Flannel Friday: Spot and Friends Dress Up by Eric Hill

It has been so long since I posted on my blog! I have been attending conferences and trainings all month, which really cut into my time thinking about storytimes, flannel boards and blogging. Here is the most recent flannel board I used in toddler storytime this week. I have many more from the month to add and will be working on that in the coming weeks.

I did a dress-up storytime this week so the toddlers would have another opportunity to wear their Halloween costumes. All my books were about playing dress-up. Surprisingly it was really hard to find books at the toddler level about playing dress-up. So, I used a couple of flannel board stories instead of reading the actual books. If anyone has book suggestions, I would like to do the same storytime again next year. Our volunteer made this wonderful flannel board of the board book Spot and Friends Dress Up by Eric Hill. I got a used copy of the book from Amazon and used it as the template.

Spot and Friends Dress Up by Eric Hill

Spot and his friends want to have a dress-up party.

Spot wants to be a cowboy.
He puts on his hat and boots.
Yippee! Now he is a cowboy.

Tom wants to go to the party as a pirate.

He puts on his pirate hat and striped sweater.

Yo-ho-ho! Now he is a pirate.

Helen wants to be a ballet dancer.

She needs her tutu and ballet slippers.

Tra-la-la! Now she's a ballerina.

Steve wants to dress as a clown.

He puts on his funny shoes and clown shirt.

Ha-ha-ha! Now he's ready to be a funny clown and make everyone laugh.

Spot and his friends have lots of fun playing dress-up at their party. When they are all ready, they share yummy milk shakes and cookies while they have fun playing games.

Toddler Storytime: Apples

Early Literacy Tip: You don't actually need to read books aloud to your children ALL THE TIME in order for them to benefit. Talking about the illustrations in books helps children develop background knowledge and an appreciation for the visual arts. Talk about the colors- not only the names of the colors, but whether they are bright or pastel, clear or blurry. Doing this can be especially fun for longer books and books you have read over and over again.


Books



Apple Harvest by Calvin Harris


Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins


Pepo and Lolo and the Red Apple by Ana Martin Larranaga


Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng

Activities/Visuals


Hand out red, yellow and green apples to toddlers. Recite the rhyme I Like Apples. After each verse, the toddlers bring their red, yellow or green apple to the flannel board.

Songs & Rhymes


Way up high in an apple tree

(add actions to the song)

Way up high in an apple tree.

Two red apples smiled at me.

I shook the tree as hard as I could.

Down came the apples!

Mmmm they were good.

Applesauce

Peel an apple, cut it up, cook it in a pot.

When you taste it you will find it’s applesauce you’ve got.

I Like Apples
Red apples,

Big apples,

Good apples,

Yummy apples,

Any kind of apples,

I like apples.

Green apples,

Big apples,

Good apples,

Yummy apples,

Any kind of apples,

I like apples.

Yellow apples,

Big apples,

Good apples,

Yummy apples,

Any kind of apples,

I like apples.

Flannel Friday: I Like Apples

This week in toddler storytime the theme was "Apples". I will get the whole storytime posted soon. Here is the rhyme and the flannel board the kids did with the rhyme. I got the apples from Microsoft Clipart a couple years ago. I didn't save the file once I made the visual. All the toddlers got an apple and they brought it to the board after we recited the verse about the red, green or yellow apple.

I Like Apples

Red apples,

Big apples,

Good apples,

Yummy apples,

Any kind of apples,

I like apples.

Recite rhyme for green and yellow apples too.

Autumn Leaves Storytime

Early Literacy Tip: Imagination plays a critical role in problem solving and learning. You can nurture your child's imagination by playing games. Today we are going to sing a song while we throw cloth leaves in the air. At home you can reenact this game and song by waving colored scarves and pretending they are leaves swirling down from a tree.

Books


Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson



Autumn Orange by Christianne C. Jones



Kitten's Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes



Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall


Activities/Visuals 

1. Flannel Board Guessing Game Little Bird, Are You in the Green Tree?
   I  got this activity and visual from Mel's Desk. First I asked the toddlers what color the trees were and then I told them there was a blue bird hiding behind the tree and asked them if they wanted to help me find it. Each time we looked under the tree, I asked the toddlers to name the color first. They loved the game. I did it at the very beginning of storytime so I could hide the bird before anyone was in the room. It was a great way to introduce how the leaves are changing colors and the theme for storytime.
   
2. Throw fabric leaves in the air while you sing Autumn Leaves are Falling Down (see words below).
   I put a basket of fabric leaves in the middle of the room and invite the toddlers to help me throw them in the air while we sing the song. We sing the song three times while we throw the leaves around the room. Then I ask them to help me pick them up. The whole time we are cleaning up I talk about what great helpers they are and how they are such good listeners. This is also a big hit for this storytime. I got the leaves at a craft store for decorating the tables at my fall wedding several years ago. I saved them (like I do everything) for storytime.

Songs

This is the way we rake the leaves...
(act out motions)
This is the way we rake the leaves
Rake the leaves, rake the leaves.
This is the way we rake the leaves
In the middle of autumn.

This is the way we jump in the leaves
Jump in the leaves, jump in the leaves.
This is the way we jump in the leaves
In the middle of autumn.

Autumn Leaves
(Tune: London Bridge is Falling Down)
Autumn leaves are falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
Autumn leaves are falling down,
Yellow, red and brown.

Flannel Friday: Mouse Mess by Linnea Asplind Riley

I did a mouse theme for toddler storytime this week. Here are the flannel boards I used and the books, rhymes and songs I had fun sharing.

Flannel Board Visuals for "Mouse Mess" Storytime Theme

The toddlers brought the pictures of food to the the board while I read Mouse Mess by Linnea Asplind Riley aloud. I do an activity like this with the last book or rhyme every week. The toddlers love helping out in storytime. It is great for helping them practice taking turns and being in a larger  group of kids.

Here is the pdf for the food images to use with the book. I just found pictures of food from searches on Google Images.

I also used my flannel board for Lunch by Denise Fleming. I posted that one for a previous Flannel Friday. 

"Mouse Mess" Storytime Outline

Early Literacy Tip: One way kids prepare for reading is by learning about print. A good way to point out print is by reading food labels aloud in the kitchen or in the grocery store. Soon your child will recognize the words and will practice "reading" them when he or she see the labels.

Books:

I Miss You Mouse by Greg Foley

Lunch by Denise Fleming

Mouse Mess by Linnea Asplind Riley

Mommy, Where Are You? by Leonid Gore

Songs/Rhymes/Fingerplays:

Action Rhyme: Jumping Beans

Rhyme: Make Your Hands Go Clap, Clap, Clap... 

Nursery Rhyme: Hickory, Dickory Dock

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Tickle Rhyme: 'Round and 'Round the Garden

Rhyme: Mouse in a Hole

Rhyme: Where are the Baby Mice?

Shakers:

Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Song: Goodbye Song

Words for Mouse Rhymes:

Mouse in a Hole

A mouse lived in a little hole,
Lived softly in a little hole.
(cup hands)
When all was quiet,
as quiet as can be...
(whisper)
OUT POPPED HE!
(loudly and tickle)

Where Are the Baby Mice?
(add actions to fit the words)
Where are the baby mice?
Squeak, squeak, squeak.
I cannot see them.
Peek, peek, peek.
Here they come from a hole in the wall...
1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
That's all!

Flannel Friday: I Love You Sun, I Love You Moon by Karen Pandell

This is the first week of toddler storytime at our library (we take the summer off). I put together an "I Love You" storytime to kick off the season. Our  volunteer made a new flannel visual for me to use for the book I Love You Sun, I Love You Moon by Karen Pandell and illustrated by Tomie de Paola. I have tried to get a big book of this a couple of times and can never manage to find one in stock. So, here is my flannel visual to tell the story and also my outline for the storytime I did this week.

Here is the pdf for the clipart the volunteer used to make the flannel pieces.

The toddlers put the pieces on the board as we got to each thing in the story. I forgot to have our volunteer make a sheep, so I used a clipart one I have used for different rhymes or stories.

"I Love You" Storytime Outline

Early Literacy Tip: Through reading you will develop a special bond with your child. Today we are reading books about love. Snuggle up with your kids and let them know how much you love them through the books you share.

Books:

All the Things I Love about You by LeUyen Pham


Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton


I Love You Sun, I Love You Moon by Karen Pandell


I Love My Mommy by Giles Andreae


I Love My Daddy by Sebastien Braun

Songs/Rhymes/Fingerplays (I just did my favorites since it was the first storytime for the year):
Sing I’m a Little Teapot
Bounce Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Sing Itsy Bitsy Spider
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes
Action We Can Jump


Flannel Visual with Book:
I Love You Sun, I Love You Moon by Karen Pandell
Toddlers put their flannel piece on the board when we come to it in the story.

Shakers:
Sing Alphabet Song with shakers
Sing Goodbye Song

Flannel Friday: Bruno's Hammer

I am putting together a tool storytime to use this year for my toddler groups. So, I had our volunteer make Bruno's Hammer from rovingfiddlehead kidlit. Thanks so much for sharing this great visual. Here is the pdf of clipart I put together for our volunteer to use as a template.