Mad About Dinosaurs - 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: 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: How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

Stand-up activity: “We Are the Dinosaurs” action song from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band by Laurie Berkner

Activity: Dinosaurs Lived a Long Time Ago (action rhyme I found at https://kcls.org/content/dinosaurs-lived-a-long-time-ago/)   

Dinosaurs lived a long time ago
Some walked (stomp)
Some swam (swim motions)
Some flew, you know!  (flying motions)
Some were big (hands above head)
Some were small (squat down low)
Some were gigantic  (stretch arms to side)
And very, very, tall  (stretch arms up high, on tip 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 

  

***Parent literacy tip:  Practice fine motor skills by taking apart and putting together puzzles with your child. 

Book #2: Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton

Book #3: Dinosaur Stomp!: A Monster Pop-up by Paul Stickland (pop-up)

Closing music with scarves: “Flitter Flutter” from The Second Line by Johnette Downing  

 Art activity: Dinosaur water color sheets

Optional other books:
Here We go Digging for Dinosaur Bones by Susan Lendroth, illustrated by Bob Kolar
Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland  

 

 

 

 

Dinosaur Parade - 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: Dinosaur Parade by Shari Halpern

Themed activity #1: 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…

 

Themed 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.   

 

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: 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.

   

***Literacy tip: Practice fine motor skills by taking apart and putting together puzzles with your child.            

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: "D” is for dinosaurs

 

 

Flannelboard: Five Enormous Dinosaurs (similar to one seen at https://www.literacious.com/2016/02/05/flannel-friday-dinosaurs/)

Five enormous dinosaurs letting out a roar.
One went away and then there were four!
Four enormous dinosaurs munching on a tree.
One went away and then there were three!
Three enormous dinosaurs didn’t know what to do.
One went away and then there were two!
Two enormous dinosaurs having lots of fun.
One went away and then there was one!
One enormous dinosaur afraid to be a hero.
It went away and then there was ZERO!

 

Closing song with scarves: “Alabama, Mississippi” from Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song & Other Contagious Songs by Jim Gill  

 

 

 

 

Passive Craft Table - Parachuting Dinosaurs

 

For this passive program, I wanted to set up a craft table on an early release day during our Dinovember celebrations.  I found these unique parachuting dinosaurs made from craft foam online at Baker Ross.  These fun dinosaurs that can really parachute down to earth were a fun addition to all of our dinosaur activities.      

 Supplies:

-         Parachuting dinosaurs craft kits

-         Coloring pens

-         White glue

-         Glitter glue

-         Googly eyes

-         Tablecloth

Passive Craft Table - Dino Racers

 

For this passive program, I wanted to set up a craft table on an early release day during our Dinovember celebrations.  I found these unique wooden dinosaurs with wheels online at Baker Ross.  These fun dinosaurs that can really roll were a fun addition to all of our dinosaur activities.      

 Supplies:

-         Dinosaur rollers craft kits

-         Coloring pens

-         White glue

-         Stickers

-         Googly eyes

-         Feathers

-         Tablecloth

Dinosaurs Again - 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 science,
Hello science,
Hello science,
It's time to have some fun.   

Hello dinosaur,
Hello dinosaur,
Hello dinosaur,
It’s time to give a roar!

 

Demonstration and Storytime:

 

·         Read the book T. Rex Meets It’s Match by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia, illustrated by Marie Bollmann

·         Show pictures of dinosaurs and try to name them. 

·         Show the word cards for dinosaur, fossil, and extinct.  Talk about what the definitions of these words. 

·         Talk about how large a dinosaur footprint would be.

·         Show the life-size dinosaur footprint (pre-drawn on butcher paper). Guess how many children would fit inside this footprint (nontraditional measurement). 

·         Urge the children to stand in the footprint and count how many children fit inside.     

·         Instruct on how to use the stations. 

 

Stations: 

 

Station #1- Dinosaur scratch art ornament (similar to seen at https://a.co/d/1WgrDBX)

Use the wooden stylus to scratch off the black to create a colorful dinosaur.    

 

Station #2 – Clay fossil print   

Children take a small clump of air dry clay and then press it flat.  Next, they make fossil-like imprints in the clay with the provided materials (such as shells, pinecones, toy dinosaurs, sticks, plastic toy plants, etc.). 

  

Station #3 – Dinosaur classification   

The children look at dinosaur toy figures.  They place the dinosaurs on the classification papers that best match each dinosaur (carnivore, herbivore, four legs, two legs, lives in the ocean, etc.) 

 

 

Station #4 – Dinosaur Memory Game

 

Station #5 – Large 3-D Dino Bones (as seen at https://shop.imaginationplayground.com/products/large-dino-bones?srsltid=AfmBOoqi_RFKZZcZsZ90CPiaMF4v8pWW5od1njSr69Op55FcSR5SCxTL)

 

 

 

 

 

We Are the Dinosaurs - 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: 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: One-Osaurus, Two-Osaurus by Kim Norman, illustrated by Pierre Collet-Derby

Stand-up activity: “We Are the Dinosaurs” action song from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band by Laurie Berkner

Sit-down activity: Dinosaurs Lived a Long Time Ago (action rhyme I found at https://kcls.org/content/dinosaurs-lived-a-long-time-ago/)   

Dinosaurs lived a long time ago
Some walked (stomp)
Some swam (swim motions)
Some flew, you know!  (flying motions)
Some were big (hands above head)
Some were small (squat down low)
Some were gigantic  (stretch arms to side)
And very, very, tall  (stretch arms up high, on tip toes)

 

***Parent literacy tip:  To help your child practice listening skills, talk about what you are going to do – for storytime or for your day’s activities.  This can be done in any language! 

Transition: Come 'A' Look And See (fingerplay song I first picked up at a workshop conducted by Jane Cobb but can also be found on the music CD The Baby Record by Bob McGrath)

Come a' look a' see, here's my mama, 
(point to thumb)
Come a' look a' see, here's my papa, 
(point to index finger)
Come a' look a' see, my brother tall, 
(point to tall finger)
Sister, baby, 
(point to ring, then baby finger) 
I love them all. 
(Kiss the fingertips of your finger family) 

  

Book #2: Dinosuar Roar! By Paul and Henrietta Stickland

Book #3: Dinosaur Stomp!: A Monster Pop-Up by Paul Stickland (pop-up)

Closing music with egg shakers: “I Know a Chicken” from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band by Laurie Berkner

Art activity: Dinosaur toy footprint painting on paper plates plus dinosaur stickers

 

 

 

 

 

Passive Craft Table: Dinosaur Paper Craft

 

This past summer, I put out a craft table that was available all day long.  The intention of this passive table was to walk up and help yourself to the intended craft.  

This craft table was put up to create and decorate a standing dinosaur with zero glue.  I found it online at Krokotak (https://krokotak.com/2016/05/glue-lee-printable-dinosaur/ ).

Supplies:

-         Paper dinosaur template printed on various colored paper

-         Coloring pens

-         Jewel stickers

-         Bingo dabber pens

 

While these dinosaurs were a little tricky to fold, they truly did not need any glue to stand up on their own.  They were a low cost, low staff intensive activity with fun results!