Baby-Toddler Storytime November 6, 2019

I had another chance to cover a baby-toddler storytime and had myself a good ol’ time with these storybooks. I also noted the differences in my storytime style and that of the children’s librarian I now work with. Her storytimes are more lively, jump-up-interactive, mine are more musical, story-driven and collective.

Theme: Fractured Fairytales. Let’s look at classic fairy tales and stories that authors have turned upside down or sideways!

Opening song: One Little Finger

Book 1: Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox- This was a stretch for a baby-toddler crowd. It was on the longer side, the illustrations were not large and clear like I would prefer so the kids can see the story, and some of the story made a little anxious because of the questionable political correctness. But, some of the kids and adults started interacting along with me, as they learned the repeating word. And the parents/caregivers laughed at the funny bits, so hopefully, no feelings were hurt in the telling of this tale.

Book 2: Monkey, a Trickster Tale by Gerald McDermott- This was also a stretch, because it was also long, but I think the story is engaging and I love the big colorful illustrations. This isn’t a traditional fairytale, but it is so much like other rambunctious monkey and/or conniving crocodile tales, that I thought it fit the theme. Best read using voices for the monkey and crocodile, and I decided to edit out the crocodile mentioning that it was going to eat the heart of the monkey. I don’t think we need to get that specific with a baby-toddler crowd.

Interaction: Open Shut Them

Book 3: Old Makimba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora- I really enjoy Isadora’s illustrations and reinterpretations of classic tales. With this book I had the group sing along, we asked questions about the animals and the noises they made. I used paperclips to shorten the book, because I knew it wouldn’t make sense to sing through all the animals, and I had the chance to use my silly elephant whistle, which does not come close to making an elephant sound, but looks like it should!

Book 4: This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt- I have been waiting months to use this book in a storytime since I discovered it on the shelf! I passed out musical instruments to the kids and caregivers, and we sang and played along to the tune of “This Old Man,” while I read the words from the book. It was incredibly fun, and I was satisfied.

Closing song: Zoom Zoom Zoom (JT’s version)

Art activity: Wacky collages with foam stickers, crayons, dot painters, tissue paper and yarn. Some masterpieces resulted.

Concept Storytime

The library where I've been doing baby-toddler storytime has hired their own children's librarian, so I've been playing second fiddle there, while training the new chibrarian (Ha!). She has decided that instead of either of us reading all the stories, that we'll split up storytime, meaning I'll do two stories and two songs/fingerplays.
For my half, I focused on concepts. 

Below by Nina Crews
The Crews family make really photo-picture books and this one might be my favorite. Below is the story of Jack a boy and his toy figurine, Guy, who falls down a hole while they're playing together. Jack rescues his friend, but only after some thought about what Guy might be going through. I like books that offer pauses for thought, and this one does it well, illustrating Jack's imagination's and all the possibilities of below. Great for toddler and preschool storytimes, but probably too simple for older children.

Action song: This Is Big (Have the kids get up or stay seated and use their arms and legs to indicate each of the opposite words.)
This is big big big.

From I Can Fly by Mary Blair

This is small small small.
This is short short short.
This is tall tall tall.
This is fast fast fast.
This is slow slow slow.
This is yes yes yes.
This is no no no.
This is hot hot hot.
This is cold cold cold.
This is stop stop stop.
This is go go go. 

Mary Blair Treasury of Golden Books
I remember reading some of the books within when I was little, so I was very pleased to come across this book that holds many, if not all Blair's children's books. I read I Can Fly and The Up and Down Book at baby-toddler storytimes and they did well. I think the audience was entranced by the pretty illustrations.

Bears Theme Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)   
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger 
Literacy: Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them
Literacy: Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff

Feltboard: Ten Little Teddy Bears

There were 10 little teddy bears sleeping in the bed

This is the Artfelt set that I used.

Five at the foot, five at the head.

One little teddy said, “This bed is too full.”

So he grabbed the blanket and started to pull.

He pulled and he pulled and he pulled some more,

Until two little teddies fell BOOM to the floor!

There were 8 little teddy bears sleeping in the bed

Four at the foot, four at the head…

Now there were 6 little teddy bears sleeping in the bed

Three at the foot, three at the head…

Then there were 4 little teddy bears sleeping in the bed

Two at the foot, two at the head…

There were two little teddy bears sleeping in the bed

One at the foot, one at the head.

One little teddy said, “This feels just right.”

So the two little teddy bears said “Good night!"

Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds
Closing Movement: Hokey Pokey
Post storytime activity:Circle Bears
I had a plethora of die cut circles in different sizes. So we put them together to make bears: Two big circles for the head and torso; Two medium-small circles for the ears, two hole punch circles for the eyes and nose holes; two medium circles for the feet. Use crayon, marker or other circles for other details.
 

Farm Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)   
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger 
Literacy: Millie Wants to Play by Janet Pedersen
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them
Literacy: This Little Chick by John Lawrence
Interactive Book: Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
This book is so much fun to read aloud as you can tell by watching the dad and two boys. You can totally make up your own rhythm to read to and, I highly suggest you change it up each time you read it. Try samba!

New song: Old MacDonald (with puppets)
Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds
Closing Movement: Parachute play
Post storytime activity:
Farm stampers and/or farm foam sticker art. 

These are from Lakeshore, but there are lots of other brands.

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!

Whoosh! Parachute Play

From Flickr by Big Kohuna

No! I don't push kids off the bookshelves with their own personal mini-chute. That is not what parachute play is and that is also very uncool.
Parachute play is taking a flat chute and doing movement activities with it like moving the chute itself, having the kids "hide" underneath, running under and out of the chute. You know, fun stuff.
For my baby-toddler storytime, I like to switch between parachute play and the Hokey Pokey as a closing movement.


My Parachute Play Routine

Ring Around the Rosie
Ring around the rosie
Pocket full of posies
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down!

When you're down with the parachute, you have options. You can sing Fishies in the Water or the next verse of Ring Around the Rosie. 

The cows are in the meadow
Eating buttercups.
Ashes! Ashes!
We all stand up!

Fishies in the Water
Fishies in the water.
Fishies in the sea.
We all jump up 
With a 1, 2, 3!

Grand Ol' Duke of York 
I have the kids go underneath the chute for this one and then the parents and I have fun moving it up, down and around.

The grand ol' Duke of York
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill 
And he marched them down again.
And when they're up, they're up.
And when they're down, they're down.
And when they're only halfway up,
They're neither up nor down!

Popcorn 

I used large pom-poms as the popcorn, but if you have ball pit balls, or about 30 pieces of a lightweight, non-dangerous, rounded object that could work, too.

You throw the corn into the pot (pour the balls in)
Then shake it! Shake it! Shake it alot! (gently shake the chute)
And when they start to heat up (start to shake harder)
From the bottom to the top... (shake the chute down, then up)
Then its time to pop! Pop! Pop! (shake vigorously, so the balls can fly all over the place)

Here's a video of some adults talking about different parachute play songs and rhymes. I thought it was pretty good.

Puppies Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)   
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger    
Literacy: That Pup by Lindsay Barrett George  
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them  
Literacy: Please, Puppy, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee  
New song/movement break: 
Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone (with dog puppet)

Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short and his tail cut long, 
Oh where, oh where can he be? 

Literacy: Dog by Matthew Van Fleet 
Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds  

Closing Movement: Parachute Play
Post storytime activity: Make-Your-Own Puppy Coloring Book! This was so easy. I printed out several different puppy coloring pages from the Internet, gave the kids a piece of construction paper to decorate, folded the construction paper over the coloring sheets and Voila! They're own coloring book that keeps giving and giving (depending on how many pages you give them!) Here are some coloring pages that might work for you.

Not a librarian's best friend.

  
 

Monkeys Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics) 
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger  
Literacy: Monkey Monkey Monkey by Cathy MacLennan 
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them  
Literacy: Banana! by Ed Vere 
New song/movement break:Monkey With a Coconut (Slightly modified version of this: http://freesongsforkids.com/audios/monkey-coconut) 

Monkey with a coconut was sitting in a tree.

Monkey with a coconut was making fun of me.

I told him that I'd like to have a coconut too.

He said if you want it this is what you've gotta do.

He said clap clap clap.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

You’ve gotta clap clap clap.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

You’ve gotta clap clap clap.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

He said clap clap clap.

And the monkey said to stop! 

Other Verse: Stomp stomp stomp! 

Another verse: Scratch scratch scratch!  

Literacy: Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed by Eileen Christelow read and followed with having the kids stand up and saying the rhyme together kinda like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tperYYMCYE 

Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds  
Post storytime activity: Zoo Animals Foam Pieces Collage
We have a lot of these from Discount School Supply, so we gave each kids some with a green piece of construction paper and a glue stick. Some kids made a zoo, another made a safari, another made a safari in the zoo. That was my favorite!

Goose, Goose, Duck! Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics) 
Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger 

Literacy: Duck's Key Where Can It Be? by Jez Alborough
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them 
Literacy: Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri
New song/movement break: Six Little Ducks (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lu3Um3H1vk) 
Six little ducks that I once knew

Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones, too

Chorus:
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He led the others with a quack, quack, quack!
Quack, quack, quack! Quack, quack, quack!
He led the others with a quack, quack!

Down to the river they would go
Wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble, to and fro
Chorus

Back from the river they would come
Wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble, ho, hum, hum
Chorus

Six little ducks that I once knew
Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones, too
Chorus 

Literacy: Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek  (Have kids stand up and interact with the book)

Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds  
Post storytime activity: My plan was to make handprint ducks and geese (http://funhandprintart.blogspot.com/2009/08/rainy-day-handpint-duck.html), but the kids just had fun with fingerpaints and the parents were grateful for the disposable aprons!

Brrr! Winter Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)

Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger 
Literacy: The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them 
Literacy: Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr
New song/movement break: Ten Little Snowmen (clap or bounce)
I modified the song Ten Little Indians to be politically correct and theme focused. Ten Little Fill-In-the-Blank is a great piggyback song that you can use for lots of different themes. Just change the countable object. 

One little, two little, three little snowmen  
(We counted aloud and also with our fingers)

Four little, five little, six little snowmen

Seven little, eight little, nine little snowmen

Ten little snowmen dancing!

Available at Artfelt.net

Literacy: Five Little Snowmen Felt Board. 
I used the Artfelt Five Little Snowmen kit, but its not hard at all to make your own out of whatever medium. I also took and modified  the rhyme from the Nikarella blog and her idea to make felt puddles to leave behind when the little snowmen melted.

Five little snowmen standing in a row

Each with a hat and each with a bow.

Out came the sun and it stayed all day,

And one little snowman melted away.

Four little…

Three little…

Two little…

One little snowman standing all alone,

With one little hat and one little bow.

Out came the sun and it stayed all day,

No more little snowmen, they all melted away!

 
Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds 

Post storytime activity: Paperplate snowman art activity (photo to come)
I basically just stapled two paper plates together, gave  the kids felt and foam shapes for the nose and mouth, and giant buttons for the eyes and, well, buttons. We used tissue paper strips for the scarf. I stapled craft sticks for arms and glued mitten cutouts onto them. I also used cutouts for the hats. There are more formal instructions for paper plate snowmen if you Google it. 

Cats Meow! Themed Storytime

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (See My Storytime Set for song lyrics)

Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger 
Literacy: Who Likes Rain? by Herbert Yee
Song/movement break: Open Shut Them 
Literacy: Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle
New song/movement break: Where Oh Where Has My Little Cat Gone? (with puppet and felt pieces)
I modified this originally dog-theme song for my needs. The audience, my cat puppet and I sang the song together then, I would look for the cat somewhere: I had a big felt bed, big felt Jeep, big felt tree and big felt bathtub (They're all Artfelt felt pieces). So, it would go like this:

Sing or say with cat puppet:

Oh where, oh where has my little cat gone?

Oh where, oh where can she be?

With her pointy ears and her wiggly tail,

Oh where, oh where can she be?

Me: "Is she hiding underneath the bed?" Lift up the bed so they can see she's not in there.  

Audience: "No!"

Me: "I guess we'll have to keep looking for her."

Sing the song again.

Me: "Is she in the bathtub?..."

Literacy: Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun
Closing Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds 

Post storytime activities:
Parachute Play: We sang Ring Around the Rosie and Fishies in the Ocean

Art activity: What can you make with a box? Collage. I don't have any pictures, but it doesn't matter because this art activity didn't really hit its mark. I expected that after reading Meeow and the Big Box parents and children might get the idea that a box is a blank slate for your imagination. So, here's  some foam shapes, dot painters, crayons and markers for you to create something with a flat piece of cardboard. Nothing happened. They treated it like it was any old piece of paper and just stuck things on it willy-nilly and spelled out their names. Me and my big ideas, again!

My Baby-Toddler Storytime Set

So every librarian does their storytime differently. This is how I structure my baby-toddler storytimes and the regular songs and fingerplays that I use. 

Opening song: Good Morning/ Buenos Días (Sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)

Good morning! Good morning!

How are you? How are you?

Very well I thank you.

Very well I thank you.

How about you?

How about You?

¡Buenos días, buenos días!

(Bweh-noes dee-ahs)

¿Cómo está, cómo está?

(Coe-moe ehs-tah)

¡Muy bien, gracias, muy bien gracias!

(mwee bee-N grah-see-ahs) 

 ¿Y usted, y usted?

(E ou-stead E ou-stead)

Opening fingerplay: One Little Finger

One little finger, one little finger

One little finger goes

tap, tap, tap

Point to the ceiling

Point to the floor, 

And place it in your

lap, lap, lap.

Two little fingers, two little fingers…

Three little fingers, three little fingers

Four little fingers, four little fingers…

Five little fingers, five little fingers

Five little fingers go clap, clap, clap…

Literacy: Book, felt or puppet story

Song/movement break: 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, creep them,

Creep them, creep them,

Right up to your chin, chin chin.

Open up your little mouth (AHH!)

But do not let them in!

Literacy: book, felt or puppet story

Song/movement break: I usually introduce one new or different song here

Literacy: book, felt or puppet story

Closing fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill

One named Jack, one named Jill.

Fly away Jack. Fly away Jill

Come back Jack. Come back Jill

Two little blackbirds on the go

One named Fast, one named Slow.

Fly away Fast. Fly away Slow

Come back Fast. Come back Slow

Two little blackbirds sitting around

One named Up, one named Down.

Fly away Up. Fly away Down.

Come back Up. Come back Down.

Closing song/movement: Hokey Pokey

You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out;
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey-Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!

You put your left hand in,
You put your left hand out…

You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out…

You put your left foot in,
You put your left foot out…

You put your whole self in,
You put your whole self out…

I see you face. You’re thinking three books? With toddlers? This girl is crazy! But it works a lot of the time. Just have to have the right combination of song and movement distractions, plus be prepared for wiggly kids. If you’ve lost your audience to the wiggles, close the book and improvise.