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Our 6th storytime of the summer session was all about Food! We also had a visit from Max the Mouse and he ate all of our strawberries!! I guess mice really do love to eat! Here are the stories, songs, rhymes, flannel boards, activities and video we explored about our topic.
Max the Mouse
Books We Shared
In The Little Mouse, The Red, Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood, we see a little mouse picking a beautiful, red, ripe strawberry. But he gets a warning! There is also a hungry bear lurking about and he LOVES strawberries too (he can even smell them from miles away). “Stomp, stomp, stomp” – the bear will tromp through the forest to take that strawberry away from that little mouse. But there is a way out! Little mouse can cut the strawberry in two and share it with the narrator. That would be one red, ripe strawberry the bear won’t get to eat!
Our second book was Lunch by Denise Fleming. I used flannel board pieces to accompany the story and make it come alive for the children. (See under “Flannel Boards We Shared”).
“Lunch” is all about a mouse who loves to EAT! He wakes up soooo hungry that he eats through a turnip, some carrots, an ear of corn, some green peas, berries, grapes, apples and even a big slice of watermelon. After all that eating, he goes back to bed…UNTIL DINNERTIME! This is a great book to introduce your child to different types of food. It is beautifully illustrated but the colors are a bit subdued. That is why the flannel pieces work so well as a supplement to the story. Toddlers can see the larger, more colorful pieces which keeps them engaged.
We added a third story to our bag of tricks! I always try and stretch things a bit as we get beyond the halfway point of our session. Today is Monday by Eric Carle is a great book to learn about food and the days of the week. This is a picture book that you can read or “sing” aloud. I chose to sing the words to keep the toddlers engaged and to add impact to the cumulative effect of the story. We start with Monday…”Today is Monday, today is Monday…Monday String Beans, all you hungry children, come and eat it up”. Then we add Tuesday, “Today is Tuesday, today is Tuesday, Tuesday Spaghetti, Monday String Beans, all you hungry children, come and eat it up” – we go through all of the days of the week and conclude with ice cream on Sunday! The final photograph shows children from all walks of life sitting together to eat.
To hear the song that accompanies the book, click here: Today is Monday
Flannel Boards We Shared
Lunch
Five Red Strawberries
Five Red Strawberries
Five red strawberries sweet to the core,
Mouse ate one and then there were four!
Four red strawberries growing near a tree,
Mouse ate one and then there were three!
Three red strawberries for you and you and you,
Mouse ate one and then there were two!
Two red strawberries sitting in the sun,
Mouse ate one and then there was one!
One red strawberry, sad and all alone,
Mouse ate that one and then there were none!
Rhymes & Songs & Fingerplays We Shared
We share a lot of songs & rhymes during storytime! You’ll find lyrics/words to those songs & rhymes (without music) here.
Welcome Song (song)
(to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now we’re here, let’s have some fun!
First we clap our hands just so
Then we bend and touch our toes
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now we’re here, let’s have some fun!
Open Shut Them (fingerplay)
Click her for video: Open Shut Them
Open shut them, open shut them (open hands wide, close them tight)
Give a little clap, clap, clap (clap 3x)
Open shut them, open shut them (open hands wide, close them tight)
Place them on your lap, lap, lap (bounce hands on lap)
Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them (crawl fingers up to chin)
Right up to your chinny, chin chin (tap chin with fingers)
Open up your little mouth BUT (open mouth)
Do not let them in! (quickly place hands behind your back)
This is Big, Big, Big
This is big big big
Hold arms out to side
This is small small small
Cup hands together
This is short short short
Hold hands with palms facing each other
This is tall tall tall
Reach one hand above head
This is fast fast fast
Circle fists quickly
This is slow slow slow
Circle fists slowly
This is yes yes yes
Nod
This is no no no
Shake head
Credit: Mel’s Desk
You are My Sunshine (song)
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
And I love you more every day…
“Goodbye Friends” (in sign)
Click here for video: Goodbye Friends
Goodbye friends, goodbye friends
Goodbye friends, it’s time to say goodbye.
Now it’s Time to Say Goodbye (tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Now it’s time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye,
Not it’s time to say goodbye, we’ll see you all next week!
Music from CDs We Shared
Children love to sing and dance to music. Here are some of the songs/bounces on CD that we used in storytime.
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman
Clap everybody and say hello, (clap hands)
Clap everybody and say hello,
Clap everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Stamp everybody and say hello, (stomp feet)
Stamp everybody and say hello,
Stamp everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Wiggle everybody and say hello, (wiggle baby)
Wiggle everybody and say hello,
Wiggle everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Jump everybody and say hello, (lift baby up high)
Jump everybody and say hello,
Jump everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Sing everybody and say hello, (wave hi)
Sing everybody and say hello,
Sing everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
“Wheels on the Bus” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music
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 wipers on the bus go swish swish swish, swish swish swish, swish, swish, swish,
The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish ALL THROUGH THE TOWN!
Repeat with:
The horn on bus goes beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep beep…
The driver on the bus says move on back, move on back, move on back…
The babies on the bus go wah wah wah, wah wah wah, wah wah wah…
The fox on the bus says I won’t go, I won’t go, I won’t go…
The mamas and the daddies say shhh shhh shhh…
The mamas and the daddies say I love you, I love you, I love you…
The people on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down…
The wheels on bus go round and round, round and round, round and round…
“We’re Going to the Market” from I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman
(Using egg shakers)
We’re going to the market, we’re going to the fair,
To see a senorita with flowers in her hair.
So shake it baby shake it!
Shake it if you can,
Dhake it like a milkshake and drink it from a can!
Shake it to the bottom, shake it to the top,
And turn around and turn around until we holler STOP!
(Repeat 1x)
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammet & Elaine Bueffel
Click here for video: Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
“Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammet & Elaine Bueffel
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Clap, clap, clap your hands as loud as loud can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Tap, tap, tap your feet as softly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Shake, shake, shake your feet as quickly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Disney’s 100 Favourite Songs for Children
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.
Video We Watched
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Extend the Fun at Home