SLP 2017: Butterflies Storytime: My House

This Butterflies Storytime, for toddlers and preschoolers, was presented at Bellevue Public Library on June 6, 7 & 8, 2017.


Each Butterflies Storytime includes activities that support all or most of the five early literacy practices identified as essential in helping your child develop the skills they need before they can learn to read. The five practices – talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing  – were developed for Every Child Ready to Read®, an initiative of the Association for Library Services for Children (ALSC) and the Public Library Association (PLA).



Stories:

Five Little Monkeys With Nothing to Do by Eileen Christelow

Whose House? by Barbara Seuling, illustrated by Kay Chorao

Action Rhymes:

Here is a House 
Here is a house built up high,
(form a roof with hands above head)
With two big chimneys reaching for the sky.
(raise straight arms above head)
Here is a window,
(draw outline of window in the air)
Here is a door,
(put two palms in front of eyes)
If we look inside,
(start to open palms)
There's a mouse on the floor!
(use fingers to show mouse scampering)


A House for Me!
Here is a nest for robin,
(cup hands)
Here is a hive for bee,
(make a fist)
Here is a hole for bunny,
(form a circle with fingers of both hands)
And here is a house for me!
(form roof over head with hands)


I Have Ten Little Fingers
I have ten little fingers 
(show fingers)
and they all belong to me.
(point fingers to self)
I can make them do things,
(make fingers dance in front of body)
would you like to see?
I can wave them up high,
(reach high to wave hands)
I can wave them down low,
(reach low to wave)
I can make them hide...
(quickly hide fingers in pockets, behind back, etc.)
And I can fold them, so.
(fold hands in lap)

The children in storytime love saying this rhyme several times, each time increasing the speed!

Songs:


Hello, Friends!
(tune: "Goodnight Ladies")

Hello friends.
Hello friends.
Hello friends.
We're glad you came today!


Everybody Say Hello!
(tune: "London Bridge")

Everybody say hello, say hello, say hello,
Everybody say hello, hello Wesley!

(Wesley is my turtle puppet who pops out of my apron pocket whenever we sing this song.  Then he sits quietly on his rock and listens to the stories and sings along with us.  At the end of storytime he says goodbye to the children, gives them high fives, eats pretend food from their hands, blows kisses, and plays hide and seek!)

Goodbye, Friends!
(tune: "Goodnight Ladies")

Goodbye friends.
Goodbye friends.
Goodbye friends.
We're glad you came today!

Home Activity:
I encourage our storytime families to spend time this week exploring their house/apartment with their children.  Help them walk around the outside and count the doors or windows in your home.  Walk around inside and see if they count the same number!  Talk about the number of rooms in your home, the number of steps, etc.  If you visit someone else's home, spend time on the way home talking about the similarities and differences in the homes.  Enjoy having conversations with your little ones as they discover and explore their world!

Every Child Ready to Read^® @ your library^®, PLA and ALSC logos are registered trademarks of the American Library Association and are used with permission.