October 20th, 2017

The Books We Read:
Whoo Goes There? by Jennifer Ericsson
Night Animals by Gianna Marino
Go Sleep in Your Own Bed by Candace Fleming

Songs and Activities:
Five Little Brown Bats
Five little brown bats hanging from a tree.
One flew away, now how many do you see?
Count down to zero.
Credit: Adapted from Jbrary

Two Little Hoot Owls
Two little hoot owls, sitting on a hill;
One named Jack and the other named Jill.
Fly away Jack! Fly away Jill!
Come back, Jack! Come back, Jill!

Two little hoot owls, sitting down below;
One named Fast and the other named Slow.
Fly away Fast! Fly away Slow!
Come back, Fast! Come back, Slow!

Two little hoot owls, feeling very proud;
One named Quiet [whisper] and the other named Loud [shout]...
Fly away Quiet! Fly away Loud!
Come back, Quiet! Come back, Loud!
Credit: Jbrary

Project—Nocturnal Scene:

March 19th, 2019

The Books We Read:
The Super Hungry Dinosaur by Martin Waddell
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Songs & Activities:

This is Big
This is big, big, big. [stretch arms out wide]
This is small, small, small. [cup hands together]
This is short, short, short. [hold hands close together, palms facing]
This is tall, tall, tall. [spread hands toward floor and ceiling, palms facing]
This is fast, fast, fast. [circle fists around each other, quickly]
This slow, slow, slow. [circle fists around each other, slowly]
This is yes, yes, yes. [nod]
This is no, no, no. [shake head]

Credit: Mel's Desk (Melissa Depper)

Craft—I'm the Biggest Thing Collages

We used bubblewrap, plastic forks, and other shapes to create an underwater world, complete with a giant squid and other sea creatures--inspired, of course, by I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean!

March 14th, 2017

The Books WeRead:
The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
Knuffle Bunny Freeby Mo Willems

Songs & Activities:
Little Bunny Foo Foo
Credit: Childhood

Two Little Bunnies
Two little bunnies sitting on a hill,
One named Jack, the other named Bill
Run away, Jack! Run away, Bill!
Come back, Jack! Come back, Bill!

Two little bunnies, sitting in the snow,
One named High, the other named Low...

Two little bunnies, feeling very proud
One named Quiet, the other named Loud...

Two little bunnies, sitting in the snow,
One named Fast, the other named Slow...
Credit: Adapted from jbrary

Craft—Construction Paper Bunnies
We were enjoying a rare snow day at the library, so had some of our school kids at story time!

 

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September 22nd, 2015

The Books We Read:
Ten LIttle Caterpillars by Bill Martin, Jr. and Lois Ehlert
Traveling Butterlies  by Susumu Shingu
Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar by Clare Jarrett

Songs and Fingerplays:
One Little Caterpillar (fingerplay)
One little caterpillar (crawl fingers up arm)
Made a cocoon one day (fold hands together)
Turned into a butterfly (hook thumbs, spread fingers)
And flew away!
Credit: Storytime Katie

The Caterpillar Song
Let's be caterpillars, wiggle with me (repeat 3x)
What will we be next, darlings?
Now we're a chyrsalis, sleep with me (repeat 3x)
What will we be next, darlings?
We're butterflies now, come fly with me (repeat 3x)
That's what we are now, darlings!
Credit: Storytime Katie

Project—Coffee Filter Butterlies:

July 31, 2018

The Books We Read:
Monkey: A Trickster Tale From India by Gerald McDermott
This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Hare and Tortoise by Alison Murray

Songs & Activities:
We Clap and Say Hello
We clap and say hello! We clap and say hello!
With our friends at storytime, we clap and say hello!

We [wiggle, jump, hop, stomp, dance, spin, whisper] and say hello...
Credit: Adapted from Jbrary

Five Little Monkeys
Five little monkeys swinging from a tree, teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can't catch me!"
Well, along comes Mr. Crocodile, quiet as can be, and he SNAPS that monkey right out of the tree.
[Count down until there are no monkeys left.]

Credit: Traditional

Craft—First-Prize Ribbons

Inspired by our prize-winning tortoise in Hare and Tortoise, kids made their own special sparkly ribbons.

January 6, 2015

What We Read:

Alex and Lulu by Lorena Siminovich
Cats are Cats by Valeri Gorbachev
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake  by Laura Numeroff

Songs & Activities:
I'm a Little Kitty Cat
Sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"
I'm a little kitty cat nice and sweet.
Here are my whiskers, here are my feet.
When I go out hunting, mice beware...
Or you just might get a SCARE!
Credit: Jbrary

Hickory Dickory Dock

Craft--Cat Cut-outs:

Cat Parade!

March 15th, 2016

The Books We Read:
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
T is for Terrible by Peter McCarty
Dino Pets by Lynn Plourde

Songs & Activities:
Dinosaur Stretch
Spread your arms way out wide;
Fly like a Pteranodon, soar and glide.
Bend to the floor with your head down low;
Walk like a Stegasaurus did long ago.
Reach up high, as tall as can be;
Like an Apatosaurus munching on a tree.
Use your claws to grumble and growl;
You're a hungry T-rex on the prowl.
Credit:Storytime Katie

Dino Chant
Dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo;
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
A hungry T-rex was a-walking down the street,
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
Looking around for something good to eat,
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
[call and response]:
He was HUGE! [arms out]
He was STRONG! [show muscles]
Won't be hungry very long. [wag finger]
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.

Credit: Jbrary

Dinosaurs in the Swamp
[Sung to the tune of Wheels on the Bus]
The Pteradactyl's wings go flap, flap, flap...all through the swamp.
The Tyrannosaurus rex goes roar, roar, roar...all through the swamp.
The Brachiosaurus goes munch, munch, munch...all through the swamp.
The Stegosaurus' horns go poke, poke, poke...all through the swamp.

Credit: Kidsparkz.com

Craft—Construction Paper Dinosaurs:

April 30, 2019

The Books We Read:
Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna the Very First Chicken by Douglas Rees
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
T is for Terrible by Peter McCarty

Songs & Activities:
Dino Chant
Dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo;
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
A hungry T-rex was a-walking down the street,
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
Looking around for something good to eat,
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
[call and response]:
He was HUGE! [arms out]
He was STRONG! [show muscles]
Won't be hungry very long. [wag finger]
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.

Credit: Jbrary

Dinosaurs in the Swamp
[Sung to the tune of Wheels on the Bus]
The Pteradactyl's wings go flap, flap, flap...all through the swamp.
The Tyrannosaurus rex goes roar, roar, roar...all through the swamp.
The Brachiosaurus goes munch, munch, munch...all through the swamp.
The Stegosaurus' horns go poke, poke, poke...all through the swamp.

Credit: Kidsparkz.com

Craft—Construction Paper Dinosaurs:

Kids used dot markers, jewels, crayons and feathers to jazz up their plant-eating dinos.

Some dinosaurs had more "bling" than others...

January 30th, 2018

The Books We Read:
Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton
T is for Terrible by Peter McCarty
Dino Pets by Lynn Plourde

Songs & Activities:
We Clap and Say Hello
We clap and say hello! We clap and say hello!
With our friends at storytime, we clap and say hello!

We [wiggle, jump, hop, stomp, dance, spin, whisper] and say hello...
Credit: Jbrary

Dino Chant
Dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo;
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
A hungry T-rex was a-walking down the street,
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
Looking around for something good to eat,
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.
[call and response]:
He was HUGE! [arms out]
He was STRONG! [show muscles]
Won't be hungry very long. [wag finger]
Singing dino ditty ditty dum ditty doo.

Credit: Jbrary

Craft—Paper Plate Stegosaurus:

February 10, 2015

The Books We Read:
Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
I'm My Own Dog  by David Ezra Stein
Bark, George  by Jules Feiffer

Songs & Activities:
My Dog Rags
I have a dog, his name is Rags
He eats so much his belly sags
His ears flip flop, and his tail wig wags
And when he walks he goes zig-zag

Chorus:
He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag;
He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag;
He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag;
I love Rags and he loves me.

My dog Rags, he loves to play.
He rolls around in the mud all day.
I whistle and I whistle but he won’t obey.
He always runs the other way!
Chorus

Digger Dog
I have a little doggie, her paws are very big.
And when she goes outside she likes to dig and dig and dig.
She puts her bone into the hole, and covers it in a snap.
Puts one paw on the other and lies down to take a nap (zzzzzzz)!

Craft—Valentine's Pup:

This was a super fun way to combine our theme with Valentine's celebrations.  The after-school crowd really enjoyed the left-overs!

September 15th, 2015

The Books We Read:
Bob by Tracey Campbell Pearson (a Vermont author!)
Piglet and Papa  by Margaret Wild
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson

Song:
Rhyming Stretch
Reach for the ceiling, touch the floor;
Stand up again, let's do some more!
Touch your head, then your knees;
Now touch your shoulders, like this you see!
Reach for the ceiling, touch the floor;
Time to sit down, there is no more.
Credit: Jbrary

Five Pigs
Five pigs so squeaky clean, cleanest you've ever seen,
Wanted to go outside and play. Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud and landed with a great big THUD!
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs. Oink! Oink!
Repeat, counting down...

Project—Clothespin Sheep:

October 11th, 2016

The Books We Read:
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip Stead
Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Songs & Activities:
Autumn Leaves Stretch
(To the tune of London Bridges)
Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down.
Autumn leaves are falling down, it is fall.

Take a rake and rake them up, rake them up, rake them up.
Take a rake and rake them up, it is fall.

Make a pile and jump right in, jump right in, jump right in.
Make a pile and jump right in, it is fall.
Credit: Various sources

Mmm-AH! Went the Little Green Frog
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day.
Mmm ah! went the little green frog.
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day.
and they all went mmm mmm ah!!
But we know frogs go shanananana! shanananana! shanananana!
We know frogs go shanananana!, they don't go mmm mmm ah!

Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day.
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish.
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day.
and they all went bloop bloop bloop!
But we know fish go kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss!
We know fish go kissy kissy kiss!, they don't go bloop bloop bloop!

Grrr-grrr! went the big brown bear one day.
Grrr-grrr! went the big brown bear.
Grrr-grrr! went the big brown bear one day.
and they all went grrr-grrr-grrr!!
But we know bears go huggy huggy hug, huggy huggy hug, huggy huggy hug.
We know bears go huggy huggy hug,they don't go grrr-grrr-grrr!
Credit: Jbrary

Five Little Hoot Owls (w/ flannel board)
Five little hoot owls sitting in a tree, one flew away, how many do you see?
[Count down to zero.]
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

Craft—Owl Masks

Inspired by Bill from Owl Babies, the kids made masks with bright, colorful feathers.  Here is a fun example:

November 27th, 2018

The Books We Read:
Little Home Bird by Jo Empson
Mother Bruce by Ryan Higgins

Songs & Activities:
Way Up in the Sky
Way up in the sky, the big birdies fly.
While down in the nest, the little birdies rest.
With a wing on the left and a wing on the right,
They're sleeping, they're sleeping most all of the night.
Shhh! Don't wake up the birdies!

The bright sun comes up, the moon goes away.
"Good morning! Good morning!" the little birds say.
Credit: Childhood

One Bright Scarf
Credit: Jbrary

Snowflake Dance (w/ Scarves)
Snowflakes, snowflakes all around; in the air and on the ground.
Some are big and some are small. Roll them into a snowball.
When the sun comes out to play, all the snowflakes melt away.

Credit: Intellidance^TM

Craft—Pine Cone Bird Feeders
As a service to all the Vermont birds that stick around during the winter, we made feeders out of pine cones, sun butter, and bird seed.

July 24, 2018

The Books We Read:
The Pig in the Pond by Martin Waddell
Aquariumby Cynthia Alonso
Swimmy by Leo Leonni

Songs & Activities:
We Clap and Say Hello
We clap and say hello! We clap and say hello!
With our friends at storytime, we clap and say hello!

We [wiggle, jump, hop, stomp, dance, spin, whisper] and say hello...
Credit: Adapted from Jbrary

I Had a Little Turtle
I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap.
And now he's at home sick in bed with bubbles in his throat.
Oh, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, pop!
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, pop!

Credit: Jbrary

Craft—Swimmy Watercolor Collages

We created vivid watery backgrounds for our sponge-print Swimmys!

October 27th, 2015

The Books We Read:
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead
The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham

Songs and Fingerplays:
You Can Hear
(Tune: She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain)
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR ROAR!
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR ROAR!
You can hear the lions roaring, you can hear the lions roaring,
You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR ROAR!
(Snakes hissing, bears growling, wolves howling, frogs croaking, zebras braying)
Credit: Storytime Katie

Project—Lion Masks:

November 17th, 2015

The Books We Read:
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip Stead
Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin, Jr.
Sleepover with Beatrice and Bear by Mônica Carnesi

Songs and Fingerplays:
Hibernation Song
Sung to the tune of Allouette

Chorus:
Hibernation. Time for Hibernation.
Hibernation. Time to go to sleep.

In the winter where's the bear?
Sleeping in its log or lair.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!

Chorus
In the winter where's the frog?
Sleeping in a rotten log.
Where's the frog? Rotten log.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!

Chorus
In the winter where's the snake?
In the mud beneath the lake.
Where's the snake? Beneath the lake.
Where's the frog? Rotten log.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!

Chorus

In the winter where's the bat?
In a cave is where it's at.
Where's the bat? Where it's at.
Where's the snake? Beneath the lake.
Where's the frog? Rotten log.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!
Credit: Charles County Public Library

Little Green Frog
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day
Mmm ah! went the little green frog
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day
and they all went mmm mmm ah!!
But we know frogs go shanananana! shanananana! shanananana!
We know frogs go shanananana!, they don't go mmm mmm ah!

Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day
and they all went bloop bloop bloop!
But we know fish go kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss!
We know fish go kissy kissy kiss!, they don't go bloop bloop bloop!

Grrr grrr! went the big brown bear one day
Grrr grrr! went the big brown bear
Grrr grrr! went the big brown bear one day
and they all went grrr grrr grrr!
But we know bears go huggy huggy hug!, huggy huggy hug!, huggy huggy hug
We know bears go huggy huggy hug!, they don't go grrr grrr grrr!
Credit: Jbrary

Project—Hibernating Bears:

November 28th, 2017

The Books We Read:
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip Stead
Forever Friends byCarin Berger

Songs and Fingerplays:
Hibernation Song
Sung to the tune of Allouette

Chorus:
Hibernation. Time for Hibernation.
Hibernation. Time to go to sleep.

In the winter where's the bear?
Sleeping in its log or lair.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!

Chorus
In the winter where's the frog?
Sleeping in a rotten log.
Where's the frog? Rotten log.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!

Chorus
In the winter where's the snake?
In the mud beneath the lake.
Where's the snake? Beneath the lake.
Where's the frog? Rotten log.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!

Chorus

In the winter where's the bat?
In a cave is where it's at.
Where's the bat? Where it's at.
Where's the snake? Beneath the lake.
Where's the frog? Rotten log.
Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!
Credit: Charles County Public Library

Little Green Frog
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day
Mmm ah! went the little green frog
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day
and they all went mmm mmm ah!!
But we know frogs go shanananana! shanananana! shanananana!
We know frogs go shanananana!, they don't go mmm mmm ah!

Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day
and they all went bloop bloop bloop!
But we know fish go kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss!
We know fish go kissy kissy kiss!, they don't go bloop bloop bloop!

Grrr grrr! went the big brown bear one day
Grrr grrr! went the big brown bear
Grrr grrr! went the big brown bear one day
and they all went grrr grrr grrr!
But we know bears go huggy huggy hug!, huggy huggy hug!, huggy huggy hug
We know bears go huggy huggy hug!, they don't go grrr grrr grrr!
Credit: Jbrary

Project—Hibernating Bears:

January 15th, 2019

The Books We Read:
Where's My Mom? by Julia Donaldson
Tiptoe Tapirs by Hanmin Kim
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Songs & Activities:
We Clap and Say Hello
We clap and say "hello!"
We clap and say "hello!"
With our friends at storytime,
We clap and say "hello!"

We [fill in action--stomp, spin, jump, hop] and say "hello!"
...
Credit: Jbrary

Five Little Monkeys
Five little monkeys, swinging from a tree, teasing Mr. Crocodile:
"You can't catch me!"
Well, along comes Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be and he...
SNAPS that monkey right out of the tree!

[Four little, three little, etc.]

Credit: Childhood

Craft—Tiger and Lion Masks
Everyone had fun creating an animal mask--lion, tiger, or something in between!

April 18th, 2017

The Books We Read:
A Perfect Day by Lane Smith (not pond-related, but I couldn't resist!)
Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folguiera
Pig in the Pond by Martin Waddell

Songs & Activities:
Little White Duck by Walt Whippo

We sang the story to the original tune by Bernard Zaritzky, with a little help from our puppet friends (above).

Mmm-AH! Went the Little Green Frog (pond version)
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day
Mmm ah! went the little green frog
Mmm ah! went the little green frog one day
and they all went mmm mmm ah!!
But we know frogs go shanananana! shanananana! shanananana!
We know frogs go shanananana!, they don't go mmm mmm ah!

Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish
Bloop bloop! went the little blue fish one day
and they all went bloop bloop bloop!
But we know fish go kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss! kissy kissy kiss!
We know fish go kissy kissy kiss!, they don't go bloop bloop bloop!

Ssss-sss! went the little red snake one day
Ssss-sss! went the little red snake
Ssss-sss! went the little red snake one day
and they all went ssss ssss ssss!!
But we know snakes go jumpy jumpy jump, jumpy jumpy jump, jumpy jumpy jump
We know snakes go jumpy jumpy jump,they don't go ssss ssss ssss!
Credit: Revised from Jbrary

Craft—Lily Pads and Frogs:

The kids used watercolor paints to color their frogs and lily pads and scrunched up colorful tissue paper to make flowers.

April 14th, 2015

The Books We Read:
Monkey, a Trickster Tale from Indiaby Gerald McDermott
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild  by Peter Brown
Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen

Songs & Activities:
Five Little Monkeys
Five little monkeys swinging from a tree,
Teasing Mr. Crocodile: 'You can't catch me!'
Along came Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be...
And he SNATCHED that monkey right out of the tree!

Four little...Three little...Two little...One little.. No little monkeys!

Craft—Paper Plate Tigers: