Tag Archives: preschool

Train Safety – Preschool Storytime

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I just realized I had a bunch of storytime posts that I had saved in draft format and never published!  This is one of them.

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I was contacted by our local Metro staff to see if they could present at the library about Train Safety.  We ended up on wrapping it in to a storytime about trains.  The kids had fun and hopefully learned some tips on how to be safe!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

BOOK:

Whoosh and Chug! by Sebastien Braun

MOVEMENT:
Choo Choo Train
Here is the choo-choo train, chugging down the track.
Now it’s going forward, now it’s going back.

 

FLANNELBOARD STORY:
Clickety Clack

 
(Pattern and Idea taken from Mel’s Desk)

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack,
Here comes the train on the railroad track!

Clickety-clunn, clickety-clunn,
Here comes ENGINE number one.

Clickety-clew, clickety-clew,
Here comes COAL CAR number two.

Clickety-clee, clickety-cluee,
Here comes BOX CAR number three.

Clickety-clore, clickety-clore,
Here comes TANK CAR number four.

Clickety-clunn, clickety-clunn,
Here comes ENGINE number one.

Clickety-clunn, clickety-clunn,
Here comes ENGINE number one.

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack,
Here comes the train on the railroad track!

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

BOOK:

Trains Go by Steve Light

VIDEO:

“2-Minute Safety Interstitial: Train” and “Safety Smart® Sing-Along Song” from Disney’s Wild About Safety: Timon and Pumbaa Safety Smart: On the Go!

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Big Choo by Stephen Shaskan
Book: Alphabet Trains by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke
Book: I’m Fast! by Kate and Jim McMullan

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, March 23, 2019 @ Children’s Room

*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

Pets – Preschool Storytime

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Today’s preschool storytime was all about our best friends – Pets!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

BOOK:

Excellent Ed by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach

MOVEMENT:
Ten Little Kittens
Ten little kittens standing in a row
(Palms facing forward, fingers extended)
They bow their heads to the children so
(bend fingers forward and back)
They run to the left, they run to the right
(move fingers to alternate sides, wiggling fingers)
The stretch up tall with all their might
(stretch hands over head)
Along comes a dog, looking for some fun
(fingers of one hand resting on thumb, move hand towards other hand)
“Meow!” Away those kittens run!
(As you meow, open both hands with fingers extended, “run” hands behind back)

FLANNELBOARD STORY:
Pet Voices and How Much is that Pet in the Window?

Flannelboard pattern, and altered story from Felt Board Fingerplays by Liz and Dick Wilmes.

Pet Voices
(take each of the animals out and put on the flannel board one by one)
This my pet _____.  S/He makes this sound ________.

Children fill in the blanks for the following animals:
This is my Fish.  He makes this sound, “Glub Glub”.
Mouse… squeak.
Rabbit…I don’t know what sound rabbits make, but let’s wiggle our noses like them!
Cat…Meow.
Bird…Tweet tweet.
Dog… Arf Arf.

How Much is that Pet in the Window?
(to the tune of: “How much is that Doggy in the Window?”)
For this, I just held up each of the animals as I took them off the flannelboard, and we sang the following:

How much is that doggy in the window? Woof woof!
The one with the waggly tail?
How much is that doggy in the window? Woof woof!
I do hope that doggy’s for sale.

Other verses:
To do the different verses, I asked the audience what the animals did.  Here are ones we ended up with at this storytime:
Kitty…meow…long whiskers
Bird… tweet tweet…flappity wings
Rabbit…hop hop…hoppity legs 
Fish… glub glub… swimmy fins 

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

MOVEMENT:
Animals
Can you hop like a rabbit? (Hop)
Can you jump like frog? (Jump)
Can you waddle like a duck? (Waddle)
Can you run like a dog? (Run in place)

Can you squeak like a guinea pig? (Squeak)
Can you swim like a fish? (Pretend to swim)
Can you sit down now and listen (Sit down)
And be as still as this?

BOOK:

I Spy Pets by Edward Gibbs

VIDEO:

“Polly Parrot” from Peppa Pig: Muddy Puddles and Other Stories

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
 
   

Book: Emma’s Pet by David McPhail
Book: Pet This Book by Jessica Young & Daniel Wiseman
Book: Some Pets words by Angela DiTerlizzi, pets by Brendan Wenzel
Book: The Birthday Pet by Ellen Javernick, illustrated by Kevin O’Malley
Book: Rory the Dinosaur Wants a Pet by Liz Climo
DVD: “The Pet Competition” from Peppa Pig: Stars

HOW IT WENT:
I had planned this storytime for a 3-5 year old audience, but we ended up with a range from young toddlers to five-year olds.  I started with the book Excellent Ed because I love it and think the story is so sweet.  But I think it may have been a bit long for my audience.  The older kids and caregivers enjoyed it, though.  For the second book I used I Spy Pets because it was a little more interactive.  Speaking of interactive, all the kids seemed to enjoy the movements this time, even the Ten Little Kitties one, which I wasn’t sure would be a hit.  “Polly Parrot” was the first Peppa Pig video I ever saw, and I still love it.  Who isn’t entertained by an animated parrot who snorts like a piggy?

ATTENDANCE: 26 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, March 23, 2019 @ Children’s Room

*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

Cookies – Preschool Storytime

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Today we shared stories about cookies.  Yum yum storytime fun!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

BOOK:

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Marcellus Hall

MOVEMENT:
Making Cookies 
I am making cookie dough (point to self)
Round and round the beaters go (roll hands over hands)
Add some flour from a cup (pour from cup)
Stir and mix the batter up (pretend to self)

Roll them, cut them nice and neat (pretend to roll out with pin, then cookie cut)
Put them on a cookie sheet (pretend to lay out on cookie sheet)
Bake them, count them, 1, 2, 3 (count with fingers)
Then serve them to my friends for tea (pretend to eat cookies)

FLANNELBOARD STORY:
Cookies and Counting

Flannelboard set found in the Target dollar/three dollar section

For this one, I put the cookie sheet, oven, and then counted out ten cookies with the group.  I explained that each cookie had a different number of chocolate chips.  For the first example, we counted the chips together, and then I had the kids guide me as I placed the cookie in the correctly numbered space on the cookie sheet.  Since the group wasn’t very large, I had kids come up and place the rest of the remaining cookies.

Then I put the whole tray in the oven, and pulled the cookies out again.  When they were baked, I put the cookies only back on the flannelboard, and we did this rhyme together:

Ten Little Cookies
Ten little cookies laying on a plate
Mom eats two and then there are 8.

When Dad comes home, two cookies he picks
Leaving on the plate only 6.

Brother comes home, slamming the door.
He eats two cookies, then there are 4.

When sister comes home, there are still a few
She eats a couple, then there are 2.

Baby wakes up. His nape is done.
He eats a cookie, then there is 1.

The cat jumps on the table and eats the last one.
Poor dog!  He’s too late.  He only gets a crumb.

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

BOOK:

Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

MOVEMENT:
Patty Cake (Cookie Style)
Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man (clap hands together)
Bake me a cookie as fast as you can
Roll it (make a rolling motion with hands)
And Pat it (pat hands on your lap)
And mark it with a “C” (for cookie!) (draw a letter C in the air)
And it in the oven (mime putting tray in oven)
for you (point out)
and me! (point to yourself)

VIDEO:


“The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?” from The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? …and More Stories by Mo Willems. Based on the book by Mo Willems

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
 

Book: Cookiesaurus Rex written by Amy Fellner Dominy & Nate Evans, illustrated by AG Ford
Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie written by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
DVD: Some Sesame Street DVD with Cookie Monster

GREAT RESOURCES FOR MORE IDEAS:

HOW IT WENT:
This was a fun and tasty storytime!  I was glad I got to try out my set from Target – I hadn’t used that one before.  I realized I didn’t change that much from when I did this storytime back in 2012 (at least, I used a lot of the books I identified then too).  But it was still a fun theme, and I think long enough from when I did it the first time.

ATTENDANCE: 18 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, February 9, 2019 @ Children’s Room

*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

Zoo – Preschool Storytime

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It was raining today, so I don’t think it would be a good day to see animals at the zoo.  But in books, we can always visit the zoo!

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

FLANNELBOARD:
Zoo Riddles

For this flannelboard, say the rhyme, then when the children guess put the correct animal up on the board.  Then you can make the animal sound.

They are big and they are gray,
And their trunks swing and sway.
What are they? ELEPHANT

Bananas are their favorite things,
And they like to chatter and like to swing.
What are they? MONKEY

These animals bark and are colored brown
They have flippers and swim all around.
What are they? SEAL

They have necks that are long, long, long.
If you guess a turtle, you are wrong, wrong, wrong!
What are they? GIRAFFE

They are sort of like a horse,
Except for their black and white stripes, of course.
What are they? ZEBRA

They are a kind of cat,
But they have a mane and Roar (ROAR) like that.
What are they? LION

These birds can’t fly and they look funny.
They’re black all over except for a white tummy.
What are they? PENGUIN

These animals like to hop around.
A tummy pouch is where their babies can be found.
What are they? KANGAROO

They don’t come in just one color or style
but they all like to giggle, laugh and smile.
What are they? CHILDREN

BOOK:

Stripes the Cat Tiger by Jean Leroy and Bérengère Delaporte, illustrated by Bérengère Delaporte

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

FLANNELBOARD STORY:
Dear Zoo
Based on the book by Rod Campbell.  Template for this story taken from KizClub

SONG / MOVEMENT:
The Animals at the Zoo
(to the tune of: “The Wheels on the Bus”)

The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar
Roar, roar, roar.  Roar, roar, roar.
The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar
All day long.

Other verses:
snakes … hiss, hiss, hiss
hyenas … ha ha ha
monkey … ooh ooh ooh

Also just ask the kids about animals at the zoo and make up your own verses.  Today we had penguins that went skate, skate, skate and a flamingo that went flap, flap, flap.

BOOK:

A Hippo in Our Yard by Liza Donnelly

VIDEO:
 
“Good Night, Gorilla” from Good Night Gorilla…and More Bedtime Stories. Based on the book by Peggy Rathmann

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
      

Book: Hungry Roscoe by David J. Plant (this might be a better pick for a slightly older group)
Book: Look by Fiona Woodcock (Would be a good choice for infant/toddler storytime)
Book: The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham
DVD: “Wild About Books” from Chicka Chick Boom Boom…and More Fun with Letters and Numbers.  Based on the book by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown
DVD: “The Happy Lion” from Tikki Tikki Tembo… and More Favorite Tales.  Based on the book by Louise Fatio Duvoisin, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin

HOW IT WENT:
I just transferred positions, and this was my first storytime back in Youth Services!  It was a small group (people in Los Angeles don’t like coming out in the rain…), but it was a really fun storytime.  I think I need to remake my Dear Zoo flannelboard pieces though – I used the laminate and felt back method, and the box that is supposed to hide the animal kept sliding off, thus ruining the whole element of surprise.  Stripes the Tiger was a bit hit – I would use that one again in a moment.

ATTENDANCE: 9 (adults and children)

DATE PRESENTED: Saturday, January 12, 2019 @ Children’s Room

*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

Rivers and Streams – Preschool (But also Infant/Toddler) Storytime

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This is another adapted from one of our system storyboxes.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

PUPPET:

Before starting into the storytime, kids could pet and say hello to a beaver puppet.

BOOK:

I Know the River Loves Me / Yo sé que el río me ama by Maya Christina Gonzalez

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

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

FLANNELBOARD:


Five Little Boats (on the River)
Pattern taken from taken from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book 2nd Edition by Judy Sierra
Words adapted from Felt Board Ideas Five Little Sailboats Felt Board Poem

(to the tune of: “5 Little Ducks”)

Five little boats went out one day
Out on the river and far away
When the waves began to rock
One little boat returned to the dock.

Other verses:
4 little boats…

MOVEMENT: Row Row Row Your Boat

BOOK:

A Brave Bear by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Emily Hughes

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle

VIDEO:

“River, River, River Run” from A Kid for The Wild: Music Videos Featuring Scenic Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park Animals and Locations

CRAFT: Fish Puppet in a River

Have the kids color in the river scene and the fish puppet.  Tape or glue the fish onto a popsicle stick.  Cut a slit into the river scene where the dotted line is.  Insert puppet into line, and have the fish “frolic” in the river!

The templates for this craft are below:
Fish Puppet Template
River Template

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
 

DVD: “Scruffy the Tugboat: Big River Rescue” from The Poky Little Puppy and Friends
Book: Tugboat Bill and the River Rescue by Calista Brill, illustrated by Tad Carpenter
Book: Splash! by Flora McDonnell (they just say that the animals go down to the “water”, so I think you could say “river” instead.)
Book: Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner
Book: The Crocodile and the Scorpion by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley

HOW IT WENT:
I wasn’t sure how Rivers would be as a theme for storytime, but I was pleasantly surprised!  The DVD worked really well too.

PRESENTED: Tuesday, October 9 at LM branch

ATTENDANCE: 16 people (adults and children)

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

Moon – Preschool (But also Infant/Toddler) Storytime

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This is another adapted from one of our system storyboxes.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:
 
Come Back, Moon by David Kherdian, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian

MOVEMENT:
Climb Aboard the Spaceship
(to the tune of “Itsy Bitsy Spider”)

Climb aboard the spaceship, (pretend to climb ladder into spaceship)
We’re going to the moon.
Hurry and get ready,
We’re going to blast off soon.
Put on your helmets (pretend to put on helmet)
And buckle up real tight. (pretend to put on seatbelt)
Here comes the countdown (squat down low to the ground)
Let’s count with all our might:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
BLAST OFF! (jump up into the air)

The group had so much fun with this one, we did the countdown/blast off part twice.

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

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Music Together

BOOK:
 
The Moon is Going to Addy’s House by Ida Pearle

MOVEMENT:
We’re Flying to the Moon
(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We’re flying to the moon
We’re flying to the moon
Blast off, away we go
We’re flying to the moon

We’re landing on the moon
We’re landing on the moon
Here we go, we’re on the moon
We’re landing on the moon

We’re collecting moon rocks
We’re collecting moon rocks
Here we go, we’re on the moon
We’re collecting moon rocks

At this point, I asked the kids what else we could do on the moon, here are some of their suggestions:

jumping up and down…
hear a bird…
are searching for a kitty…
saying “hi” to aliens…

Then we resumed with:

We’re flying back to Earth
We’re flying back to Earth
Blast off, away we go
We’re flying back to Earth

We;re landing on the Earth
We’re landing on the Earth
Here we go, we’ve come home
We’re landing on the Earth

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Music Together

VIDEO:
 
“Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me” from The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other stories, based on the book by Eric Carle

CRAFT: Plane Paper Craft
idea taken from Mommy’s Bundle

Materials:
– Black construction paper
– scissors
– yellow paper
– aluminum foil
– star stickers
– glue

Cut a circle out of aluminum foil. This will be the moon.  Create a quarter circle out of the yellow paper to represent the sun.  Have kids glue the sun in one of the top corners of the black construction paper.  Have them (gently) crumple up the aluminum foil to make craters and texture on the moon.  Smooth the moon out, glue onto the black paper.  Embellish with star stickers.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
  

Book: One Moon, Two Cats by Laura Godwin, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka
Book: The Moon’s Almost Here by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Tomie dePaola
Book: Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
DVD: “Happy Birthday Moon” from Good Night, Gorilla…and more Bedtime Stories, based on the book by Frank Asch

HOW IT WENT:
I loved how much the kids got into our space-themed movements at this storytime.

PRESENTED: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at SR Branch

ATTENDANCE: 28 people (adults and children)

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

Colors – Signs ‘n Storytime

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This was my third Signs n’ Storytime.  As I’ve mentioned before, I approach this storytime as a way for parents to get exposed to some signs that they can use with their little ones.

Disclaimer: I am not bilingual in ASL. I took some courses in college (which seems like a million years ago now…)

This month, we focused on colors.  So instead of learning completely different signs with each book, we had a lot of time to review the same signs.

SONG: “Hello Friends” in ASL

taken from Jbrary
I changed this one a little so instead of doing it time to “say” Hello, I sing, “it’s time to Sign Hello” and use the ASL word for sign

SIGNS USED DURING THIS PROGRAM:
Color
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Pink
Brown
Black
White
Gray
Rainbow

This video from ASL That is a quick introduction to a bunch of color signs:

BOOK:

Knock! Knock!  by Anna-Clara Tidholm.

Signs used with the story:
Flash Lights (We used this sign when the Knock! Knock! sound happened, as doorbells are often connected to lights to signal their “ring” to a deaf person)
Blue
Red
Green
Yellow (thought the kids in storytime thought the Yellow door in this story was Orange, so we actually signed that instead…  It does look orange-y in the illustrations)
White 

MOVEMENT: Hokey Pokey

FLANNELBOARD:
I Went Walking
 
Based on the book by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas

Signs used with story:
Black
Brown
Red 
Green
Pink (the pig is a light pink, even though it looks white in the photo)
Yellow

MOVEMENT: If You’re Happy and You Know It

I sung this one a capella, and when we clap our hands we do the ASL version of clapping, we stomp our feet, and we pound our chest.  Whenever there is clapping in this storytime (at the end of a book, etc) we always do it the ASL way.

BOOK:

Cat’s Colors by Airlie Anderson

Signs used with story:
Gray
Green 
Red 
Blue
Purple
Orange
Black
Yellow

VIDEO:
  
“Planting a Rainbow” from 20 Stories for Spring based on the book by Lois Ehlert.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

      

Book: Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
(signs to use with story: white, black, red, blue, green, brown, yellow, pink, gray,             orange, purple)
Book: Butterfly Butterfly by Petr Horácek
(signs to use with story: pink, brown, green, red, orange, purple, blue, yellow, 
Book: Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
(signs to use with story: blue, red, yellow, green, brown)
Book: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes story by Eric Litwin, art by James Dean
(signs to use with story: white, red, blue, brown)
Book: Meeow and the Little Chairs by Sebastien Braun.
(signs to use with story: black, orange, green, blue, red, yellow)
Book: Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett
(signs to use with story: blue, yellow, pink, brown, gold, green, gray, white)
Book: See the Colors: Sign Language for Colors by Dawn Babb Porochovnic, illustrated by Stephanie Bauer

HOW IT WENT: This was a nice theme, because it was easy to find good books to use.  I had a much smaller group this time.  I also learned that some of the handshapes (“g”, “p”, “k”) seemed to be hard for the little ones to make.  I need to do some research into how to explain them better.  I was ok with “g” (make a fist, point your pointer finger out, and point your thumb out too), but describing the others caught me off guard.  If anyone has a good resource for this, please share!

PRESENTED: Thursday, September 13, 2018

ATTENDANCE: 4 people (adults and children)

Flight – Preschool (But also Infant/Toddler) Storytime

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This is another adapted from one of our system storyboxes.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:

North, South, East, West by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Greg Pizzoli

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

MOVEMENT: “Two Little Blackbirds” from Music Together

BOOK:

A Plane Goes Ka-Zoom by Jonathan London, illustrated by Denis Roche

MOVEMENT:
Airplane Song
(to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)

The pilot on the airplane says fasten your seatbelts (pretend to fasten seat belt)
Fasten your seatbelt, fasten your seatbelt
The pilot on the airplane says fasten your seatbelts
When flying through the sky.

Other verses:
The children on the airplane go bum pity bump… (move up and down)
The babies on the airplane go waa, waa, waa… (rub eyes and pretend to cry)
The signs on the airplane go ding, ding, ding… (pretend to push sign button above head)
The drinks on the airplane go splish, splash, splish… (pretend to hold a glass and move it)
The luggage on the airplane goes up and down… (move hands up and down)
The exits on the airplane are here, here, here… (using two fingers on each hand, point in front, to side, and behind)

MOVEMENT: “Clap Along with Me” from Wee Sing for Baby by Wee Sing

BOOK:

Planes Go by Steve Light

VIDEO:

“Miffy Wants to Fly” from Miffy and Friends: Miffy’s Adventure

CRAFT: Plane Paper Craft

Kids had these two pieces of an airplane, with a small slit cut into the body so they could put the wings through.  They could decorate it with crayons and stickers.  The template is below:
Airplane_Cutout_Template

This idea was inspired by Mom Unleashed and Hands On as We Grow

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
 

Book: Flight 1-2-3 by Maria van Lieshout
Book: Hooray for Birds by Lucy Cousins

HOW IT WENT:
It’s still rather new to have to pick and plan a craft for storytime, since I didn’t used to do that at my other location.  I’m still learning what works best, but one thing I have learned is that a craft doesn’t have to be super-complicated to entertain the kids.

PRESENTED: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 at SR Branch

ATTENDANCE: 29 people (adults and children)

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

Fur, Feathers, Scales and Hair – Preschool (But also Infant/Toddler) Storytime

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This theme is brought to you thanks to our system storyboxes.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

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

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

INTRODUCTION: with very furry/hairy dog

BOOK:

Don’t Splash the Sasquatch! by Kent Redeker, illustrated by Bob Staake

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

MOVEMENT: Fishy Pokey
(to the tune of “The Hokey Pokey”)
You put your fins in, you put your fins out
You put your fins in and you wiggle them all about
You do the fishy pokey and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about! Glub! Glub!

Other verses:
Your tail
Your scales

BOOK:

Do Frogs Have Fur? A Book about Animal Coats and Coverings by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Jeff Yesh

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

MOVEMENT: 2 Little Blackbirds (a capella)

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle (a capella)

VIDEO:

“I like My Hair Completely the Way it is” from Charlie and Lola Five: But I am an Alligator and more stories!

CRAFT: Fur, Feathers, Scales sheet

Kids put feathers on the bird, “scales” (cut up tissue paper squares) on the snake and “fur” (large pom poms) on the wombat.  I don’t know where this page was taken from, but I am including a pdf of it here: Feathers Fur Scales Craft Sheet

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Hair by Leslie Patricelli
Book: Does a Yak Get a Haircut? by Fred Ehrlich M.D., pictures by Emily Bolam
Book: Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen

Movement:
Scales, Feathers or Fur
Scales, feathers or fur.
Scales, feathers or fur.
Scales, feathers or fur.
Each animal has one of these.
Will you tell me, if I ask you, please
If the animal I name has scales, feathers or fur.

Stand up tall, like a bear.
Wave your hairy paws in the air
I’m covered with this; so is his mate
It keeps us warm when we hibernate.
FUR!

Flap your arms like abird for me.
Now set yourself down in a tree.
These help a bird so I can fly.
The help me soar in the sky.
FEATHERS

Can you make a fishy face?
move like a fish in your place
These are shiny and slippery too.
Fish move quickly; they really do.
SCALES

What about you?  You’re an animal you know.
Hair on your skin does grow.
Your hair is not a feather and it’s not a fin.
What should we call that hair you’re in?
FUR

HOW IT WENT:
This was an ok storytime, but I had a hard time keeping all the members in the audience engaged.  Last week I ended up with more preschoolers, so I picked titles today with that in mind, and then I think I had more infants this time around.  You really can never have too many books in your storytime bag for a variety of ages.  So, I did change-up my presentation on the fly, and just read 2 books instead of the three I had planned.  But.. I still felt like I could have done something differently.  And, I think the Charlie and Lola video was a little too long for my group.

PRESENTED: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at SR Branch

ATTENDANCE: 29 people (adults and children)

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

Shapes – Preschool Storytime

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Another storytime that originated from our system-wide storyboxes…

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: “Wake Up Toes” from Morning Magic by Joanie Bartels

MOVEMENT: Open Shut Them*

BOOK:

City Shapes by Diana Murray, illustrated by Bryan Collier

MOVEMENT: “Clap Along with Me” from Wee Sing for Baby by Wee Sing

PROP SONG:
This is a… Shape Song
(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)
 
This is a circle, this is a circle
How can you tell?  How can you tell?
It goes round and round
No end can be found
It’s a circle.  It’s a circle.

This is a triangle, this is a triangle
How can you tell?  How can you tell?
It has three sides that join to make a point
It’s a triangle.  It’s a triangle.

This is a square, this is a square
How can you tell?  How can you tell?
It has 4 sides
all the same size
It’s a square.  It’s a square.

This is a rectangle, this is a rectangle
How can you tell?  How can you tell?
It has 2 short sides
and it has 2 long sides
It’s a rectangle.  It’s a rectangle.

MOVEMENT: “Wheels on the Bus” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:

Shape by Shape by Suse MacDonald

MOVEMENT: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

VIDEO:

“Spots” from Good Morning Maisy: Color and Shapes

CRAFT:
 
Shape Rocket Ship
I got this idea for a craft from Toddler Approved!

We used a rectangle for the body, 3 circles for the windows, a triangle for the top, 2 triangles for the wings, and a square with the ends frayed for the flame.  Of course, you could just give the kids shapes and have them make their own artwork (like the second picture on here!).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
  

Book: Zoe and Zack: Shapes by Jacques Duquennoy
Book: All Year Round by Susan B. Katz, pictures by Eiko Ojala
Book: Go, Shapes, Go! by Denise Fleming
Book: Baby Party by Rebecca O’Connell, illustrated by Susie Poole

HOW IT WENT:
This was a slightly older crowd than I’ve gotten at the this branch in the past, but there were still a few younger kids.  So I tried a slightly older story at the beginning, and then a shorter one second.  It went pretty well, but I did have a heckler tell me, “I don’t like shape stories!”  🙂  It’s nice to have honesty from the audience, but we all seemed to be having fun by the end.  Everyone seemed really into the shape song, so much so I was a little surprised by it! Also, the Maisy video wasn’t the best for shapes — but it was what I had on hand.  I’ll have to search for something better next time.

PRESENTED: Wednesday, August 22, 2018 at SR Branch

ATTENDANCE: 32 people (adults and children)

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