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

Plants Story Time – Toddler

Opening Song

Book: A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis

Flannel Song: “Out in the Garden” by Jean Warren (Tune: “Down By the Station”)
Out in the garden early in the morning,
See the red tomatoes all in a row
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off (he/she) goes.

Repeat with:
Red tomatoes
Yellow corn
Green peas
Orange carrots
Purple peppers
White onions
Brown potatoes

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: If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson

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

Song: “Shakes Your Sillies Out” – The Wiggles: Yummy Yummy

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

Song: “This Is the Way We Clap Our Hands” – Kimbo Educational: Teach a Toddler

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

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