Moonshine Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

    

 

• Book #1 – A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

• Stand-up Activity – Tiny Star (fingerplay/action rhyme I found in the 2019 CSLP Early Literacy Manual)

• 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 -   Phases of the Moon 

I cut some paper plates to create four phases of the moon (full, gibbous, half, crescent). I introduced these phases to the children and then read a poem about the moon I found on the Guybrarian blog. 

• Letter of the Day - "M" is for moon

• Transition - Tommy & Tammy Thumb (fingerplay)

Tommy Thumb up,

Tommy Thumb down,

Tommy Thumb dancing all around town.

Tammy Thumb out,

Tammy Thumb in,

Tammy Thumb dancing all in a spin.

Dancing, dancing, dancing,

Dance them on your knees,

Dance them on your head,

Dance them on your shoulders,

Then tuck them into bed.

• Book #2 –  Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson 

• Closing - Rhythm sticks using the song "Goin' On a Bear Hunt" from Kids In Action by Greg and Steve 

 

• Art Experience – Use plastic receipt roll centers and paint to stamp craters on a paper plate moon 

Dogs Around Us Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

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

• Literacy activity - Dogs Run Around (written by Carol Garnett Hopkins)

Hand each child a dog.  The dog will have one letter on it, a d, o, or g.  The children bring their dog up to the board when the letter on the dog is said in the song (to the tune of "Wheels On the Bus"). 

The "d" dogs run around with a trot, trot, trot. 

Trot, trot, trot.  Trot, trot, trot.

The "d" dogs run around with a trot, trot, trot,

All through the town. 

The "o" dogs run around with a flop, flop, flop.

Flop, flop, flop.  Flop, flop, flop. 

The "o" dogs run around with a flop, flop, flop,

All through the town.  

The "g" dogs run around with a sniff, sniff, sniff.

Sniff, sniff, sniff  Sniff, sniff sniff 

The "g" dogs run around with a sniff, sniff, sniff,

All through the town.  

(count the dogs on the board)

_____ dogs run around saying, woof, woof, woof. 

Woof, woof, woof.  Woof, woof, woof.  

_____ dogs run around saying woof, woof, woof, 

All through the town. 

      

  

  

• Book #1 - The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems 

• Stand-up activity - Five Little Puppies (action chant adapted by Carol Hopkins)

(show 5 fingers)
Five little puppies playing in the sun
(hands over head for sun)
This one saw a rabbit and began to run
(run)
This one saw a butterfly and began to fly
(fly with arms)
This one saw a kitty cat and began to jump
(jump)
This one tried to catch her tail and went round and round
(spin around)
This small one here, she was so quiet that she fell asleep
(hands together under head for sleep)

• Sit down activity - Little Puppies and Kittens (fingerplay I found somewhere several years ago)

One little, two little, three little kittens

(Hold up 3 fingers of one hand)

Were napping in the sun.

One little, two little, three little puppies

(Hold up 3 fingers on other hand)

Said, "Come on, let's have some fun!"

Up to the kittens the puppies went creeping

(Move puppy fingers slowly toward kitten fingers)

"Woof, woof, woof!" went the puppies

And the kittens went up a tree.  

• Book #2 - Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

• Book #3 - Desmond the Dog by Nick Denfield, illustrated by Ant Parker (pop-up) 

• Closing - Rhythm sticks to the song "Red Red Robin Stick Dance" from Stinky Cake by Carole Peterson

 

 

• Art experience - Create a stuffed animal tags by decorating large gift tags with stickers and color pens.  Slide a pipe cleaner through the hole.  

Lights Light the Way Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

     

 

• Book #1 – The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle

• Stand-up Activity – "The Night I Had a Dream" action song from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner 

• 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 - Twinkle, Twinkle Colored Stars 

Directions: Hand out colored stars to every child. Sing the song once. Then change out the word "little" with a color of a star. The children comes up to place their star on the board when their color is sung. 

• Letter of the Day - "F" is for firefly

• Transition - Tommy & Tammy Thumb (fingerplay)

Tommy Thumb up,

Tommy Thumb down,

Tommy Thumb dancing all around town.

Tammy Thumb out,

Tammy Thumb in,

Tammy Thumb dancing all in a spin.

Dancing, dancing, dancing,

Dance them on your knees,

Dance them on your head,

Dance them on your shoulders,

Then tuck them into bed.

• Book #2 –  The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes

• Closing - Rhythm sticks using the song "Goin' On a Bear Hunt" from Kids In Action by Greg and Steve 

  

 

• Art Experience – Decorate a light bulb cut out with bingo dabbers 

Pups and Pie

This past summer my library experimented with a new idea for a program.  (At least it was new for us!)  We partnered with Sunny Sky's Animal Rescue, a local animal shelter and rescue organization, to create a program that highlighted the many good things this organization is doing for animals in our community as well as make special dog toys to donate. 

Sunny Sky's brought a small number of small dogs to the library for children to pet.  The library provided pre-cut strips of fleece that can be braided into dog toys.  The library also provided apple pie as a special treat. 

While the good people from Sunny Sky's explained what they did and helped the children touch the dogs in a friendly manner, the library staff and volunteers handed out pie and gave directions on the fleece dog toys.  The fleece could be braided into a simple 3 strip weave (like most people do with hair).  But for a sturdier toy, a four strip weave is more appropriate (and more complex to explain).  The Mary Martha Mama blog has excellent directions, with pictures, on how to create this dog toy.  Most of the attendees chose to give the dog toys they made to Sunny Sky's. 

This event was overwhelmingly successful!  We had over 100 people show up in the first 20 minutes.  A program that offered real dogs and a chance to give something back to an organization that saves so many lives, made for a popular summer program. 

Halloween Pumpkins Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, 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 adapted 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 - Three Little Pumpkins (Not sure where I picked up this rhyme a long time ago.  I love using it.)

Three little pumpkins, sitting very still
In a pumpkin patch on a great big hill
The first one said, "I'm very green,"
(show green side)
"But I'll be orange on Halloween."
(show orange side)
The second one said, "Oh me, oh my,"
(show orange pumpkin side)
"Today I'll be a pumpkin pie."
(show pumpkin pie side)
The third one said, "I'm on my way,"
(show pumpkin side)
To be a Jack-O-Lantern today."
(show face side)

• Letter of the Day - "P" is for pumpkin

• Book #2 – Five Little Pumpkins illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (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 - Egg shakers to the song "I Know a Chicken" from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band by Laurie Berkner 

  

 

• Art Experience – Painting on a pumpkin drawing

Galactic Garments

Sharpies and rubbing alcohol were used to create clothing with a galactic look. 

In this library program for teens, participants were encouraged to bring a white t-shirt, or anything made with a white canvas-type material.  Our art teachers from the local art center found directions on several websites.  The basic idea is to create a picture on the cloth that resembles the many colorful pictures of galaxies.  Draw with the Sharpie pen and then let the color from the pen bleed into the cloth by dropping rubbing alcohol onto the color.  

As usual with any art activity, the participants made their own creations in a way that worked for them.  There were some interesting creations as these young adults experimented with the color of the pens and the drops of rubbing alcohol.