Squirrels – Toddler

We celebrated national squirrel day!

Introduction	Hello Hello!
Action Rhyme	The Squirrel Sneaky, squeaky (tiptoe) Hippity, hop, (hop) Up he goes (stretch arms up) To the tree top. Whirly, twirly (spin around) Round and round Down he scampers (sit down) To the ground. Source: Circle Time Activities, Grade Preschool
Book	The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel
Flannel	Acorns Down around the corner by the big oak tree Sat five little acorns looking so yummy Along came a squirrel with a big bushy tail. He took one acorn and ran off down the trail. (4,3,2,1).Source: One Little Librarian
Book	Shake the Tree! A Minibombo Book by Chiara Vignocchi
Traditional Rhyme	This is Big Big Big This is big big big This is small small small This is short short short This is tall tall tall This is fast fast fast This is slow slow slow This is yes yes yes This is no no no Source: Mel’s Desk Second Rhyme We Do: Very, Very Tall
Nursery Rhyme	Little Miss Muffet Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet, Eating her curds and whey; Along came a spider Who sat down beside her And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Sign Language	Squirrel
Action Rhyme	Grey Squirrel Grey squirrel, grey squirrel Swish your busy tail! Grey squirrel, grey squirrel Swish your busy tail! Wrinkle up your funny nose Hold a nut between your toes Grey squirrel, grey squirrel Swish your busy tail. Source: Small Town Story Time Lady
Action Song	Nuts Put your acorns UP, put your acorns DOWN Hold your acorns and turn around! Put your acorns UP, put your acorns DOWN Put your acorn down on the groundSource:One Little Librarian I modified the version from squirrels to acorn. Just a recommendation, I originally said “nuts” and realized it didn’t work as well…. I gave the kids egg shakers for this portion.
Dance Song	I’m a Nut (a cappella)
Dance Song	Let Us Chase the Squirrel
Traditional Song	ABC, Count to 5
Goodbye Song	Skidamarink

Craft: Scaredy Squirrel hat! Mrs Wills’ Kindergarten was my source.

Cheese Storytime – Preschool

Introduction	Good Morning
Books	Sam’s Sandwich by David Pelham
Action Rhyme	Five Little Mice Five little mice on the pantry floor, (run fingers on table top) This little mouse peeked behind the door, (wiggle thumb) This little mouse nibbled at the cake, (wiggle pointer finger) This little mouse did not make a sound, (wiggle middle finger) This little mouse took a bite of cheese, (wiggle ring finger) This little mouse heard the kitten sneeze, (wiggle little finger) “Ah-choo,” sneezed the kitten (sneeze) And “squeak!” they cried (Make fingers “jump”) As the found a hole and ran inside. (hide hand behind back) Source: Family Storytime: Twenty-four Creative Programs for All Ages
Book	This Book is Not a Piece of Cheese by Benjamin Bird
Sign Language	Cheese
Action Rhyme	Pizza, pizza, pizza! (tune: peanut butter and jelly)Chorus: Pizza, pizza, pizza with cheese! Pizza, pizza, pizza with cheese! (repeat chorus after each of the following verses)First you take the dough and you knead it, You knead it, you knead it, knead it, knead it. Singing… Next you take the dough and you throw it, You catch it, you throw it up high, singing….Then you take the sauce and you spread it, You spread it, you spread it on the pizza, singing…. Then you take the cheese and you sprinkle it, You sprinkle it, you sprinkle it on the pizza, singing…. Next you take the toppings and you plunk ’em, You plunk ’em, you plunk ’em on the pizza, singing…. Then you take the pizza and you bake it, You bake it, you bake it in the oven, singing… And when the pizza’s done you eat it! Yum, yum! Source: Esther Storytime
Action Song	Cheese, Cheese in our Belly We’re going to have macaroni and cheese. Hurrary! Hurrary! We’re going to have macaroni and cheese. Hurray! Hurray! Macaroni and cheese for dinner, Macaroni and cheese every day, Cheese, cheese, in our belly. Hip, hip, hip, hooray! Source: Family Storytime: Twenty-four Creative Programs for All Ages (I slightly modified)
Dance Song	Say Cheese! (Let’s Take a Picture)
Dance Song	Please Say Cheese
Traditional Song	ABC, Count to 10
Goodbye Song	Skidamarink

Craft

My source of inspiration came from Magic Sewing Hands felt craft. However, instead of using felt, I used cardboard and paper. I loved that this craft worked on eye and hand coordination.

IMG_3582[1]

Cheese Storytime – Toddlers

Introduction	Hello Hello!
Books	Grandpa and Me by Karen Katz
Action Rhyme	I Wiggle I wiggle my fingers. I wiggle my toes. I wiggle my ears. I wiggle my nose. I wiggle my shoulders. I wiggle my chin. I stretch my arms wide and pull them back in. I wiggle my elbows. I wiggle my knees. I hop like a bunny. I smile and say, “Cheese!” Now I have no more wiggles left in me And I sit on the floor as still as can be.Source: Colorado Libraries for Literacy
Book	Brownie and Pearl: Grab a Bite by Cynthia Rylant
Traditional Rhymes	This is Big Big Big This is big big big This is small small small This is short short short This is tall tall tall This is fast fast fast This is slow slow slow This is yes yes yes This is no no no Source: Mel’s Desk Second rhyme we do: Very, Very Tall
Nursery Rhyme	Hickory Dickory Dock Hickory Dickory Dock, (crouch down) The mouse ran up the clock. (stand up with hands overhead) The clock struck one, (clap once) The mouse ran down! (couch back down) Hickory Dickory Dock.
Sign Language	Cheese
Action Song	Crawly Creepy Little Mouse Crawly creepy little mouse, (tiptoe fingers up leg) From the barn in the house. In the pantry under the shelf! (tiptoe fingers up to chin) Found some cheese and helped himself. Nibble nibble nibble nibble! (tickle)
Dance Song	Say Cheese! (Let’s Take a Picture)
Dance Song
Traditional Song	ABC, Count to 10
Goodbye Song	Skidamarink

Craft

My source of inspiration came from Magic Sewing Hands felt craft. However, instead of using felt, I used cardboard and paper. I loved that this craft worked on eye and hand coordination.

IMG_3582[1]

Little STEAMers: Food

Introduction	Tickle the Moon Tickle the Moon Tickle your toes. Clap your hands And tickle your nose. Reach up high. Reach down low. Turn around, And say hello! Source: Storytime Katie has a closing version she found on pinterest. I wanted an opening song, so my coworker reworked it to make an opening song.
Book	Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
Action Song	Spicy Salsa We did not have time for this song, but I have made a mental note to do it with the kids another time.
Song	Table Manners (Tune: Frere Jacques)Chewing quietly, chewing quietly Do not slurp, do not slurp, We must say excuse me, We must say excuse me When we burp, When we burp.Source: https://jbrary.com/family-storytime-making-food/
Activity	We made our own butter! I played a list of songs that involved shakes and wiggles (Shake it Off, Hot Potato, Milkshake). I would count to 10 and have the kids pass the jar to the next kid. It worked out great! We had butter by the third song.
Closing Song	Tickle the Stars Tickle the Stars Tickle your toes Turn around And tickle your nose Reach down low Reach up high Storytime’s over So wave goodbye!

Activities

Craft	Taco Bar!
Touch	Rainbow Jello Soup This was the most popular station. It was also the messiest. Word of advice. Clean the big bin right away.
Sorting	I printed off the different food groups and assigned each one to a bucket. The kids then sorted the food to the appropriate food bin.
Imaginary Play	We have a play kitchen and I opened it up for the kids to play with.

Rhyming to Read: Purple Cow and Rock-a-Bye Baby

Purple Cow (Color Mixing)

Introduction of Rhyme	Purple Cow I never saw a Purple Cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I’d rather see than be one.
Sing Rhyme	We repeated the rhyme several times.
Color Mixes	I never saw a Red Cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I’d rather see than be one. I never saw a Blue Cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I’d rather see than be one. I never saw a Purple Cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I’d rather see than be one.
Color Experiment	To have a little fun with we did a science experiment. I unfortunately did not get any pictures, but the kids enjoyed mixing the colors and seeing the reaction. source: Hands On As We Grow
Craft	Source: Apples & abcs I just turned my craft into a purple cow.

Rock-a-Bye Baby

Introduction of Rhyme	Rock-A-Bye Baby
Traditional Rhyme	We repeated the rhyme several times.
Call Response	Rock-a-Bye Baby Rock-a-bye baby On the treetop When the wind blows The cradle will rock When the bough breaks The cradle will fall And down will come baby Cradle and allI would say one line and the crowd would say the next line. After we went though it once, we switched who said what line.I mentioned this is a great way to teach memory tactics.
Action Rhyme	Rock-a-Bye Baby Rock-a-bye baby (rock back and forth) On the treetop When the wind blows (act like the wind) The cradle will rock (rock back and forth) When the bough breaks (start squatting) The cradle will fall (fall to the ground) And down will come baby Cradle and all
Craft	Source: Danielle’s Place I took my inspiration from one of her ideas, but I put my own spin on it. I liked that the kids would be able to “rock” their baby with this craft.

Pajama Rama – In the Woods

Introduction	Tickle the Moon Tickle the Moon Tickle your toes. Clap your hands And tickle your nose. Reach up high. Reach down low. Turn around, And say hello!Source: Storytime Katie has a closing version she found on pinterest. I wanted an opening song, so my coworker reworked it to make an opening song.
Warm-up Rhyme	Lumberjack, Lumberjack Lumberjack, Lumberjack turn around. Lumberjack, Lumberjack touch the ground. Lumberjack, Lumberjack grow a beard. (pat face) Lumberjack, Lumberjack show no fear. (show muscles) Lumber, Lumberjack eat some snacks. (mimic eating) Lumberjack, Lumberjack swing your ax (swinging motion) Lumberjack, lumberjack yell Timber (yell Timber) Lumberjack, lumberjack here comes winter! (mimic snowflake) Source: My creation
Book	Bruce’s Big Move
Flannel	Squirrel
Book	Book-O-Beards
Activity with puppets	There’s something in the woods, that I can’t really see. There’s something in the woods, that I can’t really see. (hands around eyes like binoculars) There’s something in the woods. Now what can it be? (hold up hands, shrug shoulders in question)Repeat above rhyme before giving each clue…. I’m an animal who’s big, brown and furry and who “Roars” (bear). I’m an animal who’s who has long ears and goes “Hop, hop, hop” (rabbit). I’m an animal who says ‘whoo, whoo’ at night (Owl). I’m an animal who’s red, furry, has a big bushy tail and likes to eat chicken (Fox) I’m an animal who’s small, has a big, bushy tail and loves to eat nuts (Squirrel). I’m an animal who’s tiny and makes very quiet “squeaks” (Mouse). Source: Singin in the Stacks
Nursery Rhyme with Action	Hickory Dickory Dock Hickory Dickory Dock, The Moose ran up the clock. The clock struck one, The Moose crashed down! Hickory Dickory Dock Source: What Happens In Storytime
Action Rhyme	If You’re a Fox and You Know It If You’re a Fox and You Know It… If you’re a fox and you know it Swish your tail. If you’re a fox and you know it Swish your tail. If you’re a fox and you know, then you’ll really want to show it If you’re a fox and you know it Swish your tail. …wiggle your nose… …show your claws… If you’re a moose and you know it… stomp your hoofs. If you’re a grizzly bear and you know growl really loud http://libraryvillage.blogspot.com/2013/11/toddler-story-time-what-does-fox-say.html
Dance Song	This is the Way the Woods Wake Up/ She’ll be Coming Around the Mountain
Dance Song	Row, Row, Row Your Boat: Songs for Wiggle Worms
Dance Song	You Are My Sunshine
Cool Down Song	ABCs
Goodbye Song	Tickle the Clouds Tickle the clouds Tickle your toes Turn around And tickle your nose Reach down low Reach up high Storytime’s over So wave goodbye! Source: Storytime Katie

Craft: We actually do crafts after the storytime unlike our other storytimes. This craft was super awesome (easy clean-up) and hit with my patrons.

IMG_3296[1]

Source: Door 2 Door Librarian

Little STEAMers: Winter

Storytime Portion

Opening Song	Tickle the Sun Tickle your toes. Clap your hands And tickle your nose. Reach up high. Reach down low. Turn around, And say hello!Source: Storytime Katie has a closing version she found on pinterest. I wanted an opening song, so my coworker reworked it to make an opening song.
What is Winter? What Do we need for winter?	I found simple Clipart pictures for discussion. My pictures included: Snow, a person imitating cold, mittens, coat, and a hat with mittens.
Rhyme	It Is Winter Tune: Are You Sleeping?”It is winter, It is winter, Oh, so cold! Oh, so cold! Icy, snowy weather, Long nights and short days, Winter’s here! Winter’s here!
Book	Supertruck by Stephen Savage
Flannel	Where is Snowball I hid the two snowballs and had the kids guess which mitten the snowball was under. If they found the yellow snowball, we talked about why you don’t eat yellow snow.
Rhyme	Jack Frost Where did you get that little red nose? Jack Frost kissed it I suppose. He kissed it once. He kissed it twice. Poor little nose it’s as cold as ice!
Book	Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant
Action Song	We’re Marching in the Snow
Action Song	I’m a Little Snowman
Goodbye Song	Tickle the Clouds Tickle your toes Turn around And tickle your nose Reach down low Reach up high Storytime’s over So wave goodbye! Source: Storytime Katie

Activity Portion

Winter in a Bag	Source: A Little Pinch of Perfect
Ball Sort	Source:I Can Teach My Child
How Tall are you	I marked out 9 ft on a piece of duct tape. The kids had the option of either laying down and their grown up laying mittens next to them, or they could jump and see how many mittens it would take to measure the distance.
Counting	The kids would take a handful of buttons and work on matching the number of buttons to the number on a mitten. Source: Play to Learn Playschool

Harry Potter Potions Classes

The Harry Potter series turned 20 years old this year (I feel old!), and my library decided it was only appropriate to have a week of Harry Potter activities. One of my programs was a Harry Potter Potions Class. I opted to split this class into two different sessions. I wanted a k5-3rd grade session and a 4-6th grade session. This allowed me to do very simple “potions” with my younger crowd and harder “potions” with my older crowd.

For each session, I found different science experiments that would work with the Harry Potter theme. I assigned each experiment a potion name to give it a more authentic feel.

Potions Class: K5-3 Grade

Introduction	I had two statements to make before we started our class. The kids must listen to me. I would not give new items to the students who messed up their experiments because they were not following directions. It was OK if their experiment failed. the potions did not always work in Harry Potter either.
Flobberworms: (15 minutes)	This was a very easy experiment to conduct. I would recommend soaking the gummy worms in the baking soda mixtures before your program. I did have a volunteer pre-cut my gummy worms before the program. We tried a knife. Horrible. Scissors worked better to get thinner gummy worms. The kids enjoyed watching their worms move. We added more baking soda to get them to shake. You can also coat the gummy worms in baking soda. Source: bitz & giggles
Atmospheric Charm (15 minutes)	Another easy “potion” the kids enjoyed. It does take some patience, as the “rain” has to get through the clouds. Slowly adding food coloring will allow for a cooler effect. Source: The Happy Housewife
The Draught of Sickness (15 minutes)	I wanted to provide the opportunity for the kids to experiment with their own ingredients instead of me dictating how much of each item to pour into their cups. I also spiced up the original list by adding alka-setlzer tablets. This added a more authentic feel to the draught of sickness. Source: Brisbane Kids
Polyjuice Potion (15 minutes)	I felt it was only appropriate for me to demonstrate a more a difficult potion for the kids. Dry ice will always get some kind of reactions from the kids. The kids are also always up for kool-aid! Bonus tip: Run the dry ice over a metal handle to make a mandrake scream. Source: Our Best Bites

Potions Class: 4-6 Grade

Introduction

I had two statements to make before we started our class.

The kids must listen to me. I would not give new items to the students who messed up their experiments because they were not following directions.
It was OK if their experiment failed. the potions did not always work in Harry Potter either.

Beautification Potion(15 minutes)

I was unable to do a test run of this potion before the class. Citric acid is a bit more expensive, and I wanted my one bottle to last longer. To really make sure I had enough ingredients for my kids, I had my volunteer premix the citric acid and baking soda. We then walked around and doled out the portions. I was unable to get any pictures of this experiment, since I was helping the kids with their dough.

Source: Tried and True

Ice Potion/Fire Protection Potion

We did not make this one. We ran out of time.

Source: Instant Ice

Exploding Fluid (15 minutes)

This was the overall favorite for the kids. We did have some mishaps (A kid got some vinegar in his eye. Another group dropped their bag of vinegar all over their seats…). However, once we got outside, the kids went wild. They would go to each bag and watch it explode.

20663859_1344589855590058_6589976543085176132_n

20638765_1344589785590065_5252085770325424247_n

Source: Coffee Cups and Crayons

Polyjuice Potion (15 minutes)

Source: Our Best Bites

Bugs Off

I knew I was taking a risk with doing a bugs program. I was either going to get kids who are fascinated by bugs or kids who hate bugs. I did not want to traumatize the kids, so I went for cool fascinating facts of why we need bugs. The age group for this program was K5-3rd Grade.

Introduction	Bug Off! (5 minutes) This was 5 minute presentation about why we need bugs. The kids got a real kick out of dung beetles.
Science Experiment	Warm Bugs, Cool Bugs (10 Minutes) Hot Water Cold Water Glow Sticks Which one is going to glow brighter? The Stick in the warm water or the cold water? Discuss with the kids why they think it happens. I then discussed why fireflies glow brighter in certain weather conditions. Switch the sticks and see what happens. Source:Discovery Express Kids
Outside Activity	Magnifying Glasses and Bug Bingo (10-15 minutes) I found some sweet Bug BINGO cards. I gave each kid a BINGO sheet and magnifying glass. We then went outside and searched for bugs in our garden. I knew they were only going to find a few of them. However, the kids had fun running around trying to find bugs.
Pollen Experiment	Pollen Experiment (10 Minutes) I was a little more hesitant with this experiment. I was not sure if the kids would enjoy it. However, they had a BLAST. We set-up half of the meeting room with cupcake cups filled with Cheetos. We then taped bees to the kids’ hands. They had to fly around the room and move Cheetos to different cups. Source: Little Warriors
Cocoon Experiment (optional)	Toilet Paper (5 Minutes) This was optional if I still had time. I did! I picked three random kids. We wrapped then in toilet paper and had them bust out. Told them to ask permission to do this one at home.

Kinder Gardens: July 2017

Opening Song	I’m a Little Seed by Miss Carole
Book (Rain)
Action Rhyme	There’s something in my garden There’s something in my garden, Now what can it be? There’s something in my garden That I can’t really see. Hear its funny sound…. Ribbit – Ribbit – Ribbit A Frog is what I found! Ribbit-Ribbit-RibbitRepeat rhyme using other animal sounds. Source: Sunflower Storytime
Action Rhyme	Jumping Beans One, two, three, four. . . (jump four times) Beans came jumping through my door. (stop) Five, Six, Seven, Eight . . . (jump four times) Jumping right on to my plate! (stop) (I had them sit down on this part). Source: Sunflower Storytime
Songs For Wiggle Worms	You are My Sunshine

This was the last Kinder Gardens for the summer. I read somewhere that plants like music, sooooooo I gave the kids instruments and allowed to make “music” for the plants. We will see if it helps the plants grow.

The kids also helped weed and checked out how the plants were growing.

20375863_1333195510062826_5132926358665544257_n 20476200_1333195653396145_6985618390996317310_n