October 23: Toddler Storytime: Monsters

(I had to have a substitute cover the first part of this program so the actual activities varied from this plan.)

Opening song:                                (Tune: The Farmer in the Dell")

             We tap hola like this

             We tap ho la like this

                 Hi-ho cherry

             We tap hola like this

               Continue with other verses:

                  We drop hola like this...

                   We circle hola like this...

                 We spin hola like this...

                We toss hola like this..

                 We roll hola like this....

                     We stomp hola like this...

Introduce theme by asking what holiday is coming next Thursday.
Have each child share what they are planning to dress up as.


Story: "Go Away Big Green Monster!" by Ed Emberley

Movement chant:                                  

“Monster Pokey” 

(Tune: "Hokey Pokey") 

You put your claws in. 

You put your claws out. 

You put your claws in, and you shake them all about. 

You do the monster pokey, and you turn yourself around. 

That's what it's all about. 

You put your fangs in. 

You put your fangs out. 

You put your fangs in, and you shake them all about. 

You do the monster pokey, and you turn yourself around.

That's what it's all about. 

You put your horns in. 

You put your horns out. 

You put your horns in, and you shake them all about. 

You do the monster pokey, and you turn yourself around.

That's what it's all about. 

You put your tail in. 

You put your tail out. 

You put your tail in, and you shake it all about. 

You do the monster pokey, and you turn yourself around, 

That's what it's all about.

Story: "Ten Little Beasties" by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley

  

Movement/action song:       

The Noisy Monster”

(Tune: “The Mulberry Bush”)

This is the way a monster moves; (stomp like a monster)

He has big feet, (lift and shake each foot)

And furry toes, (wiggle your toes)

He makes a pounding sound

As he stomps the ground. (stomp feet and clap hands) 

When he smiles, (make a toothy smile)

He shows his fangs! (gnash your teeth!)

This is the way a monster looks, (stomp like a monster)

With goggly eyes and a (peek through circled fingers)

Very big nose! (gesture a big nose)

With spiky horns and (gesture big horns on head)

Big sharp claws, (hold fingers out like claws)

He takes a gulp of breath (exaggerated big breath)

Before he ROARS! (roar loudly!)

Spanish song with shakers: "Diez en La Cama" ("Ten in the Bed")

Goodbye Song:

 (Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell")

We tap adios like this

 We tap adios like this

Hi-ho cherry

  We tap adios like this

Continue with other verses:

We drop adios like this...

   We circle adios like this...

  We spin adios like this...

   We toss adios like this...

  We roll adios like this...

           We stomp adios like this...

                    

Modeled the craft and then parents helped their children complete it.

Modified this Super Squished Monster Craft

October 17: Preschool Storytime: Pumpkins

Opening song:                                 (Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell")

                         We tap hola like this

                         We tap hola like this

                          Hi-ho cherry

                          We tap hola like this

                          Continue with other verses:

                          We drop hola like this...

                          We circle hola like this...

                          We spin hola like this...

                          We toss hola like this...

                           We roll hola like this...

Put out a real pumpkin
Talked about the parts of a pumpkin and how a pumpkin grows
Letter Pp and its sound
Found it on the Alphabet chart
Talked about things that start with Pp
Made lowercase p in the air

Book: "Pumpkin Town" by Katie Mcky

Shaker and movement song: We sing the whole song in English and then change a few words to Spanish.

                                            “Did You Ever See a Pumpkin?”

(Tune: “Did You Ever See A Lassie”)

Did you ever see a pumpkin/a calabaza, a pumpkin/a calabaza, a calabaza? 

Did you ever see a pumpkin with no face at all? 

With no eyes/ojos, no nose/nariz, no mouth/boca, and no teeth/dientes? 

Did you ever see una pumpkin/calabaza, with no face/cara at all?

I made it into a jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern. 

I made it into a jack-o-lantern with a big funny face/cara!

With big eyes/ojos, a big nose/nariz, a big mouth/boca, and big teeth/dientes. 

I made it into a jack-o-lantern with a big funny face/cara.

Book: "Pumpkin Soup" by Helen Cooper

Song: We sing the whole song in English and then change a few words to Spanish.

I put the pumpkin in the middle of the circle, and we danced around it.

"Ring Around the Pumpkin"
(Tune: "Ring Around the Rosie")

Ring around the pumpkin/calabaza
Pocket for of nuts/nueces
Leaves/hojas, leaves/hojas
They all fall down.

March around the pumpkin/calabaza

Pocket full of nuts/nueces
Leaves/hojas, leaves/hojas
They all fall down.

Stomp around the pumpkin/calabaza
Pocket full of nuts/nueces
Leaves/hojas, leaves/ hojas
They all fall down.

Tip-toe around the pumpkin/calabaza
Pocket full of nuts/nueces
Leaves/hojas, leaves/hojas
They all fall down.

Jump around the pumpkin/calabaza
Pocket full of nuts/nueces
Leaves/hojas, leaves/hojas
They all fall down.

Book: Ran out of time for a third story

Goodbye song:                               (Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell") 

                         We tap adios like this

                         We tap adios like this

                          Hi-ho cherry

                          We tap adios like this

                          Continue with other verses:

                          We drop adios like this...

                          We circle adios like this...

                          We spin adios like this...

                          We toss adios like this...

                           We roll adios like this...

Craft Time: 

Modeled both the Pp page and the craft before the children starting working on them

Pp Dot page: The children each completed a dot page for letter Pp. You can find these dot pages here. 


Pumpkin craft

Modified craft from https://alittlepinchofperfect.com to make it more accurate.

I let the children pick which three books I read from the ones I bring with me. These are some additional suggested books that the children didn't pick:

"The Bumpy Little Pumpkin" by Margery Cuyler

"Penguin and Pumpkin" by Salina Yoon

"Too Many Pumpkins" by Megan Lloyd

October 16: Toddler Storytime: Pumpkins

(I pass out copies of the words to all the songs that have to do with the theme as well as the words for the Spanish song.)


Opening song:                                (Tune: The Farmer in the Dell")

             We tap hola like this

             We tap ho la like this

                 Hi-ho cherry

             We tap hola like this

               Continue with other verses:

                  We drop hola like this...

                   We circle hola like this...

                 We spin hola like this...

                We toss hola like this..

                 We roll hola like this....

                     We stomp hola like this...

Introduced theme by displaying a real pumpkin and asking what this is.
All the children got to look inside the pumpkin. Each one felt some of the seeds I had removed from the pumpkin.
Talked about the stem and explained that pumpkins grow on vines on the ground.


Story: "Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere" by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

Movement chant:                                    "Pumpkin”

Pumpkin, pumpkin

big and round,

I'm glad you grow

upon the ground.

I'm glad you don't

grow in a tree

for then you might

fall down on me.

Movement/action song:              “I’m a Little Pumpkin”

(Tune: I’m a Little Teapot”)

I'm a little pumpkin 
Orange and round.
Here is my stem,
I grew in the ground.

When I get all cut up, 
Don't you shout!
Just open me up
            And scoop me out!               

Story: "Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins"

 

Spanish song with shakers: "La Rana Cucu"




Action song:                     

“Have You Ever Seen a Pumpkin?”

(Tune: "Have You Ever Seen a Lassie")

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?

A round one, a tall one, a fat one, a small one.

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?

Goodbye Song:

 (Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell")

We tap adios like this

 We tap adios like this

Hi-ho cherry

  We tap adios like this

Continue with other verses:

We drop adios like this...

   We circle adios like this...

  We spin adios like this...

   We toss adios like this...

  We roll adios like this...

           We stomp adios like this...

                    

Modeled the craft and then parents helped their children complete it.

Craft: Pool noodle pumpkins with real seeds inside

Modified a craft from toddlerapproved.com.

October 10: Preschool Storytime: Leaves

Opening song: (Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell")
                         We tap hola like this

                         We tap hola like this

                          Hi-ho cherry

                          We tap hola like this

                          Continue with other verses:

                          We drop hola like this...

                          We circle hola like this...

                          We spin hola like this...

                          We toss hola like this...

                           We roll hola like this...

Letter Ll and its sound
Found it on the Alphabet chart
Talked about things that start with Ll
Made lowercase l in the air

Book: "The Little Yellow Leaf" by Carin Berger

Movement song with fabric leaves:“The Leaves” 
(Tune: "The Wheels on the Bus")
(We sing the song two times: first in English, and then with a few words changed to Spanish.)

The leaves on the trees turn orange and red
Orange and red, orange and red,The leaves on the trees/Las hojas en los árboles turn orange and red.
All around the town.

The leaves on the trees go "swish, swish, swish,"
"swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish."
The leaves on the trees/Las hojas de los árboles go "swish, swish, swish."
All around the town.

The leaves of the tree come tumbling down,
tumbling down, tumbling down,
The leaves on the treesLas hojas de los árboles come tumbling down.
All Around the town.

We'll rake them in a pile and jump right in!
Jump right in, jump right in!
We’ll rake them in a pile/en un montón and jump right in.
All around the town.


Book: "The Leaves on the Trees"



Movement song with fabric leaves: “Pretty Leaves are Falling Down”
(Tune: "London Bridge")

(We sing the song two times: first in English, and then with a few words changed to Spanish.)

Pretty leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down.
Pretty leaves/Hojas bonitas are falling down, all around the town.
(wiggle fingers)

Let's rake them up in a pile, in a pile, in a pile.
Let’s rake them in a pile/en un montón, all around the town.
(make raking motions)

Let's all jump in and have some fun,
have some fun, have some fun.
Let’s all jump in, and have some fun/tener diversión, all around the town.
(jump into circle)

Book: "Leaf Man" by Lois Elhert

Goodbye song: (Tune: "The Farmer in the Dell") 
                         We tap adios like this

                         We tap adios like this

                          Hi-ho cherry

                          We tap adios like this

                          Continue with other verses:

                          We drop adios like this...

                          We circle adios like this...

                          We spin adios like this...

                          We toss adios like this...

                           We roll adios like this...


Craft: 

Ll Dot page: The children each completed a dot page for letter Ll. You can find these dot pages here. 

Making our own leaf art which can be leaf people, leaf animals, etc.

October 9: Toddler Storytime: Leaves

(I pass out copies of the words to all the songs that have to do with the theme as well as the words for the Spanish song.)

Opening song: We tap hola like this

                         We tap hola like this

                          Hi-ho cherry

                          We tap hola like this

                          Continue with other verses:

                          We drop hola like this...

                          We circle hola like this...

                          We spin hola like this...

                          We toss hola like this...

                           We roll hola like this...
                           We stomp hola like this...

Introduced theme
Reminded the children that we have been learning about fall. Asked them what happens to the leaves in the fall.

Story: "Leaves" by David Ezla Stein

Movement song using fabric leaves from Dollar Tree: “All the Leaves are Falling Down”
(Tune: “London Bridges Falling Down”)

All the leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down   (Imitate leaves falling down)
All the leaves are falling down, it is fall.

Take the rake and rake them up, rake them up, rake them up  (Imitate raking leaves)
Take the rake and rake them up, it is fall.

Make a pile and jump right in, jump right in, jump right in,  (Children jump forward)
Make a pile and jump right in, it is fall.

Movement song using fabric leaves: “The Leaves on the Trees”
(Tune: “The Wheels on The Bus”)

The leaves on the trees are red, yellow, and brown,
Yellow and brown, yellow and brown.
The leaves on the trees are red, yellow and brown,
All through the town.

The leaves on the trees are falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
The leaves on the trees are falling down,
All through the town.

The leaves on the trees make a crunching sound,
Crunching sound, crunching sound.
The leaves on the trees make a crunching sound
All through the town.

Let’s rake all the leaves into a mound,
Into a mound, into a mound.
Let’s rake all the leaves into a mound
All through the town.

The children in the town jump on the leaves
On the leaves, on the leaves.
The children in the town jump on the leaves
All through the town.

Spanish song with shakers: “La Rana Cucú”

Story: "We're Going on a Leaf Hunt" by Steve Mezger




Movement song using fabric leaves: “Saw a Leaf”

(Tune:  “My Darling Clementine”)

Saw a leaf,
Saw a leaf,
Saw a leaf falling down.

It was floating,
It was twirling,
As it spun and spun around.

Tried to catch it,
Tried to catch it
When it landed on the ground.

But it kept right on twirling
As it danced across the town. 

Movement song using fabric leaves: “Autumn Leaves”

(Tune: "Mulberry Bush")

Summer leaves are hanging,
Hanging, hanging
Summer leaves are hanging
All day long. (stand with arms outstretched)

Autumn leaves are turning colors

Turning color

Autumn leaves are turning color

All day long. (turn around)

Autumn leaves are falling down...All day long. (lower self to floor)
Autumn leaves are dancing....All day long. (dance)

Autumn leave are being raked.....All day long. (gather the leaves closer)

Goodbye song: We tap adios like this

                         We tap adios like this

                          Hi-ho cherry

                          We tap adios like this

                          Continue with other verses:

                          We drop adios like this...

                          We circle adios like this...

                          We spin adios like this...

                          We toss adios like this...

                           We roll adios like this...
                           We stomp adios like this...


Modeled the craft and then parents helped their children complete it.

Leaf Collage: I brought in a variety of leaves. Children selected leaves to glue on, and they chose the color of construction paper they wanted to glue their leaves on. After the leaves were glued on, the children could paint glitter glue on them.




Gave the parents an activity to complete at home: