Saturday, December 7, 2013

Pre-School Storytime: Gifts and Giving

 

“All Presents Accounted For”

A storytime emphasizing non-tangible gift-giving, with songs, storytelling, and lots of surprises!  I use for Winter Holidays but could easily be adapted for birthdays.

Entrance music: Bob McGrath Christmas Sing Along #8 (Twelve Days of Xmas), # 9 (Winter Wonderland) (J850 MCGR) or Beethoven’s Wig 3 (734 BEET)

Hello Everybody – welcome song for names on the board

Book: Giving – Shirley Hughes (some kinds of giving are helpful, others not so much.) “good kinds of gifts/bad kinds of gifts reminds me of a song about helping”

Flannel: “Helping” from Free to Be, You and Me – Marlo Thomas and friends (some kinds of helping is helpful, others not so much.)

Book: Rabbit’s Gift – George Shannon (Chinese folktale in which each animal tries to share the turnip left at his doorstep.)

Storytelling with props/flannel: The Great Big Enormous Turnip based on the book by Alexsey Nikolayevich Tolstoy and/or flannel: Ask Mr. Bear based on the book by Marjorie Flack

and/or The Surprise – George Shannon (Need 5 boxes that nest inside each other, 2 small squirrels stuffed animals (one for the beginning of the skit and one that sits inside the smallest box) and optionally, a big squirrel Folkmanis puppet.)

The Surprise by George Shannon
Squirrel was worried.
His mother’s birthday was one day away and he still hadn’t found her a present.
She had perfume & books & the most beautiful garden.
He’d already given her drawings, and songs that he’d made up.
And every time he made a cake,
he burned it.
He sighed and said “I’ll just have to send her a plain old birthday card,” but as he was putting the stamp on, he had an idea.
He called his mother on the telephone and said, “I’m sending you a package with a surprise inside. Be sure to open it right away!”
The next day when the package arrived, his mother took off the ribbons and opened the box.
But there was another box inside.
So she opened that box – and found another box!
And opened that box – and found another box!
And opened that box – and found another box!
And when she opened that box…
Squirrel jumped out and gave her a big kiss!

Song: If you’re happy & you know it, sad, angry etc.

The Gift – Gabriela Keselman (Mickey's birthday is coming and his parents cannot figure out what to do when he tells them that he wants something big, strong, smooth, sweet, warm, funny, and long-lasting – kids can read the letters of the words.) or The Gift of Nothing – Patrick McDonnell or Immi’s Gift – Karin Littlewood or The Extraordinary Gift – Florence Langlois

Book/Song: The Marvelous Toy – Tom Paxton (kids act out all the motions in the choruses with me)

Prop: Oh What is in that Little Box (3 mice) From: What I Like: Poems for the Very Young by Gervase Phinn (modified)
Oh, what is in that little box,
Whatever can it be?
Could it be a spider
Or a buzzing bumble bee,
A slimy snail or a slippery slug,
Or a tiny jumping flea?
Oh, what is in that little box,
Whatever can it be?

  Oh, what is in that little box,
Whatever can it be?
Could it be a wiggly worm,
Wriggling to be free,
A beetle or a spotted bug,
Or a tiny chimpanzee?
Oh, what is in that little box,
Whatever can it be?
Oh, what is in that little box,
Whatever can it be?
I wish that I could open it,
    But I haven't got the key.
    But wait a minute, the lid is loose,
    I'll open it and see.
Oh, look what is in the little box:
Three white mice!   One, two, three!
For the first two verses, the lid is on, but I'm making it move a bit by moving my fingers. The third verse, you open the lid and show the mice.

DVD: Morris’s Disappearing Bag – Wells (on The Rosemary Wells DVD library)

Song: We Wish You a Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year…
(lyrics to this and many other holiday songs here: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/singalong-keep-spiritwinter-holiday.html)

Hand-stamping to “Marvelous Toy” on Tom Paxton’s album “Goin’ to the Zoo” 730 PAXT

12.12
Additional books to consider: Night Tree – Eve Bunting – too long to read to most preschool groups, but “tells” well, Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear – Audrey Wood. Gifts – Jo EllenBogart,   Birthday Box – Leslie Patricelli (act this out), The Birthday Moon – Lois Duncan
Additional Songs: (earth ball pass-around): We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands  (...Mommies & Daddies; Sisters & Brothers; Grandmas and Grandpas; Itty Bitty Baby; You & Me; Hugs & Kisses; Whole World), All I Really Need (Raffi), This Little Light of Mine.
Looking for additional special holiday titles?  Check out this bibliography: http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/kids/PDFs/holidays2011.pdf

Did this during Chanukah and in addition to a story/craft program http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2014/12/its-wrap-storycraft-program-ages-3-10.html, 

so made some changes:

Rabbit’s Gift – George Shannon (2015)
Prop/Story  - The Surprise (details above) -- consider acting out The Great Big Enormous Turnip next year.
Book: Immi's Gift -- Karin Littlewood (2014)
unexpected gift brightened child's day - tonight lighting a light:
Song/glove puppets: Chanukah Candles
"One little, two little, three little candles; Four little, five little, six little candles; Seven little, Eight little Chanukah candles; The shamas lights them all."
Book: Giving -- Shirley Hughes (2014)
The Gift – Gabriela Kesselman (2015)
Book/Song: The Marvelous Toy -- Tom Paxton (acted out the chorus)
Prop/Rhyme: Oh What is in that Little Box (details above)
Flannel: I had a Little Dreidel (used additional verses from: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/singalong-keep-spiritwinter-holiday.html)
this present a surprise too:
Song: He'll Be Riding on the North Wind lyrics: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/singalong-keep-spiritwinter-holiday.html
DVD: Morris' Disappearing Bag
Book: The Extraordinary Gift -- Florence Langlois (fold-out pages reveal amazing gifts – but best of all is a book!)
12.14 & 12.15

 

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