Theme: Water Play

 Purpose: gross motor, fine motor skills, water animals

PR: N/A

Reason theme was chosen: Summer!

Suggested books:
Over in the Ocean by Marianne Berkes
Clumsy Crab by Ruth Galloway
Mabel: A Mermaid Fable Roboat Watkins

Songs and Rhymes:
A Sailor Went to Sea

The Waves in the Sea

New Words Introduced:
Dart (swim)
Grind (on rocks)
Raze (on Coral)
Skitter and flutter (swim)
Perturbed
Despicable

Activity:
Water in large bowls with dish soap
Bubbles/bubble wands

Theme: Insects

 Purpose: To introduce parts of insects, gross motor practice, puppet play/imagination

Reason theme was chosen: Summer season, insect identification

PR: N/A

Suggested books
Caterpillar's Wish by Mary Murphy
Can YOU Make a Scary Face?  by Jan Thomas
Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek (pop-up book)
One Little Blueberry by Tammi Salzano
Inch by Inch  by Leo Lionni
Flutterby Butterfly by Emma Parrish

Songs and Rhymes

Baby Bumblebee
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
‘Cause I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Ouch! It stung me!

There's a Spider on the Floor

The Ants Go Marching

All Around My Yard
The ants in the grass go 
march, march, march,
march, march, march,
march, march, march,
The ants in the grass go 
march, march, march,
all around my yard.

The fireflies at night go
blink, blink, blink...
all around my yard.

The little caterpillar goes
wiggle, wiggle, wiggle...
all around my yard.

The grasshoppers like to go 
jump, jump, jump...
all around my yard.

Five Little Ladybugs

Activity

Bumblebee parts 

Supplies needed:

Copy and cut out this sheet:

Craft

Enlarge, cut out, decorate, fold wings up, and glue body on a craft stick 
Additional supplies: glue sticks and scissors if not pre cut

 Wave it and it will flutter!

Theme: Dr. Seuss books

Purpose: introduce the concept of rhyming
Reason theme was chosen:  Even though Dr. Seuss has passed, books are still published under his name.
It was good for caregivers to hear old favorites and to know that they are still being published.

PR: N/A

Suggested books
Great Day for Up
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Green Eggs and Ham
Cooking with Sam-I-Am

Songs and Rhymes

Activity

to practice fine motor skills and glue bottle skills

Supplies needed
Cut red and blue paper, fish printout, glue

Or crayons for any of these for the younger littles.

Theme: Get Crafty with Clay

Purpose: show various forms of art
Reason this theme was chosen: Use of fine motor skills and creativity

PR: Poke it, Squeeze it, hit it, pick it up and pound it down. Let's go crazy for stories, songs and activities about making sculpture art.

I really thought this would be much easier than it actually was.  Maybe I just need to write the book.

Suggested art-themed books:

Claymates by Dev Petty

Cat Likes Red by Christopher Russo

Bob the Artist by Marion Denchars

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Songs and Rhymes
I couldn't find any general art rhymes, but there are a lot about colors and painting, so instead, we did "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" which is one of our favorites.

Activity

Modeling clay / free play

THEME: Seeds & Reads

 

Overview/purpose:  Seasonal, plant ID

For elementary program:
PR: Get the kids excited to celebrate Earth Day by learning how to make seed sculptures.  This fun, messy, hands-on activity is perfect for talking about flowers, science and more.  No green thumb necessary.

For Little Listeners Story Time:
PR: Hear stories, rhymes and songs about planting seeds and growing things.  Plus, we’ll make our neighborhood a little more colorful by creating native wildflower seed bombs.

For Sunflowers Only
PR: Connect art and nature to reading.  This story time appreciates the beauty of the sunflower. Explore the seeds and petals, and check them out up close.

New words and phrases
Unfurl, flower bud, clustered together

Suggested book titles

Chicken Little by Ed Emberly
Shake the Tree by Vignocchi
Little Red Hen by Byron Barton
     or for a larger version, use Yummy by Lucy Cousins
A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis
Horse and Buggy Plant a Seed by Ethan Long
1 Big Salad: A Delicious Counting Book by Juana Medina

Suflowers Up Close by Katie Franks
One Little Seed by Elaine Greenstein
Big Yellow Sunflower by Frances Barry
Miguel’s Community Garden by JayNay Brown-Wood
Hello Day by Anita Lobel
All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant

Rhymes and Songs

Mr. Sun by Raffi

All the Big Sunflowers
(Tune: Itsy Bitsy)
All the big sunflowers standing in the sun.
See their heads nodding, bowing one by one.
Down, down, down comes the gentle rain.
And all the big sunflowers lift up their heads again.

Counting Song
One little, two little, three little flowers
Four little, five little, six little flowers
Seven little, eight little, nine little flowers
Ten flowers growing tall!

See the Giant Sunflowers
(Tune: Down by the station)
Out in the garden,
      late in the summer
See the little sunflowers
     standing in a row.
See the happy farmer
     giving them some water,
Splash, splash, splash, splash,
      weed and hoe!

Craft

Activites


Flashlights as the sun, hands move with the light

Discussion about all of the types of sunflowers

THEME: Ice Cream

 

PR: Little Listeners: I Scream, You Scream for Stories about Ice Cream

We’ll share stories, songs, activities and maybe even some ice cream!

Suggested Book Titles

Just One More by Jennifer Hansen
Should I Share My Ice Cream by Mo Willems
Ice Cream Soup by Gail Herman
Ice Cream the Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons
The Ice Cream King by Steve Metzger
Dizzy Izzy by Jon Scieszka
Izzy the Ice-cream Fairy by Lara Ede
Just One More by Jennifer Hansen
Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star by Kevin Henkes
Is This Your Favorite Ice Cream?
The Thing About Yetis  by Vin Vogel
Ice Cream Summer Written and illustrated by Peter Sis
Curious George and the Ice Cream Surprise by H. A. Rey
Curious George goes to an Ice Cream Shop by H. A. Reyes
Flora and the Penguin Illustrated by Molly Idle
Who Ate My Ice Cream? by
Ice Cream Everywhere by Judy Campbell-Smith
Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
The Sundae Scoop by Stuart Murphy
Ice Cream Cones for Sale by Elaine Greenstein
I’m Your Ice Cream Truck by Hannah Eliot
The Little Ice Cream Truck by Margery CuylerMilk to Ice Cream by Neuenfeldt, Elizabeth
Ice Cream Dreams by Jacquelyn Reinach
Groovy Joe Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin
Ice Cream Face by Heidi Sheffield
The Ice Cream Vanishes by Julia Sarcone-Roach
Ice Cream Larry by Daniel Pinkwater
Splat the Cat I Scream for Ice Cream by Rob Scotton
Milk to Ice Cream by Elizabeth Neuenfeldt
Gorilla loves vanilla by Chae Strathie
Ice Cream the Cold Creamy Treat by Elaine Landau 
Saffron Ice Cream By Rashin Kheiriyeh

 

 Songs & Rhymes

"I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!"
by Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, and Robert A. K. King
(see lyrics or download song)

“Milkshake Song” – Old Town School of Folk Music: Songs for Wiggleworms

Do You Like Ice Cream?
(to the tune of “Do Your Ears Hang Low?”)

Do you like ice cream? (Hold hands out, palms up)
Do you like it in a bowl? (Use hands to make bowl shape)
Do you like to eat it fast? (Pretend to hold a spoon and eat fast)
Do you like to eat it slow? (Pretend to hold a spoon and eat slow)
Do you like it with some syrup (Pretend to squeeze a bottle)
With some sprinkles, or some nuts? (Pretend to shake a jar)
Do you like ice cream? (Hold hands out, palms up)

Weather Song
If all the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops,
Oh, what a rain it would be!
I’d stand outside with my mouth open wide
Going Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!
If all the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops,
Oh, what a rain it would be!

If all the snowflakes
Were candy bars and milkshakes…

If all the sunbeams
Were bubblegum and ice cream…

5 Little Ice Cream Cones
5 little ice cream cones so good to eat.
The first one said, “I’m a summer time treat,”
The second one said, “It’s such a hot day,”
The third one said, “I’m melting away.”
The fourth one said, “Don’t lose your top!”
The fifth one said, “Oh dear,”
KERPLOP!

Traditional
I scream!
You scream!
We all scream for
ICE CREAM!

We Are Ice Cream Cones
(Tune: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)

We are ice cream cones
On a summer’s day,
Melting, melting, melting, melting,
Melting all away.
(Credit: Heather McPhail)

Ice Cream Cones
(Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
We all want an ice cream cone, ice cream cone, ice cream cone
We all want an ice cream cone, we'll eat it right away.
Chocolate is our favorite kind, favorite kind, favorite kind
Chocolate is our favorite kind, we'd eat it every day.
(add as many flavor verses as you like)
Thank you for the ice cream cone, ice cream cone, ice cream cone
Thank you for the ice cream cone, it really hit the spot.

Ice Cream Poem
I like ice cream. Yes I do!
One scoop for me?
No! Make it two!
Hmmm two scoops of ice cream,
I want more
How about three?
No, make that four!
1, 2, 3, 4,
Splat! "oh no! It's on the floor!"
 
Take Me Out For Some Ice Cream
(Tune: "Take Me Out To The Ballgame")
Take me out for some ice cream,
Take me out to the store.
Buy me a triple scoop jumbo cone.
I won't share, I'll eat it alone!
For its scoop, scoop ,scoop up the ice cream--
Give me three kinds I adore!
For it's one, two, three, scoops to go
At the ice cream store!
Hot Fudge, Cherries, Toffee Crunch 
(Tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle")
Hot fudge, cherries, toffee crunch
Peanuts, whipped cream, lots to munch,
At the top of my ice cream.
So delicious, it's a dream!
Hot fudge, cherries, toffee crunch,
How I love to munch and munch!
 
On Top Of My Sundae
(Tune: "On Top of Spaghetti)
On top of my sundae
All covered with sauce
I lost my poor cherry
It really got lost.
It rolled off the table
And onto the floor
And then my poor cherry
It rolled out the door.
It rolled to the garden
And under a bush
And then my poor cherry
It turned into mush.
If you like your sundae
All covered with sauce
Hold onto your cherry
Or it will be lost.

Ice Cream Colors
We have ice cream, the best in town,
Let us begin with chocolate brown.
Now, let us scoop us some bubble-gum pink,
It is sweet and yummy, the best, some think.
Here is ice cream minty and green,
It is the creamiest I have ever seen.
Yellow ice cream is lemony and tart,
We like its taste from the very start.
Scoops of blueberry would make my day,
Look at all this ice cream, hip, hip hurray!
Red ice cream is a strawberry delight,
All these scoops are a heavenly sight.
Vanilla white is a popular flavor,
It tastes very good to an ice-cream craver.
Purple ice cream really gives me a kick,
Good and yummy till the very last lick.
Ice cream, ice cream, what a cool sensation,
We love ice cream in any combination!
Credit: Step By Step & Storytime Katie

FLANNEL STORY/RHYME:

Ice Cream Scoops
First we need a cone, nice and crunchy.
Then we need some ice cream, sweet and yummy.
Scoop ’em up, stack ’em on, up to the sky.
We love ice cream; my, oh my!
First comes vanilla, cold and sweet.
Then comes chocolate, a delicious treat.
Here’s some strawberry with sprinkles and a cherry too!
A super-duper scooper cone Just for you!
One scoop, two scoops,
Three scoops, four.
We love ice cream Let’s have some more!
(Source: Kid ‘n’ Kaboodle & Sunflower Storytime)


PLAY/ EXPLORE/ CRAFT

I is for Ice Cream Coloring page

Ice Cream Pattern Printable FREE from Life over C's 

Shaving Cream Ice Cream Art
Mix equal parts of shaving cream and glue (you can also add a few drops of tempera paint: brown for chocolate ice cream; pink for strawberry ice cream). Give the children a piece of construction paper and let them 'scoop' some paint onto their paper. Using a brush, spoon, or their fingers, have the children spread the paint around. When they are done, add a brown triangle construction paper 'cone.' It will resemble a dropped ice cream cone. Kids can have a lot of fun adding sprinkles or being creative with the project. 
 
Make ice cream

THEME: Stars

 Reason theme was chosen:  ___Eclipse _______________________________

PR used: Star Stories
  This preschool story time is out of this world with stories, songs, activities and a craft that features the stars.

Books / stories
I see Stars by D.H.Dilkes
Starry Skies by Samantha Chagolla
Pete the Cat’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by James Dean
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
Stars by Thomas K. Adamson
Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
Shine! By Patrick McDonell
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Pinkney, Jerry
Starry Safari by Linda Ashman
Draw Me a Star by Carle, Eric
I Like Stars By Margaret Wise Brown
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
STARS! STARS! STARS! By Wallace, Nancy
STARS.  Ray, Mary Lyn.
LAURA’S STAR  Baumgart, Klaus.
HALF A MOON AND ONE WHOLE STAR Dragonwagon,
DREAM AWAY  Durango, Julie.
HOW MANY STARS IN THE SKY  Hort, Lenny.
STELLAR STARGAZER!  O’Connor, Jane.
Starry Skies by Samantha Chagollan
My Pet Star by Averriss, Corrinne
Beyond the Stars by Riggs, Kate
Light Up the Night by Jean Reidy
Mouse Who Ate the Moon by Horacek, Peter
Rocket Says Look Up by Bryaon, Nathan
Stardust by Willis, Jeanne
Stars and Poppy Seeds by Romanyshyn, Romana
Nova the Star Eater by Leslie, Lindsay

Songs

Five Bright and Shining Stars 
Flannelboard: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Fingerplays / rhymes

Stars are Twinkling
Far, far, far
Four Little Stars

New words introduced

Northern Lights, meteor/meteorite, constellations, atmosphere, sliver (moon), stardust

Activity
 
 
 Mr. Sun – Action song

Craft
 Shooting stars

Materials needed

Colored strips of tissue paper
Star template
Clue, stickers, crayons
Craft sticks

THEME: Dogs

Overview/Purpose - Animal care and kindness and community interaction 
CO-sponsor - Animal Shelter

Books & Stories
*Lou by Breanna Carzoo
*Puppy Bus by Drew Brrockington
Clifford the Small Red Puppy by Norman Bridwell
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
My Dog Has Fleas by Bob Barner
*I Want a Dog by Jon Agee
*Puppy Pool Party by Seth Casteel
Pete the Cat at the Firehouse by Dean

Fingerplays/rhymes

Songs

B-I-N-G-O
How Much is that Doggie in the Window?

New words introduced
Cannonball! (Into the water)
Fetch

Activity
Play with the shelter dogs

Craft

Dog faces

Materials Needed

Google eyes, yarn pieces, glue, pre-cut noses & ears, small paper plates

THEME: Cats

 Reason theme was chosen:    It’s National Cat Adoption Day

__  BOOKS/STORIES USED  ________________

Pete the Cat – Five Groovy Buttons and Pete the Kitty Series by Dean
Cat’s Colors by Anderson, Airlie
Mr. Putter & Tabby Series by Rylant, Cynthia
Don't trust cats : (life lessons from Chip the dog) by  Petty, Dav
No Cats in the Library by Emmons, Lauren
Nate the Cat Takes a Bath  by Lerner, Jarrett
Jack the Library Cat by Apollonio, Marietta
How to Teach Your Cat a Trick : In Five Easy Steps by Winstanley, Nicola
Hats are Not For Cats  by Rayner, Jacqueline
The Cat and the Dog by Harris, Patricia
If you Give a Cat a Cupcake by Numeroff, Laura
Splat the Cat by Scotton, Rob
Some Cats (board book) by Nichols, Lydia

__  SONGS  ______________________________

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Paws

__  FINGERPLAYS / RHYMES_______________

Three Little Kittens (board book) by Basaluzzo, Costanza

 __  NEW WORDS INTRODUCED  ___________

“Our mittens we have SOILED.”

__  ACTIVITY  _____________________________

-- This story time was to be co-hosted but there were no adoptable cats!  We just went with it and made dog & cat toys for the shelters.
-- Had blank cat face masks to color/cut out as well.

__  MATERIALS NEEDED  __________________
Old t-shirts, TP tubes, yarn, hole punch, tape, pipe cleaners, felt, cat nip, sample toy

__  CO-SPONSORED BY  ___________________
Licking County Humane Society

Theme: Books!

 Reason theme was chosen: _____National Library Week 2024______________

__OVERVIEW & PURPOSE _________________
To review the care and use of library books, instill a desire to use books and the library

__BOOKS/STORIES USED  _________________

No T. Rex in the Library by Yoshikawa, Sachiko
*I took My Frog to the Library by Kimmel, Eric
   (I didn't mention the card catalog, just the hen laying an egg)
*Froggy Goes to the Library by London, Jonathan
*The Bad Seed Goes to the Library by John, Jory
*How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? by Yolen, Jane
Do Not Bring a Dragon to the Library by Gassman, Julie

__  NEW WORDS INTRODUCED  ____________

"Skim" through the pages
"have a big hissy"
"Never has rages"

__  ACTIVITY  _________________________

Take a library tour – behind the scenes
Make small, stapled books
Coloring page – Letters N, D and I
Bookmarks to color (found with a Google search - there are LOTS out there.)

__  MATERIALS NEEDED  __________________

Crayons, markers

Pre-made books - Cut 8 1/2 x 11 paper  in half lengthwise.  I used four sheets, which made 8 pages.  Use 8 1/2 x 11 card stock or colored paper in half lengthwise and use it as a cover.  One staple in  the center is all it needs.

__  SONGS  __________________________

If You're Ready for a Story 

*To the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"*

If you're ready for a story, clap your hands! (x2)

If you're ready for a story, If you're ready for a story,

If you're ready for a story, clap your hands!

(Additional verses: Stomp your feet, Shout hooray!)

The Goodbye Train is Leaving

*To the tune of "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain"

The goodbye train is leaving see you soon! (Choo choo!) x2

The goodbye train is leaving, oh the goodbye train is leaving,

The goodbye train is leaving see you soon! (Choo choo!)

Theme: Clothing

No PR, just a standard story time.

BOOKS

Naked!  by Michael Ian Black

Lawrence - The Bunny Who Wanted to Be Naked by Vern Kousky

Potato Pants! by Laurie Keller
Animals Should Definitely not Wear Clothing  by Judi Barrett

SONGS

Head, shoulders knees and toes

Little Bar of Soap

CRAFT

Sew pockets, add creatures (used Ellison die)

Materials needed:

Yarn w/taped ends, hole-punched pockets, something to put in the pocket, crayons, markers, glitter, etc.

Theme: Colors

PR: To encourage a love of reading and support literacy development, we'll share a few of our favorite activities, rhymes, songs and read-aloud books about colors. 

Books and stories

The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten by Kellogg, Steven
The Rainbow Book by Ohrt, Kate
The Crayon Box that Talked by DeRolf, Shane
Red House, Tree House, Little Bitty Brown Mouse by Godwin, Jane
Mouse Paint by Walsh, Ellen
The Big Red Rock by Stockham, Jess
When Pencil Met the Markers by Kilpatrick, Karen
I Spy with My Little Eye by Gibbs, Edward
Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Carle, Eric

There are SO MANY good color books! 
Our copy of Mouse Paint by Walsh, Ellen was out, but I did a similar activity to illustrate color blending.

Songs
Flannelboard - Bought Me a Cat by Pete Seeger

… I bought me a cat
The cat pleased me
I fed my cat under yonder tree
The cat went fiddle I fee
Fiddle I fee

… Well I bought me a horse
The horse pleased me
I fed my horse under yonder tree
The horse went naaaaaay
The cow went moo moo
The sheep went baah baah
The dog went Woof woof
The goose went honk honk
The duck went quack quack
The rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo
The cat went a fiddle I fee

Rhymes
Flannelboard - Butterfly Colors

The first to come to the garden bed
Is a lovely butterfly of brilliant RED.

Then in comes another and that makes two.
Fly right in, my friend of BLUE.

“The garden is fine, the best I’ve seen,”
says the butterfly of softest GREEN.

Our garden needs a sunny fellow,
Fly on in, butterfly with wings of YELLOW.

Little friend of PURPLE, fly in too.
The garden is waiting for a color like you.

ORANGE, orange, you’re waited so long.
Fly right in, where you belong.

Butterflies, butterflies, you’re such a sight!
Flying together – what a delight!

Credit: Miss Meg’s Storytime

Five Little Apples
Flannelboard

Five little apples lying on the floor
One rolled away and that left four.

Four little apples hanging on a tree
I picked one off and that left three.

Three little apples - I know what to do!
I put one in my pocket and that leaves two.

Two little apples sitting in the sun
I'll pick one up and that leaves one.

One little apple waiting in my lunch
I'll eat it up with a crunch, crunch, crunch.

New Words:

garden bed, blend, absorb

ART

Color magic
Need: Markers, black Sharpie, spray bottles, paper towels

Make picture in colors, trace with black Sharpie.

Spray lightly with water.

Activity

Mouse paint-like jar cutouts with colored cellophane labels to show color blending.