A couple of old favorites and a couple of new favorites round out this fun storytime.
I throw in some sign language just because I like it.
We end our storytimes with a shortened, adapted version of
I throw in some sign language just because I like it.
Book: Blueberries for Sal / Robert McCloskey
Early literacy skill: Vocabulary: hustle and partridge
Sign Language: Bear cross your arms in front of your chest, with fingers near your shoulders-
make clawing motions with your hands & arms
Baby bear Cradle your arms like you are rocking a baby, then make the sign
for bear.
Action Rhyme: Baby Bear Stretch
Reach up as high as Mama Bear's eye,
Reach down as low as Baby Bear's toe;
Climb up a tree, how far can you see?
Don't make a sound, come back to the ground,
Curl up snug, give yourself a baby bear hug!
(Brenda McDonald)
Book: The Wolf's Chicken Stew / Keiko Kasza
Action Song: Gray Wolf
Sing to the tune of "Gray Squirrel."
Get down on all fours and act out the motions.
Gray wolf, gray wolf, wag your bushy tail
Gray wolf, gray wolf, wag your bushy tail
Running fast under the moon,
Point your nose and sing your tune, "Ow-ooooo!"
Gray wolf, gray wolf, wag your bushy tail.
(adapted by Brenda McDonald)
(adapted by Brenda McDonald)
(the kids love to howl like a wolf!)
Sign Language: Wolf Make a cone with your fingers and thumb and stroke your nose and chin, drawing out your fingers and thumb like a snout.
Book: I'd Really Like to Eat a Child / Sylviane Donnio
If the little crocodile in this story really wants to eat a child, it only seems fair that we should recite a poem about eating a crocodilian, in this case an "Alligator Pie!" I have a cute alligator/crocodile puppet I use while we say this poem together - I let the kids take turns using it. They also can use the sign language for crocodile.
Sign Language Alligator/Crocodile Stretch out your arms and put your hands together like an alligator snout. Curve your fingers like teeth, make chomping motions with your arms and hands.
Alligator Pie / Dennis Lee
Alligator pie, alligator pie,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die!
Give away the green grass, give away the sky,
But don't give away my alligator pie!
Alligator stew, alligator stew,
If I don't get some, I don't know what I'll do!
Give away my furry hat, give away my shoe,
but don't give away my alligator stew!
Alligator soup, alligator soup,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna droop!
Give away my hockey stick, give away my hoop,
but don't give away my alligator soup!
Book: How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? / Jane Yolen
This gem of a series by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague is a huge favorite at my story times. These books get both adults and kids laughing and exclaiming. On the surface they look very simple, large format, little text, but each page is a delight, lots of little things to look at and discover (find the dinosaur names in almost every scene), and the rhyming lines are hilarious.
Also, it is a treasure trove of early literacy skills: print motivation, print awareness, and phonological awareness.
Sign Language - Dinosaur Make the sign for the letter "d" - Touch the tips of all your fingers to the tip of your thumb, then extend your forefinger so it looks like a lower case "d." Then move your "d" across your body in a bouncy walking motion.
We end our storytimes with a shortened, adapted version of
Rob Reid's wonderful poem, "Wave Goodbye"
Wave high,
Wave low,
I think it's time
We gotta go.
Wave your nose,
Wave your eyes,
Wave your ears,
and wave goodbye!
