Category Archives: Toddlers

Safari – Toddler Storytime

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Today we took a trip to see lots of different animals.  We went on safari!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:
Tiny Little Fly by Rosen

Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider*

COUNTING SONG:*

10 Elephants

Elephants

FLANNELBOARD:
One Little Lion (filed under Lions – Count Up Rhymes)
Lions Counting Rhymes Flannelboard

Rhyme from ABC Literacy Storytimes: Storytimes to Promote Literacy and Learning by Marilyn Lohnes

One little lion, roaring at the zoo,
Called for another: ROAR!
Then there were two.

Two little lions, underneath a tree,
Called for another: ROAR! ROAR!
Then there were three.

Three little lions, who heard a distant roar,
Called for another: ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
Then there were four.

Four little lions, happy and alive,
called for another: ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
Then there were five.

Five little lions.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
Ran off to play
And then there were no more.

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

BOOK:
Splash by McDonnell

 Splash! by Flora McDonnell
MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:
Poky Little Puppy DVD

“Mouse in the House” from The Poky Little Puppy and Friends

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS IDEAS:

When the Elephant Walks by KaszaDear Zoo by CampbellDo Crocs Kiss by YoonLittle Elephant by FordWatch Us Play by Ford

When the Elephant Walks by Keiko Kasza
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Do Crocs Kiss? by Salina Yoon
Little Elephant by Miela Ford
Watch Us Play by Miela Ford

Flannelboard: 10 Lions (for Counting)


HOW IT WENT:
This storytime came about because I really wanted to try reading Tiny Little Fly to a group.  I had put it on my good books list a while back, but hadn’t gotten around to using it, so I thought it was time.  I think I want to try it again with a preschool audience to see how it works there.  It was fine with these groups, but I think I either need to try it with a different age group or practice a bit more to get the most out of it.  Splash! worked well as it always does.


ATTENDANCE:  10 am:  36 people      11 am: 33 people

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

Blankets – Toddler Storytime

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Sometimes when I’m ordering books, it seems like there is a whole crop of new books all on one topic.  It felt like there had been a lot of new ones about blankets lately, so that was the start of this storytime.  It was nice that the night before was rather chilly, and a good time to curl up with a blanket.

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

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider*

COUNTING SONG:*

Blankets

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

BOOK:

Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket by Tatyana Feeney
MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Cricket on the Roof” and “My Blanket” from Classical Baby: The Music Show

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS IDEAS:
   
Oh, Brother by Kathy Mallat
Kiki’s Blankie by Janie Bynum
Flora’s Blanket by Debi Gliori
Where Can it Be? by Ann Jonas
DVD: “3 Sheets to the Farzzle” from Farzzle Kiss

HOW IT WENT:
These stories didn’t work as well as I had hoped.  I don’t know if they were both too long, or not interactive enough, or because it was my first time reading them, but they both seemed to fall a little flat.  Maybe they would be better with a preschool audience instead of a toddler one.  I think if I were to do this theme again I would probably use Where Can It Be? and Kiki’s Blankie (which I used previously and seemed to work better).

ATTENDANCE:  10 am:  45 people      11 am: 25 people

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

Thanksgiving – Toddler Storytime

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Today, I am very thankful I get to do infant/toddler storytimes at my library.  It is one of the most rewarding parts of my job — getting to see early literacy skills develop, seeing the children grow from the beginning of the session to the end.  Today I had one toddler run up and give me a leg hug, and her dad said that when he told her it was storytime day, she got excited.  I overheard another little toddler say, “storytime!”and then “Miss Jennifer” when she saw me.  Interactions like this warm my heart, and remind me to be thankful that I get to do work that can inspire a loving of reading and the library, and hopefully make a difference in these young lives.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:

The Thankful Book by Todd Parr

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider*

COUNTING SONG:*

Turkeys

FLANNELBOARD:
Turkey Wore His Rainbow Feathers
(filed under Turkey Feathers in my flannelboard files)

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)

Last Verse:
Turkey wore his rainbow feathers, rainbow feathers, rainbow feathers.
Turkey wore his rainbow feathers all day long.

You can use as many feathers of different colors as you would like.  Since I was doing this with toddlers, I just did the generic rainbow colors as seen in the first photo.  It might also be fun to give out the feathers to the children in the audiences, but I thought that would take too much time with my group.

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

BOOK:
 
10 AM: Run, Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr
11 AM: Over the River and Through the Wood: A Song for Thanksgiving by Lydia Maria Child.  Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Max’s Thanksgiving” from Max and Ruby’s Halloween

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS IDEAS:
  
All for Pie Pie for All by David Martin
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
Gobble Gobble by Cathryn Falwell
I’m a Turkey! by Jim Arnosky
Flannelboard: We Eat Turkey

HOW IT WENT:
Over all this was a good storytime, though I still feel like there has to be some better Thanksgiving stories out there for young ones.  The Thankful Book is a new one I used this time, and it was pretty good, especially once I started inviting the children to participate in the story (“I’m thankful for my ears..  Where are your ears?).  I find that technique can help take a book that might just be ok to a lot better.  Turkey Wore His Rainbow Feathers went really well too.  Originally I thought I would just use this at the infant storytime, and use another flannelboard I have (We Eat Turkey) for the toddlers.  But it worked so well with the infants that I wanted to do it again.  At the 10am storytime I tried using Run, Turkey, Run! which is probably my favorite Thanksgiving book.  I had used this in a storytime a few years ago, and thought it might work again.  However, I think it is better with a slightly older audience, which led to me singing Over the River and Through the Wood for my second story in the 11am storytime.  “Max’s Thanksgiving” also probably isn’t the best video to use with this group, since it is a bit long, but it is so hard finding a good toddler thanksgiving story.  Anyone have any suggestions?

ATTENDANCE:  10 am:  32 people      11 am: 34 people

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

Getting Dressed – Toddler Storytime

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MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:

Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider*

COUNTING SONG:*

Shirts

FLANNELBOARD:
How Do I Put It On?

Pattern and Song from 2′s Experience Felt Board Fun by Liz and Dick Wilmes
Adapted from the book How Do I Put it On? by Shigeo Watanabe

My friend bear wants to get dressed by himself.  But I think he may need your help.
He puts on his shirt.  (Place shirt flannelboard piece on bear’s legs.)
Is that where his shirt goes? (Wait for audience to respond No.)
NO?  Where does it go? (Wait for audience to respond)
Oh, over his head!  (Place shirt correctly on bear.)


Continue this with all the pieces of clothing untill bear is fully, and correctly, dressed.


Ok, so bear has his hat, shirt, pants, and shoes!  He is ready to go!

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

BOOK:

Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook

 MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Iggy Gets Dressed” from Baby’s First Word Stories: Get Dressed

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS IDEAS:
  
Whose Shoes? by Margaret Miller
Which Hat is That? by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin
 
Time to Get Dressed! by Elivia Savadier
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin (must also make a flannelboard of this)
Hello, Sun! by Dayle Ann Dodds

HOW IT WENT:
How Do I Put it On? is one of my favorite flannelboard stories ever.  It’s so cute to see the kids chime in and tell you how you should correctly dress the bear.  I used to worry about making sure I had the wording correct from the book/flannelboard script, but now I just kind of play it by ear as we dress the bear together.  Plus, I think it’s one of my prettiest flannelboards.  I always think that Ella Sarah Gets Dressed will be too long to read to the kids, but they are usually pretty good with it.  Maybe because it captures a child’s mindset so well.  And this was my first time reading the new book Clotheslines Clues and that one went really well too!

ATTENDANCE:  10 am:  39 people      11 am: 31 people

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

Monkeys & Apes: Wonderful Primates! – Toddler Storytime

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MOVEMENT: Welcome Song

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them

BOOK:

Two Little Monkeys by Mem Fox

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

COUNTING SONG:

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Little Monkeys

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

Five little monkeys
jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

Continue counting down until no monkeys are left.

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

BOOK:

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Good Night, Gorilla” from Good Night, Gorilla …and More Bedtime Stories

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over

HOW IT WENT:
This was a nice storytime.  I wanted to do a monkey themed storytime since I first saw Two Little Monkeys, because I thought it would work well with the toddlers.  It did, but I’m wondering if there is something I can do motions-wise to make it more interactive.  Must remember that for next time.  I also love Monkey and Me – I think that’s one of my favorite reads for this age.

ATTENDANCE:   10 am: 39 people     11 am: 35 people

Halloween – Toddler Storytime

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Is there anything more adorable than toddlers in costume?  At today’s storytimes we had a clown (rosy cheeks and all), a lion, a pumpkin, a football player (with padded fabric helmet), Thor (cape and muscles included), and cowpokes!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them

BOOK:

Pumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

COUNTING SONG:

Pumpkins from Artfelt (one side is a pumpkin, one side is a jack-o-lantern)

FLANNELBOARD:
Mouse’s Halloween House

Story and Pattern from Mother Goose’s Playhouse by Judy Sierra

One day in the fall, a little gray mouse found a big orange house.  She nibbled a hole in the middle, to make a door.  And she nibbled two holes up near the top, to make two windows.  And then she nibbled a wide hole near the bottom, so that all her children could run in and out.  Then she put a candle inside to light up the darkness.

The mouse’s little house
was a sight to be seen.
It was a jack-o’-lantern –
Happy Halloween!

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

BOOK:

It’s Halloween Night by Jennifer O’Connell

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Bat” from Good Night Maisy

MOVEMENT:
Once There was a Pumpkin
Once there was a pumpkin (put hands together to make a circle)
And it grew (separate hands but keep circle shape)
and grew (arms bigger)
and grew (arms bigger)

Now it’s a jack-o-lantern
And it smiles at you (smile and point at audience)
and you (point at audience)
and you. (point at audience)

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over

HOW IT WENT:
Fun!  I like Pumply Dumply Pumpkin, event though at first it seems a bit long.  But the pictures are bright and so fun.  And it’s always great to find a nice new Halloween book for this age group – I read the reviews of It’s Halloween Night! and just got it sight unseen because it seemed like a good fit.  And while the kids were kind of too young to guess, it still made a good read.  Mouse’s Halloween House got a lot of awws.

ATTENDANCE:   10 am: 36 people     11 am: 42 people

Farm – Toddler Storytime

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The farm is a good theme, because even if all of us in the storytime rotation did it, there would still be good books to use each time.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them

BOOK:

Do Cows Meow? by Salina Yoon

While this book may be a little repetitive, it’s great for getting the kids to participate in storytime.  At the end, with the scene of all the farm animals we went animal by animal and made one last sound for each.

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

COUNTING SONG:

Pigs 
While I have a few different options for counting farm animals, I thought pigs would be the most recognizable.

FLANNELBOARD:
Old MacDonald

Song and Patterns taken from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book by Judy Sierra

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

BOOK:

Spots, Feathers and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Spot Goes to the Farm” from Spot Goes to School
There are some parts of this video I just love: the rabbit tweeting like a bird, and the duck in the pond: “Ducklings! What next?!”

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over

HOW IT WENT:
When I opened the first lift-the-flap mouth of Do Cows Meow? I heard one child go, “scary…”.  And he didn’t seem to disturbed by the book.  Other than that, things went pretty smoothly.  I added in Itsy Bitsy Spider as a movement by popular demand of those attending the 10am storytime —  I didn’t use music for it, just sang on my own.  I will have to remember to keep that one in there.

ATTENDANCE:   10 am: 29 people     11 am: 31 people

Dance – Toddler Storytime

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When I got in the car to go to work and the first song on the radio was “Land of 1000 Dances” by Wilson Pickett, I decided it was it was a good omen for the day’s storytime theme – Dancing!  And even though we didn’t do the watusi in storytime, it was pretty fun.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them

BOOK:

Duck Sock Hop by Jane Kohuth

MOVEMENT:

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

FLANNELBOARD COUNTING SONG:

10 Instruments

Instruments – patterns found via Google Image Search and Microsoft Office

FLANNELBOARD:

5 Ballet Dancers

Rhyme from Storytimes Online via Storytime Katie
Pattern via Google Images Search

Five ballet dancers
Dancing on their toes.
They twirl, spin and jump,
then off the stage one goes!

Continue counting down until…

One ballet dancer
Dancing on his/her toes.
S/He twirls, spins, and jumps,
Then off the stage s/he goes!

How many ballet dancers are left?
0!
And what do we do when the show is over?
(Everyone claps)

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

BOOK:

Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“Barn Dance”, “Mambo”, and “The Swan” from HBO’s Classical Baby: The Dance Show

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS

Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
One Little Chicken: A Counting Book by David Elliott
Sailor Boy Jig by Margaret Wise Brown
Ten Go Tango by Arthur Dorros

HOW IT WENT

This was a pretty good storytime, overall.  It was my first time using both these books in storytime, so it’s interesting to see how they went over.  Duck Sock Hop seemed a little bit long for the toddlers, maybe because it’s still so early in the storytime session.  I really like the book though, so maybe I would try it with preschoolers instead.  Dancing Feet worked well, however, especially when you can get the kids to make the different animal feet rhythms with their own feet.
I LOVE the Classical Baby : The Dance Show DVD.  It has some really great episodes on it – I just wish my favorites were all in a row so that they were easier to show together.  That was basically how I selected the chapters I would play for this storytime – which scenes did I like well that were in a row. 

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 42 people    11 am: 38 people

DATE PRESENTED: Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Apples – Toddler Storytime

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When I started planning for the fall session of infant toddler storytime I thought I would start off with a seasonal choice and do stories about autumn.  After searching for a bit, however, I couldn’t find many that had a good solid story that would be short enough for the first day of the session.  So I then turned to another great aspect of fall – apples!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song

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

BOOK:

Ten Red Apples by Virginia Miller
Since ththis works on two levels (it has a story running along the bottom, and a counting aspect along the side), for the most part I just stuck with the story and read that portion, except when it mentions that Bartholomew likes counting the red apples — then the group and I counted together.   

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

COUNTING SONG:

Apples – pattern found via Google Image Search

Today we did our counting song, of course, with apples.  I added a few green apples to the mix to brighten things up.

FLANNELBOARD:
“The Apple Tree”

Song and Patterns taken from 2’s Experience Felt Board Fun by Liz & Dick Wilmes

Way up high in the apple tree (lift hands above head)
Four little apples smiled at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could. (shake hands back and forth)
Down came one apple. 
MMMMmmm… was it  good. (rub tummy)

How many apples do we have left? 3!

Way up high in the apple tree (lift hands above head)
Three little apples smiled at me….

Continue until you’ve eaten all the apples.

For my 10am storytime I actually put five red apples on the flannelboard and we counted that many together.  That seemed to be a bit much, so for the 11am storytime I switched to four and that was much better.

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

BOOK:

Pepo and Lolo and the Red Apple by Ana Martin Larranaga

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass

VIDEO:

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” from The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories.

I actually thought I would show “Chicka Chicka 1,2,3” as my video, but my hold didn’t come in time.  I remembered the cover of this DVD, and sure enough, the first item that our very hungry friend eats is an apple.  It’s fun to hear the ooohhs and ahhhs when he becomes a butterfly.

MOVEMENT:  Storytime’s Over