Specs
Age group: toddlers (24 - 36 months)
Group Size: about 10 kids and one parent/caregiver per toddler
Time: 10:30am to 11:15am
Parent/Caregiver Handouts
One of my colleagues told me that one of the ways we can encourage parents to participate is to give them printouts of the songs and rhymes we use. This way, they can participate with the child beside them, or on their lap, and the handout close by. Here are the ones we used for this storytime:
The Plan
Up Down Turn Around
Hands Are Clapping
Book: Round Like A Ball by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Song: Earth Day Song
Felt Story: From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Book: Counting in the Garden by
Song: Recycling Song with shakers
Craft
Parachute + Colouring Sheet
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Welcome Song
(sing to tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down”)
Hi hello and how are you
How are you? How are you?
Hi hello and how are you?
How are you today?
It’s a bright and sunny day
Sunny day, sunny day
It’s a bright and sunny day
For storytime and play!
Stretching Rhyme: Up Down Turn Around
Up, down
Turn around
Touch the sky
Touch the ground
Wiggle fingers
Wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders
Say hello!
Song: Hands Are Clapping
(sing to tune of “Skip To My Lou”)
Hands are clapping
Clap clap clap
Hands are clapping
Clap clap clap
Hands are clapping
Clap clap clap
Clap your hands my darling!
Continue with …
-feet are stomping
-arms are flapping
End with …
Now let’s sit on the floor
Now let’s sit on the floor
Now let’s sit on the floor
Sit on the floor my darling!
Or continue more actions …
Toast in the toaster
Getting very hot
Tick tock tick tock
Up you pop! Book: Round Like A Ball by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Reaction: The toddlers guessed almost right away what the round item in the book is, but only because I accidentally showed them the title page at the beginning of the story. Whoops @~@ Regardless, they enjoyed the guessing game.
Song: Earth Day Song + globe ball pass
(Sung to "Mulberry Bush")
This is the way we pick up trash,
pick up trash, pick up trash.
This is the way we pick up trash
To help our Mother Earth.
This is the way we pick up trash,
pick up trash, pick up trash.
This is the way we pick up trash
To help our Mother Earth.
I actually changed the song above to the following and brought out a round globe ball for the toddlers to pass around. It's a good exercise in sharing and motor skills.
This is the way we share the earth,
Share the earth, share the earth.
This is the way we share the earth
We love you mother earth.
Reaction: Some of the younger toddlers were not able to pass the ball along, but they were laughing all the while anyway.
Felt Story: From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Reaction: I'm justifying the use of this book for an earth theme storytime because a) it's a really good action book, b) it's also nice as a felt storytime., and c) the earth if populated by animals! A colleague and some volunteers helped to make the felt animals above. Since there are so many pieces, each child was able to hold one felt animal. As I read the book, I asked the toddlers to stand up if they had the animal I just read about, and then do the action afterward.
Book: Counting in the Garden by Kim Parker
Reaction: I asked the toddlers to help me count, but I think that by this time, they were restless, so I stopped reading and asked them to grab some shakers for the next song!
Song: Recycling Song with shakers
(Sung to "Row Row Row Your Boat")
Save, save, save the cans, throw them in the bin,
We can help to save the earth if we all pitch in.
We can help to save the earth if we all pitch in.
Save, save, save the paper....
Save, save, save the bottles....
Save, save, save the plastics....
Reaction: The toddlers always enjoy the sound of the shakers.
Save, save, save the bottles....
Save, save, save the plastics....
Reaction: The toddlers always enjoy the sound of the shakers.
Craft: Mole Claws
Materials:
-cardboard box, cut into claw shapes (we modified the pattern found here)
-coloured tissue paper cut into small squares
-crayons and markers
-glue sticks
-foam strips (2 glue-gunned to the back of the claws as wrist and finger holders, as shown in pic below)
More pics:
We had time for the parachute today! Yahoo! We sang the "Under My Umbrella" song. I then handed out an earth theme colouring sheet.
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Credits: I took the songs and rhymes from a variety of sources, some from work, and others from different parts of the internet. I will try to give credit where it is due, so if something is yours and I haven't credited you, please let me know and I will link back to you. Thank you!
