Sound - A Family STEAM & Stories event

This program was intended to introduce STEAM concepts through stories and exploration activity stations to families with children ages 3-8 years old.    

Intro song:  Hello Friends (sign language action song for the words hello, friends, math, fun, and time)

Hello friends,
Hello friends,
Hello friends,
It's time to say hello.

Hello math,
Hello math,
Hello math,
It's time to have some fun.   

 

Demonstration and Storytime:

·         Brainstorm a list of sounds on the white board. 

·         Show the word cards for sound.  Talk about what this word means. 

 

 

·         Read: Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by Anna Chernyshova

·         Show the children a glass bowl with cling wrap on the bowl tight.  Sprinkle some table salt on top of the cling wrap.  Show how sound makes vibrations by drumming a snare drum near the bowl.

·         Show the word cards for sound waves and vibrations.  Talk about the definitions of the words.   

·         Pass out egg shakers and play the song “I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner from Whaddaya Think of That? cd. 

·         Talk about the sounds we made and heard during the song. 

·         Show the word card for pitch.  Talk about the definition of the word. 

·         Instruct on how to use the stations. 

 

Stations: 

 

Station #1- Make a tiny drum (as seen at https://librerin.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/tinker-thinkers-sound-and-drums/)

The children make a small drum using a paper cup, a cut up balloon, and a rubber band.  My paper cups were white, so the children were able to decorate them with color pens.  I gave them an unsharpened pencil to use as the drumstick.        

 

Station #2 – Play with pitch in two ways

#1 – Fill glass jars with various levels of water.  Use a metal spoon to tap the jar to hear the different pitches of jars.  (as seen at https://brownbagteacher.com/sound-1st-grade-science/)

#2 – Play with pitched toy bells (preschool bells can be found most anywhere toys are sold, such as these) 

  

Station #3 – Craft stick kazoo

Use two wide craft sticks, a cut up drinking straw, and three rubber bands to make a kazoo.  (A great set of directions can be found at https://www.waukeshacountymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Popsicle-Stick-Kazoo-Directions.pdf)  

  

 

Station #4 – Seeing sound and exploring musical instruments

On the storytime rug I left the snare drum and wrapped glass bowl for the children to explore.  I also put out various toddler-friendly storytime instruments for the children to play with. 

 

 

 

Underground Dirt - Family Storytime

A Tuesday 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.

 

 

Literacy activity flannelboard: Did You Ever See A Wiggle worm (letter recognition flannelboard song to the tune of “Did You Ever See a Lassie?” written by Carol Hopkins)

 Did you ever see a wiggle worm? A wiggle worm? A Wiggle worm? 
Did you ever see a wiggle worm, sitting next to a {_W_}?  

(repeat with letters O, R, and M)_

 

 

Book #1: Roy Digs Dirt by David Shannon

Stand-up activity: Some Dogs (action rhyme adapted by Carol Hopkins)

Some dogs run
Some dogs bark
Some dogs jump
Some dogs growl
Some dogs roll in the grass
Some dogs yip
Some dogs sniff
Some dogs howl
And some dogs just wag their tails all day.

 

Sit-down activity: Little Wiggle Worm (action rhyme to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”, not sure where I found this one)

I'm a little wiggle worm, watch me go!
I can wiggle fast,
Or very, very slow.
I wiggle all around, then back I go.
Down into the ground, to the home I know. 

 

***Parent literacy tip:  Counting objects is a good way to learn one-to-one correspondence. You can count anything in any language: Fingers, toys, food, so many things!    

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: Under Ground by Denise Fleming

Closing music with jingle bells: “Fruit Salad Salsa” from Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner

Art activity: Worm weaving = Cut slits into brown paper, use craft sticks as the worms and weave them into the paper slits.  Can also decorate the craft stick worms with eye stickers and coloring pens. 

Optional other books:
I’m Dirty by Kate and Jim McMullan
Mucky Truck by Ammi-Joan Paquette, illustrated by Elisa Ferro
Mud by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer

 

 

 

 

Shape of Things - Family Storytime

A Tuesday 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.

 

 

Literacy activity flannelboard: Bird Shapes (a fun shape and color rhyme I found in my library’s flannelboard collection, it is very similar to this Bird House flannelboard I found at https://fallingflannelboards.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/flannel-friday-bird-houses/ )

 

 

  

Book #1: The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds, illustrated by Julie Lacome (big book)

Stand-up activity: “Jumping and Counting” action song by Jim Gill

Sit-down activity: Circles, Triangles, and Rectangles (fingerplay to the tune of "Jingle Bells" written by Carol Hopkins)

Circles round, circles round, circle in the air
Circles can be small or big
We see them everywhere

Triangles, triangles, triangle in the air
Triangles can be slim or huge
We see them everywhere

Rectangles, rectangles, rectangle in the air
Rectangle can be as big as a door
We see them everywhere

 

***Parent literacy tip:  Learning shapes helps get kids ready to learn letters! Learning about any differences will help them, too.    

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: Guinea Pigs Go Baking by Kate Sheehy (board book)

Book #3: Brown Rabbit’s Shape Book by Alan Baker  

Closing music with jingle bells: “Fruit Salad Salsa” from Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner

  

Art activity: Glue precut shapes onto a paper plate

Optional other books:
Shapes, Reshape! By Silvia Borando
Get Together by Miguel Ordóῆez (board book)

 

 

 

Dinosaur Shapes - Baby Toddler Storytime

A Tuesday 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 body parts)

 

Book: Shape by Shape by Suse Macdonald

Stand-up activity: All Around the Swamp (action song to the tune of “Wheels on the Bus” that I found at Storytime Sprout https://www.storytimesprout.com/post/dinosaur-storytime)

Pteradactyl’s wings went flap, flap, flap
Flap, flap, flap, (x2)
Pteradactyl’s wings went flap, flap, flap
All around the swamp.

 

Triceratops’s horns went poke, poke, poke…

 

Stegosaurus’s feet went stomp, stomp, stomp…

 

Their dinosaur mouths went munch, munch, munch…

 

 Sit-down activity: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (fingerplay song from Car Songs: Songs to Sing Anywhere by Dennis Buck at Kimbo)

***Literacy tip: Learning shapes helps get kids ready to learn letters! Learning about any differences will help them, too.     

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: Roly Poly (hand rolling opposites action rhyme)

Roly poly, roly poly, up, up, up.
Roly poly, roly poly, down, down, down.
Roly poly, roly poly, out, out, out.
Roly poly, roly poly, in, in, in.
Roly poly, roly poly, clap, clap, clap.
Roly poly, roly poly, tap, tap, tap.
Roly poly, roly poly, fast, fast, fast.
Roly poly, roly poly, slow, slow, slow.
Roly poly, roly poly, I love you!

 

Lap rhyme #4: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (traditional body parts action 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: 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 brachiosaurus and big

 

Flannelboard: Ship-Shape Shay (a shape rhyme flannelboard I found in my library’s flannelboard collection)

Closing song with bells and egg shakers: “Ring Them On the Floor” from I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman