Go for a Walk! – Infant Storytime

Posted on July 16, 2015 by jeninthelibrary

I feel like some of my best storytimes come out of wanting to read one particular book, and then building the rest of the storytime around a theme that works for that book. This was one of those storytimes.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: In the Toaster*

BOOK:

Wiggle Waggle by Jonathan London, illustrated by Michael Rex.

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
I Went Walking

Based on the book of the same name by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas. Pattern from 2’s Experience Felt Board Fun written by Liz and Dick Wilmes, illustrated by Janet McDonnell

I went walking. What did I see? (place animal behind the boy)
I saw a black cat looking at me.

Continue with the following animals:
– brown horse
– red cow
– green duck
– pink pig
– yellow dog

You should end up with a parade of animals behind the child.

I went walking and I saw a lot of animals following me!

BOUNCE: “Smooth Road to London Town” from A Smooth Road to London Town: Songs from the Parent-Child Mother goose Program by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

MOVEMENT: Patty Cake*

BOOK:

Duckie’s Rainbow by Frances Barry

TICKLE: Slowly, Slowly, Very Slowly*

SONG: “Babies Little Self” from the album Here I Am! by Caspar Babypants

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Jack and Jill

Flannelboard from Little Folk Visuals

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down
and broke his crown!
And Jill came tumbling after.

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: I Went Walking by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas

HOW IT WENT:
Baby’s Little Self was fun last week, so I decided that I would continue it in this week’s storytime. Maybe I’ll use it a couple more times, and then see if I can find another similar type song to use instead. Any suggestions?

I wasn’t sure if Wiggle Waggle would work for infants, since the book invites mimicking, and infants are not walkers. So, I shortened the book a little. I skipped the first page, and just began the book with “How does a duck walk?” Then I ended the book at the kangaroo hopping, thus not including the part that talks about kids walking like the animals. It seemed to work pretty well this way!

ATTENDANCE: 35 people

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

Birthdays – Infant Storytime

Posted on July 14, 2015 by jeninthelibrary

I always like to do a birthday-themed storytime around my birthday. I realized this year it might be a silly theme for infants, since most of have only had their actual BIRTH day. But then I figured that we do storytimes about snow which they may not have experienced yet, and so why not birthdays too?

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: In the Toaster*

BOOK:

I Love Birthdays by Anna Walker

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Birthday Candles

Idea taken from Storytime Katie.

5 Birthday Candles
wish there were more
Blew out one,
then there were 4.

4 birthday candles,
pretty as can be.
Blow one out,
then there are 3.

3 birthday candles,
Hope my wish comes true.
Blow one out,
then there are 2.

2 birthday candles
Birthday cakes are fun
Blow one out,
Then there is 1.

1 birthday candle,
the party’s almost done.
Blow out one,
Then there are none.

BOUNCE: “Smooth Road to London Town” from A Smooth Road to London Town: Songs from the Parent-Child Mother goose Program by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

MOVEMENT: Patty Cake*

BOOK:

Now I am Big! by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Sara Gillingham

TICKLE: Slowly, Slowly, Very Slowly*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Little Miss Muffet

Flannelboard from Little Folk Visuals

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

SONG: “Babies Little Self” from the album Here I Am! by Caspar Babypants

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Happy Birthday, Bunny! by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
Book: The Fairytale Cake made by Mark Sperring, decorated by Jonathan Langley

HOW IT WENT:
Since Now I Am Big! isn’t exactly about birthdays, I talked a little bit about how having birthdays makes us bigger before I read the story. I’m not sure if that was the best way to incorporate that book, but I think parents and infants both liked that story.

Also, I felt like I had some extra time during the storytime so I added in “Baby’s Little Self” by Caspar Babypants as a song that parents could listen to and interact with their little ones by touching the parts of their child’s body that the song mentions. It’s such a sweet little song, and I have used it in past storytimes, but it’s been a while.

ATTENDANCE: 38 people

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

Dads – Infant Storytime

Posted on July 14, 2015 by jeninthelibrary

Even though I presented this storytime on June 23 (after Father’s Day) I still wanted to celebrate dads in some way.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Ride a Little Pony*

BOOK:

I Love My Daddy Because… by Laurel Porter-Gaylord, pictures by Ashley Wolff

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
D-A-D-D-Y

Idea taken from What Happens in Storytime.

There’s someone who takes care of me
And Daddy is his name-o.
D-A-D-D-Y
D-A-D-D-Y
D-A-D-D-Y
And Daddy is his name-o

For the next verse, replace the D with a hand to represent a clap.
There’s someone who takes care of me
And Daddy is his name-o.
clap-A-D-D-Y
clap-A-D-D-Y
clap-A-D-D-Y
And Daddy is his name-o.

Repeat until you are clapping for all 5 letters.

There are also other ways you can start this song:
I have the best father in the world… (from What Happens in Storytime)
I have a very special friend…
There is a man who I love… (from Briggs, Toddler Storytimes II)

BOUNCE: “Smooth Road to London Town” from A Smooth Road to London Town: Songs from the Parent-Child Mother goose Program by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

BOOK:

Daddy Hug by Tim Warnes, illustrated by Jane Chapman

TICKLE: Round and Round the Garden*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Jack Be Nimble

Flannelboard from Little Folk Visuals

Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jumped over the candlestick. (move Jack on flannelboard from one side of the candle to the other)

We also did this as a bounce, and had parents start with their child on one leg, and then lift them over in the air to land on the other leg.

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Just Like You by Emma Dodd (This doesn’t specify if it is a father, mother, grandparent, so…)
Book: Daddy Hugs by Nancy Tafuri
Book: Up! by Kristine O’Connell George, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
Book: Faster, Faster by Leslie Patricelli

HOW IT WENT:
Fun, but since I’m writing this belatedly, I don’t have much more than that to say.

ATTENDANCE: 51 people

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

Music & Song – Infant Storytime

Posted on July 13, 2015 by jeninthelibrary

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged (I’ve been working on a grant project that has been taking up a lot of time lately, and which I’ll probably blog about later. Also, there were some life issues that took a lot of time away as well). But now, I’m back on the infant/toddler storytime rotation, so expect to see a new post a week (fingers crossed).

Because the first week of Infant Toddler Storytimes for the Summer coincided with the first week of our Read to the Rhythm Summer Reading Challenge I wanted to do something that fit the music theme. Here’s what I presented:

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Ride a Little Pony*

BOOK:

Little White Duck lyrics by Walt Whippo, music by Bernard Zartizky, illustrations by Joan Paley

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
Hush Little Baby

Song and Pattern taken from Judy Sierra’s Flannel Board Storytelling Book.
You can find the templates here. I shrunk the baby and used the man template from another story to create a father, since I’ve used this before for Father themed-storytimes.

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word.
Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won’t sing,
Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat
And if that billy goat won’t pull,
Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Papa’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover
And if that dog named Rover won’t bark
Papa’s gonna buy you a horse and cart
And if that horse and cart fall down,
You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

BOUNCE: “Smooth Road to London Town” from A Smooth Road to London Town: Songs from the Parent-Child Mother goose Program by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

BOOK:

Moo, Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton

TICKLE: Round and Round the Garden*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Hey Diddle Diddle

Flannelboard from Little Folk Visuals

Hey Diddle Diddle, the cat and the fiddle.
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed, to see such a sight.
And the dish ran away with the spoon

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

HOW IT WENT:
This was a nice way to kick off the infant storytime toddler session, even though I didn’t have a lot of time to plan before hand. Because of that, I took some guidance from a previous Let’s Sing storytime I did. Instead of reading The Little White Duck I sang it, which was pretty fun. I wonder if there are better song/stories to use with infants however. I know there are a lot of good versions of Hush Little Baby, but since I was going to use that for the flannelboard, I wanted something different. Speaking of the flannelboard, my notecard that I keep the lyrics on fell from the ledge inside the flannelboard that I usually put it on. It got caught on the stand, so I couldn’t find it when I was already singing the song. I had a moment of freak out that, “Oh no, I’m going to forget all the words and not be able to rhyme the words correctly!”. But, the reason I love felt board stories so much is because the pieces help you remember what comes next. Luckily the song fell into place, and no rhyme was left hanging. Moo, Baa, La La La doesn’t have a whole lot of song in it, but it’s so cute and since there is singing in the title I thought I could get away with it. Also, the version I used is the lap-sit size of the board book, so it’s larger and the pictures carry.

ATTENDANCE: 44 people

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

Snow – Infant Storytime

Posted on December 16, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

Since this was the last storytime of the Fall session, it seemed fitting to finish things up with a winter theme of snow.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Roly Poly Roly Poly*
Ride a Little Pony*
I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock*
In the toaster*

(At the end of the storytime session I like to do a refresher of all the bounces we’ve done to keep them fresh in parents’ minds.)

BOOK:

Oh! words by Kevin Henkes, pictures by Laura Dronzek

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
Build a Snowman
(Another one that I cannot remember where I found it. It was on page 61 of the book though, and the pattern was on page 77…)

(Original Rhyme)
First the body
And then the head.
A stovepipe hat
and a scarf of red.
Pebbles for eyes
And a carrot nose
A mouth made of raisins
In two smiling rows.

(ok, so right before storytime I checked my pieces and found that I had lost the tiny circles that I use for the raisins. I quickly changed the poem to this:)
First the body
And then the head.
A stovepipe hat
and a scarf of red.
Pebbles for eyes
And a carrot nose
Twigs for arms,
placed just so.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dabcovich

TICKLE: Round and Round the Garden*
Slowly, Slowly Very Slowly Goes the Garden Snail*
These are Baby’s Fingers*

(Like the bounces, I give the tickles a review at the end of the session.)

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Baa Baa Black Sheep

(Patterns taken from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book by Judy Sierra)

Baa Baa black sheep, Have you any wool?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Three bags full.
One for the master,
And one for the dame.
One for the little boy who lives down the lane.
Baa Baa black sheep, Have you any wool?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Three bags full.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

HOW IT WENT:

It was a nice storytime, and a good way to finish up the session. I had caregivers asking if I would make the bounces and rhymes available, so that’s always a good sign, when they want to continue at home.

ATTENDANCE: 29 people (It was raining, so I think some people stayed away.)

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

Toys – Infant Storytime

Posted on December 9, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

With my new grant focusing on bringing play into the library, I wanted to have one of my storytimes during this session focus on play. My coworker did a storytime with that theme a little bit ago, so to mix it up a bit I decided to focus on toys.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: In the toaster*

BOOK:

Meeow and the Pots and Pans by Sebastien Braun
(For an imaginative child, or cat, anything can be a toy!)

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
Here Comes the (Toy) Choo-Choo Train

(from Judy Sierra’s The Flannel Board Storytelling Book)

Here comes the (toy) choo-choo train,
Puffing down the track.
First comes the engine,
The freight cars are in back.
Now the bell is ringing,
Now the whistle blows.
What a lot of noise it makes
Everywhere it goes!

MOVEMENT: Here Comes the Choo-Choo Train
Here comes the choo-choo train,
Going down the track. (bounce baby gently)
First it’s going forward. (bounce baby forward along legs)
Then it’s going back. (bounce baby back into you along legs, then give a cuddle.)

FLANNELBOARD:
Bears

(forgive me, I cannot remember where I got the words for this rhyme.)

(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.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

My Favorite Toys! by Jane Kemp and Clare Walters, illustrated by Sam Williams

TICKLE: These are Baby’s Fingers*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:

(Flannelboard from Little Folk Visuals)

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and bumped his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: No Bed Without Ted by Nicola Smee
Book: Book! by Kristine O’Connell George, illustrated by Maggie Smith

HOW IT WENT:
So, I had some technical difficulties at this storytime — the settings on the speakers were making my music sound very tin-y and unpleasant. So this storytime was done accapella. Who needs backing vocals and instruments anyway! I was just glad I remembered the words to everything — you would think that after doing storytime for how-many years I would remember, but there’s always that moment of, “Oh no I’m going to forget it all!” But I think it helped get everyone involved in the storytime.

Other than that, things went just peachy. I think the selections for this one were pretty good.

ATTENDANCE: 35 people

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

Rain – Infant Storytime

Posted on December 2, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

When it rains in Los Angeles, it must be celebrated! Hence, today’s theme.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: In the toaster*

BOOK:

The Rainy Day Puddle by Ei Nakabayashi

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:

Color Umbrellas

Five umbrellas stood by the back door.
The red one went outside, and then there were four.

Four umbrellas pretty as can be
The blue one went outside, and then there were three.

Three umbrellas with nothing to do
The green one went outside, and then there were two.

Two umbrellas not having much fun
The yellow one went outside, and then there was one.

One umbrella sad and all alone.
Decided to go join his friends and that left none.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Here Comes the Rain by Mary Murphy

TICKLE: Slowly, Slowly Very Slowly Goes the Garden Snail*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:

(Template and Rhyme from Mother Goose’s Playhouse by Judy Sierra)

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
and doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone,
and they’ll come home.
Wagging their tails behind them.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

HOW IT WENT:
It was a pretty good storytime. For some reason, today I felt like I left something out of my storytime, as if I needed a song between the second movement and the tickle. Maybe I need to consider that for next time around. Here Comes the Rain was a cute book — I think it may work better with toddlers though. Anyone have any other good recommendations for infant rain titles?

ATTENDANCE: 37 people

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

Thanksgiving – Infant Storytime

Posted on November 25, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

It’s that time of the year to give thanks for things around us. That’s what we did today at infant storytime.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock*

BOOK:

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:

Pattern from Felt Board Fingerplays by Liz and Dick Wilmes
Song from Everything Preschool

Here’s a turkey. (Place the turkey on the flannelboard.)
But he’s missing something! What is he missing? (wait for audience to answer)
Feathers!
What color is this feather? (Bring out the red feather)
Red! That’s right! Let’s put it on the turkey. (Place the feather on the turkey.)
(now sing, to tune of Mary Wore Her Red Dress)
Turkey wore his red feather, red feather, red feather.
Turkey wore his red feather all day long.

(Continue adding color feathers and singing)

Let’s see, what color feathers does turkey have? (rename all the colors)
And what does that make?
A rainbow!

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Over the River and Through the Wood by Lydia Maria Child, pictures by Nadine Bernard Westcott

TICKLE: Slowly, Slowly Very Slowly Goes the Garden Snail*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:

This Little Piggy

This little piggy went to market.
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef.
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went wee! wee! wee!
All the way home.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:

Book: Biscuit is Thankful by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, pictures by Pat Schories (board book)

HOW IT WENT:
I’m especially thankful that all the parents humored me as I sang instead of read Over the River and Through the Wood. Since that has a lot of wordless double-page spreads, I did the same thing I did last time and paper-clipped all by the first one together to shorten the book. I figure this makes a good parent patter moment, and that you can let parents know that there is no wrong way to read a book — starting at the middle, or skipping over things is alright — just follow baby’s cues.

ATTENDANCE: 29 people

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

Fast & Slow – Infant Storytime

Posted on November 11, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

Today’s storytime focused on things that are fast or slow.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock*

BOOK:

Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:

(Flannelboard pattern & rhyme from 2’s Experience Felt Fun by Liz & Dick Wilmes. Art by Janet McDonnell)

Have the vehicles behind the board. Put one vehicle on the board at a time, and ask the audience if it goes fast or slow. When they answers, move the vehicle across the board at the correct speed. You can also make the noises the vehicle makes as you move it. Take this piece of the board, and then repeat with the next vehicle.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Slow Snail by Mary Murphy

TICKLE: Round and Round the Garden*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Little Miss Muffet

(Felt pieces from Little Folk Visuals)

Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her.
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:

Book: Quick Duck by Mary Murphy (board book)
Book: How Fast can You Go? by Kate Riggs, illustrated by Nate Williams (board book. I also thing this one would make a good flannelboard.)
Book: Faster! Faster! by Leslie Patricelli

HOW IT WENT:
This was a good storytime. I like “I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock” as a bounce. We did it three times in a row, and that didn’t seem like overkill. Slow Snail is a regular sized board book, but I thought the pictures were simple enough to carry across the room and still be seen. I love Mary Murphy’s books. I picked Little Miss Muffet as today’s nursery rhyme because if I had a spider sit next to me during my breakfast, I would probably move pretty quickly away.

ATTENDANCE: 44 people

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

Birds – Infant Storytime

Posted on November 4, 2014 by jeninthelibrary

It had been a while since I’ve done a bird storytime. I purchased Yuly’s Early Bird a while ago and really wanted to try it out, and figured, so even though it’s fall it’s always the season for birds.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Ride a Little Pony*

BOOK:

Early Bird by Toni Yuly

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
Here Comes a Little Bird

(Flannelboard pattern & rhyme from Felt Board Fingerplays by Liz & Dick Wilmes. Art by Janet McDonnell)

Rhyme from the Book:
Here comes little bird. (Your fist is the bird.)
He’s landing on my HEAD. (Land where you want.)
Bye, bye little bird. (Fly bird away.)
Bye! Bye! Bye! (Wave to bird.)

Way I do the Rhyme:
Here is a little girl
and here is a curious little bird.
Here comes the little bird.
He’s landing on her HEAD.
Where’s your head? Can you show me?
(Have bird land on various other body parts.)
Here comes the little bird.
He’s landing on her tummy.
And when he’s there he likes to give a tickle, tickle, tickle (give tummy a tickle.)
And then he flies away.
Fly, fly little bird. (remove bird from flannelboard.)
Bye! Bye! Bye!

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Nest by Jorey Hurley

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Jack Be Nimble

(Felt pieces from Little Folk Visuals)

Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick.
Jack jump over the candlestick.

To make this into a bounce, start with the child on one leg, when Jack jumps over the candlestick, lift child into the air and have child land on the other leg.

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Little Red Birds

(I need to check where this rhyme came from… I’ll add my source as soon as I find it)

Five little red birds, pecking at my door. (hold up five fingers)
One flew away, and Then there were four. (hold up four fingers)
Four little red birds sitting in a tree.
One pounced on a worm and then there were three.
Three little red birds calling, “Coo-coo-coo.”
One flew to a nest and then there were two.
Two little red birds sleeping int he sun.
One woke and hopped away and then there was one.
One little red bird, as lonely as could be.
When it flew away, all that’s left was me!

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

HOW IT WENT:
Infant storytime was good fun. I think it was the costumes that made things more difficult last week. We are back to being attentive and, as always, adorable. 🙂

ATTENDANCE: 34 people

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

Jen in the Library

Storytimes, Programs and Library Thoughts

Category Archives: Infants

Go for a Walk! – Infant Storytime

Birthdays – Infant Storytime

Dads – Infant Storytime

Music & Song – Infant Storytime

Snow – Infant Storytime

Toys – Infant Storytime

Rain – Infant Storytime

Thanksgiving – Infant Storytime

Fast & Slow – Infant Storytime

Birds – Infant Storytime