Our 7th storytime of the summer session was all about Fish!  Fish sure are slippery!  Here are the stories, songs, rhymes, flannel boards, activities and video we explored about our topic.

Books We Shared

 

In Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins we run into a variety of fish!  This is a colorful, boldly illustrated book that captures an imaginary world of all kinds of fish – spotty fish, stripy fish, an ele-fish, a fly fish, a fat fish, a thin fish and many, many more!  A bit long for toddlers, I condensed the book so we could easily read through it.  Engaging, with lots of descriptions and opposites, this book is always a crowd pleaser and it makes a great lap sit book.  You can go through the pages and point out colors, shapes and the hidden gems painted onto certain fish (clouds, eyes, spots, etc.).

A Fish Story by Keith Faulkner and Jonathan Lambert is about a little boy who finds a tiny grey fish in his net while fishing in a tide pool.  He puts the fish in a jar and brings it home…but it grows too big for the jar!  So he places it in the bathtub but it grows too big for the tub!  He finally realizes it is much too big to keep, so he puts it in a wheelbarrow and takes it back to the sea.  He gets a goldfish instead but he misses his “BIG” fish.  Every now and then he can see the fish from his bedroom window.  Truth be told, his fish is really a WHALE!  A great “fish” story with a few lift the flap surprises!

Flannel Stories We Shared

Slippery Fish

Click here for video with song:  Slippery Fish

Make swimming motions as you sing….
The Slippery Fish, the Slippery Fish,
Was swimming through the water.
The Slippery Fish, the Slippery Fish,

Oh no…(put your hands to your mouth)
He was eaten by…. (place octopus over little fish)

An Octopus, an Octopus
Squiggling through the water,
An Octopus, an Octopus,

Oh no (put your hands to your mouth)
He was eaten by…(place tuna fish over octopus)

A Tuna Fish, a Tuna Fish,
Moving through the water,
A Tuna Fish, a Tuna Fish,

Oh no (put your hands to your mouth)
He was eaten by…(place shark over tuna fish)

A Great White Shark, a Great White Shark,
Lurking in the water,
A Great White Shark, a Great White Shark,

Oh no (put your hands to your mouth)
He was eaten by…(put Whale over shark)

A Humongous whale, a Humongous whale,
Moving through the water,
A Humongous Whale, Humongous Whale

Oh no….I have a terrible tummy ache.  (BURP)  Ooops, Excuse Me!

(When using the felt board, put all of the characters on your felt board.
Lay the new character on top of the one that is supposed to be eaten.
In the end, all of the characters will be under the whale.)

Credit:  Charlotte Diamond

Fish Bowl

 

On Saturday I got my wish,
When I found a tank for my fish

But an empty tank is not much fun,
So I bought a blue fish and now I have one.

I have a fish, but one won’t do,
So I bought a green one and now I have two.

I have two fish swimming happily,
But I bought a yellow one, and now I have three.

I have three fish, but I want more,
So I bought a red one and now I have four.

I have four fish that jump and dive,
But I bought a pink one and now I have five.

On Saturday, I got my wish
When I found a tank for a fish.

A tank full of fish is lots of fun,
But the cat just saw them so I’d better run!

Credit:  Abby the Librarian

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

My Pet Fish

 

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