Letter V Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

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Book: How I Spent my Summer Vacation – Mark Teague

(This was a smidge wordy, but worked okay for the first book.)

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Activity: A Circle is Not a Valentine
adapted from the book by H. Werner Zimmermann

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5usuJU4u-U

(A very popular part of the program, the kids are great at helping correct the puppet when he paints the wrong shape.)

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Book: The Sleepless Little Vampire – Richard Egielski

(A simple story and very nice illustrations, this also brought some Halloween into our program.)

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Activity: Little Volcano
tune: I’m a Little Teapot

I’m a small volcano in a mound,
(crouch on the floor)
Waiting so quiet, without a sound.
(Shushing finger at lips)
When the lava bubbles and churns around,
(fingers wiggle up for bubbles, then spin)
KaBoom! I explode then fall to the ground.
(Jump into the air, then sink back down.)

(One of our groups wasn’t really into this, but the other had a great time with it!)

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Book: Vulture View – April Pulley Sayre

(I think this is a very nice book, and it’s worked well before. This time, there just didn’t seem to be much interest.)

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Activity: The Little Little Girl with the Big Big Voice
adapted from the book by Kristen Balouch

(A great adaptation, where the little girl has trouble finding a friend, until she meets someone with a voice as big as hers!)

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Book: The Ugly Pumpkin (Vegetable) – Dave Horowitz

(Such a cute character, and it is a great link from October to November!)

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Activity:  Parachute (volcano)

(We finished by bouncing balls on our parachute ‘volcano’.)

On the Farm Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

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Book: Cock-a-doodle! Quack! Quack! – Ivor Baddiel

(A playful story, the kids love the mess up’s. A smidge long, so I do clip some pages together.) 

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Activity: 5 Pigs So Squeaky Clean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLjCm50a3ow

(A fun simple rhyme. Not such a hit this week though.) 

Five pigs so squeaky clean, cleanest you’ve ever seen,
wanted to go outside and play. Uh huh!
One jumped into the mud, landed there with a thud.
Now there are four pigs squeaky clean. Oink, oink!

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Book: Chickens To the Rescue – John Himmelman

(Fantastic illustrations, even though they are quite busy they work for a group as well. Very cute story too.) 

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Activity: I Know a Chicken –
from the CD Whadda Think of That by Laurie Berkner

(This song is always a hit, kids love the shaking!) 

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Book: Up, Down, and Around – Katherine Ayres

(We have the kids point up, down and twirl their finger around during the appropriate points. I think it would be a bit dull without the interactive element, but with it’s great!) 

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Activity: In the Farmyard

(A sweet little rhyme, and it let well to our next book.)

In the farmyard at the end of the day,
All of the animals politely say
“Thank you for my food today.”
The cow says …
“Moo”

(continue with other animals)

end
And then the barn is locked up tight,
and the farmer quietly says, “Good night.”

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Book: Farmyard Beat – Lindsay Craig

(The animals wont stay asleep! A great book with nice illustrations and repetition.) 

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Activity: Streamers

(We ended with streamers this week.)

Fairy Tale Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

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Book: Waking Beauty – Leah Wilcox

(This is a very fun book, if just slightly long. It still holds the kids attentions well, and the adults really appreciate it.) 

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Activity: Princess and the Mattresses
(Princess and the Pea)

A video of my presentation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq-F5NJlOOc&list=PLT4YYfVhzuVSnEDqJh3zQ4_h1_5dtR5QH&index=4

(A very fun puppet story, inspired by a post at The Voices Inside My Headphones. The kids love the sleepless princess and the surprises she discovers in her bed.) 

On top of all these mattresses I get to spend the night,
I toss and turn and cannot sleep, for something is not right.
Something (tickley, squishy, buzzy, scary, lumpy)  keeps me up.
These mattresses I’ll spread…
A (feather, banana peel, bee, monster, pea)! That’s no good,
get out of my bed!

(The princess then throws the item and climbs up for the next verse)

Finally everything is soft, and I can rest my head. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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Book: Paper Bag Princess – Robert Munch

(This classic is always fun to include. I worried at first it would be too wordy, but it works great!) 

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Activity: Pinocchio
from Super Simple Learning

(Some of the kids were a little lackluster this go round, probably due to a younger crowd. It still worked well enough, and I like it!) 

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Book: Interrupting Chicken – David Ezra Stein

(I feel like this ran a smidge long, maybe do to the younger crowd again. It’s a very cute book.) 

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Activity: Somethinglocks and the Three Somethings
(See the full version here) 

(A great way to engage the kids and build narrative skills. Lots of fun!) 

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Book: The End – David LaRochelle

(Our program was running a bit long, so we ended up dropping this title. I think it is great though!) 

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Activity: Streamers

(We finished by dancing with streamers)