Bug Love Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "A Tooty Ta" from Dance Like This by Mr. Al

• Color literacy activity - Crunching Caterpillar

I handed every child one colored leaf.  When I said their color, each child brought up their leaf to place on the board.  We then counted the leaves at the end.  I adapted this idea from something I saw in a Preschool Mailbox magazine (April/May 2008, page 34).

(sung to the tune of "Did You Ever See a Lassie")

Did you ever see a caterpillar, a caterpillar, a caterpillar?

Did you ever see a caterpillar chew on a [PURPLE] leaf?

He'll go crunch, crunch, crunch,

And munch, munch, munch.

Did you ever see a caterpillar chew on a [PURPLE]?

     

  

  

• Book #1 - I Love Bugs! by Emma Dodd 

• Stand-up activity - "Eensy Weensy Spider" fingerplay from Toddler Tunes by Cedarmont Kids

• Sit down activity - Here Is a Beehive (fingerplay I found in the book What'll I Do With the Baby-O? by Jane Cobb)

• Book #2 - Pattern Bugs by Trudy Harris, illustrated by Anne Canevari Green

• Book #3 - In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming 

• Closing - Dance with scarves to the song "Silly Dance Contest" from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes by Jim Gill

  

 

• Art experience - Cut, color, and glue with the "Looking for Legs" worksheet I found in a Mailbox magazine, using crayons, scissors, and glue sticks

Bugging Around Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

   

 

• Book #1 – The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle

• Stand-up Activity – "Baby Bumblebee" action song from Toddler Action Songs by Cedarmont Kids

• 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 - Bugs In a Rug rhyme found in Mailbox Preschool magazine, August/September 2007, page 6

• Letter of the Day - "B" is for Bug

• Book #2 – Snappy Little Bugs by Claire Nielson and Dug Steer, illustrated by Derek Matthews

• Activity – Ladybug (fingerplay I found many years ago)

Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the farm and land on my little arm.

Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the tree and land right on my little knee.

Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the rose and land right on my little nose.

Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the chair and land right on my own sweet hair.  

• Closing - Scarves to the song "Popcorn Calling Me" from Buzz Buzz by Laurie Berkner 

  

 

• Art Experience – Stickers on a caterpillar or butterfly cut out

June Books to Share with Library Field Trips

June has been full of lots of field trips to the library.  I have seen many kindergartners, first graders, and second graders this month.  I usually do a quick 25 minute tour followed by a book reading, and this time of year, some information about our summer reading program.  Here are the two books I used this month.

 

Crash, Splash, or Moo! by Bob Shea (I had one group of kindergartners come with their sixth grade buddies.  Even the sixth graders were having fun with this book.  I consider this high praise!)

What's Next Door? by Nicola O'Byrne

Raindrops Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "A Tooty Ta" from Dance Like This by Mr. Al

• Literacy activity - Raindrops spell the word "rain"

Make a bunch of raindrops with one letter from the word "rain" on them.  Hand each child one raindrop.  Slowly spell the word.  As you say the letter in their hand, the children place their raindrops on the board. **Add some math by counting the number of raindrops on the board. 

    

  

  

• Book #1 - The Rain Train by Elena De Roo, illustrated by Brian Lovelock

• Stand-up activity - Choo-Choo Train (traditional action rhyme)

This is a choo-choo train,  

(bend arms at elbows)
Puffing down the track.  

(rotate forearms in rhythm)

Now it’s going forward,  

(push arms forward, continue rotating motion)
Now it’s going back.  

(pull arms back, continue rotating motion)
Now the bell is ringing,  

(pull bell cord with closed fist)
Now the whistle blows.  

(hold fist near mouth and blow)
What a lot of noise it makes,  

(cover ears with hands)
Everywhere it goes!  (stretch out arms)

• Sit down activity - April Showers Bring... Mud! (action rhyme to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching" that I found in a Mailbox Preschool magazine, April/May 2004, page 6)

• Book #2 - Red Rubber Boot Day by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer

• Book #3 - Kipper's Rainy Day based on the books by Mick Inkpen (lift-the-flap)

• Closing - Dance with scarves to the song "Silly Dance Contest" from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes by Jim Gill

 

 

• Art experience - Tear blue paper into raindrops to be glued onto a worksheet.  Pens were also set out for coloring. (I'm pretty sure I found this worksheet in a Mailbox magazine.)  

Trucks We See Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "A Tooty Ta" from Dance Like This by Mr. Al

• Number literacy activity - People At the Bus Stop (a counting and number literacy flannelboard written by Carol Hopkins)

Directions: Hand out a numbered person to each child. The children come place their person on the board when the bus stop called out matches the number on the person. If you have a large group, there can be multiple people at each bus stop.  After each bus stop count the number of people on the bus. 

Here comes the bus,

Driving down the street.

Stopping at bus stop number ______. 

How many people are on the bus now?

  

  

• Book #1 - I Love Trucks! by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern 

• Stand-up activity - "Wheels On the Bus" action song from Six Little Ducks by Kimbo

• Sit down activity - Twinkle, Twinkle Traffic Light on a flannelboard (action fingerplay song to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star")

Twinkle, twinkle traffic light

Round the corner shining bright

Red means stop,

Green means go,

And yellow means go very slow.

Twinkle, twinkle traffic light

Round the corner shining bright.

• Book #2 - Five Trucks by Brian Floca 

• Book #3 - Who Drives This? by Charles Reasoner (sliding surprise board book)

• Closing - Dance with scarves to the song "Silly Dance Contest" from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes by Jim Gill

 

• Art experience - Create a traffic light with paper, scissors, glue, and crayons