Nothing gets you up and at ’em in the morning like a good toddler storytime!
MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*
MOVEMENT: “Clap Your Hands” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music
MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*
BOOK:
Wake Up, Me! by Marni McGee
MOVEMENT: “Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel
MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider
COUNTING SONG:*
Suns
FLANNELBOARD:
Millie Wants to Play
Story from Millie Wants to Play by Janet Pedersen.
Pattern for figures from “Good Morning Cow” in 2′s Experience Felt Board Fun by Liz & Dick Wilmes
MOVEMENT: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music
BOOK:
Waking Dragons by Jane Yolen
MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass
VIDEO:
“Good Morning” and “Night Music” from Classical Baby: The Music Show
MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS IDEAS:
Wake Up Engines by Denise Dowling Mortensen
One Magical Morning by Claire Freedman
A Child’s Good Morning Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson
HOW IT WENT:
I really love books like Wake Up, Me! that encourage interaction with the audience. It makes the book go really nicely. Waking Dragons was a newer book, so I thought that might be fun to try out. And I absolutely adore the Classical Baby series of DVDs. So pretty, calming, and engaging.
ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 53 (!) people 11 am: 32 people
* For these songs, please see my Storytime Movements & Music page
Jen in the Library 
Hi Jen, I love your stuff! I’m looking for the words to the sun counting song, but I don’t see them on your music page…but I could just be missing it! 🙂
Hi Chandra! For my counting songs, I always just use the “10 Little Indians” melody but substitute in whatever it is I’m counting. So for suns it would be:
1 little, 2 little, 2 little suns
4 little, 5 little, 6 little suns
7 little, 8 little, 9 little suns
10 little suns together.
Before we sing the song I put up the items one by one and we count up. Then we count up as I put them in my hand and take them off the flannelboard at the end of the song.
So, it’s not a separate song specifically for suns, but I do this at each infant/toddler storytime and just mix up the item depending on the theme.
Hope this helps, and thanks for reading!
Hi Jen!
I wanted to use the Millie Wants to Play flannelboard for my storytime, but we don’t own this book at our library. Could you tell me what you do for yours or how the story goes? Thanks!
Of course! I hope you get this in time to use for your program! So, I just took all the animals and the barn from patters in the book 2′s Experience Felt Board Fun by Liz & Dick Wilmes from the story “Good Morning Cow” I wasn’t creative enough adapt Pedersen’s illustrations, but that would have made an awesome flannel.
Here’s the story:
Millie Wants to Play! by Janet Pedersen
(Start with the barn on the flannelboard.) The barnyard was quiet and calm.
(Put the cow on the flannelboard.) Millie opened her eyes. Everyone is still asleep and I’m ready to play! Millie thought.
But Millie had to wait. She had to wait for the loud rise-and-shine sound that meant it was time to play.
Just then, Millie heard BAAAA! B-a-a-a! Baaa!
That’s not the rise-and-shine sound, Millie thought. Too low and ripply. That sounds like… (pause here to let the kids guess what the animal is)
LAMB! (put up the sheep on the flannelboard)
Lamb baaed and shook his wooly coat. But the others were still asleep, so Millie waited.
Then Millie heard Oink. Snuffle. Oink. Oink!
That’s not the rise-and-shine sound, Millie thought. Too deep and snorty. Sounds like…
PIG! (put the pig on the flannelboard.)
Pig oinked and wiggled her snout in a greeting. Millie swished her tail, but waited.
Then Millie heard Neigh! Ne-e-e-e-e-eigh! NEIGH!
That’s not the rise-and-shine sound, Millie thought. Too high and giggly. Sounds like…
PONY! (put up the horse)
Pony neighed and nodded good morning. Millie swished her tail and stamped her hooves, but still she waited.
At last Millie heard a sound as loud as a trumpet. It was the sound she had been waiting for.
Cock-a-doodle Dooooo!
The rise-and-shine sound! Thought Millie. Sounds like…
ROOSTER! (put up the rooster)
The barnyard woke with sound as Rooster crowed and flapped his wings.
Millie shooke her ears, swished her tail, and stamped her hooves. She could wait no longer
MOOOOOOO! Time to play!!!
Yes! Thank you, Jen! Just in time.