Wild Animals - A Storytime Outline

This was my first storytime of the new spring season and for the years 2014. I chose an easier theme to start off with (who needs something complicated when you're still have semi-holiday brain?). However, with an easy theme also comes with the large amount of options of activities to do! Ideas that I had but did not do included playing different animals noises (from an iPod app called NAME) and letting the children guess which animal it was. Another was to do the popular Dear Zoo storytelling with puppets and large boxes. These are so much fun, but just didn't make it into this program. Oh well. Maybe next time!

BOOKS  
From Head to Toe written and illus. by Eric Carle (T, P)
You can never go wrong with Eric Carle. I love this book. The children do such a great job mimicking the animals!

The Wheels on the Bus written and illus. by Jane Cabrera (T, P) 
This is such a fun book. It works great for Toddlers especially because it allows them to work on their animal recognition.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt written by Michael Rosen and illus. by Helen Oxenbury (P)
This was the second time that I have ever read this book. Seriously! Knowing the reaction during the last reading, I knew more interactiveness was needed to keep the kids engaged. So I made props! Also, it helps if you get the rhythm correct. If you need help need help with the rhythm Micheal Rosen has a video doing the story rhyme from beginning to end (it was hard for me to not use his accent during the program!). 

SONGS & RHYMES
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

Open, shut them

Lay them in your lap. 

Five Little Monkeys Swinging From a Tree
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 like a big gulp!)

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 goes Mr. Crocodile as full as can be!  

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 bends

And that's the way this touch game ends.

FLANNEL BOARDS
Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree (T, P) 
I used a flannel board that was created by a coworker.

ACTIVITIES
We're Going on a Bear Hunt (P) 
To make the story We're Going on a Bear Hunt more interactive I weighed my options. It would have been amazing fun if we had done a actual obstacle course, but I didn't have space for that. So instead I created my own props. I'm hoping that I'll be able to use these props again in a future storytime format that my partner-in-storytime-crime and I are working on right now (hence why I used felt). I did not use any patterns - just my imagination. Each child got their own set of grass, water, mud, snowflake and tree, and either remain seated or could stand up. During the reading of the book they had to wave the different prop around when we got to that part. It worked out pretty well. Next time around I'll make them stand up, which works out better when they have  to run from the bear and to go up and down the stairs. I also included a little bear in a cave.

CRAFT
Pretend Binoculars (T, P)
If you're going to hear stories about wild animals and if you're going to keep an eye out for wild animals out in your world, you will need a pair of binoculars! You take two toilet paper tubes and glue or tape them together. I added a strip of construction paper to decorated it up a bit but also keep the tubes together more. The children LOVED them!

PICTURES

Toddler and Preschool Binocular craft,
created by Dorothy, WPCC 2014

We're Going On a Bear Hunt flannel props,
created by Dorothy, WPCC 2014

Bear Cave for We're Going on a Bear Hunt storytelling,
created by Dorothy, WPCC 2014