Winter Clothes Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz
froggy gets dressed cover image

Song: “Boots, Parka, Scarf and Hat” (Tune: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”)
Boots, parka, scarf and hat, scarf and hat.
Boots, parka, scarf and hat, scarf and hat.
In wintertime we dress like that!
Boots, parka, scarf and hat, scarf and hat.
(Credit: Mel’s Desk)

Flannel: “Red Mitten, Red Mitten”
Red mitten, red mitten, what do you see?
I see a blue mitten looking at me.

(Repeat for different colored mittens)

Book: Cold Turkey by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call, illustrated by Chad Otis

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

Closing Rhyme

Thanksgiving Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette

Rhyme: “The Turkey”
The turkey is a funny bird, (hook thumbs together and spread fingers to create a turkey tail)
Its head goes wobble, wobble, (wobble head back and forth)
And all it knows is just one word, (hold up one finger)
“Gobble, gobble, gobble.” (open and close hands like beaks)

Book: We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac

Song: “If You’re Thankful and You Know It” (Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re thankful and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands.

Additional verses:
Stomp your feet
Say “Thank you!”
Do all 3

Book: Grandma’s Tiny House by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Priscilla Burris

Song: “Can’t Wait to Celebrate” – Jim Gill: Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem

Closing Rhyme

Dinosaurs Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons

Song: “We Are the Dinosaurs” – Laurie Berkner: Whaddaya Think of That?

Puppet Show: “T-Rex Wants to Play Too”

Rhyme: “Dinosaur, Dinosaur”
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, turn around.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, jump up and down.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, reach up high.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, wink one eye.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, point at your nose.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, touch your toes.
First ending:
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, tap your chin.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, do it again!
Repeat, ending with this couplet instead:
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, pat your knees.
Dinosaur, Dinosaur, sit down please!

Book: Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli

Closing Rhyme

Sneezy Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead
A Sick Day for Amos McGee book cover

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

Book: Pigs Make Me Sneeze! by Mo Willems
Pigs Make Me Sneeze book cover

Puppet Song: “The Sneezing Song” – Jim Gill: Jim Gill Sings The Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes

Song: “If You’re Sneezy and You Know It” (Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
Verses:
If you’re sneezy and you know it, say Ah-choo, “Ah-choo!”. . .
If you’re shivery and you know it, slurp your soup, “Slurp, slurp”. . .
If you’re sweaty and you know it, drink your juice, “Glug, glug”. . .
If you’re sleepy and you know it, take a nap, “Snore”. . .
If you’re better and you know it, jump on up, “Woo-hoo!”. . .

Book: Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney
llama llama home with mama cover image

Song: “I Feel Crazy So I Jump in the Soup” – Laurie Berkner: Victor Vito

Movement: “Hot Soup” – Kira Willey: Mindful Moments for Kids

Book: Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Adam Rex
Chu's Day book cover

Puppets: “Animal Sneezes”
Gather a bunch of animal puppets and sneeze with the sound of the animal. Have the audience guess the animal, then reveal the puppet.
Example: “What animal is sneezing? Moo-Achoo! Moo-Achoo!…A Cow!”

Closing Rhyme

Fall Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Full of Fall by April Pulley Sayre

Song: “Autumn Leaves” (Tune: “London Bridge”)
Autumn leaves are in the trees,
In the trees, in the trees.
Autumn leaves are in the trees
All over town.

Additional verses:
Autumn leaves are falling down…
Autumn leaves are whirling round…
Everybody rake them up…
Jump into the pile we made…

Book/Flannel: That Pup! by Lindsay Barrett George

Song:Gray Squirrel” – Learning Station: Where is Thumbkin?

Book/Flannel: Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Shapes by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky, illustrated by Susan Swan

Song: “Pumpkin, Pumpkin” (Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)
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)

Puppet Show: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
The Busy Little Squirrel book cover

Puppet Song: “So Many Leaves are Falling on the Ground”
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…

Shaker Eggs: “Shakin’ Like a Leafy Tree” – The Wiggles: Racing to the Rainbow

Closing Rhyme

Farm Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Cows Go Boo! by Steve Webb, illustrated by Fred Blunt

Flannel: “Five Pigs So Squeaky Clean” (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 and squeaky pigs.

Repeat, counting down until there are no clean and squeaky pigs.
(Credit: Mel’s Desk)

Action Song: “I’m a Little Chick” (Tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”)
I’m a little chick who’s ready to hatch, (crouch down inside your egg)
Pecking at my shell, Tap, tap, tap! (pecking motion with hands)
When I crack it open, out I’ll leap (jump out of shell)
I’ll flap my feathers, and say, “Peep! Peep! Peep!”
(Credit: Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City area)

Book: Moo! by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

Puppet Song: “Down on Grandpa’s Farm”
Down on Grandpa’s farm there is a black and white cow,
Down on Grandpa’s farm there is a black and white cow.
The cow she makes a sound like this: Moo! Moo!
The cow she makes a sound like this: Moo! Moo!

Chorus:
Oh, we’re on our way, we’re on our way,
On our way to Grandpa’s farm.
We’re on our way, we’re on our way,
On our way to Grandpa’s farm.

Additional verses:
Down on Grandpa’s farm there is a strong, brown horse…
Down on Grandpa’s farm there is fluffy, white sheep…
Down on Grandpa’s farm there is a muddy, pink pig…
Down on Grandpa’s farm there is a little, yellow chick…
(Credit: Adapted from Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives)

Closing Rhyme

Train Story Time – Preschool & Everybody

Opening Song

Book: And the Train Goes… by William Bee
And the Train Goes . . . book cover

Song: “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain” – Wee Sing: Wee Sing in the Car

Flannel: I Love Trains! by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern
I Love Trains book cover

Song: “The Freight Train” – Jane Murphy: Cars, Trucks and Trains

Book/Song: The Whistle on the Train by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Richard Egielski, paper engineering by Gene Vosough
The Whistle on the Train

Movement/Whistle: Train horn signals (“o” indicates short sounds and “=” is for longer sounds)

= Stop
= = Go
o o o Back up
= = o = Train is approaching public crossings

Big Book: Freight Train by Donald Crews
Freight Train book cover

Closing Rhyme

Craft (from 2016): Track coloring sheet with train cars
Preschool story time train craft

Elephant Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Elmer by David McKee

Scarf Song: “Rainbow” – Wunmi: Science Fair

Book: Have You Seen Elephant? by David Barrow

Song: “Elephant in There” – Laurie Berkner: Superhero

Song: “Do Your Ears Hang Low?”
Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie ’em in a knot?
Can you tie ’em in a bow?
Can you throw ’em over your shoulder
Like a continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?

Flannel: “Five Elephants in the Tub”
One elephant in the tub
Going for a swim,
Knock-knock (clap twice), splash-splash (slap knees twice),
Come on in!
2 . . . 3 . . . 4
Five elephants in the tub
Going for a swim,
Knock-knock (clap twice), splash-splash (slap knees twice),
And they all FELL IN!
(Credit: King County Library System)

Movement: “An Elephant Has”
An elephant has a great big trunk (swing arm)
That goes swinging to and fro.
And he has tiny, tiny eyes (make binoculars with hands)
That show him where to go.
His great big ears go flopping, (put hands by ears to be elephant ears)
Flopping all around,
While his great big feet go stomping, (stamp feet)
STOMPING on the ground!
(Credit: Adapted from KidSparkz)

Book: I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Blanche Sims
I Took My Frog to the Library book cover

Closing Rhyme

Opposites Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: The Same But Different Too by Karl Newson, illustrated by Kate Hindley

Song: “Can You Clap” – Sue Schnitzer: Wiggle and Whirl, Clap and Nap

Rhyme: “This Is Big”
This is big, big, big (stretch hands far to sides)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (hold palms close vertically)
This is tall, tall, tall (hold palms far apart vertically)
This is fast, fast, fast (roll hands quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (roll hands slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)

Book with Puppets: Marta! Big & Small by Jen Arena, illustrated by Angela Dominguez

Song: “Open Shut Them” – Laurie Berkner: Laurie Berkner’s Favorite Classic Kids’ Songs

Fingerplay: “Two Little Blackbirds”
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill.
One named Jack and one named Jill.
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill.
Come back Jack, come back Jill.

Additional verses:
Two little blackbirds flying in the sky. One named Low and one named High…
Two little blackbirds sitting on a pole. One named Fast and one named Slow…

Song: “Slow and Fast” – Hap Palmer: Rhythms on Parade

Book with Puppets: ROAR-chestra!: A Wild Story of Musical Words by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Dušan Petričić

Closing Rhyme

Raccoon Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Kitty by Rebecca Jordan-Glum

Song: “Raccoon Sitting in a Tree” (Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)
Raccoon, raccoon, climbing a tree, (make climbing motions)
Wearing a mask, you can’t fool me. (hands circle eyes, then shake finger)
Hiding there so I can’t see (point to eyes)
What you’re doing in that tree. (hands stretched over head like a tree)
Raccoon, raccoon, climbing a tree, (make climbing motions)
Wearing a mask, you can’t fool me. (hands circle eyes, then shake finger)

Book: Raccoons by Mari C. Schuh

Song: “Nocturnal Animals” – Banana Slug String Band: Dirt Made My Lunch

Book: Raccoon Tune by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Howard Fine

Song: “Jump, Jump” – Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights: I’m a Rock Star

Puppet Rhyme: “There’s Something in the Woods”
There’s something in the woods, that I can’t really see. (hands around eyes like binoculars)
There’s something in the woods. Now what can it be? (hold up hands, shrug shoulders in question)

Repeat the rhyme above before giving each clue:
I’m an animal who’s big, brown, and furry and who “Roars.” (bear)
I’m an animal who has long ears and goes “Hop, hop, hop.” (rabbit)
I’m an animal who says “Whoo, whoo” at night. (owl)
I’m an animal who’s red, furry, has a big, bushy tail, and likes to eat chicken. (fox)
I’m an animal who’s small, has a big, bushy tail, and loves to eat nuts. (squirrel)
I’m an animal who’s tiny and makes very quiet “Squeaks.” (mouse)
I’m an animal with a black mask and I’m nocturnal! (raccoon)

Closing Rhyme