Storytime - Chinese New Year

Toddler

Books: My First Chinese New Year by Karen Katz and Ten Mice for Tet by Pegi Deitz Shea and Cynthia Weill

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Let’s Go Riding”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Chinese New Year”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Four Red Dragons” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: Horses for the New Year. Materials: Chinese New Year horses printout (on red paper), gold glitter, crayons, and glue. The toddlers colored in their horses and then covered their pictures in glue. I sprinkled gold glitter over the glue to make their horses festive for the new year. The horse printout came from OnColoring.com.

Preschool

Books: Max Celebrates Chinese New Year by Adria F. Klein and Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Hi There, So Glad You Came”, “Let’s Go Riding”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Chinese New Year”, “The Hokey Pokey”, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: Horses for the New Year. Materials: Chinese New Year horses printout (on red paper), gold sequins, crayons, and glue. The preschoolers colored in their horses and then covered their pictures in glue. They used their fine motor skills (developing their writing muscles!) to apply the sequins to the glue.

Songs/Rhymes

Let's Go Riding

Sung to: "Are You Sleeping?"

Let's go riding, let's go riding,

Saddle up. Saddle up.

Everybody ready? Everybody ready?

Giddyup! Giddyup!

--PreschoolEducation

Chinese New Year

Sung to “Mary Had a Little Lamb

See the dragon dance and prance

Dance and prance, dance and prance

See the dragon dance and prance

On Chinese New Year’s Day!

Hear the firecrackers pop, pop, pop

Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop

Hear the firecrackers pop, pop, pop

On Chinese New Year’s Day!

-- PerpetualPreschool.com

Five Red Dragons

Five red dragons

Making such a roar
One danced away

And then there were four 

Four red dragons

Dancing 'round a tree
One danced away

And then there were three
Three red dragons

Dancing 'round you
One danced away

And then there were two
Two red dragons

Dancing in the sun
One danced away

And then there was one
One red dragon

Having lots of fun

She danced away
And then there were none

Storytime - Oh Baby!

Toddler

Books: Bouncing Babies by Mike Brownlow and How Do You Make a Baby Smile? by Philemon Sturges

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “All the Little Babies Love Bouncing”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Patty Cake”, “Ten Little Babies” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, “Wind, Oh Wind” with scarves, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” with scarves, “Mix a Pancake” with scarves, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: There was no craft today. We played with scarves instead.

Preschool

Books: The Difference Between Babies and Cookies by Mary Hanson and First Brother or Sister by Monica Hughes (non-fiction title).

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “All the Little Babies Love Bouncing”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Patty Cake”, “Ten Little Babies” on the felt board, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Activity: The preschoolers paired up to sing “Patty Cake”. They clapped each other’s hands and worked together to make the song even more fun! We also played a game with a giant, inflatable die. Each number represented an action that a baby would do. The preschoolers ate, crawled, talked, cried, had stinky diapers, and slept, just like babies!

Craft: There was no craft today. We played the game instead.

Songs/Rhymes

All the Little Babies

Sung to: “Short’nin’ Bread”

All the little babies love bouncing, bouncing
All the little babies just to love bounce!

All the little babies love bouncing, bouncing
All the little babies just to love bounce!

Lean to the left, lean to the right

Hug that baby nice and tight!

--Katie at Sharing Soda

Patty Cake

Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man,

Bake me a cake as fast as you can

Roll it

And pat it

And mark it with a “B”

And put it in the oven for baby and me.

--Traditional

Ten Little Babies

Sing to: Ten Little Indians

One little two little three little babies

Four little five little six little babies

Seven little eight little nine little babies

Ten baby girls and boys!

--Mel's Desk

*To make the song more interactive, change last line to ten little babies eating/crying/with stinky diapers/sleeping...shh!

Wind, Oh Wind

-- Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.

If You're Happy and You Know It (with scarves)

Sung to: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

shake your scarf

wave your scarf

throw your scarf

play peek-a-boo

hide your scarf

scrunch your scarf in your hands

hide it behind your back

--Story Time with the Library Lady

Mix a Pancake

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

Storytime - Snowmen

Toddler

Books: Snow! by Christine Ford and Snowy Blowy Winter by Bob Raczka

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Open, Shut Them”, “The Hokey Pokey”, “Four Little Snowmen Riding on a Sled” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”. 

Craft: Make a Snowman. Materials: snowman printout, cotton balls, crayons, glue, and tape. The toddlers colored in their snowmen and then used their fine motor skills to glue the cotton balls to him. The snowman printout came from Early Learning Activities.

Preschool

Books: Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Open, Shut Them”, “The Hokey Pokey”, “Four Little Snowmen Riding on a Sled” on the felt board, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Activity: I brought in Snow in a Can. You can check out the post I made about it here.

Craft: There was no craft today. I sent home a snowman worksheet and homemade playdoh so the preschoolers could make their own snowmen. I used this recipe courtesy of Mommy Moment. 

Songs/Rhymes

If You’re Happy and You Know It

If you’re happy and you know it,

Clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it,

Clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it,

And you really want to show it,

If you’re happy and you know it,

Clap your hands.

Repeat with stomp your feet, shout hooray, do all three.

--Traditional

The Hokey Pokey

You put one arm in,

You take one arm out.

You put one arm in,

And you shake it all about.

You do the Hokey Pokey,

And you turn yourself around.

That’s what it’s all about!

Substitute different body parts. For more advanced children, use left and right.

--Traditional

Four Little Snowmen

Four little snowmen riding on a sled
One fell off and bumped his head
Frosty called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more snowmen riding on that sled!”
(Continue in this fashion until you get to zero)

--PreschoolEducation

Storytime - Winter is Here

Toddler

Books: Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin and Mouse’s First Snow by Lauren Thompson.

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “The Winter Pokey”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Boots, Jacket, Scarf, and Hat”, “Four Little Snowflakes” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”. 

Craft: Snowy Pictures. Materials: Elmer’s glue, shaving cream, silver glitter, dark blue construction paper, and paintbrushes. Mix equal parts shaving cream and glue into a cup and add glitter. The toddlers painted their blue paper with the snow paint. When the paint dries, they will have a three dimensional picture of a winter wonderland!

Preschool

Books: Snow by Manya Stojic and The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson (non-fiction title).

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Hi There, So Glad You Came”, “The Winter Pokey”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Boots, Jacket, Scarf, and Hat”, and “The More We Get Together”. 

Craft: See Toddler craft above.

Songs/Rhymes

The Winter Pokey
Sung to: "The Hokey Pokey"

You put your mittens in,
you take your mittens out,
you put your mittens in
and you shake it all about.

You do the winter pokey
and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about.

Additional verses:
You put your boots in . . .
You put your hat in . . .
You put your snowsuit in . . .

--PreschoolEducation

Boots, Jacket, Scarf, and Hat

Sung to: “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”

Boots, jacket, scarf, and hat,

Scarf and hat.

Boots, jacket, scarf, and hat,

Scarf and hat.

In wintertime we dress like that.

Boots, jacket, scarf, and hat,

Scarf and hat.

--Mel’s Desk

Four Little Snowflakes

One little snowflake with nothing to do,

Along came another and then there were… two!

Two little snowflakes laughing with me,

Along came another and then there were…three!

Three little snowflakes looking for some more,

Along came another and then there were…four!

Four little snowflakes having so much fun!

Out came the sun, and then there were none!

--Loons and Quines at Librarytime

*note: my set only has four snowflakes. 

Original last line for "Five Little Snowflakes":

Four little snowflakes dancing a jive,

Along came another, and then there were…five!

Five little snowflakes, having so much fun!

Out came the sun, and then there were none!

Storytime - Animals Down Under

Toddler

Special Note: This week’s storytime was performed by Miss Kelly

Books: Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, Who Hops? by Katie Davis, and Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? by John Butler.

Songs / Rhymes: “Shake Your Sillies Out” by Raffi, “The Silly Dance Contest” by Jim Gill, and “Sticks Tap” with popsicle sticks.

Craft: Koala Hats. Materials: koala head cut out, cotton balls, yarn, crayons, glue, and tape. The toddlers glued and taped their cotton balls to their cut outs to make their own koala hats.

Preschool

Special Note: This week’s storytime was performed by Miss Kelly

Books: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill, Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, and Who Hops? by Katie Davis.

Songs / Rhymes: “Shake Your Sillies Out” by Raffi, “The Silly Dance Contest” by Jim Gill, and “Sticks Tap” with popsicle sticks.

Craft: Platypus Puppets. Materials: Platypus printout, paper lunch bags, glue, tape, crayons, and scissors. The preschoolers cut out the pieces of the platypus and glued them to the bags to create a puppet.

Storytime - Read with Me

Toddler

Books: Baby Penguins Everywhere! by Melissa Guion and Stick! by Andy Pritchett

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Open, Shut Them”, “The Elevator Song”, “Head and Shoulders”, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, “Come Under My Umbrella” with parachute, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” with parachute, “Ring Around the Rosie” with parachute, “Row Boat, Row Boat” with parachute, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: There was no craft today. The toddlers played with the parachute instead.

Preschool

Books: Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein and The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Open, Shut Them”, “The Elevator Song”, “The ABC Stop Song”, “Come Under My Umbrella” with parachute, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” with parachute, “Row Boat, Row Boat” with parachute, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: There was no craft today. The preschoolers played with the parachute instead.

Songs/Rhymes

The Elevator Song

Sung to: "Do Your Ears Hang Low?"

Oh the city is great and the city is grand

There's a whole lot of people

on a little piece of land

And we live way up on the 57th floor

and this is what we do when we go out the door.

We take the elevator up and the elevator down,

take the elevator up, take the elevator down

Take the elevator up and the elevator down

and we turn around.

--Jbrary

*This is my new favorite song!

Head and Shoulders

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,

Knees and toes

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,

Knees and toes

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose

Head and shoulders, knees and toes

Knees and toes!

--Traditional

Come Under My Umbrella

with parachute

Come under my umbrella,

Umbrella, umbrella.

Gently wave the parachute up and down.

Come under my umbrella,

It’s starting to storm.

Move parachute faster.

There’s thunder and lightning

And wind and rain.

Come under my umbrella,

It’s starting to storm.

--MCLS Kids

If You're Happy and You Know It

with parachute

If you're happy and you know it,

Shake it slow.

If you're happy and you know it,

Shake it slow.

If you're happy and you know it,

And you really want to show it,

If you're happy and you know it,

Shake it slow.

*raise it high, shake it fast.

--Kendra at Read, Sing, Play

Ring Around the Rosie

Ring around the rosie

A pocket full of posie

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!

--Traditional

Row Boat, Row Boat

Row boat, row boat go so slow (wave the chute slowly).

Row boat, row boat go so fast (shake the chute fast).

Row boat, row boat the waves are getting worse (shake fast again).

Row boat, row boat put it in reverse (stop the chute by pulling towards you).

--Kendra at Read, Sing, Play

The ABC Stop Song

A B C D E F G

STOP! (holding palms facing out in front of you)

H I J K L M N O P

STOP! (holding palms facing out in front of you)

Q R S T U V

STOP! (holding palms facing out in front of you)

W X Y and Z

STOP! (holding palms facing out in front of you)

Now I know my ABCs, next time won’t you sing with me?

STOP! (Extra loud, flail your arms like a maniac)

--via The Magpie Librarian

Storytime - Eeek! A Mouse!

Toddler

Books: Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson and Lunch by Denise Fleming

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Tall as a Tree”, “Open, Shut Them”, “The Leaves Are Falling Down” with pretend leaves, “Hickory Dickory Dock” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Activity: After reading Mouse’s First Fall, I described how much fun fall can be, especially when there are leaves falling down! I sang “The Leaves Are Falling Down” while throwing the pretend leaves in the air. When I was finished, I asked the toddlers to “rake” them back up and put them in a pile (back in the bag).

Craft: There was no craft today. The toddlers took home an M is for Mouse coloring sheet.

Preschool

Books: Mice by Rose Fyleman and Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Tall as a Tree”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Five Little Mice”, “A Tooty Tah”, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, “The Leaves Are Falling Down” with pretend leaves, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Activity: After reading Mouse’s First Fall, Miss Mollie described how much fun fall can be, especially when there are leaves falling down! She sang “The Leaves Are Falling Down” while throwing the pretend leaves in the air. When she was done, Miss Mollie asked the preschoolers to “rake” them back up and put them in a pile (back in the bag).

Craft: There was no craft today. The preschoolers took home an M is for Mouse coloring sheet.

Songs/Rhymes

The Leaves are Falling Down

Sung to: "The Farmer in the Dell"
The leaves are falling down
The leaves are falling down
Red, yellow, green, and brown
The leaves are falling down

--PreschoolEducation

Hickory Dickory Dock (felt board)

Hickory, dickory, dock

(clasp hands together and swing gently back and forth)

The mouse ran up the clock.

(run fingers up so hands end up above head)

The clock struck one,

          (clap hands once)

The mouse ran down,

          (bring arms back down in front)

Hickory, dickory, dock.

--Traditional

Five Little Mice (magnet board)

Five little mice came out to play

Gathering crumbs along the way

Out came the big cat brown and fat

Four little mice go scampering back.

Continue until one

...

One little mouse came out to play

Gathering crumbs along the way

Out came the big cat brown and fat

No little mice go scampering back

--Child's Play

*Clip art used: cat and mouse.

Tooty Ta

We do thumbs up, elbows back, feet apart, knees together, bottom up, head back, tongue out.

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2006/01_Jan/pg06.html

Storytime - My Body

Toddler

Books: Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault and My Octopus Arms by Keith Baker

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Head and Shoulders”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Hi, My Name is Joe”, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: Xylophones. Materials: printout of the letter X, construction paper rectangles in red, yellow, orange, and blue, crayons, glue, and tape. The toddlers glued and taped their rectangles to their papers to make a xylophone. *I was trying to stick with an X theme, but when I couldn't find enough material for toddlers, I went with My Body. It was too late to change the craft, though. The idea came from The Measured Mom.

Preschool

Books: Here are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Head and Shoulders”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Johnny Hammers One Hammer”, “Them Bones”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Activity: I explained to the group that under our skin we have bones. I used the overhead projector to show the preschoolers x-rays of body parts and the preschoolers tried to guess what part they were looking at. I used hand, foot, knee, shoulder, and chest x-rays taken by my husband when he was still in radiology tech school (don't worry, they're not of real people).

Craft: X-rays. Materials: black construction paper, cotton swabs, white construction paper crayons, tape, scissors, and glue. The preschoolers traced their hands and feet to the paper using the special crayon. When they were done, they filled in the outline with cotton swabs to make their very own x-rays! The idea came from Inspired Montessori.

Songs/Rhymes

Head and Shoulders

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,

Knees and toes

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,

Knees and toes

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose

Head and shoulders, knees and toes

Knees and toes!

-- Traditional

Hi, My Name is Joe

Hi, my name is Joe.

I work in a button factory.

One day, my boss comes up to me and says,

“Hey Joe, are you busy?”

I said, “No.”

“Then turn the button with your right hand.”

Continue with:

Left hand, feet, head, whole body

--Traditional

Johnny Hammers One Hammer

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

Move Them Bones

Your toe bone’s connected to your foot bone.

Your foot bone’s connected to your ankle bone.

Your ankle bone’s connected to your leg bone.

Let’s shake those bones, those bones.

Your leg’s connected to your knee bone.

Your knee bone’s connected to your hip bone.

Your hip bone’s connected to your back bone.

Let’s shake those bones, those bones.

Your back bone’s connected to your shoulder bone.

Your shoulder bone’s connected to your neck bone.

Your neck bone’s connected to your head bone.

Let’s shake those bones, those bones.

--Sticky Kids