Thursday, September 28, 2023

Going Out to Space - Family Storytime

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

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

Opening #2: Roly Poly Oh So Fast (hand rolling opposites 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 opposites)

Roly poly, roly poly, oh so fast again!
Roly poly, roly poly, hands in your lap.

 

Opening #3: Fee Fi Fo Fum (clapping chant)

Fee, fi, fo, fum,
(clapping)
See my fingers,
(wave fingers)
See my thumbs.
(wave thumbs)
Fee, fi, fo, fum,
(clapping)
Good bye fingers,
(one hand behind back)
Good by thumbs.
(other hand behind back)

(Repeat going faster)


 

Literacy activity: I’m Going Out to Space (vocabulary building flannelboard activity to the tune of “The Farmer In the Dell”)

(Hand out felt pieces for stars, planets, rocket ships, and moons to the children.  The children bring their pieces up to the board when it is said in the song.)

I’m going out to space;
I’m going out to space;
I think I’ll see a { planet } there;
I’m going out to space.

  

Book #1: A Big Mooncake forLittle Star by Grace Lin

Stand-up activity: Blast Off to the Moon (action rhyme I found in many places)

Let's take a rocket to the moon
First we climb into our rocket ship
(pretend to climb ladder into rocket)
Next we buckle ourselves in
(crouch down and pretend to but a seat belt across your shoulder)
Now for the countdown... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Blast off!
(jump up)
We go flying around the earth and over to the moon
(airplane arms)
Now stop on the moon and look around
(look around with hand over eyes)
Now it's time to go back home so we climb back into our rocket ship
(pretend to climb ladder)
Buckle ourselves in
(pretend seat belt)
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Blast off!
(jump up)
We fly around the moon and fly around the earth
(airplane arms)
And finally come back home
(land on the ground)

 

Sit-down activity: Five Little Astronauts (fingerplay I adapted from one called "Five Little Aliens")

(Hold up fingers of one hand)

One, two, three, four, five
Five little astronauts standing in a row.
They nod their heads to the children just so
They run to the left.
They run to the right.
They stand and stretch in the bright starlight.

 

***Parent literacy tip: Singing and rhyming build children’s listening skills and help them hear that words are made up of smaller sounds.

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: AstronautPiggyWiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox

Book #3: Twinkle TwinkleLittle Star by Jane Cabrera

Closing music with bean bags: “Bean Bag Rock” from Bean Bag Activities & Coordination Skills by Georgiana Stewart


 


Art activity #1: Stamping paint craters on paper plate moons



Art activity #2: Adding star stickers to the drawing of star constellations



Extra activity: Play exploration of a model solar system toy

 

 

 

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Summer Camp Storytime Week 8

I held a storytime session at the local summer day camp for 5- and 6-year-olds.  

Opening Song:

When Animals Get Up in the Morning (adaptation of a traditional song)

When pigs get up in the morning,
They always say “Good Day!”
When pigs get up in the morning,
They always say “Good Day!”
They say, "Oink!, Oink!, Oink!, Oink!,"
that is what they say.
They say, "Oink!, Oink!, Oink!, Oink!,"
that is what they say.

(Repeat with other animals that I randomly pull out of a cloth bag.)

   

 

Books:

Buddy and the Bunnies in Don’t Playwith Your Food by Bob Shea

I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon

 


Craft activity: 

We made clothespin monsters!  I gave the campers clothespins, color pens, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, pompoms, and glue.  They used these supplies to create unique little monsters. 

 

 

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Summer Cool - Family Storytime

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

Opening #1: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs forWiggleworms 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.

 

 

Literacy activity: Ice Cream Colors (color rhyme flannelboard found at Step By Step blog at https://www.stepbystepcc.com/foods/icecream.html)

We have ice cream, the best in town,
Let us begin with 
chocolate brown.

Now, let us scoop us some bubble-gum pink,
It is sweet and yummy, the best, some think.

Here is ice cream minty and green,
It is the creamiest I have ever seen.

Yellow ice cream is lemony and tart,
We like its taste from the very start.

Scoops of blueberry would make my day,
Look at all this ice cream, hip, hip hurray!

Red ice cream is a strawberry delight,
All these scoops are a heavenly sight.

Vanilla white is a popular flavor,
It tastes very good to an ice-cream craver.

Purple ice cream really gives me a kick,
Good and yummy till the very last lick.

Ice cream, ice cream, what a cool sensation,
We love ice cream in any combination!

 

  


Book #1: Bears at the Beach by Shirley Parenteau, illustrated by David Walker

***Parent literacy tip: All children need to learn how to stop what they’re doing. Playing games and songs that incorporate the concept of stop gives the child an opportunity to practice and hone their stopping skills.   

Stand-up activity: “Jumping and Counting” from Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem and More Salutes to Nonsense by Jim Gill

Sit-down activity: Jump, Jump Went the Little Green Frog (action chant)

Jump, jump went the little green frog.
Jump, jump went the little green frog.
Jump, jump went the little green frog...
And his eyes went blink, blink.

Blink, blink went the little green frog.
Blink, blink went the little green frog.
Blink, blink went the little green frog...
And his tongue went glup, glup.

Glup, glup went the little green frog.
Glup, glup went the little green frog.
Glup, glup went the little green frog...
And his legs went jump, jump.

Jump, jump went the little green frog.
Jump, jump went the little green frog.
Jump, jump went the little green frog...
And then he swam away.

 

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: Summer Song by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Book #3: Down by the Coolof the Pool by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees

Closing music with bean bags: “Bean Bag Rock” from Bean Bag Activities & Coordination Skills by Georgiana Stewart

  


Art activity: Crayon coloring and stickers on a cardstock summer vacation photo frame

 

 

 

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Summer Camp Storytime Week 7

I held another storytime session at the local summer day camp for 5- and 6-year-olds.  

Opening Song:

When Animals Get Up in the Morning (adaptation of a traditional song)

When pigs get up in the morning,
They always say “Good Day!”
When pigs get up in the morning,
They always say “Good Day!”
They say, "Oink!, Oink!, Oink!, Oink!,"
that is what they say.
They say, "Oink!, Oink!, Oink!, Oink!,"
that is what they say.

(Repeat with other animals that I randomly pull out of a cloth bag.)

 

 

Books:

Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey

Dinosaur Stomp by Paul Stickland (pop-up)

 


Craft activity: 

We made pterodactyl straw launchers.  I used clipart I found online to make these.  The campers loved these but had problems with taping the sides.