Nocturnal Animals

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 – I Walk At Night by Lois Duncan, paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
• Stand-up Activity - During the Night (action chant written by Carol Hopkins)

During the night I know that...
Stars twinkle in the sky
Bats fly and swoop through the air
Owls flap their wings before saying, "Who-Who"
Cats jump from place to place
Opossums climb up trees
Raccoons run across the grass
Wolves howl at the moon
And I lie in my bed to sleep

• 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 Little Bats On a Dark Night (counting rhyme I found at EstherStorytimes Wiki)
• Sit-down Activity - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (traditional action song)

Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the work so high
Like  a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

• Book #2 - Good-night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins
• Activity – The Owl (action chant I found in many places)

There's a wide eyed owl
With a pointed nose
Two pointed ears
And claws for toes
When he sits up in the tree
And he looks at you
He flaps his wings
And he says, "Who-Who!"

• Closing - rhythm sticks to the song "Going On  a Bear Hunt" by Gret & Steve from Kids In Action
• Craft – Decorate black construction paper bat finger-puppets with colored chalk