We had so much FUN during our final storytime of the Summer Session! This was my first attempt at a storytime about cars, buses, trucks & traffic and it was amazing. The children and their parents were engaged and happy to toot, beep, start and stop with me. I got the green light from everyone!!!
Talk about being deliriously happy!
Red Light, Green Light is fantastic for teaching the concept of stop (red light) and go (green light). A little boy has all of these colorful toy cars, complete with ramps and makeshift traffic lights. We see close-ups of the toy cars as they drive to and fro, stop at red lights, go at green lights, drive in and out of tunnels and much more. The visuals toggle between the boy playing with his toy cars and the feel of real city streets and traffic. The book introduces numerous concepts such as opposites (uptown & downtown, fast & slow, stop & go) and counting (“One road, two roads…four roads.”). I noticed the vivid colors and action held the toddlers’ attention, which is not always an easy feat. 🙂
. 
Toot-Toot, Beep-Beep is a wonderful picture book about traffic and cars. Color recognition, sounds and the concept of stop and go are all weaved into a fun tale about the journey different cars (limos, vans, sports cars, etc.) take through the city. Of course, when night falls the cars take a snooze in the parking lot! Children are able to recognize elements of their everyday lives while learning so many new things.
Our flannel activity was also a huge hit! The “Lots of Cars” song and the toddler involvement (plus the colorful cars I made for the flannel) really seemed to engage everyone – parents and children alike. I was amazed at how well this went. I will definitely reuse this flannelboard. My phone camera is on the blink so I didn’t upload a picture of the cars I created; however, I uploaded these flannel cars from Google Images to give you a comparable visual.
Flannelboard Activity!
Lots of Cars!
There are lots of cars driving down the street
(hands on steering wheel, turning back and forth)
Tell me what color car do you see
(place a felt car on the board as you name the color)
Big cars, little cars
(spread arms on “big”, bring hands close for “little”)
Beep, beep, beep
(hand taps nose 3 times)
There are lots of cars driving down the street
(hands on steering wheel, turning back and forth)
What color is the biggest car you see?
(place a felt car on the board as you name the color)
Big cars, little cars
(spread arms on “big”, bring hands close for “little”)
Beep, beep, beep
(hand taps nose 3 times)
There are lots of cars driving down the street
(hands on steering wheel, turning back and forth)
What color is the smallest car you see?
(place a felt car on the board as you name the color)
Big cars, little cars
(spread arms on “big”, bring hands close for “little”)
Beep, beep, beep
(hand taps nose 3 times)
Credit:
Nancy Stewart – http://www.nancymusic.com/SOM/2009/lots-of-cars.htm
Action Rhymes:
This is Big & Green Says Go were two of my favorite action rhymes for this session! I listed them below:
Green Says Go
Green says, “Go!” (march quickly)
Go! Go! Go!
Yellow says, “Slow!” (march slowly)
Slow…slow…slow
And red says, “Stop!” (stop and freeze)
Go! Go! Go! (march fast)
Slow…slow…slow (march slowly)
and STOP! (stop)
Credit: Toddler Storytime
This is Big
This is big, big, big (stretch hands far to sides)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (hold palms close vertically)
This is tall, tall, tall (hold palms far apart vertically)
This is fast, fast, fast (roll hands quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (roll hands slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)
Credit: Storytime Katie
http://storytimekatie.com/2010/10/23/opposites/
Other movement songs & fingerplays: Open Shut Them, This is Big, My Head My Shoulders My Knees My Toes
Opening & Closing Songs: Hello & Goodbye Babies (in sign); Clap Your Hands (Wiggleworms CD), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus sung a capella.
DVD: Wheels on the Bus
Some more stories to share at home:
