Yum! Yum! Let's Eat! (Preschool)

Book: “Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes”

*This book was so much fun to read! What I did was make ten cupcakes and place them on rulers. I had them propped up behind me on the puppet stage. As I read, my volunteer pulled them down when it was time. Definitely a great book to use with this theme.

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Who Wants a Pancake?”

Who wants a pancake, piping hot?

{Alligator}  takes the one with butter on top.

Who wants a pancake, piping hot?

{Sheep}  takes the one with blueberries on top.

Who wants a pancake, fresh off the griddle?

{Snake} takes the one with syrup in the middle.

Who wants a pancake, piping hot?

{Monkey} takes the one with bananas on top.

*This was a great fingerplay to do. I found this here.

File Folder Storytelling/Book: “Very Hungry Pumpkin”

*I was really hoping that the kids would enjoy this great story more than they did. I had a few kids that loved it, but last year when I told this story, they were amazed! What I did was make pumpkins out of paper, and I placed a hidden pocket on the back of each pumpkin. When the pumpkin ate each piece of food, I tucked that piece of food into the back pocket to make it disappear. Then I held up the new pumpkin, and went on to the next line of the story. To see the full version of this and the website where I found it, click here.

Book: “Worms for Lunch”

*I am in love with this story, but the kids weren't taken off with it like I am. They enjoyed it, but not as much as I had hoped.

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Turkey, Turkey”

Turkey, turkey, come and play.

What color house are you in today?

*As usual, the kids went crazy telling me what color house to look behind for our turkey. Here is the website where I found this adorable game!

Book: “Peanut Butter and Jelly”

*This book is such a great book to make interactive. In the back of the book is a list of hand motions that you can do with each page. Sadly, we ran out of time for this one.

Action: “Feed Rabbit”

Rabbit, rabbit, crunch, crunch, crunch.

How about a carrot for your lunch?

*I had forgotten how much the kids love feeding the animals food! Normally I will feed our puppets food before we do this action, but the kids were already too restless at this point for that. What I did was hand out carrots to the kids. Then I showed them my bunny rabbit and they went crazy! I popped my carrot into the rabbit's mouth and held him while the kids rushed up to feed the rabbit. Here is the website where I found this wonderful idea.

Game: App game of GUESS THE FOOD

*I completely forgot to play this game with the kids, but am planning on doing it next time.

Action: Turn kids into a pizza!!!

*This had to be the favorite part of storytime for the kids. I normally do this during October, which is National Pizza Month. What I do is have the kids sit or lay down on their carpet squares. I have all the pizza toppings cut out of construction paper. I sprinkle them with flour, and then sprinkle the paper toppings out onto the kids. They go crazy over this! We usually do this at least twice a year, and they never tire of it. In the book "Pete's a Pizza", the little boy can't go outside and play. So his parents turn him into a pizza, which is why we do this with the kids. So much fun!

Extra Read-Alouds:

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

I’ll Wait, Mr. Panda

Mouse Who Reached the Sky

Nanette’s Baguette

Ten Apples Up On Top!

Ten Hungry Pigs

Craft:
For our craft today the kids made pancakes! For some reason, I can't find my sample. But the kids got to take four small pancakes and glue them to a small saucer. Then they got to choose from all kinds of paper toppings we had laid out. So much fun!

Yum! Yum! Let's Eat! (Two's)

Opening: Big Books

Fingerplay: “If You Want to Hear a Story”

Book: “Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes”

*This book was so much fun to read! What I did was make ten cupcakes and place them on rulers. I had them propped up behind me on the puppet stage. As I read, my volunteer pulled them down when it was time. The kids let me know very quickly when my cupcakes disappeared. Then I would ask my kids, was it you who took my cupcakes? Priceless! We also used puppets which are always a big, big hit with the 2's. Definitely a great book to use with this theme.

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Who Wants a Pancake?”

Who wants a pancake, piping hot?

{Alligator}  takes the one with butter on top.

Who wants a pancake, piping hot?

{Sheep}  takes the one with blueberries on top.

Who wants a pancake, fresh off the griddle?

{Snake} takes the one with syrup in the middle.

Who wants a pancake, piping hot

{Monkey} takes the one with bananas on top

*This was a really fun fingerplay to do. I found this great idea here.

File Folder Storytelling/Book: “Very Hungry Pumpkin”

*I was really hoping that the kids would enjoy this great story more than they did. I think they were so excited about the puppets that their attention span was gone by this point. What I did was make pumpkins out of paper, and I placed a hidden pocket on the back of each pumpkin. When the pumpkin ate each piece of food, I tucked that piece of food into the back pocket to make it disappear. Then I held up the new pumpkin, and went on to the next line of the story. To see the full version of this and the website where I found it, click here.

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Turkey, Turkey”

Turkey, turkey, come and play.

What color house are you in today?

*We ran out of time today to hunt for our turkey, but click here to check out where I found this adorable game.

Action: “Feed Rabbit”

Rabbit, rabbit, crunch, crunch, crunch.

How about a carrot for your lunch?

*I had forgotten how much the kids love feeding the animals food! Normally I will feed our puppets food before we do this action, but the kids were already too restless at this point for that. What I did was hand out carrots and we danced around with our carrots. Then I showed them my bunny rabbit and they went crazy! I popped my carrot into the rabbit's mouth and held him while the kids rushed up to feed the rabbit. Besides the puppets, this was the kids favorite part, I do believe. Here is the website where I found this wonderful idea.

*For the craft today, we made pancakes! Out on the table was a plate, with four pancakes and a fork laid out. In the middle of the table, the kids could choose to add butter, syrup, blueberries, strawberries, and bananas to their pancake.

Extra Read-Alouds:

Lemons Are Not Red

What’s for Lunch? By Garrett

Who's Hungry?

Yum! Yum! By Yonezu

We're Going on a Leaf Hunt (Two's)

We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt”

Time’s for Two’s Storytime

Opening: Big Books

Fingerplay: “If You Want to Hear a Story”

Book: “We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt”

*This book reads like "We're Going on a Bear Hunt". You climb over mountains, swim through a waterfall, and as you go along you pick up leaves. I like to make this interactive, and when we come upon each leaf, I will throw cut-out leaves onto the kids. (I didn't do that this time.) Near the end of the book, you come upon something black and white, a skunk!

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Little Bird, Little Bird”

Little bird, little bird. Are you behind the {orange} tree?

*My storytime kids love hunting for things hidden behind my flannel pieces, and this theme fit in perfectly. We hunted for a little bird behind one of our trees. You can download this wonderful pattern for free through this website.

File Folder Storytelling/Book: “Fall Is Not Easy”

*My boss made this wonderful file folder story of the book "Fall Is Not Easy". Every page of the book has been drawn out on a piece of paper. As you read the book, you pull out each piece of paper, changing what the tree looks like. Today the parents even laughed along when the tree started changing into silly things!

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Five Autumn Leaves”

Five little leaves sitting near a door:

{Alligator} took one, and then there were four.

Four little leaves sitting near a tree;

{Pig} took one, and then there were three.

Three little leaves, with nothing to do;

{Duck} took one, and then there were two.

Two little leaves, in the pale {November} sun,

{Horse} took one, and that left one.

Being alone wasn’t much fun,

Until {Snake} took him, and then there were none.

*Puppets are such a huge hit with the 2's, and they were a great thing to use today. Everybody loved seeing the puppets pop up and take one of my leaves away.

Book: “Tap the Magic Tree”

*I love, love, love this book! My favorite thing to do with this book is cut out paper leaves, flower petals, apples and snowflakes. I have the kids do the motions along with me as I read the book. When I shake the book and have the apples fall off the tree, the kids shake along with me on their carpet squares. Right after we all shake, the apples come tumbling down on the kids! But little construction paper apples, of course! I do this all through the book, and it does get messy and very loud. But that's exactly how I want my storytime to be!

*Our craft today was an autumn tree. The kids got to glue the leaves onto the top of the tree. Then they stuck the top of the tree into the toilet paper tube, which was already covered with brown paper.

Extra Read-Alouds:

Baby Loves Fall!

Busy Little Squirrel

Hocus Pocus, It’s Fall!

Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything

New Books for November (Part 1)

More new books!  Yeah!


This book will make you sleepy!  The illustrations are so precious!  As you read along, each planet gets tucked into bed.  I love the curlers and nightcaps on the planets, so cute!


Oh how this book melted my heart!  A great book for one-on-one reading with your child.  I won't spoil the ending, but this book is great to read with someone who is scared of dogs.  It demonstrates how you don't have to be afraid of dogs.  But by taking baby steps, little by little, you can overcome your fear.  You will fall in love with the bun-wearing girl and the scruffy little dog.  Not to mention the old man with the quirky straw hat.


*What a fun building book!  I love the ending of this book, because the builders forgot one brick!  All of the pages rhyme, and the illustrations are breathtaking.  You feel like you can reach in and pull out an actual brick from the page.  A great one to use for next years' SRP theme!


*I am so excited!  I adore Mr. Panda, and this book is worth the wait!  The little penguin is the only one willing to wait for Mr. Panda and his creation.  What is it?  A doughnut.  Not just a tiny doughnut, but an enormous doughnut!  Doesn't the tiny chef's hat atop the giant panda steal your heart?


*Oh, what havoc superheroes could wreak when they have bad days!  This rhyming book takes you on a super adventure showing you just what superheroes could do!  But don't fear, they reign in their good and realize that they don't need to, and use their powers for the good!


*This book makes learning so much fun, and the kids don't even realize it.  With a simple rhyming sentence to each page, you will learn the length of a football field.  How long you say?  As long as 960 sandwiches joined in song!  At the bottom of each page is the actual length of the sandwich so that you can do the math.



*Oh wow, I have tears in my eyes from laughing at this book!  The creators of this book brought back the fluffy dog, but beware, he gets put through a workout.  I want to make a giant remote control to use during this book, because that will make it so much more interactive.  Plus there is a firetruck in this book, which always makes it more popular too!


This book is a true tongue-twister, but it's really worth it!  If you're brave enough to read this aloud, then the kids will appreciate it.  I want to buy actual bread to break and use while I read this book, to show the kids what is happening to my baguette!


Who's ready to play?  Owl!  But all his friends are asleep!  When owl goes around to play, he ends up tucking them all into bed.  But when owl finally goes to bed, who is waiting on him to play?  His friends!  Hooray!


What a great interactive color book!  This book starts out with black and white illustrations and strict instructions.  No colors allowed!  But as you go on, color starts to creep in.  Your job as a reader is to get all the color out by rubbing it off the page.  But it doesn't work!  Then you have to spin and tilt the book.  But nothing works!  What fun you can have by filling the book with colors and showing the kids what all they can do with a little imagination and nothing else but a book.


What a great combination of my two favorite things, dinosaurs and pirates!  These rollicking rhymes will keep you on your toes as you sail the seas.  The grinning toothy dinosaur on the cover may be small, but don't underestimate him!  


The beloved author of "Pete the Cat" has done it again with this silly book!  The disco ball with the spinning lights sets the stage for a dance party!  All of the book rhymes as you read along with Hazel who just wants to dance!  A great pick for you next dance party.

We're Going On a Leaf Hunt (Preschool)

“We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt”

Preschool Storytime

Opening: Big Books

Book: “We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt”

*This book reads like "We're Going on a Bear Hunt". You climb over mountains, swim through a waterfall, and as you go along you pick up leaves. I like to make this interactive, and when we come upon each leaf, I will throw cut-out leaves onto the kids. (I didn't do that this time.) Near the end of the book, you come upon something black and white, a skunk! The kids went crazy, and had so much fun at the ending. For some reason, the skunk kept popping back up behind me which added to the chaos!

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Little Bird, Little Bird”

Little bird, little bird. Are you behind the {orange} tree?

*My storytime kids love hunting for things hidden behind my flannel pieces, and this theme fit in perfectly. We hunted for a little bird behind one of our trees. You can download this wonderful pattern for free through this website.

File Folder Storytelling/Book: “Fall Is Not Easy”

*My boss made this wonderful file folder story of the book "Fall Is Not Easy". Every page of the book has been drawn out on a piece of paper. As you read the book, you pull out each piece of paper, changing what the tree looks like. The kids went crazy when the tree started changing into some silly things! Such a big hit with the kids, probably the favorite part of storytime today.

Fingerplay/Flannel: “Five Autumn Leaves”

Five little leaves sitting near a door:

{Alligator} took one, and then there were four.

Four little leaves sitting near a tree;

{Pig} took one, and then there were three.

Three little leaves, with nothing to do;

{Duck} took one, and then there were two.

Two little leaves, in the pale {November} sun,

{Horse} took one, and that left one.

Being alone wasn’t much fun,

Until {Snake} took him, and then there were none

Fingerplay: “Scarecrow, Scarecrow”

Scarecrow, scarecrow turn around then touch the ground.

Scarecrow, scarecrow stand up tall and blink your eyes.

Scarecrow, scarecrow reach to the sky.

Scarecrow, scarecrow clap your hands and tap your knees.

Scarecrow, scarecrow turn around and tap your feet.

Scarecrow, scarecrow touch your nose and then your toes.

Scarecrow, scarecrow swing your arms so very slow,

Now very fast to scare the crows!

Scarecrow, scarecrow pat your head,

Now jump up and down instead!

Scarecrow, scarecrow turn around and sit back down without a sound.

*The kids had a lot of fun with this fingerplay. They really enjoyed trying to figure out what I was going to say next. So much fun! Here is the website where I found this fingerplay.

Book: “Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze!”

*This book is really cute, but the kids didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped they would. When bear sneezes, he think that his sneeze causes the leaves and apples to fall off the tree. When this happened, I threw paper leaves and paper apples on the bear puppet. Some of the kids started hollering that they wanted stuff thrown on them, which is what I normally do.

Fingerplay/Action: “Colorful Squirrels

Put a squirrel in the magic tree stump!

Shake it, shake it, shake it a bunch!

Take him out and what do you see?

A cute little squirrel as RED as can be!

*I didn't have time to do this adorable action, but hope to later this month. Here is the website where you can view it.

Book: “Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything” (With boxes)

*This is a great interactive book to use this time of year. I used our storytime boxes and put the parts of the scarecrow onto the boxes, and my volunteer stacked the scarecrow up as we read about him. I found the fabulous idea for using boxes here.

*Our craft today was an autumn tree. The kids got to glue the leaves onto the top of the tree. Then they stuck the top of the tree into the toilet paper tube, which was already covered with brown paper.

Read-Alouds:

Count Down to Fall

Hocus Pocus It’s Fall!

How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?

Little Boo

Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

Nuts to You!

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree

Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze!

We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger

Who Goes There?