Storytime: Letter Q

September 20, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter Q.

Sing “The Q says q, the Q says q, every letter makes a sound, the Q says q.”

Book 1: Little Quack by Lauren Thompson and Derek Anderson

Activity: Sing “Five Little Ducks” and emphasize the quacking part!

Book 2: Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Activity: Quilting!

Talk about quilts and bring in lacing cards. Have the kids practice “sewing” a quilt by lacing the yarn through the lacing card.

Book 3: The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter Q quail

Storytime: Letter X

September 13, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter X.

Sing “The X says x, the X says x, every letter makes a sound, the X says x.”

Book 1: What’s that Sound? Instruments

Activity: Bring a xylophone and let the kids take turns playing it.

Book 2: Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

Activity: Talk about x-rays!

Pretend to take x-rays of the kids arms and wrap them in ace bandages.

Book 3: The Adventures of Taxi Dog by Debra and Sal Barracca

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter X x-ray

Storytime: Letter Y

September 6, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song: (to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter Y.

Sing “The Y says yyy, the Y says yyy, every letter makes a sound, the Y says yyy.”

Book 1: Good Night Yoga by Diane Kovanda and Adam Gamble

Activity: Yoga!

Teach the kids easy yoga poses.

Book 2: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Activity: Yarn Play

Give each kid a long piece of yarn – what can they do with it? Swirl it? Make a snake? Wrap it around something?

Book 3: What Color is It? by Agnese Baruzzi

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter Y yak

Storytime: Letter E

August 30, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song: (to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter E.

Sing “The E says eee, the E says eee, every letter makes a sound, the E says eee.”

Book 1: We’re Going on an Egg Hunt

Activity: Egg Hunt!

Write letters on the outside of plastic eggs, and have the kids find eggs with the letter E on them.

Book 2: Do Your Ears Hang Low by Jenny Cooper

Activity: Relay race!

Put plastic eggs on plastic spoons and have the kids walk across the room.

Book 3: 10 Easter Egg Hunters by Janet Schulman and Linda Davick

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter E egg

Storytime: Letter Z

August 9, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song: (to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter Z.

Sing “The Z says zzz, the Z says zzz, every letter makes a sound, the Z says zzz.”

Book 1: My Grandparents Love Me by Claire Freedman and Judi Abbot

Activity: Sing “Zany Z’s are Zipping By” to the tune of “London Bridge”

Zany Z's are zipping by, Zipping by, zipping by.
Zany Z's are zipping by, Zip! Zap! Zoom!

Book 2: Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Activity: Clue Zoo

Bring a bag of plastic zoo animals. Give clues about each animal and have the kids guess what it is.

Book 3: Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter Z zebra

Storytime: Letter L

July 19, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song: (to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter L.

Sing “The L says lll, the L says lll, every letter makes a sound, the L says lll.”

Book 1: Lucy Lady Bug by Sharon King-Chai

Activity: Sing “London Bridges”

Book 2: Pete the Cat Five Little Ducks by James Dean

Activity: Play a memory game!

Place a bunch of “L” items on a tray. Cover it with a towel and take one item away. See if the kids can figure out which “L” item you removed.

Book 3: Llama Llama Wakey Wake by Anna Dewdney

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter L lion

Storytime: Letter U

July 12, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song: (to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter U.

Sing “The U says uuu, the U says uuu, every letter makes a sound, the U says uuu.”

Book 1: A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young

Activity: Sing “The Grand Ol’ Duke of York” – emphasize “up”

Book 2: Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems

Activity: Play the under game!

Put out a bunch of upside down cups. Place a small object under one of the cups. Have the kids take turns picking a cup to see if they can find the object.

Book 3: Mix it Up! By Herve Tullet

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter U underwater scene

Storytime: Letter O

June 21, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song: (to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter O.

Sing “The O says ooo, the O says ooo, every letter makes a sound, the O says ooo.”

Book 1: Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli

Activity:

Print out picture cards with opposite on them. Play memory on the floor or using the flannel board.

Book 2: Orange Fish, Green Fish by Linda Kranz

Activity: Open/Close Eyes

I brought in a little octopus toy. I had the kids close their eyes while I hid the octopus and then open their eyes to find the octopus.

Book 3: Octopus Garden by Ringo Starr and Ben Cort

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter O Ostrich

Storytime: Letter H

June 14, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

I run Storytime at the Penguin Bookshop and thought it would be fun to share my Storytime plans. While my Storytime is open to all ages, I do gear toward the younger crowd because a lot of 1 and 2 year olds attend. A few of these ideas are my own, but the majority I borrow from my favorite Storytime websites, which include Storytime Katie, Sunflower Storytime, Dog Earned Storytime, and Library Village.

We did this Storytime the week of Halloween, so it was Halloween-focused.

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter H.
Sing “The H says hhh, the H says hhh, every letter makes a sound, the H says hhh.”

Book 1: Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins

Activity: Five Little Pumpkins

(I used a flannel board version of this)

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, “But I don’t care.”

The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run.”

The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun.”

“Oooo-oooo” went the witch

And out went the lights

And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Book 2: Peppa’s Halloween Party

Activity: “If You’re a Ghost and You Know It”

(to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know it)

If you’re a ghost and you know it, just say BOO

If you’re a ghost and you know it, and you really want to show it,

If you’re a ghost and you know it, just say BOO

(If you’re a witch and you know it, just say [evil crackle], if you’re a black cat and you know it, just say hiss)

Book 3: Spooky Pookie

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter H haunted house

Storytime: Letter G

June 7, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter G.
Sing “The G says ggg, the G says ggg, every letter makes a sound, the G says ggg.”

Book 1: Goodnight Gorilla

Activity: “If You’re Grateful and You Know it, Clap Your Hands!”

If you’re grateful and you know it, clap your hands!

If you’re grateful and you know it, then you’re face will really show it,

If you’re grateful and you know it, clap your hands!

(stomp your feet, shout hooray)

Book 2: Giraffes Can’t Dance

Activity: Go! Stop!

I made “go” and “stop” signs and gave the kids shakers. When I held up GO, they had to shake. When I held up STOP, they had to freeze.

Book 3: The Thank You Book (we talked about gratitude)

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter G giraffe

Storytime: Letter F

May 24, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter F.
Sing “The F says fff, the F says fff, every letter makes a sound, the F says fff.”

Book 1: Fire Engine No. 9

Activity: “Hurry, Hurry! Drive the Fire Truck!”

Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

(climb the ladder, shoot the water)

Book 2: Footloose

Activity: Fishing

I brought in a fishing pole (a wooden dowel and string with a magnet at the end) and laminated fish with paper clips on each of them. The kids had to catch the fish. They loved it!

Book 3: Farm Friends

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter F Fireman

Storytime: Letter B

May 17, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter B.
Sing “The B says bbb, the B says bbb, every letter makes a sound, the B says bbb.”

Book 1: You’re My Boo

Activity: Bean Bag in a Bucket

I gave the kids bean bags to throw in a bucket. When they threw their bag in, they had to say something that started with B.

Book 2: Baby Parade

Activity: “Bubble, Bubble, Pop!”

(to the tune of “Ten Little Indians”)

One little red fish, swimming in the water,

Swimming in the water, swimming in the water

One little red fish, swimming in the water

Bubble, bubble, bubble, POP!

(Two little blue fish, three little green fish, etc.)

Book 3: Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter B bee

Storytime: Letter I

May 3, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter I.
Sing “The I says iii, the I says iii, every letter makes a sound, the I says iii.”

Book 1: Du Iz Tak?

Activity: I Spy an Insect

I brought some plastic insects and hid them around the room. I gave the kids clues about the insects by color and had the kids find them.

Book 2: Charlie Harper’s Animal Alphabet

Activity: “Hokey Pokey”

We sang the Hokey Pokey and emphasized putting hands and feet In

Book 3: Inside Freight Train

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter I ice cream sundae

Storytime: Letter R

April 26, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter R.
Sing “The R says rrr, the R says rrr, every letter makes a sound, the R says rrr.”

Book 1: Outstanding in the Rain

Activity: Make a rainstorm

Give some kids egg shakers, some kids bells, and some kids rhythm sticks. Talk about the different sounds rain makes – shakers are light rain, bells are hard rain, rhythm sticks are thunder. Say “light rain,” “hard rain,” and “thunder” in different orders and have the kids practice listening and following directions to make a rainstorm.

Book 2: Duck! Rabbit!

Activity: “Run, Run, Run”

(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)

Run, run, run,

Hop, hop, hop

Tiptoe very quietly

Then you stop

Kerplop!

Book 3: Curious George and the Rocket

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter R racetrack

Storytime: Letter P

March 29, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Since I work at the Penguin Bookshop, the letter P had to be a Penguin party!

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter P.
Sing “The P says ppp, the P says ppp, every letter makes a sound, the P says ppp.”

Book 1: Penguin Problems

Activity: Feed the penguin

I made a penguin head with a beak that opened and closed. I cut out little fish of different colors and hid them around the room. The kids had to find the fish and when I called out a color, they came up and fed the penguin their fish.

Book 2: If You Were a Penguin

Activity: Penguin Waddle

I made beaks for the kids to wear and then told them to act like penguins (waddle, bob their heads, swim, slide on their bellies, eat fish)

Book 3: Playful Little Penguins

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter P penguin

Storytime: Letter S

March 1, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter S.
Sing “The S says sss, the S says sss, every letter makes a sound, the S says sss.”

Book 1: Land Shark

Activity: “Baby Shark”

Baby shark, do-do-do-do

Baby shark, do-do-do-do

Baby shark, do-do-do-do, do-do-doot-doot-doot-do

(Baby shark – wrists together, hands clapping, Mama shark – elbows together, arms clapping, Papa Shark – whole arms clapping, Grandpa shark – wrists together, with fingers folded in like no teeth)

Book 2: Ming Goes to School

Activities: Simon Says and I Spy

Book 3: Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter S snake

Storytime: Letter T

February 15, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter T.
Sing “The T says ttt, the T says ttt, every letter makes a sound, the T says ttt.”

Book 1: Old MacDonald Had a Truck

Activity: “I’m a Little Teapot”

I’m a little teapot,

Short and stout

Here is my handle

Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout,

“Tip me over

and pour me out!”

Book 2: Turtle Island

Activity: “Miss Lucy Had a Turtle”

Miss Lucy had a turtle (make a turtle with your hand)

His name was Tiny Tim

She put him in the bathtub

To see if he could swim (swim with your arms)

He drank up all the water (drink)

He ate up all the soap (eat)

And now he’s sick in bed

With bubbles in his throat

Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, POP! (make your hands grow with the bubbles and clap on the pop)

Book 3: Steam Train, Dream Train

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter T tree

Storytime: Letter A

February 2, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter A.
Sing “The A says aaa, the A says aaa, every letter makes a sound, the A says aaa.”

Book 1: Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie

Activity: “The Ants Go Marching”

(I made ant puppets and we marched as we sang)

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah!

The ants go marching one by one, the little one stops to suck his thumb

And they all go marching down to the ground, to get out of the rain

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom

(Two by two – the little one stops to tie his shoe; Three by three – the little one stops to climb a tree)

Book 2: At the Apple Orchard (Pat the Bunny)

Activity: “Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree”

Five little monkey swinging in a tree

Teasing Mr. Alligator, can’t catch me, you can’t catch me!

Along comes Mr. Alligator, as quiet as can be

And snaps that monkey right out of the tree!

(Four little monkeys…count down to one)

Book 3: Alligator Alphabet

Review: Show letter flashcard and say the sound again

Craft: Letter A alligator

Storytime: Letter C

January 18, 2017 Stefanie Hohl

Welcome Song:

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

We clap and sing hello,

With our friends at Storytime,

We clap and sing hello!

(wave, stomp, march, wiggle, blink, waddle)

Alphabet Song: Use shakers while singing!

Introduce Letter:

Show kids a flashcard of the letter C.
Sing “The C says ccc, the C says ccc, every letter makes a sound, the C says ccc.”

Book 1: They All Saw a Cat

Activity: Sort Objects

I brought in a bunch of small toys from home and instructed the kids to sort them into piles of objects that started with c and objects ones that didn’t start with c.

Book 2: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Activity: Feed the Caterpillar

I made a caterpillar out of an old oatmeal container and put a slit in the lid for its mouth. Then I color-copied the food items from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, laminated them, and had the kids “feed” the caterpillar as I read the story a second time.