Farm Animals

Let's start storytime with a guessing game!  I'll say a riddle and you guess what is in the apron pocket!  OK, ready?

On grass and hay I chew and chew
I give you milk and say' "Moo Moo!"

 

Maa Maa Maa is what I say.
Maa Maa Maa all the day.
(They always guess sheep, but it's another animal that gives us milk.  It rhymes with boat.)

 

In mud and dirt I like to play.
Oink, Oink, Oink is what I say!

 

I'll give you rides, that's lots of fun!
Neigh Neigh Neigh, I gallop and run!

 

My feathers can be yellow, white or black.
Waddle, waddle, waddle, quack, quack, quack!

 

Baa Baa Baa, yes I have some wool,
Baa Baa Baa, three bags full!

 

If I'm your friend, you're never alone,
Woof!  Woof!  Woof!  Give me a bone!

 

I have whiskers and very soft fur.
I like to sleep and I go Puurrr, Purrr.

 

I'll lay eggs for you in my nest.
Cluck, Cluck, Cluck, I'll do my best!

 

Where do all of these animals live?  Yes, the farm!  Let's have a farm animal storytime!

We start with a really great farm animal book:  Duck on a Bike by David Shannon.

This one is a winner!  Kids of all ages love it-especially the ending!

 

Then we put the flannel animals into the barn (the flannel board) but leave the farmer's dog.  His name is BINGO!

 

 

Do you know the song?  We sing a verse and then talk about the tricky part:  turn the first letter over and clap that letter.  Don't sing it!  These children have some mad clapping skills!

 

 

 

Time for another great farm animal story:  The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson.

 

Such a fun, repetitive book with another great surprise ending.

 

Then, it's time to see what's in the 'big red barn', a 'bag o' puppets'.

 

It's Old MacDonald's farm!

And we sing:

With a moo moo here:

 

 

With a baa baa there:

 

 

Here a meow:

 

 

There a quack:

 

 

every where an oink oink!

Old MacDonald had a....Monkey???

 

Old MacDonald, You're silly!   Monkeys don't live on the farm.  Where do they live, children?  Right, the jungle!  Well, silly Old MacDonald had a Monkey.  What do Monkeys say?  oooooo  eeeeee!  With an ooooo oooo oooo here and a eee eee eee there...

Old MacDonald ends with a little chick.

 

It quiets the room down to hear a little peep peep here and there. 

This is a fun and silly storytime, perfect for Spring!

 

 



 





Re-Visiting Space

I decided to repeat my space storytime from two years ago.  Here's how it went:

I told the story of Eight Spinning Planets with the Storytime apron.  This is a great rhyming story to flannalize:

 

 

Then I read the book, Here in Space by Milgrim  It's helpful to point out to the children that the boy in this adventure story picks something up from each place he visits.  See?  What did he pick up on this page? 

 

 

Time for a stretch after the book:

Zoom!  Zoom! Zoom!

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.  (Hand in prayer position and push up three times)

We’re going to the moon.  (Point up to the sky)

If you want to take a trip,

Climb aboard my rocket ship.  (Climbing motion)

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, We’re going to the Moon.  (repeat)

Count down!

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

(Crouch down with hands together)

Blast off!

(Jump up and shoot arms into the air)

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,

We’re going to the Moon!

 

 

Rocket Ships:

 

Five litte Rockets blasting out the door!

One goes to Mars and then there are four.

Four Little Rockets winking at me.

One shot off and then there were three!

Three little rockets with nothing to do.

One shot off and then there were two!

Two Little rockets afraid of the sun.

One shot off and then there was one!

One little rocket alone is no fun.

It shot off and then there were none.

 

 

 



As I said, I did this Space storytime about two years ago and it went really well, but I was bothered by the lack of a puppet.  I always have a puppet to help end storytime, but didn't have one for this theme.  Buzz Lightyear?  No, too Disney.  Then I came across this post which I had pinned to my pinterest Board:
Litte Astronauts by Storytime Katie. 

 

Instead of just two, I had to make five and then I had to make one more little rocket ship. 

Five Litte Astronauts

Five little Astronauts floating in space

The first one said, "Let's get out of this place!"

The second one said, "Off to the moon!"

The third one said, "I'll be there soon!"

The fourth one said, "My space ship is ready!"

The fifth one said, "Wait!  Hold it steady!"

Then Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, they took off on their flight

And the five little Astronauts zoomed out of site.

(Have a safe trip!)

 

 

This storytime worked well for all ages, and by that I mean toddlers to Pre-schoolers.  We had to talk about why you couldn't see the Astronauts eyes (they have helmets on) and there were other very interesting discussions!  It was a blast!

 

 

Seahawks!

Half of the children at our library STEM play time this morning were sporting their SEAHAWKS jerseys!

Here is a photo so that you can enjoy the excitement and fun we here in the Seattle area are having with this Super Bowl!

 

Here's a photo of the mini banner I made for the bookmobile, but then shared with circulation:

 

And here's our little in-library display for the Hawks:

 

 

In case you'd like to do a Seattle Seahawks storytime, here's a suggested book title to share:

The Story of the Seattle Seahawks by Whiting. 

Awesome!

 

Go Seahawks!

 

Snowmen

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Flannel Board Inventory

I took the time to organize and photograph my flannel board sets today.  Since I keep them in an old-fashioned file cabinet, it's easy to forget just what's in there.
Of course, they are organized alphabetically.
I used a simple word document.  I added a table with four columns and four rows for each page.  Then I simply added the photograph, the name of the set, the description and then any themes which the set could be used with.

So, without further ado, here's what I found in that old grey file beast:

Name/Title	Photo			Description		Themes
ABC’s				Not made yet!		Alphabet
APPLE Bingo				For this song:  “I know a fruit that grows on trees and Apples is its name-oh!  A-P-P-L-E, A-P-P-L-E, A-P-P-L-E, and Apple is its name-oh!		Apples, letters (alphabet)
The Farmer’s Wife				For Use with telling the story by Indries Shah.  “Once upon a time there was a farmer’s wife…”		Apples
The Apple Tree				For use with the song:  “Way up high in the apple tree, some little apples smiled at me.  I shook that tree as hard as I could, down came the apples, umm, mm, good!” then:  angry, cried, whispered, yawned.		Apples, emotions
Apple Basket				“The first apple in the basket was bright and shiny red…Oh dear!  Oh me!  Oh my!  This basket looks like pastry!  I think we’re in a pie!”		Apples, food,
Barnyard Banter			For use with the book by Denise Fleming		Animals, farm
BINGO			For use with the song: Bingo		Dogs, letters, farms
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?		Need photo	For use with the book		Colors, Animals
One Little Blue bird			One little blue bird up and up he flew.  Along came another one and that makes two…		Counting, birds
In My Nest			Use with the text from the board book:  in my nest by Sara Gillingham		Birds, group participation, homes

Birds					“Two little dickey birds…one named Jack, one named Jill…”  (Cloud, soft, loud)  (Sky, Low, and high) Finger play	Birds
Black Birds baked in a pie					For use with the Nursery Rhyme	Birds, food?
Bug					Pull Bug parts out of your story time apron and make…a bug!	Bugs
BUGS					For use with the book Bustle in the Bushes	Bugs
Bunnies				Fingerpuppets:  “Five little rabbits sitting by the door.  One hopped away and then there were…four!  Etc”		Rabbits
CATS				To pull out of the apron		CATS
Three Little Kittens				Finger puppets to use with the Nursery Rhyme and a bigger hand puppet as the mother		Cats, conditional love
Little Cat, duck, mouse, pig				For use with the song which teaches sign language		Cat, Mouse, Duck, Pig…
Dinosaurs			For apron use and also for Five Little Dinosaurs Jumping on the Bed song			Dinosaurs
Dogs				Apron usage		Dogs
Dog’s Colorful Day				To tell the story by Emma Dodd		Dogs, colors
This Old Man				To tell the story/song		Counting, dogs, rhyming
Little White Duck				To tell the story by Whipple		Ducks, ponds, frogs, bugs, snakes,
Animals in Winter				Borrowed the frog and snake from “Little White Duck” and the bird from “Birds”		Snow, Winter, Animals, Hibernation
Hibernation				For use with the song:  “Hibernation, time for Hibernation, Hibernation, Time to go to sleep!”		Hibernation, animals in winter…
Deep Blue Sea				To tell the story from the book by Woods		+Colors, Ocean,

Flowers			For use with the rhyme:  Five little Flowers				Flowers, spring, gardens
Pie			For use with the rhyme:  “One whole pie set by the door, Cut into pieces:  Let’s count four!  Four pieces of pie, all for me!  I ate one piece and then there were three!...”				Food, Thanksgiving, fractions…counting
Five Brown Buns			Use with the Song:  “Five brown Buns”				Food, counting,
Flip-Flap Jack			Song:  There was a man made of food…				Food,
Five Green and Speckled Frogs				Use with the song		Frogs, ponds, counting
Three Billy Goats Gruff					Use to tell the story	Goats,
It looked like Spilt Milk					Use to tell the story	Shapes, clouds,
Lazy Jack					Use to tell the tale	Days of the week…

Jo MacDonald’s Garden		Use to tell the story	Gardens
Five little Mice		Use with a cat puppet to tell the rhyme:  “Five little mice came out to play, gathering crumbs along the way…”	Mice, Cats
Hide and Seek Mice		Can you find me?  Where can I be?  rhyme	Mice.  Hiding.
Monsters		For use in Apron or Five little Monsters jumping on the bed…	Monsters, Halloween

Go Away, Big, Green, Scary Monster!			Use to tell the story		Monsters Halloween feelings
The Squeaky Door				Use to tell the story by Margaret Read MacDonald	Halloween, monsters
Five Little Hoot Owls				Use with the rhyme: “Five Hoot Owls sitting in a tree, ONE  Flew away and then there were….”	Birds, owls,
Five Little Penguins				Penguins Finger Puppets.  Use with “Five Perky Penguins standing  on the shore…” or song “Did you ever see a Penguin”	Penguins, birds, ice,

Pippa’s Penguins		Use to tell the story	Penguins
Pirates		Use to sing the song, “This old pirate has a hat..”	Pirates
Pumpkins		Apron use,	Pumpkins, fall
Jack ‘o’ Lanterns		Sing”  “If you’re happy and you know it…”	Pumpkins, fall, feelings

The Little Old Lady Who wasn’t Afraid of anything		Use to tell the story	Halloween, Pumpkins, feelings
Rainbow		Song:  “Make a Rainbow” to the tune of Skip to my Lou	Shapes, Colors,
Shape houses		Use with the Rhyme:  “Some houses are made of wood and some of clay but let’s make a house just of shapes today…”	Shapes
A Pizza is a Triangle		Lay down the pieces and say, this is a triangle, etc until you get to the next shape and the children will correct you..	Shapes

Shapes		Use with the song: Who has a shape today?	Shapes, colors
Five Little Rockets		Use with Rhyme:  “Four little Rockets…”	Space, Things that go
Eight Spinning Planets		Tell the story of Eight Spinning Planets	Space
Turkey		Use with song:  Have you ever seen a turkey?  (to the tune of Have you ever seen a lassie?)	Turkeys, colors, Thanksgiving

Thanks a Lot		Use with the song by Raffi	Thanksgiving
Zoo Animals		Use with:  My Name is Lou.  I work at the Zoo…	Zoo or jungle animals
Zoo Animals		These are the habitats that you hide the zoo animals behind…also use the snake from Little White Duck	Zoo Animals
Fall Leaves		Use to tell the story of Mouse’s first fall or just for leaves in apron	Fall, leaves