Preschool Storytime:
Opening: Big Books
Book: I Spy Pets (With special guest doing ASL.)
*I love how enthusiastic the preschooler get when I read books like this one to them. They absolutely adore guessing books, and this one is just perfect!
Fingerplay/Flannel: Mouse and Cheese Hiding Game
Fingerplay: Ten Little Kittens
Ten little kittens standing in a row (Palms facing forward, fingers extended)
They bow their heads to the children so (bend fingers forward and back)
They run to the left, they run to the right (move fingers to alternate sides, wiggling fingers)
The stretch up tall with all their might (stretch hands over head) DO HIGH, LOW, BEHIND, FRONT, FAST, SLOW
Along comes a dog, looking for some fun
(fingers of one hand resting on thumb, move hand towards other hand)
“Meow!” Away those kittens run!
(As you meow, open both hands with fingers extended, “run” hands behind back)
*I am trying to remind myself to do more fingerplays, to help with fine motor skills. The preschoolers had so much fun with this one! I added more motions to this one, to stretch it out. The best part was when the preschoolers started telling me what they wanted to do! That's when I knew that they were really enjoying it as much as I was.
Book/Flannel: Cat’s Colors
*This is such a gorgeously illustrated book. Cat starts out with just gray in his world. What's a cat to do? Why collect colors! Before I start, I prop up my cat puppet onto my flannelboard. Then, as cat collects each color inside the book, I place a colored dot onto my puppet. The preschoolers loved seeing my cat literally get covered up in spots!
Fingerplay/Flannel: 5 Little Kittens Jumping on the Bed
Book: Can a Cat Do That?
*This is the first time I've read this book in storytime, and I'm so thankful that I did! All throughout the story, you ask the same question. Can a cat do that? I love that it's repetitive, because the preschoolers catch on very quickly and end up asking me the question. Not only do we get to see and act like a bunch of different animals, but it helps them learn what a cat can and can't do. A great learning and teaching book.
Extra Books:
Our craft today was a shape cat! Since our theme this summer is space, I wanted to add a moon and start to our craft.
Time for Two’s Storytime:
Opening: Big Books
Book: I Spy Pets
*The two's love books that open up to reveal the big picture of an animal, and this book is perfect for that. I love using puppets, so my puppet friends had to visit us during this book!
Fingerplay/Flannel: Mouse and Cheese Hiding Game
Fingerplay: Ten Little Kittens
Ten little kittens standing in a row (Palms facing forward, fingers extended)
They bow their heads to the children so (bend fingers forward and back)
They run to the left, they run to the right (move fingers to alternate sides, wiggling fingers)
The stretch up tall with all their might (stretch hands over head)
Along comes a dog, looking for some fun
(fingers of one hand resting on thumb, move hand towards other hand)
“Meow!” Away those kittens run!
(As you meow, open both hands with fingers extended, “run” hands behind back)
*I was a little worried that this fingerplay would be a little too much for the two's, but the loved it! I really think they would have kept on doing it, it I had let them.
Book: Pet the Pets by Reul
*This book is absolutely amazing! It's such a wonderful, interactive book to use with all ages. You have to do an action, then lift the flap to see the reaction. The two's were amazed to see what happened! There is another book by this author that I'm planning on using at my next storytime.
Fingerplay/Flannel: 5 Little Kittens Jumping on the Bed
Our craft today was a shape cat! I didn't realize until it was too late that this craft had too many pieces for the two's. But I have to say, the parents took it on and bravely helped out their two's with it!
