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

 

 

 

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. 

 

 

 

Picnic Foods - 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: “The Ants Go Marching” (traditional children’s counting song)

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two,
The little one stops to tie his shoe
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching three by three,
The little one stops to climb a tree
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching four by four,
The little one stops to shut the door
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

 

 

 

Book #1: Ice Cream Face by Heidi Woodward Sheffield

Stand-up activity: “If You’re Happy and You Know It” from Wee Sing Children’s Songs & Fingerplays

Sit-down activity: Put Your Ice Cream Up High (adaptation of a rhyme I found on the Librionyian blog to the tune of “Famer In the Dell”)  

(Pretend to hold an ice cream cone.  Suite actions to words.)

Put your ice cream up high
Put your ice cream down low
Hold your ice cream, go round and round
Round! And round! And round!

Put your ice cream up high
Put your ice cream down low
Put your ice cream on the ground
Eeeewww! Don’t do that!

Put your ice cream up high
Put your ice cream down low
Lick your ice cream ‘til it’s all gone
It’s yummy in my tummy!

 

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.

 

***Parent literacy tip: Let children hear lots of language by talking to them constantly about the pictures, or anything else connected to the books you share together. 

Book #2: Maisy Makes Lemonade by Lucy Cousins

Book #3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 

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

  

 

Art activity: Stickers and dot markers on cardstock sun visors.

Other activity #1: Explore the picnic and watermelon toys.

 

 

  

Summer Camp Storytime Week 6

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:

Doddleday by Ross Collins

Did You Take the B from My _ook? By Beck and Matt Stanton

 

Craft activity: 

I showed the campers how to make simple jingle sticks using craft sticks, jingle bells, and pipe cleaners. 

Plants Around Us - Family Storytime

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

Opening #2: “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, oh so fast!
Roly poly, roly poly, oh so slowly.
Roly poly, roly poly, hands in your lap.

 

Literacy flannelboard: Pretty Flower Colors (color literacy flannelboard song to the tune of “Are You Sleeping” written by Carol Hopkins)

Pretty flowers;
Pretty flowers.
Is yours {_purple_}?
Is yours {_purple_}?
Bring it up right now;
Bring it up right now.
Let’s find some more;
Let’s find some more.

(Repeat with other color names)

 

  

Book #1: Call Me Tree by Maya Christina Gonzalez

Stand-up activity: “My Ups and Downs” from Jim Gill Sings Do Re Mi On His Toe Leg Knee by Jim Gill

Sit-down activity: Plant a Little Seed (I found this pretend play rhyme in my library system’s Gardening storytime box)

I plant a little seed in the cold, cold ground.
(Pretend to plant a seed in the ground)

Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
(Circle arms above head like sun)

Down come the raindrops soft and slow.
(Dancing fingers down)

Up comes the flower grow, grow, grow.
(Move arms up and out)

 

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: Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Book #3: Big Yellow Sunflower by Frances Barry (fold-out) 

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

 

Art activity: Use cut straws to stamp flowers on paper.  

 

 

Extra activity #1: Plant radish seeds in peet pots

***Parent literacy tip: Watching a seed turn into a plant is a magical experience for most children. They are fascinated by the process.  

 

Extra activity #2: Use magnifying glasses to look at different seeds and leaves.  (Just before storytime, I went outside the library building and picked a bunch of interesting leaves.  The seeds were part of a kit I was borrowing at the time.)