Rain: Preschool Storytime

It was so rainy here last week, we shared stories about it at our Preschool Storytime on December 17. Since there’s rain scheduled for later this week, you may want to pick up some of these books to keep you company if you and your little ones are stuck indoors.

Books We Shared

Our first book was Stormy Night by Salina Yoon. It’s a very stormy, and very LOUD night. Bear’s stuffed bunny Floppy is scared. But Bear knows just the things to do to sooth him. And thankfully, those are also things that work with Papa and Mama Bear later in the night.

Our second story was The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na. Elephant finds a Thingamabob, and he’s not sure what it’s for. It doesn’t seem to help him fly, or hide. None of his friends seemed to know what it is either. Will Elephant ever learn the thingamabob’s purpose? Do you know what it is?

Prop Story

Mushroom in the Rain

adapted from the Russian of V. Suteyev by Mirra Ginsburg, with pictures by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey.
Prop story idea taken from Read, Rhyme & Sing.

I crafted a “mushroom” using a plastic bowl and some queen size tan pantyhose. I cut a small hole in the bottom of the bowl. Then, because I was using a plastic bowl, I covered the hole with book tape so the hose wouldn’t run. (If I was going to do this again, I would probably use a paper bowl, and a slightly larger size one.)

Next, I pulled the legs of the pantyhose up through the hole in the bottom of the bowl, leaving the gusset close to the hole. I tied the legs of the pantyhose into a “stem” that I could grab on to.
mushroom-in-the-rain-1-small mushroom-in-the-rain-2-small

Then, I wrapped the waist of the pantyhose around the bowl, tucking the excess material that I would need for “mushroom growth” underneath the bowl.
mushroom-in-the-rain-3-copy
In the original story, it is an ant that takes shelter first under the mushroom in the rain. We didn’t have an ant puppet, so I used a ladybug instead. Below you can see the ladybug next to the mushroom for scale.
ladybug-puppet-copy mushroom-in-the-rain-5-copy
Along comes the butterfly to see if she can shelter under the mushroom too. After ladybug says yes, I put them both under the mushroom, tucking them inside the excess pantyhose waist.
butterfly-puppet-copy mushroom-in-the-rain-6-small
The comes mouse, who gets underneath (or stuffed in) as well.

In the story, a sparrow is the next animal to join the group, but I substituted a hedgehog since we didn’t have a bird puppet available.

Finally bunny hops up, worried that a predator coming after is out for him, hoping to hide with the group at the mushroom. You want to hide him on the opposite side from the ladybug.
mushroom-in-the-rain-9 rabbit-puppet
In the book, the predator is a fox, but we used a bear. I had the ladybug peek out to talk to the bear and convince him that of course the rabbit isn’t there. (This is why you want the ladybug and rabbit on opposite sides, if possible). The bear sniffs around, then ambles away.
bear-puppet-small
After the bear leaves, all the animals come out of hiding from under the mushroom. And wonder how they all fit under the mushroom that once only sheltered ladybug.

Frog hops up, laughing, and tells them the he knows what happens to mushrooms in the rain.
Do you know? Do your kids?

THEY GROW!

Movements

Here’s some rainy movements and songs to have fun with at home.

Raindrops Falling
Raindrops, raindrops (wiggle fingers like rain)
Falling all around
Pitter-patter on the rooftops (tap fingers on head)
Pitter-patter on the ground (tap fingers on ground)

Here is my umbrella (form “umbrella” over head with arms)
It will keep me dry
When I’m walking in the rain,
I hold it up so high. (stretch hands above head)

Raindrops Are Falling
(to the tune of “London Bridge”)
Little raindrops are falling down, (wiggle fingers and move them down like rain)
falling down, falling down.
Little raindrops are falling down,
Falling to the ground. (tap fingers on the ground)

Bigger raindrops are falling down,
falling down, falling down.
Bigger raindrops are falling down,
Falling to the ground. (tap hands on the ground)

Other Verses:
Giant raindrops… (stamp feet on the ground)
Fast raindrops… (wiggle fingers and sing quickly)
Slow raindrops… (wiggle fingers and sing slowly)
Teeny Tiny raindrops… (use fingers only for rain and sing in a high pitched voice)

Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
climbed up the water spout. (with pinky against opposite hand’s thumb move “spider” up)
Down came the rain (wiggle fingers down)
and washed the spider out. (make a motion like baseball SAFE)
Up came the sun (make a larger circle with arms, fingertips meeting, above head)
and dried up all the rain.
And the itsy bitsy spider (with pinky against opposite hand’s thumb move “spider” up)
Went up the spout again.

Film We Watched

“Puddle Jumper” from Little Bear: Rainy Day Tales

Duck has the perfect puddle – round, just the right size, and deep enough. Little Bear loves jumping over puddles. He asks Duck if he can jump over hers – but he falls short! Duck’s perfect puddle is ruined. Can Duck and Little Bear find the perfect replacement puddle?