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

Toddler Storytime: Sweet Treats

I'm not sure if it was best idea to do a storytime based upon sugary, yummy things with a bunch of hyper two-year olds, but I went with it, because that's how Miss Jenny rolls!  Here is how you can have sweet storytime, too.

BOOK:  Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler; illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
I found this gem while weeding the picture book section.  When I read it, I knew it would be perfect for storytime.  Full of rhymes and fun noises, this book is a great read-aloud.  Starting out with a toad, a variety of animals get stuck in a big wad of bubble gum melting in the road.  They must try to get out of the way of a big blue truck and a mean bear coming down the road.  We had fun yelling out the different animals and I had fun making the noises.

SONG:  "Shakin' Down the Sugar" by Laurie Berkner (from her album Victor Vito)
My toddlers love using the shakey eggs, so whenever I can bring them out for a song, I do.  This song fits perfectly into the theme as well as being a great outlet to shake and dance around!  I love that they get to shake left, right and up and down.

FINGERPLAY:  Making Cookies
I am making cookie dough,                       (point to self)
Round and round the beaters go,               (rotate hands over each other)
Add some flour from a cup,                       (pretend to pour flour in)
Stir and mix the batter up,                          (pretend to stir)
Roll them, cut them, nice and neat,             (pretend to roll out cookies)
Put them on a cookie sheet,                       (hold hands out flat in front of you)
Bake them, count them...one, two, three,   (count with fingers)
Then serve them to my friends for tea!        (pretend to pass cookies out)
Source:  Avon Lake Public Library

BOOK:  The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems
I love the Pigeon books and couldn't wait to share this book with the toddlers.  They loved it!  Seriously, can Mo Willems write a bad children's book?  I think not.  This is a great choice because you can talk about asking for things politely, sharing, and why throwing a fit is not a great option to get what you want.

FLANNEL RHYME:  Five Gingerbread Men
Five little gingerbread men laying on a tray,
One jumped up and ran away,
Shouting, "Catch me, catch me, catch me if you can...
I'm really quick, I'm a gingerbread man!"
Four little gingerbread men... (count down the numbers repeating the above rhyme)
No more gingerbread men laying on a tray,
They all jumped up and ran away.
Oh, how I wish they had stayed with me to play.
Next time I'll eat them before they run away!
Source:  King County Library System

FINGERPLAY:  Good Things to Eat
Will you have spaghetti,    (wiggle fingers up and down)
Or a piece of pie?             (make a triangle with your fingers)
How about a cookie?        (make a circle with your hands)
Then so will I!                   (pretend to eat cookies)
Source:  Avon Lake Public Library

OTHER BOOKS TO SHARE:
If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff
Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? by George Shannon
The Donut Chef by Bob Staake
Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson

Preschool Storytime: Choo-Choo!

Children love trains.  Thomas, Chuggington - these are popular series at my library and their books and DVDs circulate very well.  We even purchased a train table for our Children's Room that is well loved by our little patrons.  It seemed high time to do a storytime about trains.  All aboard!  Here's what I did.

Book:  And the Train Goes...by William Bee

I really like this book.  One of its strengths is its repetition.  Passengers get on the train and make comments and noises (like the businessmen who say "time is money, time is money"), and the entire time the station parrot is listening carefully to all the sounds.  The train maintains its sound of "clickerty click, clickerty clack." I had fun reading this aloud and encouraging the kids to make the noises along with me.

Action Rhyme:  This is a Choo-Choo Train

This is a choo-choo train,

     (bend arms at elbows)

Puffing down the track.

     (push arms forward)

Now it's going forward,

     (lean forward)

Now it's going back.

     (lean back)

Now the bell is ringing.

     (pretend to pull the cord)

Now the whistle blows.

     (blow "toot, toot")

What a lot of noise it makes.

    (cover ears with hands)

Everywhere it goes.

    (bend arms again and push them forward)

Source:  SurLaLune Storytime

Book:  Clickety Clack by Rob and Amy Spence; illustrated by Margaret Spengler

Another fun book to read aloud!  The train gets filled with very loud passengers - like talking yaks, dancing acrobats and quacking ducks.  Pretty soon the conductor has a headache!  Will everyone quiet down?  We had fun making the different noises.

Flannel Song:  This Little Train (tune: "This Old Man")

This little train, painted black

It comes chugging down the track

With a "choo-choo, toot-toot"

Hear the whistle blow

This little train comes chugging home.

This little train painted blue

It has seats for me and you

With a "choo-choo, toot-toot"

Hear the whistle blow

This little train comes chugging home.

This little train painted yellow

It shimmies and shakes like a bowl of Jell-O

With a "choo-choo, toot-toot"

Hear the whistle blow

This little train comes chugging home.

This little train painted green

It's the fanciest car you've ever seen

With a "choo-choo, toot-toot"

Hear the whistle blow

This little train comes chugging home.

This little train, it is gray

It takes you places far away

With a "choo-choo, toot-toot"

Hear the whistle blow

This little train comes chugging home.

This caboose, it is red

It will take you home to bed

With a "choo-choo, toot-toot"

Hear the whistle blow

This little train comes chugging home.

Source:  SurLaLune Storytime

Pattern for Flannel Board:  Kiz Club

Book: Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis; illustrated by Daniel Kirk

I read this to both my toddler and preschool groups and encouraged them to very loud with their "chugga chugga choo choos."  They did not disappoint.  I'm still regaining the hearing in my right ear.  Just kidding!  This is another great choice to read aloud.  The rhyming and repetition make this a good choice for both age groups.

Song:  The Wheels on the Train (tune: "The Wheels on the Bus")

The wheels on the train go clickety clack, clickety clack, clickety clack,

The wheels on the train go clickety clack, on the railroad tracks.

Repeat with:

The engine on the train goes chug, chug, chug...

The conductor on the train says, "tickets please..."

The people on the train go bounce, bounce, bounce...

The whistle on the train goes toot, toot, toot...

Source:  Librarian Lisa's Storytime

Craft:  Train with Paper Towel Wheels

Source:  Recipe for Reading

This was super easy.  We have an Ellison die cut of a train, which made cutting these out a breeze.  The kids decorated them and used a toilet paper roll cut in half for the wheels.  I did cut a slit in the middle of the "wheels" so the train could fit in.

Preschool Storytime: Bunnies, Eggs and Chicks

Easter Sunday is tomorrow, so in honor of the holiday, this week's storytime theme was about Easter things.  I chose not to focus on the religious aspect of the holiday due to the diverse community we have at our library, and instead chose to read books about rabbits, eggs and chickens.  For an added treat, one of the families brought in their pet rabbit, Cocoa and kids learned about the breed, what they eat, and how to take care of a rabbit.  They also got to pet Cocoa.  Check out our library's Facebook page for pictures!

Book:  What Does Bunny See? by Linda Sue Park; illustrated by Maggie Smith
A perfect choice for the spring (not that the weather in Central New York has been very spring-like), this book is about a little bunny who wanders through a garden and discovers flowers in different colors.  The rhymes make this fun to read aloud and the kids loved shouting out the colors.

Flannel Rhyme:  Five Little Bunnies
One little bunny, wondering what to do,
Another bunny came along, and now there are two.
Two little bunnies, hopping just like me,
Another bunny came along, and now there are three.
Three little bunnies, jumping around outdoors,
Another bunny joined them, and now there are four.
Four little bunnies, so fluffy and alive,
Another bunny joined them, and now there are five.
Five little bunnies, ready for some fun,
Hopped away in the warm, spring sun.
Source:  King County Library System

Book:  Roly-Poly Egg by Kali Stileman
I adore this book!  The illustrations are adorable and full of color.  Splotch is a colorful bird who lays a spotted egg that rolls out of her nest in the tree.  As it rolls through the story, it passes many animals and kids can follow the egg along on its journey.  As it makes its way back home, you will discover a surprise ending.

Song:  "I Know a Chicken" by Laurie Berkner from her album Whaddaya Think of That?
A storytime favorite, I could NOT have a storytime about chickens and eggs and not play this song.  Make sure you break out the shaky eggs.

Book:  Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman
When I was choosing books for this storytime, I discovered this one which was a little different than your average chicken book.  A little chicken tries to help an artist paint the barnyard in the book, but she ends up making everything blue -even the animals.  How will she fix it?

Fingerplay:  Ten Fluffy Chickens
Five eggs and five eggs, that makes ten.
(Hold up two hands.)
Sitting on top is the Mother Hen.
(Fold one hand over the other.)
Crackle, crackle, crackle; what do I see?
(Clap hands three times.)
Ten fluffy chickens, as yellow as can be!
(Hold up and wiggle ten fingers.)
Source:  King County Library System

Craft:  Bunny Mask
A very easy craft to prep - you just photocopy the template onto cardstock.  I had the kids choose a pom-pom nose and they also added cotton balls to bunny's face.
Source:  First Palette

More Books to Share About Easter Things:
The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack
The Little Gray Bunny by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke
The Easter Bunny's Assistant by Jan Thomas
Max's Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells

Passover Books for Children

Passover starts next week.  If you celebrate and are looking for books to share with your children, try these ones available at the DCL!

The Passover Lamb by Linda Elovitz Marshall; illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
New York: Random House, 2013
This sweet book tells the story of Miriam who has to figure out how to save a baby lamb and her family's Seder dinner!  Snowball, a lamb on her family's farm, gives birth to triplet lambs, but is only able to provide milk for two, so one must be bottle-fed continuously.  But, it's almost time for Passover, and it's Miriam's turn to ask the Four Questions at her grandparents' Seder.  How will the baby lamb get fed if Miriam's family must leave for her grandparents' house?

What Am I? Passover by Anne Margaret Lewis; illustrated by Tom Mills
Chicago: Albert Whitman & Co., 2012
This lift-a-flap book is perfect for younger readers.  Children lift flaps to discover things that make Passover a special celebration, from a family getting ready for their Seder to the different foods eaten and special items needed for the dinner.

A Sweet Passover by Leslea Newman; illustrated by David Slonim
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2012
Miriam loves matzoh, especially during Passover.  She eats it for breakfast, for lunch, and with dinner.  But, in the middle of Passover, she decides she's had enough matzoh.  But, Grandpa has a special recipe for matzoh brei (kind of like French toast).  Will Miriam give it a try?  Includes a recipe to make matzoh brei with your kids!

The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah by Leslie Kimmelman; illustrated by Paul Meisel
New York: Holiday House, 2010
This retelling of the folktale makes it perfect to share at Passover!  Little Red Hen needs to make matzoh for Passover, but none of her friends will help her make it.  After she's done all the work, her friends show up for Seder dinner to eat it.  What will the Little Red Hen do?  Includes a recipe to make matzoh.

Dayenu! A Passover Haggadah for Families and Children by Carol Boyd Leon; illustrations by Gwen Connelly
Jersey City, NJ: KTAV Publishing House, 2008
This book is perfect for introducing children to Passover, as well as explaining the many elements of a Seder dinner.  It tells the story of Exodus, and relates why Passover is such an important story of the Jewish people.  Easy to understand text and brightly colored illustrations makes this a good choice to share with your family.

Preschool Storytime: Green Things

With St. Patrick's Day coming up next week, I wanted to do a story time around the holiday.  Alas, there are few picture books about St. Patrick's Day geared towards the under five year old set.  So, I expanded my theme and did "It's a Green Storytime!"

Book:  The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long

I started out by asking the children what animals are green.  They shouted "frogs," so this was our first book.  I love books that I can sing along to, because they make them more interactive and fun.  This book follows "The Hokey Pokey" and involves a frog trying desperately to catch a fly.  Will he catch it?

Flannel Rhyme:  Five Little Froggies

(If you don't feel like making a flannel board, this may be done as a fingerplay.)

Five little froggies sat on a shore,

One went for a swim, and then there were four.

Four little froggies looked out to sea,

One went swimming, and then there were three.

Three little froggies said, "what can we do?"

One jumped in the water, and then there were two.

Two little froggies sat in the sun,

One swam off, and then there was one.

One little froggie said, "this is no fun!"

He dived in the water, and then there were none!

Book:  Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman; illustrated by Nick Maland

Another green animal the children picked was an alligator (or crocodile).  This book involves a scary alligator that makes its way into a home to scare the children.  But, the children have a trick up their sleeves to get rid of the alligator.  We had fun making alligator noises with our hands.

Puppet Activity:  Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

Since we read a book about a "scary" animal, I decided to follow with an interactive activity about a green monster that "doesn't scare me!"  I purchased the puppet kit from Lakeshore Learning, handed out different pieces to the kids, and they came up and gave our monster a face.

Fingerplay:  Five Green Peas

Five green peas in a pea pod pressed.

(children hold hand in a fist)

One grew, two grew, and so did all the rest.

(put thumb and fingers up one by one)

They grew and grew,

(raise hand in the air slowly)

And did not stop,

Until one day the pod went POP!

(clap hands together)

(Source: Storytime Katie)

Book:  There Was a Tree by Rachel Isadora

This is one of my favorite "new" books we've got in our picture book collection.  Based on the song "The Green Grass Grew All Around," this book is set in Africa and depicts a tree growing and all the things that land on the tree.  I really loved singing this, and was so happy that the parents and kids sang along with me!

Craft:  Shamrock Crowns

Just because I didn't read any books about St. Patrick's Day didn't mean I wasn't going to get my shamrock on with a craft!  The kids had a blast making these cute crowns.  Thankfully, we have an Ellison machine and a shamrock die shape, so it was easy to prep this.  And yes, that is me modeling my crown (I have a tough job, but someone's gotta do it)!

(Source:  DLTK)

Other Books to Share About Green Things:

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover! by Lucille Colandro

In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox; illustrated by Judy Horacek

Emeraldalicious by Victoria Kann

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel; illustrated by Serge Bloch

Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! by Mo Willems

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day by Natasha Wing

Preschool Storytime: Dinosaurs

If there is one topic most children gravitate towards, it's dinosaurs.  Thankfully, my library has a pretty large selection of picture books on these extinct creatures, so I give you the makings for a dinosaur storytime (roaring included).

Book:  Dinosaur Pet by Marc Sedaka

I started off storytime with this newer addition to our collection.  Based on the song "Calendar Girl" by Neil Sedaka, this version had a dinosaur hatching out of an egg in January and growing bigger and bigger as the year progresses.  I love the illustrations in this book, and the repetition of the lyrics.

Song:  "We Are the Dinosaurs" by Laurie Berkner

You can't have a dinosaur storytime without playing this awesome song!  I gave the kids shakey eggs (again, a must) and we stomped around the room, stopped and ate a snack, took a nap, stomped some more, and ROOOAAARRED because, well, we were being dinosaurs.  This song is on her album Whaddaya Think of That? which is available at my library.  If you don't know the awesomeness that is Laurie Berkner, I urge you to check out her music.  You and your kids will love it!

Book:  Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland

I chose another relatively new book to our collection, and the kids really liked it!  They got to countdown from 10 to 0.  One of my particulars in picking dinosaur books is to make sure I can pronounce the names of the different types of dinosaurs, because in the past I read a book and mispronounced a name, and boy oh boy, did the kids correct me.  So, I double checked and got all the dinosaurs right in this cute book.

Flannel Rhyme:  Five Enormous Dinosaurs

(If you don't have flannel dinosaurs, you can easily change this to a fingerplay and count on your fingers.)

Five enormous dinosaurs, letting out a roar,

One went away and then there were four.

Four enormous dinosaurs, munching on a tree,

One went away and then there were three.

Three enormous dinosaurs didn't know what to do,

One went away and then there were two.

Two enormous dinosaurs having lots of fun,

One went away and then there was one.

One enormous dinosaur afraid to be a hero,

She went away and then there were zero.

(Source:  SurLaLune Storytime)

Book:  Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems

I just had to read this funny book - it's one of my favorites!  The kids loved it too.  Who wouldn't love a story about a friendly, helpful dinosaur that also bakes you chocolate chip cookies?

Song:  Dino-Pokey (tune of: "The Hokey-Pokey")

Put your claws in.  Put your claws out.

Put your claws in and scratch them all about.

You do the dino-pokey and turn yourself around.

That's what it's all about!

Put your feet in...stomp them all about.

Put your teeth in...chomp them all about.

Put your tail in...wag it all about.

(Source:  SurLaLune Storytime)

Craft:  Paper Plate Dinosaur

For each child you will need two paper plates, scissors, tape, and crayons and markers.

1.  Cut around the rim of one of the paper plates, and then cut that rim in half.  One part will be the dinosaur's head and neck and the second part will be the tail.

2.  Cut two legs from the middle of the paper plate.

3.  Tape these pieces to the second paper plate.

4.  Kids may decorate their dinosaurs any way they'd like.