Marvelous Monsters

Welcome Song: Welcome, Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome, welcome everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

First we’ll clap our hands just so.

Then we’ll bend

And touch our toe.

Welcome, welcome, everyone.

Now you’re here,

We’ll have some fun

Early Literacy Skill: Our early literacy tip for today is on narrative skills,  the ability to describe things and events and tell stories. Help your child strengthen her narrative skills by asking her to tell you about the book, instead of just listening to you read the story.

Book: Goodnight, Little Monster by Helen Ketteman

Rhyming text describes a mother guiding her young monster through bedtime preparations, such as howling at the moon, snacking on worm juice and beetle bread, and choosing a bedtime story.

Action Rhyme: Ten Fingers
I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: There Are Monsters Everywhere by Mercer Mayer

A boy who is certain that his house is filled with monsters takes a karate class in order to vanquish them.

OR

Book: Laura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster by Laura Numeroff
A guide to choosing and caring for your own pet monster, which includes useful information such as "monsters love country western music" and "monsters love to buy gum."

Action Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

v. 1 Clap your hands

v. 2 Stomp your feet

v. 3 Turn around

v. 4 Jump up and down

v. 5 Shout hooray

Flannel Board: Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

Then read the book version.

Book: Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

Die-cut pages through which bits of a monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters.

Action Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Book: Jeepers Creepers: A Monstrous ABC by Laura Leuck

Twenty-six monsters go to school and learn their letters as each one's name starts with another letter of the alphabet.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.

Take Home Craft: Go Away Big Green Monster story patterns to color and use to retell the story.  Works on kids fine motor skills (coloring and cutting) as well as narrative skills (retelling the story).
http://kizclub.com/storypatterns/monster.pdf

Attendance: 14, 9 (ages 1-7 with caregivers)

Evaluation: This was an extremely fun program.  There are so many great stories about monsters that it was hard to pick just a few.  For the first program I read There Are Monsters Everywhere.  It was a little too scary for the younger ages, so in the second program I read Laura Numeroff's book instead.  During the first session I had only planned on doing the flannel board version of Go Away Big Green Monster.  However, when I finished and showed the kids the book, one of them said, "Again!"  So of course I read them the book, showing the cool die cuts.  It worked so well I did the same thing for the second program.  I liked using the same story in two formats and will try to do that again in future programs.  I would read aloud the book version first and then have the kids help tell the story the second time using a flannel board or some other method.  Great program for any time of the year.

Emotions

Welcome Song: Welcome, Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome, welcome everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

First we’ll clap our hands just so.

Then we’ll bend

And touch our toe.

Welcome, welcome, everyone.

Now you’re here,

We’ll have some fun

Early Literacy Skill: Our early literacy tip for today is on vocabulary, knowing the names of things, concepts, feelings and ideas. Children who have heard a lot of different words and have a large vocabulary find it easier to learn to read.

Book: Sometimes I'm Bombaloo by Rachel Vail

When Katie Honors feels angry and out of control, her mother helps her to be herself again.

Action Rhyme: Ten Fingers
I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

Feeling too grumpy to fly, Bird begins to walk and finds that his mood changes as other animals join him.

Action Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It" from Sing Along With BOB #1 by Bob McGrath
v.1 If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

v.2 If you're sad and you know it wipe your eyes

v.3 If you're mad and you know it stamp your feet

v.4 If you're sleepy and you know  it close your eyes
v.5 If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

Book: My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

This rhyming story describes each day in terms of a particular color which in turn is associated with specific emotions.

Early Literacy Aside: When we talk about a story after reading it with a child, we are helping him or her remember what he or she heard, and to review it.  It helps to reinforce new vocabulary words because they have the opportunity to use the words again.

Action Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Action Rhyme: Hands
My hands upon my head I’ll place
Upon my shoulders, on my face,
At my waist and by my side,
Then behind me they will hide.
Then I'll raise them way up high,
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly,
Then clap, clap, clap--
One - Two -Three!
Now see how quiet they can be.

DVD: Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

Meet Scaredy Squirrel, a squirrel who never leaves his nut tree because he's afraid of the unknown "out there." But then, something unexpected happens that may just change his outlook.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.

Attendance: 10, 7 (ages 1-7 with caregivers)

Evaluation: There are a lot of great emotions/feelings books to choose from and two of my favorites weren't available for this program (Llama, Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney and When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang) but the ones I did choose were great.  The first session had a lot of ones and twos so I started by showing them the board book Baby Blue's Clues: Feelings by Jenny Miglis and talking about different emotions.  I then went on as planned.  The second session was older children so I did as planned.  The stories were all well received and the movie version of Scaredy Squirrel is superb!  I handed out Grumpy Bird door hangers (http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/jeremytankard/images/grumpybird_act_door.pdf) for the kids to take home and color.  I liked using the Bob McGrath feelings version of "If You're Happy and You Know It."  It was nice to use something different.  This is definitely a theme to do again.

Balloons!

Welcome Song: Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome, welcome everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

First we’ll clap our hands just so,

Then we’ll bend

And touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

Early Literacy Skill: Today’s early literacy skill is Print Motivation, a child’s interest in and enjoyment of books.  The best way to encourage your child to love books is to read them books you love.  Children pick up on our emotions and when we’re excited about a book, they become excited too.

Book: A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood

As graduation day approaches, Isabel tries to convince her teacher that she and Walter, both porcupines, should receive balloons on the big day just like the other children.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

v. 1 Clap your hands

v. 2 Stomp your feet

v. 3 Turn around

v. 4 Jump up and down

v. 5 Shout hooray

Book: Balloons Balloons Balloons by Dee Lillegard

Rhyming text follows balloons of many colors as they float and bounce throughout an entire town.

Literacy Aside:  As adults, we can help develop print motivation in lots of ways. Having kids choose which book to read is one way; another is to have books on hand about something your child really loves, like trains or dinosaurs or princesses. If there is a repeating phrase in a book encourage your child to “read” it along with you. The sooner kids get the idea that books are great fun the easier it is for them to start to be readers.

Action Rhyme: Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: emily’s balloon by Komako Sakai

A little girl's new friend is round, lighter than air, and looks like the moon at night.

Flannel Rhyme: Balloons for a Party

Here are balloons for a party

For it is my birthday today

I have balloons for all of my friends

Who are coming over to play.

Here is a pretty round blue balloon

Blue as my kitten’s eyes.

Here is a flaming round red balloon

Just about your size.

Here is a happy round yellow balloon

Yellow as bright sunshine.

Here is a lovely round purple balloon

Like purple grapes from the vine.

Here is a little round orange balloon

Like oranges from the store.

And now there are no more.

Book: A Rainbow Balloon:  A Book of Concepts by Ann Lenssen

Introduces basic concepts such as rise and fall and one and many while following "Tickled Pink," a rainbow colored hot-air balloon, on a flight.

Art:

Each child receives one hot air balloon sheet.  On each table are scraps of tissue paper and containers of watered down Elmer’s glue and one paintbrush per balloon sheet.  Children spread glue on the balloon sheet and stick scraps of tissue paper on to decorate the balloon.

Attendance: 9, 22
Evaluation: This was a FUN program to do.  The topic was a hit with all ages and the stories were fun to read.  A Balloon for Isabel was a little long and really worked best with the older participants, but the colors and illustrations helped keep the younger children focused.  The art project helped even the littlest with their fine motor skills (important for future writing) and learning their colors.

Picnics

Welcome Song: Welcome, Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome, welcome everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

First we’ll clap our hands just so.

Then we’ll bend

And touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome, everyone.

Now you’re here,

We’ll have some fun

Early Literacy Skill: Today’s early literacy skills is narrative skills, the ability to talk about events and retell stories.

Today we’re having stories about picnics.  Have any of you ever been on a picnic?  What kinds of things did you take on your picnic?  Let’s fill up our picnic basket with different things (plates, cups, food).

Flannel Story: Pig’s Picnic by Keiko Kasza

Mr. Pig, on his way to call on Miss Pig, allows his animal friends to persuade him to don various handsome portions of their own bodies, with an alarming result.

Early Literacy Aside: You can strengthen your child’s narrative skills by creating flannel boards like this one, and have your child use it to tell you the story.

Action Rhyme: Ten Fingers
I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Most Perfect Spot by Diane Goode

Jack tries to have a perfect picnic with his mother, but things do not turn out as they expected.

Early Literacy Aside:  The illustrations in this story add a lot of additional information to the tale.  Ask your child to tell you the story just by looking at the illustrations.  This helps build her narrative skills.

Action Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Prop Song: “Going on a Picnic” on Corner Grocery Store by Raffi

Craft: Picnic Baskets

Cut out and glue on a picnic basket pictures of foods to take on a picnic.  This works on children's fine motor skills, which they'll need when the learn to write.

Attendance: 0 at the first session, 27 at the second

Evaluation: This program went fairly well.  With the younger audience, I cut out one story and went right to the craft.  Some were too little to do the cutting, but they did get to use the glue.  Fairly fun program, but would work better with an older group.

Dancing Feet

Welcome Song: Welcome, Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome, welcome everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

First we’ll clap our hands just so.

Then we’ll bend

And touch our toe.

Welcome, welcome, everyone.

Now you’re here,

We’ll have some fun

Early Literacy Skill: Our early literacy tip for today is on phonological awareness, the ability to hear with the smaller sounds in words. Researchers say this skill helps children to sound out words when they later learn to read. In this storytime I’ll be pointing out ways you can help your children hear different kinds of sounds.

Big Book: Dance Away by George Shannon

Rabbit's dancing saves his friends from becoming Fox's supper.

Early Literacy Aside: This is an example of a predictable book with a repeated refrain, which allows kids to be active participants in the story.  One fun way to extend the story is to learn the dance steps and do them every time Rabbit says them.

Action Rhyme: Ten Fingers
I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Gerald the giraffe is too clumsy to dance with all the other animals at the Jungle Dance, until he finds the right music.

Action Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Early Literacy Aside: Songs, such as the one we just sang, are a great way for kids to learn phonological awareness.  Because songs have a different note for each syllable, “subconsciously, young children are hearing individual words being broken down into parts (pg. 26).” Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library by Saroj Ghoting and Pamela Martin-Diaz.

Book: Barn Dance! By Pat Hutchins

After Horse, Sheep, and Pig dance until they must lie down to rest, their little ones sneak out to continue the party.

Action Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Action Rhyme: Hands
My hands upon my head I’ll place
Upon my shoulders, on my face,
At my waist and by my side,
Then behind me they will hide.
Then I'll raise them way up high,
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly,
Then clap, clap, clap--
One - Two -Three!
Now see how quiet they can be.

Book: Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig

Easy-to-read, rhyming text depicts different animals dancing.

Early Literacy Aside:  This book has great rhythm and rhyme...perfect for introducing phonological awareness to young kids.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.

Attendance: 14, 21 (ages 1-6 with caregivers)

Evaluation: This was a FUN program.  All the books had great rhythm and rhyme and held even the youngest kid's attention (for the most part).  Definitely a program to repeat again and again.

Where Is It?

Welcome Song: Welcome, Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome, welcome everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

First we’ll clap our hands just so.

Then we’ll bend

And touch our toe.

Welcome, welcome, everyone.

Now you’re here,

We’ll have some fun

Literacy Skill: Vocabulary--knowing the names of things, feelings and concepts.

Book: Little Quack's Hide and Seek by Lauren Thompson

When Mama plays hide and seek with her five ducklings, Little Quack finds the best hiding place of all.

Action Rhyme: Ten Fingers
I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Flannel Rhyme: Little Mouse

Little Mouse, Little Mouse,

Are you in the red house?

Little Mouse, Little Mouse,

You are not in the red house.

Continue with other colors (pink, purple, green, blue, orange)

Literacy Aside: Our next book, Where's Tumpty?, gives kids a vocabulary work out as the book describes many different positional words (under, behind, upside down, etc.).

Book: Where's Tumpty? by Polly Dunbar

Tumpty the elephant tries unsuccessfully to hide by closing his eyes. But his friends can all see him, and they laugh. But then Tumpty finds the way to hide. And his friends search for their missing friend.

Action Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Book: Has Anyone Seen My Emily Greene? by Norma Fox Mazer

Emily decides to play hide and seek when her father calls her for lunch.

Action Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Action Rhyme: Hands
My hands upon my head I’ll place
Upon my shoulders, on my face,
At my waist and by my side,
Then behind me they will hide.
Then I'll raise them way up high,
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly,
Then clap, clap, clap--
One - Two -Three!
Now see how quiet they can be.

Book: Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox

A story about many different sheep, and one that seems to be missing.

Literacy Aside: Books that introduce kids to new words and concepts, such as Where Is the Green Sheep?, are a great way to expand their vocabulary.

Book: Hide & Seek by Brenda Yee

A mouse plays hide-and-seek with the owner of a house.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.

Attendance: Friday: 20 and 26 (mostly 0-2 with a very few 3-6, and caregivers)
                     Saturday: 17, 21 (0-8 with caregivers)
Evaluation: This is a FUN program to do.  The kids enjoyed the stories and the theme, although Friday's second session was full of energetic boys and young wanderers.  I ended up cutting out Where Is the Green Sheep? with that session.  With all the younger attendees, I did not use Has Anyone Seen My Emily Greene? until the last session. 

Garbage

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

First we'll clap our hands just so.

Then we'll bend and touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Literacy Skill: Letter Knowledge is knowing that letters are different from each other, have different names, and are related to sounds.

Book: Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash! by Barbara Odanaka
Presents a rhyming imitation of all the sights and sounds of the neighborhood on trash day.

Action Rhyme: Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman
Little by little, can by can, Mr. Gillie, the trash man, cleans up his town.

Literacy Aside: The words STOP and NO are highlighted in the story by color and font size.  See if they can find the S and N for each one.  This helps with letter recognition.

Action Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

DVD: I Stink! by Kate McMullan
A big city garbage truck makes its rounds, consuming everything from apple cores and banana peels to leftover ziti with zucchini.

Literacy Aside: While this is not an alphabet book, it contains a section covering all the letters of the alphabet and is a fun way to highlight them.  We're watching it as a movie because it better illustrates each letter.  The video also is a read along, showing kids that the story is made up of words.

Craft: I Spy Alphabet Bottles
Supplies: alphabet beads (one of each letter of the alphabet), empty water bottles, rice, laminated sheet listing the alphabet

Kids used their fine motor skills to place each bead in their bottle.  Then they came to me to have rice poured in and the lid taped on with duct tape.  The laminated sheet is a reusable checklist (use a water-based marker and wet paper towel to remove ink) for locating all the letters.  This craft ties into letter knowledge and the garbage theme, as we reused water bottles that would have been recycled or gone in the garbage.

Attendance: 16, 14 (ages 1-6 and adults)
Evaluation: This is a great program for all ages.  The theme and materials were well received and interactive enough to hold the kids attention.  Due to technical difficulties, the movie didn't work in the first session, but no one seemed to mind.  I should have gone ahead and read them the alphabet section of the book, but instead had them move onto the craft as time was running out.  While the craft was labor intensive to prepare for, it went very smoothly with the kids and the parents were very appreciative of it's educational nature.  This is definitely a program to do again.  I enjoyed the I Spy bottle craft and could see repeating it with shapes, colors, numbers, etc.

Cats and Dogs

Today’s early literacy skill is print motivation, or a child's interest in and enjoyment of books.

Tip: Pick out books on topics your child is interested in, such as cats, dogs, dinosaurs, trucks, etc.

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

First we'll clap our hands just so.

Then we'll bend and touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Book: Pete the Cat:  I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

As he walks down the street, Pete the cat sings about his brand new white shoes as they change from red to blue to brown to wet.

Aside: Check out YouTube for a great video of the author reading and singing this book aloud to a group of families.

Action Rhyme: I Have Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: A Cat and A Dog by Claire Masurel and Bob Kolar
A cat and a dog are enemies until a crisis brings them together as friends.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Book: Where's Spot by Eric Hill

A mother dog finds eight other animals hiding around the house before finding her lost puppy. Flaps conceal the animals.

Rhyme: Hands

My hands upon my head I’ll place

On my shoulders, on my face.

At my waist and by my side.

Then behind me they will hide.

Then I'll raise them way up high,

And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.

Then clap, clap, clap,

And one-two-three.

Now see how quiet they can be.

Book: Catnap by Dawn Bentley
This large hardcover book has bright illustrations and pop-up flaps so readers can count all sorts of things like butterflies, bees, ducks, fish, ladybugs and more.

Craft: C for Cat
Kids colored, cut out and pasted shapes to create a sleeping cat.
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/animals/pets/cat_2.htm

Attendance: 23, 21 (Ages 0-6 with caregivers)
Evaluation: Great program!  The short stories worked extremely well with all the younger attendees and were interactive enough to keep the attention of the older ones.  I did dialogic reading with a couple of the books, just focusing on a page or two.  I didn't explain what I did to the parents, but should have mentioned after each story ended.  When introducing the craft, I pointed out that the parents could discuss the different shapes with their child, as well as how the letter "c" forms the cat's tail and that cat begins with "C."  The craft was flexible enough for all families.  Some took it home to do, others colored it here and then took it home, and still others finished the whole thing.

Hugs

Today’s early literacy skill is print awareness, or being aware of how books work and how we follow the words on the page.

Opening Song: Welcome, Welcome Everyone

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Welcome welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

First we'll clap our hands just so.

Then we'll bend and touch our toes.

Welcome, welcome everyone,

Now you're here we'll have some fun.

Book: Hugless Douglas by David Melling

Douglas the bear wakes up one morning wanting a hug. He unsuccesffully tries hugging a rock, a tall tree, and an odd-feeling bush that runs away. Won't anyone give him a hug?

Aside: Holding the book upside down and backwards to see if the children notice is a great way to test what they know about book mechanics.  Children need to know how to hold a book, which part is the front, and which is the back of the book.

Action Rhyme: I Have Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers.

They all belong to me.

I can make them do things.

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight.

I can open them wide.

I can put them on my head.

I can put them at my side.

I can raise them up high.

I can put them down low.

I can set them in my lap,

And fold them just so.

Book: Snappy Little Hugs by Dugald Steer

Aside: Run your finger under the words of the title as you say it.  This helps children understand that you are reading the text, not the pictures.  Do this only with the title or a repeated phrase so it doesn’t get in the way of sharing the story.

Rhyme: Clap Your Hands

Clap your hands, touch your toes.

Turn around and touch your nose.

Flap your arms,

Jump up high,

Wiggle your fingers

And let your hands fly.

Rhyme: Hands

My hands upon my head I’ll place

On my shoulders, on my face.

At my waist and by my side.

Then behind me they will hide.

Then I'll raise them way up high,

And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.

Then clap, clap, clap,

And one-two-three.

Now see how quiet they can be.

Book: Hug by Jez Alborough

Bobo the chimp seeks hugs among various jungle animals and their young, but he does not get what he wants until he is reunited with his own parent.

Aside: Wordless or nearly wordless picture books are great for trying dialogic or interactive reading at home with your child. Simply ask questions about what you’ve read. Possible questions are "What else do you see?" "Tell me about." "What if..." and "I wonder how...." or "How did that happen?" or "What do you think?". Try to ask questions that cannot be answered with yes or no, or just by pointing to the pictures.

Action Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It

v.1 Clap your hands

v.2 Stomp your feet

v.3 Turn around

v.4 Jump up and down

v.5 Shout hooray

Puppet Story: Kitty’s Cuddles by Jane Cabrera

Kitty tries out hugs from all different animals but finds he likes the hug from his baby brother the best.

Closing Song: Hands Go Up

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Hands go up and hands go down.

I can turn round and round.

I can jump upon two shoes.

I can clap and so can you!

I can wave,

I’ll show you how.

Storytime is done for now.


Attendance: 14, 39 (Ages 0-6 with caregivers)
Evaluation: The first program went much, much smoother than the second, mostly due to the size of the crowd.  I wasn't really able to sneak in any of the asides in the second program as the kids were just too, too squirrelly and the parents wouldn't have been able to hear them anyway.  That being said, the stories worked extremely well with all the age groups.  I definitely would do this program again with no changes necessary.