Pre-School Storytime: Spring has Sprung!

Pre-School Storytime: Spring has Sprung!
A storytime for ages 2-6 celebrating the season, with a nod to seasonal changes, growth cycles, rain and ducks plus a dollop of imagination!  Incorporates music and sign language, world languages, numeracy, non-fiction, poetry, and demonstrates sharing a wordless book.

 

Opening Music: McCutcheon’s “Family Garden” from same album.

“We’ll begin with an imaginary walk outside…but we’ll walk with our hands!”

 

Sign Language Song: “Let’s Take a Walk Outside” Track 15 from Pick Me Up: Fun Songs for Learning Signs  alternative: “If you look you’ll see spring all around”  (tune: If You’re Happy & You Know It)

If you look you’ll see spring all around

See the flowers coming out of the ground

See the blossoms on the trees

Hear the buzzing of the bees

If you look you’ll see spring all around

 

Book (Action elements):  Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson (this interactive book goes through a tree’s seasonal changes, similar to Press Here by Herve Tullet)

 

Flannel/Song: “And the Green Grass Grew All Around” (cumulative narration literacy skill) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_the_Green_Grass_Grew_All_Around

 

“Speaking of eggs…April is National Poetry Month so here’s a poem that will give you a whole new look at your breakfast!”

Poem:   “Spring Is” by Bobby Katz from the poetry collection Sunflakes by Lillian Moore  

“What hatches from eggs?...”
Non-Fiction Book:  Lucky Ducklings: A True Rescue Story by Eva Moore (similar to Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey)

 

Puppet/Glove/Numeral Cards: “Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play” http://www.storytimesongs.com/Lyrics/fivelittleducks.html  (I always end this song by having mother duck quack VERY loudly  after no ducks have come back…and saying that sometimes parents have to shout a bit to get their kids to listen to them!   Can mention Tom Chapin’s funny song about this “In the Nick of Time” from his album Family Tree.)

 

 

“Ducks like water…but look what happens on this rainy day!”
Wordless Book:  Chalk by Bill Thomson

 

"You probably know about a spider on a rainy day..."
Singable Book: The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani

 

“What if sunshine was magic too?..."

Poem: “Sunflakes” by Frank Asch (of Moonbear fame) from the poetry collection Sunflakes by Lillian Moore.

Song: “Springtime Is Here” (multiple languages) original source unknown—contact me for tune

Springtime is here!  (2x)
Birds are singing (2x)
Springtime is here! (2x)

(Spanish)   ¡Primavera aqui!  (2x)  Pajaritos cantan   (2x)   ¡Primavera aqui!  (2x)    
(German)  Frühling ist da! (2x)   Die Vögelein singen (2x)    Frühling ist da!     (2x)   
(Japanese)   Haru ga kita! (2x)   Kotori ga naiteru  (2x)    Haru ga kita   (2x)   
(Zulu)  Entwasahlobo! (2x) Inyoni ukucula  (2x)   Entwasahlobo  (2x)   

Sign Language:  http://lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/s/spring.htm     http://lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/h/here.htm      http://lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/b/bird.htm
 http://www.signingsavvy.com/sign/SING/766/1 

4/2014 JCC & BW
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4/2013:                    

Opening Music: McCutcheon’s “Family Garden” from same album 730 MCCU 

Book: Wake Up, It’s Spring – Ernst (am) Rabbit’s Good News – Bornstein (pm)

Song: Springtime Is Here (multiple languages) original source unknown

Book: Old Bear – Henkes

Sign Language Song:  “Let’s Take a Little Walk” Track 15 from “Pick Me Up!”

Poem: “Spring Is” – from Sunflakes (promoting Thursday’s “Poem in Your Pocket Day”)

Book: and then it’s spring – Fogliano

Flannel/song: “Green Grass Grew all Around” (cumulative narration literacy skill)

Book: Little White Rabbit – Henkes

Book/song: Over in the Meadow – Over (Wkrm) numeracy (omitted 2013 no time)

Glove: 5 little freckled frogs (omitted 2013 no time)

Song: If you look you’ll see spring all around. (lyrics above)

Video:  A Boy A Dog & A Frog (on Mercer Mayer Frog Stories – WGL PPR)

Read:  A Good Day – Henkes  (reassuring day after Boston bombing)

Hand-Stamping to Tom Chapin’s “This Pretty Planet” (730 CHAP)

 

Additional flannels:
Fran’s Flower by Lisa Bruce
Titch by Pat Hutchins
Spring Flowers
Spring is Here (What the Robin Told)