WE read some great stories about colors and color mixing during today’s Preschool Storytime!   Here are the books, songs, flannel board, action rhymes and video we shared.


Books We Read

Mix it Up! by Herve Tullet is an interactive foray into color mixing, art and visual literacy.  A wonderful book on colors and a great way to keep children engaged in a story that teaches.

It’s An Orange Aardvark by Michael Hall is a funny picture book about a carpenter ant who decides to drill holes to see beyond his stump.  This worries his fellow ants as these different holes are a window to the dangers of the outside world.  Their imaginations run wild as they make up stories about the horrible anteating monster that will soon attack!  Each turn of the page reveals a new hole where different parts of the illustrations can be seen.  Suspenseful, amusing and a great way to teach children color identification.

Bob Thiel’s What a Wonderful World is a song in a book!  The version in the book was originally performed by Louis Armstrong and gently introduces colors, the magic of nature, and the beauty of friendship, love and peace.  Here’s a video of the song in case you haven’t heard it:


Flannel Board

Little Mouse, Little Mouse

Directions: Place all the houses on the flannel board then hide the mouse behind one of the houses. You can put other animals behind the other houses.  Then chant the following until Little Mouse is found.

We had to find Little Mouse…but which color house is he hiding behind?

Little Mouse, Little Mouse are you in the red house?

Little Mouse, Little Mouse are you in the yellow house?

Little Mouse, Little Mouse are you in the green house?

Little Mouse, Little Mouse are you in the orange house?

Little Mouse, Little Mouse are you in the blue house?

Pssstt…he was hiding behind the blue house!


Action Songs & Fingerplays We Shared

We share a lot of songs, bounces & rhymes during storytime!  You’ll find lyrics/words to those songs & rhymes we shared without CD accompaniment here.

Welcome, Welcome Everyone
(to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle)

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 – Video:  Open Shut Them

Open, shut them, open, shut them, (open and close hands)
Give a little clap, clap, clap.  (clap three times)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and close hands)
Put them in your lap, lap, lap. (place hands in lap and bounce them 3X)

Creep them, crawl them, creep them crawl them, (crawl fingers up arms)
Right up to your chinny  chin chin. (place fingers on chin)
Open up your little mouth (open mouth and say ahhhhhh)
But do not put them in!! (put hands behind your back)

Credit:  Mel’s Desk

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – Video:  Twinkle Twinkle

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.

Goodbye Friends (in sign) – Video:  Goodbye Friends

Goodbye babies, goodbye friends,
Goodbye friends, it’s time to say goodbye.


Music from CDs We Shared

Children love to sing and dance to music.  Here are some of the action songs & rhymes on CD that we used in storytime.  Click onto the CD titles to find these items in our library catalog.

“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

“We’re Going to the Market” from I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman [With Shaker Eggs]

“Oh Children Ring Your Bells” from I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman

“Jazzy ABCs” from  Go Baby Go!  by Baby Loves Jazz


Video We Shared

Maisy ~ Colors & Shapes


Continue the Fun at Home

If you’d like to read more books about colors, check these out from your local Pasadena Public Library!