Fighting Fires Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Fire Truck by Peter Sis

• Stand-up Activity – "Drive the Fire Truck" from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

• 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 - Five Firefighters counting rhyme I found in a Mailbox Preschool magazine (October/November 2007, page 40)

• Book #2 – Maisy's Fire Engine by Lucy Cousins (board book)

• Activity – I'm a Little Firefighter (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" written by Carol Garnett Hopkins found in the book Artsy Toddler Storytimes)

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

• Closing - Tambourines using the song "Clap Your Hands Clap Your Hearts" from Tickles and Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

 

 

 

• Art Experience – Coloring pens on a red paper fire fighter hat

Lego My Library - Squash Friends

A fun Lego building block storytime intended for children 4 to 8 years old.

Book: Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

Lego challenge: Create something that Sophie and Bernice can play with

 

Counting Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

• Stand-up Activity – "Jumping and Counting" from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem and More Salutes to Nonsense by Jim Gill

• 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 - Five Kittens (a counting down flannelboard rhyme I picked up some where many years ago)

Five little kittens

Sleeping on a chair

One rolled off

Leaving four there.

Four little kittens 

One climbed a tree

To look in a bird's nest

Then there were three.

Two little kittens 

Playing near a wall

One little kitten chased a red ball.

One little kitten 

With fur as soft as silk

Left all alone

To drink a dish of milk.

• Book #2 – Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

• Activity – Two Little Hands (action chant I picked up many years ago)

Ten little fingers go wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

Two little hands go clap, clap, clap.

Two little feet go tap, tap, tap.

Two little fists go thump, thump, thump.

Two little legs go jump, jump, jump.

One little body turns around,

And everyone sits quietly down.

• Closing - Tambourines using the song "Clap Your Hands Clap Your Hearts" from Tickles and Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

 

 

 

• Art Experience – Glue buttons onto a counting strip of 10

Autumn Falling Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

• Stand-up Activity – "Little Squirrel" from Movin' and Groovin' Home 2 by Kindermusik

• 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 - Four Little Apples (counting down flannelboard I found in Ready-To-Go Storytimes: Fingerplays, Scripts, Patterns, Music, and More by Gail Benton and Trisha Waichulaitis) 

• Book #2 – When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey, illustrated by Susan Swan

• Activity – "Shakin' Like a Leafy Tree" from Racing to the Rainbow by The Wiggles

• Closing - Tambourines using the song "Clap Your Hands Clap Your Hearts" from Tickles and Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman

 

• Art Experience – Glue fall colored craft foam leaves to a paper plate ring to create an autumn wreath

• Reflection - This new closing song is so much better. It is easier to hear and easier to move to. I'm glad I switched songs. 

Here Are My Hands Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

• Book #1 – Piggies by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood

• Stand-up Activity – "If You're Happy and You Know It" from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

• 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 - Five Pairs of Mittens (Counting down flannelboard chant written by Carol Hopkins. This set was made from clipart with magnets glued on the backside.)

5 sets of mittens sitting on the floor.
Along comes a child who puts on the {color name} pair.

4 sets of mittens sitting on the floor.
Along comes a child who puts on the {color name} pair.

(Continue counting down and using different colored mittens until there are no more mittens)

• Book #2 – Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Ted Rand

• Activity – Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum (fingerplay I found in the book Mother Goose Time by Jane Marino)

Fee, fi, fo, fum.
(clap to words)

See my fingers,

(wiggle fingers)

See my thumbs.

(wiggle thumbs)

Fee, fi, fo, fum.

(clap to words)

Good-bye fingers,

(one hand behind back)

Good-bye thumbs.

(other hand behind back)

• Closing - Tambourines using the song "Clap Your Hands" from No! by They Might Be Giants

  

• Art Experience – Color crayons on people cut outs.

• Reflection - This closing song was a terrible choice to use with tambourines. I don't know what I was thinking. In the song, you should stop moving and freeze when the music stops. Not too surprising, but the little tykes are so loud with the tambourines that no one can hear the music stop until just before it starts up again. I will need to find a new closing song before next week.  

Baby Brain Builders Storytime Summer 2015

A few years ago my library stopped doing baby storytimes because we were averaging 1 child for each storytime.  Although us children’s librarians thought it was a valuable service, our community did not agree with us in their continued attendance.  This summer we tried offering a one time baby storytime to see if there was any support for such a program now.  We had 8 babies!  I also got the go ahead to try another one time baby storytime in the Fall. 

Here is my plan for this storytime:

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

When Animals Get Up In the Morning – I found a small cloth barn a few years ago.  I put little stuffed animals into it and then pull out the animals one by one to sing this song.

When cows get up in the morning, they always say “Good day.”
When cows get up in the morning, they always say “Good day.”
“Moo! Moo!” this is what they say.
“Moo! Moo! Moo! Moo!” this is what they say.

(substitute other animals and animal sounds)

Hanky Pany - lap bounce

(bounce baby on legs)
Down by the banks of the hanky panky,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank.
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop,
Jump off the lillypad,
(gently bounce onto the floor)
Kerplopl!

Book #1 – Maisy’s Tractor by Lucy Cousins (board book)

Tick Tock - lap bounce

(bounce baby from leg to leg)
Tick tock, tick tock, I’m a little cuckoo clock.
Tick, tock, tick tock, now it is one o’clock… Cuckoo!
(raise baby up for each cuckoo)

(repeat for other times of day)
Now it is two o’clock… Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

Now it is three o’clock… Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

Round and Round the Garden - tickle rhyme

Round and round the garden
(with index finger, make a circle on baby’s tummy)
Like a teddy bear
One step, two step
(walk fingers up chest)
Tickle under there!
(tickle under chin)

Round and round the garden
(with index finger, make a circle on baby’s tummy)
Goes the little mouse
One step, two step
(walk fingers up arm)
Up into his house
(tickle baby under arm)

Book #2 – Charlie Chick by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker (a pop-up book)

Two Little Chickens - scarf rhyme 

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.

Little Bo-Peep - scarf rhyme 

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know wehre to find them;
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.

Bubbles:

“Bubbles” from Peekaboo, I Love You! By Kindermusik

“Ten Little Bubbles” from Toddler by Sara Hickman

“Bubble on my Snuffle” from Sesame Street: Splish Splash Bath Time Fun

“Bubble Ride” from Bubble Ride by Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys

Playtime:

Soft blocks

Stacking cups

Shape sorter

Mega Bloks

*I also put out some toddler discovery boxes I got from Lakeland but the babies seemed uninterested in them.