Letter J Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out

Book: Where’s My Mom? (Jungle) – Julia Donaldson

(Such a fun book, the kids loves all the mistakes the butterfly made, and the parents loved the ending.)

Activity: One Was Johnny – Maurice Sendak

1 was Johnny who lived by himself
2 was a rat who jumped on his shelf
3 was a cat who chased the rat
4 was a dog who came in and sat
5 was a turtle who bit the dog’s tail
6 was a monkey who brought in the mail
7 a blackbird pecked poor Johnny’s nose
8 was a tiger out selling old clothes
9 was a robber who took an old shoe
10 was a puzzle–what should Johnny do

He stood on a chair and said,
Here’s what I’ll do–I’ll start to
Count backwards
And when I am through
If this house isn’t empty, I’ll eat
All of you!

9 was the robber who left looking pale
8 was the tiger who chased him to jail
7 was the blackbird flew off to Havana
6 was the monkey who stole the banana
5 was the turtle who crawled off to bed
4 was the dog who slid home on a sled
3 was the cat who pounced on the rat
2 was the rat who left with the cat
1 was Johnny who lived by himself
And liked it like that!

(I drew the room on a white board, and used tape to stick on the figures. The explosion Johnny has to scare the masses away always tickles the children.)

Book: Sheep in a Jeep – Nancy Shaw

(Fun illustrations, and great opportunity to talk about what is happening beyond the text.)

Activity: Two Little Jellyfish – (adapted from Two Little Blackbirds)

Two little jellyfish drifting in the tide

One named Jenny and one named Clyde.

Jiggle away Jenny, jiggle away Clyde.

Come back Jenny, come back Clyde.

Two little jellyfish swimming in a bowl,

One named fast and one named slow…

Two little jellyfish swimming in a pool,

One named warm, and one named cool…

Two little jellyfish swimming in a cup,

One named down and one named up…

Two little jellyfish swimming undeterred,

One named back and one named forward…

Two little jellyfish swimming in the deep,

One named awake and one asleep..

(Our hands were the jellyfish, with the fingers being the tentacles, great fun!)

Book: Jellyfish – Carol K Lindeen

(The second group I had was a bit more restless, but the first group really liked this, the parents too!)

Activity: Jumping Joey – from King County Library

Jumping Joey went a jumping joyfully to town
Jumping Joey got so tired jumping up and down
Jumping Joey asked his mother, “Could I have a ride?”
Jumping Joey’s mother answered, “Sure, just jump inside!”

(Probably the biggest hit, we jumped during the rhyme, and then did a big jump and wrapped our arms around our knees in the ‘pocket’.)

Book: Jump – Scott Fisher

(The kids had fun identifying each new creature that appeared. Another hit!)

Activity: Bubbles

(Then the kids got to jump in bubbles. Maybe a bit of cheating, but I was worn out after all the jumping!)

Tools Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: Monkey With a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem – Chris Monroe

(The kids were quite engaged with this, despite it’s length. I did clip some of the busier pages together. Fun story!)

Activity: Matching game

Each of the professions was introduced, and placed on the flannel board. Then I would bring out a tool and have the kids tell me which person needed it for their job. It was fun, and having actual tools seemed to generate greater interest. Painter-brush, Construction worker-hammer, Doctor-Bandaid, Chef-Pizza Cutter, Postal Worker-Letter. I also thought about having a superhero with a cape, but didn’t manage to get the prop I needed.)

Book: Toolbox Twins – Lola M. Schaefer

(This was a replacement because my original choice failed miserably! It certainly worked better, though I feel it’s still a bit tedious)

(the biggest book flop I’ve had. No one was engaged, so I replaced it for my second storytime of the week.)

Activity: Construction song

 The backhoe scoops the dirt.
The backhoe scoops the dirt.
Hey-ho! Look at it go!
The backhoe scoops the dirt.

(Act out the motions, and continue with:)

The dump truck dumps the dirt…
The roller rolls it flat…
The cement mixer spins…
The crane lifts up and down…

(This was a nice get up and move activity. We cycled through the list twice.) 

Book: Machines Go to Work in the City – William Low

(This was well received, though I stretched the theme a little. Nice fold outs add interest.) 

Activity: 5 Little Nails

Five little nails

Standing straight and steady

Here come a builder

With a hammer ready!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The nail goes down

And now there are Four nails left to pound!

(continue with remaining nails)

(Sometimes I think props aren’t the best choice, a finger play version of this might have been better with the fingers of one hand as nails, and the other fist pounding them down. Ideally you could do both!)

Book: The Magic Toolbox – Mie Araki

(A nice simple story with bright illustrations. A great way to finish.)

Activity: Toolbox Craft

(I had the kids identify the tools in my pre-made box, then let them make their own. [two sheets of paper, one folds to make the toolbox, the other has the tools and handle to cut out])

Dinosaur Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime – Bob Shea

(Bob Shea is fantastic, the kids like roaring along. Great interactive potential.)

Activity: No More Room

4 huge dinosaurs Sleeping on the cave floor

Woke up and started to roar

“There’s no more room, there’s no more room

there’s no more room on this floor!”

Well, they tossed and they turned and they pushed galore

Till one poor dinosaur was pushed out the door!

-repeat with 3,2,-

 (last verse)

One huge dinosaur Sleeping on the cave floor

Woke up and started to roar

“Come back, come back, it was better before

It’s more fun together, crowded on the floor!”

 

(We’d count the dinosaurs each time, and do some basic actions. Was well received.)

Book: Stomp Dinosaur Stomp – Margaret Mayo

(A nice introduction to different dinosaurs. I had the kids say the names with me as they were introduce, did skip a few pages.)

Activity: We Are The Dinosaurs – from the CD Whaddaya Think of That by Laurie Berkner

(A jolly good rollick where we get to act like dinosaurs. What’s not to like!) 

Book: Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct – Mo Willems

(This is one I think the parent’s appreciate a big more, but it held everyone’s interest.)

Puppet Song: Dinosaur Round – from the CD Rhinoceros Tap by Sandra Boynton

(This was quite simple, the dinosaur wants to eat more and more, and I was surprised how much everyone loved it! Some of the food stuff fell on the floor, and there were eager children ready to feed the dino. At the end of the song I have all the food gone and the dino gulps down the boy! 0.0)

Book: How Do Dinosaurs Eat their food – Jane Yolen

(After the last activity, we learned how dinosaurs are Supposed to behave with their food. A fantastic series.)

Activity: Streamers

(Got out streamers for the kids to play with, not theme related this week. They had a blast, and once the streamers were passed out the dino puppet came out to nibble on brave children’s fingers.)

Cat and Dog Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: Dogs – Emily Gravett

(The kids quite like seeing the different dogs, and even identified some of them as we read the story.)

Flannel Board: Five Little Mice

 Five little mice came out to play,
Gathering crumbs up on their way;
Out came a pussy cat
Sleek and black, Meeoooww!
Four little mice went scampering back.

(continue counting down remaining mice)

(The cat would come out and snag a mouse, it was well received.)

Book: What will Fat Cat Sit On? – Jan Thomas

(How can anything Jan Thomas not be fantastic! It transitioned well from the mice flannel board.)

Puppets: Stop Kissing Me! (from the book by Ethan Long, idea by Liesl Johnson)

Essentially, dog keeps licking cat, even though cat doesn’t like it. Finally dog say’s it’s just because he likes her, and cat attacks dog with licks, then suggests they just hug in the future.

(The kids adore this! They love the crazy licking by the dog and the cat’s disgusted reactions. )

Book: Bertie Was a Watchdog – Rick Walton

(This was loads of fun, the kids got to help with the barking and police siren.)

Flannel Board: Oh Where Oh Where has my little dog gone?

 Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone
Oh where, oh where can he be
With his ears cut short and his tail cut long
Oh where, oh where can he be?

(I hid the dog before introducing the different things in the house he could hide behind [blue cabinet, white chair, green plant, black TV, red doggy bed], then we sang the song between each item we looked under. The kids were very enthusiastic about this, we played it twice!)

Book: A Cat and a Dog – Claire Masurel

(A simple cute story with a lovely ending. Some good talking point opportunities as well)

Activity: Bubbles

(Then we were kitties that popped bubbles with our claws! All in all a lovley program =])

Halloween Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin – Mary Serfozo

(A cute book that gradually introduces the Halloween theme. Fun words and rhyming.

Song: Six Little Pumpkins (inspired from the book Dragons Halloween by Dav Pilkey)

I wanted to find a pumpkin as Big as a house to make a really scary jack-o’-lantern, but all I could find were a bunch of little pumpkins. (The kids help count as they get put on the flannel board.)

I decided I’d carve them anyway, and took them to my yard by the old dead tree.

(put tree on flannel board)Then I started to carve my scary pumpkins. (Pull off orange pieces, showing the glowing yellow!)

Do they look very scary? No?! Well, I guess I’ll stack them all up against my tree anyway.
So I stack 1-2-3-4-5-6 little pumpkins. AAaaaghhh! I guess six little pumpkins can be pretty scary after all!

(This was quite fun, the kids were engaged, and the parents enjoyed the surprise ending too!)

Book: Just say Boo – Susan Hood

(A good interactive and empowering story, cute illustrations!)

Activity: If you’re a ghost and you know it

If you’re a ghost and you know it wave your arms! (Woooo)

If you’re a ghost and you know it wave your arms! (Woooo)

If you’re a ghost and you know then you really ought to show it,

If you’re a ghost and you know it wave your arms! (Woooo)

(Also did: Witch ride a broom, skeleton shake your bones, wolf give a howl, Superhero strike a pose, jack-o’-lantern give a grin)

Book: Mouse’s First Halloween – Lauren Thompson

(Another good interactive book, the kids are pretty good as guessing what’s scaring little mouse)

Shadow play: In the Dark Dark Woods

(Click the image for the full story! I ask the kid if they want to go in the house, open the box, etc. They enjoy doing it again and predicting the next step.)

Book: Little Old Lady was Not Afraid of Anything – jp Williams

(Super fun book to act out! A lot of the kids already knew the story and were excited for it.)

Craft: Lollypop Ghost

(We used tootsie pops, wrapped tissues around them, wrapped a bit of pipe cleaner to form the head, then drew the face! Simple and fun.)

Frog Storytime

This came about because I did a pond storytime last year, and there were so many good frog options I decided to let them shine!

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: 999 Tadpoles – Ken Kimura

(Cute, simple illustrations tell the story of tadpoles who outgrew there little pond and face dangers in finding a new home. A little wordy, so I stuck it at the beginning. )

Song: Five Little Frogs (my favorite version is from the CD Five Little Monkeys by Five Little Monkeys)

Book: Toad – Ruth Brown

(Such great gross illustrations, a good talking book as you can point out the hidden lizard in the pages as it stalks toad.)

Puppet Story: Foo the Flying Frog of Washtub Pond (from the book by Belle Yang)

(I incorporated the blow up frog when I read this book before, and it transitioned very well into a full puppet experience!)

Book: One Two Three Jump! – Penelope Lively

(I didn’t have a very actiony activity, but the kids stayed very engaged! I had the kids jump along with the frog in this book to make sure they weren’t getting too restless. I love the squiggly frog when it’s in the water!)

Song: Raindrops Fell All Around (w/ flannel board)

(Do in call and echo style with kids.)

 There was a pond, a little pond. The bluest pond, that you ever did see.

chorus: (sung all together)

And the raindrops fell all around all around. The raindrops fell all around.

And on that pond, there was a lilly pad, the greenest lilly pad, that you ever did see.

Chorus: The pad on the pond and the raindrops fell…

And on that pad, there was a flower, the prettiest flower, that you ever did see.

Chorus: The flower on the pad and the pad on the pond and the raindrops fell…

And on that flower, there was a frog, the slimiest frog, that you ever did see.

Chorus: The frog on the flower and the flower on the pad and the pad on the pond…

And on that frog, there was a tongue, the stickiest tongue, that you ever did see.

Chorus: The tongue on the frog and the frog on the flower and the flower on the pad…

And on that tongue, there was a bug, the tinsiest bug, that you ever did see.

Chorus: The bug on the tongue and the tongue on the frog and the frog on the flower…

And on that tongue, there was a dinosaur!, the biggest dinosaur, that you ever did see!

Chorus: The dinosaur on the bug and the bug on the tongue and the tongue on the frog and the frog on the flower and the flower on the pad and the pad on the pond and the raindrops fell all around all around, and the raindrops fell all around.

(Even the parents giggle when the dinosaur makes an appearance!)

Book: City Dog and Country Frog – Mo Willems

 

(The kids seems a little less engaged during this story, though I adore it. Maybe they were just exhausted from all the awesomeness!) =P

Craft: Frog Hat

(Then I did a craft! [I hardly ever do] Paper plates cut in half for eyes attached to a strip of green paper around the head and a red ‘tongue’ that had been rolled tightly around my finger. Simple but very popular.)

Dinosaur Storytime

Opening: Shake Your Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct – jp Mo Willems

 

Activity: All Around the Swamp (see at end)

 (The Wheels of the Bus tune with Dinosaur actions)

Book: Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs – Ian Whybrow

 

flannelboard: No More Room (see at end)

 (A countdown flannelboard. I used little puppets and a cave made out of paper bags.)

Book: How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You – jp Yolen

 

Song: Mean old Dinosaur (see at end)

 (I’m a little teapot, dinosaur style)

Book: Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime – jp Shea

 

Song: We Are The Dinosaurs – from the CD Whadda’ Think of That by Laurie Berkner

(prefaced by reminding the kids the different dinosaur actions we used earlier [in All Around the Swamp] and we used those actions for the marching, and acted out the rest! A fantastic song.)

The Parts:

All Around the swamp

(tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)

The dinos in the swamp go

stomp, stomp, stomp,

stomp, stomp, stomp,

stomp, stomp, stomp.

The dinos in the swamp go

stomp, stomp, stomp,

All around the swamp.

-The Pteranodon’s wings go

flap, flap, flap…

All around the swamp.

-The Tyrannosaurus teeth go

chomp, chomp, chomp…

-The Triceratops horns go

poke, poke, poke…

-The Apatosaurus neck goes

stretch, stretch, stretch…

-The dinos in the swamp go

stomp, stomp, stomp…

No More Room

5 huge dinosaurs

Sleeping on the cave floor

Woke up and started to roar

“There’s no more room,

there’s no more room

there’s no more room

on this floor!”

Well, they tossed and they turned

and they pushed galore

Till one poor dinosaur was pushed out the door!

-repeat with 4,3,2,-

 (last verse)

One huge dinosaur

Sleeping on the cave floor

Woke up and started to roar

“Come back, come back,

it was better before

It’s more fun together,

crowded on the floor!”

I’m a mean old Dinosaur

(to the tune of I’m a Little Tea Pot)

I’m a mean old Dinosaur (Make a mean face)
Big and Tall
Here is my tail, here is my claw.

When I get all hungry
I just growl ‘grrrrrrr ’
Look out kids I’m on the prowl.

Rawrrr!