Plants Story Time – Toddler

Opening Song

Book: The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crockett Johnson

Song: “The Gardener Digs the Soil” (Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)
The gardener digs the soil. (pretend to dig)
The gardener digs the soil.
High ho the derry oh,
The gardener digs the soil.

Additional verses:
The gardener plants the seeds… (pretend to plant seeds)
The rain falls on the ground… (flutter fingers down to ground)
The sun shines bright and warm… (hold hands in circle overhead)
The seeds begin to grow… (slowly raise hands from ground)
Flowers all around… (hold hands outstretched)
Fresh vegetables to eat… (pretend to eat)

Book: Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Planting a Rainbow book cover

Song: “Roly Poly” (Tune: “Frère Jacques”)
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up
up, up, up
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
down, down, down
down, down, down

Repeat with: out/in, fast/slow
(Credit: Jbrary)

Song: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Puppet Song: “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.

I hear its funny sound…
RIBBIT – RIBBIT – RIBBIT
A FROG is what I found!
RIBBIT – RIBBIT – RIBBIT

Additional verses:
THUMP – Rabbit
SQUEAK – Mouse
CAW – Crow
TWEET – Bird
BUZZ – Bee
WIGGLE – Caterpillar
FLUTTER – Butterfly

Book: Dig In! by Cindy Jenson-Elliott, illustrated by Mary Peterson

Song: “The Wheels on the Bus”
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town!

Additional verses:
Horn/beep-beep-beep
Wipers/swish-swish-swish
Doors/open and shut
Babies/up & down
Parents/I love you

Scarf Song: “We Wave Our Scarves Together”
We wave our scarves together,
We wave our scarves together,
We wave our scarves together
Because it’s fun to do.

Wave them up high,
Wave them down low,
Wave them in the middle
Because it’s fun to do.
(Credit: Jbrary)

Scarf Song: “Wave Your Scarves”

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

Closing Rhyme

Garden Story Time – Baby

Opening Song: “Hello Bubble”
Hello bubble, hello bubble,
Come and land, come and land,
Right in the middle, right in the middle,
Of my hand, of my hand.

Puppet Song: “When Ducks Get Up in the Morning”
When ducks get up in the morning, they always say good day.
When ducks get up in the morning, they always say good day.
Quack, quack, quack, quack, this is what they say.
Quack, quack, quack, quack, this is what they say.

Repeat with other animals/sounds
(Credit: King County Library System)

Sign Language: Garden, flower, bugs

Puppets: Who’s in the Garden? by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by Jill McDonald
Who's in the Garden? book cover

Fingerplay: “Round and Round the Garden”
Round and round the garden,
Like a teddy bear. (trace circles on baby’s hand)
One step, two steps,
A tickle under there! (crawl up their arm and tickle armpit)
(Credit: Storytime Katie)

Fingerplay: “Five Fat Peas”
Five fat peas in a peapod pressed,
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest.
They grew and they grew and they wouldn’t stop.
They grew and grew until they popped!
(Credit: Jbrary)

Song: “Ten Little Flowers”
One little, two little, three little flowers,
Four little, five little, six little flowers,
Seven little, eight little, nine little flowers,
Ten flowers in the spring.

Give them rain and lots of sunshine,
Give them rain and lots of sunshine,
Give them rain and lots of sunshine,
So they’ll grow up tall.
(Credit: Modified from The Holiday Zone)

Flannel: “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary”
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

Book: Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Up, Down, and Around book cover

Lap Song: “Bunny Hop”
Hop, hop, hop along,
And bounce on someone’s knee,
Higher & higher & higher & higher,
Bunny-hop with me.

Lap Song: “A Bouncing We Will Go” (Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)
A bouncing we will go, a bouncing we will go,
High-ho the dairy oh, a bouncing we will go.

Repeat with rocking and tickling
(Credit: King County Library System)

Lap Rhyme: “I’m a Little Beetle”
I’m a little beetle (bounce baby)
And I wiggle all day. (wiggle baby)
If you get too close to me, (hug baby)
I’ll FLY away! (lift baby)

Additional verses:
I’m a little bumblebee…
I’m a little ladybug…
(Credit: Mel’s Desk)

Shaker Eggs: “The Valley of Vegetables” – Laurie Berkner: Buzz Buzz

Shaker Eggs: “Shake Your Shakers”
Shake your shaker up.
Shake your shaker down.
Shake it side to side.
Shake it all around.
Shake it on your shoulders.
Shake it on your head.
Shake it on your knees,
And shake it right to bed!

Closing Rhyme

Construction Story Time – Baby

Opening Song

Sign Language: colors, truck, build

Book: Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha

Rhyme: I Bounce You Here
I bounce you here, I bounce you there
I bounce you, bounce you everywhere!

I tickle you here, I tickle you there
I tickle you, tickle you everywhere!

I hug you here, I hug you there
I hug you, hug you everywhere!
(Credit: Read Sing Play)

Song/Book: Cement Mixer’s ABCs by Sherri Duskey Rinkder and Ethan Long


Rhyme: Round and Round the Garden
Round and round the garden like a teddy bear (swirl finger around palm)
One step, two step (walk fingers up child’s arm)
Hidden under there! (tickle child’s underarm)
(Credit: Storytime Katie)

Book: Machines at Work by Byron Barton

Song: “Hop, Hop, Hop Along” (Tune: “Row Your Boat”)
Hop, hop, hop along (hop)
Or bounce on someone’s knee (bounce)
Higher and higher and higher and higher (lift)
Bunny hop with me. (hop)

Song/Book: Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz

Rhyme (if time): Brick by Brick
Brick by brick
By brick by brick,
My building’s so high,
It’s scraping the sky.
(Place fists one on top of the other, going higher each time.)

Brick by brick
By brick by brick,
My building will sway
When the wind blows this way.
(Sway left, then right.)

Brick by brick
By brick by brick,
Now I’m ready to stop
And a flag goes on top.
(Open one fist and wave hand left and right.)

Book (if time): Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia

Song (if time): “Colors Over You” (Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle”)
Signs – red, yellow, green, blue, colors, flower, tree, sun, sea
Red and yellow, green and blue, these are the colors over you.
Red as a flower, green as a tree,
Yellow as the sun, and blue as the sea.
Red and yellow, green and blue, these are the colors over you!
(Credit: Read Sing Play)

Closing rhyme