The winter session of Toddler storytime is underway and our theme for the first meeting was BUILDING! We talked about the letter B and the many words that start with B (including the word building), read books about building with blocks and bricks, and had lots of fun singing songs that revolved around dump trucks and tools. (And that’s just for starters). Listed below are the books, songs, rhymes, flannel stories, activities and video we explored about our topic.
Books We Shared
Blocks by Irene Dickson is a story about learning to share. The book opens with Ruby playing with her red blocks and Benji playing with his blue blocks. Chaos ensues when Benji decides to take one of Ruby’s red blocks. There’s a “toddler” tussle and all of the blocks come crashing down. Is there a resolution? Why yes! After the crash the red and blue blocks are all mixed together and Ruby and Benji discover that sharing their blocks makes for double the fun. Enter Guy – he brings over some green blocks. What will happen now? We can only guess.
In Stanley the Builder by Williambee, Myrtle needs a house built on her new plot of land. She asks her friend Stanley to build her one! Stanley gets to work and clears the site with a bulldozer, digs the foundation with a digger, and gets some help from his friend Charlie in laying the cement. They both work together to lay the bricks, attach the roof and put in the windows and doors. Finally, they paint the house in Myrtle’s favorite colors (red, white and blue) and Voila! – Myrtle has her beautiful new house! She thanks them and Stanley heads home to his own house where he eats his supper, takes a bath and gets right to bed! Pretty amazing that he was able to build that house in one day! Colorful illustrations, simple text and a linear story make this a perfect read for toddlers.
Flannel Boards We Shared
What Starts With B?
We talked about the letter B and brought out some things that begin with the letter B. There was a bat, a baby, a bottle and a balloon! The children had fun guessing as I pulled out each flannel piece. We also practiced making the B sound!
Five Little Dump Trucks Rolling Down the Road
Five little dump trucks rolling down the road,
Five little dump trucks rolling down the road,
One pulls off to unload, then there are…
Four little dump trucks rolling down the road,
Four little dump trucks rolling down the road,
One pulls off to unload, then there are…
(Repeat with three, two, one…until there are none)
Old Macdonald Had a Woodshop
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio
And in this shop she had a saw, eieio
With a zztt zztt here and a zztt zztt there,
Here a zztt, there a zztt, everywhere a zztt zztt,
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio.
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio
And in this shop she had a drill, eieio
With a bzz bzz here and a bzz bzz there,
Here a bzz, there a bzz, everywhere a bzz bzz,
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio.
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio
And in this shop she had a hammer, eieio
With a tap tap here and a tap tap there,
Here a tap, there a tap, everywhere a tap tap,
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio
And in this shop she had a screwdriver, eieio
With a squeak squeak here and a squeak squeak there,
Here a squeak, there a squeak, everywhere a squeak squeak,
Old Macdonald had a shop, eieio.
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)
“I’m a Little Teapot”
Click here for video: I’m a Little Teapot
I’m a little teapot, short and stout
Here is my handle, here is my spout
When I get all steamed up, here me shout
Just tip me over and pour me out
Tip me over and pour me out!
“Two Little Blackbirds”
Click here for video: Two Little Blackbirds
Two blackbirds sitting on a hill,
One named Jack and the other named Jill.
Fly away, Jack, fly away, Jill.
Come again, Jack, come again, Jill.
“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.
“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
“Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site”
Extend the Fun at Home
