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!