hens | Jen in the Library

Chick-chick hooray! Chickens was the theme of our last storytime of the Summer session.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Clap Your Hands, Clap Your Hands” from Tickles and Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:

This Little Chick by John Lawrence

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

COUNTING SONG:*

10 Chickens

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Little Chickens

(Patterns and poem taken from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book by Judy Sierra. I think. It’s not cited, so I have to double-check. )

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. (My garden patch is brown instead of green. Note to self: read entire story before making flannel pieces. Must remake.) 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: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: Grandma’s Spectacles*

BOOK:

Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas

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

VIDEO:

“Diva Hen” from Little Bear’s Band

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Five Little Chicks by Nancy Tafuri
Book: Here a Chick, Where a Chick? by Suse MacDonald
Book: Wee Little Chick by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by John Butler
Book: The Red Hen by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley
Book: Little Chicken’s Big Day by Katie Davis and Jerry Davis
DVD: “Rosie’s Walk” from Chicka Chick Boom Boom …and lots more learning fun

HOW IT WENT:
This was a fun storytime. Since it was the last one of the session, and kids can usually settle down for the movie, I decided to do Everyone Ready for fun? which is a fun interactive book that gets the kids jumping up and down. It worked really well. Jan Thomas books are great.

As noted above, I really do need to remake my hill for the Five Little Chickens flannelboard so that it is green — not just because that is what is mentioned in the poem, but also because it will stand out better on our black flannelboard.

ATTENDANCE: 10 am: 37 people 11 am: 34 people

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

We finished up our Summer Infant Storytime session with a clucking good storytime about chickens.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCES: Ride a Little Pony*
In the Toaster*
Roly Poly*

BOOK:

Pepo and Lolo are Friends by Ana Martín Larrañaga.

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

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
Crackle crackle crackle
(Clap hands as you say Cackle!)
What do I see?
Ten fluffy chickens
(Flip over each clutch of eggs.)
Yellow as can be.

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:

Chick by Ed Vere

TICKLES: Round and Round the Garden*
Slowly Slowly Very Slowly*

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

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Hickety Pickety My Black Hen

Flannelboard pattern taken from Mother Goose’s Playhouse by Judy Sierra.

Hickety pickety, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen.
Gentlemen come every day
To see what my black hen doth lay.
Sometimes nine and sometimes ten,
Hickety, pickety, my black hen.

Recite the rhyme once. Then place either 9 or 10 eggs on the flannelboard. Count the eggs with the audience to see how many the black hen laid today. Then repeat the rhyme once more.

TICKLES: Chicken in the Barnyard*
These are Baby’s Fingers*

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: Pepo and Lolo and the Red Apple by Ana Martín Larrañaga
Book: This Little Chick by John Lawrence
Book: Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker

HOW IT WENT:
I was surprised that I didn’t find more great chicken books to use with infants. This was probably because I was all about the last-minute planning this session. Do you know of any other great chicken books I could use for this age group?

This was my first time reading Vere’s Chick, and I was a little concerned that some parents might not like the fact that the book mentions poop. But I figured, these are parents of infants, they deal with poop everyday. If anyone would understand about little ones pooping, it would be them. And no one said anything about it.

Since this was my last storytime of the Summer Session, I like reviewing all the different bounces and tickles that we did throughout our ten weeks together.

ATTENDANCE: 31 people

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

Jen in the Library

Storytimes, Programs and Library Thoughts

Tag Archives: hens

Chickens – Toddler Storytime

Chickens – Infant Storytime