Turtle Story Time – Toddler

Opening Song

Book: Turtles by Emily Green
turtles

Puppet Rhyme: “There Was a Little Turtle”
There was a little turtle
Who lived in a box.
He swam in the puddles.
He climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at a mosquito,
He snapped at a flea,
He snapped at a minnow,
He snapped at me.
He caught the mosquito,
He caught that flea,
He caught that minnow,
But he didn’t catch me!
(Credit: Jbrary)

Song: “Turtle, Turtle” (Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)
Turtle, turtle, moves so slow,
Crawling, crawling, watch him go.
At the pond he looks around,
See his head move up and down.
Turtle, turtle, wants to swim,
Now he slides and dives right in!
(Credit: PreschoolExpress)

Song: “Fast and Slow” – Laurie Berkner: Rocketship Run

Book: I Spy Pets by Edward Gibbs
I Spy Pets book cover

Song: “The Butterfly Song” – David Landau: Rocket to the Moon

Book: Little Turtle Tries by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

Song: “All the Fish” – Sue Schnitzer: Wiggle and Whirl, Clap and Nap

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

Closing Rhyme

Turtle Story Time – Sensory Friendly

Opening Song

Book: The Littlest Turtle by Lysa Mullady, illustrated by Erica Salcedo

Sign Language: Turtle

Fingerplay: “My Little Turtle”
This is my little turtle. (make a fist)
He lives alone in a shell.
He likes his little home.
He thinks it’s really swell.
He pokes out his head (poke out thumb)
When he wants to eat.
Then he pulls it back in (hide thumb in fist)
When he wants to sleep.
(Credit: The Librarian Is on the Loose)

Book: Scoot! by Cathryn Falwell

Song: “Tap, Tap, Tap” – Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer: Get Set for School Sing Along

Social Story/Yoga: Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Tuck and Think by Rochelle Lentini, Lindsay N. Giroux, and Mary Louise Hemmeter

Closing Song

Craft: Paper plate turtles

Pond Story Time – Baby

Opening Song: “My Bubble Floats Over the Ocean”
My bubble floats over the ocean,
My bubble floats over the sea,
My bubble floats over the ocean,
Oh, bubbles make me so happy!
(Credit: CSLP 2022)

Sign Language: Frog, turtle, drink, eat, bubble

Book: Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond by Mary Quattlebaum, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

Rhyme: “I Had a Little Turtle”
I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim, (sign for turtle)
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim. (sign for swim)
He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap, (signs for drink and eat)
And now he’s sick in bed with bubbles in his throat. (sign for bubble)
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, pop,
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, pop!
(Credit: WCLS Libraries)

Song: “Roly Poly” (Tune: “Are You Sleeping?”)
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up
up, up, up
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
down, down, down
down, down, down

Roly poly, roly poly
out, out, out
out, out, out
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
in, in, in
in, in, in

Roly poly, roly poly
fast, fast, fast
fast, fast, fast
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
slow, slow, slow
slow, slow, slow
(Credit: Jbrary)

Flannel: “Five Green and Speckled Frogs”
Five green and speckled frogs sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious grubs (yum, yum!).
One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool.
Now there are four green and speckled frogs.

Repeat, counting down until there are no green and speckled frogs.

Book: In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming

Lap Song: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Repeat with: bounce, sway, tickle

Lap Song: “Little Frog”
A little frog in a pond am I,
Hippity, hippity, hop. (bounce)
And I can jump in the air so high, (lift)
Hippity, hippity, hop! (bounce)

Lap Song: “Oh I Wish I Was a Little Bar of Soap”
Oh, I wish I was a little bar of soap, bar of soap. (lift baby)
Oh, I wish I was a little bar of soap, bar of soap.
Oh, I’d slippy and I’d slidey over everybody’s hidey (tickle)
Oh, I wish I was a little bar of soap, bar of soap!
(Credit: Jbrary)

Scarf Song: “Peek-a-boo” (Tune: “Frère Jacques”)
Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo,
I see you, I see you
I see your button nose, I see your tiny toes,
Peek-a-boo, I see you.
(Credit: Sacramento Public Library)

Scarf Song: “My Scarf Goes Up”
My scarf goes up, (throw)
My scarf comes down, (catch)
My scarf waves around, around, around. (wave around)
My scarf goes in, (crumple inside hands)
My scarf comes out, (pull back out)
My scarf flies about, about, about. (wave around)
(Credit: Sacramento Public Library)

Closing Rhyme

Ocean Creatures Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Turtle Tug to the Rescue by Michael Slack

Flannel Song: “Bubble, Bubble, Pop!”
One little red fish
Swimming in the water,
Swimming in the water,
Swimming in the water.

One little red fish
Swimming in the water,
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble…POP!

Additional verses: Increase the number and change the color of the fish.
(Credit: Jbrary)

Book: I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs

Action Rhyme: “I’m a Little Octopus”
Arm #1 goes swish, swish, swish (swing arms back and forth)
Arm #2 helps me catch fish (wiggle hand back and forth)
Arm #3 pats my head (pat hand on head)
Arm #4 makes sure I’m fed (put hand to mouth)
Arm #5 swims me to shore (move arms in swimming motion)
Arm #6 touches the ocean floor (touch hand to floor)
Arm #7 can grab and tug (open and close hands)
But all eight arms give me a hug! (cross arms and hug yourself)
(Credit: Storytime Katie)

Book/Flannel: I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Song: “The Goldfish” – Laurie Berkner: Victor Vito

Closing Rhyme

Reptiles Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Dangerous by Tim Warnes

Movement/Song: “I Have a Little Turtle”
I have a little turtle (put hands on top of one another)
He lives in a box (make box)
He swims in a puddle (swimming motion)
He climbs on the rocks (climbing motion)
He snapped at a mosquito (clap)
He snapped at a flea (clap)
He snapped at a minnow (clap)
And he snapped at me (clap)
He caught the mosquito (cup hands together)
He caught the flea (cup hands together)
He caught the minnow (cup hands together)
But he didn’t catch me! (shake finger “no”)
(Credit: Childhood)

Book: To Bathe a Boa by C. Imbior Kudrna

Song: “Jake the Snake” – Laura Doherty: Shining Like a Star

Movement: “Snake Breath” – Kira Willey: Mindful Moments for Kids

Book: Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley, photographs by Nic Bishop

Song: “Sss, ssss went the slippery snake”
Sss, ssss went the slippery snake one day
Sss, ssss went the slippery snake
Sss, ssss went the slippery snake one day
And they all went sss, sss, sss
But… we know snakes go (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
(clap) shoe-be-do-be-do, (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
We know snakes go (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
They don’t go sss, sss, sss

Snap snap went the agile alligator one day
Snap snap went the agile alligator
Snap snap went the agile alligator one day
And they all went snap snap snap
But… we know alligators go (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
(clap) shoe-be-do-be-do, (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
We know alligators go (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
They don’t go snap snap snap

Chirp chirp went the groovy gecko one day
Chirp chirp went the groovy gecko
Chirp chirp went the groovy gecko one day
And they all went chirp chirp chirp
But… we know geckos go (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
(clap) shoe-be-do-be-do, (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
We know geckos go (clap) shoe-be-do-be-do
They don’t go chirp chirp chirp
(Credit: Jbrary and One for the Books)

Closing rhyme

Craft: Dot painting a paper bag reptile

Turtle Story Time – Sensory Friendly

Opening Song

Book: Turtles by Emily Green

Song: “Turtle, Turtle” (Tune: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”)
Turtle, turtle moves so slow,
Crawling, crawling, watch him go.
At the pond he looks around,
See his head move up and down.
Turtle, turtle wants to swim,
Now he slides and dives right in!
(Source: PreschoolExpress)

Book: Scoot! by Cathryn Falwell

Song: “Tap Tap Tap”Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer: Get Set for School Sing Along

Movement: Learn the yoga pose “turtle”

Social Story:  Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi

Closing Song

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