I always start storytime with a welcome song:
Welcome, Welcome, everyone! (Wave hello)
Now we're here let's have some fun! (Tap your knees 'here')
First we clap our hands just so! (Clap hands)
Then we bend and touch our toes! (Touch toes)
Welcome, welcome, everyone! (Wave)
Now we're here, let's have some fun! (Sparkle hands open and closed)
Then I have been telling the story of All You Need for a Snowman by Schertle as I pull flannel things out of my apron.
One Snowflake. That's all you need for a snowman. Except... (You know the story.)
It was too much at first with itsy-bitsy parts of a carrot nose, buttons, etc. So I devised a plan: I pull out plain white snow balls but turn them over to find button eyes and a nose on the smallest one, three buttons on the medium sized one and a belt (to hold his pants up) on the largest snowball.
The children seem to enjoy decorating the snowman.
Uh oh! Look at the sky. One snowflake fluttering down. That's all you need to make a snowman's friend:
Then I read one of my favorite books, Snowmen at Night by Buehner. I love the rhyming text, the wonderful pictures and all of the fun that the snowmen have at night.
Then it's time to tell a story using a piece of paper and scissors.
Cut and Tell Story
The Disappearing Snowman
On Monday I made a snowman, just like that.
On Tuesday, the wind blew some of the snow away, just like that!
On Wednesday, it rained on my snowman, Just like that!
On Thursday, the hot sun started to melt it,
Just like that!
On Friday, it melted into a puddle, just like that.
On Saturday, it snowed again, just like that.
On Sunday, I made another snowman, just like that!
Then we sing:
Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, hiding behind a tree.
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun, please shine down on me.
These little children are asking you to please come out so we can play with you!
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me.
Watch this and learn the hand signs to accompany the words
here.
Here's a fun little flannelized version of "Three Little Snowmen Riding on a Sled" which I got from the brilliant website
Piper Loves the Library:
Three little snowmen riding on a sled.
One fell off and lost his head.
Frosty called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more snowmen riding on the sled!"
until you get to the last one and the doctor says:
"Put those snowmen back on the sled!"
And I put them back with the wrong heads...
But fix them when the children notice the mistake.
It's then time for the five little finger puppets. Have the children raise one hand so that they have five little snowmen also!
And we say:
Five little snowmen standing in a row, each with a hat and a big old bow.
Out came the sun and it stayed all day, and the little red snowman melted away.
Continue until they are all melted away.
And have the children hold up their snowmen again to sing:
Snowman Hokey Pokey
You put your snowman up.
You put your snowman down.
You put your snowman up and
You shake him all around.
You do the snowman pokey and
You turn yourself around.
Two stomps on the ground!
One!
Two!
You put your snowman in front.
You put your snowman in back.
You put your snowman in front and
You give your knee a whack.
You do the snowman pokey and
You turn yourself around.
Two stomps on the ground.
One, two!
You touch your snowman to your head.
You touch your snowman to your toe.
You touch your snowman to your head
and
You shake it to and fro.
You do the snowman pokey and
You turn yourself around.
Two stomps on the ground!
One, two!
Then my snowmen sing the goodbye song before they melt away.
.
