Brr! It’s a Cold Winter – Preschool Storytime

Posted on December 22, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

Since I presented this storytime the day before the new season, it’s time to celebrate Winter!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Jump Up, Turn Around” from Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem by Jim Gill

BOOK:

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

MOVEMENT: The Winter Pokey
(to the tune of “The Hokey Pokey”)
(taken from Steph on Perpetual Preschool)

You put your right mitten in
You put your right mitten out
You put your right mitten in
And you shake it all about.
You do the winter pokey
And you turn yourself about
That’s what it’s all about (BRRR! BRRR!)

Other verses:
– Left mitten
– Right boot
– Left boot
– winter hat (head)
– snow suit (whole body)

FLANNELBOARD:
The Penguin Went Over the Iceberg

(Idea from Storytime Katie)

(to tune of: “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”)
The penguin went over the iceberg
The penguin went over the iceberg
The penguin went over the iceberg
to see what he could see.
But all that he could see
But all that he could see
was the other side of the iceberg
The other side of the iceberg
The other side of the iceberg
was all that he could see.

FLANNELBOARD:
Snowball, Snowball

(Idea from So Tomorrow)

Snowball, snowball
cold and round!
Behind which mitten
can you be found?
Are you behind the color mitten?

You play this one in the same way as Little Mouse, Little Mouse – by hiding the snowball behind a mitten before you start and then seeing if you can find it. Since I had a really small group today, and they were older, I let the kids pick which mitten I should turn over.

MOVEMENT:
Cute Little Snowman
A cute little snowman (hold up left fist for snowman)
Had a carrot nose (stick out pointer finger on fist to make nose, if you want)
Along came a rabbit (hold up 2 fingers of right hand to make a rabbit)
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little rabbit (move the right hand closer to the left hand)
Looking for his lunch
Ate that snowman’s carrot nose
nibble, nibble, crunch. (lightly pinch left pointer finger or fist with right hand)

BOOK:

Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

MOVEMENT: Watch the Snowflakes
(to tune of “Frere Jacques”)
Watch the snowflakes, watch the snowflakes
Floating down, floating down
Oh so very slowly, oh so very slowly
All the way down
to the ground.

VIDEO:

“The Snowy Day” from The Snowy Day… and more Ezra Jack Keats stories based on the book by Ezra Jack Keats

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: One- Dog Sleigh by Mary Casanova, pictures by Ard Hoyt
Book:Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer
Book: Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner, pictures by Mark Buehner
Book: A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann

Flannelboard: The Mitten based on the book by Jan Brett

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
This was a fun storytime, but a very small one — I only had 7 people there! I think with the holidays, it was just slower. I wish I had had an older age flannelboard ready to go for this one (probably The Mitten), but they seemed to like Snowball, Snowball since they got to participate.

ATTENDANCE: 7 (adults and children)

*To see the words to these movements and activities I use frequently, please visit my A-capella Movements Section on my Storytime Movements and Music Page

Snow – Toddler Storytime

Posted on December 16, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

It it precipitating here today, but it’s not cold enough to snow. (Is it ever?)

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Clap Your Hands, Clap Your Hands” from Tickles and Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

MOVEMENT: My Wiggles*

BOOK:

One Mitten by Kristine O’Connell George, illustrated by Maggie Smith

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

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

COUNTING SONG:*

10 Snowflakes

FLANNELBOARD:
Five Little Snowpals

from Felt Board Fingerplays by Liz & Dick Wilmes, art by Janet McDonnell

Five little snowpals standing in a row.
Each has a hat and big red bow.
Out came the sun and it shone all day.
Until one little snowpal melted away.

Repeat with 4…3…2..1 snowpals

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr

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

VIDEO:

“Snow” from Peppa Pig: Muddy Puddles and Other Stories

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Mouse’s First Snow by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Buket Erdogan
Book: Snow Happy! by Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
Book: The First Snowfall by Anne & Harlow Rockwell
Book: A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann
Book: A Winter Day by Douglas Florian

HOW IT WENT:

There were no AV issues today, so that helped get things off to a good start. I have had Pip & Squeak on my lists for a while as a possible toddler book, I am glad that I tried it out today — it worked really well. I would use it again in the future.

I think it would also be fun to get those fake snowballs that I’ve seen around and do some kind of activity with those during storytime. Though it does say that those are for ages 3 and up, so maybe not.

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 27 people 11 am: 24 people

* For these songs, please see my Storytime Movements & Music page

Snow – Infant Storytime

Posted on December 16, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

Since this was the last storytime of the Fall session, it seemed fitting to finish things up with a winter theme of snow.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Roly Poly Roly Poly*
Ride a Little Pony*
I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock*
In the toaster*

(At the end of the storytime session I like to do a refresher of all the bounces we’ve done to keep them fresh in parents’ minds.)

BOOK:

Oh! words by Kevin Henkes, pictures by Laura Dronzek

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
Build a Snowman
(Another one that I cannot remember where I found it. It was on page 61 of the book though, and the pattern was on page 77…)

(Original Rhyme)
First the body
And then the head.
A stovepipe hat
and a scarf of red.
Pebbles for eyes
And a carrot nose
A mouth made of raisins
In two smiling rows.

(ok, so right before storytime I checked my pieces and found that I had lost the tiny circles that I use for the raisins. I quickly changed the poem to this:)
First the body
And then the head.
A stovepipe hat
and a scarf of red.
Pebbles for eyes
And a carrot nose
Twigs for arms,
placed just so.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dabcovich

TICKLE: Round and Round the Garden*
Slowly, Slowly Very Slowly Goes the Garden Snail*
These are Baby’s Fingers*

(Like the bounces, I give the tickles a review at the end of the session.)

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Baa Baa Black Sheep

(Patterns taken from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book by Judy Sierra)

Baa Baa black sheep, Have you any wool?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Three bags full.
One for the master,
And one for the dame.
One for the little boy who lives down the lane.
Baa Baa black sheep, Have you any wool?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Three bags full.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

HOW IT WENT:

It was a nice storytime, and a good way to finish up the session. I had caregivers asking if I would make the bounces and rhymes available, so that’s always a good sign, when they want to continue at home.

ATTENDANCE: 29 people (It was raining, so I think some people stayed away.)

* For these songs, please see my page Storytime Movements & Music

Toys – Toddler Storytime

Posted on December 9, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

I wanted to celebrate the season, but not with a holiday-specific themed storytime. So I figured toys would be a good choice. It also goes well with the emphasis on play I am adding to the library, thanks to a recent grant from the California State Library

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Clap Your Hands, Clap Your Hands” from Tickles and Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

MOVEMENT: My Wiggles*

BOOK:

Matthew’s Truck by Katherine Ayres, illustrated by Hideko Takahashi

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

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

COUNTING SONG:*

10 (Toy) Boats

FLANNELBOARD:
Here Comes the (Toy) Choo-Choo Train

from Judy Sierra’s The Flannel Board Storytelling Book

Here comes the (toy) choo-choo train,
Puffing down the track.
First comes the engine,
The freight cars are in back.
Now the bell is ringing,
Now the whistle blows.
What a lot of noise it makes
Everywhere it goes!

FLANNELBOARD:
Bears

(forgive me, I cannot remember where I got the words for this rhyme.)

(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
Big and brown, big and brown.
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
And live in the woods.

Polar bears are soft and white,
Soft and white, soft and white.
Polar bears are soft and white,
And live in the cold.

Teddy bears are just my size,
Just my size, just my size.
Teddy bears are just my size,
To cuddle with at night.

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

My Old Teddy by Dom Mansell

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

VIDEO:

“Spot’s Favorite Toy” from Storytime with Spot

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Meeow and the Little Chairs (or any Meeow book) by Sebastien Braun
Book: Book! by Kristine O’Connell George, illustrated by Maggie Smith
Book: Everybody Has a Teddy by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Sophie Allsopp
Book: Red Light, Green Light written by Anastasia Suen, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
Book: Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
Book: The Rainy Day Puddle by Ei Nakabayashi
Video: “Spot’s Hobbyhorse” from Storytime With Spot
Flannelboard: The Toy Shop (with all traces of Christmas removed)

HOW IT WENT:

While I had some issues with the cd player and sound, our IT person came out and fixed that between storytimes, so it was better for this one. I got to sing along with the cd. However, I think sound from the DVD is now only coming out of one speaker. Must check into that.

This storytime went pretty well. I originally thought I was going to use a different flannelboard with the older kids, but both of them went so well at the infant storytime that I just decided to continue with it for toddler time. I did a dd a few different rhymes in to storytime today — the kids seemed to have a hard time settling down, and I always feel like My Wiggles creates a nice calm before a story.

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 33 people 11 am: 39 people

* For these songs, please see my Storytime Movements & Music page

Toys – Infant Storytime

Posted on December 9, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

With my new grant focusing on bringing play into the library, I wanted to have one of my storytimes during this session focus on play. My coworker did a storytime with that theme a little bit ago, so to mix it up a bit I decided to focus on toys.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: In the toaster*

BOOK:

Meeow and the Pots and Pans by Sebastien Braun
(For an imaginative child, or cat, anything can be a toy!)

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
Here Comes the (Toy) Choo-Choo Train

(from Judy Sierra’s The Flannel Board Storytelling Book)

Here comes the (toy) choo-choo train,
Puffing down the track.
First comes the engine,
The freight cars are in back.
Now the bell is ringing,
Now the whistle blows.
What a lot of noise it makes
Everywhere it goes!

MOVEMENT: Here Comes the Choo-Choo Train
Here comes the choo-choo train,
Going down the track. (bounce baby gently)
First it’s going forward. (bounce baby forward along legs)
Then it’s going back. (bounce baby back into you along legs, then give a cuddle.)

FLANNELBOARD:
Bears

(forgive me, I cannot remember where I got the words for this rhyme.)

(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
Big and brown, big and brown.
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
And live in the woods.

Polar bears are soft and white,
Soft and white, soft and white.
Polar bears are soft and white,
And live in the cold.

Teddy bears are just my size,
Just my size, just my size.
Teddy bears are just my size,
To cuddle with at night.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

My Favorite Toys! by Jane Kemp and Clare Walters, illustrated by Sam Williams

TICKLE: These are Baby’s Fingers*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:

(Flannelboard from Little Folk Visuals)

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and bumped his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: No Bed Without Ted by Nicola Smee
Book: Book! by Kristine O’Connell George, illustrated by Maggie Smith

HOW IT WENT:
So, I had some technical difficulties at this storytime — the settings on the speakers were making my music sound very tin-y and unpleasant. So this storytime was done accapella. Who needs backing vocals and instruments anyway! I was just glad I remembered the words to everything — you would think that after doing storytime for how-many years I would remember, but there’s always that moment of, “Oh no I’m going to forget it all!” But I think it helped get everyone involved in the storytime.

Other than that, things went just peachy. I think the selections for this one were pretty good.

ATTENDANCE: 35 people

* For these songs, please see my page Storytime Movements & Music

Rain – Toddler Storytime

Posted on December 2, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

I know I did a rain storytime less than a year ago, but I feel like it happens so rarely here in Southern California that we need to celebrate the occassion with stor(m)ytimes when we can!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Clap Your Hands, Clap Your Hands” from Tickles and Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:

The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na

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

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

COUNTING SONG:*

10 Rainclouds

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Little Raindrops

(Rhyme found from Recipes for Reading)

Five little raindrops
(hold up five fingers)
Dancing on the walk
(move hand from side to side)
Pitter patter, pitter patter, that’s the way they talk.
(pat hands on legs to make a pitter patter noise)
Out comes the yellow sun, shining in the sky
(raise arms up like the sun, if using a flannel sun piece, hold this up)
And away goes one raindrop
(take away a raindrop, I kind of hid it behind the sun felt piece)
Bye, bye, bye!
(wave goodbye)

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

Bunny Fun by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Sam Williams

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

VIDEO:

“The Hippo Dance” and “Dancing in the Rain from Classical Baby: The Dance Show

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyette Lewison, illustrated by Pam Paparone
Book: Here Comes the Rain by Mary Murphy
Book: Rain by Manya Stojic
Book: Split! Splat! by Amy Gibson, illustrated by Steve Björkman
Book: Rabbits & Raindrops by Jim Arnosky
Book: The Rainy Day Puddle by Ei Nakabayashi
Video: “Spot’s Umbrella” from Where’s Spot? And Other Stories

HOW IT WENT:

This was a nice storytime. Since I did the same theme a little while ago, I wanted to make sure that I read different books. While I didn’t really do that with the infant storytime, I succeeded with Toddler. I really liked The Thingamabob and would use that again with the group. Bunny Fun was also a good read, and even though I used it second, the kids all still seemed well engaged. I especially liked the new flannelboard rhyme — it was fun to do, and it sounded neat when all the kids patted on their laps to make the rain sound.

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 30 people 11 am: 34 people

* For these songs, please see my Storytime Movements & Music page

Rain – Infant Storytime

Posted on December 2, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

When it rains in Los Angeles, it must be celebrated! Hence, today’s theme.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: In the toaster*

BOOK:

The Rainy Day Puddle by Ei Nakabayashi

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:

Color Umbrellas

Five umbrellas stood by the back door.
The red one went outside, and then there were four.

Four umbrellas pretty as can be
The blue one went outside, and then there were three.

Three umbrellas with nothing to do
The green one went outside, and then there were two.

Two umbrellas not having much fun
The yellow one went outside, and then there was one.

One umbrella sad and all alone.
Decided to go join his friends and that left none.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Here Comes the Rain by Mary Murphy

TICKLE: Slowly, Slowly Very Slowly Goes the Garden Snail*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:

(Template and Rhyme from Mother Goose’s Playhouse by Judy Sierra)

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
and doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone,
and they’ll come home.
Wagging their tails behind them.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

HOW IT WENT:
It was a pretty good storytime. For some reason, today I felt like I left something out of my storytime, as if I needed a song between the second movement and the tickle. Maybe I need to consider that for next time around. Here Comes the Rain was a cute book — I think it may work better with toddlers though. Anyone have any other good recommendations for infant rain titles?

ATTENDANCE: 37 people

* For these songs, please see my page Storytime Movements & Music

Jen in the Library

Storytimes, Programs and Library Thoughts

Monthly Archives: December 2014

Brr! It’s a Cold Winter – Preschool Storytime

Snow – Toddler Storytime

Snow – Infant Storytime

Toys – Toddler Storytime

Toys – Infant Storytime

Rain – Toddler Storytime

Rain – Infant Storytime