I have never done a balloon storytime before — this surprises me!  I wish I had started planing this a little earlier because I think there are some other book options that may have been great, but I didn’t have time to get the holds (I listed some of the titles in the Additional Materials Idea section so I could remember them for next time.).

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Clap Your Hands” from Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem by Jim Gill

BOOK:

Sebastian and the Balloon by Philip C. Stead

MOVEMENT:
My Red Balloon
I had a little red balloon (make ball with hands)
And I blew and blew and blew (blow into hands)
Until it grew and grew and grew. (stretch hands apart)
I tossed it in the air (pretend to toss balloon up)
and never let it drop (pretend to catch)
Until it hit the ground (slap lap)
And it went POP! (Clap!)

FLANNELBOARD:
Pete the Clown and His Five Bright Balloons

(flannelboard made by my awesome coworker AnnMarie.  Idea from Storytime Secrets)

Pete the Clown bought five bright balloons at the carnival.
He was so excited about them, he sang a song as he walked along.
“I’ve got five balloo-oons! I’ve got five balloo-oons!”  (sung to a congo line chant).

But then… POP!
One balloon broke and started to drop. (remove balloon from board.)
Now how many balloons did Pete have?

Did Pete cry? No, never.
He knows balloons don’t last forever.
Pete was still so happy to have four balloons, that he kept walking along and singing his song.

“I’ve got four balloo-oons! I’ve got four balloo-oons!”

(Repeat the same sequence of events until Pete is out of balloons, then add the following ending.)

Pete was out of balloons! What could he do?

Well, he stopped where he was, turned around, and went back to the carnival, where he got five more balloons.

As he walked along, he sang his song:
“I’ve got five balloo-oons! I’ve got five balloo-oons!”
FLANNELBOARD:
Five Balloons in the Sky

(Idea adapted from Teacher Tom)

Five balloons in the sky
Way up high
Watch them fly!

If one should POP! (clap hands)
And quickly drop (remove balloon from board)
How many balloons do you see?

Continue until you have no balloons left.

MOVEMENT: “Shake My Sillies Out” from More Singable Songs by Raffi

BOOK:

Perfectly Percy by Paul Schmid

MOVEMENT:
Balloon
(taken from Anne’s Library Life via Sunflower Storytime)
I’m going to blow up this balloon (make a circle with hands)
And never ever stop (shake head)
I’ll blow and blow and blow and blow and blow and (pretend to blow into balloon each time you say blow and make the circle bigger with your hands)
POP! (Clap hands)

MOVEMENT:
A is for Alligator
(adapted from Anne’s Library Life)
A is for alligator CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP (clap your hands with arms out straight in front of you)
B is for balloon POP POP POP (clap hands)
C is for circle, turn around (turn around)
D is for dizzy, let’s sit down. (sit down)

VIDEO:

“Max’s Balloon Buddies ” from Max and Ruby: Everybunny Loves Winter

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Molly Who Flew Away by Valeri Gorbachev
Book: Come Back, Ben by Ann Hassett and John Hassett (a beginning reader, but I think it may work in storytime)
Book: A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Laura Rankin
Book: The Grumpalump by Sarah Hayes and Barbara Firth
Book: Balloons, Balloons, Balloons by Dee Lillegard, illustrated by Bernadette Pons
Book: Emily’s Balloon by Komako Sakai
DVD: “The Balloon Ride” from Peppa Pig: The Balloon Ride

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
When I first read through Sebastian and the Balloon, I really liked it but I wasn’t sure if it would work in a storytime setting.  I thought it might be too long, especially since we sometimes get more toddlers than preschoolers.  But, we had a little older crowd today and it worked beautifully, and got a great giggle each time I said “pickle sandwich”.  Pete the Clown was great as a flannelboard, and as noted on Storytime Secrets, if you dance in your seat while you chant kids and parents will chair dance with you.  The video today also got a lot of giggles which was fun.  Parents really seemed to enjoy Max’s exasperated-with-Ruby look today.

ATTENDANCE: 28 (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