Sign language for please and thank you

Book: Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

Song: (Tune: “Three Blind Mice” – using “three mice in a box” puppet and a tissue)
Three nice mice, three nice mice
See how nice they are, see how nice they are
They’re always polite when they nibble their cheese
They never forget to say thank-you or please
They cover their noses whenever they sneeze
Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!
They’re three nice mice
(Source: http://www.preschooleducation.com/smanners.shtml)

Song: “Monkey Dance” – The Wiggles: Yummy Yummy

Book: Manners Time by Elizabeth Verdick, illustrated by Marieka Heinlen (or Excuse Me! A Little Book of Manners by Karen Katz)

Song: (Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
Oh, before I eat my meals, I wash my hands
Oh, before I eat my meals, I wash my hands
Oh it’s very smart I think – to wash those germs right down the sink
Oh, before I eat my meals, I wash my hands

Oh, before I eat my meals, I pass the food
Oh, before I eat my meals, I pass the food
Oh, it would be very rude, if I didn’t share the food
Oh, before I eat my meals, I pass the food
(Source: Storytime Source Page)

Song: “Reach for the Ceiling” – Carol Totsky Hammett: Toddlers on Parade

Book: This Little Piggy’s Book of Manners by Kathyrn Madeline Allen, illustrated by Nancy Wolff

Activity: This frog makes a cricket noise, a fly noise, and then a big burp! We’ll feed him a cricket and fly, and then remind him to say “Excuse me!” after he burps.

Song: “Icky-Sticky Bubble Gum” – David Landau: Kids and Kitties

Closing rhyme

Craft: Coloring page – Elmo and Zoe share an umbrella

Fall Story Time – Baby

September 25, 2013

Opening song

Sign language for fall

Book: Hello Kitty, Hello Fall! by Jean Hirashima

Song: (Tune: “London Bridge”)

Autumn leaves are in the trees…All over town.
Autumn leaves are falling down…All over town.
Autumn leaves are whirling round…
Everybody rake them up…

Rhyme: Exercises, exercises
Let’s all do our exercises (lift baby’s arms, repeat with legs)
(Credit: Babies in the Library by Jane Marino)

Rhyme: Away up high in the apple tree (lift baby)
I saw a little baby smiling at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could (shake gently)
Down came the baby (bring down)
Mmm, was she good! (Kiss)

Book: Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills

Song: (Tune: “Twinkle twinkle”)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
Once you were a seed so small, (hold baby’s hands together)
Now you are a great big ball! (make a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
(Credit: Step by Step Childcare)

Book: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

Song: Gray squirrel, gray squirrel, shake your bushy tail.
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel, shake your bushy tail.
Wrinkle up your funny nose; put a nut between your toes.
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel, shake your bushy tail!

Rhyme: Let’s go riding in an elevator
First floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor (slowly lift baby)
Down (bring baby back down)

Song (with shaky eggs): “Apple Pickin’ Time” – Tom Pease – I’m Gonna Reach!

Closing rhyme

Fall Story Time – Toddler

September 23, 2013September 24, 2013

Opening song

Sign language for fall

Book: Who Loves the Fall? by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Judy Stead

Song: (Tune: “London Bridge”)

Autumn leaves are in the trees…All over town.
Autumn leaves are falling down…All over town.

Autumn leaves are whirling round…
Everybody rake them up…

Rhyme: Way up high in the apple tree (stretch arms up high)
Two red apples smiled at me (hold up two fingers)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (make a shaking motion)
Down came the apples… (make a downward motion)
And mmm, they were good! (smile and rub stomach)

Book: Let’s Look at Fall by Sarah Schuette

Song: Colored Leaves (with seasons tree puppet, bottom left version with extra felt leaves)- (Tune: “Six Little Ducks”)

So many leaves are falling on the ground
Orange ones, yellow ones and even brown.
But the one little leaf that rhymes with…
Is my favorite color, it’s the color…

(Bed-red, been-green, you-blue, yurple-purple)

Book: Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills

Song: (Tune: “Twinkle, twinkle”)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
Once you were a seed so small, (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball! (make a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
(Credit: Step by Step Childcare)

Song: “Reach for the Ceiling” – Carol Totsky Hammett: Toddlers on Parade

Song: “Monkey Dance” – The Wiggles: Yummy Yummy

Song: “Jumping and Counting” – Jim Gill: Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem

Song: “Icky-Sticky Bubble Gum” – David Landau: Kids and Kitties

Closing rhyme

Craft: Leafy hedgehog (http://krokotak.com/2009/09/taralezh-ot-lista/)

Messy and Clean Story Time – Baby

September 17, 2013September 18, 2013

Opening song

Sign language for clean up

Book: Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

Rhyme: Exercises, exercises
Let’s all do our exercises (lift baby’s arms, repeat with legs)
(Credit: Babies in the Library by Jane Marino)

Flannel: Five Clean and Squeaky Pigs (Tune: “Five Green and Speckled Frogs”)

Five pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a big THUD
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs.
(Credit: Mel’s Desk)

Book: Pig Takes a Bath by Michael Dahl, iIllustrated by Oriol Vidal

Song: (Get out scarves and pretend they are washcloths while singing this song. Tune: “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.”)

This is the way we wash our arms
Wash our arms, wash our arms
This is the way we wash our arms
When we’re in the bathtub.

(Also wash your legs, tummies, heads…)

Song: “Wash your Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” – Joanie Bartels: Bathtime Magic

Rhyme: Let’s go riding in an elevator
First floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor (slowly lift baby)
Down (bring baby back down)

Book (choral reading): Tubby by Leslie Patricelli

Song (shaky eggs): “Bubble Bath” – Joanie Bartels: Bathtime Magic

Closing rhyme

Button Story Time – Toddler

September 16, 2013October 19, 2014

Opening song

Sign language for button

Book: Buttons, Buttons by Rozanne Lanczak Williams, illustrated by Keith Bergher

Flannel: Button, button, who’s got the button?

Hide a button behind the cow. Say, “Button, button, who’s got the button? Does rooster have the button?” No. Repeat with lamb, baby, and finally cow.

Song: “Reach for the Ceiling” – Carol Totsky Hammett: Toddlers on Parade

Book: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, created and illustrated by James Dean

Song (with shaky eggs): “Belly Button” – Tom Pease: I’m Gonna Reach!

Song: “Monkey Dance” – The Wiggles: Yummy Yummy

Song: “Icky-Sticky Bubble Gum” – David Landau: Kids and Kitties

Closing rhyme

Craft: Color and glue buttons on Pete the Cat

Blue Story Time – Preschool

September 16, 2013September 16, 2013

Opening song

Introduction: Talk about the color blue. What things can we think of that are blue?

Book: Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

Song: “Color Game” by Jim Gill: Jim Gill Sings Do, Re, Mi on His Toe, Leg, Knee

Book: Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

Fingerplay: “Two Little Bluebirds”
Two little bluebirds sat on a hill,
One named Jack and one named Jill.
Fly away, Jack; fly away, Jill,
Come back, Jack; come back, Jill.

Book: Blue Sea by Robert Kalan, illustrated by Donald Crews

Song: “Over the Deep Blue Sea” by Susan Salidor: Come and Make a Circle

Book: Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

Prop story: It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw (prop kit purchased from lakeshorelearning.com)

Movie: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (Scholastic Video Collection)

Craft: Blue collage

Cat Story Time – Baby

September 7, 2013March 14, 2015

Opening song (with cat puppet)

Sign language for cat

Book: Mama Cat has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming

Rhyme (with poster): Hey, diddle, diddle

Rhyme: Icky bicky soda cracker (bounce)
Icky bicky boo
Icky bicky soda cracker
Up goes you! (lift baby)

Rhyme: I have fur upon my back (Pat baby’s back)
I have whiskers just like that (Trace whiskers on baby’s cheeks)
I have ears–I flick them twice (Touch baby’s ears)
I have paws for catching mice! (Hold your hands in front of you like paws, then clap them together when you say “catching!”)
(Credit: Mel’s Desk)

Book: What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas

Rhyme: X marks the spot (draw on baby’s back)
Dot, dot, dot,
Up and down, around and around,
Oooooh! (tickle)

Rhyme: Exercises, exercises
Let’s all do our exercises (lift baby’s arms, repeat with legs)
(Credit: Babies in the Library by Jane Marino)

Book: If You’re Happy and You Know It by David Carter

Rhyme: Let’s go riding in an elevator
First floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor (slowly lift baby)
Down (bring baby back down)

Song (with shaky eggs): “Kitty Cat” – Laura Doherty: Kids in the City

Closing rhyme

Pig Story Time – Everybody

September 5, 2013

Opening song

Sign language for pig

Book: A Pig is Big by Douglas Florian

Fingerplay: “Two Mother Pigs”
Two mother pigs lived in a pen (show thumbs)
Each had four babies, and that made ten (show fingers & thumbs)
These four babies were black as night (thumb in palm, wiggle fingers)
These four babies were black and white (switch hands, repeat)
But all eight babies loved to play
And they rolled and rolled in the mud all day (roll hands)
At night, with their mother, they curled up in a heap (clasp hands)
And squealed and squealed till they fell fast asleep.
(Credit: SurLaLune Storytime)

Book: If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond