ukulele – Page 8 – Storytime with Ms. Emily Library

Summer Storytimes: Merbabies Play

Posted on July 26, 2022August 22, 2025 by msemilylibrary

The last summer reading storytime, wow. The summer went so quickly this year, probably since it seemed like the library was hopping after two years of interrupted/adjusted service. I’m so pleased with the turnout and response from my storytime families. I heard or overheard someone say every week: “Hey, let’s try this at home!” or “I wouldn’t have thought of this, but we could set this up at home!” That was the most gratifying part. I LOVE being able to spark ideas and inspire families to continue the learning and exploration on their own.

Another great benefit of outdoor storytimes was how welcoming they can be. I occasionally had families stop by who hadn’t registered, and/or had a child who was 4 or 5 (outside my age group), or who were able to bring older siblings. In addition, we didn’t have to worry about masking, and distancing was not a problem since we had lots of space in the outdoor lawn area. For all these situations, I could welcome these families with open arms, with no judgement that they “didn’t do it [registration] right” or worry that they had to find someone else to watch their older kids while they attended storytime with the younger one. These are usual and reasonable limitations when you’re presenting indoors, where space is also limited. But I love having a time of year where I don’t have to turn anyone away.

This week’s theme is “merpeople” and I’m glad that authors, illustrators, and publishers have started being more inclusive with their depictions. I didn’t have to look too far to find masculine presenting merfolk or merfolk of color! I do wish there were more merperson books that were simpler, with less text on the page, but I did some extensive paperclipping to make them work for the youngest group. I also had to do some scouting around to find masculine merkids as coloring pages (see below for links).

For a more in-depth explanation of the structure of this summer’s programs, read the intro to the first session, Ocean Life.

You can find other versions of this theme from 2020 and 2025.

Can I give you a squish book cover, with an enthusiastic merboy with arms raised looking at friends dolphin, crab, octopus, and fish.

Early Learning Tip: “Down By the Bay” is a great song to exercise your creativity on. What silly rhymes can you and your child come up with together? Learning how to rhyme helps your child listen for and discern between the distinct sounds that make up words.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Hello, friends! Hello, friends!
Hello, friends, it’s time to say hello!
Hello, [name 1], hello, [name 2]!
Hello, [name 3], it’s time to say hello! (repeat as needed)
(ASL motions: salute for “hello,” then take the index fingers on each hand and you link them together as though they are hugging each other back and forth for “friends”)
Source: Glenside Public Library District

Warm-Up Rhyme: We Wiggle and Stop (repeated)
(Use the ASL sign for the word “stop” – one hand “chops” across the opposite hand)
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle
And we wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
(This week we also “marched” and, my favorite, “hugged.” I encouraged everyone to find someone to hug, even if it was themselves. I do two new motions in addition to “wiggle” each week to keep it interesting)
Source: Jbrary

Intro to Weekly Theme: Merpeople are legendary creatures that are half human and half fish. It’s fun to imagine what they might be like!

I had a lot of trouble finding a merfolk song that I liked this week. My second runner up was “Did you Ever See a Mermaid,” but I just wasn’t feeling it. I ended up with “Down By the Bay,” and I had fun coming up with lots of ocean-themed verses. I only actually used the merfolk ones, but it’s nice to have some extras in my back pocket for the future! It was also an opportunity to bring my ukulele, which I hadn’t done at all yet this summer.
Themed Ukulele Song: Down by the Bay
Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow
Back to my home I dare not go!
For if I do, my mother will say:
“Did you ever see a whale with a polka dot tail?”
Down by the bay!
Additional verses:
… a mermaid swimming in lemonade?
… a merman knitting an afghan?
… a merkid riding a squid?
… a merboy hugging his teddy bear toy?
… a mergirl playing catch with a pearl?
… a crab driving a taxicab?
… a shark eating ice cream in the park?
… a clam competing in a poetry slam?
… a pufferfish surfing on a dish?
… a sea star riding in a car?
… a seahorse playing on a golf course?
… an octopus singing to a platypus?
Did you ever have a time when you couldn’t make a rhyme?
Source: traditional, as popularized by Raffi on the album Singable Songs for the Very Young, all additional verses by Ms. Emily!

Download a ukulele songsheet for Down By the Bay!

Thumbnail of "Down By the Bay" ukulele song sheet

Themed Book:
Goodnight Mermaid by K. J. Oceanak & Allie Ogg
OR
Can I Give You a Squish? by Emily Neilson
I *highly* paperclipped Goodnight Mermaid to make it work for my youngest group. It was just way too long (and if I’m being honest, a little nonsensical, too.) But the pictures are fun and the shortened story is reminiscent of Goodnight Moon, which is a familiar structure. My oldest group did great with Can I Give You a Squish, but when I tried it again the next day with my more mixed group, I skipped several pages when they seemed to be losing interest. I’m learning to be very flexible with books!

I adapted the lyrics only slightly from Jbrary’s pirate themed song to be a little more generic ocean. I also let grownups know this could be a lifting song, but only if they’re feeling ambitious! I invite everyone else to do the up and down motions with me.
Repeated Song: The Ocean Song
(tune of The Elevator Song)
Oh, the ocean is great and the ocean is grand!
There are lots of big ships but very little land
And we sleep down deep in a hammock near the floor
And this is what we do when we go out to shore:

(ready?) We… ride… the…
waves going up, we ride the waves going down
we ride the waves going up, we ride the waves going down
we ride the waves going up, we ride the waves going down
And we turn… a-… round!
Source: Jbrary

After the Ocean Song, I’m invariably out of breath, so it’s time for a breathing break. I’d considered doing ocean wave breathing on the theme, but I decided that Five Finger Breathing is an easy one to teach and for kids to remember, which is my point in doing it.
Breathing Break: Five Finger Breathing
Whew, I could use a breathing break! Let’s get out our five fingers and spread our hands out wide. We’re going to breathe in deeply as we trace our fingers up, pause for just a moment at the top of our finger, then breathe out as we trace down. Ready?

I like to mention that this song was adapted by an occupational therapist as a reminder of ways to self-soothe.
Repeated Movement Song: Big Sea Star
(tune of A Ram Sam Sam)
A big sea star, a big sea star
Little cuddle clam and a big sea star
A big sea star, a big sea star
Little cuddle clam and a big sea star
A pufferfish! A pufferfish!
Little cuddle clam and a big sea star
A pufferfish! A pufferfish!
Little cuddle clam and a big sea star
Source: Jbrary

Release to Stations
I have seven stations each week, which involve a mixture of dry, wet, and an action station. We spend about 20 minutes in free play.

Repeated Stations:
Kinetic Sand (Dry)
I bought some kinetic sand and added it to two plastic bins. In the recycling bin I found some fruit cup containers that had fun shapes and added them plus some plastic shovels. I keep a sheet underneath this station to catch any stray sand that escapes the bins. I didn’t realize until after I planned this station that kinetic sand should not be put in mouths, so I do warn the parents that if their kiddo is still exploring with their mouth, they may want to skip this one.

Kinetic sand station outside - two bins set on a blue sheet, with small plastic containers, plastic shovels, and sand in them

Pouring Station (Wet)
I asked coworkers to collect clean plastic recyclables with wide openings for this station and visited Goodwill for some additional pitchers. We had measuring cups and funnels in our materials, as well as a baby pool, which is the perfect container. I fill the pool with plastic bins and fill them randomly with water from the hose each week. (Also, I must have had some sunscreen on my lens taking pictures outdoors – there’s a weird blur!)

Pouring station, with a faded red baby pool filled with various plastic containers of all shapes and sizes

Rotating Stations:
Pompom Sort (Dry)
A really easy station to put together: I just saved a couple of egg cartons, then poured a handful or two of different colored/sized pompoms into them. Provide some plastic tongs and you’re done. (And again, weird blur)

Pompom Sorting station: two shoebox sized plastic bins hold two natural cardboard egg cartons with various shaped and colored pompoms and plastic tongs.

Colored Ball Sort and Drop (Dry)
This was inspired by a Pinterest post from Taming Little Monsters. I made two, from our ubiquitous Baker & Taylor boxes, but oriented them different ways so one was tall and skinny and one was low and squat.

Ball sort and drop station: two cardboard book boxes hold plastic "ball pit" balls. Both have holes cut into the top with an open space below for the balls to be retrieved.

Dodge the Seaweed (Action)
We had some small cones in our action set, so I duct taped a paint stirrer to the tops of them, then haphazardly added green crepe paper to look like seaweed. For the amount of time it took me, I think they look pretty good! I was fully expecting them to get kind of torn up after the first week of use, but they held up. I’m amazed that I didn’t need to repair them once over the summer!

Dodge the seaweed station, with green and blue cones topped by green crepe paper "seaweed"

Unique Stations: UNIQUE-ISH – I had two other stations planned, but decided to actually repeat two previous stations instead. My other plans were to do a “paint with water” on dry concrete, but the only concrete we have near our storytime area is a sidewalk RIGHT next to the street. It made me nervous to bring everyone that close to speeding cars, so I nixed it. For the art station, I had a vague idea of using pinecones to stamp merfolk tails with paint, then draw in the details, but A) that was a little advanced for my group, and B) I was too tired to think about cleaning up lots of paint at the end of the summer. I went the easy route and redid these instead:

Sponge Play (Wet)
Based on this Pinterest idea from Little Lifelong Learners, I just had sponges in bins of water for little ones to play with. Of course, I have to do some theme stuff, so in addition to simple shapes (sticks, triangles, circles), I cut out some ocean animals as well. These sponges were reused in a sponge painting craft in week two.

Picture of two bins with multicolored sponges in them. Shapes include seahorses, fish, sea stars, clamshells, dolphins, triangles, sticks, and circles.

Dot Painting (Art/Messy)
So as I was planning this week and thinking about how I’d make the pinecone painting as easy as possible, I got a blog post in my email from The Artisan Life that had mermaid dot painting sheets. Well, let’s just make things easy on myself. Plus, the kids seemed to like doing the dot painters when we did them a couple weeks ago, a and it’s a more “unusual” craft supply that not everyone has at home. BUT – I was a little unhappy that there were no merboys (and that all the mermaids looked kind of the same, with the same kinds of hair.) I did a search for merboy coloring sheets and found this lovely set (which also includes different hair types, yay!) by Simple Everyday Mom. Did you know you can make any coloring sheet into a dot marker sheet? I used Canva, but you could certainly do the same thing in Publisher. Just add .75 inch dots to the sheet on blocks of color (avoiding faces and slender limbs like arms). Easy peasy.

After about 20 minutes exploring stations, I rang the bell to call everyone back to the storytime area. 20 minutes felt like a good time – kids had generally found their way to all the stations and were winding down.

Everybody loves bubbles! The trick to doing bubbles outside, I’m finding, is to figure out which way the wind is blowing and get upwind of your group!
Recorded Bubble Song: Pop, Pop, Pop by Nathalia
From the album “Dream a Little,” available on Spotify

CD cover of Nathalia's "Dream A Little" album.

Goodbye Song: See You Later, Alligator
(tune of Clementine)
See you later, alligator (wave with one hand, then the other)
In a while, crocodile (open and shut arms like a croc’s mouth)
Give a hug, ladybug (hug yourself or a loved one)
Blow a kiss, jellyfish! MWAH! (move hand like a jellyfish then blow a kiss!)
Source: King County Library System

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina Cho & Jess X. Snow
Oona by Kelly DiPucchio & Raissa Figueroa
Oona and the Shark by Kelly DiPucchio & Raissa Figueroa
Pearl by Molly Idle
Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
The Little Mermaid by Jerry Pinkney
Mermaids Fast Asleep by Robin Riding & Zoe Persico
Mermaid and Me by Soosh
How to Catch a Mermaid by Adam Wallace & Andy Elkerton
You Are My Sparkly Mermaid by Joyce Wan
Mabel: A Mermaid Fable by Rowboat Watkins

Mermaids fast asleep book cover, showing a mermaid hugging a merchild with fish all around

This storytime was presented in-person on 7/18, 7/19, & 7/20/22.

Family Storytime: Feeling Thankful (2021)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download a PDF of the tree and leaves here!

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.

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

Goodbye Song: See You Later, Alligator
(tune of Clementine)
See you later, alligator (wave with one hand, then the other)
In a while, crocodile (open and shut arms like a croc’s mouth)
Give a hug, ladybug (hug yourself or a loved one)
Blow a kiss, jellyfish! MWAH! (move hand like a jellyfish then blow a kiss!)
Source: King County Library System

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

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

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: Bedtime

Posted on January 21, 2022January 13, 2022 by msemilylibrary

Bedtime is a perennial favorite storytime theme, so I challenged myself to craft a session using only NEW bedtime books – ones that have been published in 2021. I had lots of options, and I loved being able to showcase some titles that caregivers may not have seen yet.

This is another reason why I’m happy with my decision to booktalk books rather than read them in full on my permanent YouTube videos. This allows me to have a book-centered virtual program that does not violate copyright laws (and I don’t have to jump through publisher hoops), AND I get to highlight six books instead of the two or three I’d have time to read in their entirety. When I get back to in-person storytimes, I’ll be sad to not get to share as many great titles with families. I always put a list on my handout, but I’m not sure how effective that is.

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

Early Literacy Tip: When we talk about the sequence of our days with our children, they have a chance to hear vocabulary words in context and begin to learn how to put events in order… both skills that help with comprehension when they are readers.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Intro: Let’s talk about Bedtime! For some, it’s their favorite time of day (parents?) For others, it may be a chore. But I’d like to share some rhymes, songs, and books that show that bedtime can be lots of fun! And when we get enough sleep at night, we feel refreshed and ready for our day in the morning. If you have a light scarf, bandana, or even a tissue, grab it now and we’ll be using it in our songs later.

Fingerplay: Here Is a Baby
Here is a baby (raise pointer finger)
Ready for a nap
Lay her down in her mother’s lap (place finger in palm)
Cover her up so she won’t peek (curl fingers around pointer)
Rock her till she’s fast asleep (rock)
Source: Library Village

Read: Brown Baby Lullaby by Tameka Fryer Brown & AG Ford

Scarf Song: This Is the Way We…
(tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we wash our face (rub scarf on face)
Wash our face, wash our face
This is the way we wash our face,
When we get ready for bed!

Additional verses:
Wash our toes // wash our arms // wash our tummy //
Read a book // give a hug // snuggle and drift
Source: Library Village & Handley Regional Library (VA)

Aside: Another great action song that ends in bed is Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. Check out this version by Jazzy Ash, which will tire you out! (Linked in the YouTube video description and on the handout)

Song: Look at All the Bunnies
Look at all the bunnies sleeping til it’s nearly noon
Shall we wake them with a merry tune?
Oh so still! Are they ill?
Wake up, wake up, wake up little bunnies
Wake up, wake up, wake up little bunnies
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Stop little bunnies, stop, stop, stop… and FREEZE!
Source: King County Library System

Sydney Hanson is the master of cuteness!
Read: Five Fuzzy Chicks by Diana Murray & Sydney Hanson

I just love this song! I use my laminated pieces for “Ten Yellow Chicks” (originally from Sunflower Storytime) to illustrate it on the flannel board, and explain what is happening before singing the song. In English, we interpret the sounds of chicks as “peep” or “cheep,” but in Spanish we say “pío.” And these chicks wander away from their mother and get hungry and cold. But the mother hen is a good mama, so she finds food for them, corn and wheat, and gathers them under her wings to get warm and go to sleep. But the next day, the silly chicks do it all over again!
Flannel Song: Los Pollitos Dicen
Los pollitos dicen, pío, pío, pío
cuando tienen hambre, cuando tienen frío (hambre=rub belly, frío=rub shoulders)
La gallina busca, el maíz y el trigo
les da la comida, y les presta abrigo
Bajo sus dos alas, acurrucaditos,
duermen los pollitos hasta el otro día (duermen=lay head on hands, sleepy)
Pío, pío, pío dicen los pollitos
cuando tienen hambre, cuando tienen frío
Source: traditional – watch here: https://youtu.be/a7zUbmjUtDM

Printed and laminated flannelboard pieces showing a brown chicken and ten yellow chicks.

One more repeated activity. This has always been a favorite song, and it actually fits with our theme this week!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
(hands scrape past each other rhythmically)
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
If you want to take a trip (fingers walk up arm)
Climb aboard my rocket ship!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF! (crouch, then jump!)
Credit: Jbrary

Lullabies are a must for a bedtime storytime!
Lullaby: Twinkle, Twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are!
Source: traditional, I used the motions from Jbrary

Ukulele Lullaby: Hush, Little Baby
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,
Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won’t sing,
Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Mama’s gonna buy you a billy goat
And if that billy goat won’t pull,
Mama’s gonna buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Mama’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover
And if that dog named Rover won’t bark
Mama’s gonna buy you a horse and cart
And if that horse and cart fall down,
You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.
Credit: traditional

Download a Ukulele songsheet for Hush, Little Baby

thumbnail of ukulele songsheet for "hush little baby"

Craft: Night Sky
A super simple craft this time – I cut out crescent moon shapes from white cardstock to glue to a piece of black construction paper, and gave each kid some sparkly star stickers to make their own night sky. On the craft how-to sheet, I posed some questions to encourage kids and caregivers to talk. “Can you imagine your stars make shapes like constellations? What stories might you tell about these shapes?” Idea (and photo, I didn’t make a sample) borrowed from Library Village.

A white paper crescent moon glued to a piece of black construction paper with sparkly star stickers to make a night sky scene — image from Library Village blog

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes & Elizabeth Zunon
Close Your Eyes by Lori Haskins Houran & Sydney Hanson
It’s So Quiet by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tony Fucile
Sloth Wasn’t Sleepy by Kate Messner & Valentina Toro

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 11/16/21.

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: Boxes

Posted on January 14, 2022December 20, 2024 by msemilylibrary

Another theme on a “concept” that has been treated well in children’s picture book literature is boxes! Imaginative play in or using cardboard boxes, as well as the shape concepts of square and cube, the related idea of block play – all are great early learning tools and fun to riff on at storytime.

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

Find another version of this theme from 2024.

Early Literacy Tip: Playing helps children’s brains grow and develop in so many ways! When we pretend and act out stories, like pretending that a box might be a rocket ship, and what we might do on a space adventure, we’re using problem-solving skills and it prepares us to write stories of our own someday.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

I started using a new warm-up rhyme this week. I’d known the first two verses for many, many years, but saw the “Higher” and “Lower” verses and decided to expand! I chant this, though I think some librarians sing it.
Warm-Up Rhyme: Open, Shut Them
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap clap!
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap, lap!

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

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

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

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

Intro: Oh, do you like my hat? What do you mean it’s not a hat? It’s a box! That’s the wonderful thing about a box. It can be a hat… or a mixing bowl … or a hiding place!

I used a variety of animal puppets in an old paper box – I chose that since it has a lid rather than just flaps.
Puppet Rhyme: Here is a Box
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 have kids guess who is in the box before opening)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

screenshot from virtual storytime showing a chicken puppet that has just emerged from a cardboard box.

Read: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

This was a really fun flannel that I saw on several storytime blogs – Fun With Friends at Storytime got super fancy with three different shades of felt for each box to make them look more three dimensional. I stuck to one color per box, but I did include a front and back piece, gluing the front piece to just three sides of the back, so the box would create a little “pocket” I could put small laminated pictures in that were “in” the box. The lid was another separate piece that could be removed. I used the template shared by Anne’s Library Life but the rhyme came from One For the Books blog. The small mystery items were different brightly-colored toys and animals that I found on Canva. I was sure to include a “jack in the box” as one of the mystery items, since I wasn’t sure how familiar modern kids would be with this old-fashioned toy. “Jack” features prominently in our song “Turn Around” later in storytime, so I got this picture out again to remind kids who Jack was and why he was in a box.
Flannel Game: Mystery Boxes
Little [pink] box let me look inside and see
What’s inside? Ready? 1, 2, 3! (lift the lid)
Source: adapted from One For the Books blog

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

I really liked the idea of this one-verse song that I found on Anne’s Library Life, but wanted to expand it! Of course, you can shorten/remove verses to fit your audience as needed.
Ukulele Song: Wiggle Box
(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 the wiggle box is closed up tight… We’re ready for a story today!
Source: Verse 4 from Anne’s Library Life, remainder by Ms. Emily

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

This has really interesting illustrations if you have a small group that can appreciate them. I liked that the text was pretty simple and short, too.
Read: What to Do With a Box by Jane Yolen & Chris Sheban

It’s pretty unusual for me to do two ukulele songs in one storytime, but it worked out here. This is from Sue Schnitzer, who I was connected to through the ukulele community, and I didn’t even realize she put out children’s song albums because she was also a librarian! She graciously shared the chords for this song with me. Check her out! One more note – be sure to practice this one ahead of time! I didn’t realize how difficult it was to spin in a circle and play ukulele and sing all at the same time, and it took me a couple of tries to get the rhythm down!
Ukulele Song: Turn Around
Can you turn around with me? (spin in place)
It’s as easy as can be
Round and round and round just so
Then ker-PLOP! Down we go! (fall to the floor)

(tacit) Jack is quiet – shhh! (fingers to lips)
In his box… (arm covers head)
Open the lid… (slowly open arm out)
And up he… POPS! (jump up)
Source: Sue Schnitzer, from the album “Wiggle and Whirl”

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

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

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

Craft: Blocks Craft and Box Coloring Page
Two crafts today! I used an idea from Storytime Katie for a very simple 2D blocks craft, making some random squares, rectangles, triangles, half circles, and “bridge” shapes (a rectangle with a half circle cut out of it) from different colored construction paper, and a plain white sheet to glue them to. (Photo from Storytime Katie’s blog)
I also created a Box Imagination sheet, which just has a plain box in the middle with lots of white space around, in which kids could color whatever they imagined the box to be. (I made mine a treehouse as an example.)

You can download the sheet here!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
A Box Can Be Many Things by Dana Meachen Rau & Paige Billin-Frye
Boxitects by Kim Smith
Big Box, Little Box by Caryl Hart & Edward Underwood
Blocks by Irene Dickson

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 11/9/21.

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: Fire Trucks

Posted on December 24, 2021November 24, 2021 by msemilylibrary

Another theme culled from the Chase’s Calendar of Events, October is Fire Safety Month in the US. I called our local fire station and asked if they would be able to be guests for my Tuesday and/or Saturday program for this week. They said they could for Tuesday, and they would *try* for Saturday, since they were short staffed and would be on call.

I’m a planner and like to have all the contingencies covered, so this was hard for me! Even for the Tuesday program, I didn’t get a lot of information about what to expect or what the firefighters themselves would be expecting when they arrived, despite my tentative ask. I figure the fire chief is pretty busy and probably doesn’t have a lot of attention for working out details for a volunteer appearance, so I didn’t make myself a nuisance and follow up. It was a good time for me to practice going with the flow.

photo of firefighters in front of their truck, explaining their gear, with storytimers looking on.

My solution was to plan a storytime as if the guests wouldn’t show at all, and just be prepared to drop some or all of it as needed. This worked well – I ended up using about half of my plan when the firefighters showed up 10 minutes late on Tuesday, and didn’t show up at all on Saturday. (And of course, I wouldn’t have them available for the virtual version at all.) I had what I needed, but was able to adjust. Their visit turned out great, too. I “made” one of them help me tell the book I was in the middle of when they arrived (making sound effects). The two others that didn’t get roped into this snickered in the background, but my “victim” was very good-natured about it all. And during the fire truck show and tell, the grownups were just as entranced (if not more) and asked lots of questions!

This storytime also had a TON of props – most of which I didn’t use in the outdoor session. It’s nice to have them on hand though, for when we’re back indoors.

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

Early Education Tip: We talk about possible emergencies not to scare anyone, but to be prepared! It’s important that children know what a fully dressed firefighter looks and sounds like, as well as what to do if they hear the fire alarm, and have practiced a fire escape plan. While we hope we’ll never need to use it, it’s better to have those skills in our brains ahead of time in case there is a fire emergency.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Hello, friends! Hello, friends!
Hello, friends, it’s time to say hello!
Hello, [name 1], hello, [name 2]!
Hello, [name 3], it’s time to say hello!
(ASL motions: salute for “hello,” then take the index fingers on each hand and you link them together as though they are hugging each other back and forth for “friends”)
Source: Glenside Public Library District

Warm-Up Rhyme: We Wiggle and Stop
(Use the ASL sign for the word “stop” – one hand “chops” across the opposite hand)
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle
And we wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
(Try other motions such as jump, twirl, stretch)
Source: Jbrary

Intro: Firefighters are people who are trained to put out fires and help people who may be hurt or stuck. They use a big truck that has special equipment just for fighting fires. It’s important for us to talk about who they are, what they do, and what YOU can do if there’s an emergency.

I didn’t end up using this one outdoors, but it was a nice backup. The flannel printout is generously provided on the Literary Hoots blog!
Song: If You’re Going to Fight a Fire
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If you’re going to fight a fire,wear your helmet
If you’re going to fight a fire, wear your helmet
Firefighters feeling steady
Very quickly let’s get ready!
If you’re going to fight a fire, wear your helmet
(repeat with gloves, boots, hat, etc)
Source: adapted from Literary Hoots

printed and laminated picture of a firefighter, with removable helmet, gloves, and boots.

In the virtual version, I used this rhyme and firefighter flannel template from Storytime in the Stacks in place of the above song. He’s really cute in his red boxer shorts!
Flannel Rhyme: Here Is a Firefighter
Here is a firefighter!
Here are his pants.
Here is his coat,
and here is his hat.
Here are his gloves,
Here are his boots.
Here is his mask,
And his fire hose too!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

photo of flannel set with a bald firefighter in red boxer shorts, with pieces for a coat, pants, gloves, boots, hat, mask, and hose. Inset shows all the pieces together.

This one is told almost entirely in sound effects. I love the bold illustrations and diverse firefighters.
Read: Fire Engine No. 9 by Mike Austin

I made a large version of this that I could stick on my bookcart for the outdoor version, and a smaller one for the flannelboard. That’s a definite advantage to printed out flannels – they’re scalable!
Counting Rhyme: One Brave Firefighter
One brave firefighter putting out the fire
Swoosh goes the water,
But the flames climb higher
The firefighter calls for a friend with a shout:
“HELP ME PUT THIS FIRE OUT!”

Count up, last verse:
Four brave firefighters putting out the fire.
Swoosh goes the water
And the flames start to expire!
The firefighters clap their hands and shout:
“HOORAY, we put the fire out!”
Source: Madelyn’s Library Programming Blog

printed and laminated flannel set with four different firefighters holding hoses.

I originally learned this song to the tune of “10 Little Indians,” which I no longer use. I was happy to discover that the Old Town School of Folk Music has a version that uses a different melody.
Action Song: Hurry, Hurry
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (turn a steering wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (ring a bell)

Additional verses:
Turn the corner (lean far left and right)
Put the ladder up, (climb a ladder)
Spray the fire hose (hold a hose and move it back and forth)

Last verse, we drive the fire truck back to the station:
Slowly, slowly, drive the fire truck
Slowly, slowly, drive the fire truck
Slowly, slowly, drive the fire truck
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (ring a bell)
Source: adapted from Old Town School of Folk Music from the Songs for Wiggleworms album

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

This is a sillier story!
Read: Firefighter Duckies by Frank W. Dormer

The next two songs got cut for the in-person sessions.
Song: Fire Safety
(tune of What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor)
What do you call if there’s a fire (x3)
Call 9-1-1!

What do you do to plan for fire (x3)
Have a fire drill!

What do you do if your clothes are on fire(x3)
Stop, drop and roll!

Who comes in a truck if there’s a fire (x3)
It’s the firefighter!
Source: Johnson County Library (KS)

The flannel and song both came from the Making Learning Fun site – I adjusted the truck so it would fit on one piece of felt.
Song: The Wheels on the Truck
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The wheels on the truck go round and round
Round and round, round and round!
The wheels on the truck go round and round
When they fight the fire

Additional verses:
Door- open and shut; Siren- woo, woo, woo;
Ladder- up and down; Hose-woosh,woosh,woosh
Source: Making Learning Fun

Flannel set of a fire truck. Accessories include a door, wheels, headlight, siren light, ladder, hook, mask, hatchet, and hose.

Craft: Fire Truck
Adapted and simplified from Busy Bee Kids Crafts. The ladder became a rectangle of yellow, and I encouraged the kids to draw themselves in the truck windows.

Picture of fire truck craft, with a yellow ladder. siren light is drawn with pink highlighter, wheels are drawn in black marker, and two firefighters are drawn on the white windows.

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Firefighters! Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell & Viviana Garofoli
Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos by Susan Middleton Elya & Dan Santat
Firefighter Ted by Andrea Beaty & Pascal Lemaitre
I’m Brave! by Kate & Jim McMullan

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 10/5/21 & 10/9/21.

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: Cows & Horses

Posted on December 17, 2021December 28, 2022 by msemilylibrary

This started out as a “cowboy/cowgirl” storytime, but I liked the idea of focusing more on the animals than the more narrow subject of cow wrangling. The whole thing was kicked off by the Jan Thomas book, Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy that my friend and colleague Christy suggested as being a great ukulele song to play while reading. I’m not sure who to credit for writing out the original song, but I did find the tune on Jan Thomas’ site, which was very helpful to get it into my head. I also tried hard not to gender the profession, so substituted “cowpoke” instead of cowboy/cowgirl in songs and rhymes. This was another theme I could go all out on for dressing up with stuff I had in my closet – jeans, flannel shirt, bandanna, and hat (that I’d saved from my post-prom event 20 years ago!)

screenshot of virtual storytime, showing cowpoke outfit.

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

Early Literacy Tip: Your child may not have much experience with cowpokes and ranches and horses, but talk to them about new ideas and experiences anyway. The more we talk to our children, the bigger their vocabularies grow. Sometimes we get bored talking about the same old daily routine with our kids. New topics can keep us motivated to keep talking!

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Fingerplay: Ten Galloping Horses
Ten little horses galloped into town,
Five were black and five were brown
They galloped up
They galloped down
Then they galloped out of town!
(repeat & whisper, then end silently doing motions)
Source: King County Library System (WA)

Read: Clip-Clop! by Nicola Smee

Bounce: Giddy-Up!
(tune of William Tell Overture)
Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, up, up! (bounce)
Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, up, up!
Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, up, up!
Whoa, horsie! (lean back with child)
Source: Handley Regional Library (VA)

Action Song: The Horses Are Walking
The horses are walking,
They’re walking along, walking along, walking along
The horses are walking, they’re walking along.
Whoa, whoa, WHOA!
Additional verses: Trotting, galloping
Source: Jbrary

Breathing Break: Five Finger Breathing
Our breathwork visualization. We inhale while tracing up a finger, pause at the top, then exhale while tracing down, and pause at the bottom. Repeat for all five fingers. At the end, I let them know this is a great way to get calm, get centered or focused, and get ready for the next thing. I also remind them they can take a ten finger break if they need to, and it’s always available for them whenever they need it.

Fingerplay: This Little Cow
(count on fingers)
This little cow eats grass (pinkie)
This little cow eats hay
This little cow looks over the hedge
This little cow runs away
And this BIG cow does nothing at all (thumb)
But lie down in the fields all day! (lay thumb down)
Source: North Mankato Taylor Library (MN)

I felt the need to explain what chaps were before this song.
Action Song: I’m a Little Cowpoke
(tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little cowpoke (point to self)
Here is my hat (put on hat)
Here are my boots, (stomp feet)
And here are my chaps (slap sides of legs)
When I get up, I work all day (pretend to lasso)
Get on my horse, (swing leg up)
And ride away! (pretend to ride)
Source: Adventures in Storytime

I used a wire book holder to prop up the book while I sang and played the lullaby parts (and did some editing for the video version), but it would be much easier to have a colleague help you by holding and possibly reading the “cow” parts.
Read/Sing: Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas
Get a copy of the sheet music here!
Listen to the song on the Jan Thomas website!

Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy book cover.

Action Song: The Cowpoke Pokey
(tune of the Hokey Pokey)
You put your left spur in,
You take your left spur out,
You put your left spur in and you shake it all about
You do the cowpoke pokey and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about – Yee-haw!

Additional verses:
Right spur, lasso (“throw” a rope in and out), hat (head), ride your horse in (whole self)
Source: Loudest Librarian

Craft: “Footprint” Horse
This craft was modeled after one from the Busy Bee Kids Crafts site. But since these are for take and makes, I didn’t actually do “footprints” – the parts and pieces were pre-cut, and although my head was still vaguely footprint shaped, I’m not sure anyone would recognize that. Yarn and googly eyes give them some texture and interest, making a cute and simple craft.

picture of craft, with horse neck, head, and ears as separate construction paper pieces, with googly eyes and yarn mane.

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Noni the Pony by Alison Lester
Moo! by David LaRochelle & Mike Wohnoutka
A Wild Cowboy by Dana Kessimakis Smith & Laura Freeman
I Wanna Be a Cowgirl by Angela DiTerlizzi & Elizabet Vukovic

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 9/28/21.

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: Pirates

Posted on December 10, 2021December 30, 2021 by msemilylibrary

As I was planning my fall session, I looked a little more at Chase’s Calendar of Events than I had in the past, just looking for new inspiration. I was reminded that September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate day, so I coordinated my closest storytime session to be on pirates. Arrrrr!

I went very vague about what pirates did – something like sailing the seas, looking for treasure. The lore and traditions of “pirates” in the way they’ve been interpreted and exaggerated (and certainly skewed) in movies and pop culture is undeniably fun, and the reality is quite a bit more violent and depressing, so we kept it light. I went all out with the pirate getup. Wearing an eyepatch was really discombobulating during the virtual version, so I opted out in person, but still wore my stripey shirt, waist sash, headscarf, and parrot craft on my shoulder!

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

Early Literacy Tip: Books are very rich in vocabulary—they have words that we do not use in everyday conversation with young children. This is especially true with books on unusual subjects like pirates! So, children hear many more words when we read books to them, and research shows that gives kids an advantage well into their school years. Feel free to explain unfamiliar words, but don’t substitute them for easier ones.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Our new warm-up for the last few weeks of the summer session.
Warm-Up Rhyme: We Wiggle and Stop
(Use the ASL sign for the word “stop” – one hand “chops” across the opposite hand)
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
We wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle and we wiggle
And we wiggle and we wiggle and we STOP
(Try other motions such as jump, twirl, stretch)
Source: Jbrary

Intro: September 19th is a holiday – did you know? It’s Talk Like A Pirate Day! So let’s enjoy some fun about pirates. BTW, Do you know what a pirate’s favorite letter is? … [Hope for a parent to supply “R”] … Ah, yeh’d think it’d be R, but it’s really the C they love!

Lifting Song: The Ocean Song
Oh the ocean is great
and the ocean is grand
There are lots of pirate ships
and very little land
And we sleep down deep
in a hammock near the floor
And this is what we do
when we go out to shore:
We ride the waves going up,
We ride the waves going down (rep 3x)
And we turn around – Arr!
Source: Jbrary

I talked briefly about the fact that the word “sea/see” sounded the same but was spelled differently and meant two different things. The sea, like the ocean: we made a wavy hand motion in front of us. And to see, like to look: we shaded our eyes with our hands like we were looking far away. The next song we made the appropriate motions to go with the words, and I held up big pictures of sea creatures that we cumulatively sang at the end of each verse. (I used my “slippery fish” felt for the video.)
Song: A Pirate Went to Sea
A pirate went to sea, sea, sea (wavy motion with hand)
To see what she could see, see, see (shade eyes)
But all that she could see, see, see (shade eyes)
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea… (wavy)
OH aaaand a seahorse!

A pirate went to sea, sea, sea (wavy motion with hand)
To see what she could see, see, see (shade eyes)
But all that she could see, see, see (shade eyes)
Was a seahorse in the deep blue sea, sea, sea… (wavy)
OH aaaand a jellyfish!

A pirate went to sea, sea, sea (wavy motion with hand)
To see what she could see, see, see (shade eyes)
But all that she could see, see, see (shade eyes)
Was a seahorse and a jellyfish in the deep blue sea, sea, sea… (wavy)
OH aaaand an octopus!
(keep adding sea animals – fish, shark, whale)
Source: Johnson County Library (KS)

Download a copy of the printed sea animals.

I wanted to shorten this one, so I paper clipped the pages that dealt with fighting with the rival pirate ship. So they found the treasure, then they celebrated on their ship.
Read: Dinosaur Pirates! by Penny Dale

I’d never heard this one before and it was on several storytime blogs, so I found this adorable video of a girl scout group performing it – I got the tune and the motions from them!
Song: The Counting Pirate Song
When I was one, I banged my drum (mime)
The day I went to sea (wavy motion)
I climbed aboard a pirate ship (climb ladder)
And the captain said to me (salute)
We’re going this way, that way (hands on hips, lean left and right)
Forwards, backwards over the rolling sea (lean front and back, wavy motion)
A bottle of milk to warm my tum, (drink, then rub tummy)
And that’s the life for me! Yo-ho-ho-ho! (the “pirate” motion – bent arm rocks in front of you)

When I was 2, I buckled my shoe…
When I was 3, I banged my knee…
When I was 4, I knocked on a door…
When I was 5, I learned to dive…
Source: Johnson County Library (KS)
See motions here: https://youtu.be/PjHaqtUIa9E

I didn’t actually do this one in person since I could tell we were running a bit long, but it’s another fun option.
Song: Captain Billy
(tune of Old MacDonald)
Captain Billy had a ship, E-I-Yo-Ho-Ho!
And on his ship he had a crew, E-I-Yo-Ho-Ho!
With an Arrr, Arrr here and an Arrr, Arrr there,
Here an Arr, there an Arr, everywhere an Arr, Arr
Captain Billy had a ship, E-I-Yo-Ho-Ho!

Additional verses:
…on his ship his crew would swab… swish, sweep …
…found an isle …and on that isle buried treasure…dig…
…on his ship he had a treasure…gold doubloons here…
Source: Stratford Library (CT)

We did the PIRATE version of this one today!
Song: PIRATE Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re hunting for doubloons!
(hands sweep past each other, then shade eyes)
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re hunting for doubloons!
If you want to take a trip (climb a ladder)
Climb aboard my pirate ship!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re hunting for doubloons!
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, AHOY! (crouch, jump & wave!)
Source: Jbrary

Read: Bubble Bath Pirates! by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

So I needed to get the bubble machine out after that book! In person, I played a new-to-me song that I really dig:
Recorded song: Pop, Pop, Pop by Nathalia

In the virtual version, I played and sang this one:
Ukulele Song: If You’re A Pirate & You Know It
(tune of If You’re Happy & You Know It)
If you’re a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish) (x2)
If you’re a pirate and you know it and you really want to show it
If you’re a pirate and you know it, swab the deck (swish, swish)

Additional verses:
Walk the plank (stomp, stomp)
Say ahoy (ahoy!)
Source: Canton Public Library (MI)

Craft: Eyepatch and Parrot
Inpsired by this great post at Sturdy for Common Things I made eyepatches from black foam and strung them with black yarn, then provided this really cool parrot craft to go with them. I adjusted the template so that I could print two parrots on a sheet of cardstock (I did white and let the kids color them), and I removed the B and C lines since I couldn’t really figure out why they were there, and just left the one folding line A. Parents could position the parrot on their kid’s shoulder, taping the tab to their back and letting the body of the bird drape over the front. (The pictures at the blog post make it clearer.) Since I altered the template and it’s not available at its original spot anymore, you can download my version here. I also added some plastic gold coins in the packet for funsies.

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
The Grumpy Pirate by Corinne Demas, Artemis Roehrig & Ashlyn Anstee
Pirate Jack Gets Dressed by Nancy Raines Day & Allison Black
Go, Go, Pirate Boat by Katrina Charman & Nick Sharratt
We’re Going on a Treasure Hunt by Kelly DiPucchio & Jay Fleck

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 9/21/21.

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: International Dot Day

Posted on December 3, 2021November 22, 2021 by msemilylibrary

Friends, I love the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, about Vashti, a young girl who doesn’t think she’s an artist. I also love how dots and spots and buttons and polka dots are so common for early literacy activities! I decided to do a Dot Day storytime to go along with the International Dot Day celebrated “on or around September 15-ish,” according to the official website.

Since The Dot is a fairly small book, I decided to retell it using props outdoors, and as a draw & tell story in my virtual storytime. It was fun to try to “recreate” the story with graphics in Canva, and then to try to draw it. It stretched my creative muscles! The drawing (and erasing) took way longer than anyone’s got attention for, so I used some editing to speed it up in the video version. Although the parents in my outdoor storytime seemed to enjoy the story, I completely lost the little ones, who skewed a bit younger at this particular session. Upon more reflection, this book really is best for kindergarten and older kids, who may have had the experience of being frustrated by their art. The younger ones probably don’t need this message yet!

In any event, I think that all of my other activities and books WERE age-appropriate, so this still turned out to be a fun storytime! Next time, it’ll just be themed to polka-dots and we’ll save The Dot for some school outreach.

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

Early Literacy Tip: Art engages children’s senses in open-ended play and develops cognitive, social, emotional, and sensory-motor skills. Allow your child to create sometimes without having an expectation that the result should look a certain way – focus on the process, not the product. Product-based crafts are good for learning to follow directions, but process-based crafts allow for self-expression and joy in the making. Both are beneficial to your child!

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Intro: What is a dot? A spot, a circle, a polka-dot! We’re going to read a book that some people liked so much and were so inspired by, that they made an International Dot Day holiday to celebrate it!

Retell: The Dot by Peter Reynolds

Download my visual aids here! (I started with a blank sheet and used a sharpie to make a dot and sign it “Vashti.” I also wrote out the text of the book and pasted it to the back of each sheet, not included in the download. For the gallery page, I made a color copy of that sheet from the book and enlarged it about 200% onto 11×17 paper, also not included in the download.)

I wrote this one, but it is very specific to the book. If you’re not reading it, it may not make sense.
Song: Making Artwork
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Painting, painting (painting, painting)
Dot, dot, dot (dot, dot, dot)
Now we sign our names there
(now we sign our names there)
Look at my art! (look at my art!)!
Credit: Ms. Emily

Because I was doing this outside, I made it as large as I could on cardstock, and added magnets to the back and the dots so I could stick it on my bookcart. I liked that we counted up to six instead of the usual five, too.
Flannel Song: Pretty Ladybug
(tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man)
Ladybug has 1 black spot
1 black spot, 1 black spot
Ladybug has 1 black spot
Pretty ladybug!
(count up)
Source: Jen in the Library

Download the Pretty Ladybug template!

Tickle Song: Spots, Spots, Spots
(tune of the baseball organ build up)
Spots, spots, spots, spots,
Spots, spots, spots, spots
A leopard has lots of spots
What a lot of spots he got!
A tiger’s stripes are always nice…
But a leopard has lots of
Spots, spots, spots, spots,
Spots, spots, spots, spots… (tickle!)
Source: Jbrary

Everyone liked this one!
Read: Don’t Push The Button by Bill Cotter

When I did this one as a kid, we said “I have a wife and three kids and I work at the button factory.” That seemed so outdated! The parents really got into this one, which was super-fun to see!
Action Chant: The Button Factory
Hi, my name is Jo(e)!
I have a dog and a cat
And I work at the button factory
One day, my boss came to me,
She said, “Jo(e), are you busy?”
I said “No”
She said,“Push this button
with your right hand”

Continue to push the button, repeat and add left hand, right foot, left foot, nose, hip, etc.
On last verse:
She said, “Jo(e), are you busy?” “YES!”
Source: traditional

Ukulele Song: Ladybugs’ Picnic
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ,8 ,9, 10, 11, 12
Ladybugs came to the ladybugs’ picnic

They had twelve sacks so they ran sack races
And they fell on their backs and they fell on their faces
The ladybugs 12 At the ladybugs’ picnic

They played jump rope but the rope it broke
So they just sat around telling knock-knock jokes
The ladybugs 12 At the ladybugs’ picnic

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ,8 ,9, 10, 11, 12
And they chatted away At the ladybugs’ picnic

They talked about the high price of furniture and rugs
And fire insurance for ladybugs
The ladybugs 12 At the ladybugs’ picnic. 12!
Credit: Sesame Street

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Ladybugs’ Picnic” here!

Craft: Pom Pom Painting
When giving my early lit tip, I emphasized the benefits of process art projects. For this one, I supplied a blank sheet of paper, two pom poms, two colors of paint, and two clothespins (to hold the pom poms), and encouraged them to paint whatever they wanted! I also printed some of the Dot Day coloring sheets for the take-home packets.

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Art by Patrick McDonnell
The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken
The Button Book by Sally Nicholls & Bethan Woollvin
Just Add Glitter by Angela DiTerlizzi & Samantha Cotterill

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 9/14/21.

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: Grandparents

Posted on November 26, 2021November 22, 2021 by msemilylibrary

I went back and forth on doing this theme for storytime. Our school system always makes Grandparents Day a big deal (in the US, the first Sunday of September after Labor Day), and I’d seen it as a theme idea on some library groups and blogs. But, of course, not everyone has living grandparents, or ones who are active in their life. AND not all grandparents fall into that strict binary of grandma/grandpa. In my introduction to the theme, I tried to expand it to all the older grownups who love us and take care of us, but when all of your songs, rhymes, and books are explicitly about “grandparents,” that kind of caveat falls a bit short. I think I would maybe mix up some of the wording in the future to include aunties or babysitters or friends.

I was happy to continue to offer outdoor storytimes in the fall of 2021. I noted that we would cancel for rain or extreme temperatures: over 90F or under 40F. I had a two-week vacation planned at the end of October, so I planned all of September and the first two weeks of October to be outside. Thankfully, we didn’t have to cancel once, though toward the end we moved from the grass to our brick courtyard – even on sunny days, the sun wasn’t out long enough to dry off the grass by 10:30 AM!

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

Early Literacy Tip: Talk about writing when you make and send cards for people. Have your child help and remember to ask her to sign her name along with yours! Don’t worry if it is not legible. They are getting the idea that what
they write means something.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Intro: Today we celebrate grandparents and all the older grownups that take care of us and love us. Some of them you might be with right now! Some we might not see very often, but we know they love us and we love them.

Read: I Love My Glam-Ma by Samantha Berger & Sujean Rim

cover image of I Love My Glam-Ma by Samantha Berger & Sujean Rim

Song: My Grandparents Love
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
My grandma bounces me up and down
Up and down, up and down
My grandma bounces me up and down
Because she loves me so!

Additional Verses:
Grandpa swings me side to side…
Grandma loves to read to me…
Grandpa gives me great big hugs…
Source: Johnson County Library (KS)

Song: Let’s Clap!
(tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie)
Let’s clap our hands for grandma
For grandma, for grandma
Let’s clap our hands for grandma
Let’s clap them this way

Clap this way (high) and that way (low)
Clap this way and that way
Let’s clap our hands for grandma
Let’s clap them this way!

Let’s stomp our feet for grandpa… (left and right)
Source: Storytimes and More

Since we’re doing some stomping… Used this in person only.
Recorded Song: The Tempo Marches On by Jim Gill

Read: The Grandpa Book by Todd Parr

cover image of The Grandpa Book by Todd Parr

Rhyme: Grandma’s Glasses
These are grandma’s glasses
And this is grandma’s hat
And this is the way she folds her hands
And puts them in her lap

These are grandpa’s glasses
And this is grandpa’s hat
And this is the way he folds his arms
And takes a little nap (snore!)
Source: Tim Burkey – I do the nap instead of repeating the lap line

Read: Llama Llama Gram & Grandpa by Anna Dewdney

cover image of Llama Llama Gram & Grandpa by Anna Dewdney

I asked the audience what other names they might use for their grandparents, and offered some regional/cultural ones. Careful! I am so used to singing this original tune, several times I launched into “You’ll never know…” on the third line before correcting myself!
Ukulele Song: You Are My Grandma/Grandpa
(tune of You Are My Sunshine)
You are my Grandma You are my Grandpa
You make me happy when I’m with you
You give good hugs and
You give good kisses
I hope you know how much I love you
Source: Handley Regional Library System (VA)

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

thumbnail of You Are My Grandma/Grandpa ukulele songsheet

Craft: Cards for Grandparents
These cards came straight from the Smudge Ink blog, and I printed two grandmas and two grandpas for each packet, though I said if anyone needed more or any other combination, to let me know! I don’t love how the cards say “The best thing you cook is…” for grandma and “The best thing you make is…” for grandpa, whereas the rest of the inside is the same, but I didn’t have time to make adjustments or create my own template. Next time!

picture of printed grandparents day card, showing one colored in, some markers and crayons, and one blank. — Image from Smudge Ink blog

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Grandma’s Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
A Morning with Grandpa by Sylvia Liu & Christina Forshay
Go, Grandpa, Go! by Lynn Plourde & Sophie Beer
The Truth About Grandparents by Elina Ellis

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 9/7/21.

Storytime Handout:

Family Storytime: Tigers

Posted on November 19, 2021November 15, 2021 by msemilylibrary

This was the last of my Tails & Tales Summer Reading storytimes! The parks outreach that I was also doing this week had a theme of “Jungle,” which I distilled down to tigers. My second book was a real stretch (Novak does mention a hippopotamus at one point…), but I was more interested in the interactivity and humor for this last book. I was especially proud of my craft, that I created from scratch (inspired by a completely different fork painting lion craft I’d seen.) My library takes the month of August off from programming, so my next update will be from September (and I’ll be that much closer to catching up!)

A note: I did include and use a “Five Monkeys” rhyme. I know that monkey rhymes have gotten a lot of attention in that the “Jumping on the Bed” one is rooted in racism. The one I used is about monkeys in the wild, teasing a tiger (I’ve also seen crocodile in other versions.) My thought is that this centers on the animals in their wild milieu and not anthropomorphized animals in a human setting. I don’t know if that’s the right call or not; I’m open to listening and learning.

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

Early Literacy Tip: Part of reading books with young children is simply helping them become comfortable with how books work. Babies will bat at the pages, imitating your turning the page. Toddlers will know what a book is for and may babble a story while “reading.” Run your finger under the text for older children to show that you are reading the words, not the pictures. All these activities help support your children’s print awareness.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Chant: Walking Through the Jungle
Walking through the jungle (repeat each line)
What do I hear? (x2)
I think I heard a snake! (x2)
Hiss, hiss, hiss! (x2)

Repeat with other jungle animals and their sounds:
Elephant-trumpet, alligator-snap, monkey-screech, tiger-growl
Credit: King County Library System

Read: It’s a Tiger! by David LaRochelle & Jeremy Tankard

Ukulele Song: If You’re a Tiger
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If you’re a tiger and you know it give a growl
If you’re a tiger and you know it give a growl
If you’re a tiger and you know it
and you really want to show it
If you’re a tiger and you know it give a growl

Additional verses:
Swish your tail … Show your claws
Credit: Verona Storytime

Tickle Song: Spots, Spots, Spots
(tune of the baseball organ build-up)
Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots
A leopard has lots of spots
What a lot of spots he got
A tiger’s stripes are always nice
But a leopard has lots of spots
Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots
Credit: Jbrary

Read: The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak

I added the last verse to allow for the monkeys to explicitly “get away.”
Song: Cheeky Monkeys
Five cheeky monkeys swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Tiger: “You can’t catch me!”
Along came the tiger, slowly as can be
And… POUNCE!

(count down, then last verse)
Five cheeky monkeys swinging from a vine
Teasing Mr. Tiger and feeling so fine
“We’re too quick for tiger, he’s way down below”
Tiger gave a JUMP!
… but he was too slow!
Credit: adapted from Never Shushed

Action Chant: Bananas Unite!
Bananas……unite!
Peel bananas, peel, peel bananas (x2)
Chop bananas, chop chop bananas (x2)
Mash bananas, mash mash bananas (x2)
Eat bananas, eat, eat bananas (x2)
Goooooooooo BANANAS!
Credit: Jbrary

Breathing Break: Five Finger Breathing
Our breathwork visualization for the last few weeks of the summer session. We inhale while tracing up a finger, pause at the top, then exhale while tracing down, and pause at the bottom. Repeat for all five fingers. At the end, I let them know this is a great way to get calm, get centered or focused, and get ready for the next thing. I also remind them they can take a ten finger break if they need to, and it’s always available for them whenever they need it.

Recorded Song: Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Instead of a recorded song in the virtual program, I played this on ukulele:
Ukulele Song: Apples and Bananas
(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

I like to ate, ate, ate ayples and ba-nay-nays
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 eet, eet, eet eeples and ba-nee-nees

I like to ite, ite, ite iples and ba-ni-nis
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 ote, ote, ote oples and ba-no-nos

I like to ute, ute, ute uples and ba-nu-nus
I like to ute, ute, ute uples and ba-nu-nus
Credit: Raffi, from the album One Light, One Sun

Download a ukulele songsheet for Apples and Bananas

thumbnail of apples and bananas ukulele songsheet

Craft: Tiger in the Jungle
I’d remembered a craft idea about using forks to paint a lion’s mane, and I really liked the idea of a more unusual painting utensil. I found a picture of a tiger with no stripes, printed it on orange construction paper, then provided a green background sheet, plastic fork, some black paint, and some big broad leaves, and let the kids create their own scene.

Click here to download the tiger and leaves template (sized to print on 9×12″ construction paper)

Craft showing an orange tiger with painted on black stripes, on a green construction paper background with four green leaves pasted on and a vine drawn in marker.

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
I Am a Tiger by Karl Newson & Ross Collins

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented in-person and virtually on 7/27/21.

Storytime Handout: