Week Seven - Jack Be Nimble

This week we only had one storytime, on Tuesday morning, because our community has a festival every October right before Halloween called "Black Squirrel Night."   It is usually on a Thursday night, and indeed this year it was, too.  So....that means no one comes to storytime at the library because the dance studio kids dance and there is a costume contest.  I certainly understand, and so we just cancel for that night.  

So, only one of my groups of kiddos this week got to do "Jack Be Nimble".

So, I read a couple of books that had "jumping" involved with them, and they both just happened to be with frogs.  Both of them are really cute, and good for storytimes, both in different individual ways.

One, Two, Three Jump! by Penelope Lively, offered a good opportunity for the kids to participate in the reading as there was some repetition built into the story. 

Jump!, by Scott M. Fischer, was a new book to me, and I really liked it for it's rhyming components, lots and lots of rhyming!

Can't do a jumping storytime without including "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" for our song/fingerplay.  I actually had purchased (or she received it as a gift when she was little) a hand puppet that goes with the book about the "Five Little Monkeys"....It was fun to dig it out again and be able to use it in storytime. 

Five Little Monkeys

Actions:

Five little monkeys -- with one hand hold up the number of fingers to match the verse.

jumping on the bed -- bounce your fingers (monkeys) up and down on your other hand (the bed)

One fell off -- hold up one finger

and bumped his head -- hold head with both hands and rock head back and forth

Mama called the Doctor and the doctor said -- dial the phone with one finger

No more monkeys jumping on the bed -- shake index finger ("no no")

Words:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head.
Papa called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Three little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head.
Papa called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

One little monkey jumping on the bed,
He fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"Put those monkeys straight to bed!"

We didn't sing it exactly like this, but most of us have done this one many, many times. 

Our craft this week was very simple, but it provided a prop for a fun movement activity.  We made a candlestick out of a toilet paper roll covered with construction paper, with some red tissue paper crumpled up and glued inside for the flame.  (Older kids can put a handle on it, and a small paper plate too, to look like one of those candlestick holders). I also put my plug in for how kiddos never ever play with real fire, that it is very dangerous, etc. 

We then were able to act out "Jack Be Nimble" by placing our pretend candlesticks on the floor and putting in each child's name in place of Jack (i.e., Ann be nimble, Ann be quick, Ann Jump over the candlestick).  I received feedback later on in the week that at least one child had been doing this at home as well.  :)