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])

Daddies Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Today’s storytime is all about Daddies, because this Sunday is Father’s day. It’s a day to show our daddies just how much we love them. 

Book: Knuffle Bunny – Mo Willems

(It was a pretty vocal group today, which worked great with this story. Some kids were already familiar with the book so I didn’t even have to prompt for responses about the bunny getting left behind! Very well received.)

Activity: D-A-D-D-Y (B-I-N-G-O)

(I taped the letters around a paper towel roll, and slid them around for the letters to disappear. When the first D was gone one child wanted to know what the new word was, so we sounded it out each time a letter disappeared. Very fun.)

Book: Oh Daddy – Bob Shea

(Silly daddy keeps doing things wrong! Even the older elementary kids that sat in were having a good time with this one.)

Activity: If You’re Happy and you Know It from the CD Get Ready, Get Set, Sing! by Sarah Barchas

(Introduced this by asking if the kids daddies loved them when they were happy ‘Yes!’ and when they were angry ‘No!’ [oops!] We reiterated that daddies love us all the time, whether we are hungry or sleepy or sad. Then sang the great version with a bunch of different emotions.)

Book: A Wild Fathers Day – Sean Callahan

(The kids were excited by the cover of this book ‘They’re turning into monkeys!’ and had fun throughout. One proclaimed after the story, ‘That was a book about imagination.’)

Flannel Board: Matching Families

(I was going to do a flannel version of ‘The Fathers are Coming Home’ but ended up using the images for a matching game instead. We put all the daddies on our flannel board and talked a little about the animals, then I held up the baby animals and the kids told me what they matched with. This one seemed to fizzle out a little bit, maybe 8 was too many pairs?)

Book: My Dad is Big and Strong, but… – Coraline Saudo

(Such a fun new book! I worried that it might feel a little long, but the kids were engaged throughout. )

Craft/Activity: Shirt cards

(I had a bunch of ‘shirt’ cards ready for the kids to color, with a poem printed inside.)

With my fingers I dance a beat,

that tickles through my daddy’s shirt.

He helps me eat a tasty treat,

that drips drops down my daddy’s shirt.

When I get scared, he’s where I look,

hold tight onto my daddies shirt.

Then nod off after one last book,

snuggled against my daddies shirt.

Silly Stories Storytime

(it felt like there were quite a few hits and misses in this program, maybe it was just the week after Christmas funk.)

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub – Audrey Wood

 

(well recieved, it’s got some pretty stunning illustrations.)

Poem: I’ve Turned into a Carrot – Jack Prelutsky

 (I made a carrot puppet to recite this poem. It wasn’t a hit, but it wasn’t a complete flop either. I had a rabbit puppet that chased away the carrot at the end.)

Book: Oh Daddy! – Bob Shea

 

(This was popular, Shea has such great illustrations!) 

Activity: Silly Willy – fromt he CD Dr. Jean sings silly songs by Dr. Jean

(My first group wasn’t very eager to play along…I feel like the format of the song was a little strange, sometimes adding everthing together, sometimes just moving to the next body part. The second group liked it better…maybe it’s just that I wasn’t a fan!)

Book: Easy to See Why – Fred Gwyne

 

(this didn’t work with either group. It’s a pretty simple story, but the humor comes from the illustrations. Some of the parents got it, but I think it went over the kids heads, even when we talked about the pictures.)

Poem: I’m Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor – Shel Silverstein

 (Super populer, converted a sleeping bag into a Boa Constrictor with eyes and fangs [inspired by our great Liesl Johnson]. It eats you as you recite the poem. My first group had one kid who said ‘Eat me!’ and it was a small enough group that each of the kids got a turn being eaten by the ‘Boa Constrictor’…or just running from it)

Book: Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name  – Tedd Arnold

 

(this was engaging at the beginning, but it maybe ran too long. Interest was lost along the way.)

Activity: Silly Dance Contest – from the CD Jim Gill sings The sneezing song and other contagious tunes by Jim Gills

(This was popular, once the kids got into it…they were a little slow to warm up but it’s still a great song. Maybe it was a laxidasical week in general.)

The Parts:

I’ve Turned into a Carrot by Jack Pretlutsky

I’ve turned into a carrot,

It’s baffling and strange.

Somehow while I was sleeping,

I underwent a change.

Last night I was a human,

With head and hands and feet,

This morning I’m a vegetable

I’ve rarely cared to eat.

I look into the mirror,

And see I’m long and lean.

I have an orange body,

May hair is leafy green.

A further complication

Compounds my current woe,

A rabbit is approaching…

So long!  I’ve got to go.

Boa Constrictor by Shel Silverstein

Oh, I’m being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I’m being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don’t like it–one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It’s nibblin’ my toe.
Oh, gee,
It’s up to my knee.
Oh my,
It’s up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
It’s up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
It’s up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It’s upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff . .