce Quick Run – Mike Twohy
The Racecar Alphabet – Brian Floca
Eating the Alphabet – Lois Ehlert
K Is for Kindness – Rina Horiuchi & Risa Horiuchi
Z Is for Moose – Kelly Bingham & Paul O Zelinski
B Is for Bananas – Carrie Tillotson & Estrela Lourenco
Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack – Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin

This storytime was presented in-person on 8/12, 8/13, & 8/14/24.

Storytime Handout:

handout with suggested books, rhymes and song lyrics.

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

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

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