Monday, May 16, 2016

Preschool: Messy Play!

Today was the last preschool storytime of this session and we celebrated with a day of messy play. Since it has been unseasonably cool for May, we set up in the gym instead of outside. Also, I purposefully kept storytime short today to make sure we had plenty of time to make messes!


Book: I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Every artist needs a "mess-terpiece."















Flannelboard Song: "Five Clean and Dirty Pigs"
(to the tune of "Five Green and Speckled Frogs")

Five pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a big THUD
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs.

Repeat, counting down.






Rhyme Cube

We rolled the cube to help choose a rhyme. The six choices on my cube are: I'm a Little Teapot; The Itsy Bitsy Spider; Humpty Dumpty; Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes; Two Little Blackbirds.




Scarf Song: "Popcorn Kernels"
(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)

Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels              (wave scarf)
In the pot, in the pot                                   (hide scarf inside cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them        (shake cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Til they pop! Til they pop!                        (throw scarf into the air)


And now on to the main event...

Chalk drawing on black paper







Finger painting with colored whipped topping



Scooping and pouring



Plastic cup towers and bowling



Water play



Easel painting














































































Thanks to all the wonderful kids and grown-ups who came to storytime! I hope to see you when we start up again on August 1st. Keep reading, rhyming, and singing and have a great summer!


 Miss Jennifer


Saturday, May 14, 2016

BabyTime

Our book this time was Opposites! by Tad Carpenter. This fun book has clear, colorful pictures, simple text, and large sturdy flaps that lift to reveal the opposite.




Welcoming Song: “Let’s All Clap

(to the tune of “Buffalo Gals”)

Let’s all clap ‘cause ____ is here
______ is here, ______ is here
Let’s all clap ‘cause ______ is here
______ is here today.


Song: “Wake Up Feet

Wake up feet, wake up feet,
Wake up feet and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
Wake up feet, wake up feet,
Wake up and wiggle in the morning.


(Repeat with hands, ears, elbows, nose, hair, etc…)


Bounce: “Bouncing, Bouncing, Baby on my Knee

Bouncing, bouncing, baby on my knee
Bouncing, bouncing, one, two, three (tickle or lift on three)


Repeat with clapping, rocking, jumping


Tickle: “Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive     [hold up closed fist]
But where are the bees?    [shrug with other hand]
Hidden away where nobody sees   [cover fist with other hand]
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive
One, two, three, four, five    [poke out one finger at a time]

They’re ALIVE!!     [buzzing sounds and tickles]


Lap Bounce: “A Smooth Road

(Put the baby on your lap, facing you preferably so s/he can see your face.)

A smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road    (sway)
A bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road       (bounce gently)
A rough road, a rough road, a rough road, a rough road              (bounce harder)
A HOLE!                                                                                      (drop baby between knees)


Nursery Rhyme: “Humpty Dumpty”

(This traditional rhyme works well as a rhythmic bounce and you can also add in a drop when Humpty falls off the wall.)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.



Mama's little baby loves dancing, dancing           (sway)
Mama's little baby loves turning around               (turn in a circle)
Mama's little baby loves dancing, dancing           (sway)
Mama's little baby loves to boogie down             (twist)

Lean to the left,                        
Lean to the right
Hug that baby nice and tight
Lean to the left, lean to the right
Hug that baby nice and tight

Mama's little baby loves dancing, dancing           (sway)
Mama's little baby loves turning around               (turn in a circle)
Mama's little baby loves dancing, dancing           (sway)
Mama's little baby loves to boogie down             (twist)


Movement: “Go In and Out the Window

(Stand in a circle, holding baby. In the second verse, turn baby to face another child in the circle. If you are alone, you could use a mirror.)

Go in and out the window                (swing baby in football hold toward middle of circle)
Go in and out the window
Go in and out the window
As we have done before

Turn and face your partner                        (hold baby under arms, turn toward other baby)
Turn and face your partner
Turn and face your partner
As we have done before

Go up and down the staircase              (lift baby up and down)
Go up and down the staircase
Go up and down the staircase
As we have done before


Song with Scarves: “Peek-a-Boo
(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)

Peek a boo, peek a boo         (peek out from behind scarf or hands)
I see you, I see you               (touch baby’s chest)
I see your button nose          (touch baby’s nose)
I see your tiny toes               (wiggle baby’s toes)
I see you                                
Peek a boo                            (peek out from behind scarf or hands)


Song with Scarves: “This is the Way

(Use the scarf to “wash” the baby.)

This is the way we wash our face
Wash our face, wash our face.
This is the way we wash our face
So early in the morning.

Repeat with other body parts (knees, tummy, toes, elbow)


Closing Song: “The More We Get Together

The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we'll be
'Cause your friends are my friends
And my friends are your friends
The more we get together, the happier we'll be


Bubbles with music


Inspiration for today's storytime came from the lovely folks at: 

Jbrary - check out their YouTube channel for tons of songs and rhymes to do at home!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Preschool: Opposites

Action Rhyme: “Show Me Something Big” 

Show me something big                     (stretch arms out sideways)
Show me something small                 (cup hands together)
Spin in a circle but try not to fall    
Clap your hands, stomp your feet
Shake your arms, then take a seat


Introduction: I defined opposites as things that are "exactly different" (thanks, Katie, for that succinct way of putting it) and we brainstormed some examples.


Book: Opposites! by Tad Carpenter




Call Back Rhyme: “I Say Fast”

I say fast and you say…. SLOW!
Fast! Slow! Fast! Slow!

I say up and you say…DOWN!
Up! Down! Up! Down!

I say loud and you say…QUIET!
Loud! Quiet! Loud! Quiet!

I say clean and you say…DIRTY!
Clean! Dirty! Clean! Dirty!

I say happy and you say… SAD!
Happy! Sad! Happy! Sad!

I say big and you say…SMALL!
Big! Small! Big! Small!


Action Rhyme: “This is Big

This is big big big            (hold arms out to side)
This is small small small           (cup hands together)         
This is short short short           (hold hands with palms facing each other)
This is tall tall tall            (reach one hand above head)
This is fast fast fast           (circle fists quickly)
This is slow slow slow           (circle fists slowly)
This is yes yes yes           (nod)
This is no no no           (shake head)

(Credit: Mel's Desk)


Book: Big Cat, Small Cat by Ami Rubinger



Action Rhyme: “The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider 
climbed 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 itsy bitsy spider 
climbed up the spout again!  


Did you know that Itsy has a brother? He’s called the Great Big Hairy Spider. 


Action Rhyme: “The Great Big Hairy Spider”
(use deep voice and exaggerated movements)

The great big hairy spider
climbed 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 hairy spider
climbed up the spout again!


Shaker Song: “Egg Shakers Up

Egg shakers up,                                            (shakers above head)
And egg shakers down,                                (shakers on the floor)
Egg shakers dancing all around the town.    (move shakers back and forth)     
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knee
And tuck them into bed                               (fold shaker inside hands, under head)


Shaker Song: “Shake Your Shakers in the Air”
(to the tune of: Old MacDonald Had a Farm)

Shake your shaker in the air, shake it in the air.
With a shake-shake here and shake-shake there,
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker in the air, shake it in the air.

Shake your shaker way down low, shake it way down low.
With a shake-shake here and a shake-shake there,
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker way down low, shake it way down low.

Shake your shaker way up high, shake it way up high.
With a shake-shake here and a shake-shake there, 
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker way up high, shake it way up high.


Call Back:
I say up and you say…DOWN!
Up! Down! Up! Down!


Action Rhyme: “Roly Poly”

Roly poly,       (roll hands)
Roly poly,
Up, up, up,   (point hands up)
Up, up, up!
Roly poly,       (roll hands)
Roly poly,
Down, down, down,       (point hands down)
Down, down, down!

Repeat with Out & In; Fast & Slow


Action Rhyme: “Grand Old Duke of York” 

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,                     (march)
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill,      
And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up,               (stretch up)
And when they were down, they were down,     (bend knees)
And when they were only half-way up,              (straighten up halfway)
They were neither up nor down.                          (stretch up...bend knees)


Book: Up and Down: a lift-the-flap book by Britta Teckentrup




Call Back: 
I say loud and you say…QUIET!
Loud! Quiet! Loud! Quiet!


Song on Ukulele: “Loud and Quiet” by Caspar Babypants from the album Sing Along! 
Listen to a sample on CDBaby (track 10).

We made lots of loud and quiet animal sounds. 


Call Back:
I say clean and you say…DIRTY!
Clean! Dirty! Clean! Dirty!


Flannelboard Song: “Five Clean and Dirty Pigs”
(to the tune of "Five Green and Speckled Frogs")

Five pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a big THUD
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs.

Repeat, counting down.





Scarf Song: “One Bright Scarf

One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow               (hold in hand)
Wiggle it high                                                                (wiggle scarf above head)
Wiggle it low                                                                 (wiggle scarf by knees)
Shake it fast                                                                   (wiggle scarf quickly)
Shake it slow                                                                 (wiggle scarf slowly)
Where did it go?                                                       (put it behind back, bring out empty hands)


Scarf Song: “Popcorn Kernels
(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)

Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels              (wave scarf)
In the pot, in the pot                                   (hide scarf inside cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them        (shake cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Til they pop! Til they pop!                        (throw scarf into the air)


Book: Exactly the Opposite by Tana Hoban
This book of wordless photos allowed us to figure out the opposites in each picture. 

Goodbye Song: “The More We Get Together

The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we'll be
'Cause your friends are my friends
And my friends are your friends
The more we get together, the happier we'll be


Craft, Manipulatives, Exploration:


This could be: boy, happy, short or straight hair.


And this could be: girl, sad, long or curly hair.































This was a simple craft, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. Each child decorated two faces to be opposites in some way, then taped on a craft stick and used glue sticks to put the two sides together.


Playdough
Build a Zoo with blocks and toy animals


Today's storytime was inspired by the lovely folks at: 

Bayviews - Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California

Preschool: Frogs!

Big Book: In a Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming 


We played spot-the-frog on every page.














Flannel Rhyme: “Five Little Frogs Were Down at the Pond”

Five little frogs were down at the pond, down at the pond at play
Along came a hungry turtle, and chased one frog away.
Four little frogs were down at the pond, down at the pond at play.
Along came a wiggly snake, and chased one frog away.
Three little frogs were down at the pond, down at the pond at play.
Along came a giant duck, and chased one frog away.
Two little frogs were down at the pond, down at the pond at play.
Along came a brown squirrel, and chased one frog away.
One little frog was down at the pond, down at the pond at play.
Along came a snappy alligator, and chased one frog away.
Then no little frogs were down at the pond, down at the pond at play.
Where do you think the little frogs went, when they all hopped away?






Oral Story: The Frog with the Big Mouth based on book by Teresa Bateman 

Instead of Bateman's rain forest animals, I used animals that would be more familiar to the kids in my storytime, such as a turtle, snake, duck, etc. 



Song: “Little White Duck 
I played this on my ukulele and used animals on the flannelboard as visual cues for the children. 




Fingerplay: “Croak Said the Frog”  

Croak said the frog (make croaking sound)
With his golden eyes (put fists up to eyes)
Sitting on a lily pad
Catching Flies (grab air with hand)
I have a sticky tongue (with index finger, make a darting motion)
It's as FAST as can be!
I catch mosquitoes
1-2-3 (count with fingers)


Book: The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long

We stood up and danced as we read this one.
















Mm ah went the little green frog one day
Mm ah went the little green frog
Mm ah went the little green frog one day
And they all went Mm mm ah

But…..we know frogs go 
(clap) Sha na na na na            (jazz hands)
(clap) Sha na na na na  
(clap) Sha na na na na
We know frogs go 
(clap) Sha na na na na            (jazz hands)
They don’t go Mm mm ah

Bloop bloop went the little blue fish one day
But….we know fish go 
Kissy kissy kiss                    (blow kiss) 
Kissy kissy kiss                     
Kissy kissy kiss
We know fish go
Kissy kissy kiss                  (blow kiss)
They don’t go Bloop bloop bloop

Grr Grr went the little brown bear one day
But…we know bears go
Huggy huggy hug               (wrap arms around self)
Huggy huggy hug
Huggy huggy hug
We know bears go
Huggy huggy hug             (wrap arms around self)
They don’t go Grr Grr Grr

I didn't play this on the uke because I wanted my hands free for the motions, but it is a fun one to play.


Book: Too Many Frogs by Hassett



Action Song: “Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Five green and speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs
Yum yum
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool 
And now there are four green speckled frogs

Repeat, counting down.


Scarf Song: “Popcorn Kernels
(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)

Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels              (wave scarf)
In the pot, in the pot                                   (hide scarf inside cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them        (shake cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Til they pop! Til they pop!                        (throw scarf into the air)


Scarf Song: “One Bright Scarf

One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow               (hold in hand)
Wiggle it high                                                                (wiggle scarf above head)
Wiggle it low                                                                 (wiggle scarf by knees)
Shake it fast                                                                   (wiggle scarf quickly)
Shake it slow                                                                 (wiggle scarf slowly)
Where did it go?                                                       (put it behind back, bring out empty hands)


Fingerplay: “Two Little Frogs”

(A variation of “Two Little Blackbirds”)

Two little frogs sitting on a hill,                      (hold out thumbs)
One named Jack and one named Jill.              (wiggle one thumb, then the other)
“Jump,” said Jack. “Jump,” said Jill.              (raise thumb in a jumping motion)
And the both jumped down the great hill.      (lower thumbs toward the ground)
Come back, Jack. Come back, Jill.                 
And the both jumped up the great big hill.     (raise thumbs)


Book: A Frog in a Bog by Karma Wilson 



[This teaches the American sign language sign for stop.]

Everyone can shake, shake, shake              (shake egg)
Everyone can shake, shake, shake
Everyone can shake, shake, shake
And now let’s make a stop.                          (sign for stop*)
           
(*place one hand sideways into palm of other hand in a sort of chopping motion)

Repeat with:
Everyone can tap, tap, tap                            (tap egg on baby)
Everyone can clap, clap, clap                       (clap with egg)
Everyone can wave, wave, wave                 (wave with egg)


Shaker Song: “Shake Your Shaker” 
(to the tune of: "Old MacDonald Had a Farm")
Shake your shaker in the air, shake it in the air.
With a shake-shake here and shake-shake there,
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker in the air, shake it in the air.

Shake your shaker way down low, shake it way down low.
With a shake-shake here and a shake-shake there,
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker way down low, shake it way down low.

Shake your shaker way up high, shake it way up high.
With a shake-shake here and a shake-shake there, 
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker way up high, shake it way up high.


Goodbye Song: “The More We Get Together

The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we'll be
'Cause your friends are my friends
And my friends are your friends
The more we get together, the happier we'll be


Craft, Manipulatives, Exploration:

I provided two pre-cut pieces (the frog's head and body). The kids colored them and used glue sticks to attach them to brown paper lunch bags.

Playdough
Frogs and pond animals pieces on the felt table



Today's storytime was inspired by the lovely folks at: