Food Fun - 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: The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Stand-up activity: “I’m a Little Teapot” action song from This Little Piggy by Adam Stemple, et al

I'm a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up
Hear me shout
"Tip me over and pour me out!"

I'm a clever teapot,
Yes it's true
Here let me show you
What I can do
I can change my handle
And my spout
Just tip me over and pour me out!

Sit-down activity / Bridge: Pat-a-Cake (traditional clapping nursery rhyme) 

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Pat it 
And roll it 
And mark it with a "B"
Put it in the oven for baby and me 

Literacy tip: Clapping rhymes help children learn hand-eye coordination and get both halves of our brains communicating with each other.  

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: Mother and Father and Uncle John (lap bounce)

(bounce baby on legs)

Mother and Father and Uncle John

Went to the market, one by one.

Mother fell off!

Father fell off!

But Uncle John went on, and on,

And on, and on, and on!

Lap rhyme #3: Down By the Banks of the Hanky Panky (lap bounce)

(bounce baby on legs)
Down by the banks of the hanky panky,
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank.
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop,
Jump off the lillypad,
(gently bounce onto the floor)
Kerplopl!

Letter of the day: "S" is for sharing

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) 

Flannelboard: Five Little Pizzas (counting down rhyme)

Down around the corner at the pizza shop,
There were {five} little pizzas with cheese on top.
Along came a hungry child all alone,
Who bought one pizza and took it home.  

(Continue rhyme by decreasing the number of pizzas)

Down around the corner at the pizza shop,
They were all out of pizzas with cheese on top.
They were sold out!

Closing song with Scarves: “Popcorn Calling Me” action song from Buzz Buzz by Laurie Berkner

Food Play - Family Storytime

 A Saturday storytime for ages 0-6 years old.  

Opening: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

Literacy flannelboard: Bread Alphabet

I wrote the letters of the alphabet on bread loaf cut-outs.  I then handed these bread loaves to the children and they brought them up to the board when I called their letter.  

  

Book #1: Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey

Stand-up activity: “I’m a Little Teapot” action song from This Little Piggy by Adam Stemple, et al

Sit-down activity: Alligator Pie (an action rhyme I found many years ago that I have seen on many websites)

Alligator, alligator, alligator pie, 
(Open and close arms like the jaws of an alligator)

If I don't get some I think I'm gonna cry.
(Rub eyes like you are crying)

You can take away the grass,
(Point to the ground)

You can take away the sky,
(Point to the sky above)

But don't take away my alligator pie!
(Open and close arms like an alligator)

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)
My sister, the baby, 
(point to ring, then baby finger) 
I love them all. 
(kiss the fingertips of your finger family) 

Book #2: Who Took the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? by David A. Carter (pop-up)

Book #3: Early Bird by Toni Yuly

Closing with Scarves: “Popcorn Calling Me” action song from Buzz Buzz by Laurie Berkner

Art activity: (This one is more of a craft activity than an art activity.) Color, cut, and tape together a paper popcorn box that I once found at https://theimaginationbox.com/shop/.  

Puppy Dogs Toddler Storytime

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 #1 – Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

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.

Transition #1 - 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 – Playing Drums On the Mat (clapping rhyme found in the book Artsy Toddler Storytimes: A Year's Worth of Ready-To-Go Programming by Carol Garnett Hopkins) 

Letter of the day - "D” is for dog

Transition #2 – 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 – Puppy Dogs! by Katie Kobble, illustrated by Danny Brooks Dalby (board book pop-up)

Closing – Scarves to the song “Flitter Flutter” from The Second Line: Scarf Activity Songs by Johnette Downing

 

 

Take & Make Craft Kit: Paper Gnome House

  I introduced this to-go craft kit as a way to use up some paper soup cups I had in storage.    

Supplies provided in the kit:
Square of patterned paper
Glue dots (5)
Paper cup
Colored pens (3)

 

What you need from home:
Scissors
Optional: Glitter glue, buttons, sequins, craft foam, etc. for decorating

 

Instructions: 
Every gnome house is unique!

Use scissors to cut off, or round off, all four corners of your paper square. Make it into a circle-like shape. Your circle, or squircle, does not need to be perfectly symmetrical. In fact, a non-perfect squircle will give your gnome house a special charm!

2.     Fold the squircle in half one way. Unfold. Fold the squircle in half another way. Unfold. Where the two folds meet is the approximate center of the squircle. Look at your paper squircle shape. Choose which pattern, or side, you want to show, and which will be hidden underneath (the backside). Use a pen to make a dot in the center of the squircle on the backside of the paper.

3.      On the backside of the squircle shape, draw two straight lines from the center dot to the edge. This should look somewhat triangular, like the shape of a piece of pie. Use scissors to cut out the pie wedge using the lines for guidance.

4.      Holding onto the squircle shape, overlap the two corners made by the pie wedge cut out. Overlap these two corners as little or as much as you want until you make the cone shape you desire. This cone will become the roof of your gnome house. When the cone shape is how you like it, use two glue dots to hold the paper cone in place.

 

5.      Place the paper cup in front of you, bottom side up. Place three glue dots around the bottom edge of the paper cup. Gently press the cone over these glue dots. Double check to make sure the paper cone is touching all three glue dots.

 

6.      Use the color pens to draw a door on the outside of the paper cup. Also, use the pens to decorate the outside of your gnome house. You can add windows, plants, animals, mushrooms, or whatever you think is needed. Be very careful when handling the gnome house as you decorate it. The color pen ink smudges easily!

 

 

 

Sweet Transportation Toddler Storytime

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 #1 – The Mixed-Up Truck by Stephen Savage

Stand-up activity – “Wheels On the Bus” traditional action song from Six Little Ducks by Kimbo

Transition #1 - 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 – Wheels On a Hippopotamus (rhyme I was introduced to by a librarian at the King County Library System)

You see
Wheels on a car
And on a train.
Wheels on a truck,
And a jumbo plane. 
You see
Wheels on a van,
A bike,
A bus,
But you don’t see wheels on a hippopotamus - -
Unless she’s roller-skating!

Letter of the day - "W” is for wheels

Transition #2 – 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 – Max Drives Away by Rosemary Wells (board book)  

Closing – Scarves to the song “Flitter Flutter” from The Second Line: Scarf Activity Songs by Johnette Downing

 

Baby Parade Toddler Storytime

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 #1 – Baby Party by Rebecca O’Connell, illustrated by Susie Poole

Stand-up activity – “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” traditional action song from Wee Sing Children’s Songs and Fingerplays

Transition #1 - 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 – Hi Ho the Derry-O the Animals Found Their Babies

I used some animal matching cards I had from a preschool storytime to talk about animal sounds and the names of these animal babies.

The horse found its foal.
The horse found its foal.
Hi-ho the derry-o,
The horse found its foal.

(Repeat with other animals such as dogs, cats, pigs, ducks, etc.)

Letter of the day - "P” is for puppies

Transition #2 – 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 – I Can Do It Too! by Karen Baicker, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max (board book)

Closing – Scarves to the song “Flitter Flutter” from The Second Line: Scarf Activity Songs by Johnette Downing