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.

Zoo–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

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

The Giraffe who Cock-A-Doodle-Doo’d by Keith Faulkner
The Underpants Zoo by Brian Sendelbach

Action Rhymes

Let’s Hear You Roar Like a Lion

Animals at the Zoo
Tune: “The Wheels on the School Bus”

The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar.
Roar, roar, roar.
Roar, roar, roar.
The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar.
All day long!

The snakes…go hiss, hiss, hiss.
The hyenas…go ha, ha, ha.
The monkeys…go eee, eee, eee.
The birds…go tweet, tweet, tweet.
Source:King County Library System

Zoo Animals
Tune: “If you are happy and you know it”

If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!
If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!
If you want to be a monkey, if you want to be a monkey,
If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!

Parrot – flap your wings
Elephant – wing your trunk
Lion – roar out loud
Giraffe – stand up tall
source:Once Upon a (Story) Time

The Elephant Hokey Pokey

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

The Monkeys in the Zoo

The monkeys in the zoo turn round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The monkeys in the zoo turn round and round,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo all touch their toes,
touch their toes,
touch their toes.
The monkeys in the zoo all touch their toes,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo all rub their tummies,
Rub their tummies,
Rub their tummies.
The monkeys in the zoo all rub their tummies,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo all pat their heads,
Pat their heads,
Pat their heads.
The monkeys in the zoo all pat their heads,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo jump up and down,
Up and down,
Up and down.
The monkeys in the zoo jump up and down,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo swing through the trees,
Through the trees,
Through the trees.
The monkeys in the zoo swing through the trees,
Just like I do.
source:Storytime Hooligans

Flannel Board

Five Elephants in a Bathtub

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

This storytime was so much fun! I kicked off the storytime by putting on my zoo hat and opening each box. The kids and I then discussed each animal I pulled out.

The books get an A+ for this storytime. The Giraffe who Cock-A-Doodle-Doo’d had the kids making the appropriate noises for each animal. I even had a little girl who stood up and turned my page because she wanted to know what was going to happen next. The Underpants Zoo had the kids laughing.

I definitely went heavy on the action rhymes. How could I not? And the kids loved them. We were all sweaty and out of breath by the end. I did change my closing song, but I thought “See you later Alligator” was a better fit for this storytime.

The funniest part happened after storytime. I knew that I would be moving around quite a bit, so I made sure to bring in my water. I kept joking that this elephant was thirsty as I guzzled down water. During a playtime a mother gently tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out a little boy. The little boy (a sibling of a preschooler) was wearing my zoo hat and drinking my water!

Dancing

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

“If You’re Bouncy”

If you’re bouncy and you know it, give a bounce.
If you’re bouncy and you know it, give a bounce.
If your bouncy and you know it, give a bounce, then your bounce will surely show it,
If you’re bouncy and you know it, give a bounce.

If you’re wiggly…
If you’re cuddly…

Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Bounces, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy MacMillan & Christine Kirker

Book

Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont

Sensory Time

Parents/Guardians danced with their baby to the “Baby” from the cd, Jazz Pour Le Bebes.

Fun Rhyme With Fact

“Clapping”

Clapping Little,
Clapping Big,
Clap in a circle, rig-a-jig, jig
Clap with a smile,
Clap with a frown,
Clapping up and down.
Clap all night,
Clap all day,
Clap for my baby,
Hip-hip-hooray!

Fact: Clapping rhymes stimulate the nerves of the palms. This will eventually help develop muscles that will later be used for writing.

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

This was a really fun baby storytime. All the parents/guardians enjoyed the “If you’re bouncy rhyme.” We ended up repeating it several times.

The book was actually a hit with the babies. The babies actually all stopped and listened to me read the story. I think all the adults (myself included) were surprised, since the book is a tad bit longer.

The dancing was so much fun. I mentioned that parents/guardians should stop every few moments to allow their babies to mentally process the movements and keep them stimulated. Constant swaying and movement will actually make their baby tune out to their surroundings.

Wacky Wednesday–Water Fireworks & Color Changing Milk

I did my first ever Wacky Wednesday on September 17, 2014. This is going to be a trial and error program, as my community has several different grade schools that are released at different times. I did do a Facebook post and it reached over 100 people, but I have a feeling that my 4:00pm time might be stopping my crowd. Regardless, I did still have some kids show up.

My theme for this month was experiments. I picked color changing milk and water fireworks as our experiments.

Water Fireworks

I found this experiment in Martha Stewart’s Favorite Crafts For Kids. However, you can find the instructions all over the web. Here is a link to one example.

The kids really liked this craft, and we ended up recreating the experiment several different times. I even had a child ask me if she could take the ingredients home. Grandma told her granddaughter that she could do it at home with her own ingredients, and by golly, they did. The little girl came back on Monday and told me all about it.

Pictures from our original run.

Pictures from the second round.

Color Changing Milk

I’ve been itching to try this experiment and finally got the chance to do it this month. I found my instructions from the Steve Spangler Science website.

This was fun for the kids but not as exciting as the water fireworks. They thought it was cool how the milk responded when the q-tip had dish soap on it. However, they all soon started swirling their milk with their q-tips.

Rainbows–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

Scarves

Books

Duckies’ Rainbow by Frances Berry
Maisy’s Rainbow Dream by Lucy Cousins

Action Rhymes

Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue
Tune: “Head and Shoulders”

Red, yellow, green, and blue,
Green and blue.
Red, yellow, green, and blue,
Green and blue.
Orange, purple, brown, and black.
Red, yellow, green, and blue,
Green and blue.

Let’s Make a Rainbow!

Let’s wave our scarves high!
Let’s wave our scarves low!
Let’s wave our scarves fast!
Let’s wave our scarves slow!
Now let’s crumple up our scarves.
One, Two, Three! (Throw scarves into the air and watch the rainbow of colors fall to the ground.)
Source:Library Village

Rainbow Dancers

Rainbow dancers let’s get ready
Hold your scarves nice and steady.
You’ll hear the colors of the rainbow.
Listen for your time to go.

Shake red…
Shake orange…
Shake yellow…
Shake green…
Shake blue…
Shake purple…

Red scarves turn around,
Orange scarves up and down.
Yellow scarves reach up high,
Green scarves fly, fly, fly.
Blue scarves tickle your nose,
Purple scarves touch your toes.

Everybody dance around,
Swirl your scarves up and down.

Shake purple…
Shake blue…
Shake green…
Shake yellow…
Shake orange…
Shake red…

Rainbow dancers dance around,
Scarves swirl up and down.
Our colorful dance is at an end.
Thank you, thank you, all my friends.
Source:Storytime Abc’s

Flannel Board

Rainbow Stew

Take an apple, put it in the pot
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out. What will it be?
The prettiest red you ever did see.

Take an orange…
Take a banana…
Take a pear…
Take some blueberries…
Take some grapes…
Source: Storytime ABC’s

Take Home Craft

Source: Library Village

Scarf Dancing Song

The Color Game by Jim GIll

Closing Dance Song

Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Closing 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 preschoolers were WAY MORE into this theme than the toddlers. I opened with rainbow stew and the kids even started saying the rhyme with me.

Duckie’s Rainbow was decent with this crowd, but Maisy’s Rainbow Dream was a hit. I would read a page and ask the kids different questions depending on the color. By the end of the book, I had kids practically running to me to point out the answer to my question.

The scarves were awesome. We had fun making our own rainbows with the action rhymes and it was a hoot to see the kids trying to figure out what color Jim was going to ask for next in The Color Game.

Rainbows–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

Scarves

Books

Duckies’ Rainbow by Frances Berry
Color Dance by Ann Jonas

Action Rhymes

Colors

Blue is the lake, (point to the floor)
Yellow is the sun (point to the sky)
Silver are the stars,
When the day is done (wiggle fingers in the air)
Red is the apple, (make circle with hands)
Green is the tree (raise arms over head like branches)
Brown is a chocolate chip cookie (rub tummy)
for you and me!
Source:Harris County Public Library

Let’s All Twirl
Tune: “The Mulberry Bush”

Let’s all twirl with our scarves today,
Scarves today, scarves today,
Let’s all whirl our scarves today,
All around the room.
Source:Harris County Public Library

Let’s Make a Rainbow!

Flannel Board

Rainbow Stew

Take an apple, put it in the pot
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out. What will it be?
The prettiest red you ever did see.

Take an orange…
Take a banana…
Take a pear…
Take some blueberries…
Take some grapes…
Source: Storytime ABC’s

Scarf Song

Rainbow of Colors by The Wiggles

Take Home Craft

Source: Library Village

Closing Dance Song

Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Closing 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 theme was a bit harder for my toddlers to get excited about.

I started my storytime with the rainbow stew flannel board. The kids liked telling me what kind of fruit I was about to put in the pot.

As for my stories, they were kind of meh about Duckie’s Rainbow and Color Dance was a complete flop. I quickly ended the story and transitioned to scarves. This is where the storytime took off. We did action rhymes with the scarves and the kids LOVED when we got to throw them up in the air. I also added an extra dance song about rainbows so that the kids could keep dancing with the scarves.

Animals

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

“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

All Kind of Kisses by Nancy Tafuri

Sensory Time

“Little Turtle: Scarf Rhyme”

Here’s a little Turtle, hiding in his shell.
Here’s a little turtle that we love so well.
He always moves slowly, he never moves fast,
Until he pops out to say hello at last.

You cover the baby’s face with a see-through scarf. When the line “Until he pops out to say hello at last” is read, the parent/guardian lifts the scarf off their baby’s face.

Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Bounces, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy MacMillan & Christine Kirker

Fun Rhyme With Fact

“Horsey, Horsey”

Horsey, Horsey needs a shoe,
Horsey, Horsey don’t be blue.
Tap the bottom,
Tap the top.
Tap in a circle,
Don’t you stop.
Horsey, horsey loves his shoe.
Horsey, horsey say thank you!

Fact: Tapping the bottom of a baby’s foot helps and aids the development of walking.
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

I really enjoyed this baby storytime. The babies were laughing and smiling when their parents/guardians did the “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” on them. Parents actually requested that we do this one several times.

All Kinds of Kisses was great for this age group. The adults all made animals noises depending on what animal was receiving a kiss. I even had two babies trying to climb in my lap during the story.

We did not do one-on-one reading for this session. The babies were super active, so we just pulled out the toys.

Tickles

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

“Patty-Cake”

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

Book

All of Baby Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler

Sensory Time

Feathers with music. I handed out feathers to the parents. They then ran the feather over their babies.

Fun Rhyme With Fact

“Stinky Diaper, Stinky Diaper”

Tune:Frère Jacques

Changing time, changing time.
Let’s Take off the dirty one,
Let’s Put on a clean one.
Glad you’re mine, glad your mine.

Fact: Singing to your baby just before and during stressful times (diaper changes, shots, etc) can reduce stress and distract your baby.
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.

This if followed by single one-on-one reading. Parents/guardians read with their babies. I have a tub of board books.

Playtime

Observations

This was my first structured baby time ever, so I was slightly nervous about how the parents/guardians would receive it. Overall, I was extremely pleased with how well it went.

For my preparation, I made large posters that I could put up on our easel. I did not want to paper sheets, as I had read many times that parents start focusing on reading tiny print instead of interacting with their babies.

I also made sure to make the environment inclusive for everyone attending. I sat directly on the floor with the parents. We all formed a circle, so no one felt left out. The circle is great for keeping babies from escaping. I also had everyone introduce themselves and their babies.

For the actual storytime, it was the perfect length. Rhymes were repeated 2-3 times. The book was fun. Parents actually interacted with their baby when I talked about the ears, nose, and etc. The babies even stopped for a few moments to listen to me read.

Kittens–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

Cat Secrets by Jeff Czekaj
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas
Pete the Cat and his Magic Sunglasses by James Dean

Action Rhymes

Can You Meow Like Me (make appropriate noises)

Meow very loudly.
Meow like a giant cat.
Meow in a squeaky voice.
Meow like a scared cat.
Meow like a happy cat.
Meow like a sad cat.
Meow like an angry cat.
Meow in a whisper voice.
Source:bclschidren

“If You’re a Kitty and You Know It”

If you’re a kitty and you know it, say meow.
If you’re a kitty and you know it, say meow.
If you’re a kitty and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you’re a kitty and you know it, say meow.

Lick your paws, show your claws, swish your tail, do all four.
Source:Literary Commentary

Flannel Board

Rainbow Kittens

Six little kittens found a box of paint.
They jumped right in…their mother will faint!
The first little kitten came out all red.
“I’ll be orange,” the second kitten said.
The third little kitten turned bright yellow.
“I’ll be green,” said the next little fellow.
The fifth kitten said, “My favorite is blue.”
“Purple for me,” said the sixth with a mew.
Dancing home the kittens go
To show their mother a KITTEN RAINBOW!
Source: Read Rabbit Read

Take Home Craft

Source: Library Village

Closing Dance Song

Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Observations

Like the toddlers, the preschoolers ate up this storytime. The kids enjoyed acting like cats when we did the two action rhymes. I even had a kid who arched her back like a cat.

All three of the books were a smashing hit. The preschoolers enjoyed Cat Secrets. They also enjoyed guessing what the cat would sit on in What Will Fat Cat Sit On?. The winner (of course) was Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses. We all started moving pretty groovy as the book went on. The craft fit the book perfectly!

I would say the highlight of the storytime was Rainbow Kittens. Like the puppy storytime, we named the six kitties. The preschoolers actually named the kittens after colors. Then when I started dipping each kitty in their specific color, I received lots of “ooooohhhhhs and ahhhhhs” from the crowd. I did add my own twist on this flannel. Another blogger mentioned that she had cat puppet that licked all the kitties back to white. I decided to make a flannel mama kitty and then have her change to a tie-dye color after she cleaned all her kittens. The crowd really liked this surprise.

The super best part was watching the kids interact with the flannel after storytime. A little boy was dipping each kitten in their colors and putting each kitten back up on the board. He then would take the mommy kitty and clean the kittens back to white. He did this for about five minutes. A little girl even joined in with him. This made my heart so happy!

Kittens–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

Cat Secrets by Jeff Czekaj
Where is Tippy Toes? by Betsy Lewin

Action Rhymes

Can You Meow Like Me (make appropriate noises)

Flannel Board

Rainbow Kittens

Take Home Craft

Source: Toddler Approved

Closing Dance Song

Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Observations

We had a blast with this storytime. The kids really enjoyed making cat noises with me. The books also went over really well. I was able to hook the kids with Cat Secrets by doing voices for each cat. It was also recommended to me that Cat Secrets makes an awesome puppet storytime. The kids also liked trying to find Tippy in Where is Tippy Toes? I had a third book, but I scraped it. I felt like the flow would have been disrupted by adding a third book.

The flannel board was AWESOME! I started by telling the kids that I bought six friends with me and their mama. Like the puppy storytime, we named the six kitties. Then when I started dipping each kitty in their specific color, I received lots of “ooooohhhhhs and ahhhhhs” from the crowd. I did add my own twist on this flannel. Another blogger mentioned that she had cat puppet that licked all the kitties back to white. I decided to make a flannel mama kitty and then have her change to a tie-dye color after she cleaned all her kittens. The crowd really liked this surprise.