We have been doing a lot of themed storytimes lately, and today's theme was supposed to be robots, but I had trouble finding anything to go with that theme except the "I Am a Robot" song (which we did actually dance to today). I figured rather than put on a subpar storytime that stuck with a difficult theme, I would put on a GREAT storytime without a theme.
So our first story today was I Am Tall by Flying Frog. This is a lift-the-flap book I like because at the end, you have to physically turn the book sideways in order to reveal the tall giraffe. It's also a fun book of opposites, and the preschoolers have fun calling them out. I like to prompt them by saying things like, "If the bird is small, then the giraffe is..." and they almost always catch on right away.
Our first movement song of the day was "Clap Your Hands," which I got on a burned CD from a previous library and haven't been able to find another downloadable version of since. Some children's songs are illusive like that (and like the Out of the Box goodbye song), and I'm glad I kept my version because it's a great movement song that keeps the kiddos engaged. I like to start it out by asking if they know how to clap their hands, stomp their feet, brush their teeth (that always gets a laugh), and touch their nose. They always respond that they do, and show me how they do it. My answer before pressing play is, "Well then, you guys will do great at this next song!" I've found a short introduction like this to movement songs makes them more interested to see what is about to happen.
This is the version of "Clap Your Hands" that I use.
Next we danced to "Arms Up," a simple and slightly mellower tune which is also impossible to find on the internet without knowing who sings it.
Click here to listen to the version of "Arms Up" that I use.
Our second story was Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard. I love, love, LOVE this book. It is so funny, and formulaic enough that the kids can follow along almost immediately, without ever becoming boring.
One thing I like to do with this book is teach the kids the sign for "grumpy" before we start reading. Then every time the bird declares that he's grumpy, we practice the sign while making our grumpiest faces.
 |
| angry/grumpy |
Our last movement song was the fun, fast, and silly "I Am A Robot." Even though the kids (and me, most of the time) have a hard time following all the directions quickly enough, we all have fun doing our best robot dance and powering down at the end.
After that, we said goodbye to all our friends until next week, and ended with the bubble-filled baby mosh pit that pretty much the best part of my day.
No comments:
Post a Comment