Treetop friends

A few months ago, I found a dog toy that was a plush tree stump with a chipmunk, a mouse & a hedgehog inside.  I knew I wanted to use it as a storytime prop but wasn't sure how until we were planning an Earth Day/Arbor Day storytime. 

 

 

We added some beanie babies we already had at the library & tucked all the creatures into the tree.

 

 

Another storyteller & I discussed our ideas and this was the finished project:

 

 

WHO IS HIDING IN THE TREE?

(tune: Frere Jacques)

 

 

Who is hiding

 

Who is hiding

In the tree

 

In the tree

 

I spy a hedgehog

 

I spy a hedgehog

 

Yes, indeed.

 

Yes, indeed.

 

 

Our other entries were mouse, chipmunk, ladybug, snake, frog, butterfly, lizard--basically anything you might find in a tree & have handy.

 

Our kids love "finding" hidden things during storytimes and this was a really big hit.  Another popular activity was "Five Bottles of Juice" that I found on What Happens in Storytime... and adapted a little bit.  We had five empty plastic bottles & a blue recycle tub that we used while we sang:

Five bottles of juice that we drank,

Five bottles of juice.

Put one in the recycle bin.

Four bottles of juice that we drank.

 

We continued until all the bottles were recycled.  Then you could end with:

 

 

No bottles of juice that we drank,

No bottles of juice.

They all are in the recycle bin,

All those bottles of juice that we drank.

 

Happy storytelling and for more ideas visit Andrea who is hosting Flannel Friday for April 26 on her blog, RovingFiddlehead KidLit  Check it out.  I always find something interesting when I do.  For more on Flannel Friday visit its homepage.

Ezra Jack Keats "Pet Show" activity

At the time of the video conference, I didn't have this ready to send out. I hope you'll find it useful.

Ezra Jack Keats----Pet Show Activity

Have children sit in circle.

Read “Pet Show” by Ezra Jack Keats
(You may need to provide some background on what a germ is)

Explain that we’re going to have a pet show all our own
And that we’ll use the library’s animals.

Have the children close their eyes and hold out their hands.

Hand out the beanie babies—it may help to have a teacher hand some out
(and teachers get one, also!)

Open your eyes!

Show children how to treat their beanie baby tenderly—model stroking its
head, etc.

After children have had a chance to explore their animal, demonstrate how
the beanie gets put on the floor in front of each child for the pet show.

Then—they chant! (You may need to coach them so everyone participates)

Hey Friend! (clap, clap)
What’s your pet? (clap, clap)

Child will identify pet

Everyone repeats the kind of animal it is

(clap, clap, clap, clap, clap) nice pet!
(count aloud: one-two-three-four-five nice pet!)

At the end, have the children put the beanies back in their bags, and into the basket.

You can gauge the group about how they’ll handle the beanies. Some groups get pretty aggressive with them, and it helps to be very structured about how you use them.

Some children end up disappointed in their animal—they like another one better. You can decide whether, if animals are left, you can make a trade.

You might want to do a quick check whether each child can identify their animal—or if you get to the identification point and the child doesn’t know, just supply the name.

Developed by Pat Leach, Youth Services, Bennett Martin Public Library, Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, NE.