Red Storytime

Here is the next storytime in my color series. Its all about the color RED!!

·       I sang .Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree

                The kids got so into this song. I shortened it to three monkeys but wished I’d done all five. They were imitating every motion and anticipating the big clap that went along with the Alligator’s snap.

·       I did Willoughby Wallaby Woo so I could learn and sing each of the Children's names.

·       Showed the sign for "Red", What is Red? Who is wearing Red?

·       I went through our flannel board files again and pulled out any red items. I placed them all on the flannel board and had the children tell me what each on was. The kids were SO excited this morning!

·       Read The Red Hen by Rebecca Emberley

·       Sang Bumpin’ Up and Down in my Little Red Wagon

·       Sang Grey Squirrel

·       Flannel Board: Five Red Leaves

·       Sang Mary Had a Little Lamb

·       Read The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood

·       Sang Baa Baa Black Sheep

·       Here I was going to sing Hurry! Hurry! Drive theFire Truck, but the kids were so wild they were all doing that thing, where they are trying to sit on their bottoms, but they can’t actually make their little bottoms touch the floor. Its like they’re mounted on springs! Anyway, I didn’t think that song would be a good idea, since it tends to make a calm and mild group go wild.  We might have had to call a fire truck ourselves. Skipped!

·       Flannel Board: Five Lady Bugs

·       Sang Little Green Frog

·       Next we danced “Tapped” and Marched to some songs on a CD. I had to cut marching short when it became moshing. I faded out the music and had everyone sit back on their bottoms (as best they could manage) so I could tell them what was next. Then I let them go find a seat at the craft tables.

·       Our craft today was a Red collage. I started cutting red things out of magazines, but was only getting red high heel shoes and red purses and lipsticks so I ended up printing lots of red things and cutting those to use for collages. The kids glued the cut-outs to red construction paper.

·       Then it was Playtime!

Things went well today. The kids were wildly energetic, but they loved talking about and identifying all the objects on the flannel board and helping me count.

Flannel Board: Five Lady Bugs

This flannel story was here when I started my job. These five ladybugs are mounted on cardboard so they are nice and stiff and easy to pick up and put down on the flannel board.

Here is the poem:

I saw a little lady bug flying in the air,
But when I tried to catch her, two bugs were there!

Two little lady bugs flew up in a tree.
I tiptoed very quietly, and then I saw three!

Three little ladybugs - I looked for one more.
I saw one sitting on the ground: That made four!

Four little ladybugs - Another one arrived.
I saw her sitting on a flower and that made five!

Five little ladybugs, all red and black.
I clapped my hands and shouted and they all flew back!

Hurry! Hurry! Drive the Firetruck!

I learned this song at a Childcare workshop many years ago but I've put my own spin on it over the years. I sing the song once through as slow as I can possibly manage. When we get to the end and I ask "Is the fire out?" I give the kids a moment. Then I shake my head, as if they've all said no, (
which they will from then on) and say "No?! OH NO!!" and clap my hands to my cheeks in dismay! Then we sing the song again, but faster, and more urgently. I repeat this as many times as I like, usually between three and four. The last time I sing the song so fast that its hard to even understand the words but the kids LOVE the silliness of my panicky face and my super fast singing and my frenzied motions. When I'm ready to cut it off, I just clap at the last part instead of asking if the fire is out.

(Holding an imaginary steering wheel)

Hurry! Hurry! Drive the Firetruck!

Hurry! Hurry! Drive the Firetruck!

Hurry! Hurry! Drive the Firetruck!

(Ring imaginary bell)

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

(Climb an imaginary ladder)

Hurry! Hurry! Climb the ladder!

Hurry! Hurry! Climb the ladder!

Hurry! Hurry! Climb the ladder!

(Ring imaginary bell)

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

(Pan back and forth with an imaginary fire hose)

Hurry! Hurry! Spray the water!

Hurry! Hurry! Spray the water!

Hurry! Hurry! Spray the water!

(Ring imaginary bell)

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Is the fire out?

No?!

OH NO!

Repeat

Flannel Board: Five Red Leaves

Another flannel story that was here when I started my job.

Five Red leaves, five and no more.
A caterpillar ate one. Now there are four.

Four red leaves, that's easy to see.
Along came a storm, and now there are three.

Three red leaves, nothing much to do.
A big wind blew. Now there are two.

Two red leaves, shining in the sun.
I glued one on my paper so now there is one.

One red leaf, left all alone. A gust of wind blew it home!

Bumpin' Up and Down in my Little Red Wagon (2 Ways)

I sing this song two different ways.

1. As a lap-ride for little ones:

For the first verse we bounce baby gently up and down on our lap:

Bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon!
Bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon!
Bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon!
Won't you be my darlin'?

For the second verse the ride gets a little rougher when we find out the wagon is broken! We bounce baby side to side AND up and down, a little faster too.

One wheel's off and the axle's broken!
One wheel's off and the axle's broken!
One wheel's off and the axle's broken!
Won't you be my darlin'?

For the third verse we've completely left the roadway now and are just flying in this crazy broken wagon: We lift baby up up up during this verse.

Flyin' through the air in my little red wagon!
Flyin' through the air in my little red wagon!
Flyin' through the air in my little red wagon!
Won't you be my darlin'?

2. For older kids we leave off all that bouncing and flying. I usually encourage the kids to tap the beat of the song on their knees.

Bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon!
Bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon!
Bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon!
Won't you be my darlin'?

One wheel's off and the axle's broken!
One wheel's off and the axle's broken!
One wheel's off and the axle's broken!
Won't you be my darlin'?

After the first two verses I use the names of the kids and names of tools to try and fix that crazy wagon:

Cayden's gonna fix it with his hammer!
Cayden's gonna fix it with his hammer!
Cayden's gonna fix it with his hammer!
Won't you be my darlin'?

You can keep going this way as long as you can remember some tools.

The second version of the song is adapted from Raffi. The first version I learned in a childcare workshop some years ago.

Halloween (Black and Orange) Storytime

This session I am focusing on colors each week. I got this idea from Storytime Katie and her series of color storytimes, as well as my slight obsession with Rainbow order.

I would love to have started with 'Red' because: Rainbow Order, but alas, this week Storytime falls on October 30 so it had to be Black and Orange!

·       I sang 5 Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree.

I have a lot of late arrivals so I thought I would start on time, if possible, with a song like this and do the introductory "opening" song second once most of the people arrived. Unfortunately, this morning people were very very late so it didn't even work. Sigh.

·       I did Willoughby Wallaby Woo so I could learn and sing each of the Children's names.

·       Showed the sign for "Orange", What is Orange? Who is wearing Orange?

I went through our flannel board files and pulled out any orange items which is kind of alarming and not something I'd do if anyone was watching, because Ahghhgh! What a mess?! But anyway while safely alone I had picked all the orange items out and put them on the top of the board so we talked about what they all were. My favorite was an orange mitten which a child said was for getting things out of the oven!

·       Showed sign for "Black". What is black? Who is wearing black?

Also showed black items taken from all different flannel story files.

·       Read It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall

·       Sang Grey Squirrel

·       Performed Five Little Pumpkins fingerplay

·       Talked about Spiders. What is a Spider's house? Who is afraid of spiders? What  do we know about Spiders?

·       Sang Itsy Bitsy Spider

·       Flannel Board "Five Spiders on a Web"

·       Sang Mary Had a Little Lamb

·       Read Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

·       Sang Baa Baa Black Sheep

·       Flannel Board "Here is a Pumpkin"

·       Sang Little Green Frog

·       Next we danced to The Monster Mash

·       Then we did a Jack O'Lantern Craft

·       and it was Playtime!!

Song - Itsy Bitsy Spider

This is another classic I learned as a little girl. I strongly believe the song is "Itsy Bitsy" and reject any publication that tries to pass that eensy weensy business off. However, if YOU learned it another way forgive my prejudice and sing away.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the spout again!