Use Your Imagination - A Storytime Outline

I'm going to go along with to people from my Preschool Storytime to describe how this program theme went... from one boy it was "Awesome!" and from a guardian it was "fun!". Granted the toddlers didn't quite grab the concept of imagination! But they can recognize the animals and other things from the illustrations in the books to make it fun. The preschoolers loved the theme, especially once I pulled out Antoinette Portis' books!

T = Toddler Storytime
P = Preschool Storytime

BOOKS

It Looked Like Spilt Milk written and illus. by Charles G. Shaw (T)
This was a great book for the toddlers, and even preschoolers, for shape recognition.

He Saves the Day written by Marsha Hayles and illus. by Lynne Cravath (T) 
This was a fun book. I shortened the reading for this one because the toddlers were really active.

Mud is Cake written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illus. by David McPhail (P)
Imagination at its fullest in this rhyming book. 

A Pig Called Pete written by Alan Bowater and illus. by Pete Pascoe (P)
You have to imagine that pigs can be clean, purple, and can fly around the world! 

Not A Box written and illus. by Antoinette Portis (P)
I love this book! 

Not A Stick written and illus. by Antoinette Portis (P)
Because Not A Box was such a success this was my fourth and last book I did in the program. The children loved it and created a lot of "awesomes" from one little boy!

SONGS & RHYMES

Opening Rhyme: Open, Shut Them (T, P)
(follow actions)
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap
Creep them, creep them up to your chin
Open your mouth wide, but don't put your fingers in!
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a big clap
Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider (T, P)
(follow actions with your fingers and arms)
The itsy bitsy spider (move your fingers like a spider going upward)
went up the water spout.
Down came the rain (wiggle your fingers like rain is falling)
and washed the spider out! (sweep with your hands like the a wave of water washed the spider out)
Out came the sun (raise arms overhead in a circle to make a sun)
and dried up all the rain.
And the itsy bitsy spider (make your finger spider go upwards again!)
went up the spout again!

The Great Big Hairy Spider (T, P)
tune: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
(follow actions)
The great big hairy spider
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain
and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun
and dried up all the rain.
And the great big hairy spider
climbed up the spout again!

Five Little Monkeys Swinging From a Tree (P)
Five little monkeys swinging from a tree (hold up five fingers and swing your arm)
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can't catch me!" (but your hands to your ears like antlers!)
Along come Mr. Crocodile, (but your hands together and swim them around slowly)
As hungry as can be
And SNAP! (make your whole arms into a large crocodile mouth and snap your hands together)

Four little monkeys swinging from a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Crocodile,
As hungry as can be
And SNAP!

Countdown to one monkey

One little monkey swinging from a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, "You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Crocodile,
As hunger as can be (still!)
And SNAP!
Along go Mr. Crocodile as fat as can be!

Closing Rhyme: Touch Your Nose (T, P)
(follow actions)

Touch your nose

Touch your chin

That's the way this game begins

Touch your eyes

Touch your knees

Now pretend you're going to sneeze!

Aaachooooo!

Touch your hair

Touch one ear

Touch your two red lips right here

Touch your elbow where it ends

And that's the way this touch game ends.

ACTIVITY

White Cloud Shapes (T)
I was unable to borrow It Looked Like Spilt Milk flannel board from another library in time. So! Instead I took my white felt and use the die cuts to create different shapes (cow, train engine, turtle, spider, and etc.) that allowed the toddlers to put on the board.

CRAFT

"My circle is a..." coloring page (T, P)
Inspired by Anotinette Portis' books I cranked out die cut circles out of colorful construction paper. The children then had the opporuntity to glue their circle onto a sheet of paper, which I had printed "My circle is a..." on, and they had to imagine their circle as something other than a circle! One girl made her circle into a portrait of Hello Kitty. A boy made his into a baseball and drew a bat to hit it with. The preschoolers had the most imagination as my toddlers are actually quite young. We just viewed the craft as a practice in dexterity and fine motor skills!

EXTRA BOOKS

What Shall We Play written and illus. by Sue Heap (T)
My Garden written and illus. by Kevin Henkes (P)
Harold and the Purple Crayon written and illus. by Crockett Johnson (P)
Ella's Games written by David Bedford and illus. by Peter Kavanagh (P)

PICTURES

It's coming!