Here’s another post that I was delayed on posting.  But the theme is evergreen.

*****

The first full week in October is Public Power Week!  I was contacted by a colleague in the department of Water and Power who wanted to come be a guest reader at this week’s storytime to celebrate!

We focused on an Earth theme and talked about what we can do to help take care of our Earth.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:

“Clap Your Hands” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT:
My Thumbs are Starting to Wiggle
(to the tune of: “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”)
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
and now so are my hands.

Other verses:
Hands → arms
Arms → toes
Toes → feet
Body is starting to wiggle…. around and around and around.

This time, I ended things with
My ears are starting to listen….
because now it’s time for a story!

Take from: jbrary: https://youtu.be/AAmsnpMQlpw

BOOK:

The Earth Book by Todd Parr

MOVEMENT:
See the Little, Pick it Up
(to the tune of: “London Bridge”)
See the litter? Pick it up!
Pick it up! Pick it up!
See the litter? Pick it up!
Keep the Earth clean.

Make sure to recycle, recycle
recycle, recycle.
Make sure to recycle, recycle
Keep the Earth clean.

Since The Earth Book talks about some other ways of keeping the Earth clean, we added those to the song too:

taken from Canton Public Library: https://www.cantonpl.org/content/share-story-earth-day-storytime 

MOVEMENT:

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

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Bottles of Juice

5 bottles of juice on the wall
5 bottles of juice
Put one in
the recycling bin
4 bottles of juice on the wall….

Continue counting down until all bottles are recycled!

Taken from: yogilibrarian – https://yogibrarian.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/earth-day-preschool-storytime/

MOVEMENT:

If You Love the Earth
(to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you love the Earth, clap your hands.
If you love the Earth, clap your hands.
If you love the Earth, love it for all its worth,
If you love the Earth, clap you hands.

Other Verses:
…plant new trees
…then recycle
…turn off the light
…stop the drip

Taken from Preschool Education – https://preschooleducation.com/searth.shtml 

 MOVEMENT:
“Two Little Blackbirds”

BOOK:

Earth Hour: A Lights Out Event for Our Planet by Nanette Heffernan, illustrated by Bao Luu

MOVEMENT:
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
Book: Love Your World by Dawn Sirett
Book: My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Francesca Sanna

HOW IT WENT:
It was a fun storytime!  Sometimes, having a small group is great because you can interact with them and adapt the storytime to them.  We had a little one who was very excited about Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes, so we decided to do that one today.

ATTENDANCE: 4 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Thursday, October 7, 2021 @ Lamanda

*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

I thought I had posted this storytime, but I just saw it in my Drafts folder!  So, while Fat Bear Week has already passed, I hope you enjoy this Bear themed storytime post anyway.

******

It’s almost FAT BEAR WEEK!! This is my favorite bracket competition of the year.

It’s a celebration of the bears in Katmai National Park getting chunky for the winter in preparation for hibernation.  The public can vote on which bear they want to crown the Fat Bear Champion.

I’m probably way too into Fat Bear Week.  But it did inspire this week’s Preschool Storytime

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:

“Clap Your Hands” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT:
My Thumbs are Starting to Wiggle
(to the tune of: “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”)
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
and now so are my hands.

Other verses:
Hands → arms
Arms → toes
Toes → feet
Body is starting to wiggle…. around and around and around.

Take from: jbrary: https://youtu.be/AAmsnpMQlpw

FLANNELBOARD:

Bears

(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.

BOOK:

Horrible Bear! by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora

MOVEMENT:

Little Brown Bear
A little brown bear (pat lap)
Went in search of honey (put hand like visor above eyes)
Isn’t a funny?  A bear looking for honey? (shrug)
He sniffed at the breeze (sniff)
And he listened for bees (cup hand behind ear)
And, would you believe it, (waggle finger)
He even climbed trees! (pretend to climb tree)

MOVEMENT:

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

FLANNELBOARD:
5 in the Bed

There were five in the bed,
and the little one said,
“It’s crowded!
Roll Over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out.

How many were in the bed now?
That’s right!   4!
There were four in the bed…

**Continue counting down until…

There was one in the bed
and the little one said

“I’m Lonely!”
So all the others climbed back into bed.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
And everyone drifted off to sleep.
Goodnight!

I got this flannelboard set from Artfelt.

MOVEMENT:

Two Little Black Bears
(like Two Little Blackbirds.  But different)
Two little black bears sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill
Run away Jack, run away Jill
Come back Jack, run away Jill
Two little black bears sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill.

Other Verses:
…digging in the snow.
One named Fast and the other named Slow.

..feeling very proud.
One named Quiet the other named Loud.

MOVEMENT:

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

BOOK:

Glad, Glad Bear by Kimberly Gee

MOVEMENT:
Bears are Sleeping
(to the tune of Frere Jacques)
Bears are sleeping, bears are sleeping
In their lairs, in their lairs
Soon it will be springtime, soon it will be springtime
Wake up, Bears!  Wake up, Bears!

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
Book: Baby Bear Counts One by Ashley Wolff (or others in this series)
Book: Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
Book: Don’t Worry Bear by Greg Foley

ATTENDANCE: 3 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Thursday, September 23, 2021 @ Lamanda

*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