Zoo Family Storytime

Who doesn't love the zoo? I know I do! And I love sharing that experiencing through books. I read different books each time I do the zoo theme because there are so many fun options. This time I did:

• Still a Gorilla by Kim Norman
• From Head to Toe by Eric Carle 
• and Put Me In the Zoo by Robert Lopshire

My Outline:

• Song: Shake Your Sillies Out by Raffi
• Literacy Tip Explain: General Knowledge is something that forms the foundation of your children's understanding and learning. Every time you introduce your child to something new you expand their general knowledge.
• Letter Activity: I do this every storytime. I pick two letters to focus on usually having to do with the theme, this weeks was Z and A. I have the letter printed BIG on a popsicle stick (one upper case and one lower case). We talk about the name of the letter, the sound it makes, what the upper case and lower case look like, I ask for examples for words that start with the letter and then we sing a remixed version of Where is Thumbkin that goes like this:

(put both pictures behind back)
Where is letter Z

Where is letter Z

Here I am (bring out upper case letter)

Here I am (bring out lower case letter)

How are you today dear

Very well I thank you

Run away (put upper case behind back) 

Run away (put lower case behind back)

Then Repeat with second letter having the same conversations about the name, sound, and words.

• Read book one: Still a Gorilla
• Literacy Tip Example: One way to help them expand their general knowledge is by slowing down and singing rhymes about things that happen around you. Rhymes like Itsy Bitsy Spider accomplish this by talking about how rain washes all sorts of things away but the sun will come back and dry up the water. Today we are going to sing a song about a turtle and behaviors they may exhibit.  
• Rhyme: There was a Little Turtle (I should mention here that I always print out unusual rhymes or new songs on a big 30"x40" foam board so that all the parents can participate.) I got this one from GrandmasNurseryRhymes.com

There was a little turtle (make a fist)
He  lived in a box (outline box shape with fingers)
He swam in the water (make swimming motion)
And he climbed on the rocks (climbing motion)
He snapped at a minnow (make grabbing motion)
He snapped a flea (make motion)
He snapped at a mosquito (make grabbing motion)
And he snapped at me (make grabbing motion)
He caught the minnow (clap cupped hands)
He caught the flea (clap cupped hands)
He caught the mosquito (clap cupped hands)
But he didn’t catch me! (point to self and shake head)

• Movement Activity - I flipped through some of the pages of MOVE! by Robin Page and had the kids act out the different animal movements
• Read book two: From Head to Toe
• Activity: Who Lives in a Zoo? This is a template I got from the book Felt Fun by Rita Jamieson. I don't actually use felt but cut out and color the animals from the template. With this activity there are rhymes that you say which describe an animal and you let the kids guess what animal it is. I then let a kid put the animal up on the board. 

• Fingerplay: The Zoo (Alphabet Soup)

This is the way the elephant goes
With curly trunk instead of nose
(clasp hands and move arms back and forth dangling)

The buffalo all shaggy and fat

Has two sharp horns in place of hat

(point fingers out from forehead)

The hippo with his mouth so wide

Lets you see what is inside

(open and close hands to make mouth movements)

The wiggly snake upon the ground

Crawls along without a sound

(weave hands back and forth)

But the monkey see and monkey do

Is the funniest animal in the zoo

(put thumbs in ears and wiggle hands)  

• Transition Song: Quiet Hands (there are a few versions of this song out there but this is what I use)

My hands upon my head I'll place. 

Upon my shoulders, on my face, 

At my waist and by my side, 

Then behind me they will hide. 

Then I'll raise them way up high, 

And let my fingers fly, fly, fly, 

Then clap, clap, clap them-- 

One - Two -Three! 

Now see how quiet they can be.

• Read book three: Put Me in The Zoo
• Literacy Tip Empower: I want to encourage all of you to take the time while singing songs, reading a book, or playing at the park to talk about things in the world around you. Remember this broadens your child's understanding of the world which is essential to their overall understanding and ability to learn. 
• Closing Song: Bean Bag Song by Hap Palmer
• Craft: Put Me in the Zoo Paper Plate, I got the idea from Raising Little Superheroes but altered it by using yellow paper plates from the dollar store and used paint daubers for the colorful spots. 

Magical Creatures Family Storytime

This was the most fun I have had to date picking out books. It was so hard to narrow it down but I ended up reading:

• You Are My Magical Unicorn by Joyce Wan
• There's a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
• and Mermaid School by JoAnne Wetzel (this one I shortened by skipping a few pages)

My Outline:

• Song: Shake Your Sillies Out by Raffi
• Literacy Tip Explain: Letter Recognition including shapes for younger kids
• Letter Activity: I do this every storytime. I pick two letters to focus on usually having to do with the theme, this weeks was D and M. I have the letter printed BIG on a popsicle stick (one upper case and one lower case). We talk about the name of the letter, the sound it makes, what the upper case and lower case look like, I ask for examples for words that start with the letter and then we sing a remixed version of Where is Thumbkin that goes like this:

Where is letter D (put both pictures behind back)

Where is letter D

Here I am (bring out upper case letter)

Here I am (bring out lower case letter)

How are you today dear

Very well I thank you

Run away (put upper case behind back) 

Run away (put lower case behind back)

• Read book one: You Are My Magical Unicorn
• Song: Walking, walking 
• Finger play: Two Little Fairies and Two Little Dragons (a variation of two little blackbirds that I adapted from a few different sources)

Two little fairies

Dancing on a gate.

One danced early

And one danced late.

Dance away early.

Dance away late.

Come back early,

Come back late!

Two little dragons

Flying in the sky

One flew low

And one flew high

Fly away low

Fly away high

Come back low

Come back high

• Literacy Tip Example - Point out letters that relate to your child, like the first letter of their name. Also point out the shapes that are within a letter like a line and circle that form a d. 
• Read book two: There's a Dragon in Your Book (for smaller crowds) or If I Had a Gryphon (if the crowd is too big for an interactive book)
• Finger play: Five Green Dragons (GrandmasNurseRhymes.com)

Five green dragons making such a roar.

One danced away and then there were four.

Four green dragons dancing around a tree.

One danced away and then there were three.

Three green dragons dancing around you.

One danced away and then there were two.

Two green dragons dancing in the sun.

One danced away and then there was one.

One green dragon having lots of fun

She danced away and then there were none.

• Read book three: Mermaid School
• Closing Song: Bean Bag Song by Hap Palmer
• Craft: Unicorn Masks from It's Always Autumn