10 Little Doggies

Ten little doggies went out one day
(hold 10 fingers up)
To dig in the dirt and play, play, play.
(Pretend to dig like a dog with both hands)
Five were spotted, and five were not,
(Hold up one hand at a time)
and at dinner time they ate a lot!
(Pretend to eat)

-From the blog Silly Librarian

Chook, chook, chook

Chook, chook, chook
Good morning, Mrs. Hen. (Hold up both thumbs)
How many chickens have you got?
Madam, I’ve got ten. (Show ten fingers)
Four of them are yellow. (Show four fingers on one hand)
And four of them are brown (Show four fingers on the other hand)
And two of them are speckled red (Show two fingers)
The nicest in the town.

-From the blog Silly Librarian

Blue is the Lake

Blue is the lake
Hold arms out in a circle in front of you
Yellow is the sun
Move arms, still in circle, overhead
Silver are the stars when the day is done
Wiggle fingers overhead
Red is the apple
Make a round ball with your fingers in front of you
Green is the tree
Hold arms up like branches
Brown is a cookie for you and me
Rub tummy!

-From the blog Mel's desk

STORYTIME: Goats

Books:
Scapegoat by Dean Hale- A little boys keeps doings some pretty naughty things at home and blames the poor pet goat. But things change when the goats meets up with a neighbor who can actually speak goat! Great rhyming scheme and funny for older kids too.

Let's Count Goats by Mem Fox - What a fun book with big bold Jan Thomas illustrations. I finally have a reason to bust out my new goat puppet at story time. Not as humorous as Thomas's hilarious Dust Bunny books but a great read none the less.

STORYTIME: Bears!

Books:
Bears! Bears! Bears! by Bob Berner- A cute small book that has a nice rhyming scheme. The book features all kinds of bears and a little bit of information about them. Great collage art and could be a fun follow up craft.

Have the kids use bits of scrap paper to make a collage bear of their choosing.

Bear Flies High by Michael Rosen- Great story with some repeated phrases that can be used as call and response.

Bears on Chairs by Shirley Parenteau-AAAAdorable! Teaches a nice little lesson about sharing and 'making it work.'

A Very Curious Bear by Tony Mitton-Parents will appreciate the little bear who is always asking questions about the world around him. These questions tell the story as little bear goes through his day in the forest

Something to Do by David Lucas- Cute line drawings. 2 bears use their imagination and a crayon to make something to do when they are bored. Could also be used during an imagination themed storytime.

The Bear Snores On by Jane Chapman- Animals wander into a bears cave while he is hibernating and cook a feast.

Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson- Awesome, atypical illustrations. Monochromatic color scheme really sets the mood for this arctic tale.

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett-Such a fun, creative book! You have to see it to understand.

STORYTIME: Shape Up!

Books:
Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier - Bright colors and a good introduction to the circle shape. It can be found anywhere from the buttons on your shirt to the stars in the sky. Have the kids find as many dots in the room as they can after you read the book.

Press Here by Herve Tullet- Clever and fun read aloud. The audience helps you by pressing, blowing, on and shaking the book to create a fun interactive journey filled with colorful dots.

Perfect Square by Michael Hall- Think "Press Here." A square gets torn up into all sorts of shapes that are turned into flowers, parks, and oceans. A very creative book that can show kids how a square can be broken down and turned into anything...with a little imagination. A great craft activity to accompany is right from the book. Give each child a square of tissue paper, have them rip it up into 6-8 pieces. Glue those pieces onto a piece of paper. Give them crayons and let them draw flower stems and leaves to make the bits of tissue paper the flowers.

Shape by Shape by Suse Macdonald- Can also be used in a shape themed storytime. By using cutouts and naming the different shapes we finally get to find out what the animal featured in this book is by the last page.

STORYTIME: 4/5/11

Song: The More We Get Together
Book: Mouse Mess byLinnea Riley
Fingerplay: Hickory Dickory Dock using mouse finger puppet
Book: Have Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
Fingerplay:The Wheels on the Bus
Book: Black Meets White by Geoff Waring
Rhyme: If Your Wearing Red Today
Book: Maybe a Bear Ate It by Robie H Harris
Yoga: Sunrise/sunset, moonflower, gorilla, cobra/updog, lion breathe