Firetruck Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink (from Car Songs: Songs to Sing Anywhere by Dennis Buck at Kimbo), Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
• Book #1 – Fire Fighter Piggywiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox
• Stand-up Activity - I'm a Little Firefighter (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" written by Carol Hopkins)

I'm a little firefighter off I go
Here is my helmet
Here is my truck
When my clothes catch on fire I know what to do
I stop, drop, and roll to put the fire out

• Bridge - Open Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap

• Flannelboard/Math Activity - Five Firefighters (counting down song to the tune of "Five Little Ducks" found in Mailbox Preschool magazine Oct/Nov 2007, page 40)
• Sit-down Activity - Drive the Firetruck (action song from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music)
• Book #2 - Maisy's Fire Engine by Lucy Cousins (board book)
• Activity – Wheels on the Fire Truck (action song to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus" found in Mailbox Preschool magazine Oct/Nov 2006, page 34)
• Closing - Eggshakers to the song "I Know a Chicken" from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner
• Craft – Color a paper fire fighter hat

Halloween Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink (from Car Songs: Songs to Sing Anywhere by Dennis Buck at Kimbo), Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
• Book #1 – Snappy Little Halloween by Dugald Steer, illustrated by Derek Matthews (pop-up)
• Stand-up Activity - Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern (action rhyme written by Carol Hopkins)

Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern turn around.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern roll on the ground.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern dance on your toes.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern light up your nose.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern reach up high.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern jump to the sky.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern smile with heat.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern find your seat.

• Bridge - Open Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap

• Flannelboard/Math Activity - Three Little Pumpkins (my notes do not say where I found this rhyme)
• Sit-down Activity - I Know a Little Pumpkin (fingerplay written by Carol Hopkins)

I know a little pumpkin who sat on a wall
(large circle in front of body)
I know this pumpkin had a great fall
(touch ground)
He rolled out the garden
(roll hands)
He rolled down the street
He rolled to a stop in front of a gate
(one hand palm out for stop)
Along came kid with a design update
(tap head)
Later that night as the kids trick or treated
By the door sat the pumpkin with a smile that greeted
(point to smile)

• Book #2 - Maisy's Halloween by Lucy Cousins (board book)
• Activity – Pumpkins Over There (action rhyme written by Carol Hopkins)

Pumpkins small
(make small pumpkin with hands)
Pumpkins tall
(hands up high)
Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere
(spin around)
Pumpkins fat
(hands make fat pumpkin)
And pumpkins thin
(hands together almost touching)
Pumpkins, pumpkins over there!
(point across the room)

• Closing - Eggshakers to the song "I Know a Chicken" from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner
• Craft – Triangle jack-o-lantern: Give each child an orange pumpkin shape and some small yellow triangles. Invite the children to make a jack-o-lantern face by gluing on the triangles.

Apples - Family Storytime

This is for an all ages, whole family storytime:

• Opening - Look Up, Look Down (sign language song from Pick Me Up!: Fun Songs for Learning Signs)
• Book #1 - Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson, illustrated by Moridcai Gerstein
  
• Book #2 -Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall, illustrated by Shari Halpern
• Stand up activity - Applesauce (action chant I found at http://www.susandailey.com/apples.htm)
  
• Flannelboard - Five Red Apples (counting down chant written by Carol Hopkins)
  

5 red apples, hanging on the tree
5 red apples, big and round and shiny
Along came a child with a hungry, grumbly tummy
And picked one apple right out of the tree.
(continue counting down to zero apples)

• Book #3 - Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
  
• Book #4 - Dappled Apples by Jan Carr, illustrated by Dorothy Donohue
  
• Activity - Look At this Apples I Have Found (fingerplay I have seen on many websites)
  

Look at this apple I have found
(circle hands)
So round and rosy on the ground
We will wash it and cut it in two
(perform actions)
Half for me and half for you.
(point to self and then away from self)

• Closing - Two Little Apples/Shake, Shake the Apple Tree (egg shaker song from Kindermusik Family Our Kind of Day disc 1)
  
• Family Small Motor Activity - Wormy Apples (Punch holes around the edge of a precut cardstock apple. Invite children to weave a yarn "worm" through the holes and then color the apple with color pens.)
  

Chickens Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink (from Car Songs: Songs to Sing Anywhere by Dennis Buck at Kimbo), Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
• Book #1 – Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
• Stand-up Activity - Little Chick, Little Chick (action rhyme adapted by Carol Hopkins from the "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around" jump rope rhyme)

(Suite actions to words.)
Little chick, little chick turn around.
Little chick, little chick scratch the ground.
Little chick, little chick strut on your toes.
Little chick, little chick touch your nose.
Little chick, little chick reach up high.
Little chick, little chick flap to the sky.
Little chick, little chick wiggle your feet.
Little chick, little chick find your nest seat.

• Bridge - Open Shut Them (fingerplay)

Open, shut them
(open and close hands)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap (clap)
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
(put hands in lap)

Creep them, creep them
Under your chin
(creep fingers up chest)
Open your mouth, but don't put them in
(do as words say)

Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them
Put them in your lap

• Flannelboard/Math Activity - Hens of a Different Color (color rhyme I found on a website)
• Sit-down Activity - Two Little Chickens Sitting On a Fence (fingerplay adapted from the rhyme "Two Little Blackbirds")

Two little chickens sitting on a fence.
One named Jack, the other named Jill.
Fly away Jack. Fly away Jill.
Come back Jack. Come back Jill.
Two little chickens sitting on a fence.

• Book #2 - Charlie Chick: A Pop-up Book by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker
• Activity – Here's a Little Egg (action rhyme I have seen in a number of places, but I first found at http://www.geocities.com/mystorytime/chickens/htm#Fingerplays)

Here's a little egg, so smooth and white
(sit criss cross, head down, arms in lap)
Peck, peck, peck, there's something inside!
Peck, peck, peck, here comes a little beak.
(move head up and make beak with fingers)
Peck, peck, peck here come two little feet.
(extend feet)
Peck, peck, peck, here come the wings.
(flap arms as wings)
Peck, peck, peck, and a pick, pick, pick,
(move to squatting position)
And crack, crack, CRACK!
Out pops the baby chick!
(stand up, arms above head)

• Closing - Eggshakers to the song "I Know a Chicken" from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner
• Craft – Chicken walk coloring sheet

Llama Llama Story Fun

A library program for children ages 3 through 8 years old.

As part of the Jumpstart "Read for the Record" campaign, we started off reading the book Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney. We tried to read this from an ebook off Jumpstart's webpage but our laptop was having issues, so we used a paper book instead. We followed this up with a reading of Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, illustrated by Steven Kellogg.

After the book readings the children had a chance to play pin the tail on the llama, glue fleece onto a llama drawing, and a coloring page. A great big thank you to our shelver for making a life size baby llama for pin the tail on the llama.

From Russia with Love

A library program for children ages 4 through 12.

A staff member who is originally from Russia talked about growing up in Russia and shared some folk art pieces she brought from her former country (including nesting dolls).

The children's librarian then told the story of "The Enormous Turnip" with the help of the children.

Finally, the children made their own paper nesting dolls of the characters from the story "The Enormous Turnip."

This was a fun and easy program to put together thanks to the help of our Russian staff member. The children actually enjoyed coloring and cutting out the paper nesting dolls. Though there was some trouble with the glue making the figures stick to each other.

Fancy Folds

A library program for children ages 7 to 12 years old.

A librarian started the program off by telling a paper folding story to the children. During the story she made an origami hat and an origami boat along with a few other shapes. After the story, the librarian taught the children and adults how to fold the hat. She then showed everyone how a few quick folds can turn the hat into a boat.

We then sent the children to the tables to explore other origami shapes. Each table had paper, crayons, and instructions for making origami folded art. Each table had a different set of instructions. The simplest instructions were for a cat or dog face. The next simplest was for a jumping frog. Other popular instructions included the crane and french fries in a box.