The Letters X, Y & Z

Our letter X, Y & Z words are Box, Yellow (or Yuck), & Zoo.
(Again, a strange hodge-podge storytime, but what are you gonna do with X, Y & Z??)


 Possible Storytime Books:

Sitting in My Box by Dee Lillegard
Yuck! by Mick Manning
Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis (this story is so simple, but it makes the kids crack up every time)
In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli
Never Ever Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson

Honorable mention:
Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo by Ayun Halliday
(one of the funniest books I've seen in a while, but I still haven't tried it at storytime yet, because I don't know if the kids & parents will be delighted or horrified :)

 

Craft Links:
Zebra Craft
or
Animal Crackers Zoo
This link is actually for a "safari" scene, but you can just as easily create a zoo scene with the animal crackers. Fun, and yummy!


Songs & Rhymes:

Jack-in-the-Box

If I were a jack-in-the-box
I'd make myself very small
[huddle down on the ground]
I'd be shut tight inside my box
You couldn't see me at all!
[cover your eyes]

Until someone turns the crank,

[turn the crank]

The music will play, then stop

[la-la-la- ]

The top will fly open

[life arms above head]

And out I will pop!

[jump up]

 

Yickity-Yackity Yickity-Yak

Yickity-yackity, yickity-yak,
The yak has a scriffily scruffily back
Some yaks are brown and some yaks are black,
Yickity-yackity, yickity-yak

Sniggildy-snaggildy, sniggildy-snag,
The yak is all covered with shiggildy-shag
He walks with a ziggildy-zaggildy-sag,
Sniggildy-snaggildy, sniggildy-snag!

 

Zoo Chant

Oh I went to the zoo and what did I see?
I saw a great big tiger looking at me!
He went, "Roar, roar, roar!"
He went, "Roar, roar, roar!"
And that's what he said to me

Other verses:
Use any other zoo animals you like, or have the kids name some

The Letter W

Our letter W words are Wolf, Wind, Worm & Wheel. (and Wiggle, sometimes :)
I'd love to find a great read-aloud about a whale that's simple enough for the really young ones. Let me know if you have any ideas!


 Possible Storytime Books:

Like a Windy Day by Frank Asch
Wiggle by Doreen Cronin
Wheel Away by Dayle Ann Dodds
The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins
Wolf's Coming! by Joe Kulka
Winston the Book Wolf by Marni McGee (a little long for some preschoolers, but if you've got a good crowd, go for it!)
One Wheel Wobbles by Carole Schaefer
The Big Fat Worm by Nancy Van Laan

 

Craft Links:
Worm in an Apple Craft
(I use construction paper instead of craft foam for this)
or
Cute Wolf Mask


Songs & Rhymes:

Little Wiggle Worm

Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"
I'm a little wiggle worm,
Watch me go
I can wiggle fast,
Or very very slow
I wiggle all around,
The back I go
Down in the ground
To the home I know.

Whistling Wind

Sung to: "If You're Happy & You Know It"
If you hear the whistling wind, cup your ears
If you hear the whistling wind, cup your ears
If you hear it in the trees,
Making music with the leaves,
If you hear the whistling wind, cup your ears

If you feel the blustery wind, whirl around
If you feel the blustery wind, whirl around
If you feel it lift your hair,
Like a kite up in the air
If you feel the blustery wind, whirl around

 

I'm a Big Whale

Sung to: "My Darling Clementine"
I am swimming, I am swimming,
I am swimming in the sea,
I'm a big whale and I'm swimming,
I am swimming in the sea.

Other verses:
I am diving...
I am spouting...
I am singing...
Etc.

The Letters U & V

Our letter U & V words are Umbrella, Up, Puppy, Bug, Vegetable & Van.
This is a sad little storytime, I'm afraid. But I will add more book possibilities as I find them!


 Possible Storytime Books:

One Pup's Up by Marsha Chall
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
This is the Van that Dad Cleaned by Lisa Ernst
My Pup by Margaret O'Hair
The Very Ugly Bug by Liz Pichon
A Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss
Hug a Bug by Eileen Spinelli

 

Craft Links:
Umbrella Mobile Craft
or
Simple Umbrella Craft
Scroll down to "Crafts" section--Umbrella Picture.


Songs & Rhymes:

Five Little Puppies

Five little puppies were playing in the sun
This one saw a rabbit, and he began to run
This one saw a butterfly, and he began to chase
This one saw a cat, and he began to race
This one tried to catch his tail, and he went round and round
This one was so quiet, he never made a sound.

The Umbrella Song

Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"
Here's my new umbrella,
Wide and high
It keeps me cozy,
Warm and dry.
If the rain starts falling
From the sky,
Just open me up,
And you'll stay dry!

 

The Vegetable Garden

Sung to: "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush"
Here we go round the vegetable garden,
The vegetable garden, the vegetable garden,
Here we go round the vegetable garden,
So early in the morning.

Other verses:
Pull the orange carrots out...
Pick red tomatoes off the vine...
Brown potatoes, dig them up...
Orange pumpkin--heave, ho!...

The Letter T

Our letter T words are Train, Turtle/Tortoise, Tiger & Teddy Bear.


 Possible Storytime Books:

Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough
The Foolish Tortoise by Richard Buckley
Turtle Day by Douglas Florian
Tiger Can't Sleep by S. J. Fore
Everybody Has a Teddy Bear by Virginia Kroll
A Train Goes Clickety Clack by Jonathan London
Tiger on a Tree by Anushka Ravishankar
I Love Trains by Philemon Sturges
Hi, Harry! by Martin Waddell

 

Craft Links:
Turtle Craft
(as long as the bowls are non-waxy on the bottom, you can use crayons instead of paint to decorate)
or
Train Craft
This is another craft you can do a couple different ways. The link above is a bit complicated if you have a big group, but it can easily be simplified--use die-cut animals instead of cutting them out, or don't use any and just let the kids draw in their train's passengers themselves. Also, simple rectangles will do just fine for the train cars, instead of trying to make pockets out of them.


Songs & Rhymes:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your nose
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your toes
Teddy bear, teddy bear, jump up high
Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach for the sky
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the light
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say goodnight!

Choo Choo Train

This is a choo-choo train
Puffing down the track [chugga chugga]
Now it's going forward,
Now it's going back
Now the bell is ringing [ting-a-ling]
Now the whistle blows [woo-woooo]
What a lot of noise it makes
Everywhere it goes!
[have kids continue to be trains, making noise, etc]

 

Down in the Meadow

Down in the meadow
In a little bitty pool
Swam ten little turtles
And a mama turtle, too
"Swim," said the mama,
"Swim like I do!"
So they swam and they swam
All over the pool

Other verses:
Dive, Splash, Float, etc.

The Letter S

Our letter S words are Snail/Slug, Spider & Snake.


 Possible Storytime Books:

Itsy Bitsy Spider or Eensy Weensy Spider (various authors)
Hide and Snake by Keith Baker
Snail Trail by Ruth Brown
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Some Smug Slug by Pamela Edwards
The Secret by Lindsay George
Small Green Snake by Libba Moore Gray
Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks (a personal favorite)
The Roly Poly Spider by Jill Sardegna (love this one, too)
Opposnakes by Salina Yoon

 

Craft Links:
Letter S Snake Craft
I attached this link just for the photo--you can do this a couple different ways, either cut out entire snakes in the shape of an "S", or cut a bunch of ovals out of construction paper and have the kids glue them together to form an "S" on their paper.
or
Snail Craft
This one can work two ways, either as a picture they can color and decorate (first craft listed), or as a 3-d craft if they attach a paper bowl (third craft listed). Cute either way!


Songs & Rhymes:

Slowly Goes the Snail

Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Goes the garden snail
[speak very slow, move finger like a slow snail]
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Up the garden rail
[move snail up your arm]

Quickly, quickly, very quickly
Runs the little mouse
[speak fast, move finger like mouse]
Quickly, quickly, very quickly
To his little house
[move mouse into his hole--a fist with your other hand]

Mr. Snake

Mr. Snake lives in a hole in the ground
[make a hole with hands]
He pokes out his head and looks around
[poke up snake's head]
He twitches his tail,
And gives a "Hisssss"
And off through the grass he goes like this
[make hand slither]

 

The Spider in the Web

Sung to: "The Farmer in the Dell"
The spider in the web,
The spider in the web,
Spin, spin, oh watch him spin,
The spider in the web.

The spider eats a fly,
The spider eats a fly,
Spin, spin, oh watch him spin,
The spider eats a fly.
[substitute other insects for other verses]

The Letter R

Our letter R words are Rabbit, Rooster, Red & Rain.


 Possible Storytime Books:

Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky
Cock-a-Doodle Quack! Quack! by Ivor Baddiel (a storytime favorite)
Red, Red, Red by Valeri Gorbachev
Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton
Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes
Raindrop Plop by Wendy Lewison
When the Rooster Crowed by Patricia Lillie
Runaway Rabbit by Ron Maris
Rain by Manya Stojic

 

Craft Links:
Rabbit [Bunny] Ears Craft
or
Rooster Mask Craft
They call this a chicken mask, but it looks like a rooster to me! I altered it to go with the basic mask Ellison die we already have--just cut out a beak from orange or yellow construction paper and the comb out of red (I think the pipe cleaners are a nice touch, but I don't ever use them for this craft)



Songs & Rhymes:

Robbie the Rabbit

Robbie the rabbit is fat, fat, fat
[pat belly]
His soft little paws go pat, pat, pat
[bounce your "paws"]
His soft little ears go flop, flop, flop
[put hands up on head like bunny ears]
And when Robbie runs, he goes hop, hop, hop!
[hop!]

Mr. Rooster

Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!!!
Mr. Rooster, please go back to bed
It's 5 o'clock and I'm a sleepy head!
Mr. Rooster, I'm warning you--
Stop that cock-a-doodle-doo!

Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!!!
Mr. Rooster, please go back to bed
It's 6 o'clock...
[and so on, up to 8 or 9 o'clock]

It Is Raining

Sung to: "Frere Jacques"
It is raining, it is raining
[flutter fingers downward]
On my head, on my head
[pat head]
Pitter patter raindrops,
Pitter patter raindrops,
[flutter fingers downward]
I'm all wet, I'm all wet
[point to self]

I hear thunder, I hear thunder
[stomp feet]
Do you too? Do you too?
[point to others]
Pitter patter raindrops,
Pitter patter raindrops,
[flutter fingers downward]
I'm all wet, so are you!
[point to self, point to others]

The Letters P & Q

Our letter P & Q words are Panda, Pig, Pizza & Quiet. (You could also use Quack--as in "the duck says quack", not "that doctor is a quack" :)
There are plenty of books for a Letter P storytime, but the Q is pretty much tacked on here--another letter I'd love to hear ideas about!


Possible Storytime Books:

Can You Make a Piggy Giggle by Linda Ashman
Panda Big and Panda Small by Jane Cabrera
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
Ping Pong Pig by Caroline Church
How Many Baby Pandas? by Sandra Markle
Please Be Quiet! by Mary Murphy
Princess Pig by Eileen Spinelli
Pete's a Pizza by William Steig
A Garden for Pig by Kathryn Thurman (one of my new faves--a surprise ending!)
"Hi, Pizza Man!" by Virginia Walter

 

Craft Links:
Panda Craft
I did this with the smaller-sized paper plates (easier as a puppet for tiny hands)--another favorite with the preschool crowd!
or
Paper Pizza Craft



Songs & Rhymes:

Pizza Man

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, Pizza Man
Make me a pizza as fast as you can!
Roll it,
And toss it,
Sprinkle it with cheese,
Put it in the oven and bake it fast, please!

I'm a Little Piggy
Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little piggy,
Short and stout
Here are my ears,
Here is my snout
When I see the
Farmer in the dell,
I "oink oink oink!"
And wiggle my tail.

Six Little Ducks

Six little ducks that I once knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, too
But the one little duck with the feather on his back,
He led the others with a "Quack quack quack!"

Down to the river they would go,
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, to and fro
But the one little duck with the feather on his back,
He led the others with a "Quack quack quack!"
Quack quack quack, quack quack quack,
He led the others with a "Quack quack quack!"

The Letter O

Our letter O words are Owl, Orange, Octopus & Otter.
(There are far more books about owls than anything else in this list--I have yet to find a good preschool-level read-aloud about an Octopus!)


Possible Storytime Books:

An Orange in January by Dianna Aston
A Lot of Otters by Barbara Berger
Mathilda and the Orange Balloon by Randall De Seve (really cute story about imagination)
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood
Good-night Owl! by Pat Hutchins
Otter Play by Nancy Luenn
Octopus Under the Sea by Connie Roop
Whooo's There? by Mary Serfozo
An Octopus Followed Me Home by Dan Yaccarino (cute story, but not really about an octopus)

 

Craft Links:
Octopus Craft
(this one is always a big hit--if you can find white or brightly colored paper bags, it's even better!
And of course, you can always just cut paper plates in half for an octopus body, then glue on streamers or construction paper strips for the arms if you want something more simple)
or
Paper Bag Owl Craft



Songs & Rhymes:

Once I Saw an Octopus

Once I saw an octopus
[cup hand over eyes]
In the deep blue sea
[make wave motion with hand]
I called, "Mr. Octopus,
Won't you swim with me?"
[cup hand over mouth]
Then out came his tentacles
So very long and straight
[stretch out fingers]
One, two, three and four,
Five, six, seven and eight!

Be Like an Owl
Sung to: "London Bridge"

Flap your wings and fly around,
Fly around, fly around,
Flap your wings and fly around,
Be like an owl!

Other verses:
Open your eyes big and wide...
Land on the ground and hop along...
Turn your head and say, "Whoo, whoo"...

The Orange Song

Sung to: "Ten Little Indians"
O-R-A-N-G-E
O-R-A-N-G-E
O-R-A-N-G-E
Orange is what that spells.

Pumpkins are always orange,
Carrots are always orange,
Oranges are always orange,
O-R-A-N-G-E!

The Letter N

Our letter N words are Nest, Night, Nap & Noise.


Possible Storytime Books:

Baby Bird's First Nest by Frank Asch
Night's Nice by Ed Emberley
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend   (a personal favorite)
Night Lights by Susan Gal
What Noise? by Debbie MacKinnon
Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern
The No-No Bird by Andrew Peters
Quiet Night by Marilyn Singer
The Napping House by Audrey Wood

 

Craft Links:
Nest Craft
or
Nest Craft 2
(another variation--I use raffia or straw rather than actual sticks and pine needles)


Songs & Rhymes:

Animals at Night
Sung to: "The Wheels on the Bus"

The cat in the dark goes prowl, prowl, prowl,
Prowl, prowl, prowl,
Prowl, prowl, prowl,
The cat in the dark goes prowl, prowl, prowl,
All through the night.

Other verses:
The mouse in the grass goes squeak, squeak, squeak...
The bats in the field go flap, flap, flap...
The fireflies in the bushes go blink, blink, blink...
The owl in the tree goes whoo, whoo, whoo...

Robin's Nest

Way up high, robin flying just so
[flap your wings]
Quick, down low for a worm he must go
[swoop down to the ground]
Fly to the left, fly to the right
["fly" in the directions listed]
Fly to your nest, for soon it will be night
[make a nest with hands]

Noisy and Quiet

Quiet, quiet, not a sound
[making "shushing" motion]
I'm listening as I look around
[cup hand to ear, then over eyes]
No sound as I nod
[nod head]
No sound as I clap
[clap very softly]
No sound as I tap my hands on my lap
[tap very softly]

Noisy, noisy, stamp and clap
[stamp feet and clap hands]
Noisy, noisy, stamp and clap
[louder]
Noisy, noisy, stamp and clap!
[louder!]
All that noise--well fancy that!

The Letter M

Our letter M words are Mouse, Moose, Moon & Monkey.


Possible Storytime Books:

Papa Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
One More Hug for Madison by Caroline Church
Where's My Mom? by Julia Donaldson
A New House for Mouse by Petr Horacek
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie or If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Ten Naughty Little Monkeys Suzanne Williams

 

Craft Links:
Monkey Craft
or
Mouse Craft


Songs & Rhymes:

Underneath the Monkey Tree
Sung to: "London Bridge"

Come and play a while with me
Underneath the monkey tree
Monkey see and monkey do,
Just like monkeys in the zoo!

Swing your tail, one, two three
Underneath the monkey tree
Monkey see and monkey do,
Just like monkeys in the zoo!

Jump around and smile like me
Underneath the monkey tree
Monkey see and monkey do,
Just like monkeys in the zoo!

We're Going to the Moon!
Sung to: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"

Climb aboard the space ship,
We're going to the moon
Hurry and get ready,
We're going to blast off soon!
Put on your helmets
And buckle up real tight
Here comes the countdown,
Let's count with all our might:
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1--BLAST OFF!!

Five Little Mice

Five little mice on the pantry floor
This little mouse, he peeked around the door
[hold finger crooked]
This little mouse, he nibbled on some cake
[make eating motion with hand]
This little mouse, not a sound did he make
[make "shhh" motion with finger]
This little mouse took a big bite of cheese
[make big biting motion]
And this little mouse, he heard the kitten sneeze!
"ACHOOO!" sneezed the kitten
And "SQUEAK!" they all cried
Then they found their hole and hurried inside!

The Letter L

Our letter L words are Lion, Lamb, Llama & Ladybug.


Possible Storytime Books:

The Lion and the Mouse (various authors)
Mary had a Little Lamb (various authors)
The Very Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
We're Going on a Lion Hunt by Margery Cuyler
Llama Llama, Mad at Mama or Llama Llama, Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
Roar: A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Edwards
Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino

 

Craft Links:
Lion Craft
(you can substitute paper strips for the pasta, or use paper plates for the face, and so on)
or
Ladybug Craft
(if you want to avoid painting, use colored construction paper instead)


Songs & Rhymes:

Lion, Lion

Lion, lion, twitch your skinny tail
Lion, lion, shake your bushy mane
Lion, lion, show your sharpened claws
Lion, lion, gnash your big white teeth
Lion, lion, roar your fearsome "ROAR!"

Fly, Ladybug, Fly
Sung to: "Three Blind Mice"

[act out the movements in the song]
Fly, fly, fly
Ladybug fly
Fly over here,
Fly over there
They fly up high and they fly down low
Around and around and around they go
They fly fast, and they...fly...slow...
Fly, fly, fly
Ladybug fly!

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.

Other verses:
It followed her to school one day...which was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play...to see a lamb at school
And so the teacher turned it out...but still it lingered near
And waited patiently about...'til Mary did appear
"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"...the eager children cry
"Mary loves the lamb, you know"...the teacher did reply.

The Letter K

Our letter K words are Kitten, Kiss, Kite & Kangaroo.


Possible Storytime Books:

We Like Kites by Stan Berenstain
Someone Bigger by Jonathan Emmett
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman
Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
Kite Flying by Grace Lin
The Kiss that Missed by David Melling
Pouch by David Ezra Stein

 

Craft Links:
Kangaroo Craft
(scroll down to Crafts: mama kangaroo with baby)
or
Simple Kite Craft


Songs & Rhymes:

Five Little Kittens

Five little kittens standing in a row
[hold up five fingers]
Nodding their heads to the children, like so
["nod" your fingers]
They run to the left,
They run to the right,
["run" fingers to left and right]
They stand up and stretch in the bright sunlight
[strech fingers up straight]
Along comes a dog who's in for some fun--
[use other hand as dog]
"Meow!", see those kittens run!
[make fingers "run" away]

I Wish I Were a Hopping Kangaroo
Sung to: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Oh, I wish I were a hopping kangaroo, (hop hop)
Oh, I wish I were a hopping kangaroo, (hop hop)
For if I were a 'roo,
Then my feet would be so huge!
Oh, I wish I were a hopping kangaroo (hop hop)

Other verses:

...For if I were a 'roo, I'd be red or gray or blue
...For if I were a 'roo, I would hop right up to you

My Kite
Sung to: "The Farmer in the Dell"

My kite is up so high,
My kite is up so high,
Oh my, just watch it fly,
My kite is up so high

My kite is falling down,
My kite is falling down,
Oh no, it's down so low,
My kite is falling down

The wind has caught my kite,
The wind has caught my kite,
What fun, I'm on the run,
The wind has caught my kite

The Letters I and J

I combine these two letters because there isn't exactly a broad selection of preschool books to be found for either one (or maybe I just haven't found them yet!). If you have more ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Our letter I and J words are Ice/Ice Cream, Island, Inch/Inchworm, Jungle & Jelly/Jam.
(You can also use Jump, but I usually save that for the Letter U)


Possible Storytime Books:

An Island in the Sun by Stella Blackstone
Jazzy in the Jungle by Lucy Cousins
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice by Steve Metzger

Isaac the Ice Cream Truck by Scott Santoro

An Island Grows by Lola Schaefer


Craft Links:
Ice Cream Craft
or
Jelly(fish) Craft

Songs & Rhymes:

The Ice is on the Trees

Sung to: "The Farmer in the Dell"

The ice is on the trees,
The ice is on the ground,
The ice is on the window
Yes, the ice is all around.

The ice is very cold,
The ice is very bright,
The ice is very slippery,
The ice is very white!

Let's Clap Our Hands for Ice Cream

Sung to: "The More We Get Together"

Let's clap our hands for ice cream,
For ice cream, for ice cream
Let's clap our hands for ice cream,
'Cause we love it so:
It's cold and it's sweet,
And it's our favorite treat,
Let's clap our hands for ice cream
'Cause we love it so!

Inchworm

The inchworm went for a walk one day
Inch by inch by inch
The inchworm moves in a special way
Inch by inch by inch
He goes up and down, up and down
As he moves across the ground,
Up and down, up and down
As he moves across the ground.

I Went to the Jungle One Day

Sung to: "London Bridge"

I went to the jungle one day,
jungle one day, jungle one day,
I saw a parrot on the way,
And this is what he said: "Squawk, squawk!"

Other animals:
Snake..."Hissssss!"
Monkey..."Ooh-ooh, Eee-eee!"
Alligator..."Snap!"
Tiger..."Roar!"
(or any other jungle animals you like)

Jelly Everywhere!

Sung to: "The Farmer in the Dell"

Jelly in the bowl, jelly in the bowl,
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble,
Jelly in the bowl.

Jelly on my hands, jelly on my hands,
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble,
Jelly on my hands!
[continue with other body parts]

The Letter H

Our letter H words are Hat, Horse & Hippo.


Possible Storytime Books:

Hidden Hippo by Joan Gannij
Which Hat is That? by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Buy My Hats by Dave Horowitz
Who Took the Farmer's Hat? by Joan Nodset
Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash
This is the Hat by Nancy Van Laan
Hilda Must be Dancing by Karma Wilson

 

Craft Links:
Hippo Craft
or
Horse Craft

Songs & Rhymes:

Silly Hat Song

Sung to: "This Old Man"

On my head, I wear my hat
It is such a silly hat
That my head goes wibble wobble, to and fro
Where else can my silly hat go?
[have kids name other body parts to put their "hat" on:
Shoulder, Knee, Foot, etc.]

Hippo Hop Hokey Pokey

You put your clean foot in,

You take your dirty foot out

You put your clean foot in

And you shake it all about,

You do the hippo hop, and you hop down in the mud,

That's how a hippo cools off!

Other verses:

Hands, Elbows, Head, Rump

I Hop on My Horse

I hop on my horse and go to town

[pretend to hop on horse]

I ride up high and I don't fall down

[pretend to ride horse]

I wear a hat so my hair won't blow

[put your hand on your head]

And when I want to stop, I just say, "Whoa!"

[pretend to pull back on the reins]

The Letter G

Our letter G words are Goat, Goose, Gorilla & Giraffe.


Possible Storytime Books:

Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein

There’s a Billy Goat in the Garden by Laurel Gugler

Bill Grogan’s Goat by Mary Ann Hoberman

Silly Suzy Goose or Look Out, Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek

Silly Little Goose by Nancy Tafuri

“Pardon?” said the Giraffe by Colin West

Gorilla! Gorilla! by Jeanne Willis


Craft Links:
Gorilla Craft
or
Giraffe Craft
(if you have enough paper towel rolls)


Songs & Rhymes:

Little Black Gorilla

Sung to: "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

A little black gorilla went up the banana tree

When he reached the top, he was stung by a bee!

Down came gorilla with a stinger in his knee

And the little black gorilla cried,

“Mama, please help me!”

My Silly Billy Goat

Sung to: "The Wheels on the Bus"

My silly billy goat eats clothes off the line,

Clothes off the line, clothes off the line

My silly billy goat eats clothes off the line

As soon as I hang them up!

Other verses:

My silly billy goat eats shirts and pants…

My silly billy goat eats socks and shoes…

My silly billy goat eats hats and coats…

Giraffe

A giraffe is as tall as tall can be

[stretch arms way up]

He eats leaves right off the trees

[open and close hands]

His legs are long and his neck is, too

[point to legs and neck]

And he can run faster than me or you!

[run in place]