Cover Sheet – For the Presenter
The following storyhour program is designed for preschool and kindergarten
(primarily 3-5-year olds).
If parents and caregivers are present, try to include the information in the
asides marked “To the Adults” in your own words. The information that is just
for you is in italics – so don’t read that text.
The general outline of our storytime is:
I.
Opening Song
II.
Welcome/Introductory Comments
III.
Counting Rhyme
IV.
Flannelboard Activity
V.
Quieting Rhyme
VI.
Book
VII.
Flannelboard Story
VIII. Activity
IX.
Book (if time permits)
X.
Closing Song/Rhyme
Feel free to substitute your own opening and closing rhymes as well as any
rhymes with a similar theme that the children have heard before. Repetition of
songs and action rhymes from previous storytimes is better than introducing all
new ones.
We have suggested several props that we think will be helpful.
*Flannel board cut-outs for counting snowflakes, Mitten Matching and for telling
the story A Mountain of Mittens.
*A coloring page for craft time.
*Take home materials that you can photocopy
-1-
The Snowy Day
Opening Song (to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”)
Come on in it’s storytime
Storytime
Storytime
Come on in it’s storytime
We’re happy that you’re here.
Sit right down for storytime
Storytime
Storytime
Sit right down for storytime
We’ll have a lot of fun
Settle in for storytime
Storytime
Storytime
Settle in for storytime
We’re ready to begin.
(Repeat the first two verses several times if necessary as children are arriving.
Then add the third verse)
Introduction
To the children & caregivers:
Welcome to storytime. Today we will be reading the book The Snowy
Day by Ezra Jack Keats. So we are going to be talking about snow and
cold weather. Have you ever tried to count snowflakes? Let’s pretend
we are doing that now!
-2-
Counting Rhyme:
Too Many Snowflakes!
One little snowflake
Fell on my hat. (pat head)
Two little snowflakes
Melt just like that! (snap fingers)
Three little snowflakes
Sparkle at night. (hold up 3 fingers)
Four little snowflakes
Help make the world bright. (hold up 4 fingers)
Five little snowflakes
Are pretty to see. (hold up 5 fingers)
But hundreds of snowflakes
Are covering me! (pretend to brush snow off of arms)
Flannel Board Activity
Repeat the rhyme using flannelboard snowflakes for counting.
To the adults:
Repetition is important to the learning process for children. Don’t
hesitate to read the same book or recite the same rhymes over and
over.
-3-
Now, let’s get all of our wiggles out so that we can read a story:
Quieting Rhyme
I wiggle my fingers,
I wiggle my toes.
I wiggle my arms,
I wiggle my nose.
I think that the wiggles
Are all out of me
Now I can sit down
And hear a story.
Book
Read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
Flannelboard Story – A Mountain of Mittens
Tell the story A Mountain of Mittens by Lynn Plourde using the flannelboard
pictures provided. You will find a Reader’s Theater version of the book in the
January 2009 issue of Library Sparks magazine as well. Teach the children the
chorus “Mittens, mittens. My, oh, my! A mountain of mittens, piled up high.”
before you start. You might want to make a large-print poster of the words to
help any parents or older children join in.
New vocabulary alert: crocheted; assembly
Activity -- Mitten Sorting
For a mitten sorting game, cut mitten shapes from a variety of papers or fabrics.
Include plaids, polka dots, etc. You could also use real mittens: Invite patrons to
donate mittens during the month of September. Give these to a local charity
when you are finished with them.
To the adults:
Sorting games lay the groundwork for your child to learn to recognize
the letters of the alphabet.
Book
If you have time, read one of your favorite books about snow, seasons or
weather. Few words are best for “group reading.” Books for storytime need to
have fewer words than those read one-on-one with a parent. Some suggestions
are: The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel, Chicken Soup with Rice
by Maurice Sendak (Get the kids to join in -- or sing this one!), Animals in the
Snow by Margaret Wise Brown or The Mitten by Jan Brett.
Closing Rhyme
See You Later, Alligator
See you later, alligator
(use hand to shade your eyes as if searching)
In a while, crocodile
(point to watch or clock)
Bye-bye, butterfly
(wave)
Toodle-oo, kangaroo
(wave hankie)
Time to go, buffalo
(look at watch and shake head as if running late)
Just like that, fat cat
(snap fingers)
It’s the end, my friend.
(shrug shoulders and throw up hands in a “giving up” gesture)
To the adults:
Feel free to stay a while and do a craft or check out some books to take
home. (Point out any brochures or tip sheets that you have on display
for parents, etc.)
-5-
Crafts:
We like the idea of providing a craft at the end of storyhour. Something simple is fine. This
gives parents a chance to visit and it reinforces what the children learned. Be sure to have
some literacy materials or good read-aloud books on display. You will find some printable
items on the Early Childhood Literacy website at
http://www.ilsa.lib.ia.us/ECL/awareness.htm.
For a coloring page, photocopy the picture provided. [Provide crayons or markers.]
Other craft ideas:
1) Snow globes made from baby food jars.
2) Have children draw winter scenes on paper. Dampen the paper slightly with a sponge.
While wet, sprinkle with salt. The salt will crystallize to look like snowflakes. (Be sure
to test this craft to be sure you have the right paper, etc.)
3) Print out some “Winter Friends” to color from
http://www.makingfriends.com/friends/f+winter.htm. (You might just print the clothing
as a coloring page.)
4) Cut out mitten shapes – 2 per child – and string them together with yarn. Adults might
help their child write his or her name on each mitten. Decorate with “polka dots”
(circle shapes + glue sticks or round stickers).
The Snowy Day
Take-Home Sheet
You can build literacy skills anytime! Here are a few suggestions for times when
you can’t read to your child:
Point out signs as you shop – we call this creating print awareness.
Listen to music in the car. Sing along – sing “la, la, la” if you don’t know the words.
Songs divide words into syllables which helps your child hear the separate sounds.
We call this phonological awareness.
Talk about the weather when you go outside. Help your child build vocabulary by
describing colors and textures and talking about how the world outside has changed
recently.
Talk about food. Your child will learn many descriptive words from talking about the
colors, smells and shapes of food as you eat or as you prepare a meal. Cut
sandwiches into different shapes (square, triangle, rectangle) for a bit of fun!
Let your child help pair-up clean socks from the laundry. Noticing small differences
will help your child learn the letters of the alphabet, too.
Give your child a paper and pencil to make his or her own grocery list before you
head for the store.
Count things often. [“How many apples should we buy? Let’s count 5 apples.”]
Count the apples. Draw
2 more apples to make 5.
Snowflake Matching: Pick out the snowflakes that are the same. (Some of
the snowflakes do not have a mate.)