“Letter N” preschool storytime

Opening Song
I wiggle my fingers. I wiggle my toes.
I wiggle my ears. I wiggle my nose.
I wiggle my shoulders. I wiggle my chin.
I stretch my arms wide and pull them back in.
I wiggle my elbows. I wiggle my knees.
I hop like a bunny. I smile and say, “Cheese!”
Now I have no more wiggles left in me
And I sit on the floor as still as can be.
Source: Storytime with Jason

Alphabet Monster (with puppet)
I’m the Alphabet Monster
And nothing tastes better
To the Alphabet Monster
Than eating a letter.
Today I will eat an “M” if I may
With the million more letters
I munch every day.
I’m hungry now. What shall I do?
I think I’ll eat a “y” an “o” and a “u” . . . . . . That means YOU!
Source: Storyblocks (adapted)

Book – The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend

Song – “I Know a Chicken” – Laurie Berkner

Robin’s Nest
Way up high, robin flying just so
(flap your wings)
Quick, down low for a worm he must go
(swoop down to the ground)
Fly to the left, fly to the right
(fly in the directions listed)
Fly to your nest, for soon it will be night
(make a nest with hands)
Source: OC Public Libraries

Book – Roar!: a Very Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Noisy and Quiet
Quiet, quiet, not a sound
(making “shushing” motion)
I’m listening as I look around
(cup hand to ear, then over eyes)
No sound as I nod
(nod head)
No sound as I clap
(clap very softly)
No sound as I tap my hands on my lap
(tap very softly)

Noisy, noisy, stamp and clap
Noisy, noisy, stamp and clap
Noisy, noisy, stamp and clap!
All that noise–well fancy that!
Source: Storytime Katie

Noisy Animals Eating
See the Hippopotamus
Eating fruits and weeds
Take a bite, chew it up
Then spit out the seeds
(flick both hands open and shut).

See the very tall giraffe
Eating fruits and trees
Take a bite, chew it up
Then spit out the seeds
See the wrinkly elephant
Eating fruits and weeds
Take a bite, chew it up
Then spit out the seeds

See the wrinkly elephant
Eating fruits and weeds
Take a bite, chew it up
Then spit out the seeds
Source: King County Library System

Book – “Oh, No, George!” by Chris Haughton

Song – “Number Dance” – Mr. Eric

Never Stop
I’m going to blow up this balloon
And never, never, stop.
I’ll blow and blow and blow and POP!
Source: King County Library System

Goodbye
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as high as we can
Good-bye! (in high, squeaky voice)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as low as we can
Good-bye! (in a deep voice)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as fast as we can
Good-bye! (very quick)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as slow as we can
Good-bye! (very slowly and drawn out)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as quiet as we can
Good-bye! (in a whisper)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as loud as we can
GOOD-BYE! (yelling)
Source: Jbrary

Early literacy tip: N is for newspaper! Newspapers are a rich source of learning materials for families and children. If you don’t subscribe to a newspaper, you can use the library’s. Use the newspaper to discuss with the child, and help the child come up with, captions for a picture in a newspaper. You can then compare the actual captions with what the child has created.

• Teaching Early Literacy by Diane Barone et al

This builds visual literacy (or using pictures and images to communicate) as well as vocabulary and storytelling capabilities!

Yogibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

“Be a Friend” yoga storytime

Opening – How I explain the rules of yoga storytime: stay on your mat and keep your hands to yourself.
(Skip to my Lou –  from Jim Gill)
Stomping feet, one and two
Stomping feet, one and two
But if my feet were covered in glue
I’d stick to the glue, my darling.

Clapping hands, one and two
Clapping hands, one and two
But if my hands were covered in glue
I’d stick to the glue, my darling
(hands in Anjali mudra, or prayer position)

Extend and Stretch
Frere Jacques
Extend and stretch (sit in sukasana – easy seated pose, or crisscross applesauce- and do seated side bends)
Extend and stretch
Twist and turn (seated twists)
Twist and turn
This is yoga, (hands overhead on “this,” then bring to prayer position on “yoga”)
This is yoga
Om sweet om, (hands in prayer, bow forward)
Om sweet om
Source: I got this from Kids Yoga Guide teacher training, but here is another from Be Grace Yoga 

Sun Salutations – I use a call and response version of Sargeant Salutations from Kidding Around Yoga.

Open the Book
Arms, legs, both
Close the book. Open the book. Turn the page.
Start seated with arms stretched out in front of you, palms touching. To “open the book,” stretch the arms wide. To close it, bring them back together. To “turn the page,” open just the right arm and close it, then the left arm and close it. Repeat “turning pages” until the kids giggle. Repeat the whole sequence using legs instead of arms. Then try arms and legs together. 

Book – Be a Friend by Salina Yoon
Acting like a mime. Explain what a mime is and that they perform silently.
page after “acting out in scenes” – Pull an imaginary rope.
Act as if in a box. Lie on the ground and pretend to ride a bicycle. Get “shorter” as you “walk down the stairs”
show and tell – bird – warrior III/ virabhadrasana III
dinosaur – utkatasana/chair with T-rex arms
sunflower – flower pose
egg- balasana/child’s pose
caterpillar – shalabasna/locust pose
chrysalis – eagle/garudasana (modify for small children)
butterfly – baddha konasana
Dennis was happy to be a tree – tree pose/vrksasana

Since that was a lot of poses. I skipped poses for most of the rest of the book and just let them listen.

They LOVED the pretend teeter totter in the book so I made that into a partner pose.
teeter totter – partner assisted upavista konasana/wide-legged forward fold
variation – standing wide legged forward fold with hand clasp/ prasarita padottanasana
lizard on a rock –balasana/ urdhva dhanurasana variation

Song – “All I Wanna Do is Dance” – Kira Willey

Breathing Buddies
I used the library puppets and gave one to each child. We put the buddies on our tummies and watched them go up and down with our breath. then we lied down on our mats to use the breathing buddies with savasana.

Savasana This was a guided savasana. We thought about our friends, about how nice they were, about how we liked to play with them, and about how they made us laugh. We thought about our families we also our friends. Remember how to be a good friend to everyone.

Peace begins with me
Hold both hands overhead. On the word “peace,” touch the thumbs and pinky fingers together. On the word “begins,” touch the thumbs and ring fingers. On the word “with,” touch the thumbs and middle fingers. On the word “me,” touch the thumbs and pointers. Repeat this four times, the first time loudly and hands overhead. The second time, bring the hands down a little and speak a little softer. The third time, bring hands lower and whisper. The last time, bring hands to knees and speak words silently to self.
Source: Kids Yoga Guide Teacher Training

Friendship Bracelets
I modified the activity. Each child received “beads” that were all the same color, but all they had to do was ask their friends nicely for the other colors for a lesson in sharing and meeting new friends.

Namaste!

Yogibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Somewhere Over the Rainbows and Prisms

March’s event for little ones was Somewhere Over the Rainbows and Prisms!

We made kaleidoscopes based off this post from Buggy and Buddy.

This is what my example kaleidoscope looked like. Seriously, sometimes I have the coolest job ever.

We experimented with prisms in the sunlight through the window. I also made two of these spectroscopes. This was by far the least popular activity station though.

We moved around with this color activity.  I used an empty box of tissues to make a sort of die for the kids to toss. See the pdf with actions here: Color action cube

We made rainbow pasta necklaces. I used this recipe to dye the pasta. I can’t get over how bright the colors look!

We sorted colors using this activity with pom poms and paper towel rolls. The kids could use their fingers or plastic tongs (for more fine motor practice) to pick up the pom poms.

 

Yogibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

“Letter M” preschool storytime

Opening Song
I wiggle my fingers. I wiggle my toes.
I wiggle my ears. I wiggle my nose.
I wiggle my shoulders. I wiggle my chin.
I stretch my arms wide and pull them back in.
I wiggle my elbows. I wiggle my knees.
I hop like a bunny. I smile and say, “Cheese!”
Now I have no more wiggles left in me
And I sit on the floor as still as can be.
Source: Storytime with Jason

Alphabet Monster (with puppet)
I’m the Alphabet Monster
And nothing tastes better
To the Alphabet Monster
Than eating a letter.
Today I will eat an “M” if I may
With the million more letters
I munch every day.
I’m hungry now. What shall I do?
I think I’ll eat a “y” an “o” and a “u” . . . . . . That means YOU!
Source: Storyblocks (adapted)

Book – Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

If You’re a Monster and You Know It
If you’re a monster and you know it,
Wave your arms,
If you’re a monster and you know it,
Wave your arms,
If you’re a monster and you know it,
Then your arms will surely show it,
If you’re a monster and you know it,
Wave your arms
If you’re a monster and you know it, stomp your feet…
If you’re a monster and you know it, show your claws…
Source: Adapted traditional

Song: Laurie Berkner’s “Monster Boogie”

Mr. Turkey and Mr. Duck
Mr. Turkey went out one day
In the bright sunshiny weather
He met Mr. Duck along the way
And they stopped to talk together.
Gobble, gobble, gobble
Quack, quack, quack.
Gobble, gobble, gobble
Quack, quack, quack.
Gobble, gobble, gobble
Quack, quack, quack.
And then they both went back. Quack!
Source: King County Library System

Book – Moo! by David LaRochelle

Can you Move with Me?
Can you wiggle like a worm,
Can you squiggle, can you squirm?
Can you flutter, can you fly,
Like a gentle butterfly?
Can you crawl upon the ground
Like a beetle that is round?
Can you move with me?
Can you flip? Can you flop?
Can you give a little hop?
Can you slither like a snake?
Can you give a little shake?
Can you dance like a bee
who is buzzing in a tree?
Can you move with me?
Source: King County Library System

Song – Mr.Nate “The Letter M song”
A coworker of mine wrote a song entirely comprised of words that start with the letter M. He played his guitar and sang it for them. Sadly, he does not have a recording of it. But one of the verses says, “Music makes me miss my mommy. Mommy makes me mind my manners. Manners make me much more macho, macho meaning much more manly.” Super creative.

Felt Board – It Looked like Spilt Milk (based on the book by Charles Green Shaw)

Book – Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

Boing! Boing! Squeak!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
A bouncing mouse is in my house
He’s been here for a week.
He bounces in the kitchen, (lean to one side)
He bounces in the den, (lean to other side)
He bounces in the living room,
Look! There he goes again!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
A bouncing mouse is in my house,
He’s been here for a week.
Source: King County Library System

Felt Board – Little Mouse, Little Mouse, are you in the House?

Goodbye
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as high as we can
Good-bye! (in high, squeaky voice)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as low as we can
Good-bye! (in a deep voice)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as fast as we can
Good-bye! (very quick)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as slow as we can
Good-bye! (very slowly and drawn out)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as quiet as we can
Good-bye! (in a whisper)
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam
Let’s say good-bye as loud as we can
GOOD-BYE! (yelling)
Source: Jbrary

Early literacy tip: Children who participate in music instruction tend to score higher on tests of reading comprehension than those who do not. Music instruction improves verbal memory and listening skills, improves the ability to hear sounds, and enriches pre-writing skills.
Source: ABC Music and Me

Other books that could work for this theme
The Monster Mac and Cheese Party by Todd Parr

Yogibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

“ABCs” toddler storytime

Opening Rhyme
(to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
We’re all here today. We’re all here today.
Let’s clap our hands and sing together.
Hip, hip, hooray!
Source: (To be honest, my library was using this before I started so I’m not sure where the previous librarian found it, but it looks like a modified version of Jean Warren’s Preschool Express song here.)

Open Shut Them
Open, shut them, open, shut them,
Give a little clap, clap, clap.
Open, shut them, open, shut them,
Put them in your lap, lap, lap.
Creep them, crawl them,
Creep them, crawl them,
Right up to your chin, chin, chin.
Open up your little mouth,
But do not put them in.
Source: King County Library System

Book – Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Alpha-Beat
First clap your hands.
Then stomp your feet.
Everybody do the alphabet beat.
Apple, Apple, Apple – a – a – a,
Apple, Apple, Apple – a – a – a,
Wave your arms high.
Swing your arms low.
The alphabet beat is the way to go.
Blue, Blue, Blue – b – b – b
Blue, Blue, Blue – b – b – b
Move to the left. Move to the right.
The alphabet beat is way out of sight.
Car, Car, Car – c – c – c
Car, Car, Car – c – c – c
Now give a high five to a nearby friend.
The alphabet beat has come to the end!
Source: Storytime Katie

Scarf Play
Peek a Boo
Scarf Toss – 1,2,3, wee! 1,2,3, wee!

Popcorn Song (tune of Frere Jacques)
Popcorn Kernels (wave scarves overhead)
In the pot (bunch them in their fists)
Shake them, shake them, shake them ’til they POP (Toss scarves up)
Source: Jbrary

To the tune “The Farmer in the Dell”
My scarf goes up.
My scarf goes down.
My scarf goes round and round and round And round and round and round.
My scarf goes in.
My scarf comes out.
My scarf flies about, about, about.
Source: Oakland Schools

Book – Oops! Pounce! Quick! Run! – Mike Twohy

A is for alligator!
A is for alligator, chop, chop, chop!
B is for bouncing, hop, hop, hop!
C is for circle, round and round.
D is for dizzy, all sit down!
Source: King County Library System

 The ABC song

Bubbles – best bubble machine ever! (IMHO, of course)

 Rainbows in my Bubbles
Tune of She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain)
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes, I do
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes, I do
When I look up towards the sun,
They’ve got rainbows every one.
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes, I do.
Source: Preschool Express

Good-bye Song
Wave with one hand, then with the other
Wave with one hand, then with the other
Wave with one hand, then with the other
Wave with both feet now
Repeat with other body parts
Source: King County Library System

Play Time!

Early Literacy Tip: Choose a “Letter of the Day.”  Eat foods that begin with that letter, practice writing or tracing it, and find items that begin with it around the house!

Yogibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.