Opening Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It" [standing up] with whispered added verse "If it's storytime and you know it, say Shhhh..."
Letter of the Day [mention that "A" is a vowel and can make two sounds: ayyy as in angelfish and alien and aaaa as in apple or astronaut]
Talk: In their lifetime, amphibians live both in water and on land. They don't have scales like reptiles do. They include frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and more. [Show nonfiction books with pictures of amphibians; encourage adults to read nonfiction with children]
Guessing Game with Magnet Board:
"Salamander, salamander,
playing hide and seek--
are you behind the ______ door?
Let's take a peek!"
Action Rhyme: "Bread and Butter"
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam!
Let's say "amphibian" as slowly as we can.
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam!
Let's say "amphibian" as quickly as we can.
Book: Toad on the Road by Stephen Shaskan
Action Rhyme: "Two Little Salamanders"
Two little salamanders sitting in the grass--
one named Slow, the other named Fast.
"Crawl away, Slow!" "Crawl away, Fast!"
"Crawl back, Slow!" "Crawl back, Fast!"
Two little salamanders, far from the crowd--
one named Quiet, the other named LOUD (etc)
Song: “Dance, Freeze, Melt” by The Learning Groove from Rockin’ Red (point out F for freeze)
Nonfiction Book (selections): Being Frog by April Pulley Sayre
Song a cappella: “Five Green and Speckled Frogs” [Start slowly, tell kids we’ll get faster on each verse]
Book: Jump! by Scott M. Fischer [NOTE: have kids stand while reading and jump on all the “JUMP”s--or, seated, throw up their hands rollercoaster style on every "JUMP"]
OR
Book: I Don't Want to be a Frog by Dev Petty
Song: "All the Fish" by Caspar Babypants [has a "frog" verse]
Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with A." Possibles before opening to kids for suggestions: Astronaut! [blast-off] Alien! Avalanche!
------------------------------------------Alternative books to swap in: Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan; The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson; For a shorter book/storytime, The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner
Action rhyme to swap in:
Here’s Mr. Bullfrog [make fist]
Sitting on a rock— [sit fist on open palm]
Into the water he….JUMPS! [jump fist in great arc on JUMPS]
KER-PLOP! [loud clap]
