Dinosaurs In Books - Family Storytime

A Wednesday 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.

 

Opening #3: Fee Fi Fo Fum

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

See my fingers,
(wiggle fingers)

See my thumbs.
(wiggle thumbs)

Fee fi fo fum,
(clap for each syllable)

Good bye fingers,
(hide one hand behind back)

Good bye thumbs.
(hide the other hand behind back)

(Repeat several times moving and saying the words faster and faster)

 

Literacy activity flannelboard: Dem Bones (dinosaur name song found at Nancy Stewart Song of the Month site https://nancymusic.com/SOM/2017/dem-bones.htm)

Print out an assortment of dinosaurs with their names written next to the dinosaurs.  Hand out these dinosaur papers to the children.  Sing the song, naming a different dinosaur each time.  When a dinosaur is named in the song, the children bring that dinosaur up to the board where we tape them onto the board.  When the song is done, we count the number of dinosaurs on the board. 

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dinosaur bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dinosaur bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dinosaur bones
Put’em all together and this is what you get.

 

  

Book #1: Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur? by Helen Yoon

Theme activity #1: “We Are the Dinosaurs” action song from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band by Laurie Berkner

Theme activity #2: Dinosaur Pretend (action rhyme I found at https://www.handleyregional.org/blog/we-are-dinosaurs-storytime)

Spread your arms, way out wide,
Fly like a Pteranodon, soar and glide.
Touch the floor, head down low,
Move like Stegosaurus, long ago.
Reach up tall, try to be
As tall as Apatosaurus eating on a tree.
Using your claws, grumble and growl
Just like Tyrannosaurus on the prowl.   

 

Transition: Dance Your Fingers (fingerplay adaption from a video I saw from New York Public Library)

Dance your fingers up;
(put fingers high in the air)

Dance your fingers down;
(touch the ground)

Dance your fingers from side to side;
(move hands from left to right side of body and back again, several times)

And dance them all around.
(hands move in a large wiggly circle in the air in front of your body)

Dance them on your shoulders;
(fingers wiggle on your shoulders)

Dance them on your head;
(fingers wiggle on top of your head)

Dance them on your tummy;
(fingers wiggle on top of your tummy)

And put them all to bed.
(fold hands in lap or tuck under armpits)

Book #2: There's a Dinosaur In Your Book by Tom Fletcher 

Book #3: Dinosaur Parade by Shari Halpern 

Closing music with egg shakers: “I Know a Chicken” from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner    

  

 

Art activity:  Pterodactyl straw launchers

I took dinosaur clip art and folded the paper over to tape up on three sides.  The fourth side I slid in a drinking straw.  Blowing through the straw launches the pterodactyl into the air.  

Optional other books:
How Tall Was a T.Rex? by Alison Limentani 
Dinosaur Dance! by Sandra Boynton (board book)