Preschool Storytime: Dogs!

This Preschool Storytime was presented at Bellevue Public Library on September 13, 2017.

Each Preschool 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 – singing, talking, reading, playing and writing – 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).

Reading:

A Small Thing...But Big by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Puppy Pool Party by Seth Casteel

Singing:


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!)

B-I-N-G-O

There was a farmer, had a dog
and Bingo was his name-o.
B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O,
and Bingo was his name-o.

                                                      

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

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


Rhyme:



I Have a Dog and His Name is Rags

I have a dog and his name is Rags.
He eats so much that his tummy sags.
His ears flip-flop,
(hands wave at ears)
And his tail wig-wags,
(wiggle hips)
And when he walks he goes zig-zag.
(one arm in front of body, then cross with other arm)

He goes flip-flop, wig-wag, zig-zag (3 times)
I love Rags and he loves me!


After My Bath:

After my bath I try, try, try
to wipe myself 'til I'm dry, dry, dry.

Hands to wipe and fingers and toes
and two wet legs and a shiny nose.

Just think how much less time I'd take
if I were a dog and could shake, shake, shake!

Talking/Writing/Playing:

What's in the Green Box?
(tune: "Sally Wore a Red Dress")

What's in the green box,
The green box, the green box?
What's in the green box 
For us to play?

Attendees had the opportunity for some creative play with several of the library's dog puppets!

Two activity sheets featured dogs and supported color recognition, the use of crayons, number recognition and counting.

Kibble to Nibble activity sheet can be found here.

How Many Dogs? activity sheet can be found here.

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

Preschool Storytime: Autumn

This Preschool Storytime was presented at Bellevue Public Library on  September 20-21, 2017 .

Each Preschool 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 – singing, talking, reading, playing and writing – 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).

In celebration of the change of seasons from Summer to Autumn, our Storytime families came upon this sight as they entered the library this week.  

Reading:

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak

A is for Autumn by Robert Maass

Singing:

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!



Playing:
The children gathered leaves from the hallway and library entrance and brought them back to the Storytime room.  

Armed with handfuls of these multi-colored leaves we listened to "The Trees Weep Leaves" by David Huntsinger.  When the music was slow and quiet, the leaves floated gently from our hands.  As the tempo and volume increased, we helped the leaves whirl and twirl as though being buffeted by the wind.

What's in the Green Box?
(tune: "Sally Wore a Red Dress")

What's in the green box,
The green box, the green box?
What's in the green box 
For us to play?

Our Green Box featured two writing activities.  Children were encouraged to use some of the leaves we had collected to make leaf rubbings.  The leaves were placed on a hard surface, with a piece of printer paper on top.  Using an unwrapped crayon, the children rubbed the length of the crayon across the paper and, voila!, the leaves appear!

The children also had the opportunity to make a Leaf Book, inspired by the book, My Leaf Book by Monica Wellington.

We used wallpaper samples and plain paper to make books in which the children can collect, examine, and learn about some of the leaves found in our community.

Talking:

After listening to "Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, we set aside several minutes for children and adults to gather the leaves and enjoy talking about them.  Some families talked about the various colors and sizes of the leaves and others tried to identify some of the leaves by their shapes.  One child sorted the leaves by color, while another sorted by size. 

Children thrive when they are given opportunities to talk and be listened to as they explore and experiment with their world!

Writing:
Grasping the crayons in order to make the leaf rubbings helps develop the muscles that will one day hold a pencil as letters and numbers are written!

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

Golden Hills Head Start - Night and Day

Presented to Miss Jenny's class at Golden Hills Head Start on Monday, January 29, 2013.

Books:

Grumpy Bunnies by Willie Welch, illustrated by Tammie Lyon



Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee




Song:

Skinnamarink

Skinnamarink-a-dink-a-dink,
Skinnamarink-a-doo,
I love you!
Skinnamarink-a-dink-a-dink,
Skinnamarink-a-doo,
I love you!

I love you in the morning
and in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening
and underneath the moon, oh

Skinnamarink-a-dink-a-dink,
Skinnamarink-a-doo,
I love you!


Activities:

Here Are My Eyes

Here are my eyes, one and two.
I give a wink and so can you.
When they are open
I see the light.
When they are closed,
It's dark as night.



The Sun

Over there the sun gets up,
(extend arm horizontally)
And marches all the day.
(raise arm slowly)
At noon it stands right overhead,
(point straight up)
At night it goes away.
(lower arm slowly)

Wesley and I had fun seeing everyone in Miss Jenny's class today!  They are all such enthusiastic students!!  During the singalong at the end of my program the children sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"!  We started out s-l-o-w-l-y, but by the third time through we were going at lightning speed!  Great job!!

My next visit to Miss Jenny's class is scheduled for Monday, February 28!

Golden Hills Head Start - Space

Presented to Miss Amy's Head Start class at Golden Hills on Monday, January 29, 2013.

Books:

Zoom, Rocket, Zoom! by Margaret Mayo, illustrated by Alex Ayliffe





How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers





Song:

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are!

Activities:

We're Going to the Moon!

Climb aboard the spaceship,
We're going to the moon!
Hurry and get ready,
We're going to blast off soon.
Put on your helmets
And buckle up real tight.
Here comes the countdown,
Let's count with all our might!
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1---BLAST OFF!!!


The Sun

Over there the sun gets up,
(extend arm horizontally)
And marches all the day.
(raise arm slowly)
At noon it stands right overhead,
(point straight up)
At night it goes away.
(lower arm slowly)


Wesley and I enjoyed venturing out in the fog this morning to visit the wonderful students and staff at Golden Hills Head Start!  I loved the sun and moon shapes hanging overhead as I read stories.  The students were awesome listeners and also did a great job of participating in the songs and activities!!  I had fun accompanying them as they sang their ABCs!!!
My next visit to Miss Amy's class is scheduled for Monday, February 25!

Fairy Tales!!

Presented at Miss Jenny's and Miss Amy's Golden Hills Head Start classes on Monday, December 17, 2012.

Books:

The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora

Will Princess Isabel Ever Say Please? by Steve Metzger, illustrated by Amanda Haley

Songs:

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Five green and speckled frogs sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs -- YUM YUM! (rub tummy)
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool
Then there were four green and speckled frogs. (ribbit, tibbit, ribbit, ribbit!)

Four green and speckled frogs sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs -- YUM YUM! (rub tummy)
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool
Then there were three green and speckled frogs. (ribbit, tibbit, ribbit!)

Three green and speckled frogs sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs -- YUM YUM!  (rub tummy)
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool
Then there were two green and speckled frogs. (ribbit, tibbit!)

Two green and speckled frogs sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs -- YUM YUM! (rub tummy)
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool
Then there was one green and speckled frogs. (ribbit!)

One green and speckled frogs sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs -- YUM YUM! (rub tummy)   
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool
Then there were no green and speckled frogs.

I had so much fun visiting Miss Jenny's and Miss Amy's classes this morning!  At the end of each storytime I joined in singing several songs with the children, including "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "If You're Happy and You Know It",  "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "The ABC Song" .

Transportation!

Presented at Miss Jenny's Golden Hills Head Start classroom on Monday, November 26, 2012

Books:

Six Hogs on a Scooter written by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Scott Nash

There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star
written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper

I Wish I Were a Pilot written by Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Max Grover

Songs:

Oh, When I Walk Across the Street
(tune: "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In")

Oh, when I walk across the street,
Oh, when I walk across the street,
I always take the hand of a grown-up,
When I walk across the street.

Oh, when I walk across the street,
Oh, when I walk across the street,
I always STOP...LOOK...and LISTEN,
When I walk across the street.
Oh, when I walk across the street,
Oh, when I walk across the street,
I always cross at the crosswalk,
When I walk across the street.

The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round,
'round and 'round, 'round and 'round,
The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round,
All through the town.

The children on the bus bounce up and down...
The wheels on the bus go faster and faster...
The children on the bus shout, "Wheeeeee!"...
The wheels on the bus go slower and slower...


Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.



It was so nice to spend some time with Miss Jenny's class today!  After reading I Wish I Were a Pilot I challenged the children to remember the different types of transportation mentioned in the story.  They were able to name them all! (Parents may want to ask their children if they can remember all of them.  They are: Airplane, Hot-Air Balloon, Race Car, Tugboat, Train, Bicycle, Rowboat, Coach, Space Shuttle, Horse, Submarine) 

The children decided it would NOT be a good idea for Wesley to use a bicycle as transportation so, as the first snowflakes flew, he and I used my car to return safely to the library! I hope the children are enjoying the new books provided by the library.  I look forward to my next visit with the children and teachers on Monday, December 17, 2012!

Real and Pretend

Presented at Miss Jenny's and Miss Amy's Golden Hills Head Start classrooms on Monday, October 29, 2012.

Books:
Hi Pizza Man! by Virginia Walter, illustrated by Ponder Goembel

Honk! Honk! by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

Pick a Pet by Shelly Rottner and Cheo Garcia

Activities:

Our Hands Say Hello!

Our hands say hello with a clap, clap, clap.
Our feet say hello with a tap, tap, tap.

Clap, clap, clap,

Tap, tap, tap.

Turn around and take a bow.

Sit right down. It's Storytime now!

Sleeping Time

Down goes the sun and up comes the moon,
(bend down, then get up)

It will be sleeping time soon.
(place head on hands as is asleep)

Birds are quiet in their trees,
(place hands in underarms, folding elbows downward)

Cows and horses rest on their knees.
(Kneel down, touch chin to chest)

Sleepy children are tucked into bed,
(yawn, close eyes)

With good night kisses upon their heads.
(make kissing sound)


Song:

Storytime Has Ended

(tune: "Did You Ever See a Lassie?")

Storytime has ended, has ended, has ended.

Storytime has ended 'til we meet again.

(Children wave to each other as we continue)

'Til we meet, 'til we meet, 'til we meet, 'til we meet.

Storytime has ended 'til we meet again.

Mrs. B's Pre-Sliced Banana: Real or Pretend?

At Storytimes today I showed the children a banana and asked them if it was real or pretend.  The general consensus was that it was real!  I then told them that it was a special banana that was pre-sliced before it is peeled!  When I peeled the banana and showed them the slices, I admitted that there aren't really bananas that grow, pre-sliced, on trees.  It was just a trick I played on them!  To see how I did it, click here.

I enjoyed the time I spent with the children and teachers this morning!  Miss Jenny's class sang several songs with me, including "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", The ABC Song" and "Clap Your Hands".  Because of all their wonderful singing, I ran a little late and didn't have as much time with Miss Amy's class, although they also treated me to their rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and their own version of "The Chicken Dance"  I look forward to seeing the children again next month!

Autumn is Here!

Presented at Golden Hills Head Start on Monday, September 24, 2012

Books:

Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! by Maureen Wright

Ska-Tat! by Kimberly Knutson

When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey

Songs:

First We Wave Our Hands Up High
(tune: "London Bridge")

First we wave our hands up high,
Hands up high, hands up high,
First we wave our hands up high,
Then we CLAP them! (lots of claps!)

Then we shake our hands down low,
Hands down low, hands down low.
Then we shake our hands down low,
Then we hide them!

Children always have fun finding places to hide their hands...under their legs, behind their back, in their pockets, under their shirt, etc.  Then we count "1..2..3...",  yell, "Ta-Da!!!!!!" and show our hands!

Storytime Has Ended

(tune: "Did You Ever See a Lassie?")

Storytime has ended, has ended, has ended.

Storytime has ended 'til we meet again.

(Children wave to each other as we continue)

'Til we meet, 'til we meet, 'til we meet, 'til we meet.

Storytime has ended 'til we meet again.

Activity

Falling Leaves
I use a piece of instrumental music entitled "The Trees Weep Leaves" by David Huntsinger.  It can be found on a CD entitled "Autumn in New England".  The mp3 can be purchased online.  The children, teachers and I hold lengths of yellow, red, orange and brown paper streamers as we listen to the music.  As the music begins, we let our "leaves" gently float and tumble to the floor.  As the music increases in volume and tempo, we make the leaves swirl and fly as we pretend that they are caught up in the wind.  There are several tempo/volume changes, so children get to practice their listening skills.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Miss Jenny, Miss Annie, and the children at Golden Hills Head Start!  I think they also enjoyed meeting my puppet friend "Wesley".  I gave the children some clues to help them guess what animal Wesley is:
* He is green
* He has 2 front legs and 2 back legs
* He has a tail
* He lives in a shell

Can you guess?!  Visit my blog again later this week to see if you guessed correctly!