Waddlers–Halloween 2014

Opening Song

Let’s All Clap

Let’s all clap cause _____ is here,
____ is here, _____ is here
Let’s all clap cause _____ is here.
____ is here today!
(insert child’s name)

Rhymes

Itsy-Bitsy Spider

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
(baby on tummy, walk/tickle up baby’s back)

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
(slide fingers down baby’s back from head to toes)

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.
(rub baby’s back)

And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
(baby on tummy, walk/tickle fingers up baby’s back)

Eat Mr. Pumpkin

Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Pumpkin
Big and fat, big and fat (make a circle with your arms around baby)
I am gonna eat you, I am gonna eat you (tickle baby’s belly)
Just like that, just like that!
Source: I found this rhyme on Perfectly Preschool. I just made my own actions to fit my baby storytime.

Popcorn

Popcorn, popcorn (bounce gently)
Sittin’ in the pot
Shake it, shake it (wiggle baby)
POP! POP! POP! (bounce high 3 times)
Source:Perry Public Library

Flap, Flap, Flap Little Bats

Flap, flap, flap little bats, (gently flap baby’s arms)
Flap, flap, flap little bats,
Flap, flap, flap little bats,
Early in the evening.

Clap, clap, clap little bats, (gently clap baby’s hands)
Dance, dance, dance little bats, (gently wave baby’s arms in the air)
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle little bats, (gently wiggle baby)
Soar, soar, soar little bats, (lift/soar baby)

Sleep, sleep, sleep little bats,
Early in the morning.

Source:Miss Katie’s Storytime
I once again took an older rhyme and adjusted it for baby storytime.

The Moon is Round

The moon is round, (draw a semicircle on one side of the baby’s face)
The moon is round. (draw a semicircle on the other side of baby’s face)
It has two eyes, (gently touch baby’s eyelids)
A nose, (gently touch baby’s nose)
But knows no sound. (press finger baby’s lips)
Source:Baby Storytime Magic by Kathy MacMillan & Christine Kirker

Book

Pumpkin Faces by Judith Moffatt

Sensory Time

We actually took mini aluminum baking pans and let the babies bang on them. We quickly discovered that the babies were more interested in tasting them than playing with them. However, if I lightly tapped on the pans, the babies would stop and listen to me.

Fun Rhyme With Fact

Where is Baby?
Tune: Frere Jacques

Where is baby, where is baby?
There she is, there she is
I am glad to see you, I am glad to see you
Peekaboo! I see you! (cover and uncover eyes)
Source:Perry Public Library

Fact: Peekaboo starts teaching babies that their parents might go out of sight but they will return.

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Playtime

Observations

My babies all came in costumes and were super adorable. I think we spent a good five minutes admiring each baby’s costume. Two of my older babies actually laughed at each other.

I was really hoping that there would be more Halloween-ish rhymes for babies, but I ended up improvising. It worked out well. I made sure to include rhymes that bounced babies, but included more gentle rhymes for my younger babies.

Sports–Preschool

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Books

Hit the Ball Duck by Jez Alborough
Goodnight Football by Michael Dahl

Rhyme

A Little Ball
A little ball, (form circle with thumb and finger)
A bigger ball, (form circle with hands)
A great big ball I see.( form circle with arms)

Now let’s count them.
Are you ready?
One,(form circle with arms)
Two, (form circle with hands)
Three. (form circle with thumb and finger)
Source: Sturgis Kids

Baseball Player
Tune: Frère Jacques

Baseball player, baseball player
Swing the bat, hit the ball (Pretend to swing a baseball bat.)
Run around the bases, run around the bases (Pretend to be running.)
Homerun, homerun
Source:Preschool Plan It

Football Player

Football Player, Football Player
Punt the Ball, throw the ball
Run down the field, Run Down the field
Touchdown, Touchdown
Source: I made my own rhyme based off of the Preschool Plan It Rhyme.

Action Rhymes

Bounce the Ball

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it low, bounce it high,
Bounce it right up to the sky!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it here, bounce it there,
Bounce it outside anywhere!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
This one rule you must abide:
Please don’t bounce your ball inside!
Source:Youth Literature

Bouncing Ball

I’m bouncing, bouncing everywhere,
(make bouncing movements)
I’m bouncing, bouncing like a ball,
I bounce and bounce until I fall. (drop to the floor)
Source:Sturgis Kids

Song

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win, it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.

We sang along with Mickey’s Sports Songs

Matching Game

The matching game went a little smoother with my preschoolers than my toddlers. I had enough for everyone. The boys in my group really liked this game. I actually had to tell them several times to back up so that other kids could get to my board.

Final Activity

I put several rows of tape down on the ground and had the kids act like they were walking across a balance beam to music.

Take Home Craft

We revamped this project. It was originally a baseball puppet on Free Crafty Ideas. We just made it into a football puppet.

Closing Dance Song

Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

This was a difficult storytime to plan. There is very little books and songs out there.

The books were decent, but the rhymes stole the show. Like my toddlers, the kids really liked Bouncing Ball.

The matching game and balance beam were also a hit with this crowd. Several kids asked if we could do the balance beam. The balance beam actually worked fantastically to get almost all the kids up to the front. This allowed all the kids to dance together.

Sports–Toddler

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Books

Dunk Skunk by Michael Rex
Goodnight Football by Michael Dahl

Rhyme

A Little Ball
A little ball, (form circle with thumb and finger)
A bigger ball, (form circle with hands)
A great big ball I see.( form circle with arms)

Now let’s count them.
Are you ready?
One,(form circle with arms)
Two, (form circle with hands)
Three. (form circle with thumb and finger)
Source: Sturgis Kids

Baseball Player
Tune: Frère Jacques

Football Player

Football Player, Football Player
Punt the Ball, throw the ball
Run down the field, Run Down the field
Touchdown, Touchdown
Source: I made my own rhyme based off of the Preschool Plan It Rhyme.

Action Rhymes

Bounce the Ball

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it low, bounce it high,
Bounce it right up to the sky!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it here, bounce it there,
Bounce it outside anywhere!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
This one rule you must abide:
Please don’t bounce your ball inside!
Source:Youth Literature

Bouncing Ball

I’m bouncing, bouncing everywhere,
(make bouncing movements)
I’m bouncing, bouncing like a ball,
I bounce and bounce until I fall. (drop to the floor)
Source:Sturgis Kids

Song

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

We sang along with Mickey’s Sports Songs

Matching Game

I handed out laminated sports balls and equipment pictures and had the two-year-olds match their picture to the correct picture.

Final Activity

I put several rows of tape down on the ground and had the kids act like they were walking across a balance beam to music.

Take Home Craft

We revamped this project. It was originally a baseball puppet on Free Crafty Ideas. We just made it into a football puppet.

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

I thought a Sports Storytime would be a lot of fun. Little did I know that finding rhymes and books would be a long and tedious process. I was definitely not impressed with the book choices. The kids were not that attentive during Dunk Skunk and I was able to get their attention with Goodnight Football by having them yell hooray and waving goodbye.

The rhymes were the fun part. Bouncing Ball was the favorite. We had to repeat it several times, as the kids wanted to do it again and again.

The matching game and the balance beam were also fun. I had only done 25 sets of pictures based on my average number of attendants. I ended up with 35 plus toddlers. This made storytime go over and we were not able to do our final dance.

Waddlers–Bounces

Opening Song

“Let’s All Clap”

Let’s all clap cause _____ is here,
____ is here, _____ is here
Let’s all clap cause _____ is here.
____ is here today!
(insert child’s name)

Rhymes

Muffin Man

Oh, do you know the Muffin Man,
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man?
Oh, do you know the Muffin Man,
Who lives on Drury Lane?

Oh, yes, I know the Muffin Man,
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man.
Oh, yes, I know the Muffin Man,
He lives on Drury Lane.

A-Bouncing We Will Go

A-bouncing we will go,
A-bouncing we will go,
Hi-ho the derry-o,
A-bouncing we will go.

A-tickling we will go…
A-kissing we will go…
Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Bouncing Song

Bounce and bounce and bounce and stop.
Bounce and bounce and bounce and stop.
Bounce and bounce and bounce and stop.
Now bounce that baby right to the top! (lift baby up)

Repeat slowly and then quickly.
Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Book

You’re Tutu Cute! by Sandra Magsamen

Sensory Time

Painting! I discovered this awesome project for babies on Read, Sing, Play blog. I simply took a sandwich bag, a small cardboard paper, three dollops of paint (red, blue, and white), and duct tape to create mini projects for each baby. Each baby was able to mash their own creations

Here are just a few of their creations!

Fun Rhyme With Fact

This Little Piggy

This Little Piggy Went to the Market. (shake one arm)
This Little Piggy Stayed Home. (shake the other arm)
This little Piggy had roast beef. (shake one leg)
And this little piggy had none. (shake the other leg)
And this little Piggy ran wee, wee, wee, (tickle belly)
All the way home.

Fact:This helps babies start to develop body awareness.
Source:Baby Rhyming TIme by Linda L. Ernest

Itsy-Bitsy Spider

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
(baby on tummy, walk/tickle up baby’s back)

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
(slide fingers down baby’s back from head to toes)

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.
(rub baby’s back)

And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
(baby on tummy, walk/tickle fingers up baby’s back)

Book Bounding

Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz

This is essentially my closing of storytime. I read the story and the parents/guardians give their babies the designated number of kisses.

Playtime

Observations

I really enjoyed this session. It was fun to notice when the babies liked a certain rhyme, and the parents are always wonderful in giving feedback. When I told a mom that we were doing the Itsy-Bitsy Spider again, she squealed with excitement. I got to witness firsthand how much her baby loves this tickle rhyme.

Fall 2014–Preschool

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Props

A basket of leaves!

Books

Aw, Nuts by Rob McClurkan
Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas

Rhyme

Autumn Leaves
Tune: London Bridge

Autumn Leaves are falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
Autumn Leaves are falling down,
Red, yellow, orange, and brown.
Source: Storytime Magic by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker

Action Rhymes

Grey Squirrel

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel
Shake your bushy tail!
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel
Shake your bushy tail!
Wrinkle up your funny nose
Hold a nut between your toes
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel
Shake your bushy tail!
Source:Kidz Sparkz

Scamper Little Squirrel

Scamper, scamper little squirrel, (run in place)
Up the tree, (reach up high)
And down again. (touch the ground).
Grab an acorn. (pretend to grab something with one hand.)
Grab that peanut. (pretend to grab something with your other hand).
Stuff them in your puffy cheeks. (Point to your cheeks as you puff them out).
Swish your tail. (wiggle your bottom).
Look around. (look around with one hand above eyes).
Coast is clear, scamper up that tree again. (run in place).
Source: Artsy Toddler Storytimes by Carol Garnett Hopkins

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball (make a big circle overhead)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
Source:SurLaLune Storytime

I’m a Little Pumpkin
tune: I’m a Little Tea Pot

I’m a little pumpkin orange and round. (hold arms in circle)
Here is my stem, (place fist upon head)
There is the ground (point down)
When I get all cup up. (“cut palm with opposite hand)
Don’t you shout! (shake head and point finger)
Just open me up (open top of head)
And scoop me out! (scoop out tummy)
source:m/rcpl Family Zone

Flannel Boards

Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley

This flannel board has been done many different ways. I decided to add my own twist and make the tree a Wisconsin one. This template was also nice in that when the leaves fell down it actually looked like a pile of leaves around the base of the tree.

Little Acorn, Little Acorn

Little acorn, little acorn where are you hiding?
Are you hiding behind the _______ squirrel.

Source: I did my own version of the little mouse flannel board.

Take Home Craft

Dance Song

The Twist by Chubby Checker

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

My preschool storytime was completely different from my toddler session. While the toddlers were having none of it, the preschoolers were completely focused. It might be that I waited to do the rhyme “Autumn Leaves” at the end of storytime.

The books went really well. The kids liked to guess where the squirrel was going next in his pursuit of the perfect acorn in Aw, Nuts! The kids also chuckled through Pumpkin Trouble. To help make the story even more fun, I covered my mouth so it sounded like my voice was echoing when duck was talking.

The flannel boards were also fun. I do think the parents got the Wisconsin themes just a tad better than the kids. I heard quite a few chuckles, but the kids were still able to tell me that the leaves were wrong. I did do the Little Acorn flannel with the preschoolers. They enjoyed it as much as my two-year-olds.

My grand finale included singing “Autumn Leaves” and throwing the leaves. The preschoolers received an A+++ for helping me clean up afterwards.

Fall 2014–Toddlers

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Props

A basket of leaves!

Books

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
The Busy Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

Rhyme

Autumn Leaves
Tune: London Bridge

Autumn Leaves are falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
Autumn Leaves are falling down,
Red, yellow, orange, and brown.
Source: Storytime Magic by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker

Action Rhymes

Grey Squirrel

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

The leaves are falling down today

The leaves are falling down today, hurrah, hurrah!
(flutter hands downward).
The leaves are falling down today, hurrah, hurrah!
The leave are falling to the ground,
(touch the ground).
Where I can Jump and play around. (jump).
Oh, the leaves are falling down, to the ground, where I can…
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
source: Artsy Toddler Storytimes by Carol Garnett Hopkins

Flannel Board

Little Acorn, Little Acorn

Little acorn, little acorn where are you hiding?
Are you hiding behind the _______ squirrel.

Source: I did my own version of the little mouse flannel board.

Take Home Craft

Dance Song

The Twist by Chubby Checker

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

Alright, I learned a valuable lesson with this storytime. DO NOT throw leaves at the beginning of the storytime, as two-year-olds will think that the leaves are way cooler than anything you planned.

I opened my storytime with the rhyme “Autumn Leaves” and threw my pile of leaves the second time I sung it. This of course led the kids to wanting to play in it. I made my second rookie mistake by thinking that I could read the book while the leaves where still on the floor. After the first book I had all the kids help me clean up my leaves. This actually went really well. Almost all of my kids wanted to help me clean up the leaves.

The books were more meh. The leaves completely overshadowed my storytime. I did have one little girl who was attentively listening and I had her help me tap for Tap the Magic Tree. Busy Squirrel crashed and burned. I stopped half-way through and said that the busy squirrel was busy because he was trying to find his acorn. This is where I was able to redeem my storytime.

The kids became completely quiet for the Little Acorn flannel board. We did the rhyme twice through since the kids really liked it. I then said that it wasn’t fair that only one squirrel had the acorn and gave each squirrel their own acorn. I received a few aaahhhhs from the parents when all the squirrels had their acorns.

Waddlers–Fall

Opening Song

“Let’s All Clap”

Let’s all clap cause _____ is here,
____ is here, _____ is here
Let’s all clap cause _____ is here.
____ is here today!
(insert child’s name)

Rhymes

Little Leaves

Little leaves fall gently down.
Gently down, gently down.
Whirling, whirling, round and round,
Down, down, down.
Source: Babies in the Library! by Jane Marino

Baby Corn

I went to the picnic and what did I see?
A little ear of corn smiling at me!
I slathered it with butter(rub hands over baby’s tummy)
And rubbed my tum, (rub own tummy)
Sprinkled it with salt and pepper on, (mime sprinkling salt and pepper on baby)
Then yum, yum, yum! (pretend to eat baby’s tummy)
Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Book

My Pumpkin by Victoria Karr

Sensory Time

Where’s the scarf. I placed several scarfs in the cardboard tubes. Parents/guardians then would pull the scarf through the tubes.

Source: Gymboree Baby Play

Fun Rhyme With Fact

Pumpkin Bounce

Here’s a little pumpkin bouncing on the vine (bounce baby gently)
Roll it left (sway to one side)
And roll it right (sway to the other side).
And bounce it down the line. (bounce)

Repeat with larger movements
Here’s a medium pumpkin bouncing on the vine….
Here’s a great big pumpkin bouncing on a vine….

Fact:Having your voice and movements reflect the different sizes in the rhyme helps babies begin to understand different concepts.

Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Book Bounding

Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz

This is essentially my closing of storytime. I read the story and the parents/guardians give their babies the designated number of kisses.

Playtime

Observations

This was fun session even if the weather was crappy. The bounce rhymes went really well. However, the real winner was the cardboard tubes. The parents/guardians played with them for a good solid fives minutes and some even started to improvise their games with the scarfs. Don’t expect to get the tubes back, as many babies ended up putting them in their mouths.

Walkers–October 2014

Opening Song

Hello Song
Tune: London Bridge

Hi, hello and how are you?
How are you? How are you?
Hi, hello and how are you?
How are you today?

Action Rhymes

Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Clap, clap, clap your hands.
Clap them now with me.
Clap your hands, let me see.
Clap them now with me.

Additional Verses:
Tap,tap, tap your knees.
Shake, shake, shake your feet.
Touch, touch, touch your shoulders.

Patty-Cake
Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it, and pat it, and mark it with a “B,”
And put it in the oven for baby and men!

Doing the Chocolate Shake
Tune: Hokey Pokey

You squat right down (squat)
Up you stand (stand up)
Stamp your feet (stamp feet)
Shake your hands (shake hands)
Wiggle all over (wiggle)
And mix it real well (roll hands)
Doing the Chocolate Shake! (clap hands)
Yum! (reach up high)

Book

Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

Flannel Board

Five little cookies, with frosting galore.
Mother ate the pink one, then there were four.

Four little cookies, two and two, you see,
Father ate the green one, then there were three.

Three little cookies, but before I knew,
Sister ate the blue one, then there were two.

Two little cookies, oh, what fun!
Brother ate the orange orange one, then there was one.

One little cookie, watch me run!
I ate the red one, then there none!

Song

The Muffin Man Dance with Carole Peterson

Activity Cd

Shake Your Sillies Out by The Wiggles

Closing Rhyme

This is big, big, big (hold arms out to the side)
This is small, small, small. (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short. (hold hands with palms facing together)
This is tall, tall, tall. (Reach one hand above head)
This is fast, fast, fast. (circle fists quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow. (circle fists slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes. (nods head)
This is no, no, no. (shake head).

Closing Song

Good-bye Song
Tune: London Bridge

Good-bye, good-bye,
We’ll see you soon,
See you soon, see you soon.
Good-bye, good-bye
We’ll see you soon,
On another day.
How are you today?

Observations

I substituted for my co-worker for her walkers’ program, as she got hitched this past weekend. She gave me a full program of different songs and activities, and I just picked which things I wanted to do.

The flannel board was my favorite part. As I read each line, I acted like I was eating the cookie.

Bubbles

Opening Song

“Let’s All Clap”

Let’s all clap cause _____ is here,
____ is here, _____ is here
Let’s all clap cause _____ is here.
____ is here today!
(insert child’s name)

Traditional Rhyme

“Acka backa”

Acka backa soda cracker, acka back boo!
Aacka backa soda cracker, I love you (Hug Child)
Aacka backa soda cracker, acka back boo!
Aacka backa soda cracker, up goes you!
Aacka backa soda cracker, acka back boo!
Ackka backa soda cracker, I love you! (hug child)

Book

Bubbles, Bubbles by Kathi Appelt

Flannel Board

“Bubbles in My Bath”

One little bubble floating in my bath
One little bubble floating in my bath.
And if one more bubble should come to play like that .
There’ll be two more bubble floating my bath.

Two little bubbles..
Three little bubbles…
Four little bubbles…
Five little bubbles…

And then …the bubbles pop! (clap five times, removing a bubble each time)
No more bubbles!
Source: Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Sensory Time

Parents blew bubbles for their babies.

Fun Rhyme With Fact

“Bubbles”

Bubbles falling all around
Bubbles falling to the ground.
On your head, on your ear,
On your tummy, on your rear.
Bubbles falling on your toes.
Bubbles falling on your nose!

Fact: Singing songs and rhymes about body parts help children to start identifying their own body parts.

Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Book Bounding

Counting Kisses by Karen Katz

This is essentially my closing of storytime. I read the story and the parents/guardians give their babies the designated number of kisses.

Playtime

Observations

Unfortunately, I was unable to do this storytime. I came down with bronchitis and my co-worker took over this session for me.

She did mention that the flannel did not work the best in this setting. I thought it was worth a try. However, she is willing to give it a try in the walkers program to see if it gets a better response.

Zoo–Toddler

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Props

I put several different animals into these two boxes. I then pulled each animal out of the box and we talked about what noises they made.

Books

Peek-A-Zoo by Marie Torres Cimarusti
Zoo Animals by Pop and Play

Action Rhymes

Let’s Hear You Roar Like a Lion

Let’s hear you roar like a lion!
Let’s see you jump like a frog.
Let’s see you snap your jaws like a crocodile.
Let’s hear you woof like a dog.
Pretend you’re an elephant with a big, long trunk.
Pretend you’re a monkey; let’s see you jump, jump, jump.
And now you’re a mouse. Just let me see
How very, very quiet you can be.
Source:So Tomorrow

Elephant

An elephant goes like this and that,
He’s terribly big,
And he’s terribly fat,
And he has no toes,
But goodness gracious, what a nose!
Source:Storytime Source Page

The Elephant Hokey Pokey

You put your elephant ears in.
You put your elephant ears out.
You put your elephant ears in,
And you shake them all about.
You do the elephant pokey,
and you stomp yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!

…elephant trunk…
…elephant foot…
…whole self…
source:Falling Flannelboards

I Know a Giraffe

I know a giraffe
With a neck that’s so high
She stretches and stretches it
Up to the sky (stretch head high or raise arms above head)
She lives on the plains
With her family, too
But you might see her
When you visit the zoo.(Point to others)
Source: Preschool Education

Flannel Board

Five Elephants in a Bathtub

One elephant in the bathtub
Going for a swim.
Knock, Knock, (Clap twice)
Splash, Splash, (Slap knees twice)
Come on in! (Motion with both hands to come in.)
Two elephants elephants in the bathtub… etc.
(Until…)
Five elephants elephants in the bathtub
Going for a swim.
Knock, Knock,
Splash, Splash,
They all fell in!
Source: Storytime Katie

Take Home Craft

Source: First Palette

Closing Dance Song

See Ya Later Alligator by Laura Doherty

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

I do not believe you can go wrong with a zoo storytime. The kids really enjoyed themselves, and I even had two of them try to break into my preschool storytime! One had to be carried out by his mother because he refused to leave.

This is also a great storytime to introduce younger children to new animals. I had one mom tell me that her daughter wanted books about bears and pandas after we talked a little bit about each one.

The books were very age-appropriate for this session. We all guessed the animals in Peek-a-Zoo and the kids demanded to count the teeth and bugs in Zoo Animals.

The flannel board was very fun. By the second elephant, the parents were helping me sing the tune. They were all surprised when I knocked down the elephants.

My only advice for this storytime is to have water! I got very thirsty and had trouble saying some of the action rhymes by the end.