Here in Southern California, winter doesn’t come with snow, but rain.  And when it does rain a lot, it’s very exciting to us desert and drought-dwellers.  So, this storytime was in honor of precipitation we received during the past week.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Can’t Wait to Celebrate”  by Jim Gill from Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem and More Salutes to Nonsense

BOOK:

Stormy Night by Salina Yoon

MOVEMENT:
Raindrops Falling
Raindrops, raindrops (wiggle fingers like rain)
Falling all around
Pitter-patter on the rooftops (tap fingers on head)
Pitter-patter on the ground (tap fingers on ground)

Here is my umbrella (form “umbrella” over head with arms)
It will keep me dry
When I’m walking in the rain,
I hold it up so high. (stretch hands above head)

PROP STORY:
Mushroom in the Rain

adapted from the Russian of V. Suteyev by Mirra Ginsburg, with pictures by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey.

Thanks to the wonderful post on Read, Rhyme & Sing that gave me the idea to do this story as a prop story.

Following the example on Shawn’s wonderful blog, I crafted a “mushroom” using a plastic bowl and some queen size tan pantyhose. I cut a small hole in the bottom of the bowl.  Then, because I was using a plastic bowl, I covered the hole with book tape so the hose wouldn’t run. (If I was going to do this again, I would probably use a paper bowl, and a slightly larger size one.)

Next, I pulled the legs of the pantyhose up through the hole in the bottom of the bowl, leaving the gusset close to the hole.  I tied the legs of the pantyhose into a “stem” that I could grab on to.

Then, I wrapped the waist of the pantyhose around the bowl, tucking the excess material that I would need for “mushroom growth” underneath the bowl.

In the original story, it is an ant that takes shelter first under the mushroom in the rain.  We didn’t have an ant puppet, so I used a ladybug instead.  Below you can see the ladybug next to the mushroom for scale.

Along comes the butterfly to see if she can shelter under the mushroom too.   After ladybug says yes, I put them both under the mushroom, tucking them inside the excess pantyhose waist.

The comes mouse, who gets underneath (or stuffed in) as well.

In the story, a sparrow is the next animal to join the group, but I substituted a hedgehog since we didn’t have a bird puppet available.

Finally bunny hops up, worried that a predator coming after is out for him, hoping to hide with the group at the mushroom.  You want to hide him on the opposite side from the ladybug.

In the book, the predator is a fox, but we used a bear.  I had the ladybug peek out to talk to the bear and convince him that of course the rabbit isn’t there.  (This is why you want the ladybug and rabbit on opposite sides, if possible).  The bear sniffs around, then ambles away.

After the bear leaves, all the animals come out of hiding from under the mushroom.  And wonder how they all fit under the mushroom that once only sheltered ladybug.
Frog hops up, laughing, and tells them the he knows what happens to mushrooms in the rain.
Then you ask the audience if they know.

THEY GROW!

MOVEMENT: “Shake My Sillies Out” from More Singable Songs for the Very Young by Raffi

BOOK:

The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na

MOVEMENT:
Raindrops Are Falling
(to the tune of “London Bridge”)
Little raindrops are falling down,      (wiggle fingers and move them down like rain)
falling down, falling down.
Little raindrops are falling down,
Falling to the ground.                     (tap fingers on the ground)

Bigger raindrops are falling down,
falling down, falling down.
Bigger raindrops are falling down,
Falling to the ground.                     (tap hands on the ground)

Other Verses:
Giant raindrops…    (stamp feet on the ground)
Fast raindrops…     (wiggle fingers and sing quickly)
Slow raindrops…    (wiggle fingers and sing slowly)
Teeny Tiny raindrops…    (use fingers only for rain and sing in a high pitched voice)

MOVEMENT:
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
climbed up the water spout. (with pinky against opposite hand’s thumb move “spider” up)
Down came the rain (wiggle fingers down)
and washed the spider out. (make a motion like baseball SAFE)
Up came the sun (make a larger circle with arms, fingertips meeting, above head)
and dried up all the rain.
And the itsy bitsy spider (with pinky against opposite hand’s thumb move “spider” up)
Went up the spout again.

VIDEO:
 
“Puddle Jumper” from Little Bear: Rainy Day Tales

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Book: Puddle by Hyewon Yum
Book: Split! Splat! by Amy Gibson, illustrated by Steve Björkman
Book: The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book by Nancy Tafuri
Book: Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyette Lewison, illustrated by Pam Paparone
Book: Boom! Big, Big Thunder & One Small Dog by Mary Lyn Ray, pictures by Steven Salreno

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS
Falling Flannelboards – Storytime: Rainy Days
Storytime Katie – Rainy Days!
State Library of Iowa – “Puddle Jumpers” Storytime Kit
Rain Makes Applesauce – What Will It Rain by Jane Moncure
Sunflower Storytime – Rainy Day Storytime

HOW IT WENT:
This was a really fun storytime.  I was a little worried about how Mushroom in the Rain would turn out, since it was my first time doing that as a prop story.  But, the kinds and parents laughed along and everyone seemed to have a good time.

ATTENDANCE: 23 (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