Valentine Tree Love - 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.

 

 

Color literacy activity flannelboard: Valentine Tree (adapted from a flannelboard rhyme I found at https://busycraftingmommy.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/valentines-day-flannel-friday/ )

 

I know a very special tree
That lives among the pines.
It has no leaves upon its boughs,
It just grows valentines.

It grows some pretty red ones,
And others that are blue,
It grows some fancy lace ones
With flowers on them, too.

It grows some little pink ones
And great big ones of green.
It grows the nicest valentines
That I have ever seen.

One day, I walked up to it
And shook that special tree.
Down fell a valentine
Especially for me!

 

  

Book #1: One Love based on the song by Bob Marley, adapted by Cedella Marley, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton   

Stand-up activity: I Have a Little Heart (action chant I picked up someplace, I have seen different adaptations of it in many places)

I have a little heart
(hand over heart)
And it goes thump, thump, thump
(pat chest with fingers)
It keeps right on beating when I jump, jump, jump
(jump)
I get a special felling when I look at you
(point to children)
It makes me want to blow a kiss or two
(blow kisses)

 

Sit-down activity: Put Your Valentine On Your Nose (fingerplay written by Carol Hopkins)

Put your Valentine on your nose, on your nose
Put your Valentine on your nose, on your nose
It's a heart for love and friendship
A hug for everyone
Put your Valentine on your nose
Put your Valentine on your toes...
Put your Valentine on your head...

(repeat with more body parts)

 

***Parent literacy tip:  When you talk about Valentines, make sure to use lots of describing words: Lacy, big , red, polka-dotted, fuzzy, silly… the more words our children hear, the bigger their vocabularies will be.    

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 

  

Book #2: How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

Book #3: Lilly’s Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes (board book)

Closing music with jingle bells: “Fruit Salad Salsa” from Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner

   

Art activity: “Love Is Easy to Spot” heart cut and color sheet with dot markers and heart stickers.

Optional other books:
A Kiss Like This by Mary Murphy
Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka

 

 

 

Valentine Shapes - 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: My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Julie Flett

Stand-up activity: "If You're Happy and You Know It" (action song from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

 Sit-down activity: 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) 

 

***Literacy tip: When you talk about Valentines, make sure to use lots of describing words: Lacy, big, red, polka-dotted, fuzzy, silly… the more words our children hear, the bigger their vocabularies will be.    

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: Roly Poly (hand rolling opposites action rhyme)

Roly poly, roly poly, up, up, up.
Roly poly, roly poly, down, down, down.
Roly poly, roly poly, out, out, out.
Roly poly, roly poly, in, in, in.
Roly poly, roly poly, clap, clap, clap.
Roly poly, roly poly, tap, tap, tap.
Roly poly, roly poly, fast, fast, fast.
Roly poly, roly poly, slow, slow, slow.
Roly poly, roly poly, I love you!

 

Lap rhyme #4: 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.

 

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: "V” is for Valentine’s Day

 

 

Flannelboard: Valentine Shapes (flannelboard rhyme I found at my library, the citation says it from Totline Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999, page 22)

Closing song with bells and egg shakers: “Ring Them On the Floor” from I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman

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