This storytime plan was inspired by our recent wacky September weather – as in 90 degree weather one day and rain/snow the next! Highlights below; full script available by clicking here.
Sing: Hi, Hello and How Are You?*
Welcome
Sing: If You’re Ready for a Story…*
Read: Rain! by Linda Ashman
We looked at the title page and talked about how we thought the young boy felt based on his facial expression and body language; then we compared his apparent enthusiasm to the old man when he wakes up and looks out the window.
“How do you think the old man feels? Happy? Sad? Grumpy? How can you tell he feels grumpy? …yeah, he’s frowning and his eyebrows are lowered. What does your grumpy face look like?”
Talk: What makes you grumpy?
After reading the story, we made some text-to-self connections! I asked the virtual audience to share what makes them grumpy. Since we have cameras/microphones/chat box turned off during storytime, I pretended to hear some answers, like “cleaning my room” and “having to share.”
Mindfulness: Hot Cocoa Breaths
“When I’m grumpy, drinking hot tea or hot cocoa helps me feel better! Let’s hold a cup of hot coca in our hands and breathe out very slowly to cool it down… Let’s try a sip. Ouch! Too hot still! Let’s take another deep breath and slowly let it out…”
Lit Tip: Reading Books & Building Social Emotional Vocabulary
Grown-ups, so often when kids are upset, we tell them to “use their words.” But which words? When you talk about how the characters in books are feeling and relate those feelings back to your own lives, you help your children develop the social emotional vocabulary they need to express themselves in healthy ways.”
Sing: Some Big Dark Clouds… (Flannel)
“I see some dark clouds in the sky! What do you think will happen next? Yeah, it might rain. It might snow. It might do both on the same day – you never know in Colorado! Looks like THESE big dark clouds carry rain…”
Sing: Put Your Hands Up High (x2)
It rained so much it made a BIG puddle:
“Our next story is about a duck who loves puddles and rain. I’m going to need your help making duck noises when we read. Let’s practice first and pretend we’re ducks.”
Tune: Do Your Ears Hang Low?
Put your hands up high, put your hands down low.
Put your hands in the middle and wiggle just so.
Put your elbows in front, put your elbows in the back.
Put your elbows to the side and quack, quack, quack!
Credit: Jbrary
Read: Splish, Splash, Ducky! by Lucy Cousins
While reading, I pointed out the big and bold “quack, quack, quack” words and invited the kiddos to help me say the words when they appeared on each page.
Sing: 1 Little Duck Went Out to Play… (Flannel)
Tune: Five Little Ducks
One little duck went out to play
In the pond on a rainy day.
They had such ENORMOUS fun
They called for another duck to come…
OHHHHHH DUCKY!
Sing: Walking, Walking (x2)
On our last flannel verse, we had an unexpected guest hop into the pond:
“That’s not a duck! That’s a FROG! That reminds me of a song I know about hopping…”
Walking, walking.
Walking, walking.
Hop, hop, hop!
Hop, hop, hop!
Running running running.
Running running running.
Now we STOP!
Now we STOP!
Credit: Old Town School of Folk Music
Sing: Sleeping Froggies (adapted from Sleeping Bunnies)
“That frog must have been so tired after a long day of splashing in the pond with its ducky friends and hopping around! Let’s pretend we’re frogs and go to sleep. When we wake up, we’re going to hop. But now it’s time to rest and sleep. I’ll sing you a lullaby. See the little froggies sleeping till it’s nearly noon…”
Read: Max Speed by Stephen Shaskan
“It’s fun to play pretend! Especially if you’re stuck inside your room on a rainy day. Our last story is about a kid named Max. Max has a REALLY BIG imagination. Let’s look at the cover together… I wonder what Max is pretending to be?”
“Remember when Max pretended he was driving a really fast race car? For our last song today, let’s pretend we’re driving race cars, too! What does the green light mean?”
Sing: Goodbye, Goodbye, We’ll See You Soon*
*Please visit this page to learn more about my regular storytime songs and routines.
As I was getting ready for this storytime, I realized that Max Speed and Splish, Splash, Ducky! would both make GREAT reads for a print awareness early literacy message! *tucks in back pocket for later*
How’s the weather in your world? Thinking especially of all of you friends on the West Coast! đź’ś
Storytime in the Stacks 
Long time follower first time commenter. Hope you’re doing well. Noticed you haven’t been on social media very much and I saw on Twitter you are on hiatus but I miss your posts and witty tidbits. I didn’t want to make a Twitter account to get in touch, so I thought I might leave a message here.
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Hi Brittany! Thank you for your kind message. I went on hiatus while we were house hunting/moving and then got really busy with the first virtual CLEL Conference, but I hope to be more active as things settle down. *fingers crossed* Are you on Instagram by chance? It’s usually easier to connect with me on social media! 🙂 And thanks again for the comment – a lot of times blogging can feel like shouting into the void!
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