Stories & Crafts: Family Favorites

April 23, 2024

Books
Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek
Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by Super Simple Songs (Speeding Up)

Fingerplay: 2 Little Butterflies
Two little butterflies sitting on a hill
One named Jack, and one named Jill
Fly away Jack, Fly away Jill
Come back Jack, Come back Jill

Other Verses:
Cloud… Quiet.. Loud
Stick… Slow… Quick
Sky… Low…High

Song: Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi

Song: Zoom, Zoom by Charlie Hope

Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Nursery Rhymes ABC

Bubbles Song: PJ Masks Theme Song by PJ Masks

Bubbles Song: Super Mario Bros. Theme by Video Game Players

Bubbles Song: I’m a Bookworm, Baby! by Sesame Streets’ The Bookworms

Craft: Paper Plate Butterfly
Craft idea from No Time for Flashcards.

Stories & Crafts: Farm Animals

April 16, 2024

Books
Millie and the Big Rescue by Alexander Steffensmeier
Duck! by Meg McKinlay
Cock-a-doodle-doo, Creak, Pop-pop, Moo by Jim Aylesworth

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: Jump, Run, and Shout! by The Singing Walrus

Rhyme: Put Your Hands Up High
Put your hands up high, put your hands down low,
Put your hands in the middle and wiggle just so.
Put your elbows in front, put your elbows in back
Put your elbows to the side and quack, quack, quack!

Song: Quack Quack, Waddle Waddle by B Minor Music

Fingerplay: 10 Fuzzy Chicks
Five eggs and five eggs and that makes ten
Sitting on top is the mother hen.
Bock, bock! Crack, crack!
What’s that I see?
10 fuzzy chicks as cute as can be!
Cheep, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!

Shaker Song: I Know a Chicken by The Laurie Berkner Band

Shaker Song: Shake Freeze by Little Maestros

Shaker Song: Let’s All Shake Our Shaker Eggs by Miss Jamie

Craft: Duck and Cow Puppets
Craft ideas from iHeartCraftyThings and Simply Today Life

Stories & Crafts: Flowers

April 9, 2024

Books
Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson
Ava’s Poppy by Marcus Pfister
Like a Dandelion by Huy Voun Lee

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by Super Simple Songs (Speeding Up)

Song: Mr. Sun by Raffi

Rhyme: Dig a Little Hole
Dig a little hole (dig)
Plant a little seed (drop seed)
Pour a little water (pour)
Pull a little weed (pull up and throw away)
Chase a little bug (chasing motion)
Heigh-ho, there he goes! (shade eyes)
Give a little sunshine (make sun)
Grow a little rose (smell flower, eyes closed)

Rhyme: Little Seed
Little seed in the ground (Crouch down on the floor, hands covering heads)
Sitting so still (Stay crouching)
Little seed, will you sprout?
Yes, I will! (Jump up)

Scarf Fingerplay: Here is a Green Leaf
Here’s a green leaf, and here’s a green leaf (hold out left thumb, then right)
And that you see makes two (hold up 2 thumbs)
This is the bud that makes the flower (hold palms together)
Now watch it bloom for you (slowly separate palms)

Scarf Song: Fast and Slow by The Laurie Berkner Band

Scarf Song: Dance, Freeze, Melt by Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael

Craft: Handprint Flower Pot
Craft idea from Made to be a Momma.

Stories & Crafts: Silliness

April 2, 2024

Books
Don’t Wake Up the Tiger by Britta Teckentrup
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas
Please Don’t Read This Book! by Deanna Kizis

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Song: Put a Chicken on Your Head by Eric Litwin and Michael Levine

Song: Icky Sticky Bubble Gum by The Learning Station

Rhyme: Spaghetti
Rhyme: Spaghetti
Spaghetti on my tummy
Spaghetti on my nose
Spaghetti on my elbow
Spaghetti on my toes.
Wipe it off my elbow
Wipe it off my toes
Wipe it off my tummy
Oops! I forgot my nose.

Bubbles Song: The Goldfish by The Laurie Berkner Band

Bubbles Song: Down by the Bay by Raffi

Song: Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi

Craft: Silly Monster
We used a variety of materials to create the silliest monsters we could!

Stories & Crafts: Bunnies

March 26, 2024

Books
What Does Bunny See? by Linda Sue Park
Bunny Built by Michael Slack
Hope is a Hop by Katrina Moore

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: My Bunny Goes Hop by The Laure Berkner Band

Rhyme: Little Rabbit
I saw a little rabbit go hop, hop, hop
I told that little rabbit to stop, stop, stop
He wiggled his ears and crinkled his nose
And wiggled, wiggled, wiggled right down to his toes.

Fingerplay: There was a Little Bunny
There was a little bunny who lived in the wood. (hold up two fingers)
He wiggled his ears as a good bunny should (wiggle on head)
He hopped by a squirrel. He hopped by a tree. (hop, hop)
He hopped by a duck. And he hopped by me. (hop, hop over fist)
He stared at the squirrel. He stared at the tree. (stare, stare)
He stared at the duck. But he made faces at me! (stare, make faces)

Song: The Bunny Hop by Itty Bitty Beats

Rhyme: We Can . . .
We can jump, jump, jump,
We can hop, hop, hop,
We can clap, clap, clap,
We can stop, stop, stop.
We can nod our heads for yes,
We can shake our heads for no.
We can bend our knees a tiny bit,
And sit down slow

Shaker Song: Hop Little Bunnies by Toddler Fun Learning

Shaker Song: Hop Hop Hop Little Bunny by Bounce Patrol

Craft: Paper Cup Bunny
Craft idea from Darcy and Brian.

Stories & Crafts: Libraries!

March 5, 2024

Books
A Library Book for Bear by Bonnie Becker
The Loud Librarian by Jenna Beatrice
Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: If You’re Ready for a Story
(Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands!
If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands!
If you’re ready for a story, really ready for a story,
If you’re ready for a story, clap your hands!

(Additional verses: Stomp your feet, Shout hooray!, Take a seat)

Song: These are My Glasses by The Laurie Berkner Band
These are my glasses,
This is my book.
I put on my glasses,
And open up my book.
Then I read, read, read,
And I look, look, look.
I put down my glasses and whoop! Close up the book.

Rhyme: When Cows Get Up in the Morning
When cows get up in the morning
They always say hello
When cows get up in the morning
They always say hello
And what do they say?
Moo . . .

(Verses: pigs, ducks, sheep, goats, chickens)

Bubbles Song: Fun with Our Librarian by Move ‘n Groove Kids

Bubbles Song: I’m a Bookworm Baby by Sesame Street’s The Bookworms

Craft: Bookworm Puppet
Craft idea from Storytime Sprout.

Stories & Crafts: Bears

February 27, 2024

Books
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
A Bear is a Bear (Except when he’s not) by Karl Newson
A Beary Rainy Day by Adam Ciccio

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi

Song: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around by The Kiboomers

Rhyme: A Bear Eats Honey
A bear eats honey (pretend to eat)
He thinks it’s yummy in his tummy (rub tummy)
But the bees don’t think it’s funny!
Buzzzzzzzzzzzz! (wiggle fingers and make buzzing noise)

Song: Where is Hibernating Bear? by The Kiboomers

Rhyme: Two Little Black Bears
Two little black bears sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill
Run away Jack, run away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill

. . . digging in the snow.
One named Fast and the other named Slow.

. . . feeling very proud.
One named Quiet the other named Loud.

Scarf Song: Drip Drop Rain by Dance ‘n Beats

Scarf Song: Big Brown Boogieing Bear by StoryBots

Craft: Paper Bag Bear Puppet
We made bear puppets using brown paper bags, cardstock ears, googly eyes, and big pom-pom noses.

Stories & Crafts: Dragons

February 20, 2024

Books
Look Out! It’s a Dragon! by Jenny Lambert
Being Friends with Dragons by Katherine Locke
Little Wing Learns to Fly by Calista Brill

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: We’re Going on a Dragon Hunt by The Kiboomers

Rhyme: Dragon, Dragon
Dragon, dragon turn around.
Dragon, dragon touch the ground.
Dragon, dragon fly up high.
Dragon, dragon touch the sky.
Dragon, dragon swing your tail.
Dragon, dragon shake your scales.
Dragon, dragon give a “ROARRRRR!”
Dragon, dragon sit on the floor.

Song: Roar Went the Dragon
(Tune: Pop Goes the Weasel)
In and out the castle gate, the knight chased the dragon
The knight thought it was all in good fun
“Rooooarrr” went the dragon

Rhyme: Swing Your Dragon Tail
Turn around once and swing your dragon tail.
Turn around twice, flap your wings and shake your scales.
Turn around three times, stomp your feet and roar.
Jump up high then sit down on the floor.

Ribbon Song: Baby Dragon by The Tambourine Social

Ribbon Song: Shake Your Dragon Tail by Dragon Tales

Craft: Cardstock Tube Dragon
Craft idea from Surviving a Teacher’s Salary, but instead of using toilet paper tubes, we rolled up sheets of cardstock.

Stories & Crafts: Love

February 13, 2024

Books
A Book of Love by Emma Randall
I am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown
While We Can’t Hug by Eoin McLaughlin

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: Jump, Run, and Shout! by The Singing Walrus

Fingerplay: I Put My Hands Together
I put my hands together,
This is how I start
I curve my fingers right around,
And I can make a heart!

Song: Skinnamarink by Sharon, Lois, and Bram

Scarf Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it, wave your scarf
If you’re happy and you know it, wave your scarf
If you’re happy and you know, and you really want to show it
If you’re happy and you know it, wave your scarf

. . . jump up and down
. . . shake your scarf fast
. . . stomp your feet
. . . give yourself a hug
. . . shout hurray!

Scarf Song: Waving My Scarf Stop by Ballet Preschool Party

Craft: Yarn Heart
Craft idea from About a Mom.

Stories & Crafts: Transportation

February 6, 2024

Books
Tow Truck Joe by June Sobel
On The Go Awesome by Lisl H. Detlefsen
Greenlight by Breanna Carzoo

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Song: Up, Down, Turn Around
Up, down, turn around
Touch the sky and touch the ground
Wiggle fingers, wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders, say hello!

Song: Rock and Roll Freeze Dance by Hap Palmer

Rhyme: Airplane Action Rhyme
The airplane has great big wings (arms outstretched)
Its propeller spins around and sings (spin one arm)
The airplane goes up (lift arms)
The airplane does down (lower arms)
The airplane flies high (arms outstretched)
Over the town! (fly around)

Song: The Airplane Song by The Laurie Berkner Band

Rhyme: Green Means GO
Green means “GO!” Go! Go! Go! (march in place)
Yellow means “Slow.” Slow… slow… slow. (march in slow motion)
Red means “STOP!” (stop suddenly)
Go! Go! Go! (move fast!)
Slow… slow… slow. (move slowly)
Stop!

Instruments Song: Drivin’ in My Car by Ralph’s World

Instruments Song: Drive the Firetruck by Old Town School of Folk Music

Craft: Stoplight Color Matching
We made stoplights out of construction paper, and then I provided a variety of materials (such as glitter glue, yarn, tissue paper, foam, pom-poms, etc.) for the kids to decorate each light with the matching colors.