Tag Archives: pool

Swimming – Toddler Storytime

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It’s hot here in the summer, and so doing a storytime about swimming felt like the coolest thing to do.  Especially since I don’t have a pool.

SONG: Welcome Song

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:
Elephants Swim by Riley
Elephants Swim by Linda Capus Riley, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

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

COUNTING SONG:*
10 Whales Flannelboard Name
10 Whales

FLANNELBOARD:
Fish Swimming in the Ocean Flannelboard
Fish Swimming in the Water
Idea and Song taken from “All the Fish” by Caspar Babypants on I Found You!

(start with 1 fish on the board)I
One little fish is swimming in the water, (put palms together, make hands swim)
swimming in the water,
swimming in the water.
One little fish is swimming in the water.
Bubble (wiggle fingers up)
Bubble (wiggle fingers up higher)
Bubble (wiggle fingers up higher)
Pop! (clap hands overhead as you say Pop)

Repeat by adding or taking away fish as you’d like.

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

BOOK:
Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip by Rylant
Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant, pictures by Brian Biggs

VIDEO:
Peppa Pig Cold Winter Day DVD
“Swimming” from Peppa Pig Cold Winter Day

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
Maisy Learns to Swim by Cousins Swim Duck Swim by Lurie Playtime Maisy DVD

Book: Maisy Learns to Swim by Lucy Cousins
Book: Swim, Duck, Swim! by Susan Lurie, photographs by Murray Head
DVD: “Pool” from Play Time Maisy

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS
Flannel Friday! Five Swimming Fishies from My Storytime Life
Flannelboard Flashback: CSLP 2010 from Storytime Katie

THOUGHTS ON THIS STORYTIME:
Yay for swimming!   Reading Elephants Swim was a lot of fun because we acted out how the different animals interact with water.  It did seem a little big long, so I shorted it, but I still think it worked really well.  I loved our flannelboard song – while I just sang a capella to the melody of the Caspar Babypants song, it’s really worth a listen.  I first learned of that one when I was planning for a dance program.

ATTENDANCE:  10 am:  46 people      11 am: 49 people

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

Swimming – Infant Storytime

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I love Anna McQuinn’s books about Lola and Leo, so when I saw our library had received a new title, I knew that was going to be my storytime theme for today!  This is a one-off because I was just filling in for a co-worker.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Icky Bicky Soda Cracker*

BOOK:
Leo Can Swim by McQuinn
Leo Can Swim by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Ruth Hearson

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

FLANNELBOARD:
Little Duck
Little Duck Flannelboard name
Idea taken from Scott, Barbara A.  1,000 Fingerplays & Action Rhymes: A Sourcebook and DVD. New York: Neal-Schuman. 2010.

(to the tune of “London Bridge”)

Little duck goes “Quack, quack, quack, (make quacking motion with hands)
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 hands)
With her tail she goes swish, swish, swish… (swish bottom)

Before singing the verses, I talked about the different parts of the duck that did each movement.

 


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

BOOK:
Who can Swim by Braun
Who Can Swim? by Sebastien Braun

MOVEMENT: Patty Cake

TICKLE: Round the World*

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:
At the Pool by Stanley

Book: At the Pool / Vamos a la piscina by Mandy Stanley (I thought this one might make a good flannelboard too, to talk about all the different things you can see at the pool).

HOW IT WENT:
This was a good storytime.  There were not too many great books for infants that fit this theme, but I really enjoyed the ones that I did find, so I think it worked out well.

ATTENDANCE: 27 people

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