Saturday Morning Stories – Colours and Rainbows

Pouring rain forecast for this weekend, but we’ve had some lovely spring days so I planned a Rainbow storytime to keep things bright.

•  Opening:
  • ♫ Clap and Sing Hello ♫
  • ♫ Wheels on the bus ♫

•  I ain’t gonna paint no more by Karen Beaumont and David Catrow
  • ♫ Open Shut them ♫
  • ♫ These are the colours that we know ♫
• Felt: Make a rainbow
  • ♫ Can you find the colours ♫
• A colour of his own by Leo Lionni
  • Little Chameleon’s Colour Game
  • ♫ If You’re wearing any red ♫
  • ♫ Bend and stretch ♫
  • Wiggle my fingers
• Last short story:  Duckie’s rainbow by Frances Barry
• Game: Green says go go go… (using felt props)
• Closing Songs:
  • ♫ Roly Poly goodbye ♫
  • ♫ We wave goodbye like this ♫

Other story options:

• Lemons Are NOT Red  by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Butterfly, Butterfly by Pert Horacek
• Planting a Rainbow Lois Ehlert
• Wow said the owl by Tim Hopgood
• Little white rabbit by Kevin Henkes

Baby Duck, Baby Duck

Yet another version of little mouse. I can’t wait to try it:

Discovered on Miss Mary Liberry‘s blog

Baby duck, baby duck are you in the _______ egg?

There she is!

 

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And here was my adaptation for Easter:

Little Rabbit, Little Rabbit, What egg are you in? Little Rabbit, Little Rabbit, is it the ‘blue’ one you’re hiding in?

Little Rabbit, Little Rabbit, What egg are you in? Little Rabbit, Little Rabbit, is it the ‘blue’ one you’re hiding in?

Owl Babies, Napping house, and Wow! said the Owl

Preschool Storytime #4 in my fall series. It has two owl stories, but not exactly Owl themed. Napping house is a repeat from last week, except this time I did did it felt-story style. One of the libraries I work at has a felt version of Owl Babies, and I would love to do that next week but I don’t have time to make it for this library, unfortunately.

 

Opening:

• We clap and sing hello
• Wheels on the bus
• I have ten little fingers
• Franck: Crocodile, Crocodile

Longest story: Owl babies by Martin Waddell

• Stand-up song: Bend and stretch
• Action song/ circle song: Grand old duke of york
• Action poem: Criss, cross applesauce

Felt story/ Puppet story: Napping house felt (pattern here)

• Counting story/song: Five little ducks
• Action song: Zoom Zoom zoom

Action poems/ fingerplays:

• Little bird, little bird
• Once i saw a little bird
• Two little dicky birds
• Here is a beehive

Last short story: Wow said the owl by Tim Hopgood

Felt game/ interactive song: Little Mouse House

Closing Songs:

• Teddy bear, teddy bear
• We wave goodbye like this

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How it went:

It all turned out pretty good. No major surprises or disasters. I knew I wouldn’t get to all the fingerplays, which is fine. I have to laugh at the one or two kids who say “No” when I ask if they want to something again, because all the other kids are chorusing “Yes!”

I have to get to work on my Bark! George puppet. I want to make a dog puppet that I can pull the various animals out of. I’m doing the book next week, so I want to use the puppet the week after that. If I get it done, I’ll definitely post photos.

Colours We Know Felt Story & Song

Colours We Know or Rainbow Stew

(Tune: Skip to my Lou)

Take some cherries, put them in the pot,
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Pour it out now what will it be?
The prettiest red you ever did see.

Take an orange, put it in the pot,
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Pour it out now what will it be?
The prettiest orange you ever did see.

Take a lemon, put it in the pot,
Stir it stir it, stir it a lot.
Pour it out now what will it be?
The prettiest yellow you ever did see.

Take some limes……..

Take some berries…….

Take some grapes……..

Red and orange, yellow and green, blue and purple
Colours are seen.
Put them together, what will they be?
The prettiest rainbow you ever did see.

This is a great repetitive song with felt props: rainbow fairy, pot, fruits, and colour arches to build rainbow. (I will take a picture soon, promise) Kids and parents pick up on the familiar tune and repetitive phrasing pretty quickly.

Colours/ Rainbow – Family Storytime

Colours/ Rainbow — 30 min — Family

Plan

• Opening:
  • Song: We Clap and Sing Hello
  • Song: Wheels on the bus
  • Song: Colors we know
  • Poem: I have ten little fingers
• Longest story: I ain’t gonna paint no more
  • Action song: Green says go go go…
  • Action song/ circle song: Singing in the rain
  • Action song: Open Shut them
• Felt song: Make a rainbow
• Poem/song: Can you find the colours
•  Felt story/ Puppet story:
  • Action poems/ Song: If You’re wearing any red
  • Poem: Bend and stretch
  • Poem: Wiggle my fingers
• Last short story: Go away big green monster by Ed Emberley (w/ puppet)
• Felt game/ interactive song: Little mouse house
• Closing Songs:
  • Shake my sillies out
  • We wave goodbye like this
• Other story options:
  • Wow said the owl by Tim Hopgood
  • Little white rabbit by Kevin Henkes

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How it actually turned out

• Opening:
  • Chant: Bread and Butter and marmalade jam
  • Song:We Clap and Sing Hello
  • Poem: I have ten little fingers
• Longest story: I ain’t gonna paint no more
  • Action song: Green says go go go… (felt props)
  • Song: Colors we know (felt props)
  • Action song: Open Shut them
• Felt song: Make a rainbow
  • Poem: Bend and stretch
• Puppet Story: Go away big green monster by Ed Emberley (w/ puppet)
• Felt game/ interactive song: Little mouse house (again, again!)
• Closing Songs:
  • Shake my sillies out
  • We wave goodbye like this

Comments:

Young crowd for a family time, mostly toddlers, many appeared to be with nannies.

Active, we had lots of fun. Story went over well. I have to work on how I prompt for the GO AWAY part of Green monster so that it is consistent. Also with such a young crowd, I could have indicated some instructions to the caregivers for what to do with the really young (bounce on lap with songs, etc.)

Flow was good, it seemed natural. I really enjoyed this one.

Colours We Know – Song

(Tune: Twinkle Twinkle)

Red and orange, green and blue,

shiny yellow, purple too.

These are the colours that we know,

way up high in a great rainbow.

Red and orange, green and blue,

shiny yellow, purple too.

I can’t remember what blog I discovered this on so if anyone knows who created this adaptation, I would be happy to give credit.

I like to do this song with props, either felt pieces or objects, to help singers remember the colour order in the song, and to reinforce colour awareness and recognition.