Opening Song: Hello, Friends (from JBrary)
Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
I wanted to start with a familiar song because I had several new songs planned for this Storytime session. We’ve done this several times in the past and it’s always good for getting wiggles out! We start by singing it slow the first time and then getting faster each time we repeat (usually 3 times total).
Song: I Am Hungry (from JBrary)
This song isn’t all about veggies, but I thought it was a nice way to introduce the idea that we’d be talking about eating (veggies specifically).
Book: Good Night Veggies by Diana Murray
The group of children that attended this week absolutely LOVED this book. About ten of them laid down on their bellies in a semi-circle right in front of me and propped up their chins in their hands. I wish I could have taken a picture! They listened intently and helped me name the vegetables.
Rhyme: Five Fat Peas (from JBrary)
We’ve done this rhyme several times before so it was a familiar one for many of regular attendees, and it fit right in with today’s theme. They love to clap POP! at the end.
Song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Another familiar song that’s always an easy go-to!
Book: Every Color Soup by Jorey Hurley
I wasn’t sure how this book would be received by the children but they really got into it. They helped me name the vegetables and acted out some of the actions in the book.
Flannel Board: Soup Making Activity
This was the perfect follow-up activity after reading Every Color Soup. I printed out and laminated clip art of several different types of vegetables (see photo above) and some large bowls. I stuck the bowls on the flannel board and then passed out one veggie to each child. Then I talked about each veggie and had the children with the matching veggies come up and stick their veggies in the bowl to make soup. Most of the children are still learning to take turns and many got up when it wasn’t their turn. But that’s okay! We keep things light and positive.
Song: Stir, Stir, Stir the Soup (from Jen in the Library)
After we finished the Soup Making Activity with the flannel board, I told the children I needed help stirring the soup we just made. They really got into doing stirring motions and we did a verse with each of the veggies we had in our soup.
Book: Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman
The children (and parents) absolutely LOVED this book. There were plenty of giggles. I’m definitely re-using this at some point, even when I’m not talking about vegetables.
Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom (from JBrary)
This is our favorite song. We sing it every week. The kids ask for it! It’s another great one for getting the wiggles out.
Song: See the Little Bunnies Sleeping (from JBrary)
This song is so much fun. The kids really get into pretending to be sleeping bunnies. It’s a nice way to get them to calm down and be a little quieter.
Book: 1 Big Salad: A Delicious Counting Book by Juana Medina
This was a fun book for reviewing numbers and names of vegetables. I went through it fairly quickly since we were near the end of our time.
Goodbye Song: Goodbye, Friends (from JBrary)
This is the goodbye song I do every week. It’s the same lyrics and tune as the opening song, except the children say “Goodbye, friends,” instead of “hello, friends.”
I also had How Are You Peeling? by Saxton Freeman just in case I needed another book, but I ended up not needing it.
Overall, this was a successful Storytime. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I felt good about how everything went.