Animal Countdown (Preschool and Two's)

Preschool Storytime:

*A lot of my plan I didn't get to do, because we had to move our storytime outside, unexpectedly. Because of this, I didn't take all of my props or puppets out with me. Also, we had landscaping going on at the same time, since we didn't get to reserve the park. So, I had to cut out some of the things I had planned, but we still made it work, and that's what counts!

Opening: Big Books

Book: Count the Monkeys

*I love this book! It's really fun to make interactive, and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

Fingerplay: Five Little Bunnies

      Hippety hop and hippety hay,

      Five little bunnies went out to play.

      Hippety hop and hippety hay.

      One little bunny hopped away.

      *Repeat until no one left

      Hippety hop and hippety hay,

      One little bunny hopped away.

      No more bunnies are playing today.

*Everyone went crazy over this fingerplay, which made me very happy! I put up five rabbits on my flannelboard, so that the kids could help me count while we were hopping around. I found the words for it here.

Book: Five Little Monkeys Play Hide and Seek

*I love using this book with the kids, and have them help me find the monkeys hiding in the book. I think they would have enjoyed this much more if we were inside were everyone could see the illustrations better, but still a great read!

Fingerplay: Five Little Fishies Swimming in the Sea

*We didn't do this song, but it's such a fun one to use!

Fingerplay/Flannel: Make a Pig

*I absolutely love having the kids help me make something on the flannelboard, and we made a pig. I found the awesome idea for this here.

Song: Five in the Truck

*This is another perfect song that fit in wonderfully with this theme, but we didn't get to do it this time. You can see it done here.

For our craft, the kids got to glue the correct number of dots onto the ladybugs.  

Extra Read-Alouds:

Near, Far

One More Dino on the Floor

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Pete the Cat: Five Little Ducks

Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes

Roar: A Noisy Counting Book

Sheep Go To Sleep

Time for Two's Storytime:

*Well, this week has just been crazy! I ended up coming down with the flu, and couldn't be here for storytime. But thankfully it was already planned and my awesome boss stepped in for me!

Opening: Big Books

Fingerplay: If You Want to Hear a Story

Book: Count With Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!

*I thought the two's would have loved this lift-the-flap book, but they weren't too impressed with it. I think it's an adorable book!

Fingerplay/Song: “Old McDonald Had a Farm”

     

Book: Moo A First Book of Counting

*I love this book, but I forgot to ask how it went over. Hopefully very good!

Fingerplay: Five Little Fishies Swimming in the Sea

Book: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

*This book was the favorite pick of the two's, and I can't blame them! I love Pete the Cat!

Action: Animal Movement Cards

For our craft, the kids got to glue the correct number of dots onto the ladybugs.

Happy Valentine's Day! (Two's and Preschool)

Time for Two's Storytime:

Opening: Big Books

Fingerplay: If You Want to Hear a Story

Book: Where is Baby’s Valentine?

*The two's always love hunting for items inside the books, and they enjoyed doing this today.

Fingerplay/Flannel: Lovebug Hiding Game

Love bug, love bug oh so smart. Are you hiding behind the (name color) heart?

*I was very excited to find a Valentine's Day game, and this one is so cute!  Check it out here.

Fingerplay/Flannel: Color Valentine’s

   Valentine, valentine, heart so yellow, wiggle around like a happy fellow!

    Valentine, valentine, heart so red, put your hands up over your head!

    Valentine, valentine, heart so green, clap your hands so you’ll be seen!

    Valentine, valentine, heart so blue, put your hands on your shoes.

Book: Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine

*I thought this book was adorable, but the two's weren't very enthused about it. I think they were too excited about our party after storytime to pay attention to the book at this point.

Fingerplay: Bee Mine, Bee Mine, Sweet Valentine

*The kids loved getting to see the puppets pop up for this.

Cut-and-Tell Story: Valentine’s Day on the Farm

*I really wanted to do this story with the two's, but they were too excited today to listen.

Action: Heart Dancing

*We ended storytime today by dancing around with our hearts and placing them on our flannelboard.

Extra Books:

If You’ll Be My Valentine by Rylant

Llama Llama I Love You

Kiss: A Heartwarming Book of Giving

For the craft, the kids got to place stickers all over their butterfly.  We got the idea for this craft from a picture I found on pinterest here.  We put a saying on our butterflies that said "You Make My Heart Flutter".  Below is what our butterflies looked like.

Preschool Storytime:

Opening: Big Books

Fingerplay/Flannel: Heart Matching

*I love holding up one item, and then telling the kids I want to find its match. I never hold up the correct match first, so that the kids can tell me that it's wrong. For our Valentine theme, I used these adorable hearts, which you can get here.

Book: Mole’s in Love

*This book is so cute! The kids liked guessing what animal mole was in love with.

Fingerplay/Flannel: Lovebug Hiding Game

The kids always enjoy hunting for something on my flannelboard, and today was no exception. We hunted for a lovebug, and I found this cute game here.

Book: Love Monster and the Last Chocolate

*The kids were super quiet during this book, and it made me so happy that they were completely engrossed in it. I took an empty candy box I had and made a prop for love monster, and they really enjoyed getting to see the one chocolate left inside it. Plus this book has a great meaning to it, one we all need to hear.

Fingerplay: Bee Mine

*This is a wonderful fingerplay and the kids loved telling me what food to feed my animals.

Book: Day it Rained Hearts

*I haven't read this book in a long time, and wanted to today, but I ran out of time.

Fingerplay/Flannel: Six Valentine’s

*I love doing this fingerplay with the kids, and you can find the words for it here. I am really excited to do this again, because I found some adorable felt mailboxes that I can place my envelopes inside the next time I do this fingerplay!

  

Book: Foxy in Love

*Foxy is in love, but he doesn't quite hear everything right his dear friend tells him. The kids liked this book, but didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Next time I will read this near the beginning of storytime, when they aren't quite as restless.

Optional Cut-and-Tell Story: Valentine’s Day on the Farm

*I love doing this storytime during this time of year, but I had too much planned. But I'd rather be prepared and have too much to do than not enough!

For our craft today the kids made a fish valentine. I found the idea for this craft here. I loved it, but wanted to put the fish in water, so we made our own version which is below.

Extra Read-Alouds:

Here Comes Valentine Cat

The Day It Rained Hearts

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose

Big and Little (Preschool and Time for Two's)

Preschool Storytime

Opening: Big Books

Book: Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake

*The kids were so quiet during this book, but it meant they were listening intently. I found the fabulous idea of making a flannelboard of a big cupcake on this website. You cut up your cupcake, and as I read the story my volunteer pulled off pieces of the cupcake from my flannelboard. I hid the mouse underneath the cupcake wrapper and asked the kids where mouse's piece of cake was, and a few of them told me beneath the wrapper. It's a great read and I plan on using it again!

Fingerplay: “Little Birds”

Little birds, little birds, jump up and down

Little birds, little birds, don’t make a sound

Little birds, little birds, tip-toe to me

Little birds, little birds, bend your knees

Little birds, little birds, peep, peep, peep

Little birds, little birds, sleep, sleep, sleep

Little birds, little birds, fly to the leaves

Little birds, little birds, sit down please *This is a fun fingerplay to get the kids up and moving, and they enjoyed doing it. I found this here.

Fingerplay/Flannel: Little Mouse, Little Mouse

Book: Little Nelly’s Big Book

*I thought this book was absolutely precious, but the kids didn't get into it at all. Sometimes the books will work, sometimes they don't. But it's still a great book!

Fingerplay: Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree

Book: Tiny Little Fly

*The kids loved this book, and adding the puppets really helped. I also had a tiny little fly that would buzz around all the puppets as we read, which the kids seemed to enjoy.

Animal Action Cards: Animal Action Cards

*The kids love getting up and acting like animals, so I pulled out these animal action cards. You can download them for free here.

Book: Near Far

*I've been wanting to use this book for a while now in storytime, but we didn't have time today. I think the kids would enjoy guessing what animal they see inside the book, so maybe next time!

Our craft today was a little tiny mouse beside a big cupcake, which goes along with the first book that we listened to.  The kids glued down the mouse and the sprinkles on the cupcake. 

(Preschool) Extra Books:

A Big Surprise for Little Card

A Small Thing...But Big

Because a Little Bug Went KA-CHOO!   

Big Cat

Complete Adventures of Big Dog and Little Dog

5 Little Ducks

Go Away, Big Green Monster!

I Don’t Want to Be Big!

Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkert

Nighty-Night, Little Green Monster

Poor Little Guy

Ten Little Caterpillars

What Does the Bee See?

You Are (Not) Small


Time for Two's Storytime

Opening: Big Books

Fingerplay: If You Want to Hear a Story

Book: Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake

*The kids were so quiet during this book, but it meant they were listening intently. I found the fabulous idea of making a flannelboard of a big cupcake on this website. You cut up your cupcake, and as I read the story my volunteer pulled off pieces of the cupcake from my flannelboard. I hid the mouse underneath the cupcake wrapper and asked the kids where mouse's piece of cake was, and a few of them told me beneath the wrapper. It's a great read and I plan on using it again!

Fingerplay/Flannel: Little Mouse, Little Mouse

Fingerplay: “Little Birds”

Little birds, little birds, jump up and down

Little birds, little birds, don’t make a sound

Little birds, little birds, slap your knees

Little birds, little birds, touch your nose

Little birds, little birds, peep, peep, peep

Little birds, little birds, sleep, sleep, sleep

Little birds, little birds, fly to the leaves

Little birds, little birds, sit down please

*This is a fun fingerplay to get the kids up and moving, and they enjoyed doing it. I found this here.

Book: Tiny Little Fly (With puppets)

*The kids liked this book, and adding the puppets really helped. I also had a tiny little fly that would buzz around all the puppets as we read, which the kids seemed to enjoy.

Fingerplay/Flannel: Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree

Book: Meet My Feet!

*The two's took me by surprise with this book. They knew a lot of the animals in this book! A great one to use for storytime!

Action: Animal Dancing

*Today we danced around with little birds.

Our craft today was a little tiny mouse beside a big cupcake, which goes along with the first book that we listened to.  The kids glued down the mouse and the sprinkles on the cupcake. 

(Two’s) Extra Books:

Big Bear, Small Mouse

Big Fish, Little Fish

Little Gorilla

Meet My Feet!

Nighty-Night, Little Green Monster

So Cozy