Hello Kitty...

We found cats in the storytime apron this month!  We say hello to each as they come out of the pockets.

Then I read Mabela the Clever by Margart Read MacDonald.

This is an awesome story but is perhaps a little long for three year olds.  I ask "Who taught Mabela to be clever?" at the end of the story.  Her father is the response.  When I ask who is teaching you to be clever, the response is usually "My Mother!".  I suggest their teachers also.

Next we learn how to say kitty cat with our hands:

Little cat!   Meow!   Little Cat!  Meow!

There's a little cat walking all around.

Little Cat!   Meow!   Little Cat!  Meow!

See this little cat walking all around.

Here is the link to the whole song by Nancy Stewart:  http://www.nancymusic.com/Littlecat.htm

We learn to sign mouse, duck and pig also!

Then I add four mouse friends to the little grey mouse:

Five little mice came out to play, gathering crumbs along the way.

Out came a kitty cat, sleek and black, but only four little mice came back!

A black cat puppet pops up  from behind the flannel board and spies the mice!  Pause here for suspence.

Then she pounces on a mouse.  In the end, all of the little mice come back, of course!

Next I use the black puppet and the three little kitten finger puppets to tell the story of the three little kittens.

At the end of the story and mostly for the benefit of the teachers, I say, "And that's conditional love!"

Finally, I sing the soft kitty song and ask the children to pretend that one of their hands is a kitty.  Does your kitty purr or meow?

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur!

Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr!

Here are some more fingerplays you could use with a cat storytime:

Five Little Kittens

Five Little Kittens Standing in a row (Hold up 5 fingers)

They nod their heads to the children so (Bend fingers)

They run to the left, they run to the right

(Run fingers to the left and then to the right)

They stand up and stretch in the bright sunlight

(Stretch fingers out tall)

Along comes a dog who’s in for some fun

(Hold up one finger from opposite hand)

MEOW! See those little kittens run (Let fingers run)

My Cat Stretches (Full body rhyme, suit actions to words)

My cat stretches one paw high.

With the other paw she’ll touch the sky.

Then says meow and turns around.

Folds her paws and sits right down.

Thankful for Turkeys!

Books Shared or Recommended:

Bear Says Thanks by Wilson

Family Book by Parr

Littlest Pilgrim by Dougherty

Over the River and Through the Wood by Child

Ten Fat Turkeys by Johnston

Thanksgiving by Gibbons
Turkey Trouble by Silvano

Very First Thanksgiving Day by Greene

 

One Whole Pie

One while pie set by the door,

Cut into pieces, I count four.

Four pieces of pie, all for me!

I ate one piece, now there are three.

Three pieces of pie for me too.

I ate another piece, now there are two.

Two pieces of pie, Oh!  What fun!

I ate another piece, now there is one.

One piece of pie, I can’t wait!

I ate that last piece, Empty plate!

Five Fat Turkeys

Five fat turkeys sitting on a fence,

The first one said, “Oh my! I am immense!”

The second one said, “Gobble!  Gobble!  Gobble!”

The fourth one said, “thanksgiving Day is coming!”

The fifth one said, “We’d better start running!”

The turkeys could not be found on Thanksgiving Day, so the poor old farmer had this to say:

“I guess we’ll have to eat pizza!”

I’m a Little Turkey (Turkey Puppet Song)

(Tune:  I’m a Little Tea Pot)

I’m a little turkey, my name is Ted.

Here are my feathers, here is my head.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble, is what I say.

I run and hide on Thanksgiving Day!

Turkey wore his Red Feather

Turkey wore his red feather, red feather, red feather, Turkey wore his red feather,

All day long!

Green, orange, blue, yellow, pink and white feathers also.

Walk Like a Turkey

Walk like a turkey, waddle, waddle, waddle!

Talk like a turkey, gobble, gobble, gobble!

(Flap arms like wings)

Run like aturkey, ‘round and ‘round.

(Run in place)

But when it’s Thanksgiving, don’t make a sound!

(finger to lips)

Pies in the Oven

Pies in the oven, yum, yum, yum!

I can smell them, oh!  What fun!

One is pumpkin, one is berry.

They will make Thanksgiving merry!

Pies in the oven, yum, yum, yum!

Soon they’ll be in my tum, tum, tum!