Taking a Break...............

It's time for a little break, a little breather.....

We had a fun little Christmasy storytime last Thursday evening where I read the books, Pete the Cat Saves Christmas, by Eric Litwin, and Bear Stays Up for Christmas, by Karma Wilson.

We also sang "Jingle Bells" and shook our homemade crocheted jingle bells, which is a simple activity, but stll a lot of fun for the kids. 

Our craft was very simple, but the kids liked it. 

Luckily I have a daughter of my own and I know that she does not like peppermint very well, so in addition to a box of 'regular' candy canes I bought a box of blueberry candy canes (the only other flavor Wal-Mart had at the time).  Thank goodness I did because ALL of the kids chose the blueberry ones.  I guess my daughter is not the only child who does not really like peppermint!

I had cleaned out some areas of the library as we are preparing for our renovation and we found some od Hallmark tree ornaments still in the boxes (from 2000!!!!), and there were enough of them for all the kids to have one of those, as well as we cleaned out our display area of the stuffed animals, so each child got to pick one of those also (I cleaned them up...they still looked brand new...even still having the tags on them!).

It was a fun conclusion to our 2013 storytimes. 

Q and R

Books:
Finding books that relate to the letter Q was quite a challenge, one which I was not able to overcome, at least from the standpoint of an appropriate read-aloud book....they were usually too long and involved.  The Dream Quilt and Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen were two books that I found in our collection - nice books but too long for my littles.

Sooooo....we had two R books...both involving Rabbits, but both cute books.....

 They had a lot of fun with the book Duck! Rabbit!, and it was fun seeing their little minds working and seeing their faces when they were able to finally visualize the Rabbit or the Duck.

2024 Update:

Q Words:

quilt

queen

quit

quack

quiz

question

quotation/quote

quest

quick

quill

quail

quarrel

quarter

quart

quiet

quake

Q Books:
The All-Together Quilt, by Rockwell, Lizzy

Kitty Kat, Kitty Kat, where have you been? I've been to London to visit the Queen, by Punter, Russell

The Day the Crayons Quit, by Daywalt, Drew

Not quite black and white, by Ying Jonathan

Click, Clack, Quack to school!, by Cronin, Doreen

The girl with big, big questions, by Lee, Britney Winn

Fancy Nancy and the quest for the unicorn, by O'Connor, Jane

Oops, pounce, quick, run!, by Twohy, Mike

My Quiet Ship, by Adelman, Hallee

The Christmas Quiet Book, by Underwood Deborah

The Not so Quiet Library, by OHora Zacharia

The Very Quiet Cricket, by Carle, Eric

Bunny will not be quiet!, by Tharp, Jason (E)

Be Quiet!, by Higgins, Ryan T. 

Be Quiet, Mike!, by Patricelli, Leslie

The rooster who would not be quiet!, by Deedy, Carmen Agra

R Words:

radish

rug

rose

rock

road

railroad

robot

rope

race car

rainbow

river

radio

raspberry

river

rectangle

restaurant

read

rabbit

R Books:

Rah, rah, radishes!: a vegetable chant, by Sayre, April Pulley

Charlotte and the Rock, by Martin, Stephen

We will rock our classmates, by Ryan T. Higgins

I saw an ant on the railroad track, by Prince, Joshua

Robot Kitties, by Benton, Jim (BB)

Robot hide-and-seek, by Wood, Hannah (BB)

Race car Dreams, by Chriscoe, Sharon

Raindrops to Rainbow, by Micklos, John

Planting a rainbow, by Ehlert, Lois

Rainbow Fish, by Pfister, Marcus

Goodnight, Rainbow Cats, by Castro Uno, Barbara (BB)

Tugboat Bill and the RIver Rescue, by Brill, Calista
The Little White Rabbit, by Henkes, Kevin

https://preschoolmom.com/preschool-crafts/alphabet-crafts/

 

O and P

BOOKS:   Owl Babies, by Martin Waddell

This is Owl, by Libby Walden
Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen
Good Night Owl, by Greg Pizzoli 

I Am Not an Octopus, by Eoin McLaughlin
Ocean Babies, Rose

Ocean, by Kastner (BB)

Are You Mad at Me?, by Feder

Nothing Rhymes w/Orange, by Rex

Who Eats Orange?, by White

Over the Shop, by Lawson
Over & Under the Rain Forest, by Messner

In, Over, & Oh!, by Long

XO, Ox: a Love Story, by Adam Rex

O Words:

owl

ocean

olive

October

omelette

oral

orange

ostrich

oven

off

on

once

over

office

onion

oil

open

ox/oxen

orchid

oak

oasis

organ

overalls

oxygen

oatmeal

orchard

overcoat

Olympics

 

 

 

BOOKS:   Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester

Princess Charming, by Zibby Owens

The PaperBag Princess, by Robert Munsch

Any of the Pigeon books, by Mo Willems

Plant the Tiny Seed, by Christie Matheson

Planting a Rainbow, by Lois Ehlert

8 Little Planets (BB), by Chris Ferrie

Three hens and a peacock, by Laminack, Lester

Penguin Problems, by John, Jory

Penguin on Vacation, by Yoon, Salina

Playdate for Panda, by Dahl Michael (BB)

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, what do you see? by Martin, Bill Jr.

How do you hug a porcupine?, by Isop, Laurie

Porcupine's picnic: who eats what? , by Rosenthal, Betsy

Norman Didn't Do it!: (yes, he did), by Higgins, Ryan T. 

A Balloon for Isabell, by Underwood, Deborah

P Words:

penguin

panda

princess

prince

pigeon

plant

planet

popsicle

porcupine

potato

peacock

https://preschoolmom.com/preschool-crafts/alphabet-crafts/

Leftovers and ReRuns Storytime - December 3, 2013

I don't know about you, but this time of the year just seems to creep up on me, and the number of hours don't always seem to be enough.  I only work 10 hours per week here at the library, have the 2 storytimes, and I put in about 4.5 of those hours in an afterschool Homework Center. My planning time is precious and cramped sometimes.  If I don't have many kids at Homework Center, I do use that time to prep, but I never know for sure.  With the library closed last week for Thanksgiving, I lost several of those hours.  I was a little panicked with what to do with this mornings storytime.  Then it hit me:  LEFTOVERS!   ....it was actually a little more like "RERUNS" but who's arguing semantics? 

I chose some of the favorite and fun books

Rhyming Dust BunniesI had made these cute little dust bunnies to go with the book the last time I read it in storytime, and I just think they are the cutest little guys!  They were really easy....just yarn tied into loose (very loose) pom pom-like floppies...withlarge wiggly eyes and felt noses glued on.  They are just so fun!

 

This is, of course, ANOTHER favorite!  Who doesn't love to sing "His buttons, his buttons, his four groovy buttons"!....."Buttons come and buttons go, but did Pete cry?  Goodness no!"   I have a Pete the Cat puppet, and the kids of course love to open his shirt up and look at his belly button at the end!

 

And last, but certainly not least, by my ALL TIME FAVORITE AUTHOR, Mo Willems....ta da!: 

 

 





 Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

For whatever reason, Blogger is not letting me paste a picture of it into the blog post (maybe I've over-quotaed or something), but what a great book!


We also had some good fingerplays and songs that we did today:

If You Want to Hear a Story

To tune of “If you’re happy and you know it”

 

If you want to hear a story,

clap your hands! 

If you want to hear a story,

clap your hands!

 If you want to hear a story,

if you want to hear a story,

if you want to hear a story,

clap your hands!

 Other verses:

“nod your head,”

“rub your tummy,”

“sit so still,” etc.

 

If You Listen and You Hear Me

To tune of “If you’re happy and you know it”

If you listen and you hear me, go like this

*Clap any rhythm*

If you listen and you hear me, go like this.

*Repeat clapping*

If you listen, you will hear me

‘Cause you’re sitting really near me If you listen and you hear me,

go like this

*Repeat Clapping*

For added verses:

You can stomp rhythms,

pat your tummy or head,

clap quietly, etc.

Welcome, Everyone

To the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Welcome, welcome,

everyone

Now you’re here

We’ll have some fun.

First we’ll clap our

hands just so.

Then we’ll bend

And touch our toe.

Welcome, welcome,

everyone.

Now you’re here,

We’ll have some fun.

My Thumbs are Starting to Wiggle

Tune: The Bear Went Over the Mountain

My thumbs are starting

to wiggle

My thumbs are starting

to wiggle

My thumbs are starting

to wiggle

All day long.

Continue with other bodyparts.

Now I’m finished wiggling …

And I’m quiet as can be.

Kansas Reads to Preschoolers 2013 - "Dog's Colorful Day"

I am not entirely sure how long it has been going on, but once a year a committee selects a preschool-age-appropriate book title to be used for a statewide event called Kansas Reads to Preschoolers (click here to go to website for information and examples).   Last year the book was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archumbault.  This year's title was Dog's Colorful Day, by Emma Dodd.  The website referenced above had a lot of good activities to go with the book.  

 

 

M & N

M Books:

Walsh    Mouse Count
Walsh    Mouse Shapes

RileyMouse Mess
Roti    Cat Spies Mouse

Kirk    Library Mouse

Dahl    Mouse says "Sorry" (board book)

Wilson    Big Bear, small mouse

Numeroff    If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Wood    The Little Mouse, the red ripe strawberry & the big hungry bear

Bingham    Z is for Moose

Numeroff    If you give a moose a muffin

Lang    Grumpy Monkey

Lang    Grumpy Monkey says No!

Lang    Grumpy Monkey are we there yet?

Lang    Grumpy Monkey up all night long
Dahl    Little Monkey calms down (board book)

Martin    Spunky Little Monkey

Patricelli    Be Quiet, Mike!

Lemke    Book-o-Masks: a wearable book (board book)

Brett    The Mitten

Gag    Millions of Cats

Yarrow    Puff, the magic dragon

 

N Books:
Schwartz    The three ninja pigs

Brett    The Snowy Nap

Willems    I Will Take a nap (Piggie & Elephant)

Wood    The Napping House

Verdick    Noses are not for picking

James    Nurse Clementine

Litwin    The Nuts: bedtime at the Nut house

Litwin    The Nuts: Keep rolling

Litwin    The Nuts: Sing and dance in your polka-dot pants

Cordell    Hello Neighbor!

 McKellar    Goodnight, Numbers

Capote    Monster Knows Numbers

 

 

 

nice

nanny

nail

neat

nap

nature

necklace

nose

notebook

narwhal

nurse

name

number

nut

nest

neighbor

newspaper

nuggets

napkin

noodles

numbers

nursery

ninja

https://preschoolmom.com/preschool-crafts/alphabet-crafts/

November 5, 2013 - COOKIES!!!! YUM!!!

An absolute favorite author of mine is Mo Willems.  I think I would be like a teenage girl meeting a rock star if I ever got to meet him.  He is just FANTASTIC children's author, with a wonderful and witty sense of humor.  I don't know that I have found one of his books yet that I don't like.  The Pigeon books and the Piggie and Elephant books are by far my favorite, but I say that and I really like the Knuffle Bunny books, too.  It's hard to pick!!!

This morning we began with The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?, by Mo Willems

I had made some felt figures for the story, and after we read the book, we "retold" the story using the felt pieces on the flannel board.  We had a relatively small group, so it went okay, but they are a young group, and they have a hard time not being very handsy and want to "help"...it worked okay today because I had several pieces and they all behaved and cooperated really well together. 

We then did the classic "Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar".  It's a fun, but again because we are a pretty young group, most of them didn't "get" that they were supposed to "answer" back, but it still went fine.  The two older ones did get it, and we ALL sang the whole thing with the little ones.
Here is a link to a really nice printable to use with the song.
http://mrsgilchristsclass.blogspot.com/2011/08/who-stole-cookie-from-cookie-jar.html

After sharing apple juice and of course some cookies with the children, we concluded our storytime this morning with the very classic big book of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff.  A definite favorite. Many of the children commented that they had the book at home and knew the story, but I think that is totally awesomely acceptable!

Skunks Songs/Fingerplays

Little Skunk

I stuck my head in a little skunk's hole.
And the little skunk said, "Well, bless my soul,
Take it out, take it out, take it out, remove it!"
Well, I didn't take it out and the little skunk said,
"If you don't take it out you'll wish you had.
Take it out, take it out, take it out, P U!"
I removed it!

Stinky Skunk

I'm a little stinky skunk,
I'm sleeping under someone's bunk
Nobody wants to sleep with me,
I'm as stinky as can be
Honk, honk, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.

Owls Songs and Fingerplays

The Wide-Eyed Owl

There's a wide-eyed owl,
with a pointed nose,
with two pointed ears,
and claws for his toes.
He lives high in a tree.
When he looks at you
he flaps his wings,
and says, "Whoo, Whoo, Whoo."

Little Hoot Owl
(Tune: Six Little Ducks)

Who flies around in the dark of night?
Who glides on wings o'er silent night?
Who eats his dinner by late moonlight?
It's a little hoot owl with his owl eyesight!

Who-who, who-who, little hoot owl.
Who-who, who-who, little hoot owl.
Who-who, who-who, little hoot owl.
It's a little hoot owl with his owl eyesight.

Five Little Owls

Five little owls on a dark, dark night.
Five little owls are quite a sight.
Five little owls. Are you keeping score?
One flies away and that leaves four.
Four little owls as happy as can be.
One flies away and that leaves three.
Three little owls calling, "Who, Who, Who!"
One flies away and that leaves two.
Two little owls having lots of fun.
One flies away and that leaves one.
One little owl and we're almost done!
He flies away and that leaves none.

October 29, 2013 Tuesday Morning Storytime

Since I do two storytimes with a limited number of planning hours, I pretty much do the same storytime for both sessions.  With Black Squirrel Night last Thursday evening and Halloween this Thursday evening, we have no storytimes on those evenings, but still have the Tuesday morning storytimes.  Because I don't want to get one storytime too far ahead of the other, today and next Tuesday will be different themes, away from the alphabet activities we've been doing. 

Since Halloween is this Thursday, we did a small Halloween storytime including some Fall and Autumn theme.  I brought some small pie size pumpkins in and the kids decorated them with a variety of craft items, i.e., foam letter stickers to make name, feathers, pom poms, markers, glitter pens, etc.  It does get a little messy, but it's fun. 
This photo isn't from what we did, but just an example of being very similar to what my kids did :)

Today we read about Mouse's First Halloween, which is just darling books for little kiddos, about some things that might make us scared, but they turn out to be just normal, friendly, everyday items. The kids especially enjoyed joining in together saying, "Eeeek!"


The fingerplay we did today is an oldie but goodie. 

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late!"
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "I don't care."
The fourth one said, "Let's run, let's run!"
The fifth one said, "It's only Halloween fun."
Then Woooooo went the wind And OUT went the lights.
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight

Since I had the pumpkins for the craft available, I had 5 volunteers (plus really whoever else wanted to hold one) get a pumpkin and hold it on their lap.  When it said "the first one said," we would point to the first child, and so on.  When the pumpkins "rolled out of sight" we put them behind our backs to hide them.  It was a fun different way to do the actions.

The second book I read was All About Autumn.  It is a nice book, but not generally that engaging for little kids.  However, it is a nonfiction book and includes "real" photos in it instead of illustrations.  I think it is important to share nonfiction books with kids as well.

E & F

E = Elephant

F = Fish (Rainbow Fish)

E items - eraser, egg

F items - fly, fish, frogs (2), feather

https://preschoolmom.com/preschool-crafts/alphabet-crafts/

C & D

C = Chameleon

D = Dinosaur

D items in the box = Duckie, dog (2), dinosaur

C items - Cotton ball, crayon, car, coin, and cowboy (believe it or not, this cowboy was one of the ones I got at the thrift store in a sack, all for a quarter; antique stores are asking $5 for them sometimes!)

https://preschoolmom.com/preschool-crafts/alphabet-crafts/

A & B

I have perhaps commented on it before, but when I first started doing storytimes at the library back in the early 2000s, the director at that time did not allow us to do crafts at storytimes.  They were to include stories, rhymes, songs, etc., but no crafts, no snacks, etc.  At that time, it was really no big deal.  We had fun, but I didn't have to worry about crafts.  Well, after not doing storytimes then for several years while I raised my daughter at home, things changed at the library. New directors came and went and different ladies led storytimes.  Crafts and snacks came to be accepted as a part of storytimes.  So when I took back over a few years ago, I kept doing crafts. I'm a pretty crafty person; I enjoy them, etc.  Coming up with a new craft every week can be a challenge; and now doing 2 storytimes per week, it an be an extra challenge if I were to do different crafts.  (I don't, by the way.)

In searching for crafts to go with the alphabet, I ran across several sites referenced on Pinterest that had animals or other items that begin with the letter in the alphabet being used to actually 'make' the item.  I thought this was pretty cool, but would it be something that would get boring week after week of making the same flat/glue it on activity?

Wa-la!  It came to me!  Why don't we make alphabet books?  It would be a way to do these cute crafts each week, and it would be something to encourage steady attendance each week because you would want a complete book.  I know that sometimes people have to be gone for a variety of reasons, and so for my "regulars" I do actually put together a "Kit" with all the pieces of the craft, in a page protector, with a photo copy of a completed craft item.  Yes, it can be a lot of work, and management, but it seems to be going pretty smoothly.  I am using the Cricut electronic die cutting machine, and the Mickey font, to cut out the letters, so while I'm cutting I just cut a few extra to have on hand. Not that big of a deal, really.  The families are really enjoying it, I think. I was afraid that the little kids would be upset because they are leaving their pictures at the library and not taking it home with them each week, and that was a BIG question the first few weeks, a lot of the littles just didnt get it, but they are doing much better now. I can hardly wait for them to be completed so that the kids can take their books home, and hopefully they will have some keepsakes.

A for Alligator.

B  is for Bumble Bee

One thing that I have been wanting to do is to create some Literacy Center ideas and items for free play use here at the library. With my limited amount of hours that I work at the library, I really, really find it hard to find time to do everything with the ideas that I want to do, especially when I added the Tuesday morning storytime.  However, I had this idea in the back of my mind for a long time, and when I was searching alphabet activity ideas, something similar came up in the searches.

I bought the small storage containers at Dollar Tree; 4 in a bundle for $1.00 I believe.  I cut the letters with my Cricut electronic die cutting machine.  The items that have gone inside has been found and donated items; I did make a run to our local thrift shop, and picked up a third of a sandwich brown bag full for a quarter for a few items.  It's not as easy as it may seem to find items small enough to fit in the containers.  It has been fun for some of our staff members.  They started taking it very seriously to help find things.  I didn't want to make photocopies of anything; I wanted the "real" items. However, when it came to "X" I did have to break that rule for me....took a photocopy of an 'x-ray'!   I have been going back and adding things to letters already done if I find something new along the way.  When we are finished with these in storytime, I hope that we can use them in a Literacy area here in the children's area of the library.

A - apple.

B - butterfly, bandaid, bat, bubbles, block.

https://preschoolmom.com/preschool-crafts/alphabet-crafts/

Fall Storytime Session Begins == ABC

This fall I decided to do an all year theme.  I am doing the ABCs at least until Christmas Break and then see where I am, and in the new year I will do colors, shapes, and numbers.   I was an early childhood/early elementary teacher in my previous life.  Can you tell I miss it?

This is the bulletin board I made for the meeting room that we use for storytime. I like to decorate, but for the entire year usage, it is hard because the room is used by so many different groups.  Included in this, is this year our library will be beginning to do a renovation of the main area of the library, so our room will become office space DURING the renovation.  I don't get to do TOO much decoration. 

I have seen variations of this bottle done different ways. I called it an ABC Discovery Bottle.  The staff all saved their clear water and soda bottles for me.  We washed them out and made sure the inside was dry before we used them.

The night of our first storytime, this was our craft activity.  I had the alphabet sorted out for all of the kids so that they all for sure got beads in the entire full alphabet.  Some of the kids did go ahead and put extra alphabet beads in also, but it was important to ME that each kid did actually get at least one of every letter of the alphabet.  (Call that my anal side.)   The kids then were able to put in their choice of different colored beads and sequins, and some had some colored rice mixed in with the plain white rice.  After filling with plain white rice (leaving a space at the very top for room when shaking), I then hot glued the lid to all of the bottles for each kid.  There was a lot of shaking going on at this point. :)

*A note about the clean bottles pre-filling....I waited until the last moment to take all the labels off of the bottles.  This was a no-no.  The particular brand of sparkling water for the majority of the bottles had a label that left a really sticky residue on the side.  I really didn't have time or resources to use a goo remover on all of the bottles, so I took a white label and put it over the sticky party.  This worked pretty well because then we wrote each kid's name ON the label!   It made it look like I meant to do it! :)

 I saw this idea on Pinterest (what DON'T I see on Pinterest?)  I like to sew and quilt in my home life, so this was a natural attention grabber idea for me!   I drew these letters by hand but you could very easily use a purchased stencil and draw around it on fabric; just be sure to leave enough room on the outside for stitching and cutting with a pinking shears.  I cut through double layers of fabric and put batting in between before I cut so it was like little mini-letter quilts :)    The kids are enjoying playing with them, and I just used scraps of material from home.

I personally do not have a good knowledge of sign language, but I think it is important to at least be familiar with it.  Initially, I wanted to include teaching the kids sign language alphabet each week, but time became a factor, so I now just hang up the cards that I printed off of the website below onto white cardstock.  Honestly, I don't know that anyone is really paying attention to them this year, but I keep putting them up.  I would like to focus on the sign language a little in the future, hopefully.

 http://www.abcteach.com/directory/subjects-sign-language-bulletin-board-cards-689-2-1

T

These are the cards I printed off of the Sharing Kindergarten website onto cardstock also.  I hang them up on the book table each week (one week I forgot and one of the little girls caught me!).

 http://www.sharingkindergarten.com/2012/11/dr-jeans-letter-limericks-and-poems.html

I printed off all of the alphabet coloring pages, and I set copies out each week of the letters we are talking about, and kids and their families can pick them up on their way out. Kids love to be able to take something home with them. This fits the bill perfectly.
http://www.mrprintables.com/alphabet-coloring-pages.html

Fingerplays and Songs for the Littles

http://www.earlychildhood.msstate.edu/resources/curriculumforfour/pdfs/Ch14-activities-4s.pdf

Found this link today.  It is a HUGE 60-some page .pdf file of fingerplays and songs!

MIA?...or just B.U.S.Y.?

Although I have been most definitely MIA from the Small Town Storyteller blog, it is not because I have not been busy.  I don't think that makes sense, but let me explain.

Family storytime and our 4-week trial Tuesday morning storytime ended the end of April/first part of May in order to allow enough time to get ready for the Summer Reading Program, which began in June. 

Theme for Summer Reading was "Dig into Reading".  We have programs for children 3 years through newly completed 4th graders.  We had around 100 kids participate this summer in our reading program, which is improved over last year.  This makes me very happy! 

"Digging" lent itself to a variety of themes we were able to touch on during the six weeks of our program.  We gardened, excavated, went on treasure hunts to find treasure, dug fossils and dinosaur bones, talked about burrowing animals, etc. 

Summer is really a busy time, and although I SHOULD document the activities here on the blog, working my 10 hours a week here at the libary actually implementing the program, it doesn't allow itself for much extra time to update the blog. 

I am hopeful once I start the fall sessions of my regular storytimes again I will be able to do a better job of updating once again. 

The new sessions of storytime will start the second week of September....so see you in a few weeks!

Balloons Songs & Fingerplays and Games

Found on:  http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/balloons_dice_game.htm

Balloons Dice Game

Balloons is an ideal early learning dice game for little kids. We've got a fun printable and 4 variations to play with different ages.
There are a number of ways to play this game. Print out a stack of “Balloons!” printable sheets (you can use the economy setting on your printer) and choose the most appropriate variation for your child.
Age: 3+
Skills:
Number recognition
Pencil control
Equipment:
One die
Printable sheet
Colouring pencils
Our printable
Variation 1.
Roll the die. Colour a balloon of the correct number. There are no winners or losers – just aim for a colourful picture! Try to have coloured at least one balloon of each number before stopping the game.
Variation 2
A competitive game! The first child to colour in a line of three balloons with the same number wins.
Variation 3
Play until one player has three full lines of balloons coloured in (or for a specified time). This player is not necessarily the winner! Total up your score by adding the numbers on the coloured balloons. The winner has the highest score.
Variation 4
As Variation 3 above, but in this game if you already have a line of three balloons coloured in and throw the same number again, you must “pop” one of those balloons by crossing it out! That balloon no longer counts towards the final score.

Mice Songs & Fingerplays

I Like Mice
by Rose Fylerman

I think mice
Are rather nice.

Their tails are long,
Their faces small,
They haven't any
Chins at all.
Their ears are pink,
Their teeth are white,
They run about
The house all night.
They nibble things
They shouldn't touch
And no one seems
To like them much.

But I think mice
Are nice.

Tiny Mouse

There is such a tiny mouse
(make little mouse with fingers)
Living quietly in my house.

Out at night he starts to creep,
(creep fingers)
When everyone is fast asleep.
(pretend to sleep)

But always by the light of day,
(circle arms over head to form sun)
The mouse quietly, quietly creeps away.
(creep fingers again)


Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice
Three blind mice
See how they run
See how they run
They all ran after the farmer's wife
She cut off their tails with a carving knife
Did you ever see such a sight in your life
As three blind mice.

Little Gray Mouse
In a little round house
Lives a little gray mouse
On a bright sunny day
He runs outside to play.
He spies a cat...
And THAT is THAT!

Creeping Mouse
The little mice go creeping, creeping, creeping.
The little mice are creeping in the barn.
(fingers creeping on lap)
The little mice are eating, eating, eating.
The little mice are eating in the barn.
(nibbling motion at mouth)
The little mice are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.
The little mice are sleeping in the barn.
(rest head on "hand"pillow)
The old gray cat comes slinking, slinking, slinking.
The old gray cat comes slinking in the barn.
(snake motion with hand)
The little mice are running, running, running.
The little mice are running 'round the farm.
(running motion all over the air)

Five Little Mice
Five little mice on the pantry floor,
(run fingers on table top)
This little mouse peeked behind the door,
(wiggle thumb)
This little mouse not a sound did make,
(Wiggle middle finger)
This little mouse took a bite of cheese,
(Wiggle ring finger)
"Ah-choo", sneezed the kitten
(sneeze)
And "Squeak!" they cried
(Make fingers "jump")
As they found a hole and ran inside
(Hide hand behind back).

The Quiet Mouse
Once their lived a quiet mouse
(Hold up finger)
In a little quiet house
(Cover finger with other hand)
When all was quiet as can be
(Whisper this line)
OUT POPPED HE!
(Shout the line then pull finger out of hand)

Hurry, Scurry
Hurry, scurry, little mouse
(wiggle fingers on one hand)
Starts down at your toes)
(point to toes)
Hurry, scurry, little mouse,
(wiggle fingers up leg)
Past your knees he goes.
(wiggle fingers on knee)
Hurry, scurry, little mouse
(wiggle fingers up body)
Past where your tummy is,
(wiggle fingers up chest)
Hurry, scurry, little mouse,
(fingers on cheek)
Gives you a mousie kiss: (smack)
(on "smack" open hand wide)

Bugs/Insects Songs & Fingerplays

"Take Me Out to the Backyard"
Sung to: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

Take me out to the backyard.
Take me out with the bugs.
Locusts and beetles and dragonflies,
If I look hard I may even see slugs.
Let me look, look, look in the bushes
The trees, 'neath rocks and the lawn--
For it's one, five, ten flies I see
And now they're gone!

Bumblebee on My Nose
Sung to: Jingle Bells

Bumblebee, bumblebee,
Landing on my toes.
Bumblebee, bumblebee,
Now he's on my nose.
On my arms, on my legs,,
On my elbows.
Bumblebee, oh bumblebee,
He lands and then he goes!
                                           -Jean Warren

Bugs

Sung to: "Frere Jacques"

Big bugs, small bugs, big bugs, small bugs,
See them crawl on the wall?
Creepy, creepy, crawling, never, never falling.
Bug, bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs.

The Little Cricket

(Point to one finger at a time.)
The first little cricket played a violin.
The second little cricket joined right in.
The third little cricket made a crackly song.
The fourth little cricket helped him along.
The fifth little cricket cried, "Crick-crick-cree.
The orchestra is over and it's time for tea?

Flutter, flutter, Butterfly

Sung to: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

Flutter, flutter, butterfly.
Floating in the summer sky.
Floating by for all to see,
Floating by so merrily.
Flutter, flutter, butterfly,
Floating in the summer sky.

Ant Hill

Once I saw an ant hill with no ants about. (fingers curled under, concealed)
So I said, "Dear little ants, won't you come out?"
Then, as if the little ants had heard my call,
One, two, three, four, five come out? (as numbers are called, fingers are
extended)
And that was all!

Oh, the ants are busy!

Sung to: "She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain"

Oh, the ants are busy, busy as can be.
Oh, the ants are busy, busy as can be.
See them dig and dig and dig.
Lots of tunnels, oh, so big.
Oh, the ants are busy, busy as can be.

Roly-Poly Caterpillar

Roly-poly caterpillar (wiggle right pointer finger)
Into a corner crept, (place right pointer finger in left cupped hand)
Spun around himself a blanket (spin around)
Then for a long time slept. (place head on folded hands)
Roly-poly caterpillar (wiggle right pointer finger)
Wakening by and by, ("stretch" right pointer finger)
Found himself with beautiful wings
Changed to a butterfly. (flutter arms like wings)

Ladybug Fly

Sung to: "Three Blind Mice"

Fly, fly, fly
Ladybugs fly
Fly over here
Fly over there
They fly up high and they fly down low.
Around and around and around they go.
They fly fast, and they fly slow.
Oh, ladybugs fly

Five Little Ladybugs 

Five little Ladybugs climbing up a door
One Flew away then there were four
Four Little ladybugs sitting on a tree
One flew away then there were three
Three little ladybugs landed on a shoe
One flew away and then there were two
Two little ladybugs looking for some fun
One flew away and then there was one
One little ladybug sitting in the sun
She flew away and then there were none

Ants Go Marching

Sung to: "When John Comes Marching Home"

The ants came marching two by two, Hurrah! Hurrah!
(Students walk in pairs of 2 side by side each other in a circle)
The ants came marching two by two
The little one stopped to tie his shoe.
They all go marching down around the town.
Boom, Boom, Boom.
Other Verses:
The ants came marching three by three...
The little one stopped to climb a tree.
The ants came marching four by four....
The little one stopped to shut the door....
The ants came marching five by five...
The little one stopped to take a dive....
The ants came marching six by six....
The little one stopped to pick up sticks....
The ants came marching seven by seven....
The little one stopped to go to heaven...
The ants came marching eight by eight...
The little one stopped to shut the gate...
The ants came marching nine by nine...
The little one stopped to scratch his spine...
The ants came marching ten by ten
The little one stopped to say THE END!

Insect Song

Sung to: "The Wheels on the Bus"

The firefly at night goes blink blink blink
Blink blink blink blink blink blink
The firefly at night goes blink blink blink
All around the town

The bees in the flowers go buzz buzz buzz....
The ants in the grass go march march march...
The crickets in the leaves go chirp chirp chirp...
The caterpillar in the field goes creep creep creep....

Can you move with me?

Sung to: "Do Your Ears Hang Low"

Can you wiggle like a worm?
Can you squiggle? Can you squirm?
Can you flutter? Can you fly like a gentle butterfly?
Can you crawl upon the ground
Like a beetle that is round?
Can you move with me?

Can you flip? Can you flop?
Can you give a little hop?
Can you slither like a snake?
Can you give a little shake?
Can you dance like bee
Who is buzzing round a tree?
Can you move with me?

A Fly is on my toe

Sung to: "Farmer in the Dell"

A fly is on my toe,
A fly is on my toe,
Hi-ho, just watch me blow.
A fly is on my toe

Other verses: A fly is on my nose ,my head, my ear, my elbow, my knee,
etc..

I'm a Firefly

I'm a little firefly
Look at me!
I'm as happy as I can be.
See my light flicker and shine so bright
Now watch me fly into the night!

Firefly

A little light is going by,
It is going up to see the sky.
A little light with wings.

I could have never thought of it,
To have a little bug all lit
And made to go on wings.

Bug FIngerplay

1, 2, 3 ( hold up fingers)
There is a bug on me! (point to shoulder)
Where did it go? ( brush off)
I don't know ( Shrug Shoulder and look really puzzled)

Never Hurt a Ladybug

Sung to: "Yankee Doodle"

Ladybugs are in my yard.
Just look at them devour
Those pesky aphids on the leaves
Of Mother's pretty flowers.
Never hurt a ladybug.
We need them in the garden.
Ladybugs help flowers grow
So we must never hurt them.

Ladybugs

Lady bug, lady bug,
How are you today?
Lady bug, lady bug,
Are you going to stay?
Lady bug, lady bug,
Or will you fly away.

Pretty Ladybugs

Sung to: "The Muffin Man"

Ladybug has 1 black spot,
1 black spot, 1 black spot;
Ladybug has 1 black spot,
Pretty ladybug!

8 Ants

One ant two ants, three ants four.
Our picnic is their grocery store.
Five ants, six ants, seven ants, eight.
They are crawling on my plate!
Eight ants, seven ants,
Stomp around.
Six ants, five ants
On the ground.
Four ants, three ants,
On the run!
Two ants, one ant,
No more fun.

Once I saw an Ant Hill

Once I saw an anthill
With no ants about;
So I said, "Dear little ants
Won't you please come out?"
Then as if the little ants
Had heard my call,
One, two, three, four, five came out,
And that was all.

Bumble Bee

Sung to: "Jingle Bells"

Bumble Bee, bumble bee,
Landing on my nose,
Bumble bee, bumble bee,
Now he's on my toes.

On my arms, on my legs,
On my elbows.
Bumble bee, oh bumble bee
He lands, and then he goes.

Buzzing Bumble bees 

6 buzzing bumblebees
Flying around the hive
One buzzes off and that leaves 5.
5 buzzing bumblebees
Flying near my door,
1 buzzes off and that leaves 4
4 buzzing bumblebees
Flying around a tree,
1 busses off and that leaves 3
3 buzzing bumblebees
In the sky so blue
1 buzzes of and that leaves 2
2 buzzing bumblebees
Flying by the sun
1 buzzes off and that leaves 1
1 buzzing bumblebee
Looking for some fun
It buzzes off and that leaves none.

Bee Fingerplay

Here is the bee hive (hold fist together)
But where are all the bees (hold up hands)
Hiding very carefully
1,2,3,4,5 (Hold up fingers one at a time)
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (Walk and try to sting someone)
(You can also use both hands and have 10 bees.)

Caterpillar Chant

A caterpillar looks so small.
It is hardly there at all.
It munches on green leafy treats,
And it gets bigger as it eats.

It eats and eats, 'til pretty soon,
It wraps up tight in a cocoon.
When it wakes up it blinks its eyes
And says, "I'm now a butterfly!"

Lady Monarch Song

Sung to: "Yankee Doodle"

Lady Monarch made a hat
of flowers, leaves and spring things,
Went to town to show it off
But she forgot her earrings.
Lady Monarch cried and wept,
She was very sad,
Then two bees sat on her ears,
So she was very glad.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Caterpillar

Fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar in the garden creeps
He spins himself a blanket and soon falls fast asleep.
Fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar wakes up by and by
To find he has wings of beauty, changed to a butterfly.

Pretty little butterfly, what do you do all day?
I fly around the flowerpots, nothing' to do but play.
Nothing' to do but play, darling', nothing' to do but play.
So fly butterfly, fly butterfly, don't waste your time away.

Little Butterfly

Sung to: "I'm A Little Teapot"

I'm a little butterfly
I have wings
I fly around
And see all things.
When I see a flower
That looks great
I call out
To all of my mates.

I'm a Butterfly

Sung to: "Skip to My Lou"

I'm a butterfly, come fly with me
I'm a butterfly, come fly with me
I'm a butterfly, come fly with me
Come fly with me, my darling

A butterfly, come drink nectar with me
A butterfly, come drink nectar with me
A butterfly, come drink nectar with me
Drink nectar with me, my darling.

A butterfly, now sleep like me
A butterfly, now sleep like me
A butterfly, now sleep like me
Come sleep like me, my darling.

We're going on a bug hunt

Sung to: "We're going on a bear hunt"

We're going on a bug hunt!
We're going to catch some big ones.
What a sunny day!
Are you ready? OK!

Oh my! A bee!
A black & yellow bee,
Flying over the flowers.
BUZZ.....

We're going on a bug hunt!
We're going to catch some big ones.
What a sunny day!
Are you ready? OK!

Oh, my! An ant!
A tiny, black ant,
Crawling through the grass.
Shh...

We're going on a bug hunt!
We're going to catch some big ones.
What a sunny day!
Are you ready? OK!

Oh, my! A grasshopper!
A big, green grasshopper,
Hopping around the tree.
Boing, boing...

We're going on a bug hunt!
We're going to catch some big ones.
What a sunny day!
Are you ready? OK!

Oh, my! A butterfly!
A pretty, orange butterfly,
Floating in the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh...

We're going on bug hunt!
We're going to catch some big ones.
What a sunny day!
Are you ready? OK!

Oh my! A spider!
A big black spider,
Creeping on the tree. Creep, creep...

Now take the class out on a real BUG HUNT. Keep the bugs only for a day. Then set them free. We call them part- time pets.

Never Squash a Bug

Sung to: "Row, row, row, your boat"

Never, never squash a bug,
There mother nature's friends.
Catch one in a plastic jar,
Then let it go again.

Bumble Bee

Sung to: "Are you sleeping"

Bumble bee, bumble bee
Don't sting me, don't sting me.
Just fly to your home,
And leave me alone.
Don't sting me, don't sting me.

Oh Butterfly!

Sung to: "Oh Christmas Tree"

Oh, butterfly, Oh, butterfly
How I love your colors.
Oh, butterfly, Oh, butterfly
How I love your colors.
You fly so high and beautiful,
Your so soft and gentle.
Oh, butterfly, Oh, butterfly,
How I love your colors.

Catching Bugs

Sung to: "Mary had a little lamb"

Catch some bugs, and look at them,
Watch them, feed them.
Catch some bugs and look at them,
Then please let them go.

Keep Bugs Safe

Sung to: "Make New Friends, But Keep the Old"

Keep bugs safe, and let them go.
They belong in nature, yes the great outdoors.

Pretty Firefly
Sung to: " This little light of mine"

See this pretty Firefly,
Flying in the midnight sky.

See this pretty Firefly,
Flying in the midnight sky.

See this pretty Firefly,
Flying in the midnight sky.

This firefly's light is so bright.

Pretty Butterfly

Sung to: "Up on the House Top"

First comes a butterfly and lays an egg,
Out comes the caterpillar with many legs.
Oh, see the caterpillar spin and spin,
A little cocoon (chrysalis) to sleep in.

Oh, oh, oh, look and see
Oh, oh, oh, look and see
Out of the cocoon (chrysalis) my, oh, mym
Out comes a pretty butterfly.

Ladybug

Sung to: "This Old Man"
Ladybug, show your spots.
You have red winds and black dots.
We will count those seven dots
On your shiny shell.
Lady, your spots are swell!

Hunting Bugs

Sung to: "A- Hunting we will go"

A-hunting we will go
A -hunting we will go
We'll catch a (insert any insect here)
and put it in a box
(loudly) and then we'll let it go!

The Little Caterpillar

Sung to: "Itsy, Bitsy Spider"

The little caterpillar crawled up into a tree,
Spun his cocoon and slept so quietly,
All through the winter he didn't make a sound,
He dreamt of his new life when he'd be flying all around.
While he was sleeping the snow did gently fall,
Winter came and went, then her heard the robin's call,
Come on Mr. Butterfly, out of your cocoon
Spread your wings and fly for me, while I sing my tune.

Caterpillar

Sung to: "Addams family"

Refrain:
My tummy is fat (snap, snap)
I like it like that (snap, snap)
I wiggle around
I jiggle around
I wiggle around
My tummy is fat (snap, snap)

I'm a striped caterpillar
I'm such a chubby feller
I love to eat and eat,
Those leaves are such a treat

Back to refrain

Caterpillar Crawled

A caterpillar crawled (extend left arm and crawl right index finger up it like a caterpillar)
To the top of a tree.
"I think I'll take a nap," said he (wiggle right index finger)
So under the leaf he began to creep. (move under left hand)
He spun a cocoon and he fell asleep. (make fist around index finger)
For two long weeks he slept in that cocoon bed,
Till spring came along and said,
"Wake up! Wake up! You sleepy head." (shake arms)
Out of the leaf he did cry. (hook thumbs and spread fingers to make a butterfly)
"Lo, I am a butterfly."

The Life Of A Butterfly

Sung to: "Skip to My Lou"

I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
What'll I be, my darlin'?

A chrysalis, now sleep like me.....
What'll I be, my darlin'?

A butterfly, come fly with me...
Come fly with me my darlin'.

Now all together, lets do all three.
A caterpillar, a chrysalis, a butterfly -- three.
Move your body like this with me.
The life of a butterfly, darlin'.

Do you like to Buzz? 

Sung to: "Do your ears hang low"

Do you like to buzz.
Are you covered all in fuzz?
Do you call a hive a home
In the garden where you roam?
Do you know how to make honey,
Are your stripes a little funny?
Do you like to buzz?

Little Wiggle Worm Song

Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little wiggle worm, watch me go!
I can wiggle fast, or very very slow
I wiggle all around, then back I go
Down into the ground, to the home I know

Freddy Flea

On my toe is Freddy flea (Touch toe)
Now he's climbing up on me (climb fingers upward)
Past my tummy
Past my nose
On my head where my hair grows (wiggle fingers in hair)

On my head is Freddy flea
Now he's climbing down on me (climb fingers back down body)
Past my tummy
Past my knee
On the floor (Stomp foot!) Take that you flea!


The Fuzzy Caterpillar
(tune:  Itsy Bitsy Spider)

The fuzzy caterpillar
Crawled up upon a leaf.
Spun her little chrysalis,
And then fell fast asleep.
While she was sleeping,
She dreamed that she could fly.
And later when she woke up,
She was a butterfly!

Caterpillar Chant
A caterpillar looks so small
It is hardly there at all.
It munches on green leafy treats,
And it gets bigger as it eats.

It eats and eats, 'til pretty soon,
It wraps up tight in a cocoon.
When it wakes up it blinks its eyes,
And says, "I'm now a butterfly!"

The Caterpillar

Brown and furry,
Caterpillar in a hurry,
Take your walk
To the shady leaf or stalk.
May no toad spy you,
May no little birds pass by you;
Spin and die
To live again as a butterfly.

Butterfly, Butterfly
(tune: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear)

Butterfly, butterfly, flutter around
Butterfly, butterfly, touch the ground.
Butterfly, butterfly, fly so high.
Butterfly, butterfly, land on me!
Butterfly, butterfly, reach the sky.
Buttterfly, butterfly, say Good-bye!

Birth of a Butterfly

A mama butterfly lays all her eggs
Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs.
The caterpillar first is rather thin,
But then it eats until it bursts through its skin.
After growing nice and big, The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or a twig.
It makes a shell where it hangs inside,
The shell then cracks, and the parts divide.
Inside the shell, a change was going on,
The form of the caterpillar now is gone.
When the shell opens, what comes out?
A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!

Little Butterfly
(tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little butterfly
I have wings
I fly around,
And see all things,
When I see a flower
That looks great,
I call out
To all of my mates.