Bunnies! Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)   
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger 
Literacy: The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown (Skip this if you think you might run long or lose their attention)
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them
Literacy: If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre
New song/movement break: If You're Happy and You Know It
Literacy: Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes
Interactive Book: In the Tall Tall Grass by Denise Fleming (We all got up and copied the movements and sounds of the creatures in the book) 
Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds
Closing Movement: Hokey Pokey 
Post storytime activity:
Cotton Ball Bunnies- I gave the kids multi-colored cotton balls, glue sticks, construction paper and crayons. They drew and/or glued cotton balls on for bunnies. It was fun and easy.

Use your imagination: That's totally a carrot!

Bunny-Carrot Die Cut Collage
Every once in a  while I take advantage of our Ellison machines. I used Ellison Rabbit #2.

TheRabbit/Bunny one looks a bit demented. And, instead of the carrot die, I used the Christmas Lights because there's more space on those. I gave a selection of pastel color dies, the die-cut negatives, tissue paper and glue sticks with pastel construction paper. That was easy and fun,too!

Piggies! Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)   
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger 
Literacy: Wolf Won't Bite by Emily Gravett 
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them
Literacy: Piggies by Audrey Wood (also available in bilingual version) 
Literacy: Huff and Puff by Claudia Rueda (This link is to cutest author reading ever!) 
New song/movement break: Five Little Piggies Rolled In the Mud (You can just chant or sing this to the tune of Six Little Ducks.) 
I did this as a felt board, but you can make it an action rhyme like in the video.

I used ArtFelt Pigs and farmer, 
and made my own mud and hay.

Five little pigs rolled in the mud.
Squishy, squashy, felt so good!
The farmer took one piggy out
“Oink! Oink! Oink!” that pig did shout!

Four little pigs rolled in the mud…

Three little pigs rolled in the mud…

Two little pigs rolled in the mud…

One little pig rolled in the mud…

No little pigs rolled in the mud.
They all looked so clean and good.
The farmer let those piggies play
But this time they played in the hay!

Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds  

Closing Movement: Hokey Pokey
Post storytime activity:Pink Piggy Plates
I had the kids and their parents decorate paper plates to look like pigs. Supplies I used:

• Different shades of pink tissue paper squares
• glue sticks
• Pink dot painters
• Pink foam shapes, especially circles and triangles
• Googly and sticker eyes
• Pink ribbon/lanyard string tails
• Black markers       

Spring Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)   
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger
Literacy: Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand 
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them
Literacy: Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Literacy:
Tweedle Dee Dee by Charlotte Voake
 

New song/movement break: The Green Grass Grows All Around (Everytime you say a word that is associated with a movement, do the movement.)
Here's a link to a YouTube that should help you get the tune
This link is to the fun Louis Jordan version

There was a hole (use arms to make a circle in front of your body)
In the middle of the ground (bend or crouch down with hands slapping knees)
The prettiest hole*
That you ever did see

Chorus: And the green grass grows (turn around in place)
all around and around
And the green grass grows all around

There was a tree (stand up straight with arms tightly down by your sides)
In the middle of the hole*…
The prettiest tree*
That you ever did see
Well the tree's *in the hole*
The hole* is in the ground*
Chorus 

And on that tree*
There was a branch (Hold out right arm straight from your body)
The prettiest  branch*
That you ever did see
Well the branch* is on the tree*
The tree* is in the hole*
The hole* is in the ground*
Chorus

And on that branch*
There was a nest (Cup both hands together as is trying to hold water)
The prettiest nest* 
That you ever did see
Well the nest* is on the branch*
The branch* is on the tree*
The tree* is in the hole*
The hole* is in the ground*
Chorus

And in that nest*
There were some eggs (Make two tights fists and wiggle!)
The prettiest eggs*
That you ever did see
Well the eggs* are in the nest*
The nest* is on the branch*
The branch* is on the tree*
The tree* is in the hole*
The hole* is in the ground*
Chorus

And from those eggs*
Out came some birds (Lobster claw finger movements)
The prettiest birds*
That you ever did see
Well the birds* were in the eggs*
The eggs* were in the nest*
The nest* is on the branch*
The branch* is on the tree*
The tree* is in the hole*
The hole* is in the ground*
Chorus

Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds  

Closing Movement: Parachute Play

Post storytime activity: Green Collage: In honor of the book and St. Patrick's Day, we made a green collage. I gathered foam shapes, pieces of yarn, feathers, stickers, markers and dot papers all in different shades of green, gave the kids some glue and a construction paper background. Amazing!

Spring Themed Preschool Storytime

I may end up deleting this because its so similar to the other spring themed ST, but this one I did with in a classroom of preschoolers.
Opening song: Hello Song (Keep in mind that I sing it much slower than the lady in this video)
Hello!
Hello!
Hello, how are you?
I'm fine!
I'm fine!
I hope that you're fine, too. (I repeat this three times, then have the kids say a big hello while waving at all the other kids they see.)
This is a song by Ella Jenkins on her Multicultural Children's Songs CD. 
Opening discussion: Spring
Literacy: Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand

Literacy: And Then It Is Spring by Julie Fogliano

Second Story Stretch: Put Your Finger In the Air (This is pretty good, but I usually stop at Put your finger on your shoe. This song can be real long if you let it!) 
Literacy: Green by  Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Interactive Book: In the Tall Tall Grass by Denise Fleming

Closing Song: Hokey Pokey (I like this video because its set in the late 80s/early 90s, their hats are bedazzled, some of the kids get their right and left mixed up, and you know you want to get up with those kids and show them what its all about! HOKEY POKEY!)