Storytime: In My Garden

Spring is here - sunny skies, warm and windy air.  And rainy days, too.  But that makes the grass greener, the trees blossom, and flowers and plants grow.  This nice weather made me think of gardening.  Not that I have a green thumb.  Oh, no.  But, I like to eat the yummy vegetables and fruits that are in abundance this time of the year.  Thank you, regional farmer's market!  Thinking of gardening made me think of some great picture books on this very topic and a storytime was born.



Books to Share With Toddlers:

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
I Have a Garden by Bob Barner
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
Carrot Soup by John Segal

Books to Share With Preschoolers:

Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming
And the Good Brown Earth by Kathy Henderson
Eddie's Garden and How to Make Things Grow by Sarah Garland
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

Finger Puppet Rhyme:  There's Something in my Garden
I purchased this finger puppet set from Artfelt.  I keep the puppets hidden as I say the rhyme and reveal it after the kids have guessed what it is.

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!

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!

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!

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!

Fingerplay:  Five Spring Flowers

Five spring flowers, all in a row.
The first one said, "We need rain to grow!"
The second one said, "Oh my, we need water!"
The third one said, "Yes, it is getting hotter."
The fourth one said, "I see clouds in the sky."
The fifth one said, "I wonder why?"
Then BOOM went the thunder,
And ZAP went the lightning!
That springtime storm was really frightening!
But the flowers weren't worried - no, no, no!
The rain helped them grow, grow, grow!

(Source: Harris County Public Library)

Rhyme:  Dig a Little Hole

Dig a little hole,           (pretend to dig)
Plant a little seed,        (pat a seed)
Pour a little water,       (pretend to water)
Dig a little weed,         (pretend to pull weeds)
Chase a little bug,       (shoo away with hands)
There he goes!            (wiggle fingers away)
Give a little sunshine,   (circle arms overhead)
Grow a little rose.       (pretend to hold flower)

(Source: Perry Public Library)

Craft:  Vase of Flowers
I'm sorry I don't have a picture of this craft; I didn't have time to make a sample craft before storytime.  But, this is very simple.  I had children (with the help of their grown-up) cut the shape of a vase out of patterned scrapbook paper.  They glued this onto a piece of construction paper.  Finally, using markers (or crayons) they drew flowers or plants or whatever they wanted to put in their "vase."  If you are feeling adventurous, you could even use washable paint and use their fingerprints to make the flowers.