Cover Sheet – For the Presenter
The following storyhour program is designed for toddlers and preschoolers
(primarily 2-3-year olds).
You don’t have to read the leader’s comments word-for-word, but try to include
the information in your own words -- especially the asides to the parents. The
information that is just for you (the presenter) is in italics .
The general outline of our storytime is:
I.
Welcome/Introductory Comments
II.
Opening Song
III.
Action Rhyme
IV.
Quieting rhyme
V.
Book
VI.
Finger Rhyme
VII.
Rhyme with flannelboard
VIII. Counting Game/Song
IX.
Book
X.
Closing Rhyme
Feel free to substitute your own opening and closing rhymes as well as any
rhymes with an insect theme that the children have heard before. Repetition
of some songs and action rhymes from previous storytimes is better than
introducing all new ones. If you plan on making bilingual storytime a regular
event, you might consider purchasing a book of rhymes or fingerplays such as
Pío Peep by Alma Flor Ada, Grandmother’s Nursery Rhymes/Las Nanas de
Abuelita by Nelly Palacio Jaramillo, or Diez Deditos: 10 Little Fingers by JoséLuis Orozco.
We suggest several props that we think will be helpful.
*Flannel board cut-outs of numbers and insects.
* Some of the rhymes in large print to help the adults join in.
* Craft ideas to offer after your storytime has officially ended.
*Take home materials. NOTE: You can add your library name and hours or
storytime information at the bottom of this sheet!
Bilingual English/Spanish Storytime
“Little Critters” – “Animalitos”
Introduction
To the caregivers:
Bienvenidos -- Welcome to storytime. I am glad you could all be
here today. We are going to be sharing some rhymes and books in
both English and Spanish. Adults, please join in with our rhymes and
actions. Feel free to take a break if your child becomes unhappy.
Let’s start with a simple song, sung to the tune of “Happy Birthday.”
Songs and rhymes are a good way for children to become aware of
the different sounds that make up words – we call this phonologic
awareness. Singing and saying nursery rhymes also helps them get a
feel for the rhythm of language – how words are divided into
syllables.
Opening Song (to the tune of “Happy Birthday”)
Good morning to you
Good morning to you
Good morning, dear Tommy,
Good morning, to you.
Buenos días a ti
Buenos días a ti
Buenos días, querido Tommy,
Buenos días a ti
(Alternate English and Spanish. Repeat with all of the children’s names if
possible – if your group is too large, just substitute “children”/”niňos” and sing 3
or 4 times. The Spanish version would change to “Buenos dίas a todos . . .
Buenos dίas, queridos niňos . . .”)
-1-
Action Rhyme
Use the traditional hand motions for “Itsy, Bitsy Spider.”
To the parents/caregivers:
Even in another language, rhymes help children hear the basic sounds
that make up words – and that will help them learn to read later on.
So let’s try saying “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” in both Spanish and English!
Itzi, bitzi araña
Itzi, bitzi araña,
tejió su telaraña.
Vino la lluvia,
y se la llevó.
Salió el sol,
se secó la lluvia.
Y Itzi, bitzi araña,
otra vez subió.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the waterspout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again.
Now it’s time to settle down for a story. Let’s get all of our wiggles out now:
-2-
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 Eric Carle’s “Very Hungry Caterpillar.” If you can get the Spanish version
– La Oruga Muy Hambrienta – read both.
Finger Rhyme
Let’s go to bed
The little caterpillars said
(hold up one hand with fingers wide and wiggling)
And they tucked themselves into their beds
(fold fingers up into a fist)
Each will waken by and by
(start moving fingers gently)
And each will be a lovely butterfly!
(open both hands together to make a butterfly)
Rhyme
To the caregivers:
With this rhyme, we will need to explain some new words. We don’t
want to overwhelm children with too many new words, but a large
vocabulary will help them when they are learning to read.
Read the rhyme through once first using the flannelboard pieces:
-3-
Little Miss Muffet,
Sat on a tuffet.
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away!
Now, does anyone know what a “tuffet” is? Do you like curds and whey? [etc.]
[Have your Spanish-speaking helpers explain these terms in Spanish, too. Stool
= taburete; curds and whey = cuajada y suero de leche.]
Repeat 2 or 3 times. You might leave blanks for the children to fill in, such as
“Along came a ______” (wait for the children to add “spider,” then continue.)
Counting Game/Song
Use flannelboard numbers and insects to do a counting activity along with this
rhyme. [Die cut insects and numbers are available from your District Office.
See http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/c-d/diecuts.] The rhyme is said to
the tune of the traditional “Ten Little Indians.” Some vocabulary words you
might want to know: ant = hormiga, fly = mosca, ladybug = mariquita, beetle =
escarabajo.
One little, two little, three little critters
Four little, five little, six little critters
Seven little, eight little, nine little critters
Ten little creepy critters.
Ten little, nine little, eight little critters
Seven little, six little, five little critters
Four little, three little, two little critters
One little creepy critter.
Uno y dos y tres animalitos
Quatro y cinco y seis animalitos
Siete y ocho y nueve animalitos
Diez animalitos todos.
Diez y nueve y ocho animalitos
Siete y seiz y cinco animalitos
Quatro y tres y dos animalitos
Un animalito solo.
Book
Choose a favorite book from your collection that fits with today’s theme. Eric
Carle’s “The Very Busy Spider” would be a good choice.
Here are the sounds that the animals make in Spanish to include as you read (if
you have a Spanish-speaking helper, they may have learned slightly different
sounds – you should use the ones they suggest):
Neigh! Neigh! = Jii-jii (sounds like “gee”)
Moo! = Muu (sounds the same)
Baa! = Bee-bee (more like “bay”)
Maa! = M-e-e-e (like “may”)
Oink! = Oink (same)
Woof! Woof! = Guau-guau (goo-ow)
Meow! = Miau (same)
Quack! = Cua (coo-ah)
Cock-a-doodle-do! = Ki-kiri-ki (all vowels have long e sound – like “key”)
Who? = Uh (oo sound)
If time allows, do “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” again using the flannelboard pieces.
Closing Rhyme
(Put up the flannelboard clock as a sign that storytime is over.)
Good-bye now, good-bye.
The clock tells us we're done.
I'll see you next storytime,
Good-bye now everyone.
To the caregivers:
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 have learned.
Use the flannelboard bug pieces to practice counting.
You might print a few sets of the story sequencing cards from DLTK at http://www.dltkteach.com/books/hungrycaterpillar/index.htm.
Coloring pages from DLTK: http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/spider/color.htm.
Little Critters/Animalitos
Take-Home Sheet
Rhymes and songs help teach “phonological awareness” – awareness of the
sounds that make up words. You may have noticed that your child enjoys the
way a nursery rhyme sounds even if it doesn’t make much sense to him. When
you introduce a new rhyme or song, repeat it at least twice. Three times is even
better. And be sure to keep repeating the old, familiar rhymes.
Here are a couple of the rhymes we used in today’s storytime.
Little Critters Counting Rhyme
One little, two little, three little critters
Four little, five little, six little critters
Seven little, eight little, nine little critters
Ten little creepy critters.
Ten little, nine little, eight little critters
Seven little, six little, five little critters
Four little, three little, two little critters
One little creepy critter.
Uno y dos y tres animalitos
Quatro y cinco y seis animalitos
Siete y ocho y nueve animalitos
Diez animalitos todos.
Diez y nueve y ocho animalitos
Siete y seiz y cinco animalitos
Quatro y tres y dos animalitos
Un animalito solo.
Be sure to use the actions with this rhyme – it will help your child’s fine motor
skills!
Itzi, bitzi araña
Itzi, bitzi araña,
tejió su telaraña.
Vino la lluvia,
y se la llevó.
Salió el sol,
se secó la lluvia.
Y Itzi, bitzi araña,
otra vez subió.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the waterspout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again.
NOTE: If you have a computer at home, you may wish to print out the Very
Hungry Caterpillar story sequencing cards from http://www.dltkteach.com/books/hungrycaterpillar/index.htm.