Feltboard: Five Little Birds

Five little birds flying around my door
The orange one flew away, and then there were four

Four little birds sitting in a tree
The purple one flew away, and then there were three

Three little birds didn't know what to do
The red one flew away, and then there were two

Two little birds sitting in the sun
The green one flew away, and then there was one

One little bird sitting all alone
She flew away, and then there were none

But later on that day.... (bring back all the birds)

Storytime: Birds

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
2 Little Blackbirds
Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert
Owl Hokey Pokey
Don't Copy Me by Jonathan Allen

Feltboard: 5 Little Birds
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett

Tip: Singing is a great way to help children learn new words and information. Songs are a natural way to learn language.
This is the Way we Plant the Seeds
Birds by Kevin Henkes

Host puppet is Naughty Crow. He is always so fresh to the kids and tends to go after the shiny jewelry worn by moms in the group. I hope he is on his best behavior today. He will introduce the theme and will do the Owl Pokey with us and will help me do the feltboard as well. I won't make him do yoga today though ;)

Children who start kindergarten ready to learn to read have greater success throughout their school years. They are more likely to read at or above grade level by the end of 2nd grade. Children who read at or above grade level by the end of 4th grade are much more likely to graduate from high school and be successful readers and learners throughout their lives.

STORYTIME: Owls

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na- Very interesting illustrations. An all around nice storytime read.

Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton- Really wonderful illustrations and a cute story. Similar in plot to "Are You My Mother?" but with a little more humor.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell- It is often hard to find a good storytime book that has a more traditional narrative (beginning, middle/climax, and a resolution). This story fills that niche very nicely. Wonderful bold and detailed illustrations.

Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood- An owl wakes up in the daytime and sees all the colors of the world. Story is nothing special but the illustrations are wonderful.

Who Said Coo? by Deborah Ruddell- Such a great book. A pig is woken up to a string of different sounds outside her window. The culprits are a pigeon and an owl!

"I'm Not Scared!" by Jonathan Allen- Ohhh I love this owl character from the previous book "I'm not cute." This is a really cute and pretty funny story your kids and parents will enjoy.

Storytime Performed On:

1/31/2012

Fingerplay: “Wide-Eyed Owl”

There’s a wide-eyed owl (circle your eyes with your hands)
With a pointed nose (make a beak with your fingers)
Two pointed ears (make ears with your fingers)
And claws for toes (wiggle your “claws”)
He lives way up in the tree (point way up)
And when he looks at you (point to children)
He flaps his wings (flap your wings)
And says, “Whoo! Whoo!” (say “whoo whoo”)

Credit: Wilmette Public Library
Via StoryTimeKatie

Owl Hokey Pokey

Action Song: “Owl Hokey Pokey”
You put your right wing in
You put your right wing out
You put your right wing in
And you flap it all about
You do the owl pokey and you fly yourself around
That’s what it’s all about! Hoo, hoo!
(left wing, right claw, left claw, beak, whole self)

Credit: Ms. Hegna’s Storyroom
Via StoryTimeKatie

Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill (use pointer fingers, bounce up and down)
One named Jack and the other named Jill (bring pointer up higher than other finger when each name is spoken)
Fly away Jack (put finger behind back)
Fly away Jill (put finger behind back)
Come back Jack (bring finger back)
Come back Jill (bring finger back)
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill

VARIATION:

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill (use pointer fingers, bounce up and down)

One named Soft and the other named Loud (bring pointer up higher than other finger when each name is spoken, say each name in either a loud or soft voice)

Fly away Soft (put finger behind back, say name softly)

Fly away Loud (put finger behind back, say name very loudly)

Come back Soft (bring finger back, say name softly)

Come back Loud (bring finger back, say name very loudly)

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill

Mitt stories: Chickadees

Five little chickadees, sitting by a door-
One flew away then there were four

Chorus:
Chickadees, chickadees, happy today
Chickadees, chickadees, fly away


Four little chickadees, sitting in a tree-
One flew away and then there were three
Chorus
Three little chickadees, looking at you-
One flew away, then there were two
Chorus
Two little chickadees, sitting in the sun-
One flew away, and then there was one.
Chorus
One little chickadee, sitting all alone-
That one flew away, and then there was none.

Mitt stories: Birds

There was one little bird in a little tree,
Hew was all alone, and he didn't want to be.
So he flew far away, over the sea,
And brought back a friend to live in the tree.

Do this adding one more bird to the glove each time

STORYTIME: Birds

I'm a Turkey by Jim Arnosky

Baby Bird by Joyce Dunbar - This book contains comic book style panel illustrations with the simple text along the bottom of the page. This could be used to teach children the concept of reading panels from left to right.

Don't Copy Me! by Jonathan Allen- So funny! From the guys who brought you "I am not Cute!" A puffin is followed by 3 small puffins and they follow him and copycat him all day. How annoying!

Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert - Birdies explore all the different things they can find in trees to eat.

Birds by Kevin Henkes-A really lovely book. Great illustrations and wonderful blend of imagination and education in the text. Can really make an impression on how we think of birds.

More by I.C. Springman- Wonderful illustrations by Brian Lies. A simple tale with minimal text that teaches kids that less is more in a very elegant manner.

Hungry Hen by Richard Waring- I was not especially impressed with this book. That said I think it could work okay for a story time book. It is a quick read and the illsutrations take up the whole page. The twist at the end I thought was a little weak but perhaps kids would find it funny. The irony however may be lost on them.

Performed on:
3/27/12