Monday, March 30, 2015

Green!

Storytime for daycares during March: Green/St. Patrick's Day

Opening: Open, Shut Them

Book: Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman


Movement Activity: Stand up and stretch

Transition Song: Touch your ears and touch your nose

Book: The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner


Game: Searching for our Pot of Gold


This was our St. Patrick's Day activity!  First, we named the object/color as I placed each item on the flannel board.  Then I told them that the leprechaun had hidden a pot of gold under one of the objects and it was our job to find it.



We found it under the flower!

Movement Activity: We're going on a dragon hunt; From Sturgis Kids

This is just like Michael Rosen's "We're Going on a Bear Hunt."  The lyrics that I used can be found here.  At the end, after we tiptoe into the dragon cave, I brought out our dragon puppet to show the kids!



Book: Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger


Song: A Tooty Ta from Johnny Only's CD "Kids Music You Can Dance To!"

Closing: Skinnamarink

Soup!

One of the preschools that I visit on Tuesdays is talking about food this month, so I thought I'd bring a "soup" themed storytime along with me.  I also used this theme for my in-house storytime on March 11th.

Opening: Open, Shut Them

Book: The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza


Song: Five Fat Peas; From Preschool Rainbow

Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed (hold hand in fist)
One grew, two grew, so did the rest (thumb and fingers up one by one)
They grew and grew (raise hands in air slowly)
And did not stop
Until one day
The pod went POP! (children clap their hands and jump)

Transition Rhyme: Touch your ears and touch your nose

Book: To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda


Flannel Board Activity: The Soup is Boiling Up; From librerin

The soup is boiling up
The soup is boiling up
Stir slow, around we go
The soup is boiling up.

First we add the carrots, 
First we add the carrots,
Stir slow, around we go
The soup is boiling up.
(Add carrot to pot)

Continue singing the song, substituting different veggies each time.

Here's our empty pot

Here's the pot full of vegetables!
Song: Sticky Bubble Gum from Sticky Bubble Gum...and Other Tasty Tunes by Miss Carole

Activity: Me Want Cookie; from Miss Sarah's Storytime

This is more a veggie activity than a soup activity, but it's fun and the kids loved it.  


We start with Mr. Bear.  Mr. Bear is hungry and really wants a cookie.  He lets me know this by saying, "Me want cookie!"

Well, all I have are vegetables, so I hold up a felt carrot and he begrudgingly eats that. (There's a little hole in the back of the bear's mouth, so it actually looks like he's eating the carrot!)  Of course, he's not satisfied, and he says to me, "Me want cookie!"

We go through this, using five or six different vegetables, until finally, I tell him that I found a cookie, only he needs to say the magic word if he wants it.  

So he says "Please" and "Thank you" and he gets the cookie!

Book: Chicken Soup by Jean Van Leeuwen



Closing: Skinnamarink 

Craft: We did a craft for our in-house storytime and made vegetable soup.  I gave the kids soup bowls and vegetables, and the kids colored them and glued the veggies in the soup.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Dr. Seuss Party

Theme for March 4: Dr. Seuss!

Opening: Open, Shut Them

Book: Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman



Movement Activity: Stand up and stretch

Transition Rhyme: Touch your ears and touch your nose

Fingerplay: One Little Cat; From Mel's Desk


One little cat on a sunny day
Put on his hat and went out to play
Two little cats when the sky turned dark
Put on their hats and went to the park.
Three little cats when the sky turned blue
Put on their hats and went to the zoo
Four little cats by the kitchen door
Put on their hats and went to the store
Five little cats on a sunny day
Put on their hats and they all ran away

Book: Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss


Flannel Board Game: Eggs! From Mel's Desk


We started with eight yellow eggs on the flannel board.  Then we recited this rhyme:

Sam-I-am, Sam-I-am
I so do like ____(insert color) eggs and ham.

I flipped the eggs over one by one, revealing the color on the other side of the egg!



Flannel Board Activity: Dr. Seuss Hats

This is one of my favorite activities!

The cat starts out with a missing hat.  Where could it be?

Is this it? Nope, it's a leprechaun hat!
 

Is this it? Nope - these are earmuffs!

Is this it? Yes! 
Book: My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss


Song: Shake Your Sillies Out; From the Wiggles' CD "Yummy Yummy"

Craft: Cat in the Hat; From Teach Preschool

We made cat in the hat picture by gluing on the cat's face, whiskers, hat, and bow to a piece of construction paper.  Then the kids colored the cat's face and decorated the hat and bow.  I put out red strips of paper so they could glue those onto the hat!