Storytime Recap: Welcome Spring

Spring is officially here, and today at Preschool Storytime we did our best to welcome all things spring. To start we talked about how you can tell spring is here with the changes in the weather. Which conveniently led into our welcome song "Clap Everybody and Say Hello" in which we do many things, no matter what the weather. To introduce our first story, I talked about how friends stay friends even when the weather changes and they live far apart. Then we settled down to read Forever Friends by Carin Berger, which follows the friendship of a bird and a bunny through a year.

Next we did an action rhyme "Wind, Oh Wind." Since I forgot my scarves we improvised and blew kids away instead, which turned out to be just as fun.

Wind, oh wind, oh wind I say. (Wave hands forward in a pushing motion) What are you blowing away today? (Shrug shoulders and raise hands in question) Kids, oh kids, oh kids I say, (Point to each other) I am blowing the kids away. (Hop backwards  as if being blown away)

We followed another rabbit through the changing seasons in Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by Il Sung Na. This time the rabbit visited all of his friends to see where they go and what they do during winter before returning in the spring.

Next up I asked what animals might they see on a creek or pond in spring. I gave a hint: they quack. The answer was, of course, ducks. I sang "Six Little Ducks" and asked the kids to join in and flap their arms on each quack, quack, quack. Everyone was singing by the end of the song.

Six little ducks that I once knew Fat ones, skinny ones, cute ones too.

Chorus: But the one little duck with the feather in his hat He led the others with his quack, quack, quack. Quack, quack, quack-quack, quack, quack He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Down to the river they would go. Wibble wobble, wibble wobble to and fro. Chorus

Home from the river they would come. Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, ho-hum-hum. Chorus

Six little ducks that I once knew Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones too. Chorus

With such enthusiastic singers, we moved right on to another song, "It's Raining, It's Pouring."

It's raining, it's pouring The old man is snoring He went to bed and he bumped his head And couldn't get up in the morning

I told everyone that next we would rest our voices and read a book based on a song. Tweedle Dee Dee by Charlotte Voake replaces the green grass from "And The Green Grass Grew All Around" with green leaves all around as the story progresses each page towards eggs hatching in a nest. I like to read cumulative stories like this, as it helps kids learn the concept of sequential order.

For our last action rhyme we stayed with the rain and nature theme and recited "Rain on the green grass"

Rain on the green grass, (Wiggle fingers, bringing fingers all the way to ground.) Rain on the trees, (Wiggle fingers to shoulders, then sweep hands around to form treetop.) Rain on the housetop, (Wiggle fingers to top of head, then form triangle over head.) But not on me! (Make large "x" with right index finger; point to self.)

We ended storyime with a sweet story about a girl caring for her flower, Ava's Poppy by Marcus Pfister.

After storytime we watched In the Small, Small Pond, an animated film based on the book by Denise Fleming.