Keeping Safe – Infant/Toddler Storytime

Posted on March 8, 2022 by jeninthelibrary

Today we had a special storytime at the library! We are currently in the middle of two grants: one focused on Well-Being, and another focused on children 0-5 thriving in the community. This storytime brought both those two grants together. We have a public health nurse with us from the early learning grant, and she joined us today for this storytime focused on safety. She was also there to chat with parents and talk to them. Since this was part of our Well-Being grant, we also passed out kits with information and well-being toys for families. It was fun!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open, Shut Them

MOVEMENT:
Ride a Little Pony
Ride a little pony (bounce baby on lap)
Going to town
Better watch out
or you might fall –
DOWN! (gently “drop”/lower baby down between legs/on legs, etc.)

MOVEMENT: Open, Shut Them

BOOK:
Yolen-How_Do_Dinosaurs_Stay_Safe
How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague
Our guest today, Nurse Natasha, read this title.
We paperclipped a couple pages, just so it was a little shorter/relevant to the infant/toddler audience.

FLANNELBOARD:
Green says, “Go”!
FB-Green-Says-Go_jeninthelibrary
Green says, “Go!” (march quickly)
Go! Go! Go!

Yellow says, “Slow.” (march slowly)
Slow…slow…slow

And red says, “Stop!” (stop marching)

Go! Go! Go!
Slow…slow…slow…
Stop

Taken from: Pasadena Public Library

MOVEMENT:
Roly Poly
(to the tune of: “Frere Jacques”)
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up
up, up, up
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
down, down, down
down, down, down

Roly poly, roly poly
out, out, out
out, out, out
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
in, in, in
in, in, in

Roly poly, roly poly
fast, fast, fast
fast, fast, fast
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
slow, slow, slow
slow, slow, slow

I learned this rhyme from my colleague, but you can also see it done by the fabulous jbrary: https://youtu.be/oexBMxMKNFU

For this time around, I changed the rhyme and instead of out and in, I used big and small as adjectives, to fit in with the theme.

MOVEMENT:
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

FLANNELBOARD: FB-Nurse_Wore_Color_Scrubs_jeninthelibrary
To start this flannelboard, I asked our guest Nurse Natasha to tell me about what she was wearing. Then we went into the flannelboard and sang the following.

Nurse Wore Colored Scrubs
(to the tune of: “Mary Wore Her Red Dress”)
This nurse were his/her/their red scrubs
red scrubs, red scrubs.
This nurse wore his/her/their red scrubs all day long.

Repeat for the other colors.

MOVEMENT:

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

Hello, Hometown Heroes by Toni Armier, illustrated by Anna Jones

This was another one where I skipped a few pages, to make it a little more relevant to our safety theme and audience.

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert (probably better for preschool)
Book: Yes, No Little Hippo: A Book about Being Safe by Jane Belk Moncure, illustrated by Vera K. Gohman
Book: Let’s Be Safe by Alice Le Hénand, illustrated by Thierry Bedouet

OTHER AWESOME RESOURCES:

Staying Safe! – storytime katie

ATTENDANCE: 35 people (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Tuesday, March 8 @ Lamanda

Thoughts on Storytime: Safety is a hard topic to do with such little ones! A lot of the books are geared towards preschool or older, and I don’t want to induce fears instead of focus on being safe. After looking at storytime katie’s blog post that I linked to above, and getting the idea to focus on people who do keep us safe (community helpers), I think this came together a little better.

*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

Big and Little – Infant/Toddler Storytime

Posted on January 25, 2022 by jeninthelibrary

This was another storytime that was driven by wanting to share a specific book. When I saw Big Bear, Little Bear by Marine Schneider, it was so sweet and lovely, and I wanted to share it. I’ve been trying to use a few more board books in my infant/toddler storytime. I know that they are smaller, so may not share so well, but this one had very sparse images so I thought I would take a chance on it.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT:
The Grand Old Duke of York
Oh the Grand Old Duke of York (bounce baby on lap)
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill (lift baby up)
And he marched them down again. (bring baby back down to lap)
And when they’re up, they’re up. (lift baby up)
And when they’re down, they’re down. (bring baby down)
And when they’re only halfway up (lift baby up halfway)
Their neither up (lift baby up all the way)
nor down. (bring baby back down to lap.)

MOVEMENT: Open, Shut Them

BOOK:
Wilson-Big_Bear_Small_Mouse
Big Bear, Small Mouse by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman
A cute story about opposites, with a delightful big and small friendship.

MOVEMENT:
This is Big
This is big, big, big (stretch your arms out to the side)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (hold hand, palm facing down, close to the ground)
This is tall, tall, tall (lift hand, palm facing down, above head)
This is fast, fast, fast (circle fists quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (circle fists slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head yes)
This is no, no, no (shake head no)

Taken from: Mel’s Desk

MOVEMENT:
Roly Poly
(to the tune of: “Frere Jacques”)
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up
up, up, up
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
down, down, down
down, down, down

Roly poly, roly poly
out, out, out
out, out, out
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
in, in, in
in, in, in

Roly poly, roly poly
fast, fast, fast
fast, fast, fast
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
slow, slow, slow
slow, slow, slow

I learned this rhyme from my colleague, but you can also see it done by the fabulous jbrary: https://youtu.be/oexBMxMKNFU

For this time around, I changed the rhyme and instead of out and in, I used big and small as adjectives, to fit in with the theme.

MOVEMENT:
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

FLANNELBOARD:

Little Ball, Big Ball
FB-Little_Ball_Big_Ball_jeninthelibrary

A little ball, a bigger ball, a great big ball I see.

Can you count the yellow balls? One, two, three.

Repeat for red and blue…

Add the the green ball (or any other color ball) and say:

Little balls, big balls, another ball I see.

Can you count all the balls? 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!

Taken from: Read, Rhyme and Sing via Pasadena Public Library

PUPPETS:

The Great Big Cat, and the Teeny Little Mouse
There was a GREAT BIG CAT  (say “great big cat” in a big voice)
and a Teeny Little Mouse   (say “teeny little mouse” in a small squeaky voice)
Who ran around and around  (Roll hands with cat and mouse around each other)
In a tall, tall house!   (Stretch arms above head)
Until that teeny tiny mouse  (say “teeny little mouse” in a small squeaky voice)
got caught at last   (have cat catch mouse)
Because that GREAT BIG CAT  (say “great big cat” in a big voice)
ran around so fast!   (Roll hands with cat and mouse around each other)

Puppets purchased and rhyme taken from: Artfelt

MOVEMENT:

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

Big Bear, Little Bear by Marine Schneider

MOVEMENT:
Very Very Tall
I’m very very tall (reach up high)
I’ve very very small (reach down low)
Tall (reach up high)
Small (reach down low)
Now I’m a little ball (curl up)

Taken from: Old Town School of Folk Music
I did this one acapella this time around

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Panda Big and Panda Small by Jane Cabrera
Book: Big and Little by Margaret Miller
Book: Big Bug by Henry Cole
Book: Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake by Thomas Taylor, illustrated by Jill Barton (maybe better for preschool?)

OTHER AWESOME RESOURCES:

ATTENDANCE: 26 people (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Tuesday, January 25 @ Lamanda

Thoughts on Storytime: This was a fun one. For this theme, I did want to use books that highlighted both big and small, rather than one, then the other. I was really surprised by how great the flannel board worked. It was so simple, but really seemed to hold the audience’s attention well.

*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

Blankets – Infant/Toddler Storytime

Posted on December 14, 2021 by jeninthelibrary

It’s been raining all day today! For Southern California, that sure is exciting. I feel like I may have missed the chance to do a rain themed storytime on a rainy day, but Blankets felt like a relevant topic today too. I know I like to be curled up with a cozy blanket on a rainy day.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open, Shut Them

BOOK:

Fly, Blanky, Fly by Anne Margaret Lewis, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri
This was a fun one because I had kids/caregivers act out and do the motions that the blanket does in the story.

MOVEMENT:

“Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

MOVEMENT:
Roly Poly
(to the tune of: “Frere Jacques”)
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up
up, up, up
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
down, down, down
down, down, down

Roly poly, roly poly
out, out, out
out, out, out
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
in, in, in
in, in, in

Roly poly, roly poly
fast, fast, fast
fast, fast, fast
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
slow, slow, slow
slow, slow, slow

I learned this rhyme from my colleague, but you can also see it done by the fabulous jbrary: https://youtu.be/oexBMxMKNFU

MOVEMENT:
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

FLANNELBOARD:

Blanket Colors

I once had a blanket.
It was fluffy and new.
I once had a blanket,
And its color was __________ (blue).

I once had a blanket,
The prettiest I’ve seen.
I once had a blanket,
And its color was ________ (green).

I once had a blanket,
Soft as a pillow.
I once had a blanket,
And its color was _______ (yellow).

I once had a blanket,
At the foot of my bed.
I once had a blanket,
And its color was ________ (red).

MOVEMENT:

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

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds”

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

Blankie by Leslie Patricelli

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket by Tatyana Feeney
Book: Kiki’s Blankie by Janie Bynum
Book: Flora’s Blanket by Debi Gliori
Book: Blankie by Ben Clanton (Board Book) (My library doesn’t have this one yet, but I’m adding it in here so I can remember to check it out for next time.)
Book: Blanket of Love by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes (Board Book)
Book: Blankies by Carol Thompson (Board Book)

ATTENDANCE: 4 people (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Tuesday, December 14, 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

Bathtime – Toddler Storytime

Posted on December 13, 2021 by jeninthelibrary

It seems so hard to make sure I’m keeping up with entering my storytimes. Figuring out how to get back into habits can be hard. But I want to make sure I am keeping this updated, because it is so helpful to have a log of different storytimes I’ve done.

******
We took a dip into stories about bath time for this Toddler Storytime!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open, Shut Them

BOOK:

Maisy Takes a Bath by Lucy Cousins

Roly poly, roly poly
out, out, out
out, out, out
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
in, in, in
in, in, in

Roly poly, roly poly
fast, fast, fast
fast, fast, fast
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
slow, slow, slow
slow, slow, slow

I learned this rhyme from my colleague, but you can also see it done by the fabulous jbrary: https://youtu.be/oexBMxMKNFU

MOVEMENT:
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Elephants in the Bathtub

Flannelboard pieces and rhyme from ArtFelt

1 elephant in the bathtub
going for a swim.
Knock, knock (clap hands for each knock)
Splash, splash (pat lap for each splash)
Come on in! (Wave hand invitingly)

2 elephants in the bathtub
going for a swim.
Knock, knock (clap hands for each knock)
Splash, splash (pat lap for each splash)
Come on in! (Wave hand invitingly)

3 elephants in the bathtub
going for a swim.
Knock, knock (clap hands for each knock)
Splash, splash (pat lap for each splash)
Come on in! (Wave hand invitingly)

4 elephants in the bathtub
going for a swim.
Knock, knock (clap hands for each knock)
Splash, splash (pat lap for each splash)
Come on in! (Wave hand invitingly)

5 elephants in the bathtub
going for a swim.
Knock, knock (clap hands for each knock)
Splash, splash (pat lap for each splash)
And they all fell in! (Knock all the elephants and tub off the flannelboard!)

MOVEMENT:

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

MOVEMENT:

“Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays for Fun and Learning by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass.

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

Get Out of My Bath! by Britta Teckentrup

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Time for a Bath by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by David Walker
Book: Wild! Bathtime by Courtney Dicmas
Book: Bears in the Bath by Shirley Parenteau, illustrated by David Walker
Book: Small Elephant’s Bathtime by Tatyana Feeney

ATTENDANCE: This feels like so long ago that I can’t remember. I have to check my stats.

DATE PRESENTED: Tuesday, November 30, 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

Earth – Preschool Storytime

Posted on November 1, 2021 by jeninthelibrary

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:
Parr-Earth_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

Bears – Preschool Storytime

Posted on November 1, 2021 by jeninthelibrary

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

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:
Dyckman-Horrible_Bear
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
Artfelt_Bears_in_a_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

Chickens – Preschool Storytime

Posted on October 11, 2021 by jeninthelibrary

I’ve done a few storytimes in the past few weeks, but I am catching up on posting them!

For my first in-person Preschool Storytime back at the Library, I decided to go with a chicken theme, mostly because I was excited to read Atinuke’s Catch that Chicken! Because it’s been so long since I’ve done a storytime, I relied heavily on this blog and some past chicken storytimes I’ve done. I feel so out of practice!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

INTRO:
When Cows get up in the Morning
When cows get up in the morning, they always say hello
When cows get up in the morning, they always say hello
And what do they say? MOOOOO!
And that is what they say!

Other verses:
Pig
Horse
Rooster
Hen
Chicken

taken from jbrary – https://youtu.be/AYp0RlHdjNU

I wanted to start things off fun and interactive, so I thought this song would be a good starting point to put the storytime in context of a farm

BOOK:
Atinkue-Catch_That_Chicken Catch that Chicken! by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank

MOVEMENT/FLANNELBOARD:

5 Eggs and 5 Eggs

Template and Rhyme taken from Storytime Katie who got it from Mel’s Desk

Five eggs and five eggs
(Add a clutch of eggs each time you say “five eggs”)
And that makes ten
Sitting on top
(Add the hen)
Is Mother Hen
Cackle cackle cackle
(Clap hands as you say Cackle!)
What do I see?
Ten fluffy chickens
(Flip over each clutch of eggs.)
Yellow as can be.

This one is fun because you can do it as both a flannelboard, and a fingerplay – it works on both levels!!! We repeated this one a couple of times so that families could get the hang of it.

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Little Chickens

Said the first little chicken, with a queer little squirm,
“I wish I could find a fat little worm.”

Said the second little chicken, with an odd little shrug,
“I wish I could find a fat little bug.”

Said the third little chicken, with a sharp little squeal,
“I wish I could find some nice yellow meal.”

Said the fourth little chicken, with a sigh of grief,
“I wish I could find a little green leaf.”

Said the fifth little chicken, with a faint little moan,
“I wish I could find a wee gravel stone.”

“Now see here,” said the mother, from the green garden patch,
“If you want any breakfast, just come here and SCRATCH!”

Start with mother hen on one side of the flannelboard, near the garden. (I noted back when I did this flannelboard in 2015 that I needed to remake my pieces to make the garden patch green instead of brown. Obviously I still haven’t done that…) Make slits in the garden where you can put the things the chicks are looking for. Add each chick when you get to it. Then after you’ve read the poem, see if the children can remember which chick wanted which treat, and match them up accordingly.

MOVEMENT:
If You’re a Chicken and You Know It
(to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you’re a chicken and you know it flap your wings: flap flap!
(hands near armpits, elbows out, flap “wings” twice)
If you’re a chicken and you know it flap your wings: flap flap!
(hands near armpits, elbows out, flap “wings” twice)
If you’re a chicken and you know it, and you really want to show it
(hands near armpits, elbows out, flap “wings” twice)
If you’re a chicken and you know it, flap your wings: flap flap!

Other Verses:
Fly up high: fly fly (jump up in air)
Scratch with your feet: scritch scratch (drag one foot along ground, then other)
Go peck peck: peck peck (Make a beak with hand, tap it on the other hand)
Say bok bok: Bok! Bok! (say bok bok)
Settle into your nest: settle settle (sit down and wiggle bottom)

MOVEMENT:

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

BOOK:

Little Chicken’s Big Day by Katie Davis and Jerry Davis

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Chicken Story Time! by Sandy Asher, illustrated by Mark Fearing
Book: The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza

OTHER BLOG POSTS I HAVE ON THIS SAME TOPIC:

MORE AWESOME RESOURCES:

HOW IT WENT:
This was the first preschool storytime I’ve done in person in more than a year and a half! I think I failed to account for the fact that preschoolers now haven’t been able to practice sitting still for a while, since the pandemic. So, maybe I should be aware of this, and start with some shorter stories and then build up to longer ones a few months for now. For the most part, they were able to sit and listen.

There was a little gasp from the audience when I turned over the eggs and they see the chicks there. That was fun and satisfying, and a really nice feeling.

ATTENDANCE: 12 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Thursday, September 16 @ 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

Snow – Preschool Storytime

Posted on December 28, 2019 by jeninthelibrary

It’s be a while since I did a preschool snow storytime, so I thought I would circle back to that again. It’s the perfect time of year for that (well, as perfect as it can be in Southern California, where it rarely snows), and since it’s an old standby theme it was easy to prep before being away from the library for a few days for the holidays.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:

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

INTRO:

I used this weather spinner that I found in the Target bargin area to start our storytime off with a conversation about the weather. First we talked about what the weather was outside today — SUNNY! Then I mentioned that we were going to have stories about a different kind of weather – snow. I asked if anyone had seen or been to the snow, since that isn’t always a given with kids in this area.

BOOK:

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

MOVEMENT:

Watch the Snowflakes
(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)
Watch the snowflakes, watch the snowflakes (flutter hands, starting above head)
Floating down, floating down (bring hands down a little with each line)
Oh so very slowly, oh so very slowly
All the way down
Down to the ground. (touch the ground)

Other verses (use different motions in place of slowly):
Oh so very quickly (wiggle fingers faster)
From oh so very high (stand up on tiptoes)
Oh so very twirly (twirl hands round and around each other)

Nonfiction Moment:

Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw
I used this book to show what snowflakes looked like up close. I didn’t read anything from this, but just showed some of the photographs

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Little Snowflakes
(taken from Storytime Katie)

1 little snowflake with nothing to do,
Along came another and then there were… 2!
2 little snowflakes laughing with me,
Along came another and then there were… 3!
3 little snowflakes looking for some more,
Along came another and then there were… 4!
4 little snowflakes dancing a jive,
Along came another and then there were… 5!
5 little snowflakes, having so much fun!
Out came then sun (put the sun on the flannelboard
And then there were… NONE!
(at this point I tried to wipe all the snowflakes down my flannelboard, to mimic melting, but it didn’t go very well…)

MOVEMENT:

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

BOOK:

First Snow by Peter McCarty

VIDEO:

“The Snowy Day” from The Ezra Jack Keats Collection based on the book by Ezra Jack Keats

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner; pictures by Mark Buehner
Book: Bears in the Snow by Shirley Parenteau; illustrated by David Walker
Book: If it’s Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws! by Kim Norman; illustrated by Liza Woodruff
Book: Bear & Hare: Snow! by Emily Gravett
Book: Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara
Book: Waiting for Snow by words by Marsha Diane Arnold; drawings by Renata Liwska
Book: Outside by Deirdre Gill

OTHER AWESOME RESOURCES:

HOW IT WENT:
Today’s storytime was ok. I think the books I chose for today were a little bit long for the audience, as we had some young preschoolers in the audience. But for the most part, they were able to sit and listen — I think I was probably more aware of it then they were.

ATTENDANCE: 13 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, December 28, 2019 @ Children’s Room

*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

Mail and Letters – Preschool Storytime

Posted on November 30, 2019 by jeninthelibrary

This time of year is probably when I send the most mail. Thinking about this, I thought it would be fun to do a mail and letters storytime, especially since I don’t think I’ve ever done one before!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:

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

INTRO:

I took this great idea from Abby the Librarian. To kick off storytime, I pulled an envelope out of my bag. We talked about what it was, the address, the stamp, and the return address. Then I took out the letter and read it to the group to introduce that storytime today was going to be all about letters and mail.

BOOK:

It Came in the Mail by Ben Clanton

MOVEMENT:

Little Letter Carrier
I am a little letter carrier
Who loves to do nothing better
I walk, walk, walk (walk in place)
to your house to deliver your letter

Other verses:
I run, run, run (run in place)
I hop, hop hop (hop in place)

I opened this up to suggestions from the audience, so we also ended up doing:

Skip
Spin
March
Skip to my Lou (this was an interesting one, that I didn’t know how to do, so I had the suggester demonstrate, and then we all followed)
Drive

FLANNELBOARD STORY:

Lovely Letters in the Mail

For this flannelboard, I used a set that I purchased at Target from their $1-$3 section. You can sometimes find some really great flannel sets there! This is actually 2 sets put together. I got it awhile ago, so I’m not sure it’s still available. But it wouldn’t be too hard to make envelopes on your own.

I started by saying that I had gotten this bag full of mail delivered.

Then we opened it and counted how many letters were inside, as I placed them on the flannelboard. (All these are the same size, it’s just the weird angle of the photograph that makes them look different):

Then we sang this song:

Lovely Letters in the Mail
(to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)

Oh, I got a lovely letter in the mail (clap, clap)
Oh, I got a lovely letter in the mail (clap, clap)
Getting mail is so much fun
Let’s see who sent this one
Oh, this lovely little letter in the mail. (clap, clap)

We opened up the envelope which had a letter inside:

I read the letter aloud without showing the audience, and they could guess which animal friend had sent me the letter.

Once the letter was read, and the audience had guessed, I turned the letter around to share the image of the friend that wrote it. I got all the images from a google image search.

We then repeated the process, from the song on, until all the letters were open. Here’s what my letters said:

Mouse
Dear Friend,
If you have any cheese, can you please leave it by my hole? Thank you.
Love, Mouse

Bear
Dear Friend,
I’m looking forward to sleeping all winter.
Love, Bear

Dog
Dear Friend,
Maybe we can play fetch soon?
Love, Dog

Cat
Dear Friend,
Let’s have fish lunch together!
Love, Cat

Fish
Dear Friend,
I’m lonely. Can you please put a friend in my bowl?
Love, Fish

Bird
Dear Friend,
Can you please visit me in my tree? I want you to see my new nest.
Love, Bird

MOVEMENT:

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

BOOK:

Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier

VIDEO:

“A Letter to Amy” from The Ezra Jack Keats Collection based on the book by Ezra Jack Keats

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, pictures by Oliver Jeffers
Book: Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings
Book: Send It! by Don Carter
Book: Stanley the Mailman by William Bee
Book: A Letter for Leo by Sergio Ruzzier
DVD: Hail to the Mail from Reading Rainbow

OTHER AWESOME RESOURCES:

– Abby the Librarian – Preschool Storytime: Mail
– Handly Regional Libraries Youthscope Blog – You’ve Got Mail Storytime
– Madelyn’s Library Programming – Toddler Storytime – Mail Time
– Read It Again! – Flannel Friday: Mailing Letters
– storytime katie – mail!
– storytime katie – Flannel Friday: Six Little Valentines
– Verona Story Time – Mail Story Time – Everybody
– The Wielded Pen – Children’s corner – You’ve Got Mail Storytime

HOW IT WENT:
Today was a fun storytime and a great theme. Since I had such a small group, it was great that a lot of the kids got to participate in sharing ideas or guesses. I hardly ever think up my own original flannelboard stories, so I was probably overly proud of myself when this one just came to me as I was prepping for the storytime. The flannelboard took a little longer to present than I anticipated, but the kids were having fun with it, so I think it was fine.

I’m also trying to incorporate better parent patter and tips into my storytimes. I’m not confident enough in that, but I know it’s something I need to do, so I’m trying. This time, I made sure to ask some engaging questions after the video, to show that these can spark communication similar to how books can.

ATTENDANCE: 13 (adults and children. It was slow this morning, since it was the Saturday after Thanksgiving)

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, November 30, 2019 @ Children’s Room

*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

Squirrels – Preschool Storytime

Posted on November 16, 2019 by jeninthelibrary

It’s Fall, and I haven’t done a squirrel storytime sine 2010! That was pre-blogging times for me. It seemed like it time to revisit these frisky friends.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT:

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

BOOK:

Where Are My Books? by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

MOVEMENT:

Frisky Squirrel
taken from Miss Kate’s Storytime Wiki
(to the tune of “The Grand Ol’ Duke of York”)

Oh the frisky little squirrel
He gathers nuts and seeds
He hides them for the winter months
So he’ll have all he needs.

Refrain:
Oh up-up-up he goes (stretch up to the sky)
And down-down-down he comes (bend/squat down to the floor)
He runs around (turn around)
Goes up-and-down (stretch up and then bend/squat down quickly)
His work is never done.

Repeat refrain.

FLANNELBOARD STORY:

5 Little Squirrels
(to the tune of “Five Little Ducks”)
song taken from Storytime Stuff
template taken from Preschool Favorites: 35 Storytimes Kids Love by Diane Briggs, illustrated by Thomas Briggs.

1 little squirrel went out to play
Up in the branches one autumn day.
He had such enormous fun,
he called for another little squirrel to come.

2…
3…
4…

5 little squirrels went out to play
up in the branches on chilly day.
They had such enormous fun,
Then they all scurried home ’cause winter had come.

FLANNELBOARD STORY:

5 Little Acorns
(to the tune of “Five Little Ducks”)
song taken from Story Time Secrets
template taken from Preschool Favorites: 35 Storytimes Kids Love by Diane Briggs, illustrated by Thomas Briggs.

Down around the corner by the big oak tree
Sat five little acorns looking so yummy
Along came a squirrel with a big busy tail
He took one acorn and ran off down the trail.

4…
3…
2….
1…

MOVEMENT:

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

BOOK:

My Cousin Momo by Zachariah OHora

VIDEO:

“Squirrel for a Day” from Curious George: Zoo Night and Other Animal Stories

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Acorns Everywhere! by Kevin Sherry
Book: Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Book: Ol’ Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein
Book: Cyril and Pat by Emily Gravett
Book: Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert

OTHER AWESOME RESOURCES:
Storytime Stuff – Squirrely Squirrels Storytime
Story Time Secrets – Story Time Starter: Squirrels
The Wielded Pen – Squirrels! – A Storytime Outline
LiBrionyian – Squirrels – Preschool
storytime katie – Squirrels!
Verona Storytime – Squirrels Story Time – Toddler
one little librarian – toddler time: feeling squirrelly

ATTENDANCE: 36 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, November 16, 2019 @ Children’s Room

*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

Jen in the Library

Storytimes, Programs and Library Thoughts

Category Archives: Storytimes

Keeping Safe – Infant/Toddler Storytime

Big and Little – Infant/Toddler Storytime

Blankets – Infant/Toddler Storytime

Bathtime – Toddler Storytime

Earth – Preschool Storytime

Bears – Preschool Storytime

Chickens – Preschool Storytime

Snow – Preschool Storytime

Mail and Letters – Preschool Storytime

Squirrels – Preschool Storytime