April Fool's Day Storytime

Books:

Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock retold by Eric A. Kimmel
Pickin' Peas retold by Margaret Read MacDonald

Additional Books:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Today is April Fool's Day and we had a lot of fun with it at the library. We filled all of the book displays (children's, adult, new books, and staff picks) with Rainbow Magic books and signs that say "Check out Great Non-fiction", or "New Biographies!"

In storytime I decided to run the whole thing backwards, since we always start with the same 2 songs and end with the same 2 songs. Then when the kids where totally confused I pulled out A Tale of Two Cities for our first book (which I said was our last book) and read the opening line "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." I wasn't sure if the kids would pick up on the joke, but they got it pretty fast. They started calling out "that book is too long!" Then when I asked what day it is today many called out "April Fools!". Storytime then went crazy for about 5 minutes, but then everyone settled down and we read stories about tricksters. Despite things getting a little crazy for a few minutes, the kids were really into the storytime. They were laughing louder than usual at the stories and dancing crazier during the songs. Something about the joke released their inhibitions and everyone seemed to get into the spirit of it.

Storytime order:

• If You're Happy and You Know It!
• 10 Little Bubbles
• Last Book: A Tale of Two Cities
• Explanation of April Fools Day
• Book: Today I will Fly
• Scarves: Popcorn Song/ 2 Little Black Birds
• Book: Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock
• Song: Wheels on the Bus
• Song: Shake Your Sillies Out!
• The End. 

Construction Storytime

Books:

The Little Dump Truck by Margery Cuyler
Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia
Dinosaur Dig! by Penny Dale
Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha

Additional Books:

Bang! Boom! Roar! A Busy Crew of Dinosaurs by Nate Evans & Stephanie Gwyn Brown
Truckery Rhymes by Jon Scieszka

Songs and Rhymes:

Cranes (Action Rhyme)

Cranes reach up,
Cranes reach down,
Cranes reach out,
Cranes reach all around.

Five Little Nails

Five little nails, standing straight and steady
Here I come with my hammer ready!
Bam, bam, bam! That nail goes down.
Now there's just found nails to pound.

(For instructions on how to make your own check out Mel's Desk) 

Construction Song

This is the way we pound our nails, pound our nails, pound our nails.
This is the way we pound our nails, so early in the morning.
This is the way we saw the wood...
This is the way we drill a hole...
This is the way we lay the bricks...
This is the way we stir the paint...
This is the way we paint the walls...

Opposites Storytime

Books:

Polar Opposites by Eric Brooks
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse retold by Helen Ward
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox

Additional Books:

Octopus Opposites by Stella Blackstone
Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman
Opposnakes by Salina Yoon

Songs:

Shaker Song

 

We shake shake shake shake... stop!
We shake shake shake shake... stop!
Shake them high!
Shake them low!
Shake them fast!
and shake them s...l...o...w...

(repeat) 

When we sing the shaker song we start by talking about listening because when I say stop we shouldn't hear any shakers. We also talked about opposites. If I say high, what would the opposite of high be? etc.

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
and eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!

Now we'll sing in super slow motion:

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
and eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!

What is the opposite of slow? (fast!) Now we'll sing it super fast - if you can keep up:

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
and eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!

Wednesday Lapsit

Books:

I Know A Lot! by Stephen Krensky
Animal Baths by Bob Barner

Rhymes:

Opening Song—big group

(to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)

Hello eyes and hello nose,
Hello fingers, hello toes
Hello shirt and hello shoes,
Hello me and hello you.

Grey Squirrel

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel (bounce)
swish your bushy tail (swish knees side to side)
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel  (bounce)
swish your bushy tail (swish knees side to side)
Wrinkle up your little nose (touch baby’s nose)
Crack some acorns between your toes (touch baby’s toes)
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel  (bounce)
swish your bushy tail. (swish knees side to side)
The Big Gigantic Spider

Pat a Cake

Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker’s men
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it and pat it and mark it with a “B”
And put it in the oven for baby and me.

Wheels on the Bus

Wheels on the bus go round and round (cirlce arms)
The people on the bus go up and down (Lift Baby)
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish (Rock baby side to side)
All through the town.

 We Hit the Floor Together

(to the tune of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow)

We hit the floor together,
We hit the floor together,
We hit the floor together,
Because it’s fun to do!
Other verses:
We clap our hands together…
We wiggle our fingers together…
We hit the floor together...

Acka Backa Soda Cracker

Acka Backa Soda Cracker (bounce)
Acka Backa Boo (lift)
Acka Backa Soda Cracker (bounce)
I love you!  (hug)
Acka Backa Soda Cracker (bounce)
Acka Backa Boo (lift)
Acka Backa Soda Cracker (bounce)
Up goes you! (lift)

Little Red Wagon

Bumpin’ up and down (bounce baby on lap)
In my little red wagon (3x)
Won’t you be my darling’
One wheel’s off (tilt baby to the left)
And the axel’s broken
One wheel’s off (tilt baby to the right)
And the axel’s broken
One wheel’s off (tilt baby to the left)
And the axel’s broken
Won’t you be my darlin’ (hug baby)

Hand Clap Song

Can you clap with two hands?
Two hands? Two hands?
Can you clap with two hands?
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Other verses:
Can you kick with two feet?
Can you wiggle ten fingers?
Can you kiss with two lips?
Can you wave bye bye?

Bye Bye Bubbles

(to the tune of Frere Jacques)

Bye bye bubbles, bye bye bubbles.
See you soon, see you soon.    (x2)

Sick Storytime

Books:

Pigs Make Me Sneeze! by Mo Willems
Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney
Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard

Additional Books:

Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson
Mother Mother I Feel Sick Send for the Doctor Quick Quick Quick by Remy Charlip

Songs:

Five Little Monkeys

(We had a particularly wiggly group, so we jumped up and down as we counted down the monkeys on our fingers).
 
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor,
And the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed

 Band-aid Puppet/Felt

This is an adaptation of Storytime Katies "Band-aids" felt story. Since there are too many kids in my Tuesday storytime to have each of them come up and add a band-aid, instead I pointed to the various parts on the bear and had the kids tell me what body part I was pointing to and what color band-aid I was putting on.

Wednesday Lapsit

Books:

Kitten's Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes
Boo to You! by Lois Ehlert

Rhymes:

Opening Song—big group

(to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)

Hello eyes and hello nose,

Hello fingers, hello toes

Hello shirt and hello shoes,

Hello me and hello you.

Grey Squirrel

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel (bounce)

swish your bushy tail (swish knees side to side)

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel  (bounce)

swish your bushy tail (swish knees side to side)

Wrinkle up your little nose (touch baby’s nose)

Crack some acorns between your toes (touch baby’s toes)

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel  (bounce)

swish your bushy tail. (swish knees side to side)

The Big Gigantic Spider 

(we used the same motions but instead of little fingers we held our arms out wide for the crawling giant spider)

The big gigantic spider crawled up the water spout.

Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain,

The big gigantic spider crawled up the spout again.

 We Hit the Floor Together

(to the tune of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow)

We hit the floor together,

We hit the floor together,

We hit the floor together,

Because it’s fun to do!

Other verses:

We clap our hands together…

We wiggle our fingers together…

We hit the floor together...

Bumpin Up and Down

Bumpin’ up and down (bounce baby on lap)

In my little red wagon (3x)

Won’t you be my darling’

One wheel’s off (tilt baby to the left)

And the axel’s broken

One wheel’s off (tilt baby to the right)

And the axel’s broken

One wheel’s off (tilt baby to the left)

And the axel’s broken

Won’t you be my darlin’ (hug baby)

Round and Round the Garden

(circle finger on baby's palm then walk up the arm and tickle) 

Round and round the garden, 

goes the teddy bear.

One step. Two steps. Tickle under there!

Hand Clap Song

Can you clap with two hands?
Two hands? Two hands?
Can you clap with two hands?
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Other verses:
Can you kick with two feet?
Can you wiggle ten fingers? 
Can you kiss with two lips?
Can you wave bye bye?

Bye Bye Bubbles
(to the tune of Frere Jacques)

Bye bye bubbles, bye bye bubbles.
See you soon, see you soon.    (x2)

Spider Storytime

Books:

I'm a Shark by Bob Shea
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
Little Miss Muffet by Iza Trapani

Additonal books:
Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric Kimmel

Songs:

There's a Spider on the Floor

(We used scarves with this song. We pretended the scarf was a spider and slowly moved it up our bodies with the song)

There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Who could ask for anything more, than a spider on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.

Now the spider's on my leg, on my leg.
Now the spider's on my leg, on my leg.
Oh, I wish I had some Raid for this spider on my leg!
Now the spider's on my leg, on my leg.

Now the spider's on my chest, on my chest!
Now the spider's on my chest, on my chest!
Oh, I'd squish him in my vest, if it didn't make a mess!
Now the spider's on my chest, on my chest!

Now the spider's on my neck, on my neck!
Now the spider's on my neck on my neck!
Oh, I'm gonna be a wreck, I've got a spider on my neck!
Now the spider's on my neck on my neck!

Now the spider's on my face, on my face!
Now the spider's on my face, on my face!
Oh, what a big disgrace, I've got a spider on my face!
Now the spider's on my face, on my face

Now the spider's on my head, on my head!
Now the spider's on my head, on my head!
Oh, I wish that I were dead. I've got a spider on my head!
Now the spider's on my head, on my head!
But he jumps out!

Now there's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.
Who could ask for anything more, than a spider on the floor.
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The Itsy Bitsy Spider crawled 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.

 

The Big Gigantic Spider 

(we used the same motions but instead of little fingers we held our arms out wide for the crawling giant spider)

The big gigantic spider crawled up the water spout.

Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain,

The big gigantic spider crawled up the spout again.

This was a fun storytime. I decided that since there was plenty of  Halloween themed storytimes happening at my library this week, my storytime didn't need to be Halloween specific, just a little creepy. I was afraid it would get redundant doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider, the Big Gigantic Spider, and the book Itsy Bitsy Spider all in a row, but it was actually pretty fun and the kids didn't seem to think it was too much. All of the books went over well, especially I'm a Shark, but you can't go wrong with Bob Shea. I was sad we didn't have time to read Aaaaargh! Spider! because it's a fun book.