Monthly Archives: October 2017

“Even Monsters Need to Sleep” bedtime 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)
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 – Halloween version from KidPowerment Yoga
Hello, bats. Flap, flap, flap
Hello, worms. Squirm, squirm, squirm.
Place your hands on the floor. 1,2
And step back. 3,4
Lower your belly to the leaves on the floor.
Aoooo. howl at the moon so pale
Lift up to shake your werewolf tail
Bend your knees. Jump your feet up please.
Take a deep breath in
And feel the magic deep within.
Check out our video!

Song: Wee Sing’s “The Bats are All Asleep
cat – cat pose/marjariasana
ghosts – virabhadrasaba III/Warrior III
witches – warrior II/virabhadrasana II
skeleton – goddess/utkata konasana
goblin – malasana/garland

 

Crown, Heart, Tail. I saw this when I observed a Kids Crave Yoga class. Ask the kids where their head or crown is. Then where is their heart. Then tail (or where their tail would be). Repeat. Shake up the order: Heart, tail, crown. Tail, tail, crown, heart. Go faster and faster, and then slow it down. I love that these movements correspond to the 1st, 4th, and 7th chakras.

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 – Even Monsters Need to Sleep by Lisa Wheeler
Bigfoot – tree/vrkshasana
aliens – UFO= child’s pose/balasana
dragon – lion’s breath/simhasana – Not too many; lion’s breath is VERY energizing!
Frankenstein – soldier kicks
yeti – bear crawls
troll – bridge/setu bandha sarvangasana
Lochness monster – balancing table pose  Long neck and tail like Nessie
giant – 5 pointed star

 

Forward folds
Forward folds are very calming and grounding. Here we moved from standing to sitting to folding in ourselves for even more of a centering effect.
uttanasana
paschimottanasana
baddha konasana with fold

Savasana
Song: Kira Willey’s “When You Sleep” 

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

Namaste!

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“Tickle Monster” Story Explorers preschool bookclub

Tickle Monster CLEL Bell award is a winner in the ECRR2 category of PLAY.

Song: “Monster Boogie” – Laurie Berkner Band

Read Tickle Monster by Edouard Manceau.

We made our own tickle monsters. I gave the kids safety scissors, but I had regular scissors available for the adults since felt is so difficult to cut.

I had to get in on the game too.

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“The Giant Jumperee” 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)

Are you Ready for Yoga? 
Are you ready for yoga?
If you’re ready, then stomp your feet
Stomp your feet and make some noise.
Let’s stomp our feet and make some noise
And do it really fast
Then stop. Stretch your feet up, up, up
And down.
Repeat with arms then both. 
Source: Next Generation Yoga at the National Kids Yoga Conference 

Sun Salutations – Halloween version from KidPowerment Yoga
Hello, bats. Flap, flap, flap
Hello, worms. Squirm, squirm, squirm.
Place your hands on the floor. 1,2
And step back. 3,4
Lower your belly to the leaves on the floor.
Aoooo. howl at the moon so pale
Lift up to shake your werewolf tail
Bend your knees. Jump your feet up please.
Take a deep breath in
And feel the magic deep within.
Check out our video!

Monster Feet
I got this idea from one of my childcare provider attendees. She thought it would be perfect with a boot print for snow activities, and I thought it would work with monster feet too!

Song: “Apple Tree” by Bari Koral

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 – The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson and Helen Oxenbury
I started all the poses at the back of the mat. We would move to the front of the mat like the animal, and then when the Giant Jumperee yells from the burrow, we would return to the back of the mat, scurrying like whatever animal we were at the time.
rabbit – hop to the front
cat – cat pose/marjariasana
bear – bear crawls
elephant – wide legged forward fold/prasarita padottonasana holding hands like an elephant trunk and then exhaling down, trumpeting like and elephant.
frog –  malasana/garland
all animals laughing – happy baby/ananda balasana


Song: “The Bats are All Asleep” – Wee Sing
cat – cat pose/marjariasana
ghosts – virabhadrasaba III/Warrior III
witches – warrior II/virabhadrasana II
skeleton – goddess/utkata konasana
goblin – malasana/garland

Breathing Ball

Savasana 

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

 

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“The Bear in the Book” Story Explorers preschool book club

The Bear in the Book CLEL Bell award is a winner in the ECRR2 category of READ. Read The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks. 

We talked about how bears stay warm in the winter during hiberation. Then we did a science experiment showing how fat keeps bears warm like this post from I Can Teach my Child.

Then we made bear dens like this post from Funky Fresh Firsties.

I love how this boy added more animals in the forest.

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“Bugs” 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 – Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek

Creepy Crawly
Once there was a creepy crawly
(Creep hands up from toes.)
Climbing up the castle wall-y.
Weather changed to stormy, squally
(Arms up, sway like a tree in the wind)
And the rain began to fall-y.
(Flutter fingers down)
Down from the castle wall-y
Fell the little creepy crawly.
Flump! (Hit the floor.)
Source: SPL Children

Insects on Me
To the tune “The Farmer in the Dell
A fly is on my face
A fly is on my face
Heigh-ho just watch me go
A fly is on my face.
Other verses:
A gnat is on my nose,
A hornet is on my head
A bee is on my back
Source: King County Library System

The Itsy Bitsy/Big Humongous Spider
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again!

The big humongous spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the big humongous spider climbed up the spout again!
Repeat with fast and slow, teensy weensyhttps://smile.amazon.com/Geekper-Bubble-Machine-Automatic-Durable/dp/B072Z9R4X6/ref=sr_1_8?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1508357312&sr=1-8&keywords=bubble+machine
Source: Adapted Traditional

Book – Fly! by Karl Newsom Edwards 

A little flea went walking
A little flea went walking
To see what he could see.
But all that he could see,
Was baby’s little tummy!
(Tickle baby’s tummy)
Source: King County Library System

Here is the beehive, where are the bees?
Here is the beehive, where are the bees?
Hidden away were nobody sees
Watch and you will see them come out of their hives,
One, two, three, four, five,
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Source: Tradtional

Bubbles – Trying  a new bubble machine

 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: Repeat, repeat, repeat. Babies learn through repetition because it gives them many chances to “figure things out.” When babies tell you they are interested in a book or even in a picture in a book, give them as long as they want to look at the picture or to hear the story over and over.

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“Tough Boris” Story Explorers preschool book club

Tough Boris is one of my favorite storytime books. Not only is it about pirates (always a hit), it has great vocabulary (massive, scruffy, greedy), and it explores the deeper topic of emotions. No matter how massive or scruffy you are as a pirate, even pirates cry when sad events occur. We first did a felt bored with faces with different emotions from King County Library System.

Read Tough Boris by Susan Middleton Elya. 

Song: Jim Gill’s “I’m so Mad…

We made parrots out of circles like this post.
  

We old-fashioned newspaper pirate hats.

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“Leaves” little ones event

We played with leaves for October’s little ones event. We held this event at the library on a Tuesday, at an outreach event  on Thursday, and again back at the library on Saturday.

We made old-fashioned leaf rubbings.

We punched holes in leaves like this post from Library Makers.

We painted leaves like this post from Kleas. Instead of pressing the leaves into ink, I found it easier to let the kids finger paint the leaves and then press it like a stamp. As far as paint goes, less is more.

 

We used these printable sheets for leaf patterns. Sheet 1 from Twisty Noodle. Fall Leaf Pattern Squares from Preschool Mom.

We made leaf people and animals like this post from My Mommy Style. I also saw these really cute animal ones I put out as examples too. Most of them ended up just looking like monsters, which was seasonally appropriate. I also wasn’t sure I was going to be able to collect enough leaves so we used fake ones from the dollar store. Pro tip: use real leaves. The fake ones will stay on with glue sticks, but you have to be patient and press hard.  The real leaves were easier.

To incorporate some gross motor movements, we pretended scarves were leaves.

 

 

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“Backwards” preschool storytime

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

Book – The End by David LaRochelle

Felt Board – Mr. Lou’s Mustache

Toes, Knees, Shoulders, Head
Toes, knees, shoulders, head
Shoulders, head
Toes, knees, shoulders, head
Rub your tummy
At the same time as your head
Toes, knees, shoulders, head
Shoulders, head
Source: Adapted Traditional

Tall Hat
Tall hat, (arms overhead)
Small hat (hands on head)
Big hat (arms outspread)
Cap (hands on head)
Let me take them off again
(repeat motions in reverse)
And put them in my lap.
(fold hands in lap)
Source: King County Library System

Book – Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb

Sleeping Bunnies
See the little bunnies hopping
Til it’s nearly noon?
Shall we slow them with a merry tune?
Oh so quick
Are they sick?
Go to bed, little bunnies!
Sleep, little bunnies, sleep, sleep sleep
Sleep, little bunnies, sleep, sleep sleep
Sleep, little bunnies, sleep, sleep sleep
Don’t make a peep
Source: Adapted 

Song: “Listen” – Greg and Steve

Book – This is a Ball  by Beck and Matt Stanton

 Andy Spandy Sugar and Candy
Andy Spandy, sugar and candy
All pop up! (stretch tall)
Andy Spandy, sugar and candy
All pop down! (crouch down)
Andy Spandy, sugar and candy
All pop in! (hug yourself)
Andy Spandy, sugar and candy
All pop out! (jump up with arms outstretched)

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

Early literacy tip: Make hats for your shoes!

  • Cut a toilet paper roll in half.
  • Cut out two circles from heavy-duty paper.
  • Glue one half of each toilet paper roll onto the paper.
  • Decorate to look like a jazzy top hat.
  • Attach elastic cord to each “hat” by poking holes into opposite sides of the paper circle and tying the elastic to both sides.

Put the hats on over your shoes and do an “Upside Down Dance.”

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“La Madre Goose” Story Explorers preschool book club

To kick off October’s Story Explorers book club, we talked about the importance of nursery rhymes in teaching the rhythm and cadence of a language.

Read La Madre Goose by Susan Middleton Elya. I only read a few of the rhymes: Peter Peter; Three Little Gatoncitos; Hey Diddle Diddle; The Little Cerdo went to Market; Little Boy Azul; Little Juan Ramon; One Potato, Dos Papas,  and Twinkle Twinkle Small Estrella. 

We played two rounds of hot potato while reciting the One Potato, Dos Papas rhyme.

We made star sensory bags like this post from Playground Park Bench.

We used Tube Locks to make horns for Little Boy Azul.

We practiced our fine motor and early math skills sorting and making patterns for the mitoncitos for the three little gatitos.

 

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