Dinosaurs In Books - Family Storytime

A Wednesday morning storytime for ages 0-6 years old.  

Opening #1: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

Opening #2: Roly Poly Oh So Fast (hand rolling body part chant adapted by Carol Hopkins)

Roly poly, roly poly, oh so fast!
Roly poly, roly poly, oh so slowly.
Roly poly, roly poly, up.
Roly poly, roly poly, down.
Roly poly, roly poly, hands on your head.
Roly poly, roly poly, hand on your feet.

(Repeat with other body parts)

Roly poly, roly poly, hands in your lap.

 

Opening #3: Fee Fi Fo Fum

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

See my fingers,
(wiggle fingers)

See my thumbs.
(wiggle thumbs)

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

Good bye fingers,
(hide one hand behind back)

Good bye thumbs.
(hide the other hand behind back)

(Repeat several times moving and saying the words faster and faster)

 

Literacy activity flannelboard: Dem Bones (dinosaur name song found at Nancy Stewart Song of the Month site https://nancymusic.com/SOM/2017/dem-bones.htm)

Print out an assortment of dinosaurs with their names written next to the dinosaurs.  Hand out these dinosaur papers to the children.  Sing the song, naming a different dinosaur each time.  When a dinosaur is named in the song, the children bring that dinosaur up to the board where we tape them onto the board.  When the song is done, we count the number of dinosaurs on the board. 

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dinosaur bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dinosaur bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dinosaur bones
Put’em all together and this is what you get.

 

  

Book #1: Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur? by Helen Yoon

Theme activity #1: “We Are the Dinosaurs” action song from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band by Laurie Berkner

Theme activity #2: Dinosaur Pretend (action rhyme I found at https://www.handleyregional.org/blog/we-are-dinosaurs-storytime)

Spread your arms, way out wide,
Fly like a Pteranodon, soar and glide.
Touch the floor, head down low,
Move like Stegosaurus, long ago.
Reach up tall, try to be
As tall as Apatosaurus eating on a tree.
Using your claws, grumble and growl
Just like Tyrannosaurus on the prowl.   

 

Transition: Dance Your Fingers (fingerplay adaption from a video I saw from New York Public Library)

Dance your fingers up;
(put fingers high in the air)

Dance your fingers down;
(touch the ground)

Dance your fingers from side to side;
(move hands from left to right side of body and back again, several times)

And dance them all around.
(hands move in a large wiggly circle in the air in front of your body)

Dance them on your shoulders;
(fingers wiggle on your shoulders)

Dance them on your head;
(fingers wiggle on top of your head)

Dance them on your tummy;
(fingers wiggle on top of your tummy)

And put them all to bed.
(fold hands in lap or tuck under armpits)

Book #2: There's a Dinosaur In Your Book by Tom Fletcher 

Book #3: Dinosaur Parade by Shari Halpern 

Closing music with egg shakers: “I Know a Chicken” from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner    

  

 

Art activity:  Pterodactyl straw launchers

I took dinosaur clip art and folded the paper over to tape up on three sides.  The fourth side I slid in a drinking straw.  Blowing through the straw launches the pterodactyl into the air.  

Optional other books:
How Tall Was a T.Rex? by Alison Limentani 
Dinosaur Dance! by Sandra Boynton (board book) 

 

 

 

 

Art Table at Playtime

Besides being a fun activity, doing art with young children also gives them excellent benefits for physical growth.  Holding brushes, squeezing glue, and gripping crayons builds fine motos skills and hand strength.  Guiding markers, crayons, or paint brushes helps kids control their physical movements and fine tune their hand-eye coordination.  Early scribbling and drawing is excellent writing prep because it uses the same musles needed for future handwriting. 

Some open-ended art activities that I introduced at the Playtime art table:

-          Glue black stripes onto a white zebra body

-          Crayon rubbings on animal print plastic plates

-          Q-tip and glitter glue painting on bear coloring sheet

Balancing Birds - Family Storytime

A Wednesday morning storytime for ages 0-6 years old.  

Opening #1: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

Opening #2: Roly Poly Oh So Fast (hand rolling body part chant adapted by Carol Hopkins)

Roly poly, roly poly, oh so fast!
Roly poly, roly poly, oh so slowly.
Roly poly, roly poly, up.
Roly poly, roly poly, down.
Roly poly, roly poly, hands on your head.
Roly poly, roly poly, hand on your feet.

(Repeat with other body parts)

Roly poly, roly poly, hands in your lap.

 

Opening #3: Fee Fi Fo Fum

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

See my fingers,
(wiggle fingers)

See my thumbs.
(wiggle thumbs)

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

Good bye fingers,
(hide one hand behind back)

Good bye thumbs.
(hide the other hand behind back)

(Repeat several times moving and saying the words faster and faster)

 

Literacy activity flannelboard: Goosey Goose Colors 

A flannelboard color rhyme written by Carol Hopkins.

Directions: Make a set of geese in different colors. Hand these geese out to the children, one per child. Say the rhyme, naming one color each time. The children come up and place their goose on the board when you say the color of their goose.

Goosey, goosey gander

Please come play with me.

Goosey, goosey "red" goose

Join the flock and me.

  

  

 

Book #1: Balance the Birds by Susie Ghahremani 

Theme activity #1: "I Was a Bird" action song from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Fok Music 

  

Theme activity #2: Little Bird (action rhyme I have seen in many places, I got this one from Toddle On Over by Robin Works Davis)

I saw a little bird go hop, hop, hop.
I told the little bird to stop, stop, stop.
I went to the window to wave, “How do you do?”
He wagged his little tail and away he flew. 

Transition: 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 

  

Book #2: A Beautiful House for Birds by Grace Lin (board book) 

Book #3: Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert 

Closing music with bean bags: “Popcorn Calling Me” from Buzz Buzz by Laurie Berkner

  

 

Art activity:  Watercolor paint on a bird nest coloring sheet plus gluing feathers

Optional other books:
One Dark Bird by Liz Gatton Scanlon, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon 
Every Day Birds by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Dylan Metrano 

 

 

 

 

Windy Weather Dance - Family Storytime

A Wednesday morning storytime for ages 0-6 years old.  

Opening #1: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

Opening #2: Roly Poly Oh So Fast (hand rolling body part chant adapted by Carol Hopkins)

Roly poly, roly poly, oh so fast!
Roly poly, roly poly, oh so slowly.
Roly poly, roly poly, up.
Roly poly, roly poly, down.
Roly poly, roly poly, hands on your head.
Roly poly, roly poly, hand on your feet.

(Repeat with other body parts)

Roly poly, roly poly, hands in your lap.

 

Opening #3: Fee Fi Fo Fum

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

See my fingers,
(wiggle fingers)

See my thumbs.
(wiggle thumbs)

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

Good bye fingers,
(hide one hand behind back)

Good bye thumbs.
(hide the other hand behind back)

(Repeat several times moving and saying the words faster and faster)

 

Literacy activity flannelboard: When Windy Hats Blow (found in storytime collection at PCLS)

When I hear the wind blow,
I look up into the sky.
Instead of things like birds or planes,
I watch the hats fly.

Each one different from the last,
Every color do I see.
Some are big and some are small,
As they fly by me. 

Here comes a _blue_ hat flying by,
Now a _yellow_ hat is in the sky.
Next a _red_ hat on its way,
Then a _brown_ hat flies away.

_Green_ and _black_, _orange_ and _white_,
Even _purple_,… what a sight!
I like it when it rains or snows,
But most of all, I like it when the windy hats blow. 

 

  

 

Book #1: Wind Is a Dance by Debra Kempf Shumaker, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon 

Theme activity #1: Little Winds (action chant adapted by Carol Hopkins, good to use with scarves or streamers)

Little winds blow high in the treetops.
Little winds blow low on the ground.
They start off as tiny breezes...
(puff, puff, puff)
Then they grow and grow and grow!

Round and round they go,
Swaying every tree branch,
Sweeping across the grass,
Then, just like that, the wind stops!

 

Theme activity #2: Itsy Bitsy Spider (traditional action rhyme) 

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain;
And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

The great big hairy spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain;
And the great big hairy spider climbed up the spout again. 

 

Transition: 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 

  

***Parent literacy tip: Language used in storybooks is different from what we use when we are speaking, so children hear different words when we read to them.  This builds vocabulary!  

Book #2: Ploof by Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser 

Book #3: Rain by Manya Stojic 

Closing music with bean bags: “Popcorn Calling Me” from Buzz Buzz by Laurie Berkner

  

 

Art activity:  Glue paper clouds and paper umbrellas onto blue paper, then use sticks to paint raindrops 

Optional other books:
What a Wonderful World: Based on the Song by Thiele & George David Weiss as sung by Loui Armstrong, illustrated by Tim Hopgood
The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book by Nancy Tafuri 

 

 

 

 

Flannelboards at Playtime

 

Interacting with flannelboards help children develop cognitive thinking and important math skills.  They can reinforce counting, sorting, and pattern recognition.  Children also learn about cause and effect when pieces stick, move, or disappear. 

I usually bring out two flannelboard sets at each playtime.  Some of the popular sets include:

-          Zoo animals

-          Five Green & Speckled Frogs

-          Old Macdonald Had a Farm

-          One Little Bluebird

-          Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

Little Birds - Baby Toddler Storytime

A Wednesday morning storytime for ages 0-2 years old.  

Opening #1: Skinnamarink (action song from Car Songs: Songs to Sing Anywhere by Dennis Buck from Kimbo)

Opening #2: Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum (fingerplay)

Sticky, sticky bubblegum, bubblegum, bubblegum; 
Sticky, sticky bubblegum;
Stuck to your __________.
1, 2, 3, PULL!

(Repeat with more places to stick the gum)

 

 

Book: Early Bird by Toni Yuly 

Themed activity #1:  Little Bird (action rhyme I have seen in many places, I got this one from Toddle On Over by Robin Works Davis)

I saw a little bird go hop, hop, hop.
I told the little bird to stop, stop, stop.
I went to the window to wave, “How do you do?”
He wagged his little tail and away he flew. 

 

Themed activity #2: Two Little Blackbirds (traditional fingerplay)

Two little blackbirds 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 blackbirds sitting on a fence

  

Lap rhyme #1: 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!

 

Lap rhyme #2: Counting Bubbles (counting rhyme I learned during a BrainDance workshop)

One bubble, two bubbles, three bubbles, top.
(pat legs with hands for each number chanted, then place hands on top of head)

Three bubbles, four bubbles, five bubbles, drop.
(pat legs with hands for each number chanted, then drop hands to lap)

Six bubbles, seven bubbles, nine bubbles, pop.
(pat legs with hands for each number chanted, then clap hands loudly in front of body)

Ten little bubbles floating down!
(twinkle hands down to floor)

Now let’s blow _____ bubbles.
(This is a breath exercise.  Pick a number and pretend to blow that number of bubbles through hand.  Don’t forget to pop the bubbles with a loud clap after blowing it up.  I count the bubble while I do the clap.) 

 

Lap rhyme #3: Toast In the Toaster (adaptation of a lap bounce rhyme I found in many places)

I'm toast in the otaster.
I'm getty very hot.
Pish-posh, pish-posh,
Up I pop!

 

Lap rhyme #4: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (traditional song)

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,
Knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
And eyes and, ears and, mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.

   

Transition: Transition #1 - 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 

 

Letter of the day: “B” is for birds

 

 

Flannelboard: One Little Bluebird (counting up flannelboard rhyme from PCLS) 

One little bluebird, up and up he flew,
Along came another and that makes two.

Two little bluebirds, sitting in a tree,
Along came another and that makes three.

Three little bluebirds, sitting on a door,
Along came another, and that makes four.

Four little bluebirds feeling so alive,
Along came another and that makes five.

Five little bluebirds had a lovely day.
They sang a pretty song and then they all flew away!

 

Closing song with scarves: “Around and Around” from Welcome from Miss Carole by Carole Peterson

 

 

 

 

Passive Craft Table: Autumn House Decoration

 

 

For this passive program, I created a seasonal craft project to set up on a no school day.   

Supplies:

• Wood house ornaments
• Fall and Halloween craft foam shapes and stickers
• Sharpie pens in all sorts of colors
• White glue 

This was a low staff event with some fun results.