It’s hot here in the summer, and so doing a storytime about swimming felt like the coolest thing to do.  Especially since I don’t have a pool.

SONG: Welcome Song

MOVEMENT: “Clap Everybody and Say Hello” by Kathy Reid-Naiman from Sally Go ‘Round the Sun: Songs and rhymes from the parent-child Mother Goose program

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:

Elephants Swim by Linda Capus Riley, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

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

COUNTING SONG:*

10 Whales

FLANNELBOARD:

Fish Swimming in the Water
Idea and Song taken from “All the Fish” by Caspar Babypants on I Found You!

(start with 1 fish on the board)I
One little fish is swimming in the water, (put palms together, make hands swim)
swimming in the water,
swimming in the water.
One little fish is swimming in the water.
Bubble (wiggle fingers up)
Bubble (wiggle fingers up higher)
Bubble (wiggle fingers up higher)
Pop! (clap hands overhead as you say Pop)

Repeat by adding or taking away fish as you’d like.

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

BOOK:

Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant, pictures by Brian Biggs

VIDEO:

“Swimming” from Peppa Pig Cold Winter Day

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
  

Book: Maisy Learns to Swim by Lucy Cousins
Book: Swim, Duck, Swim! by Susan Lurie, photographs by Murray Head
DVD: “Pool” from Play Time Maisy

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS
Flannel Friday! Five Swimming Fishies from My Storytime Life
Flannelboard Flashback: CSLP 2010 from Storytime Katie

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
Yay for swimming!   Reading Elephants Swim was a lot of fun because we acted out how the different animals interact with water.  It did seem a little big long, so I shorted it, but I still think it worked really well.  I loved our flannelboard song – while I just sang a capella to the melody of the Caspar Babypants song, it’s really worth a listen.  I first learned of that one when I was planning for a dance program.

ATTENDANCE:  10 am:  46 people      11 am: 49 people

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