Theme: Foxes

Theme: Foxes

PR: A Clever and Cozy Snoreytime
This story time is inspired by our furry forest friend and one of nature’s cleverest creatures — the fox! Through stories, songs, and activities, children will learn about where foxes live, what they eat, and what makes them so unique.

Words introduced: “Foxy Loxy”, den

Story ideas

Alone Together by Suzanne
Bloom One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian
Round the House the Fox Chased the Mouse by Walton
Dinnertime! by Sue Williams
Do Like a Duck Does by Judy Hindley
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
Fox and Fluff by Crum
The Fox and the Crow by Aesop
Fox and the Jumping Contest by Corey R. Tabor
Fox in a Box
Fox in Socks
Foxy by Emma Dodd
Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth
Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
Hungry Hen by Richard Waring
If a Chicken Stayed for Supper byWeston
Little Chicken and Little Fox by Sidjanski
Moon Rope by Lois Ehlert
Little Fox by Marilyn Janovitz
My Lucky Day by Kasza
One Smart Goose by Caroline Church
Red Fox at McCloskey's Farm by Heinz
Rooster and the Fox by Helen Ward
Rosie's Walk—Hutchins
That is NOT a Good Idea! by Mo Willems
The Rubber-legged Duck byKeller
What Does the Fox Say? By Ylvis
What's in Fox's Sack? by Paul Galdone

Songs & fingerplays

Counting Song
Little foxes, little foxes, all lined up in rows
Little foxes, little foxes, bushy tail and black nose.
Little foxes, little foxes, in orange, white, and gray.
Oh, I love those little foxes, they just want to play.

Just then, one little fox darted off into the trees.
Swish swish swish
Now how many foxes do you see?
1,2,3,4

Repeat chorus, and continue counting down to 0

Fox Has Got a Long Red Tail
(Tune: “Mary had a Little Lamb”)

Fox has got a long red tail,
Shake that tail, shake that tail!
Fox has got a long red tail,
Shake that tail now!

Other Verses:
Pointy nose… wiggle that nose
Two front paws… clap those paws
Two pointy ears… twitch those ears
Two bright eyes… blink those eyes

A-Hunting We Will Go
(flannel board idea)

A-hunting we will go,
A-hunting we will go.
We’ll take a fox,
Put him in a box,
And then we’ll let him go.

Other Verses:
Bear… sit her in a chair
Frog… put him on a log
Mouse… put her in a house
Whale… tickle his tail
Goat… put him in a boat.

At the end put all the animals on the board, and have the kids remember what we did with each.

Foxy Loxy
Foxy Loxy touch your toes.
Foxy Loxy touch your nose.
Foxy Loxy pat your head.
Foxy Loxy go to bed.
Foxy Loxy wake up now.
Foxy Loxy take a bow.
Foxy Loxy touch the ground.
Foxy Loxy turn around.
Foxy Loxy sit back down.
Foxy Loxy don’t make a sound.

FOXY, FOXY, TURN AROUND.

Foxy, foxy, turn around.
Foxy, foxy, touch the ground.
Foxy, foxy, dance on your toes.
Foxy, foxy, touch your nose.
Foxy, foxy, jump up now.
Foxy, foxy, take a bow.
Foxy, foxy, turn around.
Foxy, foxy, sit right down.

FIVE RED FOXES

Out in the woods under the sun,
Up ran a red fox and that made one.

One red fox under a sky so blue,
Up ran another and then there were two.

Two red foxes sitting by a tree,
Up ran another and then there were three.

Three red foxes trotting by the shore,
Up ran another and then there were four.

Four red foxes watching a beehive,
Up ran another and then there were five.

Five red foxes sunning by the shore,
One went swimming and then there were four.

Four red foxes underneath a tree,
One chased a squirrel and then there were three.

Three red foxes looking for something new,
One found some berries and then there were two.

Two red foxes having so much fun,
One chased a butterfly and then there was one.

One red fox enjoying the bright sun,
It ran home for supper and then there were none.

If You’re a Fox and You Know It
(to the tune of: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)

If you’re a fox and you know it, swish your tail.
If you’re a fox and you know it, swish your tail.
If you’re a fox and you know,
then you’ll really want to show it,
If you’re a fox and you know it, swish your tail.

Other verses:
– wiggle your nose
– show your claws
– say “yip yip”

Craft

Supplies needed: Paper, markers, crayons, glue, fox template, separate heads and tails

Little Listeners: Out on a Limb

 PR: This tree-themed story time will be a wonderful way to explore the natural world with preschoolers, focusing on themes of growth, seasons, habitats, and the unique roles trees play. 

Books used 
Fall is not Easy by Marty Keley
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
Johnny Appleseed board book by Kate Coombs
Owl & Friends by Joyce Wan

Other books

Only a Tree Knows How to Be a Tree – Mary Murphy
Some Questions About Trees – Toni Yuly
The City Tree – Shira Boss & Lorena Alvarez
Apple and Magnolia – Laura Gehl & Patricia Metola
Treehouse Town – Gideon Sterer & Charlie Mylie
Eco Girl – Ken Wilson-Max
All Kinds of Special – Tammi Sauer & Fernando Martin
My Tree – Hope Lim & Il Sung Na
Nell Plants a Tree – Anne Wynter & Daniel Miyares
Zee Grows a Tree – Elizabeth Rusch & Will Hillenbrand
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
A Tree for Me by Nancy Van Laan
There Was a Tree by Rachel Isadora
A Grand Old Tree  by Mary Newell
Trees by Lemniscates
Tree by Britta Teckentrup
 Leaves Fall Down: Learning About Autumn Leaves by Lisa Marie Bullard
 Little Robin Redbreast by Shari Halpern
The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri 
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
This Tree Counts by Alison Formento
Pete the Cat and the Tip-Top Treehouse
Who Will Plant a Tree? by Jerry Pallotta

Activity
Showed some pages in the book called What on Earth? TREES by Kevin Warwick and discussed what trees were used for, animals who live in/around trees, leaf types, etc.

Parachute with rhymes

Songs/rhymes

Five Little Monkeys Swinging from a Tree

Five little monkeys, swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Alligator, "You can't catch me! You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be....
And SNAPS that monkey out of the tree!
(Repeat until all monkeys are gone.)

 

 

Craft ideas

Theme: Croc-tober

Theme: Crocodiles/Croc-tober

PR: Little Listeners - Snap your jaws, shake your tail, and enjoy this collection of stories, songs, and activities.

Words introduced - Crocs, swamp, Nile River

Recommended Stories
The Crocodile and the Dentist by Taro Gomi
The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water by Gemma Merino
Swim, Jim by Kaz Windness
Crocodile Snap! by Beatrice Costamagna
Crocodile Hungry by Eija Sumner

Songs and rhymes

If You Should Meet a Crocodile
See You Later, Alligator
If You Smile at a Crocodile
The Crocodile
5 Little Monkeys

The Crocodile

 A crocodile smiled at me.
Then I smiled back at him, you see.
I did not know what crocks all eat.
I did not know that crocs eat FEET
and TOES and ARMS and LEGS, you see.
I did not know that crocs eat ME!

Activity - Crocodile Puppet

Craft supplies needed: Crocodile outline, green markers, bubble wrap, crayons, scissors
Color the bubble wrap with the marker and use it as a stamp to paint the crocodile.

Butterflies

THEME: Butterflies

New words - lush, flutter, metamorphosis, cocoon, chrysalis

Book ideas

Are You a Butterfly? by Judy Allen
Bianca and the Butterfly by Sergio Ruzzier
Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel
Butterfly Butterfly by Petr Horáček
Butterflies Fly by Yvonne Winer (used for colors)
*Butterfly Colors by Helen Frost
*Butterfly Garden by Margaret McNamara
A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston
Caterpillar to Butterfly by National Geographic Kids
Don’t Worry Bear by Greg Foley
Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope
*Moth & Butterfly by Dev Petty
*Roxy the Butterfly by Frances Rodgers
Señorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer
Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr.
*The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
*The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
Where’s My Mom? by Julia Donaldson

Song:
“Two Little Butterflies”

Two little butterflies sitting on a hill
One named Jack, and one named Jill
Fly away Jack, Fly away Jill
Come back Jack, Come back Jill

Scarf songs and rhymes

Butterfly is Landing
Butterfly, Butterfly
Flutter Flutter
Bibbity Boppity Boo

Craft - Butterfly puppets
Supplies needed: Butterfly template, colored tissue paper or colored plastic, scissors, glue sticks, crayons/markers, craft sticks

We're Acting Like Animals!

Theme: We're Acting Like Animals

Books used (There are so many to choose from!)
Three Little Kittens by Barbara McClintock
Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
The Chicken Who Loved Books by Angela Hunt
Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed by Elieen Christelow

Activity:
Talk about/show pictures of working animals. Example:

Show an ant farm and how the ants work as a family in their house.

Roll the die to see which animal you can be.

Songs/Rhymes:

  

 

Kangaroo
Jump, jump, jump (jump pointer finger)
Goes the kangaroo
I thought I saw one (hold up one finger)
But now I see two! (hold up two fingers)
Mommy and her baby
With his head popping out (wiggle thumb from fist)
He holds on tight (hug self)
As they jump all about! (bounce hand around)

CRAFT - Ant farm 

Supplies needed: brown paper bags to tear, glue, crayons/markers

Boats

Theme: Boats

New words: Wearily, gusts, surge, surf, spellbound, "distinctive feature"

Books:

Boat Book by Gail Gibbons
Boats on the Bay by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Grady McFerrin
Boats: Speeding! Sailing! Cruising! by Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy
Captain Duck by Jez Alborough
The Old Boat by Jarrett Pumphrey, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey
Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera
Sail Away by Donald Crews
Swap! by Steve Light
Turtle Tug to the Rescue by Michael Slack
Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen
The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater
Boats by Byron Barton
Boats Go by Steve Light
I’m Mighty! by Kate & Jim McMullan
Little Boat by Taro Gomi
Little Boat by Thomas Docherty
Little Tug by Stephen Savage
Old MacDonald Had a Boat by Steve Goetz
Sheep on a Ship by Nancy Shaw
Three Bears in a Boat by David Soman
Whose Boat?
Lily Leads the Way by Margi Preus
Ahoy, Uncle Roy by Sarah Albee

Rhymes:

Craft/Activity:

We cut/colored these sails and attached them with skewers to a 1" pool noodle.

 

We filled a large tub with water and had boat races.

Doctors (Pretend and Pay)

Theme: Doctors

PR: Going to the doctor can be frightening for children and often cause parents to feel anxious and overwhelmed. This story time is intended to help prepare kids for their next visit.

Suggested stories:

Baa-Choo! by Sarah Weeks
Corduroy Goes to The Doctor By Don Freeman
Berenstain Bears Go To The Doctor  By Stan Berenstain 
Little Hoo Has the Flu by Brenda Ponnay
Clifford Visits the Hospital and Puppy Clifford Visits the Hospital By Bridwell, Norman
Leo Gets a Checkup by Anna McQuinn
Little Bunny, Big Germs by Rosemary Wells
Don't You Feel Well Sam? By Amy Hest 
Buzzy's Boo Boo By Harriet Ziefert
The Big Sneeze By Ruth Brown
Just a Little Sick By Mercer Mayer
Germs Are Not For Sharing By Elizabeth Verdick 
Blow Your Nose Big Bad Wolf By Steve Smallman 
When Your Elephant Has The Sniffles By Susanna Leonard Hill 
Stand Back says the Elephant. I’m Going to Sneeze by Patty Thomas
Who's Sick Today By Lynne Cherry
If Beaver Had a Fever by Helen Ketteman
Llama Llama Home With Mama by Anna Dewdney
The Sniffles for Bear By Bonny Becker 
The Flea's Sneeze By Lynn Downey
Doctor Maisy by Cousins, Lucy
Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson
Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard
How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
IZZY IMPALA’S IMAGINARY ILLNESSES by DeRubertis, Barbar
NURSE CLEMENTINE by James, Simon

THIS IS A HOSPITAL, NOT A ZOO! By Karim, Roberta
FROGGY GOES TO THE DOCTOR by London, Jonathan
Leo Gets a Checkup by Anna McQuinn
Curious George Goes to the Hospital By H.A. Rey
Clifford Visits the Hospital By Norman Bridwell 
Scaredy Squirrel Visits the Doctor by Melanie Watt
Sarah and Duck Visit The Doctor By Sarah Gomes Harris 
My Friend the Doctor By Joanna Cole 
If I Were a Doctor By Bettina Takacs 
Daniel Visits the Doctor By Becky Freedman
Here Comes Doctor Hippo By Johnathan London
ELLIS GOES TO THE DOCTOR by Reuterstrand, Siri
CURIOUS GEORGE GOES TO THE HOSPITAL by Rey, H.A. and Margret
THE SCHOOL NURSE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON by Thaler, Mike
A Visit To Dr. Duck By Rosemary Wells
THE LADY WITH THE ALLIGATOR PURSE by Westcott, Nadine Bernard.
The Cow Buzzed by Andrea Zimmerman 
I Drive an Ambulance by Sarah Bridges
Maisy, Charley, and the Wobbly Tooth by Lucy Cousins
Felix Feels Better by Rosemary Wells

Rhyme:

Five Little Monkeys

“Brush Your Teeth
Oh, when you wake up in the morning
at a quarter to one
and you just want to have a little fun ...

CHORUS
You brush your teeth tch-chch-tch-tch-chch-tch-tch.
You brush your teeth tch-chch-tch-tch-chch-tch-tch.

Oh, when you wake up in the morning
at a quarter to two
and you just can’t think of a thing to do ...

CHORUS

… a quarter to three
and your mind starts humming fiddle-di-dee

CHORUS

… a quarter to four
and you’ve just heard a knock on the door

CHORUS

... a quarter to five
and you just want to feel a little ALIVE

CHORUS

… a quarter to six
and you’ve just had a plate of Weet-Bix

CHORUS

Bandages
Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It

Put a bandage on my knee,
Put a bandage on my knee
Oh please take care of me
Put bandage on my knee.

Put a bandage on my head,
Put a bandage on my head
Oh please put me to bed
Put bandage on my head.

Ah-Choo! Ah-Choo!
Farmer’s nose tingles (point to nose)
Farmer’s nose twitches (wiggle puppet)
And he is going to sneeze!
Ah-choo, ah-choo, ah-choo!
Ah-choo, ah-choo, ah-choo!

(Continue with farm animals: Cow, moo-choo / pig, oink-choo / chicken, bawk-choo)

I’ve Got a Cold
I’ve got a cold (point to yourself)
My nose can’t smell (point to your nose)
My eyes are red (point to your eyes)
I don’t feel well (hand on forehead)
So I’ll drink my meds (pretend to drink)
And go to bed… (fold hands under head)
My nose feels better (point to nose)
And so does my head! (point to head)

Five Nasty Germs
Five nasty germs were going out to play,
Along came the water and washed one away!

Four nasty germs trying to have some fun,
Along came the soap and one had to run!

Then three nasty germs tried to make you sick,
But along came the scrubbing and said “You’re not going to stick!”

Two nasty germs got into a fight,
Along came the rinse and washed one out of sight!

One nasty germ thought it couldn’t be seen,
Along came a towel and your hand was nice and clean!

Wash Your Hands
Tune: Row, Row Row Your Boat
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Play our handy game.
Rub and scrub, and scrub and rub.
Germs go down the drain. HEY!
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Play our handy game.
Rub and scrub, and scrub and rub.
Dirt goes down the drain. HEY!

Activity:

Patient Charts , x-rays of people,  x-rays of animals, play medical instruments

Craft ideas:

Bubbles!

Theme: Bubble Party!

Books Used:
Clifford Counts Bubbles by Norman Bridwell

Bubbles, Bubbles by Kathi Appelt
Bubbles by Kit Chase
Bobo and Pup-pup: We Love Bubbles by Vikram Madan
Bubbles...UP! by Jacqueline Davies

Rhymes and Songs
5 Little Bubbles
1, 2, 3 Little Bubbles
Bubble Bubble
I wish I Were a little Bar of Soap
This is the Way We Blow Our Bubbles
There are Bubbles in the Air

Activity:
Dance party with the bubble machine, CD player

Craft:

Theme: Building Things

Theme: Little Listeners: Building Things

PR: Building things is a great way to talk about shapes, sizes, math and textures. In this preschool story time, we will use a variety of stories, songs, activities and tools (and even make our own) to dig into learning.

New words introduced: Foolproof, technique, welding, gasket, hoists, scaffold, beam, rigging, toil, "glint of steel", spire, girders

Book suggestions:
This is the Construction Worker by Laura Godwin
Roadwork by Sally Sutton
Hard Hat Hank and the Sky-High Solution by Charlotte Gunnufson
Pigs Dig a Road by Carrie Finison
The Three Little Pigs flannel board

Rhymes and Songs:
Johnny Taps with One Hammer
Five Little Nails flannel board
Bouncing Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon flannel board

 

Activities:
Construction truck movements
Building blocks of all kinds
Play-doh/clay

THEME: Colors

THEME: Colors

PR: We'll share colorful stories, crafts, songs and movements that celebrate every color of the rainbow.

New words introduced: bellow, stroll, glen

Books used:
Press Here by Herve Tullett
Little Green Peas by Keith Baker
Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson
What Color is your Underwear? by Sam Lloyd

Rhymes and Songs:

Activities:

Finger painting simple pictures

Salt and food coloring outlines