Storytime - April Showers Bring May Flowers

April 29th was our last meeting of storytime for the Winter/Spring 2011 session. We'll start up again on June 10th. Can't wait! Here's what we did on our last day:

Books

Little Cloud by Eric Carle

Toddler

 One Little Seed by Elaine Greenstein

 

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

 

Zinnia's Flower Garden by Monica Wellington

  


 

Special Songs/Rhymes

Rain is Falling Down

Rain is falling down, splash!

(wiggle finger down in front of child, making splashing motion at end of line)

Rain is falling down, splash!

Pitter patter pitter patter

Rain is falling down, SPLASH!

          (big splash at end – fun in bath or pool)

--from Lapsit Services for the Very Young by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001.

The Great Big Spider

Sung to: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"

The great big spider went up the water spout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

And the great big spider went up the spout again.

--from Lapsit Services for the Very Young by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001.

I Hear Thunder

Sung to: “Frere Jacques”

I hear thunder, I hear thunder

          (pound hands on floor or lap)

Yes, don’t you?

          (cup on hand by ear to listen)

Yes, don’t you?

          (cup other hand to other ear)

Pitter, patter raindrops, pitter, patter raindrops

(wiggle fingers in falling motion in front of face)

 I’m wet through,

(shake body)

So are you!  

--from Lapsit Services for the Very Young by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001. 
  
Game
Make Your Own Thunderstorm
Instruct the children to watch you and repeat what you do. Start by rubbing your hands together. Move on to tapping your hands on your legs, then gently clapping your hands. Clap your hands a little bit louder each time, then start to stomp your feet. It helps if you ask a parent ahead of time to flick the lights on and off while the thunder is happening. Gradually begin to do the steps in the opposite order (stomping feet, loud clap, soft clap, etc). You've just made your own thunderstorm!

Felt Board

Five Little Flowers

One little flower had nothing much to do,
Out popped another one, then there were two.
Two little flowers were smiling at the bee,
Out popped another one, then there were three.
Three little flowers were growing by the door,
Out popped another one, then there were four.
Four little flowers were glad to be alive,
Out popped another one, then there were five.

--from PreschoolEducation.com 

Craft

Toddler: I copied a coloring sheet of a stem with leaves. The children colored the picture in and pasted a muffin cup to the top of the stem. Thanks to Miss Sara for the idea and the coloring sheet!

Preschool: The children pasted yarn, muffin cup halves, cotton balls, and raindrop die cuts onto blue construction paper to make their own rainy day picture.