Thanksgiving Storytime

Opening Song: Hello, Friends

Opening Rhymes: Open, Shut Them and Two Little Black Birds

Book 1: Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit! by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Book 2: One Is a Feast for Mouse by Judy Cox

Fingerplay: The Turkey
The turkey is a funny bird.
Hook thumbs together and spread fingers out to create turkey tail.

Its head goes wobble, wobble.
Wobble head back and forth.

And all it knows is just one word:
Hold up one finger

"Gobble, gobble, gobble."
Make mouth shape with hand, opening and closing it while sounding like a turkey.

Song: If You're Thankful and You Know It
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know, clap your hands.

(Repeat with...stomp your feet, shout I am, do all three).

Credit: The Turkey and If You're Thankful and You Know It can be found on sunflowerstory.com

Book 3: Sharing the Bread by Pat Zietlow Miller

Flannel Song: Did You Ever See A Turkey?

Did you ever see a turkey, a turkey, a turkey

Did you ever see a turkey, with feathers so bright?

With red ones and orange ones and yellow ones and brown ones,

Did you ever see a turkey with feathers so bright?

Did you ever see a turkey, a turkey, a turkey,

Did you ever see a turkey with feathers so bright?

With green ones and blue ones and purple ones and pink ones,

Did ever see a turkey with feathers so bright?

Credit: Miss Sarah Storytime 

Book 4: A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman

Closing Song: The More We Get Together

Craft: Feathered Turkey

   

Let's celebrate Diwali!

It's a Diwali Storytime! Here's my program. 

Opening Songs: Hello, Friends and Open, Shut Them

Book 1: Diwali by Nancy Dickmann

Book 2: Lights for Gita by Rachna Gilmore

Song 1: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Book 3: Divali Rose by Vashanti Rahaman

Song 2: If You’re Happy and You Know It (Songs for Wiggle Worms)

Book 4: Mama’s Saris by Pooja Makhijani

Action Rhyme: 5 Little Firecrackers
5 little firecrackers all in a row (hold up 4 fingers) 
1 gets lit and off it goes (hold up 1 finger)
It zips up high with a zoom, zoom, zoom (zip 1 finger around above your head)
Here it goes with a boom, boom, boom (clap hands 3 times on "boom")
(from: http://www.hcpl.net/cgi-bin/ebranch/story_time/theme.pl?id=546)

Book 5: Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

Song 3: Silly Dance Contest (Jim Gill Sings The Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes)

Craft: Magic color scratch postcards. Make your own fireworks and lamp designs! The scratch paper was bought on Oriental Trading for just $9.99 for a pack of 50.

Pumpkin Heads!

Here's a mix of pumpkin stories and storytime rhymes. The kids had a blast creating different pumpkin puppets using magazines, googly eyes, stickers and markers.

Opening Song: Hello, Friends

Opening Rhyme: Open, Shut Them

Book 1: Penguin and Pumpkin by Salina Yoon

Book 2: Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor

Rhyme: If You’re Happy and You Know It

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, then you’ll really want to show it.

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

(Continue with additional verses)

If you’re angry and you know it, stomp your feet….

If you’re silly and you know it, wiggle around….

If you’re sad and you know it, rub your eyes (“boo hoo”)….
If you're surprised and you know it, say "Oh my!"....

Fingerplay: Pumpkin on the Ground (Credit: DLTK -http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/pumpkinpumpkin.html)
Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (Crouch down)

How’d you get so big and round? (Stretch arms out wide and then make circle)

Once you were a seed so small (Pretend to hold a seed)

Now you are a great big ball! (Make huge circle with arms)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (Crouch down)
How’d you get so big and round? (Stretch arms out wide and then make circle)


Book 3: How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara

Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill (hold up two pointer fingers)
One named Jack, (hold out right pointer finger)
And one named Jill. (hold out left pointer finger)
Fly away Jack. (place right hand behind back)
Fly away Jill. (place left hand behind back)
Come back Jack, (bring right pointer back out)
Come back Jill.  (bring left pointer back out)

Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud
One named Soft,
And one named Loud.
Fly away Soft,
Fly away Loud.
Come back Soft,
Come back Loud.

Two little black birds sitting on a stick

One named slow

And one named quick.

Fly away slow,

Fly away quick.

Come back slow,

Come back quick.

Book 4: Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch

Book 5: Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

Closing Song: The More We Get Together

Craft: Pumpkin Puppets