Toddler Time: How Does Your Garden Grow?

Today was the last day of Toddler Time for the Spring.  The weather has been a bit odd the past week (even for Central New York standards), going from temperatures in the 80s to the 40s!  This week is supposed to be nice, so in honor of Spring and all the beautiful things that grow during this time of the year, I thought a garden themed storytime fit the bill.  Here is what we did.

I started out by asking the children what things grow in gardens.  I got a lot of good responses like carrots, peppers and pumpkins.  So we started out by pretending we had a garden.

FINGERPLAY:  Dig a Little Hole
Dig a little hole,     (pretend to dig)
Plant a little seed,  (pretend to plant)
Pour a little water, (pretend to water)
Pull a little weed.   (pretend to weed)
Chase a little bug,  (shoo with hands)
There he goes!      (wiggle fingers away)
Give a little sunshine, (arms circle overhead)
Grow a little rose.   (pretend to hold a flower)
Source:  Perry Public Library

BOOK:  Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
This is a great book to share with toddlers.  The text is short and the illustrations are bright and bold.  Ask them to identify colors and then share the names of the different flowers on each page.

By this time, the kids were quite wiggly, so we broke out the shaky eggs and got up and danced.

SONG:  "Shake My Sillies Out" by Raffi (from his album More Singable Songs)

FLANNEL RHYME:  Five Little Flowers
One little flower growing just for you.
(hold up 1 finger)
Up came another and then there were two.
(hold up 2 fingers)
Two little flowers growing near a tree.
Up came another and then there were three.
(hold up 3 fingers)
Three little flowers growing more and more.
(move hand up)
Up came another and then there were four
(hold up 4 fingers)
Four little flowers growing side by side.
Up came another and then there were five.
Source:  King County Library System

BOOK:  My Garden by Kevin Henkes
After she helps her mother water and weed their garden, a little girl imagines a garden of her own complete with chocolate rabbits, jellybeans, flowers of all colors and tomatoes the size of beach balls.  A cute story!

PUPPET RHYME:  There's Something in My Garden

There’s something in my garden,
Now what can it be?
There’s something in my garden
That I can’t really see.
Hear its funny sound....
RIBBIT - RIBBIT - RIBBIT.
A FROG is what I found!
RIBBIT - RIBBIT - RIBBIT.

There’s something in my garden,
Now what can it be?
There’s something in my garden,
That I can’t really see.
Hear its funny sound....
THUMP - THUMP - THUMP.
A RABBIT is what I found!
THUMP - THUMP - THUMP

There’s something in my garden,
Now what can it be?
There’s something in my garden,
That I can’t really see.
Hear its funny sound....
SQUEAK - SQUEAK - SQUEAK.
A MOUSE is what I found!
SQUEAK - SQUEAK - SQUEAK.

There’s something in my garden,
Now what can it be?
There’s something in my garden,
That I can’t really see.
Hear its funny sound....
CAW - CAW - CAW.
A CROW is what I found!
CAW - CAW - CAW.

Source:  SurLaLune Storytime