The farm is a good theme, because even if all of us in the storytime rotation did it, there would still be good books to use each time.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song

MOVEMENT:“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them

BOOK:

Do Cows Meow? by Salina Yoon

While this book may be a little repetitive, it’s great for getting the kids to participate in storytime.  At the end, with the scene of all the farm animals we went animal by animal and made one last sound for each.

MOVEMENT: “Reach for the Ceiling” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

COUNTING SONG:

Pigs 
While I have a few different options for counting farm animals, I thought pigs would be the most recognizable.

FLANNELBOARD:
Old MacDonald

Song and Patterns taken from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book by Judy Sierra

MOVEMENT: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Spots, Feathers and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Spot Goes to the Farm” from Spot Goes to School
There are some parts of this video I just love: the rabbit tweeting like a bird, and the duck in the pond: “Ducklings! What next?!”

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over

HOW IT WENT:
When I opened the first lift-the-flap mouth of Do Cows Meow? I heard one child go, “scary…”.  And he didn’t seem to disturbed by the book.  Other than that, things went pretty smoothly.  I added in Itsy Bitsy Spider as a movement by popular demand of those attending the 10am storytime —  I didn’t use music for it, just sang on my own.  I will have to remember to keep that one in there.

ATTENDANCE:   10 am: 29 people     11 am: 31 people