Say Thanks Toddler Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

 

 

• Book #1 – Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

• Stand-up Activity – "If You're Happy and You Know It" from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music 

• Bridge - 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 

• Flannelboard - Turkey Hide and Seek (a fingerplay story I found at Susan M. Dailey's website)

• Letter of the Day - "T" is for thank you and turkeys

• 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 –  Thanks from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 

• Closing - Tambourines to the song "Kookaburra" from Where Is Thumbkin? by Kimbo 

 

• Art Experience – Glue feathers on a turkey

Sing-a-Song Storytime: Pete the Cat

 With the pandemic closing the library and all large gatherings, my library took its time deciding how to get back into the storytime groove.  I created this video storytime series along with a coworker, who is a talented musician, to get young children moving around and singing.  It is filled with lots of favorite storytime songs and rhymes, and of course a book!  I really wanted the grown ups watching along with the kiddos to learn the songs, so I used a split screen technique on the videos to display the words to the songs/rhymes while I am singing and acting them out.  

Opening song - Skinnamarink (https://youtu.be/95JkQfANW9M) 

Action song - Suzy Had a Little Hat (action song I wrote to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb") 

Suzy had a little hat, little hat, little hat
(hold hands together in the shape of a hat)
Suzy had a little hat, she wore right up here!
(put hat on top of head)

Suzy went jump, jump, jump,
Jump, jump, jump
Jump, jump, jump,
Suzy went jump, jump, jump,
With her hat right up here!

Suzy went running...
Suzy went spinning...
Suzy went bend her knees...
Suzy went sitting...

Transition sit down song - Open, Shut Them 

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 - Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean (read with permission from HarperCollins Children's Books) 

Action song - Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat (action rhyme written by Carol Hopkins similar to "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around") 

Kitty cat, kitty cat turn around
Kitty cat, kitty cat touch the ground
Kitty cat, kitty cat walk on your toes
Kitty cat, kitty cat paw your nose
Kitty cat, kitty cat stretch up high
Kitty cat, kitty cat jump to the sky
Kitty cat, kitty cat start to eat
Kitty cat, kitty cat find your seat

Action song - Ants Go Marching (traditional 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!

Closing song - excerpt from the Carpenter's song "Sing a Song" (also a classic Sesame Street song https://youtu.be/-nI7IfwLoBI)

***The video for this storytime will remain up through 12/31/20 on my library's YouTube channel.  

Halloween Pumpkin Party Toddler Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

 

 

• Book #1 – It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall 

• Stand-up Activity – Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern (action rhyme adapted by Carol Hopkins)

Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern turn around.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern roll on the ground.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern dance on your toes.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern light up your nose.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern reach up high.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern jump to the sky.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern smile with heat.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern find your seat.

• Bridge - 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 

• Flannelboard - Three Little Pumpkins (Not sure where I picked up this rhyme a long time ago.  I love using it.)

Three little pumpkins, sitting very still
In a pumpkin patch on a great big hill
The first one said, "I'm very green,"
(show green side)
"But I'll be orange on Halloween."
(show orange side)
The second one said, "Oh me, oh my,"
(show orange pumpkin side)
"Today I'll be a pumpkin pie."
(show pumpkin pie side)
The third one said, "I'm on my way,"
(show pumpkin side)
To be a Jack-O-Lantern today."
(show face side)

• Letter of the Day - "j" is for jack-o-lantern

• 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 –  Maisy's Halloween by Lucy Cousins (board book) 

• Closing - Tambourines to the song "Kookaburra" from Where Is Thumbkin? by Kimbo 

 

• Art Experience – Glue sewing trim scraps onto a pumpkin drawing

October Guest Reader

This month I was a guest reader for a homeschool group and for a first grade classroom.  Since it is October, I went with some seasonal books.  I love reading these books!

  

Bone Soup by Cambria Evans
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
The Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Denys Cazet

Fire Safety Month Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "A Tooty Ta" from Dance Like This by Mr. Al

• Color and counting literacy activity - Firefighters in Their Color Coats  (adapted by Carol Hopkins from a rhyme I found at http://www.preschooleducation.com/sfire.shtml)

I used clip art images I found with firefighters in red, yellow, and black coats.  I then handed each child a firefighter image.  The children placed their firefighter on the board after I said their color in the rhyme.

Lots of little fire fighters sleeping in their beds. 
"Ding! Ding! Ding!" went the bell.
And out come the {red} coats.
They race to the fire and put out the flames.
Then the _____ (count the firefighters on the board) little firefighters went back to bed again.

(repeat for as many colored firefighter coats you have on hand, then move on to this last bit of rhyme.)

The morning has come,
The firefighters finally got some sleep.  
They are all ready now to start a brand new day!

          

  

  

• Book #1 - Flashing Fire Engines by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker 

• Stand-up activity - I'm a Little Firefighter (action song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" written by Carol Garnett Hopkins found in the book Artsy Toddler Storytimes)

I'm a little firefighter off I go
Here is my helmet
Here is my truck
When my clothes catch on fire I know what to do
I stop, drop, and roll to put the fire out

• Sit down activity - "Drive the Fire Truck" action song from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

• Book #2 - Fire Safety in Action by Mari Schuh 

• Book #3 - Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook, illustrated by Andy Robert Davies

• Closing - Tambourines to the song "Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)" from Buzz Buzz by Laurie Berkner 

• Art experience - Cut out fire engine shape, then glue it to a white paper, color the fire engine with metallic pens for details like wheels, also glue on a yellow rectangle for the ladder on the side. I found a wonderful fire engine shape at busybeekidscrafts.com.  

Fighting Fires Toddler Storytime

Storytime for 1 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum

 

• Book #1 – Elecopter by Michael Slack

• Stand-up Activity – "Fantastic Fire Truck" action song to the tune of "Wheels On the Bus" that I found in a Mailbox Kindergarten magazine (October/November 2009, page 59)

• Bridge - 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 

• Flannelboard - "Five Firefighters" counting rhyme I found in a Preschool Mailbox magazine (October/November 2007, page 40)

• Letter of the Day - "F" is for firefighter

• 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 –  Fire Engine Man by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha 

• Closing - Tambourines to the song "Kookaburra" from Where Is Thumbkin? by Kimbo 

 

• Art Experience – Metallic pen coloring on red paper firefighter hats