For this family storytime we focused on all things numbers!
Here’s what we did:
I always start with the same warm ups:
Song – Top of the Morning
This is a good song to warm up with because we stretch all the parts we will be using in storytime. Eyes, arms, legs, mouth, nose.
Rhyme – Say Hello
I love this rhyme. Everyone claps along and at the end we say hello how ever I tell them to. Loud, soft, quick, slow.
Movement Exercise – Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
We do this three times, faster and FASTER each time.
Song – SkidamarinkIt’s a classic, I know you all know it!
From here we get into our theme.
ASL – Numbers 1-10
I like to include a few new ASL signs in storytime. I usually print my own flash cards from Baby Sign Language. This time I taught the kids how to sign the numbers 1 through 10. And quite a few adults and kids tried to do the signs throughout storytime!
Joke – Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 ate (8) 9!
I couldn’t resist sneaking this little numbers joke in. The parents laughed and I laughed at myself.
Story – Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
This was such a good story! You can work on number identification, counting, subtracting and colors. It also has such a good moral: “Buttons come and buttons go. But do we cry? Goodness no!”
I am totally making a Pete the Cat puppet next time!
Song – The Ants Go Marching
I used Freegal to download a decently paced version of this song. We only let it play to 5 ants marching.
Flannel Board – Woosh Went the Wind
This was a flannel I made a while ago. Basically, the dandelions get blown away one by one.
Game – All the Children Were Sleeping
This is a game my mom taught me (she’s a nanny). You go “sleeping, sleeping all the children were sleeping. And when they woke up, they were ____.” Lions, tigers, bears. You get the kids to act out different movements and sounds. It’s a big hit for my kids. Remember to turn them back to boys and girls at the end.
Movement Exercise – 10 Little Bubbles
We do this one to the tune of “Ten Little Indians.” The kids all help me “pop” the bubbles at the end by clapping their hands.
Story w/ Flannel – Turtle Splash! by Catheryn Falwell
So for this one I created a flannel of the turtles on the log and then I got my puppets out to represent the different animals who scare the turtles away.
During storytime, I passed out my puppets to the kids and they had to run up to the flannel board and scare my turtles away.
Song w/ Shakers – Mr. Sun
Always a risk, but I passed out shakers and we shook our fanny’s off to the song.
Finally, I always end with the same three things:
Movement Exercise – If You’re Happy and You Know It
I tell the kids that I want to know how happy they are.
Rhyme – Say Goodbye
This is the same rhyme we started with, so the new guys are familiar with it by the end of storytime.
Song – Goodbye, So Long, Farewell my Friends by Music Together
I always put this one on as I go to open the door. Its a nice, slow, peaceful song to wind down on.
How’d it go: This storytime started out really great but got a little boisterous once we got to Turtle Splash!. I think this group was just a little too big to pass out puppets. Once the puppets were out there, there was no getting them back and no focusing. It was worth a try but I think I’d only ask for volunteers in a smaller storytime, going forward. Other than that, not bad.
That’s all for now!
-M-