Why didn’t Tom Turkey want dessert?

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

Wow, I can’t believe that I did the following storytime six years ago! Time flies when you’re having fun! I hope that everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving:)

Thanksgiving Funfare with Jennifer: November 18, 2004

OPENING:
Discuss Thanksgiving, turkeys, feasts, etc.
Tell joke: Why didn’t Tom Turkey want dessert? He was stuffed!
*Opening song: If you’re happy and you know it/Hello Mr. Turkey
**Warm up fingers: Ten Little Fingers
Opening fingerplay: Ten Fat Turkeys
Are you ready for storytime?!
Gobble, gobble, gobble

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson
Poem: “Leftovers” from It’s Thanksgiving! by Jack Prelutsky
Felt board: food galore-put on the board food felt pieces and talk about all the different yummy food you can have at a feast
Song: Thanksgiving Dinner (in Jane Cobb’s I’m a Little Teapot…)
Read-aloud #2: This is the Turkey by Abby Levine
***Fingerplay: A Turkey is a Funny Bird
Fingerplay: Mr. Turkey Went Out One Day (see fall rhyme sheets)
Read-aloud #3: Hungry Hen by Richard Waring

CLOSING:
****Song: Turkey Jurky
Song: Shake My Sillies Out, Raffi
Song: Turkey in the Straw (play while handing out stickers)

WORDS & LYRICS:
*“Hello Mr. Turkey” (to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It):
Hello, Mr. Turkey
Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?
Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?
With a gobble, gobble, gobble
and a wobble, wobble, wobble
Hello Mr. Turkey how are you?

**Ten Fat Turkeys
Ten fat turkeys standing in a row
(hold up ten fingers)
They spread their feathers and tails like so
(spread fingers)
They strut to the left
They strut to the right
(move fingers left and right)
They Gobble, gobble, gobble
in the bright sunlight!

***A Turkey is a Funny Bird
The turkey is a funny bird,
His head goes wobble, wobble.
All he know is just one word,
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.

***“Turkey Jurkey” (to the tune of The Hokey Pokey):
You put your wing in
You put your wing out
You put your wing in
And you flap it all about
You do the Turkey Jurkey and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!

You put your other wing in
You put your other wing out
You put your other wing in
And you flap it all about
You do the Turkey Jurkey and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!

You put your beak in
You put your beak out
You put your beak in
And you shake it all about
You do the Turkey Jurkey and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!

You put your tail feathers in
You put your tail feathers out
You put your tail feathers in
And you shake them all about
You do the Turkey Jurkey and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!

Soup’s On!

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

It’s a great time of the year to slurp some delicious homemade soup. A “soup” themed storytime is also appropriate for Thanksgiving-time. It’s all about the food! Yum!

Soup’s On! Preschool Storytime with Jennifer: January 30, 2007

OPENING:
Play “Animal Crackers in my Soup” as audience enters
Have alligator puppet “eat” various ingredients of Stone Soup
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
Rhyme (with puppet): Alligator Pie
Read-aloud #2 (big book): Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt
Flannel: Stone Soup poem (template found here)
Read-aloud #3: To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda
Flannel/Song: Barnyard Gate [version available on Ed McCurdy: Children’s Songs: the Greatest Hits (I Had a Little Rooster)]
Song: “I Feel Crazy So I Jump in the Soup” from Laurie Berkner’s Victor Vito

VIDEO:
Chicken Soup with Rice (5 minutes)

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

Silly Hats

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

I enjoy wearing my silly hat at storytime. Do you have your silly hats ready for Halloween??? Have a fun and safe Halloween, everyone!

Hats Off To You! Preschool Storytime with Jennifer: March 6, 2007

OPENING:
Intro Song: “Boom Boom Ain’t It Great To Be Crazy” (Raffi)
Puppet Act: Hide monkey puppet underneath hat (with tail sticking out). Have children guess who or what is hiding, and then surprise them.
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
Activity Song: Silly Hat Song
Read-aloud #2: Where’s Mary’s Hat? By Stephane Barroux
Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers
Fingerplay: My Hat (Has Three Corners)
Read-aloud #3: Peedie by Olivier Dunrea
Flannel Song: 5 Little Monkeys
Storytelling/Book Activity: Caps for Sale (Have children “be” the monkeys. Hand out coffee filters as caps.)

MOVIE:
The Hat

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

CRAFT OR HANDOUT:
Children can color/decorate their coffee filter caps.

BOO!

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

It’s been awhile… have you missed me? I’m still settling into my new home and looking for a part-time job. In the meantime, enjoy this preschool Halloween storytime… and enjoy this fun time of the year!

Halloween Open Storytime with Jennifer: October 18, 2006

OPENING:

Put Halloween-related felt pieces on the board and talk about the different characters (costume possibilities).
Opening rhyme: Sometimes my hands are at my side…
Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers
*Fingerplay: Owl Eyes

PROGRAM:

Read-aloud #1: In a Dark, Dark Wood by David A. Carter (pop-up book)
Song: “The Ghosts Go Gliding” (to the tune of “Ants Go Marching, see Cobb’s I’m a Little Teapot book)
Read-aloud #2: Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson
**Monkey Mitt: Pumpkin Pie Rhyme (Witch and 5 Pumpkins)
***Rhyme (with basket and maraca): Stirring our Brew
Read-aloud #3: Brooms are for Flying by Michael Rex
Storytell (with Story Props): Go Away Big Green Monster (kit available here)
Read-aloud #4: Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor
Song: “Shake My Sillies Out” from Raffi’s More Singable Songs

CLOSING:

Closing song: “Toe Knee Chestnut”
Closing rhyme: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 fingertips…

*Owl Eyes
There’s a wide-eyed owl
(Circle your eyes with your hands)
With a pointed nose
(Make a beak with your fingers)
Two pointed ears
(Make ears with your fingers)
And claws for toes
(Wiggle your “claws”)
He lives way up
(Point way up)
In the tree
(Way, way up)
And when he looks at you
(Point to children)
He flaps his wings
(Flap your wings)
And says, “Whoo! Whoo!”

**Pumpkin Pie Rhyme
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
A witch flew by…
“Ahhahahahaha, I’m going to make you into pumpkin pie!”
Four little pumpkins… (and so on)

***Stirring our brew…
Stirring and stirring and stirring our brew…
(Pretend to stir.)
Wooooooo! Woooooo!
Stirring and stirring and stirring our brew…
(Stir.)
Wooooooo! Wooooo!
Tip-toe. Tip-toe.
(Pretend to tip-toe.)
BOO!
(Jump out with hands up high.)

So Messy!

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

AH! My new house is a mess! It’s going to take a while to get everything together…

Messy, Gooey Fun Open Storytime with Jennifer: October 4, 2006

OPENING:

Greet children with Duck puppet. Have Duck makes comments throughout the storytime.
Opening rhyme: Sometimes my hands are at my side…

PROGRAM:

Fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers
*Fingerplay: Two Mother Pigs
Read-aloud #1: Ten Dirty Pigs/Ten Clean Pigs By Carol Roth
Monkey Mitt/Song: “Five Little Ducks”
Read-aloud #2: Mucky Duck by Sally Grindley
Rhyme: A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track
Song with Story Prop: “Peanut Butter and Jelly”
Read-aloud #3: Max Cleans Up by Rosemary Wells
Song: “Stick to the Glue” from Jim Gill Makes it Noisy in Boise, Idaho
Song: “Face the Facts” from Jim Gill Sings Moving Rhymes for Modern Times

CLOSING:

Closing song: “Toe Knee Chestnut”
**Closing rhyme: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Fingertips…

*Two Mother Pigs
Two mother pigs lived in a pen, (two thumbs up)
Each had four babies and that made ten. (Wiggle four fingers on each hand)
These four babies were black and white. (Wiggle four fingers on one hand)
These four babies were black as night. (Wiggle four fingers on the other hand)
All eight babies loved to play. (Wiggle eight fingers)
And the rolled and they rolled in the mud all day. (Roll hands)
At night, with their mother,
They curled up in a heap, (Make fists, palms up)
And squealed and squealed
‘Til they went to sleep. (Tuck thumbs under fingers)

**1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Fingertips
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 fingertips,
I can touch them to my lips.
I can cover up my eyes,
I can clap them on my thighs.
I can make them touch the sky,
I can make them wave bye-bye!

Home Sweet Home

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

I’ve finally made it back “home” to Illinois!

Home Sweet Home On My Own Storytime with Jennifer: April 4, 2006

OPENING:

Greet children with Turtle puppet. Have children come up with ideas on how we can get him to come out of his shell. Have them laugh to show Mr. Turtle that storytime is super fun.
Opening song: The More We Get Together
Opening fingerplay: Ten Little Fingers

PROGRAM:

Read-aloud #1 (big book): The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Flannel: The Little Red House
Read-aloud #2: If the Shoe Fits by Alison Jackson
Fingerplay: A Very Nice Place
Read-aloud #3: A New House for Mouse by Petr Horacek
Video: The House that Jack Built

CLOSING:

Closing Song: “Shake My Sillies Out” (with instruments)
Closing rhyme: See You Later Alligator (with flannel pieces)

*A Very Nice Place
The fish lives in the brook (palms together tightly and wiggle forward)
The bird lives in the tree (bend forearms at elbows and extend them upwards, cup hands and spread them open)
But homes are the very nicest place
For a little girl (boy) like me. (point to self)

**See You Later, Alligator
See you later alligator,
Bye bye butterfly,
Give a hug ladybug,
Be sweet parakeet,
Blow a kiss goldfish,
See you soon racoon,
Take care polar bear,
Out the door dinosaur!

How Mysterious…

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

In honor of my former library‘s One Book, One Community mystery book selection (events for grown-ups going on right now!), I am posting a mystery-themed preschool storytime! (I also find it a little mysterious how I was actually able to finish packing in time! We’re hitting the road tomorrow!)

Mystery Preschool Storytime with Jennifer: May 15, 2007

OPENING:
Intro Song: “Wake Up” (Guthrie)
Puppet Act: Mouse puppet wants some cheese!
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery by Ellen Stoll Walsh
*Flannel: Little Mouse
Read-aloud #2: Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
**Action Rhyme: Jumbo the Elephant
Read-aloud #3: Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? By Bonnie Lass and Philemon Sturges
Chant: Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

MOVIE:
Goldilocks and the Three Bears

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

CRAFT OR HANDOUT:
Bear Masks

*Flannel:
Little Mouse, Little Mouse, Are you in the [insert color] house?
(Underneath different colored flannel houses, I place different flannel animals. Using a cat puppet, we go in search of the mouse flannel…)

**Jumbo the Elephant
Jumbo has a great big trunk
That goes swinging to and fro.
[Clasp hands to make trunk swing.]
And he has tiny, tiny eyes
That show him where to go.
[Put hands to eyes.]
His great big ears go flopping
[Put hands to ears.]
While his great big feet go stomping, stomping, stomping on the ground
[Stomp feet on the ground.]

Beach Time!

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

Summer is not quite over yet! Let’s go to the beach!

Beaches Preschool Storytime with Jennifer: May 22, 2007

OPENING:
Intro Song: “Under the Sea”
Puppet Act: goldfish
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: How Will We Get to the Beach? By Brigitte Luciani
Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Flannel: Mr. Gumpy’s Outing
Read-aloud #2: Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae (only read first part)
*Fingerplay: Catching a Fish
Read-aloud #3: Froggy Learns to Swim by Jonathan London
Song: Let Everyone Clap Hands with Me

MOVIE:
Fish is Fish

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

*One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let him go again!
Why did I let him go?
Because he bit my finger so.
Which finger did he bite?
The little one on the right.

Travelin’ Places this Summer!

sillylibrarian Leave a comment

I’m going post crazy today! I hope that everyone is having a great summer! I was thinking about all of the traveling that takes place during summer vacation, so I decided to share a Transportation preschool storytime of mine. You can see my actual format that I used. Come back next Friday for another preschool storytime post!

Transportation Preschool Storytime with Jennifer: May 1, 2007

OPENING:
Intro Song: “Riding in My Car” (Woody Guthrie’s Woody’s 20 Grow Big Songs)
Fingerplay: The Airplane (found in book I’m a Little Teapot, p190)
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story

PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Flannel Song: Wheels on the Bus
Read-aloud #2: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Rhyme: Peanut Sat on a Railway Track
Read-aloud #3: The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
Song (Chant): Down By the Station

MOVIE:
Trashy Town

CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Good-bye Like This

CRAFT OR HANDOUT:
Fire Engine Coloring Handout

The Silly Librarian in Action!

sillylibrarian 1 Comment

Ah, memories of the Burbank Public Library! Thanks for an enjoyable three-and-a-half years!

Here’s me doing “Hands Up High” and “Blackbirds” (from the Spring 2010 Rhyme Sheet) at toddler storytime at BV….

P.S. Thank you, thank you to my brother for recording this video!