We had lots of fun with butterflies in storytime today! Here are the stories, rhymes, activities & songs we shared:
OUR OPENING SONGS:
Welcome, Welcome
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!
Clap Everybody and Say Hello!
Clap everybody and say hello,
Clap everybody and say hello,
Clap everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather…
REPEAT verse with Stamp, Wiggle, Jump & Sing
(Kathy Reid-Naiman, Sally Go Round the Sun CD)
OUR ACTION RHYME:
Open Shut Them
Open shut them, open shut them (hands open and close)
Give a little clap clap clap (hands clap)
Open shut them, open shut them (hands open and close)
Place them in your lap, lap, lap. (place hands in lap)
Creep them crawl them, creep them crawl them (crawl fingers up both arms)
Right up to your chinny, chin, chin (tap fingers onto chin)
Open up your little mouth BUT (keep tapping and open mouth)
DO NOT LET THEM IN!!! (quickly place both hands behind back)
First Book:
We read a special slide-and-seek book by Emma Parrish which was a big hit. Each page asks, “Where is Flutterby Butterfly?” This leads us on a search for our special butterfly as we move through a bird’s nest, flowers, a beehive, a spider’s web and more. It is only on the very last page that we find our butterfly. Colorful, interactive and suspenseful (from a baby’s perspective, of course), this board book is a good choice for an infant or toddler storytime.
TRANSITION ACTIVITY:
Roll Your Hands
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Clap, clap, clap your hands as loud as loud can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Tap, tap, tap your feet as softly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Shake, shake, shake your feet as quickly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
(Carol Hammett & Elaine Bueffel, Toddlers on Parade CD)
Second Book:
A White Butterfly by Laurie Cohen and Barbara Ortell, is a board book filled with artistic renderings of butterflies in different colors. They are as blue as the sea, as red as a strawberry, and even as black as the night. Ultimately, the book ends with a white butterfly, which turns into all the colors of the rainbow when a drop of rain hits one of it’s wings…
Butterfly in a Box
The fuzzy little caterpillar
Crawled up to look at me!
He wiggled and I giggled.
Friends we soon would be,
So I put him in a box, I did!
Don’t you crawl away, I said.
But the next time I opened the lid,
Out flew a butterfly instead!
WE even made some butterflies appear with a special rhyme!
Five Little Caterpillars…
Five little caterpillars spinning their cocoons, (roll hands)
Hoping that spring would be here soon, (cross fingers)
With a little bit of magic (flutter fingers in air)
And some warm sunshine…
Clap, clap, clap for a butterfly (clap hands three times and pull butterfly out of basket)
Repeat 5X 
OUR FLANNEL ACTIVITIES:
Five Little Butterflies
Five little butterflies in flowers galore
One flew away and then there were four.
Four little butterflies among the sweet peas,
Another flew away and then there were three.
Three little butterflies with nothing to do,
One flew away and then there were two.
Two little butterflies soaking up the sun.
Another flew away and then there was one.
One little butterfly, now the only one,
She flew away and then there were none!
OUR DVD:
Busy Caterpillar & The Cow Song (Madame Butterfly)
OUR CLOSING SONGS:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
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!
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again!
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 full of steam I shout
Tip me over and pour me out!
Two Little Blackbirds
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill
Fly away Jack and fly away Jill
Come back Jack and come back Jill
OUR GOODBYE SONG & STRETCH:
Goodbye Friends (in sign) – to the tune of “Goodnight Ladies”
Goodbye friends, goodbye friends, goodbye friends,
It’s time to say goodbye….
Tickle the Clouds
Tickle the clouds,
Tickle your toes
Turn around and tickle your nose
Reach down low,
each up high,
storytime’s over, let’s wave bye-bye!