V is for Vegetables: 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

Sorting Activity: "Making Vegetable Soup" [have pot and various plastic food items, ask group to name each item and decide whether it is a vegetable--if so, it belongs in the soup!]

Book: That's Not Bunny! by Chris Barton [Talk about how hawks are birds of prey. What does that mean? What do they eat? Have kids do "SWOOSH"es]

Action Rhyme: "Five Fat Peas" [version via Anna]
Five fat peas in a peapod pressed (crouch, hold up fist)
One grew, two grew, and so did all the rest (pop fingers up)
They grew and they grew and they did not stop (both arms up, slowly stand as you 'grow')

Until one day, the pod went POP! (clap!)

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

Book: A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas

Song, a cappella, with magnet board: "Monster's on my Veggies" [tune:"BINGO"]

I want to make a salad, but a monster's on my lettuce!

Monster, YOU GET OFF! [shaking fist]

Monster, YOU GET OFF!

Monster, YOU GET OFF!

Get off of my lettuce! [repeat with carrots, onion, celery--graphics here]

Book [standing]: Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres

Song: "A Little Bit Up and a Little Bit Down" by Michael and Jello [tie in to Up, Down, and Around]

Movement [standing, if time]: Before storytime ends, let's form some vegetables with our bodies! First, we'll be a tiny little round pea. Now, a large round head of lettuce. Let's stand up and be a tall stalk of celery with a few little leaves at the top. Now, let's be broccoli...]

Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with V. Possibles before opening to children...Vampire! Visitor! [Why, hello, come in, good to see you...]

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Alternatives to Swap In:

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

T is for Transportation (or V is for Vehicles/G is for Things That Go)

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

Today, all of our books will be about different forms of transportation. What is transportation? What forms of transportation can you think of?* There are many in our play space upstairs! [Side to parents about about early literacy value of play]

*If time, play a few vehicle sounds from I Hear Ewe app and ask if kids can identify them

Activity/Guessing Game: "Yellow Duck, Yellow Duck, Are You Behind the [BLUE] Truck?"

Book: Yellow Copter by Kersten Hamilton
[What form of transportation is "copter" short for? What can a helicopter do that an airplane can't?....NOTE: do helicopter "WHUP WHUP WHUPs together...Who sees the CRANE on this page? What color is it?]

Action Rhyme, seated: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" as below:

Once through at standard tempo--

once SWAY SWAY SWAY your boat because there are big waves
once TWIST TWIST TWIST your boat between the rocks in the rapids

once REALLY QUICKLY, because a crocodile's behind us! 

Song: “Dance, Freeze, Melt” by The Learning Groove from Rockin’ Red OR "Drivin' in My Car" by Ralph Covert IF doing In the Driver's Seat as second book

Book: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon (OR In the Driver's Seat by Max Haynes)

Action Rhyme, standing: [Once slow, once fast or in alien/robot voice] "We're Going to the Moon"

Zoom, zoom, zoom---we're going to the moon.

Zoom, zoom, zoom, we'll get there very soon.

5...4...3...2...1--BLAST-OFF!

Song: "Driving In My Car" by Ralph Covert/Ralph's World from album Ralph's World OR "Green Means Go"  by Draza Jansky--with shaker eggs if possible--if already done "Driving in My Car"

Action Rhyme: (possibly, if time, before sitting back down): "I'm an Airplane" a la Jbrary

Book/Song: The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort

Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with T. Possibles before opening to children....Tyrannosaurus Rex! Tarantula!]

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Alternatives to swap in: 

Books:
Fire Engine No. 9 by Mike Austin
McToad Mows Tiny Island by Tom Angleberger
Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz
MOO! by David LaRochelle
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Song with Shaker Eggs: "Green Means Go" by Draza Jansky

[Practice going and stopping with shaker eggs first. "We shake and we shake and we STOP. We shake and we shake and we STOP"]

Song with Magnet Board "My Old Blue Truck"
[tune: Mulberry Bush or Wheels on the Bus, roughly]
[magnets, different vehicles with different characteristics:
my new red bike, my small black car]
"My old blue truck goes bumping along, bumping along, bumping along
My old blue truck goes bumping along, all day long...' [switch out vehicles and verbs]