When planning this storytime, it felt like there were a lot more good apps/ebooks about shapes than print ones about them.  (At least in my library when I was last-minute-planning.)

Opening Slide on Keynote:

SONG:

Come Along and Sing with Me

APP:
Toddler Teasers – Shapes     (FREE; iOS)

I thought it would be fun to start out the storytime by allowing kids to identify different shapes.  I was asking my colleague AnnMarie (our resident iPad guru) for ideas about apps to use and she mentioned this one.  It had exactly what I was looking for, except I wish I had played with it a bit long before deciding to use it.  Because after a few kids got to play, you then “earn a sticker” which takes you out of the app a bit.  It wasn’t a big deal, and you can continue playing after that, it’s just a reminded to use the apps for longer before I bring them out so there are no surprises.

APP:

Four Little Corners by Dada Company

In Four Little Corners little square wants to play with the little circles, but he can’t fit through the round door!  Can the friends figure out a way to get everyone inside?

FINGERPLAY:


Draw a Circle
Draw a circle, draw a circle (draw a circle in the air with your finger)
Round as can be
Draw a circle, draw a circle
Just or me.

Draw a square, draw a square (draw a square in the air with your finger)
Shaped like a door
Draw a square, draw a square
with corners four.

Draw a triangle, draw a triangle (draw a triangle in the air with your finger)
With corners three
Draw a triangle, draw a triangle
Just for me.

APP:

Sago Mini Pet Cafe by Sago Sago ($2.99, iOS)

This time, we played the “dog” game with Sago Mini Pet Cafe.  In this game, a purple shaded version of a food is placed in front of the animal and the user has to drag the purple shape with their finger to match it to the white shape.  When you get it right, the shape shows you want it is, the animal eats it, and then you get to see what the animal things of the food.  Dog is not a fan of broccoli, apparently.  I walked around with the iPad so that each of the children present had a turn to match the shapes.

eBOOK:

The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss from Oceanhouse Media (iOS, Android Kindle, Nook, $3.99)

The Dr. Seuss story comes to life in this app.  The app will say the name of some of the shapes when you tap on them, so this makes it fun to have the guess what a silhouette is, and then see if they are right!

MOVEMENT:

“Jump Up, Turn Around” by Jim Gill from Jim Gill’s Sings Moving Rhymes for Modern Times

APP:

Tino the Triangle from Larixpress (iOS; free for starter story, $1.99 for full story)

This was a fun app to read/play because it is half story, half guessing game.  The story begins, and as you tap the yellow triangle it turns into the blue background page with an animal noise sound.  The children can guess the animal and then tap again to see if they are correct!  Some of the noises are actually pretty difficult to decipher.

SONG: “Storytime’s Over”*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

APP: Round is a Mooncake by Roseanne Thong, Illustrated by Grace Lin from PicPocket Books ($2.99 iOS)
APP: Geoboard by The Math Learning Center from Clarity Innovations (FREE; iOS) (To make shakes on the board)
APP: Busy Shapes by Seven Academy ($1.99; iOS) (This may have been a good alternative to Toddler Teasers Shapes that I used in the beginning)

THOUGHTS ON THIS eSTORYTIME:
After looking through the estorytimes I have done, I realized that most of my technical issues arise when I am moving from one media to the other (like from iPad mirroring to cd).  This time, so as to avoid that, I decided to play the Jim Gill action song I use through the iPad.  I forgot to add it to my playlist, but I did find a streaming version of it online and just went there to play it.  And it worked!

ATTENDANCE: 14 people (children and adults)

*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

App prices were correct at the time of writing this blog, but may have changed since. There may also be changes to available platforms for apps as well.