Sign Language Storytime: Bed Time

My Sign Language Storytime format is:
Intro and hello
Felt story
Movement song or video
Book
Movement song
Goodbye

This storytime is special for a couple of reasons. First, it's the only one that I give a handout with pictures of the signs on it, so that the kids and grownups can refer to it during storytime and then practice at home. Second, I'm experimenting with adding an AV component to storytime by showing videos to follow along with instead of just listening to songs.


Handout:

Intro and hello:
Hello: "Hello Friends"
Before turning on the music, I teach the kids (and grownups) the American Sign Language sign for "friends." Then we boogie, wave, and sing hello to all our friends!

Warming Up Motor Skills: "Open, Shut Them"
On this song we do the movements described in the lyrics: open our hands, close our hands, clap three times, put our hands in our lap, creep our fingers up to our chin, and don't let them in our mouths.

Stretch: "Tall/Small"
This is a short, easy stretch the kids get a kick out of. While we're stretching, I like to encourage them to reach for the ceiling, touch their toes, then make themselves into a tiny ball.

Felt Story
"The Moon Up Above"
To the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus"
Bolded words correspond to signs from the handout

The moon up above is big and bright (put moon on board)

Big and bright, big and bright

The moon up above is big and bright

In the sky

The moon up above is near the stars (put stars on board)

Near the stars, near the stars

The moon up above is near the stars

In the sky

The moon up above helps me to sleep (put bed on board)

Me to sleep, me to sleep

The moon up above helps me to sleep

In my bed

Video
"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" by My Smart Hands
During the video, I encouraged everyone to practice along. Using videos in storytime is still something I'm trying out, but it's going well so far.

Book
It's Not Time for Sleeping (A Bedtime Story) by Lisa Graff
This book repeats the line "It's not time for sleeping," which I encouraged the kids and their grownups to repeat with me every time, along with practicing the sign for "sleep."

Movement Song
"Hush Little Baby"

A short and simple sign song. I usually play it twice through so everyone has a couple chances to learn the signs.

Goodbye
"Until We Meet Again" from Out of the Box
When we sing this song, I help them recall the sign for friends from the hello song, and teach them a couple others as we sing: meet, time, and say.

Friends

Meet

Goodbye

This is the only storytime that I don't close with bubbles, because directly following is another program called Stay and Play where I set out 4-5 bins of toys for a 30 minute free play. Adding bubbles to that seems to be too much stimulation.