Colors Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

 Book: I Spy On the Farm – Edward Gibbs

(This series is fantastic for storytime, big bright pictures, repetitive format, and interactive potential. ‘On the Farm’ also adds a letter recognition that I liked.)

Activity: Pirate Treasure

Look and see, look and see,

can you find treasure for me?

Is it in the _____ box?

(The kids adore this, there is something fun hidden behind each chest, but only one has treasure!)

Book: Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes – Eric Litwin

(You can’t go wrong with Pete the Cat. I like to invite the kids to sing with Pete before I start the story.)

Song/Activity: If you’re wearing any red – Tune: If you’re happy and you know it

 If you’re wearing any red, any red

If you’re wearing any red, any red

If you’re wearing any red,

wave your hands above your head,

If your clothes have any red, any red.

…if you’re wearing any blue,

jump up and down inside your shoes,

…if you’re wearing any white,

scrunch your face up small and tight,

…if you’re wearing any yellow,

jiggle like a bowl of jello-o,

 …if you’re wearing any green,

tilt sideways ‘till you lean,

 …if you’re wearing any brown,

make a face like a clown,

 …if you’re wearing any purple,

spin around in a circle,

…if you’re wearing any black,

pat yourself right on the back

…if your wearing any gray,

go ahead and shout Hurray!

 …if you’re wearing any orange,

pretend to sleep and snoreange.

(I’ve added all sorts of colors, because there is invariably a child who is wearing a color I haven’s said, and they want their colors represented! I’ll usually see what’s being worn, and try for six or so colors, though it seems like the kids would do this all day.)

Book: Where is the Green Sheep? – Mem Fox

(Every group I read this to ended up laughing uproariously!)

Activity: Can We Find? – Tune: Do you know the muffin man?

 Can we find an orange cat, an orange cat, an orange cat.

Can we find an orange cat, we want to say ‘Hello’.

continue with other colors and animals.

(We put colored circles on the flannel board, with animal images on the back, and then signed the animals names as we looked for them. I use this as a signing song for a book babies program, and it was a hit with the older kids too.)

Book: Baby Bear Sees Blue – Ashley Wolff

(Such lovely illustrations, I only wish there were more red strawberries, and that the trout were a little less orange …based on kid’s responses.)

Activity: Streamers

(Then the kids played with colored streamers.)

Colors Storytime

Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi

Book: Freight Train – Donald Crews

(We made the chugga, chugga noise of the train as it traveled, speeding up until it was gone! )

Activity: Scat the Cat (see at end)

 

(This is a folder that I colored, cut out the shape of Scat, then laminated. Then I used white out and marker to give Scat the definition. The colored pages [I start with black] just slide out the side. It’s really popular! I use it in my Book Babies rotation too.)

Book: Butterfly Butterfly – Petr Horáček

(A simple story with nice pictures, and a fun pop-up at the end!)

Song/Activity: Colors – from the CD Learning Basic Skills Through Music by Hap Palmer

(I handed out  colored shapes, and used a paper towel roll with slots for colored popsicle sticks to help the kids follow which color was standing or sitting. It gets a little crazy but it’s fun! I just wish there weren’t so much verse singing that we essentially just have to wait through.)

Book: Pete The Cat – Eric Litwin

 

(An awesome book. By the third time we get to the song, the kids and parents are singing along!) 

Flannel Board: Hens of a Different Color (see at end)

 (I tried using a flannel board of Dogs Colorful Day by Emma Dodd, but the kids were too restless to just watch, so for my second program we did the hens, and the kids had fun shouting out the colors…though my purple looks too much like blue =P  )

Book: I Spy With My Little Eye – Edward Gibbs

 

(A wonderful book with lovely big pictures. Very interactive. There were lots of great choices for this theme.)

Activity: Do Your Clothes Have Any Red (see at end)

(Inevitably there’s a kid who hasn’t worn any of the colors I’ve prepared rhymes for. At the front of my last group was a rather vocal girl in only Black and Grey, so we did a ‘pat yourself on the back’, and ‘pretend to drive a sleigh’. Pink is a common color too, so I stuck in ‘slide in a skating rink’ as well.)

Streamers (Just let them play with the streamers while the song played. With Put A Little Color On from the CD Can a Cherry Pie Wave Goodbye by Hap Palmer)

The Parts:

Scat the Cat

Once there was a cat named Scat, and he’d been a black cat for as long as he could remember. One day he learned some magic words to change color, and decided he would try come different colors to see how they were.

He said his magic words:

Chorus:’I’m Scat the Cat, I’m sassy and fat

And I can change colors, just like THAT!'(Clap hands)

Then what color was Scat?  He was a Blue kitty! He went around seeing what it was like to be a blue cat, but then he came to a pool of water, and it was blue too so Scat didn’t see it and stepped in it! Do kitties like to get wet? Scat decided he should try a different color, so he said his magic words.

Chorus

Then what color was Scat? He was a Red Kitty! He went around seeing what it was like to be a red cat, but when his friends saw him they laughed at him. ‘Oh you look like you’ve been sunburned! Ha hahaha!’ Was that very nice? No. It made Scat feel bad, so he decided to try a different color. He said his magic words.

Chorus

Then what color was Scat?  He was a Green kitty! He went around seeing what it was like to be a green cat, but what color is the grass he’s standing by? It’s green too! Scat was hidden in the grass, and his friends couldn’t find him to apologize, or to play, so Scat decided to try a different color. He said his magic words.

Chorus

Then what color was Scat?  He was a Yellow kitty! His friends said they were sorry for teasing him, and they all decided to go to the zoo. At the zoo they saw a Lion, do you know what color a lion is? It’s yellow too! The lion said to Scat ‘I’m the only cat that ‘s allowed to be yellow! Raaawwwrr!’ So Scat decided he’d better change colors again. He thought about all the colors he had been and decided which color he liked best. Then he said his magic words one more time.

Chorus

And what color was Scat? He decided that he like the color that he’d been born the best, and spent the rest of the time being a black kitty. The End!

Hens of a different color

This little hen is BLACK ( hold up black hens)
She stands in the barnyard by a big hay stack.

This little hen is RED (hold up red hens)
She is very tired and won’t get out of bed.

This little hen is BROWN (hold up brown hens)
She likes spinning round and round.

This little hen is YELLOW (hold up yellow hens)
She’s shakes like a bowl of jell-o.

This little hen is WHITE (hold up white hen)
She dance’s and plays, oh what a sight.

This little hen is PURPLE (hold up the purple hens)
She spends her day running around in circles.

This little hen is GREEN (hold up green hen)
She is the silliest hen I’ve ever seen.

This little hen is BLUE (hold up blue hen)
She lays eggs for me and you.

This little hen is PINK (hold up the pink hen)
She goes down to the pond to get a drink.

Do you’re clothes have any Red

If your clothes have any red, any red

If your clothes have any red, any red

If your clothes have any red,

put your hands above your head,

If your clothes have any red, any red.

…if your clothes have any blue,

jump up and down inside your shoes,

…if your clothes have any white,

scrunch your face up small and tight,

…if your clothes have any yellow,

jiggle like a bowl of jello-o,

…if your clothes have any green,

tilt sideways ‘till you lean,

…if your clothes have any brown,

turn around and around,