Here’s another fun flow storytime! Featuring my recent Mouse House flannel makeover in action.
Welcome & Set Expectations
*Sing: Clap Everybody & Say Hello
Read: Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli
This was actually my first time reading this book in storytime, because it’s always bugged me that Owl is trying to sleep at night when owls are nocturnal animals! However, the repetitive “squeek” fit so well with a literacy message, and looking for the mouse on each page set the stage so perfectly for our flannel, that I decided to read it anyways. Glad I did because the kiddos LOVED it!
Lit Tip: Pointing to Words & Print Awareness
Grown-ups, part of learning to read is understanding print symbols on a page have meaning. When you point to words now and then while reading, you help your child connect the words they hear with the words they see. Pointing to and looking at words together helps your child get ready to read!
Flannel: Mouse House Guessing Game
We spent a LOT of time in conversation/sharing connections with this flannel!
Besides the awesome opportunities for making connections and math talk, my favorite thing about this flannel is its versatility- there’s so many directions you could go afterwards or leading up to it! You could talk about harbors and lighthouses and boats, you could read about fire trucks, or farm animals, or birds… I can’t wait to add more kinds of homes – a treehouse, a doghouse and a townhouse are next on my list!
*Sing: If You’re Ready for a Story
Read: Noisy Night by Mac Barnett
I let the kiddos choose if they wanted to read about an apartment (a home for people) or a nest (a home for birds). I’m glad they picked this one because it’s so fun! Plus the big, bold, noisy text also tied in well with our literacy message earlier.
Sing: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
We sang the tired old man a soft lullaby to help him fall asleep, then sat in a circle for the parachute!
Sing: We Shake and We Shake and We Stop (parachute)
Here’s a version of this song from Jbrary. It’s not quite the tune I sing it to – I think when I sing it comes out more along the lines of “If You’re Happy and You Know It?”
Sing: Elevator Song (parachute)
Instead of singing 57 floors, I asked the kiddos if they could remember how many floors our apartment had on the flannelboard. We counted the rows of windows again to make sure!
Learning Through Play
*Please visit this page to learn more about my regular storytime songs and routines.
Storytime in the Stacks 