It was all about apples and animals in today’s preschool storytime.  We read about a mouse in search of a house big enough to “house” his huge, red apple AND we met a hedgehog hijacked by a falling apple. It was a crunchy, prickly storytime!  Here are the books, songs, flannel board, action rhymes and video we shared.

Books We Read

In Petr Horacek’s picture book A New House for Mouse we meet a hungry mouse who finds a red, juicy apple!  There’s only one problem!  It’s too big to fit through the entrance to his house!  Thus begins his quest to find a house big enough to “house” his apple!

OUCH! by Ragnhild Scamell involves a hedgehog who is preparing his nest for hibernation. Unfortunately a big red apple falls onto his back and gets stuck!  He is in despair because he can no longer fit into the entrance of his winter hideaway!  As he tries to figure out a way to free himself, he runs into a cast of animal characters who give him horrible advice on how to remove the items. Fortunately, he bumps into a hungry goat who saves the day!

Flannel Boards

Five Red Apples

Way up high in the apple tree, (REACH ARMS UP)

Five red apples were smiling at me. (POINT TO THE APPLES ON THE TREE)

I shook that tree as hard as I could! (MAKE A SHAKING MOTION)

Down fell the apples, (WIGGLE YOUR FINGERS DOWN TO THE GROUND)

Mmmm, they were good (RUB YOUR TUMMY)

A-P-P-L-E

(sung to the tune of BINGO)

There was a fruit that tasted good and apple was its name-o!

A-P-P-L-E (clap at each letter)

A-P-P-L-E (clap at each letter)

A-P-P-L-E (clap at each letter)

And apple was its name-o!

Five Green Apples

Five green apples in an apple tree

The juiciest apples you ever did see!

The wind came by with an angry frown (cup hands and blow toward apples)

And one green apple came tumbling down! (remove one apple)

4, 3, 2, 1 (clap as you countdown)

Continue the countdown until no apples are left on the board.

Action Songs & Fingerplays

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

Shake My Sillies Out 

I’ve gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
And wiggle my waggles away

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.

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
Now the itsy bitsy spider
Went up the spout again

You are my Sunshine

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
And I love you more every day.

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

The video we watched: The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!

Continue the Fun at Home

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