J is for Jobs (W is for Work): Storytime Plan

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

Talk: "All of our stories today will be about jobs. What are some jobs you can think of? Does anyone know what the name of MY job is?""

Activity/Guessing Game: "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, are you behind the [pilot's etc] hat?"

Book: Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman with YES, NO, and STOP signs on wall (point to word "NO" when kids need to yell out "NO!" etc).

[NOTE: Have everyone STOMP FEET on refrain]

[NOTE: Mention before Trashy Town: print awareness--pointing out print around you—running finger under words when reading certain words ("like I'll do with some words in our next book"). Point to STOP sign and ask kids if they know what it means. Sound out the letters while running finger under word STOP on sign.]

[wall prepped]

OR

Book: Yellow Copter by Kersten Hamilton

Action Rhyme [seated]: "The Little Firefighter"

This little firefighter’s ready for bed—

(hold up right thumb)

down on the pillow she lays her head,

(right thumb on left palm)

wraps herself in her blanket tight,

(curl fingers around thumb)

snuggles in to sleep all night.

(close eyes, bend head as if sleeping…
Pause, then do next part really fast)

FIRE ALARM! She jumps back up

(right thumb jumps up)

Sliiiides down the pole

(right thumb slides down left arm, wrist to elbow)

and climbs on the truck.

(climb on, grab steering wheel)

Firetruck, firetruck, beep beep beep!

(beep horn)

Poor little firefighter got no sleep.

(shake head and look pitiful)

Things We Can Do that Start with "J": "Before our first song, let's stand up and do some things that start with J, that J- J- sound. We can JUMP for JOY! We can JOG!--what is the difference between JOGGING and running? We can JOKE! ("Why should you never give Elsa a balloon? She'll only let it go")

Song: Dance, Freeze, Melt by The Learning Groove from their album Rockin' Red

Book: Construction by Sally Sutton
["It's big job to build a new building! Here are some of the things construction workers need to do. I wonder what kind of building they're making?" NOTE: Have group repeat first phrase on every page.]

Talk: Bring in hammer and hold up for group to see. "Who knows the name of this tool? What is it used for?"

Action Rhyme [seated]: "Five Little Nails"

Five little nails standing straight and steady.

Here I come with my hammer ready!

Bam! Bam! Bam! One nail goes down.

Now there are four nails left to pound...

Action Song [a cappella]: "I Can Work with One Hammer" 

Book: Fire Engine No. 9 by Mike Austin

Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with "J". Possibles before opening to kids for suggestions: Jellyfish! Jedi warriors! Juice [let's drink it, THEN close the book]!

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Alternatives to swap in:

Book: McToad Mows Tiny Island by Tom Angleberger 

C is for Construction: Storytime Plan

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

Book: Construction by Sally Sutton 
[Have group repeat each repeating phrase. "Hoist the wood!" "Hoist the wood!"]

OR

Book: Dalmatian in a Digger by Rebecca Elliott

Action Song (seated): "Bumpity Bumpity" 
(to the tune of "Ten Little Bubbles." 2x, second time superfast)

Bumpity-bumpity comes the dump truck [stomp feet to bumpity-bumpitys]
Bumpity-bumpity comes the dump truck,
Bumpity-bumpity comes the dump truck,
DUUUMMMMMP out the load!


Song: Dance, Freeze, Melt by The Learning Groove from their album Rockin' Red

Book (sung): Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz

Action Song a cappella: "I Can Work with One Hammer"

Action Rhyme (if time): "Five Little Nails"
Five little nails standing straight and steady--                                                                           Here I come with my hammer ready!                                                                                         BAM! BAM! BAM! One nail goes down.                                                                                     Now there are four nails left to pound.

Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with "C". Possibles before opening to kids for suggestions: Car! [beep! Beep!] Cookie! [nom nom nom]

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Reorder/omit elements as audience age demands

Alternative Action Song (standing): "The Vehicles at the Site"

(To the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell")

The backhoe scoops the dirt.
The backhoe scoops the dirt.
Hey-ho! Look at it go!
The backhoe scoops the dirt.

 The dozer pushes dirt…

The dump truck dumps the dirt…

The mixer spins around…

The crane moves up and down…

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Tool Chant
[Show four tools and count them out loud together. (Saw, hammer, screwdriver, level, etc)]

I have four tools.
Show me four [kids hold up four fingers].
[OR: "How many?" "Four!" with group answering with number]
What's this called and what's it for?

I have three tools.
Show me three.
Tell me, what could this one be?

I have two tools.
Show me two.
Tell me, what does this one do?

I have one tool.
Show me one.

How does this one get things done?

--------------------------

Alternative book: Backhoe Joe by Lori Alexander
Alternative book: Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia

C is for Clothing (or G is for Getting Dressed; W is for What we Wear)

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

Talk: "Does anyone here like to pick out what they wear themselves? [discuss answers] This story is about a girl who likes to choose her own clothes, too..."

Book: Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine [have group seated-stomp indignantly and say "AND! MY! RED! HAT!" each time--as well as "No"]

















Action Rhyme: "Hat, Sweater, Pants and Shoes"
[tune: "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".  Slow run-through, then speedy run-through. "What if it was summer? Would we be wearing a sweater then?" "Hat, t-shirt, shorts and shoes"]

Hat, sweater, pants and shoes, pants and shoes,
Hat, sweater, pants and shoes, pants and shoes,
and socks and shirt and underwear, too--
Hat, sweater, pants and shoes, pants and shoes

Song: Dance, Freeze, Melt by The Learning Groove from their album Rockin' Red

Clothing Box: Draw out items from box full of clothes. Put them on wrong body parts/or put them on incorrectly; use wrong names for them; have kids correct. Maybe preface each time I draw out a piece of clothing with rhyme: "I LOVE my clothes! And I know JUST where this goes!"

OR

Matching Activity with Magnet Board: "Sock Match" 

Book: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons (or I Love My White Shoes) by Eric Litwin

[Before sharing title, point to buttons on cover. Ask "What are these called? What do they do?" Teach group the song, to say "Goodness, no!" after "Did Pete cry?", and to clap once after each "POP!"]

Action Song with Scarves: "The Walrus Washes his Winter Coat"

Recorded Song with Scarves: "Freeze Dance" by Hap Palmer

Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with "C". Possibles before opening to kids for suggestions: Car! [beep! Beep!] Cookie! [nom nom nom]
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Add-ins and swaps: 

"If You Are Wearing Red" (Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It")
[First ask kids to look down at what they're wearing today. What colors do they see? Look all over--]

If you are wearing red, shake your head,
If you are wearing red, shake your head,
If you are wearing red,
Then it's time to shake your head.
If you are wearing red, shake your head.
(Blue, touch your shoe

Pink, blink and blink.

Black, pat your back

Yellow, shake like JELL-O

Purple, make a circle [with hands]
Green, move like a machine [robot]
Gray, shout "Hooray!"
White, say goodnight)

Activity/Guessing Game: "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Behind the ______ Hat?" ["Little Mouse" variation]

Song: "The Silly Hat Song"

Books: Polar Bear's Underwear by Tupera Tupera; Finders, Keepers by Keiko Kasza; I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen; Let's Play In the Forest While the Wolf is Not Around by Claudia Rueda; Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London

If NOT doing Clothing Box activity: Where Do Pants Go? by Rebecca Van Slyke
[have kids stand and mime putting clothes on different wrong parts of their bodies, and fill in the blanks for body parts]

W is for Winter: Storytime Plan

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

BEFORE OUR FIRST BOOK, LET’S DO SOME THINGS THAT START WITH W [seated]. We can WIGGLE. We can WHISPER. We can WINK (some of us—if you can’t wink, blink!). We can WISH. Close your eyes and make a wish. Now let's have a story.

Book: Snowballs by Lois Ehlert [Talk about items in collage/sack; on every snowperson page, ask kids to identify what was used for the nose. "Have you ever made a snowman? What did YOU use for the nose?]

I'm A Little Snowman

(tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little snowman
short and fat--
here are my buttons;
here is my hat.
When the sun comes out, then
you will see
I melt...til there's...no...more...of...me. 

[do standing up, melt down to floor at end]

[So, when snowpeople melt…do their scarves and buttons melt, too? No. What are snow and ice made of? Water, when it freezes. When it melts, it turns back into…water! We’re going to stand up and do a song where we get to freeze and melt, just like water!]

Song: “Dance, Freeze, Melt” by The Learning Groove from Rockin' Red

Book: When Winter Comes: Discovering Wildlife in Our Snowy Woods

Action Rhyme: Down We Go!

We climb and climb and climb and climb  [march heavily, as if trudging in boots in snow, exaggerated slowly]
up the hill of snow. 
[kids walk fingers up their own arms or legs, or their grownups' arms]
We jump [JUMP] on our sleds, and [exaggerate going from slow to fast] Wheeee!
down we go! [Let fingers whee down arm or leg]

Song with Scarves: “The Walrus Washes his Winter Coat”--original by Brytani Fraser

Book: Red Sled by Lita Judge

Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with W." Possibles before opening to kids for suggestions: wet warthog! Wicked witch! Wild wildebeest! (wolf, woodpecker, weasel, whale)


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Alternate rhymes

It is Snowing, It is Snowing

It is snowing, it is snowing,
on my head, on my head.
I should put a hat on, I should put a hat on,
on my head, on my head...

Barbara at Perpetual Preschool: As you sing, name the body part and let the children pick out the correct article of clothing to finish the verse. We did this at circle time with child-sized clothing and as we sang, the teacher "put on" the clothing. The kids found this very funny.

Action Song [in Minnesota]: "The Minnesota Spider" [First, we'll sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," and then I'll teach you a version just for our state, "The Minnesota Spider"!]

The Minnesota spider
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the snow and
froze the spider out.
Out came the sun, but
it didn't do a thing--
so the Minnesota spider
stayed frozen until Spring.

Books to swap in or add: 

Sally's Snow Day--Sally is a dog, and this is perfect for reading in a very cold climate where dogs need to wear booties and sweaters to go for walks! Simple text, could even work as a board book

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London 

[Have kids be mom on refrain, yelling “Frooogggy!” Talk briefly about print awareness before starting and demonstrate by pointing at/underlining Froggy's name each time mom yells it. Have kids pretend to put on items of clothing as Froggy does]

When Winter Comes: Discovering Wildlife in Our Snowy Woods
Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr