Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi
Book: And Then It’s Spring – Julie Fogliano
This time of year is called spring, and it’s when all the plants grow. But it takes some time.
(An adorable book about a boy waiting and waiting for brown to turn to green. My favorite spread is when he worries about bears stomping in the garden ‘because bears can’t read signs that say things like ‘please to not stomp here – there are seeds and they are trying.”)
Activity: Rainstorm
Do you remember what the boy wished for right after he planted his seeds? [show the picture] He wished for Rain! It looks pretty sunny outside, but we can make a rainstorm if we all work together.
(Follow me, do as I am doing)
brush fingers together
Do I hear the pitter patter of some raindrops? Listen closely
Clap softly
Oh, I do think it is going to rain
Clap loudly
It IS raining!
Slap thighs
Wow, it’s really getting wet out there
Stomp feet
My, oh my, I’m glad I’m not outside right now!
~now reverse, add a commentary as you go:
until…
Tapping fingertips together, and stop
What a beautiful rainstorm that was!
from Laptimeandstorytime
Book: I Love Bugs – Emma Dodd
After the rain, some little animals like to come out in the garden. Bugs! Do you like bugs? The boy in this little book Loves bugs.
(And he loves the spider that shows up in the end, because it sends him squealing! Super cute illustrations and a very fun ending).
Activity: Mr. Sun – from the CD Singable Songs for the Very Young by Raffi
After the rain falls, the flowers need something else to help them grow.
Planting Seeds
First you take the seed and you plant it in the ground (pretend to plant seeds in hand)
Next a little rain cloud comes that waters all around (Use hand to simulate rain)
And the sun sends beams, shining bright without a sound (make circle over head with arms)
Then in a few days, a flower can be found! (cup hands together, then open fingers with wrists touching.)
(We also did this fingerplay in the musical interlude during Raffi’s song.)
Mr. Sun
Mr. Sun, sun, Mr. Golden sun,
~arms up, rock in time to the rhythm
Please shine down on me.
~wiggle fingers down toward face
Oh Mr. Sun, sun, Mr. Golden sun,
~arms up again
Hiding behind a tree
~ASL sign for ‘tree’ in front of face to ‘hide’
These little children are asking you,
~gesture towards children
To please come down
so they can play with you,
~sign ASL sign for ‘Play’
Oh, Mr. Sun, sun, Mr. Golden sun,
~arms up again
Please shine down on me.
~wiggle fingers down toward face
Book: Up Down All Round – Katherine Ayres
After the rain falls and the sun shines, the plants grow! But they don’t all grow in the same way.
(The kids were fun to shout out the ‘up, down, all around!’ and we pointed or circled our fingers for each one).
Activity: There’s Something in my Garden
Do you think it would be fun to eat food from the garden? Some animals think so too! Oh, I think I hear something!
There’s Something in My Garden
There’s something in my garden,
Now what can it be?
There’s something in my garden
That I can’t really see.
Hear its funny sound….
RIBBIT – RIBBIT – RIBBIT.
A FROG is what I found!
RIBBIT – RIBBIT – RIBBIT.
(continue with other animals. I pulled some from my critter bin: a frog, rabbit, chicken, bird, and mouse.)
From SurLaLune Storytime
Book: Little Green – Keith Baker
We got all of those animals out of the garden, but there are some animals that are nice to have in the garden. Like this one! A hummingbird called Little Green.
(nice vibrant illustrations and a simple story make this a fun read).
Activity: Streamers
The boy painted all the ways that the bird flew, and now you can make the shaped with streamers! Try circles and zig zag, and going way up and down. (played Family Garden from the CD Family Garden by John McCutcheon while they played with streamers).
SLC Book Boy 