Plants Story Time – Toddler

Opening Song

Book: Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
The cover of the book Growing Vegetable Soup. The illustration is of a red tomato in a bright green box inside the bright red cover.

Song: “The Gardener Digs the Soil” (Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)
The gardener plants the seeds. (pretend to put a seed in the ground)
The gardener plants the seeds.
Heigh-ho, let’s watch it grow,
The gardener plants the seeds.

Additional verses:
The rain falls on the ground… (flutter fingers down to ground)
The sun shines bright and warm… (hold hands in circle overhead)
The plant begins to grow… (slowly raise hands from ground)
The bud opens up… (put palms together then move palms apart)
The flower smiles at me… (big smile)

Book: My Garden by Kevin Henkes
The cover of the book My Garden. The illustration is of a child wearing a straw hat and pink t-shirt standing in front of a flower garden.

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
(Credit: SurLaLune Storytime)

Song: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

Scarf Song: “One Bright Scarf”
One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow. (hold in hand)
Wiggle it high, (wiggle scarf above head)
Wiggle it low. (wiggle scarf by knees)
Shake it fast, (wiggle scarf quickly)
Shake it slow. (wiggle scarf slowly)
Where did it go? (put it behind back, bring out empty hands)

Scarf Rhyme: “Popcorn Kernels”
Popcorn kernels (wave scarves overhead)
In the pot. (make their scarves ‘disappear’ by bunching them up in their fists)
Shake them, shake them, shake them (shake fists)
‘Til they POP! (toss scarves up into the air)

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

Closing Rhyme

Garden Story Time – Everybody

Opening Song

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

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: Mary Had a Little Plan by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

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

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 – 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 – 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