Rabbits on an Egg Hunt - A Storytime Outline

It's that time of year again! This year I tried to focus on the rabbit or bunny portion of the Easter themed storytime compared to the egg part. It worked out beautifully! The children and guardians loved it all!

T = Toddler Storytime
P = Preschool Storytime

BOOKS

What Does Bunny See? written by Linda Sue Park and illus. by Maggie Smith (T)
I love this book due the simplicity, the naming of colors, and the adorable bunny in it.

We're Rabbits! written by Lisa Westberg Peters and illus. by Jeff Mack (T)
Another great bunny book that I just discovered. Just right for Toddlers.

Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs written and illus. by Janet Morgan Stoeke (T)
OK, so Minerva Louise isn't a rabbit or bunny, but it's full of colors, which is love!

The Story of the Easter Bunny written by Katherine Tegan and illus. by Sally Anne Lambert (P)
I started out with this book so the children had at least one possible story about the Easter Bunny. This book does mention Church Bells, but you can change it to Town Bells instead if you're worried about it.

Here Comes T. Rex Cottontail written by Lois G. Grambling and illus. by Jack E. Davis (P)
Moving on from the traditional rabbit, we have a T. Rex replacing the Easter Bunny! You must ask the children if they have ever seen a T. Rex dressed as an Easter Bunny hopping down their street!

The Night Before Easter written by Natasha Wing and illus. by Kathy Couri (P)
A great and simple rhyme to read at the end of the program.

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.

We Can Hop (T)
follow actions
We can jump, jump, jump.
We can hop, hop, hop.
We can clap, clap, clap.
We can stop, stop, stop.
We can nod our heads for yes.
We can shake our heads for no.
We can bends our knees a tiny bit,
And sit down slow.
Source: Yorba Linda Public Library (this will open as a PDF)

The Colorful Egg Hunt (T, P)
The colorful egg hunt has begun,
Easter Bunny is ready for fun.
So listen well and play this game.
Bring your egg when you hear its name.

Easter Bunny has been looking around,
For a lovely egg of the color brown.

That surely makes him a happy fellow,
Now look around for an egg that's yellow.

Brown and yello, that makes two.
But how he'd like an egg that's blue.

"Blue is finem" the bunny said,
"But now  need an egg that's red."

An orange egg would make his day,
So bring an orange without delay.

Orange is, indeed, wuite a sight.
Now let's find one as black as night.

Purple, purple, where's that one?
Why, here it is; oh, this is fun!

He needs an egg that's just plain white,
And yours is just so very right.

These are the loveliest eggs I've seen,
But bunny needs an egg that's green.

The egg collection will be fin, I think,
 Once we find the egg that's pink.

How many eggs have you shared with me?
Let's take a count and we will see!

count how many you have.
Source: unknown 

Five Little Bunnies (P)
use your fingers to count the bunnies or a flannel board
One little bunny,
Wondering what to do.
Another bunny came along,
Then there were two.

Two little bunnies,
Hopping like me.
Another bunny came along,
Then there were three.

Three little bunnies
Jumping around outdoors,
another bunny joined them,
Then there were four.

Four little bunnies,
So fluffy and alive.
Another bunny joined them,
Then there were five. 

Five little bunnies,
Ready for some fun,
Hopped away in the
Warm, spring sun.

ask home many bunnies are there after they hopped away (answer: none! ... yes, it rhymes!)
Source: SurLaLune Storytime

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.

FLANNEL BOARD

The Colorful Egg Hunt

This was a rhyme that I found when I first started working a as a Children's Librarian and cannot remember the original source (ack!). For my first ever Easter storytime I made this flannel board to go along with the rhyme. The Toddlers and the Preschoolers LOVED it!

CRAFTS

Giant Easter Egg (T)
The Toddlers got to decorate a giant construction paper Easter egg with large strips of color construction paper. To create the egg I used a jumbo oval die cut, and for the strips I cute the scrapes into 0.5x3 inch strips. The children got to clue and color all they wanted and loved it.

Miniature Easter Basket and Eggs (P)
My library has a die cut that you can fold up and create a Chinese take-away box! How cool is that?! To create a basket instead, after rolling the paper through the die cut machine, I  cut of the top flaps that formed the lid. All the children and guardians had to do was fold and glue the basket together and thread some yarn in pre-made holes to create a handle. Super easy. The children also got three ovals that served as their eggs to decorate and place in their basket. Everyone loved it (guardians oohed and awwed) and the children carried their basket on their wrists. Awesome!

PICTURES

Giant Easter Egg, Toddler Storytime Craft,
Created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2012

Miniature Easter Basket with Eggs, Preschool Storytime Craft,
Created by Dorothy WP-CC, 2012

The Colorful Egg Hunt flannel board,
created by Dorothy 2010

MORE BOOKS

Bunny Fun written by Sarah Weeks and illus. by Sam Williams (T) 
Easter Parade written by Irving Berlin and illus. by Lisa McCue (T, P)
A Bunny for All Seasons written by Janet Schulman and illus. by Meilo So (T, P)
10 Easter Egg Hunters written by Janet Schulman and illus. by Linda Davick (T, P)
Ollie's Easter Eggs written and illus. by Olivier Dunrea (T, P)
10 Hungry Rabbits: Counting & Color Concepts written and illus. by Anita Lobel (T, P)
Little White Rabbit written and illus. by Kevin Henkes (T, P)
Looking for Easter written by Dori Chaconas and illus. by Margie Moore (P)
Peter Rabbit's Happy Easter written by Grace Maccarone and illus. by David McPhail (P)
The Easter Bunny that Overslept written by Priscilla and Otto Friedrich and illus. by Donald Saaf (P)
The Easter Chick written by Geraldine Elschner and illus. by Alexandra Junge (P)
The Easter Party written and illus. by Lucy Su (P)
Queen of Easter written and illus. by Mary Engelbreit (P)