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 – Sensory Friendly

Opening Song

Book: How to Say Hello to a Worm by Kari Percival

Song: “The Gardener Plants the Seeds” (Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)
The gardener digs the soil.
The gardener digs the soil.
Hi-ho, the derry-oh,
The gardener digs the soil. (pretend to dig)

The gardener plants the seeds.
The gardener plants the seeds.
Hi-ho, the derry-oh,
The gardener plants the seeds. (pretend to plant seeds)

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

Book: Flower Garden by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt
Flower Garden book cover

Song/Video: “Dance for the Sun” – Kira Willey: Dance for the Sun

Yoga: Flower pose

Social Story: Being Responsible by Rebecca Pettiford

Closing Song

Craft: Cupcake liner flowers

Garden Story Time – Everybody

Opening Song: “Bread and Butter”

Book: Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Song: “Won’t You Plant Your Seeds With Care?” – Kathy Reid-Naiman: Say Hello to the Morning

Song: “The Gardener Plants the Seeds” (Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)
The gardener plants the seeds.
The gardener plants the seeds.
High ho the derry oh,
The gardener plants the seeds.

Additional verses:
The rain falls on the ground…
The sun shines bright and warm…
The seeds begin to grow…
Flowers grow everywhere…

Book: What Does Bunny See? by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Maggie Smith
What Does Bunny See? book cover

Rhyme: “A Little Brown Rabbit Popped Out of the Ground” (Tune: “There Was an Old Lady”)
A little brown rabbit popped out of the ground,
Wriggled his whiskers and looked around.
Another small rabbit who lived in the grass
Popped his head out and watched him pass.
Then both the small rabbits went hoppity hop,
Hoppity, hoppity, hop,
Till they came to a wall and had to stop.
Then both the small rabbits turned themselves round,
And hurried off home to their holes in the ground.
(Credit: Early Play Rhymes)

Flannel: “There’s Something In My Garden”

Song: “It is Springtime” (:12) – Junior Jukebox: Four Seasons

Book/Puppets: Puddle Jumpers by Anne Margaret Lewis, illustrated by Nancy Cote

Closing Rhyme

Garden Story Time – Baby

Opening song

Sign language: vegetable, garden, flower

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

Rhyme: Five Fat Peas
Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed (hold hands in a fist)
One grew, two grew, so did the rest. (Put fingers up one by one.)
They grew and they grew and did not stop,
Until one day that pea pod POPPED! (clap hands together.)

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)

Book: Who’s in the Garden? By Phillis Gershator
Who's in the Garden? book cover

Song: “In My Garden” – Raffi: One Light, One Sun

Puppets: 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

Repeat with other animals, such as a crow (caw-caw-caw), mouse (squeak-squeak-squeak), rabbit (thump-thump-thump), bird (tweet-tweet-tweet) etc.
(Credit: Sunflower Storytime)

Rhyme: Little frog
A little frog in a pond am I, (lap)
Hippity, hippity, hop. (bounce)
And I can jump in the air so high, (lift)
Hippity, hippity, hop!

Song: “Let’s Tap Our Feet Together” (Tune: “The More We Get Together”)
Let’s tap our feet together, together, together
Let’s tap our feet together because it’s fun to do.

Additional verses:
Clap our hands
Touch our nose
Touch our ears 

Book (choral): Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
Growing Vegetable Soup book cover

Song (shaky eggs): “The Valley of Vegetables” – Laurie Berkner: Buzz Buzz

Closing Song

Garden Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: My Garden by Kevin Henkes

my garden

Song: “In Our Garden” – Peter & Ellen Allard: Sing It! Say It! Sway It!

Book: Flower Garden by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt

Flower Garden book cover

Flannel: There’s Something in My Garden

Song: “It is Springtime” – Junior Jukebox: Four Seasons

Book: Jonathan and Martha by Petr Horáček

Jonathan and Martha book cover

Song: “Won’t You Plant Your Seeds with Care” – Kathy Reid-Naiman: Say Hello to the Morning

Big Book: Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Planting a Rainbow book cover

Closing Rhyme

Craft: Fork-painted tulips in a garden

tulip preschool story time garden craft