Getting Well Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: The Flea’s Sneeze – Lynn Downey

(I’m always happy to include this fun story in my programs.)

Activity: I had a little Turtle

I had a little Turtle
(Sign language for Turtle)
His name was Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub
(set ‘turtle’ onto the floor)
To see if he could swim
(pantomime swimming)
He drank up all the water
(pretend to drink)
He ate up all the soap
(pretend to eat)
and now he’s sick in bed with a bubble in his throat!
(point to throat)

Bubble, bubble, bubble,

Bubble, bubble, bubble,

(hands make bubble shape, and move farther apart)

Bubble, bubble, bubble,

Bubble, bubble POP!

(hands end up far apart, then come together for a loud Clap!)

 

(This is one that we could have done over and over and over. They had great fun with it.)

Book: Sick Day for Amos Mcgee – Phillip and Erin Stead

(A simple story with lovely illustrations. Even though it’s quiet, the kids really get into it.)

Activity: Washing (song)

 This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands.

This is the way we wash our hands, so that we stay healthy!

(Continue washing other body parts)

(I like including something where kids can give suggestions, and this was a great opportunity for that.)

Book: I Broke My Trunk – Mo Willems

(You really can’t go wrong with Elephant and Piggie.)

Activity: Mother, Mother I feel sick… (from the book by Remy Charlip and Burton Supree)

(An inflated balloon held with a clothespin made the big tummy on our ‘sick’ puppet.)

(Everything that was pulled from his tummy! …by reaching behind our flannel board into a storage pocket.)

(Then I unclasped the clothespin and his belly deflated. Looking much better!)

(We just used the text from the book, but cut out the last page, and changed the line before to ‘Aren’t you glad you fit in your sweater’ rather than buttoning up the sweater which didn’t suit our puppet. It was a big hit!)

Book: Doctor Ted – Andrea Beaty

 

(We clipped a few of the pages together, since this was being read at the end of the program. Love it!)

Activity: No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (parachute)

(We have some beach balls with monkeys on them, which we bounced on the parachute!)

Getting Better Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: The Flea’s Sneeze – Lynn Downey

 

Puppets: Bark George by Jules Feiffer

(Did this story as a puppet show, with just George and the animals that get pulled out by the vet. I was the part of the mother and the vet. This story is great no matter how you tell it!)

 Book: Sick Day for Amos Mcgee – Philip C. Stead

 

(I wasn’t sure how well this would go over, it’s a slower pace, but the kids were engaged throughout! Nice options for open dialogue with some wordless pages.)

Song: John Brown’s Baby (see at end)

 (A song with a Bingo sort of feel, with words being replaced by actions with each consecutive round. I had a chart with the words and actions for the song. Over the illustration of the actions I taped a slip with the word, which I removed as we progressed through each round.)

Book: I Broke My Trunk – Mo Willems

 

(Can’t go wrong with Mo Willems!)

Poem: Curing the Hiccups by Mary Jane Mitchell (see at end)

 (I used a lion puppet to recite the poem. Puppets make poems so much more engaging! He acted out what he talked about…and we let the kids try to scare the hiccups away before the line ‘…and ‘hic’ been scared again.’)

Book: Boo Hoo Bird – Jeremy Tankard

 

(I love the vibrant colors, and the story is cute too!)

Activity: No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (with parachute)

(Did the classic ‘No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed’ with Balloon monkeys [each had a pebble inside for weight] on our big parachute. We would bounce the monkeys until one fell off then put down the ‘blanket’ and count the remaining monkeys before bouncing the next one off!)

The Parts:

JOHN BROWN’S BABY HAD A COLD

John Brown’s baby had a cold upon his chest
John Brown’s baby had a cold upon his chest
John Brown’s baby had a cold upon his chest
And they rubbed it with camphorated oil.

Verse 2: Omit word “baby” throughout and do motion
Verse 3: Omit “baby” and “cold” and do motions
Verse 4: Omit “baby”, “cold” and “chest” and do motions
Verse 5: Omit “baby”, “cold”, “chest” and “rubbed” and do motions
Verse 6: Omit “baby”, “cold”, “chest”, “rubbed” and “camphorated oil” and do motions
MOTIONS (not done on Verse 1):
baby – rock baby in arms
cold – cough
chest – slap chest
rubbed – rub chest
camphorated oil – hold nose and make a face

Curing the Hiccups by Mary Jane Mitchell

I have the …hic, hic …hiccups,

And nothing that’s been done

Has helped at …hic, hic …curing them.

Hic, hic …This isn’t fun.

I’ve breathed into their paper bags

And …hic… counted to ten.

I’ve …hic… been scared by everyone

And  …hic… been scared again.

I’ve …hic… walked on a balance beam.

I’ve …hic… stood on my head.

I home they cure them pretty coon

Before I’m …hic, hic… dead!