Storytime: Penguins

Have I been replaced at work?!

Penguins in March?! Yes. Because even though I originally did this storytime in January, penguins can be enjoyed all year long. Yep, I'm going with that reasoning rather than the truth, which is I'm two months behind on storytime posts. :P

BOOKS:

Ten Little Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromenthal

Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon

Up & Down by Britta Teckentrup

RHYMES & SONGS:

Two Little Penguins

Two little penguins, sitting on the ice (hold up two fingers)

One bows once, the other bows twice (made index fingers bow)

Waddle little penguins, waddle away. (put fingers behind back)

Come back penguins, time to play! (bring fingers to the front)

Source: King County Library System

"Have You Ever Seen a Penguin?"

(tune: "Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?")

Have you ever seen a penguin, a penguin, a penguin?

Have you ever seen a penguin swim this way and that? (make swimming motions with arms)

Swim this way and that way? Swim this way and that way?
Have you ever seen a penguin swim this way and that?

...slide this way and that? (make sliding motions with arms)

...waddle this way and that? (feet close together, make tiny waddling steps)

...flap this way and that? (arms close to sides, flap hands like "wings")

Source: Perpetual Preschool

"The Penguin Song"

by Carole Peterson from album Stinky Cake

This is a fun marching song. I handed out shaker eggs and had the kids shake and walk around pretending to walk like penguins.

Pippa's Penguins

Source: Susan M. Dailey

I used this story as a flannelboard. The story and pattern can be found on Susan Dailey's website (link above). I modified the story for the different age groups and for the colors of felt I had. I made it interactive by handing out felt penguins and calling the kids up one by one to put their color penguin on the board. They loved it!

CRAFT:

We made Tacky the Penguin as our craft! There are several ideas online, but I found a nice template on Sturdy for Common Things. It has all the penguin parts, which makes this librarian's life easy when it comes to prepping a craft for 20 kids. My assistant Kelly, who is a life-saver, cut out all the pieces ahead of time, so all kids had to do was assemble their "Tacky" with a glue stick and add wiggle eyes. Isn't he adorable?