Monkeys – Toddler Storytime

Posted on November 18, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

This was another storytime theme inspired by a single book. I saw Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, illustrated by Brian Won, and just KNEW I needed a toddler storytime with it.

SONG: Welcome Song

MOVEMENT: “Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun: songs and rhymes from the parent-child Mother Goose program by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

LETTER FLANNELBOARD:
M is for Monkey

Today we reviewed the sound the letter M makes, drew it with our fingers, and talked about a magnifying glass, a mouse, the moon, and a monkey!

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “Monkey”

BOOK:

Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson, illustrated by Brian Won

MOVEMENT: “Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett & Elaine Bueffel

COUNTING FLANNELBOARD:
Monkeys

We counted 7 monkeys

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count while I put these in a line.

Then we count the whatevers as they go up.

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count as they go bye-bye

FLANNELBOARD:
Five Yellow Bananas

Rhyme and idea taken from one little librarian. Template found via Google image search.

5 yellow bananas, and not one more.
The monkey ate one, & then there were 4
4 yellow bananas, so yummy to see.
The monkey ate one, & then there were 3
3 yellow bananas, & he knew what to do.
The monkey ate one, & then there were 2
2 yellow bananas, hanging in the sun.
The monkey ate one, & then there as 1
1 yellow banana, well for goodness sake.
The monkey ate that one, & he got a tummyache
Now there are no little bananas hanging on the tree
Monkey, your tummy wouldn’t hurt if you shared them with me!

Have a monkey puppet “eat” the bananas as you take them off the board

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

MOVEMENT: The Itsy Bitsy Spider*

BOOK:

Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

MOVEMENT: Two Little Blackbirds*

VIDEO:

“Mitzi’s Mess” from Little Bear: Rainy Day Tales

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Two Little Monkeys by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jill Barton
Book: Monkey See, Look at Me! by Lorena Siminovich
Book: Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
Book: Banana by Ed Vere
Book: Swing Otto Swing! story and pictures by David Milgrim

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS:
the librariann – Monkey See, monkey… Do this storytime!
Library Village – Toddler Story Time – Monkeys!
one little librarian – toddler time: monkey business
storytime katie – Monkeys!
sunflower storytime – monkey business!
Verona Story Time – Money Story Time – Toddler

Jen in the Library – Monkeys & Apes: Wonderful Primates – Toddler Storytime (November 7, 2012)

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
I loved Spunky Little Monkey just as much as I thought it was. I did add a repetition of the moves a few more times though, so the toddlers could get the hang of it.

I wasn’t originally planning on doing Little Monkey Calms Down as my second book, but attention spans had started wandering and I liked how short it was, while still having a story. I was surprised at how well it went over! Sometimes I think I have to have fun, goofy, loud books for toddlers to keep them engaged, but softer, quiet books can work as well. It was interesting how quiet I could be when reading this and kids were still paying attention.

For the DVD, I remembered that Mitzi was some sort of primate, and I did some research online and everything said she was a monkey. But watching the DVD again, I think she’s more of an ape. I’ll have to find a different DVD for the next time I do monkeys only.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, November 14, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 37 people 11 am: 46 people

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

Monkeys – Infant Storytime

Posted on November 18, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Today was all about monkey fun!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock*

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “Monkey”

BOOK:

More and More by Emma Dodd

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

FLANNELBOARD:
Four Yellow Bananas

Idea taken from one little librarian

4 yellow bananas, so yummy to see.
The monkey ate one, & then there were 3
3 yellow bananas, & he knew what to do.
The monkey ate one, & then there were 2
2 yellow bananas, hanging in the sun.
The monkey ate one, & then there as 1
1 yellow banana, well for goodness sake.
The monkey ate that one, & he got a tummyache
Now there are no little bananas hanging on the tree
Monkey, your tummy wouldn’t hurt if you shared them with me!

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

MOVEMENT: Patty Cake*

BOOK:

Little Monkey Calms Down written by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

TICKLE: These are Baby’s Fingers*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Pop! Goes the Weasel

Song and patterns from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book by Judy Sierra.

All around the cobbler’s bench
The monkey chased the weasel
The monkey thought it was all in fun
POP! Goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread
A penny for a needle
That’s the way the money goes
POP! Goes the weasel.

Make the weasel two-sided, with a different bright color on each. When you say POP! flip the weasel from one side to the other.

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: Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS:
Jen in the Library – Monkey and Apes: Wonderful Primates! – Infant Storytime (November 7, 2012)

HOW IT WENT:
A good theme. A few years ago I did a primates theme, which seemed to offer more variety for books for this theme, because you could use both apes and monkeys in that theme.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, November 14, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 36 people (adults and children)

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

Rain – Toddler Storytime

Posted on November 18, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Today was all about rainy day toddler tales.

SONG: Welcome Song

MOVEMENT: “Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun: songs and rhymes from the parent-child Mother Goose program by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

LETTER FLANNELBOARD:
R is for Rain

Today we reviewed the sound the letter R makes, drew it with our fingers, and talked about a road runner, a rocket, a raccoon, a rabbit, and a raindrop!

To make a lot of the pieces for my letter flannels I’ve been using an Ellison die cutter. But sometimes the thick felt makes it difficult to cut, so my R ended up looking really wonky. We didn’t have a lot of dies of things starting with R, so I added in some other flannel pieces I already had.

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “Rain”

BOOK:

The Rainy Day Puddle by Ei Nakabayashi

For the 10am storytime, I only read half of the book. For 11am storytime I read the whole thing.

MOVEMENT: “Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett & Elaine Bueffel

COUNTING FLANNELBOARD:
Gray Rain Clouds

We counted 5 rain clouds. Then we tried to count the different ways we could get to five, like 2 and 3, or 4 and 1.

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count while I put these in a line.

Then we count the whatevers as they go up.

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count as they go bye-bye

10 AM: MOVEMENT: I know I did a movement here for this group, but since I changed my storytime on the fly, I forgot to write down what I did, and now I can’t recall.

11 AM: 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.

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

10 AM & 11 AM – MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

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

11 AM: BOOK:

Rain Dance by Kathi Appelt, pictures by Emilie Chollat

MOVEMENT: Two Little Blackbirds*

VIDEO:

“The Rainy Day Game” from Peppa Pig: Sun, Sea and Snow

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Rain by Manya Stojic
Book: Bunny Fun by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Sam Williams
Book: Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee
Book: Thirsty Thursday by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Helen Craig (this would also make a good flannelboard)
Book: Raindrops Fall All Around by Charles Ghigna, illustrated by Laura Watson
Book: Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyette Lewison, illustrated by Pam Paparone
Book: Red Rubber Boot Day by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer
Book: Rabbits & Raindrops by Jim Arnosky
Book: The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book by Nancy Tafuri

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS:
storytime katie – Rainy Days!
yogibrarian – “Rain” Toddler Storytime
State Library of Iowa – “Puddle Jumpers” Storytime Kit

Jen in the Library – Rain – Toddler Storytime (Feburary 3, 2014)
Jen in the Library – Rain – Toddler Storytime (December 2, 2014)

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
Lesson Learned from today’s storytime: Storytime after a Daylights Saving time change is going to be difficult. Kids don’t pay attention to time, so of course they would have a hard time adjusting! I think the 10am group had a harder time of it because 11 am is usually naptime for so many of them.

So, I decided to change things up from my usual and do mostly songs and movements with the 10 am group, while I stuck to my more traditional storytime schedule for the 11 am group.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, November 7, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 31 people 11 am: 40 people

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

Rain – Infant Storytime

Posted on November 18, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Since we don’t get snow here, the colder months always makes me long for rain. We may not have it in the weather, but we can have it in storytime!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock*

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “Rain”

BOOK:

The Rainy Day Puddle by Ei Nakabayashi
I only read half of this one — up to where all the animals are in the puddle, and it says “Hooray for Rainy Day puddles!”

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

FLANNELBOARD:
Five Little Raindrops

Idea taken from Recipes for Reading

Five little raindrops
(hold up five fingers)
Dancing on the walk
(move hand from side to side)
Pitter patter, pitter patter, that’s the way they talk.
(pat hands on legs to make a pitter patter noise)
Out comes the yellow sun, shining in the sky
(raise arms up like the sun, if using a flannel sun piece, hold this up)
And away goes one raindrop
(take away a raindrop)
Bye, bye, bye!
(wave goodbye)

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride”

MOVEMENT: Patty Cake*

BOOK:

Rain Dance by Kathi Appelt, pictures by Emilie Chollat

TICKLE: These are Baby’s Fingers*

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Hickory Dickory Dock

Pattern taken from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book by Judy Sierra

Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock (tickle baby up one side)
The clock struck one (lift baby up in the air as you say, “Ding Dong!”)
The mouse ran down (tickle baby down other side)
Hickory Dickory Dock.

Repeat this as a bounce having clock strike two, three, etc, and have caregivers little their little ones in the air as many times as the clock strikes.

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: Thirsty Thursday by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Helen Craig

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS:
storytime katie – Rainy Days!
yogibrarian – “Rain” Toddler Storytime
Mel’s Desk – Baby Storytime: Spring and Rain

Jen in the Library – Rain – Infant Storytime (Feburary 1, 2014)
Jen in the Library – Rain – Infant Storytime (December 2, 2014)

HOW IT WENT:
I’m a little late in putting this one up, so I don’t remember too much — which means it must have been ok. I think Rainy Day Puddle worked well as a shorter story, and I like doing Hickory Dickory Dock as a Bounce.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, November 7, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 26 people (adults and children)

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

Halloween – Toddler Storytime

Posted on October 31, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Happy Halloween everyone!

SONG: Welcome Song

MOVEMENT: “Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun: songs and rhymes from the parent-child Mother Goose program by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

LETTER FLANNELBOARD:
H is for Halloween (not pumpkin)

Today we reviewed the sound the letter H makes, drew it with our fingers, and talked about a hand, horse, hen, heart and Halloween. (I didn’t have a good cutout for Halloween, so I just did a pumpkin, which we discussed does NOT start with H), but the saying on it does!.

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “Halloween”

BOOK:

Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin written by Mary Serfozo, illustrated by Valeria Petrone

MOVEMENT: “Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett & Elaine Bueffel

COUNTING FLANNELBOARD:
Pumpkins / Jack-o-Lanterns

Pumpkins from ArtFelt

Today we counted 9 pumpkins!

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count while I put these in a line.

Then we count the whatevers as they go up.

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count as they go bye-bye

FLANNELBOARD:
Mouse’s Halloween House

(Pattern & story 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 the door.
She nibbled 2 holes near the top to make windows.
She nibbled a wide hole near the bottom so her children could run in and out.
Then she put a candle inside so the house was never dark.

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

FLANNELBOARD (10am Storytime):

Felt Pieces from ArtFelt

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, “Oh, my, it’s getting late!” (Hands beside face in surprised look)
The second one said, “There are witches in the air!” (hand flies overhead)
The third one said, “Well, I don’t care!” (shake pointer finger)
The fourth one said, “Let’s run, and run, and run!” (run with feet)
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!” (point to self)
Then WHOOOOOOSH went the wind (make sound and whoosh hands back and forth.)
and OUT (clap) went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight. (Roll hand over hand.)

BOOK (11am Storytime):

Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas

MOVEMENT: Two Little Blackbirds*

VIDEO:

“Bat” from Good Night Maisy

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: It’s Halloween Night! written by Jennifer O’Connell, illustrated by Jennifer Morris
Book: Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills
Book: Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple
Book: What Am I? Halloween by Anne Margaret Lewis, illustrated by Tom Mills (make this into a flannelboard)
Book: Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming
Book: Ten Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage
Book: Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Buket Erdogan
DVD: Tucker’s Spooky Halloween based on the book by Meslie McGuirk
DVD: Max & Ruby’s Halloween
DVD: Little Bear: Halloween Stories

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
Halloween is an exciting day, and in my 10am storytime it was a little hard to keep the excited toddlers focused on a book. I started, as I usually do, reading a second book, but quickly realized that that was no going to hold their attention. So I stopped reading about two pages in, put the book down, and pulled out the Five Little Pumpkins flannelboard instead. My tip for parents was, “If you realize that your child is not interested in a book, you don’t have to keep reading it! Find a better time.” Some times we need to take our own advice. 🙂

11am storytime was a little more focused (after nap time), so I was able to read two books with them.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, October 31, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 48 people 11 am: 46 people

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

Halloween – Infant Storytime

Posted on October 31, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Today is Halloween, so we shared stories about Halloween costumes and pumpkins!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Icky Bicky Soda Cracker*

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “Halloween”

BOOK:

It’s Halloween NIght! written by Jennifer O’Connell and illustrated by Jennifer Morris

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

FLANNELBOARD:
Five Little Pumpkins

Felt Pieces from ArtFelt

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride”

MOVEMENT: Patty Cake*

BOOK:

Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills

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

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Flannelboard from Little Folk Visuals

Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.

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: On Halloween by Lark Carrier

HOW IT WENT:
This was a fun storytime. Plus, a lot of the infants dressed up, and that was adorable. This was fun when doing It’s Halloween Night, because I was trying to see if y of the kids were dressed as the characters in the book were. I shorted that book by one character to make it a little better for infant attention spans.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, October 31, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 50 people (adults and children)

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

Animal Habitats – Kindergarten Grade Class Visit

Posted on October 27, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Last we had a visit from 2 Kindergarten classes wanting a library visit to go along with what they were currently learning about — animal habitats. Here’s what I put together.

MOVEMENT: My Wiggles*

BOOK:

Welcome Home, Bear: A Book of Animal Habitats by Il Sung Na

MOVEMENT: Hi, My Name is Jo*

BOOK:

Looking Closely in the Rain Forest by Frank Serafinia

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

MOVEMENT: Grandma’s Spectacles*

BOOK:

Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton

VIDEO:

“Over in the Meadow” from The Wheels on the Bus…and More Magical Stories. Based on the book by John Langstaff, with illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsky

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Listen to Our World by Bill Martin Jr & Michael Sampson, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Book: Over in the Grasslands On an African Savanna by Marianne Berkes, illustrated by Jill Dubin
Book: Where To, Little Wombat? by Charles Fuge
Book: In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
DVD: “In the Small, Small Pond” from Antarctic Antics …and More Hilarious Animal Stories
Books: Looking Closely series by Frank Serafini

HOW IT WENT:

At first I was a little hesitant about the theme, but as I started looking around for books on the topic I warmed up to it. I used Welcome Home, Bear first, because it focused on a lot of different habitats, then for the rest of the storytime I focused in on single ones: the rainforest, the forest, and the meadow.

The kids LOVED Looking Closely in the Rainforest and had a lot of fun guessing what things were. I just read the large type on these, and not every detail about the animals/plants, etc. I would use these again.

The video wasn’t the best choice, I think the kids may have been a little bored with it.

ATTENDANCE: First Group: 32 Second Group: 34 (adults and children)

PRESENTED: Wednesday, October 18

*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

Ducks – Toddler Storytime

Posted on October 26, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Ducks seem like a tried and true theme to me, but it looks like I haven’t done a toddler duck storytime since I started blogging!

SONG: Welcome Song

MOVEMENT: “Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun: songs and rhymes from the parent-child Mother Goose program by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

LETTER FLANNELBOARD:
D is for Duck

Today we reviewed the sound the letter D makes, drew it with our fingers, and talked about a dinosaur, a dog, a dragon, and our storytime theme, a duck.

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “Duck”

BOOK:

Come Along, Daisy! by Jane Simmons

MOVEMENT: “Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett & Elaine Bueffel

COUNTING FLANNELBOARD:
Ducks

Today we counted 8 ducks!

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count while I put these in a line.

Then we count the ducks as they go up.

Sing:
It’s counting time, it’s counting time
so let’s all count as they go bye-bye

FLANNELBOARD:
Four Little Ducks

While usually there are five little ducks, sometimes that seems a little long for toddlers. So today we had four little ducks!

Four little ducks Went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck cried
“Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only three little ducks came back.

Three little ducks Went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck cried
“Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only two little ducks came back.

Two little ducks Went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck cried
“Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only one little ducks came back.One little duck
Went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck cried,
“Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But no little ducks came back.No little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck cried, “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
And all her little ducks came waddling back!

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

MOVEMENT: Itsy Bitsy Spider

BOOK:

Duckie’s Rainbow by Frances Barry

MOVEMENT: Two Little Blackbirds*

VIDEO:

“Lucky Ducklings” from I Want My Hat Back…and More Happy Stories based on the book by Eva Moore, pictures by Nancy Carpenter

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: A Cuddle for Little Duck by Claire Freedman and Caroline Pedler
Book: Little Ducks Go by Emily Arnold McCully
Book: Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Sebastien Braun
Book: Goodnight, My Duckling by Nancy Tafuri
Book: Duck & Goose: Let’s Dance! by Tad Hills
Book: Firefighter Duckies! by Frank W. Dormer
Book: Quack and Count by Keith Baker

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
I like ducks as a theme, and I enjoyed the books I read with this group. The movie I chose, however, wasn’t as good. I had never used it before with toddlers, but when I watched it, the slowness of the iconography seemed like it would be a good fit. Unfortunately, it was not. I would choose a different video next time, and save this one for a preschool audience.

Also — Why are almost all the duck books for young children about ducklings wandering away from their mothers??? Is this a common problem in the duck world?

PRESENTED: Tuesday, October 24, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 37 people 11 am: 39 people

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

Ducks – Infant Storytime

Posted on October 26, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

Things were just ducky at our infant toddler storytime this week!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Icky Bicky Soda Cracker*

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE SIGN: “duck”

BOOK:

Goodnight, My Duckling by Nancy Tafuri

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

FLANNELBOARD:
Little Duck

Rhyme from: Scott, Barbara A. 1000 Fingerplays & Action Rhymes: A Sourcebook and DVD. New York: Neal-Schuman. 2010. Image template from Google Search

(to the tune of: London Bridge)
Little duck goes, “Quack, quack, quack, (clap hands when you “quack”)
Quack, quack, quack,
Quack, quack, quack.
Little duck goes, “Quack, quack, quack.”
Swimming all day long.

Other Verses:
With her feet she paddle, paddle, paddles, (paddle feet back and forth)
With her tail she swish, swish, swishes (shake bottom)
With her wings she flap, flap, flaps ….as she flies away (“flap wings” take duck off flannelboard when she flies away.)

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride”

MOVEMENT: Patty Cake*

BOOK:

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy

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

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: Duckie’s Rainbow by Frances Barry
Book: Duckie’s Ducklings by Frances Barry
Book: Quick Duck! by Mary Murphy (Board Book)

HOW IT WENT:
It was a good storytime. I liked the flannelboard because it’s very simple, but you can point to the body parts on the duck, and then have parents interact with their child as they paddle, flap, etc.

I wish I had some other good infant duck books though.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, October 24, 2017

ATTENDANCE: 24 people (adults and children)

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

Sheep – Preschool Storytime

Posted on October 26, 2017 by jeninthelibrary

When it’s my rotation for infant toddler storytime, I’ll often just use the same theme for preschool storytime that week. It saves time, and helps me by just looking for one theme even if it’s across a slightly longer age range.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

BOOK:

Boo and Baa Have Company by Lena and Olof Landström

MOVEMENT:
Little Lamb, Little Lamb
Little lamb, little lamb, turn around (turn around)
Little lamb, little lamb,touch the ground (touch ground with hands)
Little lamb, little lamb, jump up high (jump)
Little lamb, little lamb, reach the sky (stretch with arms overhead)
Little lamb, little lamb, sit right down (sit down)
Little lamb, little lamb, get ready to listen now (say this line quietly)

FLANNELBOARD STORY:
Mary’s Many Color Lambs

I found this rhyme via Lisa at Libraryland, who found it from LibrErin, who found it on Recipes for Reading. Recipes for Reading linked to a template that I used to make my pieces at Making Learning Fun.

Start by placing the white lamb on the board. Ask if anyone knows the song, Mary Had a Little Lamb”. Then sing:

Mary had a little lamb
little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
its fleece was white as snow.

Then say something like, “But Mary had more than one lamb.” and pull out the next lamb you have. The unexpected, un-lamb-like colors usually get a giggle. Ask the kids what color the lamb is, and if they can name something else that is that color. Then sing your song again:

Mary had a blue lamb
blue lamb, blue lamb
Mary had a blue lamb
its fleece was blue as sky…

Continue using as many lambs as you’d like.

MOVEMENT:
Dancing Sheep
(taken from Susan M. Dailey’s Fingerplays website. She has a song you can listen to for this one, but I just sort of chanted it and made up my own version.)

Shhh! It’s time to go to sleep
(put finger to mouth, pretend to sleep)
But into my bedroom one sheep creeps.
(creep fingers)

“Don’t go to bed,” the one sheep said.
“I would rather dance instead!”

Soon he was… (draw these words out)
Dancing on the ceiling!
(move hands above head in “dancing” motion)
He was dancing on the floor!
(move hands on floor as mentioned above)
He was dancing on the window!
(move hands to one side)
He was dancing on the door!
(move hands to other side)

He kept on…

Dancing on the ceiling!
(sing faster)
He was dancing on the floor!
He was dancing on the window!
He was dancing on the door!
(repeat several times getting faster each time through)

“Stop that dancing, silly sheep.
It is time to go to sleep!”

Soon the sheep lay on the floor.
Soon the sheep began to snore.

So I started … (draw these words out)
Dancing on the ceiling!
I was dancing on the floor!
I was dancing on the window!
I was dancing on the door!

BOOK:

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple

VIDEO:

“Charlie Needs a Cloak” from Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type…and More Fun on the Farm. Based on the book by Tomie dePaola

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Pablo in the Snow by Teri Sloat, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet
Book: Feeding the Sheep by Leda Schubert, pictures by Andrea U’Ren
Book: The Sheep Who Hatched an Egg by Gemma Merino
Book: Wally Does Not Want a Haircut by Amanda Driscoll

HOW IT WENT:
This was my first time reading Boo and Baa Have Company and I feel like I could have done a better job with that one. For me, that may be a better one-on-one book instead of a read-aloud. But there was a kid who said, “That’s a silly book” after I read it, so maybe it wasn’t too bad.

The most Los Angeles moment of this storytime: As I was doing Mary’s Many Color Lambs I was asking the kids to name something else that was the same color as the sheep, so we could sing about it in the song. When I brought out the green lamb, and I asked what else was green, I got a couple of kids saying grass, and then one little girl shouts, “Avocado!” I asked who in the group liked avocado, and almost all the kids raised their hands. So, of course, Mary’s green lamb was green like avocado.

ATTENDANCE: 30 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, October 21, 2017

*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