Storytime Magic

Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker
400 Fingerplays, Flannelboards, and Other Activities

o r y t i m e Ma gic
S t
400 Fingerplays, Flannelboards,
and Other Activities
Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker
American Library Association

Chicago 2009
Kathy MacMillan is a freelance writer, American Sign Language interpreter, librarian,
and storyteller. She has contributed articles to Public Libraries, American Libraries, and many
other professional journals and is the author of Try Your Hand at This (Scarecrow Press, 2006)
and A Box Full of Tales (American Library Association, 2008). She was the library/media
specialist at the Maryland School for the Deaf from 2001 to 2005 and prior to that was a chil-
dren’s librarian at Carroll County Public Library and Howard County Library. Kathy holds
a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, and through
Stories by Hand (www.storiesbyhand.com) presents storytelling programs that introduce
sign language to thousands of children and families each year.
Christine Kirker has been a children’s library associate with the Carroll County Public
Library in Maryland since 2005. She has developed and presented many programs for chil-
dren of all ages and offered many educational outreach programs. She also launched a
monthly Art Explorers program at the library where children discuss the lives of featured
artists and explore their techniques. In Christine’s latest project, Uniquely Hand Made,
young people design and decorate clay hands to represent their own unique spirit. After
graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Christine spent ten years
as a research analyst for the university’s Office of Institutional Research.
American Sign Language graphics are reproduced from American Sign Language Clip and Create 4,
courtesy of the Institute for Disabilities Research and Training Inc.
Pattern illustrations are by Melanie Fitz.
While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information appearing in this book, the
publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy or reliability of the information, and
does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors
or omissions in this publication.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

MacMillan, Kathy, 1975–
Storytime magic : 400 fingerplays, flannelboards, and other activities / Kathy MacMillan and
Christine Kirker.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8389-0977-5 (alk. paper)
1. Children’s libraries—Activity programs. I. Kirker, Christine. II. Title.
Z718.3M253 2009
027.62’5—dc22 2008030266
Copyright © 2009 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-0977-5
Printed in the United States of America

13 12 11 10 09 54321
This book is dedicated to our children, Ashleigh and Sean Kirker
and J. X. MacMillan. They are the reason behind all we do.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
Chapter 1 Storytime Tips for Numbers 54

Every Age Group 1 Opposites 55
Chapter 2 All about Me 7 Size 57
My Body 7 Shapes 58
My Teeth 8 Chapter 8 Fairy Tales and Castles 60
My Five Senses 9
Chapter 9 Family and Friends 67
My Clothes 11
Family 67
My Feelings 13
Friends 68
Chapter 3 Animals 15 Getting Along/Manners 69
Birds 15
Chapter 10 Food 72
Circus Animals 16
Farm Animals 16 Chapter 11 Holidays and
Celebrations 78
Pets 17
Birthdays 78
Sea Life 19
Christmas 79
Woodland Animals 21
Easter 80
Zoo Animals 24
Father’s Day 80
Chapter 4 Around the World 28 Fourth of July 81
All around the World 28 Groundhog Day 81
Africa 29 Halloween 82
Asia 29 Hanukkah 82
Australia 30 Kwanzaa 83
Europe 31 Martin Luther King Jr. Day 83
North America and the Mother’s Day 84
Caribbean (including
American Sign Language) 32 New Year’s Eve/
New Year’s Day 84
South America 36
Saint Patrick’s Day 85
Chapter 5 At Home 37 Thanksgiving 85
In the Morning 37 Valentine’s Day 86
Safety/Cleaning 38
Chapter 12 The Natural World 88
Bath Time 39
Winter 88
Bedtime 40
Spring 89
Chapter 6 Bugs and Insects 45 Summer 90
Chapter 7 Concepts 51 Fall 91
Alphabet 51 General Seasonal 92
Calendars and Time 52 Space 93
Colors 53
v
vi Contents
Chapter 13 People in My Chapter 16 Sing and Dance 110

Neighborhood 96 Hello and Good-bye 110
Chapter 14 Play 101 Transitions 111
Music and Dance 112
Chapter 15 School and Library 106
Chapter 17 Transportation 114
Appendix A Further Resources for Storytime Planning 121

Appendix B Making
Flannelboards, Stick Puppets, and More 125
Index of Titles and First Lines 129
Index of Craft Ideas 139
Flannelboard and craft patterns can be found on the book’s website,

at www.ala.org/editions/extras/macmillan09775. Look for website
material wherever you see this symbol:
Acknowledgments
We would first like to thank Melanie Fitz for her beautiful illustrations, which went from
“just a few” to “can you do two hundred by the end of the month?” Melanie, thank you for
sharing your talent with us.
Special thanks also to Craig Patterson, Aimee Gladfelter, Amber Haslinger, and the
other Carroll County Public Library staff members who contributed directly or indirectly
to this project.
A big thank you to Laura Pelehach, who first saw the potential in this project and nur-
tured the seeds for it even as she transplanted herself to a new garden.
Thank you to Corinne Vinopol and the Institute for Disabilities Research and Training
Inc. for their continued support and their dedication to sharing American Sign Language
with the library community.
Thank you to the many librarians, past and present, who taught us everything we know
and continue to open our eyes to all the things we don’t.
vii
Introduction
Welcome to Storytime Magic, your treasure trove of fingerplays, flannelboards, action

rhymes, and more. Unlike many resource books for programming, which give you a preset
menu for each theme, this book presents storytime à la carte. As any veteran of storytime
planning knows, finding the books is the easy part—but what do you do in between? If
you’re tired of the old standbys, or if you’re just looking for something new related to a
specific theme, Storytime Magic is for you. We have compiled hundreds of fresh new ideas
to add life to any storytime. Most of the ideas here are original, but we have also included
some lesser-known traditional rhymes and songs. In this book, you’ll find
fingerplays
action rhymes
songs, all set to familiar melodies
rhymes to sign, with accompanying illustrations of the American Sign Language (ASL)
signs
flannelboards, with patterns
stick-puppet stories and rhymes, with patterns
crafts, with patterns
other games and fun activities
Entries are arranged in themed chapters, or you can use the index by title and first line
at the back of the book. Each chapter also includes a theme-related list of recommended
books for storytimes as well as Quick Tips boxes throughout to help you enhance the early
literacy component of your programs. We hope you enjoy our Storytime Magic.
Flannelboard and craft patterns are shown in miniature in the book. The full-size patterns
can be found on the book’s website, at www.ala.org/editions/extras/macmillan09775.
The sign-language art images in Storytime Magic have been created using American Sign
Language Clip and Create 4, a software product of the Institute for Disabilities Research and
Training Inc. This CD-ROM contains more than five thousand sign-language art images
that can be used to easily create any number of products (e.g., worksheets, cards, banners).
It also contains six templates that automatically generate bingo cards, crossword puzzles,
and finger-spelling scrambles using any of the five thousand sign-language images you
select. Four games are included in the software. To purchase a copy or learn more about the
institute’s other ASL-accessible software, visit their website at www.idrt.com.
ix
Chapter 1
Storytime Tips for

Every Age Group
Every storytime programmer has a unique style and approach, but the tried-and-true tech-
niques in this chapter will make your planning easier, help you identify the needs of your
audience, and make your programs more fun.
General Programming Tips

Choosing a theme will generally make your storytime preparation easier. However, the
younger the group, the less necessary a theme becomes. Theme should always be secondary
to age appropriateness. All programs should use a variety of formats: books, flannelboards,
storyboards, puppets, storytelling, or videos. This helps to engage the listeners. Plan on us-
ing a variety of materials: songs, fingerplays, bounces and tickles (for babies), riddles (for
older children), and the like. Use your imagination. The possibilities are endless.
Playing music as the group enters is a wonderful way to set the mood. You may have a
particular welcome song that you like, or you might play music appropriate to your topic.
Remember to introduce yourself to the group at the beginning of the program. Set a warm
and inviting tone by welcoming participants by name. Check out the “Hello and Good-bye”
section in chapter 16 for songs and rhymes to open and close your programs. When plan-
ning the order of your program, try to start out strong. An activity song such as “If You’re
Happy and You Know It” is usually the best way to get the group together and focused.
You want to let the group know right away that they are in for a special experience. Make
storytime a different place from the rest of the library.
Strive to make your programs as participative as possible. This has different meanings
for different age groups. See the individual age-group guidelines for examples. Try to pick
songs with motions built in (for example, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”). If you are plan-
ning to make up motions to go with the song, plan in advance what those motions will be.
Don’t forget to practice! Know the songs and stories well enough that you don’t have to
keep your eyes glued to the page. Make eye contact with the participants. When presenting
stories, be sure to move the book so that everyone can see the pictures. Tilt the top of the
book down toward the listeners to minimize glare. You can even write words to songs and
fingerplays on a display board. This will make it easier for you to see them and will allow
parents to join in (if applicable).
To maximize library connections, set up a display of library materials that may be
checked out by the participants. Keep the materials age appropriate and try to include a
variety of formats (books, music, videos, etc.). Try to keep the materials theme related, but
1
2 Storytime Tips for Every Age Group
remember that an unrelated display is better than no display at all. Make sure to announce
that the items in the display may be checked out. (You would think this would be obvious,
but to most patrons it isn’t.)
Do the hardest material at the beginning of the program. This usually means the longest
story. Save the most active parts of the program for last because they will divert the group’s
attention. Occasionally you will have trouble if members of the group get antsy or cause
disruptions. How you handle this will depend on the age of the group. The key is to remain
calm and try to maintain the group’s focus. See the sections below for ideas that work with
specific age groups.
And most important of all, have fun! If you are not excited about the program, there is
no way you can expect the kids to be!
All Ages/Family Storytimes

When planning an all-ages storytime, choose a theme that will appeal to a wide age range.
Generally, the more generic your theme, the easier your planning will be. For example, Silly
Stories, Let’s Have Fun, or any animal theme can be readily adapted to a diverse audience.
You don’t really require a theme, but it will help you to plan more easily. Remember, when
all else fails, Librarian’s Favorites is always a good theme!
Employ a variety of props and story styles: books, puppets, lap theater, storycards,
flannelboards, magnetboards, storytelling . . . Make use of your prop collection! Plan to use
several songs and fingerplays. If you can tie them in to your theme, great. If not, there are
lots of wiggling-type songs and fingerplays that are very useful. (You can use “Shake Your
Sillies Out” for just about anything!)
Pick materials aimed at different age levels. You may find some books, props, and so
forth that would be suitable for any age. (Simple fairy tales generally fit this category.)
Many materials, however, will be specifically aimed at one end of the spectrum. If you
choose these materials, make sure you have alternatives that would appeal to other ages.
When planning your program, think in or’s. Always have options in case you have more
of one age group. For example, if you are planning to read a Goldilocks story, have an
older version (James Marshall’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears) and a younger version (Byron
Barton’s The Three Bears) prepared. Be flexible. Give yourself enough materials so that you
can change your program if necessary.
With a wide age range, it is especially important to start out strong. Usually an action
song such as “If You’re Happy and You Know It” is the best way to begin. Grab audience at-
tention right from the beginning. Then do your longest story presentation while you really
have their attention. Alternate stories, songs, and fingerplays. If you alternate movement
activities with the sitting-down times, you will keep the children’s attention. A sample pro-
gram might be song, hardest story, fingerplay, song, story, fingerplay, activity, song, craft.
During a program for a wide variety of ages, there may be some distractions. If the
children get antsy, try to do something (a song, a fingerplay, audience participation cued
by a word or action in a story) that will grab listeners’ attention. Don’t expect to get through
more than three stories (four if you’re lucky). The key to working with children is inter-
action. Anytime you can incorporate an interactive element, you will keep the children’s
attention.
You will occasionally find that parents want to sit in the back and talk rather than be
involved. If you announce at the beginning that grown-ups are expected to participate, you
may dispel this problem. If you do get chatty grown-ups in the back, try to involve them in
the story or song. For example, you might ask the children a question such as “Who knows
some farm animals?” After the kids give their answers, say pleasantly, “Let’s see if the
Storytime Tips for Every Age Group 3
grown-ups in the back know any.” If they haven’t been paying attention before, they will
after that! This is an easy, playful way to get the grown-ups back in the game.
If you are offering a craft activity, pick one that can be modified for younger and older
children. For example, in a monkey program, you might have the children make simple
stick puppets; the younger children could make one while the older children might make a
whole set and act out the Five Little Monkeys rhyme (126).
Remember that the most important thing is to have fun. If you aren’t having fun, your
audience can tell. Your energy level will usually determine that of the storytime group.
Babies
The storytime portion of a baby program generally runs about fifteen to twenty minutes
in length. Follow up with playtime. With this group, it is more important to have age-
appropriate materials than it is to have a theme. If you do choose to use a theme, pick some-
thing centered on a young child’s world, such as Bedtime, Playtime, or Animal Sounds.
Consistency is important in this age group. Try to use the same opening and closing
routines from week to week (songs usually work best). Repetition is also key. Do not hesi-
tate to repeat songs, fingerplays, or even stories throughout a series of programs because
doing so reinforces concepts. Programming for this age group relies more on fingerplays
and song activities than on books per se.
In choosing your stories, try to keep them interactive. This can include stories that invite
participation (such as making animal sounds) but also stories that allow questioning (What
animal do I see on this page?).
Use a variety of formats. Large board books can work, as can big books, flap books, or
picture books with large, clear illustrations and minimal text. Flannelboards, magnetboards,
storyboards, puppets, and lap theaters also add interest. Try to use props in conjunction
with the stories (for example, a hen puppet with the book Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker). Or
try concert reading: provide each parent with a board book of the title you are going to read
and have everyone read together. This will provide an experience for the babies that is at
once intimate and communal.
Fingerplay is a generic term that covers all sorts of activities that will work with babies:
bouncing, tickling, clapping, rocking. The key is to use activities that are simple enough to
be performed by the target age group.
Make it clear from the beginning that the babies are not expected to always sit still.
Integrate movement into the program as much as possible. Let the parents know that it is
OK to step out of the room for a few minutes if their babies get fussy. Also make it clear that
the adults are as much a part of the program as the children. Enable participation whenever
possible. Post the words to songs and fingerplays so that the grown-ups can participate.
Babies respond especially well to the sound of the human voice, especially singing.
Using tapes or CDs is fine, but don’t underestimate the power of simply singing a tune—
nothing grabs a baby’s attention quite like it. If you are uncomfortable singing without a
tape, stick with familiar songs (such as “The Wheels on the Bus”) that the parents will sing
with you.
Try to use a variety of stimuli. Babies are fascinated by virtually everything, and the
best ideas are generally the simplest (and cheapest): bubbles, crepe streamers, beanbags,
brown paper bags, jingle bells, shaker eggs, or colorful scarves. Because this age group re-
sponds best to one-on-one interaction, try to use materials that will foster pairing. Tickles
and bounces encourage the caregiver to interact with the child. You may want to use a song
or rhyme that incorporates each child’s name in turn, or have a stuffed animal or puppet
that will greet each group member individually.
When planning your program, always keep the hardest material at the beginning. A
sample plan might be opening song, fingerplay, hardest story, fingerplay, song, story, fin-
gerplay, closing song, craft. Keep any activities that will redirect the attention of the group
for last; don’t expect to blow bubbles in the middle of the program and then get the group
back together for a story. Whenever possible, point out ways that storytime materials can
be used on a day-to-day basis. For example, you might introduce a fingerplay with “This is
a good rhyme to say at bath time.”
Toddlers
During toddler storytimes, make it clear to caregivers that they are just as much a part of
storytime as their children. Encourage them to participate whenever possible. Post finger-
plays and songs so adults can sing along. Explain that children are not expected to sit still
during the program. Build movement into the program. Let the adults know that it is OK to
take children out of the room for a few minutes if they become disruptive.
Repetition and predictability are important with this age group. Try to keep the same
opening and closing routines from week to week. Feel free to repeat songs and fingerplays
throughout the session. When presenting a song or fingerplay, go through it at least twice.
You can also reinforce comprehension by repeating stories in different formats. For ex-
ample, after reading The Three Bears, retell the story with a flannelboard.
Toddlers’ programs can rely on a theme, but the theme is less important than age appropri-
ateness. Feel free to use activities that do not exactly go with the theme if they will enhance the
program. Themes should be simple and related to the child’s world. Stories for this age group
should be simple and brief, and interactive when possible. Two- and three-year-olds re-
spond especially well to participatory stories and are eager to share their newfound knowl-
edge. Find ways to make your program as participative as possible. For example, have chil-
dren help you count five little flowers as you put them on the flannelboard. Big books, flap
books, flannelboards, storyboards, and puppets all offer appealing story presentations.
Remember that this age group is curious about everything. They will walk right up and
point to the pictures in a book, or try to take flannelboard pieces from the board. If you are
using an especially appealing item, such as a puppet, consider taking it around to greet
each child in turn; that will satisfy the children’s desire to touch it.
Music plays a big part in programming for this age group. Try to use songs with defi-
nite activities attached (such as “If You’re Happy and You Know It”). Feel free to use props
such as beanbags, hula hoops, or streamers during the songs. Playing CDs works well,
but singing a cappella gives the presenter the flexibility to change the length of a song as
needed. It also grabs the children’s attention. Choose familiar songs that parents can sing
with you or simple songs that they can learn quickly.
As always, plan to do your hardest material first and save big activities for last. A sam-
ple plan might be opening song, fingerplay, hardest story, fingerplay, song, story, finger-
play, fingerplay, song, craft. Programs for toddlers may include a simple craft. Two- and
three-year-olds can usually manage crayons and even glue sticks with an adult’s help, so
they love any activity that enables them to scribble and glue or apply stickers. Have fun!
This age group is just so thrilled to be in storytime that you can do no wrong in their eyes.
Preschoolers
Programs for preschoolers should always relate to their specific interests. Themes should
be broad enough to encompass a variety of stories. Choose stories that have engaging texts,
Storytime Tips for Every Age Group 5
keeping in mind that the attention span and comprehension level of a three-year-old differ
from those of a six-year-old. Try to include materials that will appeal to both. Choose stories
that are fairly brief, with large and colorful pictures. Make sure that you like the stories you
choose; if you are unenthusiastic, the kids will be able to tell.
Use a variety of formats: flannelboards, storyboards, puppets, and storytelling as well
as books. Always plan an extra story and song to allow for last-minute changes if you
have leftover time or the group gets restless. Plan to use a variety of music and fingerplay
activities to allow variety. Repeat fingerplays at least twice. Use the fingerplays and songs
between the stories as stretches.
At the beginning of each session, go over the rules with the children. Include such cour-
tesies as keeping your hands to yourself, listening during the stories, and raising your hand
if you have something to say. If children are beginning to get disruptive during a story,
incorporate their names into the text. For example, say, “Daniel, do you know what that
crocodile said? He said . . .” This may distract them from whatever mischief they are getting
into. Remember that even though this age group can sit through longer stories, they still
need breaks in between. Don’t expect then to sit for too long without wiggling. Be ready to
adjust your program, if necessary, in response to their needs. A sample program might be
song, fingerplay, story, fingerplay, story, song, fingerplay, story, activity, song, craft.
Prepare a display of theme-related materials. Include a variety of formats. If possible,
take a few moments to booktalk a few of the titles at the end of your program.
Elementary Schoolers
Programs for elementary school children tend to be theme related. The most successful
themes provide a hook, such as The Titanic and Other Disasters. Tying a topic to a popular
person or character is another effective method—for example, a mystery program about
Scooby-Doo. Themes should draw on the many interests of school-age kids, from foreign
languages to animation to science. The specific age group can be chosen in relation to the
theme.
School-age programs follow a lot of the same basic guidelines as preschool storytimes,
but because the children have longer attention spans, there is an opportunity to use longer
stories and a variety of activities and formats. Longer picture books work well with school-
age children, as do storytelling, music, and video.
If appropriate to the topic, factual sections can be included. This could mean anything
from sharing a variety of fun facts about the topic to creating a game or activity around
those facts. Be creative. Try to use a variety of formats. For example, you might use a dia-
gram or model to illustrate your points. Like all the other programs, this one will succeed
best if it is interactive. Plan some activities that require participation.
Remember that even though these kids may seem blasé, they are probably not as so-
phisticated as you think they are (or as sophisticated as they want you to think they are).
They still love to be read to (whether they admit it or not), and they really will get involved
if you make the topic interesting.
The discipline guidelines for elementary school programs are essentially the same as
for preschool programs: make sure the kids know the rules before you start the program.
There are generally fewer discipline problems with this age group because they know how
to raise their hands and take turns. However, if you find that individual members of the
group are becoming distracting, try to engage the troublemakers. Have them help you tell
a story or demonstrate a dance step.
These programs offer an opportunity to do more elaborate crafts because the kids are a
bit older and there is more time. Prepare a display of items that can be checked out. These
items should be related to the theme. Include a variety of materials: books (appropriate
reading level, fiction and nonfiction, if applicable), videos, music. Take a few moments at
some time in your program to booktalk a few of the titles and let the children know that
they can check out material from the display.
A Note about Using Sign Language in Storytime

This book contains many rhymes and songs to sign, each accompanied by illustrations of
appropriate signs to use. American Sign Language can be incorporated into programming
for any age group, and the benefits are many: it makes any program instantly interactive,
it catches the attention of visual learners, it engages parents, and it adds a multicultural
element to your programs as you introduce the children to another language. Plus, it’s fun
and kids love it. When introducing the signs, be sure to let the kids know that what you are
doing is American Sign Language, a real language, not just made-up gestures. Demonstrate
each sign slowly and repeat. Allow time for the children to do the sign and offer help as
necessary. Kids of every age, from babies to teenagers, thrill to sign language used in pro-
gramming. And don’t worry if you don’t know lots of signs—it’s OK to just use a few signs
for key words in a song, fingerplay, or story. For more information and creative ideas for
using signs in programs, see Try Your Hand at This: Easy Ways to Incorporate Sign Language
into Your Programs, by Kathy MacMillan (Scarecrow Press, 2006).
Chapter 2
All about Me
My Body
1 In My Mirror Now no more wiggles

Are left in me.
In my mirror I can see So I will sit still
Two little eyes that look at me. (point As still as can be.
to eyes)
Two little ears, one little nose, (point to 3 Hair
ears and nose) (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your
Ten little fingers, ten little toes. (wiggle Boat”)
fingers, point to toes)
One little mouth I open wide, (open Brush, brush, brush your hair (mime
mouth wide) brushing hair)
Two little rows of teeth hidden inside. Each and every day.
(point to teeth) Keep it shiny, keep it clean
A tongue that pops both in and out, And neat in every way.
(move tongue in and out of mouth)
4 All about You
Lots of joints that bend about. (bend
(to the tune of “You Are My Sunshine”)
knees and elbows)
When I look in the mirror, what do I You have two arms, they are for
see? (mime looking in hand mirror) waving.
A beautiful person looking back at You have two feet to go stump, stump.
me! You have two eyes, they are for
blinking,
2 I Wiggle My Fingers And a bottom to sit with a bump.
(traditional)
I wiggle my fingers,
I wiggle my toes,
I wiggle my shoulders,
I wiggle my nose.
7
8 All about Me
5 In My Mirror Craft
Materials: one copy of In My Mirror (1) for each child, one circle of aluminum foil
for each child, glue, crayons, stickers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Glue the aluminum foil onto the paper with the poem to make a mirror.
2. Decorate as desired.
6 Funny Face Picture Craft
Materials: one sheet of paper with an oval shape in the middle for each child,
crayons, stickers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Use the oval to draw yourself with a funny face.
See also Hello You! (364), My Fingers Can (372), Reach and Wiggle (373), and Wiggles (374).
My Teeth
7 I Went to the Dentist I went to my dentist and what do you

suppose?
I went to my dentist and this is what She said, “Brush your teeth with your
she said: hand on your nose!”
“Brush your teeth with your hand on Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a, brush-a,
your head!” brush-a, brush-a, brush!
Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a, brush-a,
brush-a, brush-a, brush! 8 Teeth
(to the tune of “Shake Your Sillies Out”)
I went to my dentist and she said to
me: You gotta brush, brush, brush your
“Brush your teeth with your hand on teeth each day.
your knee!” Brush, brush, brush your teeth each
Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a, brush-a, day.
brush-a, brush-a, brush! Brush, brush, brush your teeth each
day,
I went to my dentist and she said “Oh To keep them healthy and clean.
dear!
Brush your teeth with your hand on You gotta floss, floss, floss your teeth
your ear!” each day . . .
Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a, brush-a, You gotta visit, visit, visit the dentist . . .
brush-a, brush-a, brush!
I went to my dentist and she said

something funny:
“Brush your teeth with your hand on
your tummy!”
Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a, brush-a,
brush-a, brush-a, brush!
All about Me 9
9 Five Loose Teeth Flannelboard

See pattern 9. (Full-size patterns can be found at www.ala.org/editions/extras/
macmillan09775.)
Five loose teeth and not one more Wiggle, wobble, wiggle, and then
One fell out, and then there were four. there was one.
Four loose teeth as wobbly as can be One loose tooth, wiggling just so.
One fell out, and then there were three. I take a bite of an apple, and hey!
Three loose teeth, and I knew what to do Where’d it go?
I wiggled one back and forth, and then No loose teeth are left in my gums.
there were two. I’ll put them under my pillow and the
Two loose teeth, isn’t this fun? tooth fairy will come!
10 Meet the Tooth Fairy
Invite a dental hygienist or dentist in your area to

play the Tooth Fairy during a special storytime. Quick Tip: Ask a dentist in
Recycle an old prom dress or fairy costume and
your community to donate
make a magic wand out of a dowel rod and silver
toothbrushes or dental floss to
glitter. The Tooth Fairy can make a grand entrance
in your tooth-themed storytime, lead a tooth-
give out to storytime attendees.
brushing parade, share tooth-care facts, and hand
out toothbrushes. This is a great way to involve
your community.
11 Paper Plate Tooth Faces Craft
Materials: paper plate for each child, yarn, puffed-rice cereal, glue, crayons
Directions:
1. Draw a face on the paper plate.
2. Glue puffed-rice cereal onto the mouth to represent teeth.
3. Glue on yarn for hair and decorate as desired.
My Five Senses
12 My Eyes 13 What Sound Does It Make?
Flannelboard
My eyes can look left, See pattern 13.
My eyes can look right,
My eyes can look ahead, With my ears, I can hear
And see the sights. Things that are far and things that are
I can close my eyes, near.
I can blink, blink, blink, A fire truck just raced by,
I can flutter my eyelids, Its siren let out a loud cry!
I can give you a wink. In my kitchen, pans and pots
But of all the things my eyes can do, Bang and clatter quite a lot.
The best is when they see a friend like When my doorbell starts to ring,
you! I hear it go ding-a-ling.
10 All about Me
The helicopter flies without a stop,

And its blades go chop-chop-chop.
The birds in the trees sound so sweet
When they sing tweet-tweet-tweet.
When we pet the kitty’s fur,
She curls up and lets out a purr.
When it’s time to sit back down,
I take my seat without a sound.
14 How Does It Taste? Activity
Give each child a stick puppet with a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other.
Show clip-art pictures of different kinds of food and have the children show whether they
like the food or not by holding up the appropriate face. Some examples: french fries, cake,
lemons, broccoli, peanuts, fish, chicken, spinach, apples, and cereal.
15 Touchy-Feely Bag Activity
Create a touchy-feely bag with an

assortment of objects, some hard, Quick Tip: Because young children learn through
some soft, some large, some small, their senses, activities like the My Texture Book
and so forth. Have the children put Craft and Touchy-Feely Bag Activity lay the
their hands in the bag and describe groundwork for later print awareness. Becoming
what they are feeling and see if aware of different textures and shapes will help
they can guess the object before
children discern the differences between letters
they pull it out to look at it. Some
of the alphabet.
items that could go in the bag are a
small car, a block, a ball, a scarf, or
a small stuffed animal.
16 Hearing and Smelling Activity
Print clip-art pictures of things you hear (such as a phone, an alarm clock, birds, an air-
plane) and smell (a skunk, flowers, cookies, socks). Print enough noses and ears to give each
child a set. Show the pictures and have the children hold up the nose if they smell the item
or the ear if they hear it.
All about Me 11
17 My Texture Book Craft
Materials: booklet for each child (from pattern 17), feathers, fake fur, sandpaper,
plastic wrap, aluminum foil, crayons
Directions:
1. Glue the items onto the appropriate pages to create a texture book.
See also Shapes Touch Bag Activity (180).
My Clothes
18 Fancy Me 20 I’ve Lost My Sock Flannelboard

Use the sock from pattern 21 below. Make
When I get dressed up to go on the many pairs of socks from various colors of
town, felt. (If you expect a large group in your
I always wear my prettiest crown. program, make some socks striped, polka-
With a big fancy dress the color of gold, dotted, etc., but do not make more than
And my pinkest shoes, I’m beautiful, two socks of any one design.) Give each
I’m told. child one sock and keep the matching sock
My mom and dad pick me up at the yourself. One by one, put the retained
gate, socks on the flannelboard, using the rhyme
And we rush to the park for our below to invite the children to come up
afternoon date. and make a match.
19 Getting Dressed I’ve lost my sock! I’ve lost my sock!

I don’t know what to do!
Arms in sleeves, shirt over head Can you help me find my (name of
Pull it down just like I said. color) sock,
Feet in socks, legs in pants So that I will have two?
Pull them up and do a dance.
Feet in shoes, on goes the coat
Now we’re dressed, and ready to go
out!
12 All about Me
21 Am I Ready to Go? Flannelboard

See pattern 21.
I’ve got my pants on my arms and my

socks on my head.
Am I ready to go? Yes or no?
I’ve got my hat on my knee and my
shirt on my foot.
I’ve got my sweater on my ear and my
scarf on my ankle.
I’ve got my shoe on my thumb and
my belt on my leg.
22 Getting Dressed from Head to Toe Flannelboard

See pattern 22.
On a cold winter’s day, to avoid a sore
throat
I remember to put on my warmest
coat.
I add my socks and my boots too,
My mittens and hat,
And wooly scarf of blue.
All about Me 13
23 When Do I Wear It? Flannelboard

See patterns 22 (above) and 23. Place a sun and a snowflake on opposite sides of the
flannelboard. As you say the rhyme for each item of clothing, invite the children to guess in
which season they would wear it.
I’m going to wear my (item of clothing)

today, when I go outside to play.
It must be a (winter/summer) day!
See also Hat (90) and Design Your Own Pajamas Craft (130).
My Feelings
24 Moody Days 26 Best of All
On excited days I jump up and down, I like my mom

I kick up my heels and make loud And my dad too.
sounds. I like my brother
On sad days I sit and moan, And the color blue.
I weep and wail and cry and groan. I look in the mirror
On quiet days I think and rest, And then I see
I look around, and silence says it best. The best thing of all
On angry days I stamp my feet, Because I like me!
I shout and pout at those I meet.
On lazy days I sit and sit, 27 I’m Glad I’m Me
I do not want to work a bit. (traditional)
On happy days, I smile big smiles, No one looks the way I do.
I laugh and play all the while. I have noticed that is true!
No one walks the way I walk.
25 Some Days
No one talks the way I talk.
Some days I’m happy, No one plays the way I play.
Some days I’m sad, No one says the things I say.
Some days I’m very, very mad. I am special! I am me!
Some days I’m scared, There’s no one else I’d rather be!
Some days I’m shy,
Some days I’m silly and pretend to fly.
See also The Mixed-Up Chameleon Flannelboard (62).
14 All about Me
All About Me: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Horns to Toes and In Between by Sandra Boynton. New York: Little Simon, 1984. (for all
ages)
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. New York: HarperCollins, 1997. (for all ages)
The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. New York: HarperCollins, 1984. (for all ages)
Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis. New York: Joanna Cotler, 1998. (for preschoolers)
A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. New York: Knopf, 2006. (for preschoolers)
We’ve All Got Bellybuttons by David Martin. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2005. (for
toddlers)
Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy by Scott Menchin.
Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2007. (for all ages)
When You Are Happy by Eileen Spinelli. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006. (for
preschoolers)
Toby’s Rainbow Clothes by Cyndy Szekeres. New York: Little Simon, 2000. (for toddlers)
Sometimes I’m Bombaloo by Rachel Vail. New York: Scholastic, 2002. (for preschoolers)
Chapter 3
Animals
Birds
28 Barn Owl 29 Five Little Geese Flannelboard

See pattern 29. (Full-size patterns can
I met a barn owl. (sign OWL) be found at www.ala.org/editions/extras/
He turned his head, (turn head while macmillan09775.)
still making the sign for OWL)
He looked at me, One little goose heading south for the
And this is what he said: winter, in a sky of blue,
“I know I am a barn owl. Discovers another goose in flight, then
I flap my wings, that’s what I do. (flap there are two.
arms) Two little geese heading south for the
But I have one question: winter, flying high above the trees,
Whoooooo are you?” Discover another goose in flight, then
there are three.
Three little geese heading south for
the winter, in the sky soar,
Discover another goose in flight, then
there are four.
Four little geese heading south for the
winter, take a nap to revive,
Discover another goose sleeping, then
there are five.
15
16 Animals
Circus Animals
30 The Animals in the Circus 31 Circus Animals

(to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”) (to the tune of “For He’s a Jolly Good
Fellow”)
The lion in the circus goes roar roar
roar, Let’s all go to the circus, let’s all go to
Roar roar roar, roar roar roar. the circus,
The lion in the circus goes roar roar Let’s all go to the circus and have
roar some fun today.
When the circus comes to town. We’ll see the elephant wave his trunk,
we’ll see the elephant wave his
The monkey in the circus goes eee- trunk,
eee-eee . . . We’ll see the elephant wave his trunk,
The elephant in the circus goes and then he’ll say a-roo!
a-rooooo . . . We’ll see the monkeys jump up and
The poodles in the circus go jump down, we’ll see the monkeys jump
jump jump . . . up and down,
The bears in the circus go growl growl We’ll see the monkeys jump up and
growl . . . down, and then they’ll say eee-eee.
The horses in the circus go gallop We’ll see the horses gallop and trot,
gallop gallop . . . we’ll see the horses gallop and trot,
We’ll see the horses gallop and trot,
and then they’ll say neigh.
We’ll see the lion roar, we’ll see the
lion roar,
We’ll see the lion roar, and then he’ll
say grrrrrr.
Farm Animals
32 Pony Ride 33 How Much Is That Piggy?

(traditional) (to the tune of “How Much Is That Doggy
in the Window?”)
Trot, trot, trot,
Go and go and never stop! How much is that piggy in the pigsty?
Trudge along, my little pony, (Oink oink!)
Where it’s rough and where it’s stony. The one with the curly tail. (Oink
Go and go and never stop! oink!)
Trot, trot, trot, trot, trot! How much is that piggy in the pigsty?
(Oink oink!)
I do hope that piggy’s for sale.
Quick Tip: Pony Ride can be used
as a lap bounce with babies or as an
action rhyme with older children.
Animals 17
34 Rooster’s Feathers Flannelboard

See pattern 34. Cut feathers out of different colors of felt. Place the rooster on the
flannelboard. Hand out the feathers to children. Have the children decorate the rooster as you
sing the following song to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?”
Do you have a red feather, a red

feather, a red feather?
If you have a red feather, bring it up
here now.
Repeat with other colors.
Pets
35 Call the Puppy I went to the pet store,

(traditional) It had become a habit.
The pet I wanted now
Call the puppy (beckon with finger)
Was a soft, white, fluffy (rabbit)!
And give him some milk. (pour milk in
bowl) I went to the pet store,
Brush his coat (pretend to brush) I’m sure this sounds absurd,
Till it shines like silk. But the pet I wanted was
Call the puppy (beckon with finger) A colorful flying (bird)!
And give him a bone. (mime giving bone)
Take him for a walk (pretend to hold leash) I went to the pet store,
And then bring him home. (make shape It was no mistake.
of house with hands) What I really wanted now
Was a hissing green (snake)!
36 I Went to the Pet Store
Pause before the last word of each verse to 37 Little Poodle
let the children guess the rhyme. (traditional)
I went to the pet store I had a little poodle, (hold up fist)

And made a special wish. His coat was silver gray.
The pet that I wanted One day I thought I’d bathe him,
Was a very special (fish)! To wash the dirt away,
I washed my little poodle, (scrub fist
I went to the pet store, with other hand)
I went there at a jog, Then dried him with a towel. (pat fist
To get a pet with a wagging tail, as if drying with a towel)
It was a little (dog)! My poodle seemed to like his bath,
He didn’t even growl.
I went to the pet store,
I went there just like that, 38 Puppy Dog, Puppy Dog
Because I heard a little purr,
It was a little (cat)! Puppy dog, puppy dog, wag your tail.
Puppy dog, puppy dog, let out a wail.
Puppy dog, puppy dog, jump for a bone.
Puppy dog, puppy dog, run on home.
18 Animals
39 Puppy Time 43 Ten Dogs in the Window Flannelboard

(traditional)
Puppy time, puppy time, we love
puppy time! See pattern 43.
One, two, three puppies barking at a tree, Ten dogs in the window for the whole
Four, five, six puppies staring back at me. wide world to see.
Puppy time, puppy time, we love Look, someone is coming . . .
puppy time! “You’re the perfect dog for me!”
Repeat with numbers nine through two.
40 Three Little Kittens
One dog in the window, she’s as
Three little kittens going for a stroll, lonely as can be.
(walk in place) Look, someone is coming . . .
The first one decided to take a muddy And here’s a family.
roll, (roll arms) One dog in the window, she’s making
The second one ran through the such a fuss.
garden chasing a mouse, (run in place) Look, they are all stopping . . .
The third one climbed to the roof of “You’re the perfect dog for us!”
the house. (pretend to climb)
And when they all came home up the 44 This Little Doggie Flannelboard
path, (walk in place) (traditional)
Mama Cat said, “It’s time for a bath!”
See pattern 43 above.
(scrub)
This little doggie ran away to play.
41 Three Little Puppies This little doggie said, “I’ll play all
(traditional) day.”
This little doggie began to dig and dig.
Three little puppies looking fresh and
This little doggie danced a funny jig.
new,
This little doggie cried, “Woof, woof,
One ran for dinner and then there
woof! I wish I were big.”
were two.
Two little puppies napping in the sun,
One chased a little bird and then there
was one.
One little puppy looking for some fun,
He headed off to catch his friends and
then there were none.
42 Two Little Cats
Two little cats sitting on my windowsill,

One named Jack and one named Jill.
Run away, Jack! Run away, Jill!
Come back, Jack! Come back, Jill!
Quick Tip: When performing Two Little Cats (or its traditional counterpart, Two Little
Blackbirds), use your right hand to represent one cat running away to your left and
your left hand to represent the other cat running away to your right, and encourage
the children to imitate you. This cross-lateral movement stimulates both sides of the
brain and encourages the hemispheres to work together.
Animals 19
45 Dog’s Colorful Day Flannelboard

See pattern 45. Based on the book by Emma Dodds (New York: Dutton, 2001). Dog gets
messy as he gains spots of different colors throughout the day. This flannelboard story is a hit
with all ages! Pass out mini scrubbers and ask the children to help you clean the dog when he
takes his bath at the end of the story.
See also Someone Special (201) and Veterinarian Song (318).
Sea Life
46 Gone Fishing 48 Dolphin Song

(to the tune of “Camptown Races”)
Maxwell the fisherman floats on the sea,
Sitting in his boat is where he really Sign DOLPHIN as you sing this song.
loves to be. (make boat with cupped DOLPHINS leaping in the sea,
hands) Leaping, leaping,
He throws in his line and makes a DOLPHINS leaping in the sea,
little wish, (mime throwing fishing line) All the livelong day.
Hoping that maybe today he’ll catch a DOLPHINS leaping high,
fish. (cross fingers) DOLPHINS leaping low,
When he reels it in from the water DOLPHINS leaping in the sea,
cold and black, (mime reeling in All the livelong day.
fishing pole)
He gives that little fish a little kiss,
(mime kissing fish)
And then he throws it back. (mime
throwing it back)
47 Octopus, Octopus
Octopus, octopus, turn around.

Octopus, octopus, touch the ground.
Octopus, octopus, reach up high.
Octopus, octopus, swimming by.
20 Animals
49 Take Me Out to the Ocean 50 Five Little Fish Flannelboard

(to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball See pattern 50.
Game”)
One little fish all alone in the ocean
Take me out to the ocean, blue,
Take me out to the sea. Finds another and that makes two.
There goes a starfish and sand dollar, Two little fish swimming in the sea,
I’m having such fun, I’ve just got to Find another and that makes three.
holler. Three little fish swimming through a
Oh, it’s swim, swim, swim sunken ship’s door,
underwater, Find another and that makes four.
Catch a ride on a whale, don’t fear, Four little fish decide to dive,
For the sea animals are our friends, They find another and that makes five.
Let’s give a great big cheer!
51 Blue Sea Flannelboard

See pattern 50 above. Based on the book by Robert Kalan (New York: Greenwillow, 1979). In
this simple classic, a small fish escapes from a larger fish, the larger fish escapes from an even
larger fish, and so on. Use a piece of netting to create a net and a piece of felt with various
sized holes to trap the bigger fish.
52 Jellyfish Craft
Materials: one white basket coffee filter for each child, hole punch, watercolor
paints, brushes, water, markers, yarn
Directions:
1. Fold each coffee filter in half. Punch one hole at the top of the folded edge so
that two holes appear near the center of the filter when you lay it flat.
2. Punch five holes around the edges of the filter.
3. Using watercolor paints, paint the coffee filter. The wetter the paint, the more
the color will spread along the filter. (For a quicker, less messy variation, use
markers to decorate the coffee filter, then spritz it with water to spread the
color.)
4. Once the filter is dry, thread a piece of yarn through the center holes so that
the coffee filter hangs flat, making the top of the jellyfish. Add colorful yarn to
the holes around the edges to make tentacles.
Animals 21
Woodland Animals
53 Animal Walk 57 Nocturnal Animals

(traditional)
Nocturnal animals, they come out at
Here goes the turtle up a hill, night,
Creep, creep, creep. Some crawl on the land while others
Here goes a rabbit up a hill, take flight. (make crawling and flying
Boing, boing, boing! motions)
Here goes an elephant up a hill, An owl soars silently, turning left and
Thud, thud, thud! right, (turn left and right)
Here goes a snake up a hill, A raccoon is a sneaky bandit, trying to
Slither, slither, slither! hide from sight. (put hands in front of
face and try to hide)
Quick Tip: Animal Walk makes Bats use echolocation to find even a
a great lap bounce for babies and tiny mite, (cup ear)
toddlers and a great action rhyme While coyotes sound an alarm before
for older children. they take a bite. (make barking coyote
noise)
Bears are foragers, lifting logs with all
54 Bear Rhyme their might, (pretend to lift tree)
I am a bear and I like honey. (lumber But beware of the stinky skunk, who
like a bear, rub tummy) lifts his tail in fright. (wave hand in
I live in the woods. Do you think front of face)
that’s funny? (make tree shapes with Although possum is not upside down,
hands) he’s in the tree at quite a height,
I catch fish in the river and sing a (look up)
summer song. (mime catching fish) While the foxes’ bushy tails often
Then when snow falls, I sleep all delight. (shake your tail)
winter long. (mime sleeping)
58 Bats Are Flying
(to the tune of “Frère Jacques”)
55 Little Frog
(traditional) Bats are flying, bats are flying,
A little frog in a pond am I, In the sky, in the sky.
Hippity-hippity-hop. Only in the nighttime, only in the
And I can jump in the air so high, nighttime.
Hippity-hippity-hop! Bats fly by, bats fly by.
56 Slowly, Slowly
(traditional) Quick Tip: When you do tickle
rhymes, pass out pom-poms for the
Slowly, slowly, very slowly adults to use to represent the mouse
Creeps the garden snail. (creep fingers
or other small animal.
up child’s arm slowly)
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Up the wooden rail.
But then . . .
Quickly, quickly, very quickly
Runs the little mouse. (run fingers up
child’s arm quickly)
Quickly, quickly, very quickly
Round about the house. (tickle child)
22 Animals
59 Turtle, Turtle 60 On the Pond

(to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)
Turtle, turtle, off you go. (sign
TURTLE) The ducks on the pond go quack
You are small and green and slow. quack quack.
(move sign slowly in front of you) Quack quack quack, quack quack
When you’re scared, into your shell quack,
you go. (tuck thumb into fist) The ducks on the pond go quack
We hope you’ll pop out and say hello! quack quack
(poke thumb out) All through the day.
The frogs on the pond go ribbit ribbit

ribbit,
Ribbit ribbit ribbit, ribbit ribbit ribbit.
The frogs on the pond go ribbit ribbit
ribbit
All through the day.
61 In the Woods Flannelboard

See pattern 61. Hide the flannelboard pieces around the room; then say the rhyme while the
children play an I Spy woodland creature game.
In the woods, I can see, so many animals looking at me!
I spy a (name of animal).
Animals 23
62 The Mixed-Up Chameleon Flannelboard

See pattern 62. Based on the book by Eric Carle (New York: HarperCollins, 1984). A
chameleon wishes he could be like all the other animals, but when he gets his wish, it’s not
exactly what he had in mind.
63 Time to Sleep Flannelboard

See pattern 63. Based on the book by Denise Fleming (New York: Henry Holt, 1997). Bear is
ready to sleep for the winter, but first she must tell Snail, who must tell Skunk, and so on.
24 Animals
64 Porcupine Craft
Materials: half a paper plate for each child, long spikes cut from black construction
paper, one googly eye for each child, glue sticks, crayons or markers
Directions:
1. Glue spikes onto the curved edge of the plate.
2. Glue one googly eye to one end of the plate.
3. Draw a mouth and decorate as desired.
65 Worm Finger Puppet Craft
Materials: one chenille stem for each child, two googly eyes for each child, glue
Directions:
1. Glue the googly eyes side by side on one end of the chenille stem.
2. Coil the chenille stem around your finger so that the eyes sit by your
fingernail.
See also Mother, Mother, I Want Another Flannelboard (127), If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Flannelboard (230), Way Up High in the Maple Tree (297), and Moongame Flannelboard (312).
Zoo Animals
66 Alligator, Alligator 68 Kangaroo Baby
Alligator, alligator, swim around, If I were a kangaroo baby,

Alligator, alligator, don’t make a I’d stay with my mommy all day,
sound. Curled up in her little pouch
Alligator, alligator, if we tap, As we hopped along our way.
You open your jaws with a great big Everyone would call me joey
snap! Until I got bigger, then they’d stop,
Because I would come out of my
67 I’m a Giraffe mommy’s pouch
(traditional) With a hop, hop, hop, hop, hop!
I’m a big tall giraffe stretching way up
69 The Animals at the Zoo
high, (stretch arms up over head)
A big tall giraffe, I almost reach the
sky. (stand on tiptoes) The lions at the zoo go roar roar roar,
I eat the leaves from the tallest trees, Roar roar roar, roar roar roar.
(pretend to pull leaves from the trees) The lions at the zoo go roar roar roar,
And when I run, I move with ease. All day long!
(run in place)
I’m a big tall giraffe stretching way up The snakes at the zoo go hiss hiss hiss . . .
high, (stretch arms up over head) The hyenas at the zoo go ha ha ha . . .
A big tall giraffe, I almost reach the The monkeys at the zoo go eee-eee-
sky. (stand on tiptoes) eee . . .
Animals 25
70 The Elephant Hokey-Pokey 72 Five Little Camels Flannelboard

(to the tune of “The Hokey-Pokey”) See pattern 72.
You put your trunk in, Five little camels letting out a snore,
You put your trunk out, They woke up, one ran away, and
You put your trunk in, then there were four.
And you shake it all about. Four little camels, so many humps we
You stomp around on your big feet see,
and turn yourself around, One ran away and then there were
That’s what it’s all about. three.
Three little camels, when the day was
. . . right ear in . . . new,
. . . left ear in . . . One ran away and then there were
. . . tail in . . . two.
. . . tusks in . . . Two little camels under the desert sun,
. . . whole self in . . . One ran away and then there was one.
One little camel climbing up a dune,
71 Five Little Snakes Flannelboard He ran away and then there were
Use the snake from pattern 61. none.
One little snake looking for something
to do,
He finds another and that makes two.
Two little snakes wrapped around a
tree,
Another slithers up and that makes
three.
Three little snakes by the garden door,
They see another and that makes four.
Four little snakes notice one more arrive,
Basking in the sun, the snakes make
five.
73 Did You Ever Eat . . . ? Flannelboard

See pattern 73. As you pull out the felt animals, ask children, “Did you ever eat . . . ?”
For the ending, you can use an empty animal-cracker box or make one from the pattern.
Did you ever eat a hippo?
No? Hmph, I love to eat hippos!
Did you ever eat a zebra?
No? Hmph, I love to eat zebras!
. . . monkeys . . .
. . . elephants . . .
. . . tigers . . .
Well, I love to eat all the animals that
come in my box of animal crackers!
26 Animals
74 I Love You More Than . . . Flannelboard

(adapted traditional)
See pattern 74.

I love you more than one bird,
Two monkeys, three lions, four giraffes, five elephants,
And all the stars in the sky.
75 Lion Hide-and-Seek Flannelboard

See pattern 75. For each place the cub hides, place the cub under the item on the flannelboard
with its tail or nose or ear sticking out so the children can see it.
Lucy Lion was looking for her cub. But he wanted to play hide-and-seek! Can you see
him? Yes, he’s there behind the tree! Oh no, he’s hidden again. Can you see him? Yes,
there he is, behind that rock! (Repeat with other hiding places.)
Lucy couldn’t find her cub anywhere! Finally she called “Suppertime!” and her cub
popped out and said, “Here I am, Mama!”
See also Little Elephant (87), Five Little Monkeys Flannelboard (126), and Animal Opposites Flannelboard
(173).
Animals 27
Animals: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Mommy, Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera. New York: Holiday House, 2006. (for all ages)
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. New York: Little Simon, 2007. (for all ages)
Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. New York: Philomel, 2004. (for preschoolers)
Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow. New York: Clarion, 1991. (for
preschoolers)
Peek-a-Moo by Maria Torres Cimarusti. New York: Dutton, 1998. (for toddlers)
Buster by Denise Fleming. New York: Henry Holt, 2003. (for all ages)
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming. New York: Henry Holt, 1991. (for toddlers)
At the Zoo by Douglas Florian. New York: Greenwillow, 1992. (for toddlers)
Down by the Station by Will Hillenbrand. New York: Gulliver, 1999. (for all ages)
Little Monkey Says Good Night by Ann Whitford Paul. New York: Farrar, Straus, and
Giroux, 2003. (for all ages)
Chapter 4
Around the World
All Around the World
76 Kids around the World Wake Up But when Spanish kids wake up in the
(to the tune of “When Ducks Wake Up in morning, they say it the Spanish way:
the Morning”) “¡Buenos días!” “¡Buenos días!” That
is what they say.
When French kids wake up in the
morning, they always say good day. When Chinese kids wake up in the
But when French kids wake up in the morning, they always say good
morning, they say it the French way: day.
“Bonjour!” “Bonjour!” That is what But when Chinese kids wake up in the
they say. morning, they say it the Chinese
way:
When Spanish kids wake up in the
“Ni hao!” “Ni hao!” That is what they
morning, they always say good day.
say. (pronounced “knee how”)
77 Map Activity
Show a map of the world and have the children mark the country where they live and mark
some of the countries you discuss during storytime.
78 Let’s Write a Rhyme Activity
Many cultures’ traditional nursery rhymes are about nature and everyday things children
see and use. Work with the children to create a short rhyme about something from where
they live. Have them color a picture to go with it.
79 Around the World: Fun Facts to Share
The country of Italy is shaped like a boot.

The capital city of Germany is Berlin.
Siberian tigers are the world’s biggest tigers, and they live in Russia.
Russia is the largest country in the world.
The country of Japan is made up of a string of islands.
The giant panda lives in the mountains of China.
28
Around the World 29
The Great Wall of China stretches over four thousand miles in northern China.
Brazil is the largest of twelve countries that make up the South American continent.
The Eiffel Tower is in France.
London is the capital city of England.
In Canada there are moose, seals, and polar bears.
Africa
From Egypt From Kenya

80 Mommy Is Coming 81 The Leaf
(adapted traditional) (traditional)
Perform using a box with animal puppets The leaf, the leaf
inside. On the coconut tree, on the coconut tree.
When the wind blows
Mommy is coming,
It shakes, shakes, shakes.
She’s almost here,
She’s bringing toys and gifts.
She’s got a box, From Tunisia
Inside is a duck
That goes 82 Teddy Bear
Quack quack quack, (traditional)
Quack quack. I have a nice soft teddy bear,
Repeat with other animals. His nose looks very fine.
Look at his eyes so beautiful.
Asia
From China The acorn enjoyed playing with them,

But he soon began to cry,
83 Red Dragonflies
“I want to go back to the mountain.”
(traditional)
The fish didn’t know what to do.
Red dragonflies, red dragonflies,
They gently stop. 85 Close Hands, Open Hands
On the rocks gently they stop. (traditional)
On the water gently they stop. Close hands, open hands,
In the breeze gently they stop. Clap hands, close hands.
Open hands again, clap hands,
Put those hands up.
From Japan
Close hands, open hands,
84 Acorn Clap hands, close hands.
(traditional)
An acorn rolled down and down,

86 Kite Song
(traditional)
He suddenly fell into a pond.
Then came the fish, Kites are rising in the sky,
And said, “Hi! Come play with us!” Catching fair winds far up high,
Rise and rise to clouds that float,
Fly high up in the sky!
30 Around the World
Kites are neat in the sky, 87 Little Elephant

Dancing, leaping way up high, (traditional)
Rising to the white clouds,
Little elephant, little elephant,
Fly high up in the sky!
You have a long, long nose.
Falling, falling is the kite, Yes, sir, my mother has a long nose,
Run and run to keep it high, too.
Oh, the kite is rising now,
Little elephant, little elephant,
Hold, hold your string tight!
Who do you like best in the world?
Well, I like my mother best in the
world.
Quick Tip: Use the kite streamers
from Let’s Fly a Kite Streamer Game
(343) while saying this rhyme. From South Korea
88 Springtime Outing
(traditional)
Lily, lily, golden bell.

Pluck it, put it in your bill.
Bunch of chickies, hop, hop, hop!
Springtime outing, off they go.
Australia
89 An Australian Creation Story Flannelboard

macmillan09775.) Adapted from the book Sun Mother Wakes the World: An Australian
Creation Story by Diane Wolkstein (New York: HarperCollins, 2004).
In the beginning there was darkness. The earth was asleep. In the sky, Sun Mother was
also asleep until she heard a soft whisper telling her to wake up. When Sun Mother
opened her eyes, light appeared and Sun Mother sped to the earth. With each step that
Sun Mother took, the earth awakened, and grass, plants, and trees sprouted. Sun Mother
visited the dark caves and awakened the sleeping animal spirits. First the bugs and insects
awakened, then the lizards, frogs, snakes, and fish.
Next birds and animals of every kind awakened. Sun Mother looked at all she had
awakened and told them that she needed to return to her home in the sky.
The animals were all scared because it grew dark again, but then a little frog noticed
that the Sun Mother was returning in the eastern sky. “Welcome!” all the animals cried
joyously. The animals watched as the Sun Mother glided slowly across the sky to the west.
And so it continued each day.
Over time the animals forgot the joy they felt when they first received the gift of life.
They all became envious of what they did not have. They fought often, and their loud
cries reached Sun Mother. Sun Mother sped to earth and told the animals that if they were
unhappy, they could change their shape, but to choose carefully because it would be their
form for a long time.
Wombat chose to have strong claws to dig tunnels. Kangaroo chose to have a pouch
to keep her babies close to her. Emu chose to have long legs to run faster than any other
bird. Platypus could not decide so she chose everything: a beak, fur, webbed feet, and a
tail. After all the animals were done choosing their new forms, Sun Mother gave birth to a
daughter and a son, the Moon and Morning Star. The Sun Mother told all the animals that
Around the World 31
when she left them in the evening, her daughter Moon and son Morning Star would be
there to give them light.
Moon and Morning Star grew brighter and in time gave birth to the first woman and
the first man. “Welcome!” called the Sun Mother. The Sun Mother told the woman and
man that all the animals were their relations. The earth was there to take care of them, just
as they were to take care of the earth.
Europe
From Belgium From France

90 Hat 91 Hello, Mrs. Monday
(traditional) (traditional)
One, two, three, four, paper, paper, Hello, Mrs. Monday!

One, two, three, four, paper hat. How is Mrs. Tuesday?
And if you have no more hat, Very fine, Mrs. Wednesday!
Make one with gift wrap. Tell Mrs. Thursday
One, two, three, four, paper hat. To come on Friday
To dance on Saturday
In Sunday’s ballroom.
32 Around the World
92 Kisses for Mommy From Switzerland

(traditional)
94 Spring Has Come
On a very, very soft piece of material, (traditional)
I’m drawing, I’m drawing.
Now spring is here and soft winds
On a very, very soft piece of material,
blow
I’m drawing kisses
To melt from the mountains the ice
for Mommy’s Day.
and the snow.
I’m drawing, I’m drawing.
The cuckoo is calling in vales below
For Mommy’s Day
To say that this is so.
I’m drawing and doing my best.
Yo holee-holee, hola-leeho,
Up in the mountains the cows will go.
From Italy Yo holee-holee, hola-leeho,
Up in the mountains the cows will go.
93 Firefly, Firefly
(traditional) The herdsman looks up at the blue
spring sky,
Firefly, firefly, yellow and bright,
He shouts and he sings to the
Bridle the horse under your light.
mountains high.
The son of the king is ready to ride,
Good-bye little valley, good-bye,
Firefly, firefly, fly by my side.
good-bye.
You can hear his loud cry.
Up in the Alps where the grasses
grow.
Up to the Alps we’ll go.
North America and the Caribbean
From the Bahamas From Canada

95 I Went Up on the Hill 96 Leaves Flannelboard
I went up on the hill See pattern 96.

With a bucket on my head, (mime
A yellow leaf
walking with bucket on head)
Is falling down, falling down, falling
The road so rocky,
down.
Till my bucket fall down. (mime bucket
A yellow leaf
falling)
Is falling down to the ground.
Rock-a-my-cherry, one, two,
Rock-a-my-cherry, three, four. A red leaf
Is moving, moving, moving.
A red leaf
Is moving with the wind.
A brown leaf
Is flying, flying, flying.
A brown leaf
Is flying up to the sky.
Around the World 33
From Haiti
97 Turtle’s Flight Flannelboard Story
(traditional)
See pattern 97. If you can find turtle and bird puppets with movable mouths, this also works
well as a puppet story.
It was springtime, and the birds were all getting ready to fly north to New York City.
Turtle was sad as he said good-bye to his friends. “I wish I could go north with you and
see all the big buildings, but I have no wings,” he said. “I even know how to say a word in
English: bye-bye. Wouldn’t it be lovely if I could go and meet those New York City turtles
and talk to them?”
Pigeon was his special friend, and she took pity on him. “Maybe you can come,” she
said. “I have an idea.” And she looked around until she found a sturdy stick. “I will put
the stick in my beak, and you hold the other end in your mouth. Then, when I fly up into
the air, you will go with me.”
“Oh, thank you!” said Turtle. He was so excited.
“Just be careful to keep your mouth closed around the stick,” warned Pigeon. “I can’t
come back and get you if you let go.”
“Oh, I will,” Turtle promised. “I’ll hold on tight.”
Soon it was time to go. Pigeon put one end of the stick in her beak, and Turtle
clamped his mouth shut over the other end. Pigeon flapped her wings, and they rose high
into the air. Turtle was nervous and excited. He had never seen the ocean and his island
from up in the air before. He looked down and saw all the animals lined up on the shore,
waving good-bye to the birds. He saw the looks of astonishment on their faces when they
saw him hanging from the stick.
“Is that Turtle?” they said. “Is he really going to New York City?”
Turtle was so pleased with himself that he decided to show off. He opened his mouth
to say the one word of English he knew.
“Bye-bye!” he cried, and he fell, fell, fell down into the ocean and landed with a
splash.
“Turtle! Why did you let go?” called Pigeon. “I told you I wouldn’t be able to come
back for you! Good-bye! I will see you in the autumn!” And she flew away.
Turtle swam back to the shore, very disappointed.
And that is why you will see plenty of pigeons in New York, but Turtle is still in Haiti.
From Puerto Rico

98 Moon
(traditional)
Moon, little charming moon,

You are so pretty, so enchanting.
Your light comes in through my window,
And when I go to sleep I will say good night to you.
34 Around the World
From the United States

American Sign Language
99 Sign Me Hello
Sign the words in capital letters as you
say this rhyme.
Sign me HELLO,
Sign me GOOD-BYE,
Sign me a CAT,
Sign me a BUTTERFLY,
But of all the signs that you can do
My very favorite is I LOVE YOU!
100 Two Hands Signing

say this rhyme.
I have two HANDS,
I can use them to SIGN.
I can tell you HELLO,
I can ask for the TIME,
I can say you’re my FRIEND,
I can ask you to PLAY,
And I can sign GOOD-BYE
At the end of the DAY.
101 Friendship Sign Song

(to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Sign the words in capital letters as you say this

rhyme.
Here’s the sign for YOU,
Here’s the sign for ME.
I put my fingers together like this
’Cause FRIENDS we’ll always be.
Around the World 35
102 Signing
(to the tune of “A Bicycle Built for Two”)
Sign the words in capital letters as you sing

this song.
SIGNING, SIGNING,
It’s what we LIKE to do.
We know SIGN LANGUAGE
Is a way to talk too.
You DON’T KNOW what you’re missin’
Till you use your EYES to listen.
Talk with your HANDS,
We’ll UNDERSTAND
’Cause we love SIGN LANGUAGE too!
103 I LOVE YOU Sign-Language Stick-

Puppet Craft
Materials: construction paper, scissors,
craft sticks, glue, decorating materials
Directions:
1. Trace your hand onto construction
paper and cut out the shape.
(Precut hand shapes may be provided
instead.)
2. Glue down the middle and ring fingers
to make the sign for I LOVE YOU.
3. Attach a craft stick and decorate.
Native Americans
104 Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies Flannelboard Story

See pattern 104. Based on the book by Harriet Peck Taylor (New York: Macmillan, 1995).
The butterflies play a trick on lazy Coyote. When you make the pieces, attach the butterfly
pieces to clothespins with springs so that you can use them to lift the coyote piece when the
butterflies carry him through the air.
36 Around the World
South America
From Bolivia
105 She Dances Alone
(traditional)
I want to see her dance,

Jump and spring,
Walk in the air,
And move with much elegance.
Leave her alone, all alone and alone.
Around the World: Ten Great Books for Storytime

My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme by Stella Blackstone.
Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books, 2005. (for all ages)
Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz. New York: Henry Holt, 2006. (for preschoolers)
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. (for preschoolers)
Dad and Me in the Morning by Patricia Lakin. New York: Whitman, 1994. (for preschoolers)
My House Has Stars by Megan McDonald. New York: Orchard, 1994. (for preschoolers)
Snug in Mama’s Arms by Angela Shelf Medearis. Columbus, OH: Gingham Dog Press,
2004. (for toddlers)
Moses Goes to the Circus by Isaac Millman. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2003. (for
all ages)
Bake You a Pie by Ellen Olson-Brown and Brian Claflin. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle, 2006. (for
all ages)
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. New York: Knopf, 1994.
(for all ages)
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep: A Lullaby for Little Ones around the World by Nancy Van Laan. New York:
Little, Brown, 1995. (for all ages)
Chapter 5
At Home
In the Morning
106 Every Morning 108 Good Morning Song

(to the tune of “Happy Birthday”)
Every morning I jump out of bed
And neatly comb the hair on my head. Sign GOOD MORNING as you sing this
I brush my teeth and get dressed song.
In my play clothes that can get GOOD MORNING to you,
messed. GOOD MORNING to you.
I run downstairs while I sing GOOD MORNING, everybody,
And wonder what today will bring! GOOD MORNING to you.
107 Wake Up See also Kids around the World Wake Up (76),
(to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Breakfast (215), and Cereal for Breakfast (220).
Star”)
Sign WAKE UP as you sing this song.

WAKE UP, WAKE UP, it’s morning.
Open your eyes, the sun is shining.
First I get dressed, then I eat,
Starting my day is such a treat.
WAKE UP, WAKE UP, it’s morning.
Open your eyes, the sun is shining.
37
38 At Home
Safety/Cleaning
109 Chores 111 Old MacDonald’s Cleaning Cart

(to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”) (to the tune of “Old MacDonald”)
There are lots of chores around the Old MacDonald had a cleaning cart,
house, around the house, around E-I-E-I-O,
the house, And on this cleaning cart he had a
There are lots of chores around the vacuum, E-I-E-I-O.
house that we will do today. With a vroom-vroom here and a
First we’ll wash the windows, the vroom-vroom there,
windows, the windows, Here a vroom, there a vroom,
First we’ll wash the windows around everywhere a vroom-vroom.
the house today. Old MacDonald had a cleaning cart,
Next we’ll vacuum the carpet, the E-I-E-I-O.
carpet, the carpet,
Next we’ll vacuum the carpet around . . . duster/dust . . .
the house today. . . . rag/wipe . . .
Last we’ll mop the kitchen floor, . . . broom/sweep . . .
kitchen floor, kitchen floor, . . . mop/mop . . .
Last we’ll mop the kitchen floor in the
house today.
110 Cleanup Song

(to the tune of “Camptown Races”)
Sign CLEAN as you sing this song.

Toys are scattered everywhere,
CLEAN up, CLEAN up.
Time to CLEAN up now.
Put the toys away,
We’ll play another day.
Time to CLEAN up now.
112 Do We Touch It? Activity

macmillan09775.) Additional props needed: teddy bear, children’s book, toy car, another
toy, such as a jack-in-the-box. Hold up each item or picture and ask the children if they are
allowed to touch it or not. Ask why or why not. Pass the touchable items around.
At Home 39
Bath Time
113 Bath-Time Fun 116 Bath

(to the tune of “Here We Go Round the
Wash your hair and wash your face, Mulberry Bush”)
Wash your neck and every place
On your arms and on your thumbs. This is the way to fill the bath, fill the
Wash your hands—are we almost bath, fill the bath.
done? This is the way to fill the bath, so early
Wash your tummy, wash your knees, in the morning.
Legs and ankles, if you please.
This is the way to wash our faces . . .
Wash your feet and each little toe.
This is the way to wash ourselves . . .
Bath time is so much fun, you know?
This is the way to wash our hair . . .
This is the way to dry ourselves . . .
114 Bubbles, Bubbles
This is the way to brush our teeth . . .
(traditional)
Sign BUBBLE as you say this rhyme. 117 Bubbles

(to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little
BUBBLES, BUBBLES all around.
Star”)
BUBBLES, BUBBLES fat and round.
BUBBLES on my toes and on my nose. Bubbles, bubbles everywhere,
BUBBLES way up high they go. They are even in my hair.
BUBBLES, BUBBLES all around. First I scrub my little toes,
BUBBLES, BUBBLES on the ground. Then I scrub my ears and nose.
Bubbles, bubbles everywhere,
They are even in my hair.
118 Five Rubber Ducks Flannelboard

(to the tune of “One Elephant Went Out
to Play”)
See pattern 118.

Five rubber ducks came out to play,
115 All through Bath Time Battling the waves in the tub today.
(to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”) Along came the splash that sent one to
shore,
The bubbles in the tub go
And then he couldn’t play anymore.
Pop, pop, pop! Pop, pop, pop! Pop,
Four rubber ducks . . .
pop, pop!
Three rubber ducks . . .
The bubbles in the tub go pop, pop,
Two rubber ducks . . .
pop!
One rubber duck came out to play,
All through my bath time!
Battling the waves in the tub today.
The washcloth in the tub goes scrub, Along came the splash that sent him
scrub, scrub . . . to shore,
The ducky in the tub goes squirt, Now no rubber ducks can play
squirt, squirt . . . anymore.
40 At Home
119 Three Bubbles Flannelboard

See pattern 119.

A small bubble,
A medium bubble,
A great big bubble I see! Now let’s
count them, one, two, three!
Now let’s pop them, one, two, three!
See also Three Little Kittens (40) and Dog’s Colorful Day Flannelboard (45).
Bedtime
120 Bedtime Tickle Bug 123 Sweet Dreams
Tickle bug, tickle bug Before I go to bed each night,

Hunting feet. My mama tucks my covers in tight.
Creeping, creeping I cuddle my teddy
Over the sheet. While she cuddles me,
One! Two! And I settle in for the sweetest
Catch ’em like this. (catch feet) dreams.
Tickle-y, tickle-y, (tickle toes)
Tummy kiss! (kiss tummy) 124 Four Little Stars Flannelboard
See pattern 124.
121 Going to Bed
Four little stars winking at me,
This little child is going to bed, (point One shot off, then there were three.
to self) Three little stars with nothing to do,
Down on the pillow he lays his head. One shot off, then there were two.
(rest head on hands) Two little stars afraid of the sun,
He wraps himself in a blanket tight, One shot off, then there was one.
(hug yourself) One little star, alone is no fun,
And this is the way he sleeps all night. It shot off, then there were none.
Zzzzzzz . . . ZZZZZZZZ.
122 Lullaby
Lullaby and good night,

Lay your head down and rest now.
Mama loves you, Daddy too,
And everything’s OK. 125 So Many Stars Flannelboard
Good night, little one, See pattern 124 above.
Close your eyes, the day’s done.
See the stars up in the sky,
Sleep well, little one,
Let us count them by and by.
We love you so.
One, two, three, four, five!
At Home 41
126 Five Little Monkeys Flannelboard

(traditional)
See pattern 126. Use Velcro to stick the monkeys to a horizontal paint-stick bed. Bounce the
paint stick while saying the rhyme and pull off each monkey at the appropriate time.
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Four little monkeys . . .
Three little monkeys . . .
Two little monkeys . . .
One little monkey jumping on the bed,
He fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“Put those monkeys straight to bed!”
127 Mother, Mother I Want Another Flannelboard

See pattern 127. Based on the book by Maria Polushkin (New York: Knopf, 2005). A frantic
mother mouse tries to comfort her baby with a series of animal mothers until she realizes that
what he really wants is another kiss from his own mother.
42 At Home
128 Ready for Bed Flannelboard

See pattern 128. Ask the children to help your felt child get ready for bed. Show them the
pieces and let the children tell you in what order to apply the pieces to the board.
Quick Tip: Read the poem “Wee Willie Winkie” before you do the Ready for Bed
Flannelboard. Sharing classic nursery rhymes enhances children’s appreciation and
understanding of language. Following up with this hands-on activity will enhance the
text-to-self connection by allowing children to apply the classic rhyme to their own
everyday routines.
129 Wee Willie Winkie Bedtime Clock Craft
Materials: Wee Willie Winkie coloring page (a good one can be found at
www.tlsbooks.com/mothergooseweewilliewinkie.pdf),
clock (from pattern 129), glue, crayons, and other
decorating materials
Directions:
1. Glue the clock onto the coloring sheet.
2. Draw the hands on the clock to show that it is eight
o’clock.
At Home 43
130 Design Your Own Pajamas Craft
Materials: one copy of pajama top and bottom for each child (from pattern 130),
glue, stickers, feathers, glitter, and other decorating materials
Directions: Decorate pajamas as desired with feathers, glitter, and the like.
131 Star Mobile Craft
Materials: one paper plate for each child, hole punch, one long piece of yarn for each
child (about 12 inches), four 6-inch pieces of yarn for each child, four star shapes
cut from construction paper for each child (from pattern 131), stickers, crayons,
and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Punch four holes around the edge of the paper plate and one hole in the
center.
2. Tie a knot in one end of the 12-inch piece of yarn. Pull the
yarn through the hole in the center of the plate so that the
knot stops on the bottom of the plate.
3. Punch a hole in the top of each star.
4. Decorate the star shapes as desired.
5. Attach the stars to the remaining holes in the plate with the
shorter pieces of yarn.
See also Moon (98), Twinkling Stars (307), Five Little Stars and the Moon Too Flannelboard (309), Shhhhh!
Everybody’s Sleeping Flannelboard (321), and Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (336).
At Home: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Pig, Horse, or Cow, Don’t Wake Me Now by Arlene Alda. New York: Doubleday, 1994. (for
preschoolers)
Five Little Monkeys with Nothing to Do by Eileen Christelow. New York: Clarion, 1996. (for
all ages)
Maisy Takes a Bath by Lucy Cousins. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2000. (for toddlers)
Wake-Up Kisses by Pamela Duncan Edwards. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. (for
toddlers)
Time for Bed by Mem Fox. New York: Gulliver, 1993. (for all ages)
44 At Home
Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. New York: Viking, 2003. (for preschoolers)
Tom and Pippo Make a Mess by Helen Oxenbury. New York: Macmillan, 1988. (for toddlers)
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
1985. (for all ages)
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen. New York: Blue Sky, 2000. (for all ages)
Clara Ann Cookie, Go to Bed! by Harriet Ziefert. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. (for
preschoolers)
Chapter 6
Bugs and Insects
132 Bee Dance 134 Fuzzy-Wuzzy Caterpillar

(traditional)
I wiggle my belly
And I flap my wings, Fuzzy-wuzzy caterpillar
I have big eyes Creeping, creeping, creeping, (crawl
And a stinger that stings. around floor)
I love that pollen, Spins herself a blanket, (spin in circle)
It’s good stuff, Now she’s sleeping, sleeping,
I fly around till I find enough. sleeping. (lay head on hands)
Then I fly back home
To the hive, 135 Grasshopper Hop
And tell the others where it is We’re doing the grasshopper hop!
With a jiggle jump jive! We’re jumping like we’re never gonna
stop.
Quick Tip: Follow up with a bee We crouch down low and spring up
dance. Have all the children line up high
and do a wiggly dance around the And jump! Jump! Jump!
room to “Flight of the Bumblebee”
by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. 136 Hurry-Scurry Little Spider
(traditional)
Hurry-scurry little spider

133 Firefly Starts down at your toes. (touch toes)
Firefly, firefly, light your light. Past your knees he goes. (touch knees)
Firefly, firefly, fly through the night. Hurry-scurry little spider
Firefly, firefly, fly down low. Past where your tummy is. (touch
Firefly, firefly, off you go! tummy)
Gives you a spidery kiss. (make loud
kiss noise)
45
46 Bugs and Insects
137 I Saw a Butterfly 140 A Fly Is on My Toe

(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)
I saw a butterfly,
I saw a bee, Pass out fly stickers or small pom-poms to
I saw a grasshopper, use as flies and invite the children to place
And they saw me. them on the appropriate body part as you
I flew like a butterfly, sing the song.
I buzzed like a bee, A fly is on my toe,
I hopped like a grasshopper, A fly is on my toe,
And I laughed like me. Hi-ho-the-derrio,
A fly is on my toe.
138 All through the Summer A fly is on my nose . . .
(to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”) A fly is on my head . . .
The bees on the flowers go buzz buzz A fly is on my ear . . .
buzz, A fly is on my elbow . . .
Buzz buzz buzz, buzz buzz buzz. A fly is on my knee . . .
The bees on the flowers go
Buzz buzz buzz 141 I’m a Little Ladybug
All through the summer. (to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)
The butterflies in the air go flutter I’m a little ladybug
flutter flutter . . . Small and red.
The crickets in the grass go chirp chirp I’ve got black spots and a round black
chirp . . . head.
The fireflies in the night go blink blink When I come out on a sunny day,
blink . . . I spread my wings and fly away.
139 Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly 142 Five Little Ladybugs Flannelboard

(to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, (traditional)
Little Star”)
Use the ladybug from pattern 146. (Full-
Sign BUTTERFLY as you sing this song. size patterns can be found at www.ala
Flutter, flutter, BUTTERFLY, .org/editions/extras/macmillan09775.)
Floating in the summer sky. Five little ladybugs on our front door,
Floating by for all to see, One flew to (child’s name), and that left
Floating by so merrily. four.
Flutter, flutter, BUTTERFLY, Four little ladybugs, oh so wee,
Floating in the summer sky. One flew to (child’s name), and that left
three.
Three little ladybugs saying howdy-do,
One flew to (child’s name), and that left
two.
Two little ladybugs snoozing in the
sun,
One flew to (child’s name), and that left
one.
One little ladybug alone on the door,
It flew to (child’s name), then there
were no more.
Bugs and Insects 47
143 Five Little Fireflies Flannelboard 144 Five Little Caterpillars/Five Little
See pattern 143. Butterflies Flannelboard
See pattern 144.
Five little fireflies shining in the
twilight, Five little caterpillars and not one
One found a leaf to eat that was just more,
right. One spun a cocoon and then there
Four little fireflies shining in the were four.
twilight, Four little caterpillars on a leafy tree,
One got his wing stuck in a tree and One spun a cocoon and then there
couldn’t take flight. were three.
Three little fireflies shining in the Three little caterpillars looking for
twilight, something to do,
One decided he’d try to sing a new One spun a cocoon and then there
song tonight. were two.
Two little fireflies shining in the Two little caterpillars sitting in the
twilight, sun,
One flew off to look at a bright yellow One spun a cocoon and then there was
light. one.
One little firefly shining in the One little caterpillar sitting all alone,
twilight, That one spun a cocoon and then there
He noticed it was getting late, so he were none.
said good night. But . . .
One cocoon opened underneath the
sun,
Now there’s a butterfly and that
makes one.
Another cocoon opened and we know
what to do,
We say, “Hello, butterfly! You are
number two!”
Another cocoon opened, we’re happy
as can be,
Another butterfly comes out and that
makes three.
Could it be, another cocoon? Yes,
here’s one more.
Hello, Mr. Butterfly! You are number
four.
Another cocoon opens as the
butterflies dip and dive,
Another butterfly comes out and now
we have five!
48 Bugs and Insects
145 Ant Picnic Flannelboard

See pattern 145.
The ants came to the park today,
Hoping to find a luncheon buffet.
One ant found a basket of cherries,
The second ant found some delicious
strawberries.
A third ant found a piece of bread,
The fourth ant found some cheese to spread.
The fifth ant was as lazy as could be,
While the others worked, he napped in a tree.
146 Bugs in the Rug Flannelboard

See pattern 146. Line the bugs up along the top of the flannelboard. Place a rectangle of felt in
the middle to represent a rug. Ask the children to close their eyes while you hide a bug or two
under the rug. While their eyes are closed, have them chant the following rhyme, then open
their eyes to guess.
Bug in the rug, bug in the rug,
Who is that bug in the rug?
147 Buggy Guessing Game

Print out pictures of a grasshopper, ant, mosquito, and honeybee (from pattern 146). Give
children clues; then when they guess correctly put the picture of the bug on the board. Or for
a younger group, before giving the clues put the pictures on the board to give the children an
idea of the possible answers.
I have super strong legs and can jump. I’m a . . . (grasshopper)!
I am super strong. I can lift thirty times my size. Sometimes I come to your picnic.
I’m an . . . (ant)!
I buzz in your ears and have a needle on my nose. If I sting you, you’ll itch. I’m a . . .
(mosquito)!
I have baskets on my legs. I make honey. I’m a . . . (honeybee)!
Bugs and Insects 49
148 Eensy-Weensy Spider Rainspout Craft
Materials: one toilet paper roll for each child, hole punch, black yarn, black pom-
poms, googly eyes, colored yarn, crayons, decorating materials
Directions:
1. Punch a hole in one end of the toilet paper roll, about half an inch from the
edge.
2. Tie an 8-inch piece of black yarn to the toilet paper roll through the hole.
3. Tie the other end of the yarn around the black pom-pom.
4. Glue the googly eyes on the pom-pom.
5. Decorate the rainspout as desired.
Quick Tip: Make enough of these rainspout crafts to hand out in storytime and use
them with the book The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Lorianne Siomades (Honesdale, PA: Boyds
Mills, 1999). Using props with books and nursery rhymes enhances young children’s
learning by allowing them to engage multiple senses.
149 Egg-Carton Caterpillar Craft
Materials: cardboard egg cartons cut into sections of three (one section of three for
each child), googly eyes, glue, chenille stems, stickers, markers
Directions:
1. Turn the egg-carton section over.
2. Glue the googly eyes to the front of the egg carton.
3. Poke two holes in the top of the front section of the egg carton. Insert the
chenille stems into the holes for antennae.
150 Paper-Bag Butterfly Wings Craft
Materials: one large paper grocery bag for each child, hole punch, two 18-inch pieces
of yarn for each child, stickers, markers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Cut the bag open and lay it flat.
2. Cut out the shape of wings.
3. Decorate the wings as desired.
4. Punch holes at the top and bottom of the base of the wings on each side.
5. Attach a piece of yarn from the top to the bottom on each side so that the
children can put their arms through the yarn and wear the wings.
See also Red Dragonflies (83) and Firefly, Firefly (93).
50 Bugs and Insects
Bugs and Insects: Ten Great Books for Storytime

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle. New York: Philomel, 1995. (for all ages)
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert. San Diego: Harcourt, 2001. (for all ages)
The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn. Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales, 2003. (for toddlers)
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming. New York: Henry Holt, 1991. (for toddlers)
The Eensy-Weensy Spider by Mary Ann Hoberman. New York: Little, Brown, 2000. (for all
ages)
Miss Spider’s Tea Party by David Kirk. New York: Scholastic, 1994. (for preschoolers)
I Love Bugs! by Philemon Sturges. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. (for toddlers)
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani. Strongsville, OH: Gareth Stevens, 1996. (for all ages)
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. (for preschoolers)
Over in the Garden by Jennifer Ward. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon, 2002. (for preschoolers)
Chapter 7
Concepts
Alphabet
151 Alphabet, Alphabet
Alphabet, alphabet, turn around,

Alphabet, alphabet, make a sound.
Alphabet goes from A to Z,
Will you say the alphabet with me?
152 Letters Are Hiding Game

Hide plastic or foam letters in a bag. Invite
each child to reach into the bag and guess the Quick Tip: Using their senses to
letter by touch only as you recite this rhyme. recognize the shapes of letters in
Letters Are Hiding helps young
Letters are hiding, hiding from me.
children with letter recognition
Reach into the bag and you will see.
by engaging their senses with the
Not with your eyes, just feel and guess.
What letter is it? (Child’s name), tell us! alphabet in new ways.
153 ABC Clapping Game

Invite everyone to stand in a circle. Recite the rhyme as everyone claps in rhythm.
B, B, I like the letter B.
(Child’s name), tell me a word that starts with B?
That child must say a word that begins with that letter, then recite the rhyme with another
letter and choose another child. If a child can’t think of a word, he or she can say “Help,” and
another child can volunteer a word.
154 Alphabet Game

Give a different foam, cardboard, or magnetic letter to each child. Discuss the sounds the
letters make. Ask each child to share a word that starts with her letter.
51
52 Concepts
155 Giant Pencils Activity
Give each child a rhythm stick and invite the

group to draw and write in the air. Some sug- Quick Tip: Giant Pencils promotes
gested items to draw and write are simple gross motor skills, visual acuity, and
shapes (circles, squares, triangles), letters of the letter and shape recognition.
alphabet, numbers zero through ten, the chil-
dren’s names, and simple shapes relating to the
seasons (sunshine, Christmas tree, heart, Easter
egg, rain cloud, etc.).
156 Name Craft
Materials: one piece of construction paper for each child, one pencil for each child,
crayons, clip art, or magazine pictures of items beginning with various letters of
the alphabet
Directions:
1. Write your name down one side of the paper.
2. Think of a word that starts with each letter of your name and write it, using
the letter of your name as the first letter. For example, Amy would write
something like this:
Apple
Monkey
Yogurt
3. Find or draw a picture to go with each word.
Calendars and Time
157 Clock Stretch This hand up straight,

Now the other out to the side.
I am a clock, It’s nine o’clock,
I have two hands. And it’s bedtime.
Let us see
Just where they land. One hand straight up,
The other too.
One hand straight up, It’s twelve midnight,
The other too. Quiet time for me and you.
It’s twelve noon—lunchtime
For me and you. 158 Months
(to the tune of “One Potato”)
One hand straight up,
One out to the side. January, February, March, April, May,
It’s three o’clock, June, July, August—that’s not all I’ll
It can’t be denied. say.
September, October, November too,
One hand straight up, December will finish the whole year
The other down. through!
It’s six o’clock
All over town.
Concepts 53
159 Wiggle Week 160 Days of the Week

(to the tune of “Ten Little Indians”)
Mondays I wiggle,
Tuesdays I giggle, There are seven days of the week,
Wednesdays I jump, There are seven days of the week,
Thursdays I slump, There are seven days of the week,
Fridays I dance, Yes, indeed there are.
Saturdays I prance, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Sundays I run, Wednesday,
And the week is done! Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
There are seven days of the week,
And I know them all!
See also Hello, Mrs. Monday (91) and Picking Fruits
and Vegetables Flannelboard (228).
Colors
161 Color Song
(to the tune of
“Frère Jacques”)
Sign the colors as you sing

this song.
RED and YELLOW,
ORANGE and PURPLE,
GREEN and BLUE,
PINK and WHITE too.
There are so many
colors,
Pretty, pretty colors,
Here for me
And for you.
162 Rainbow Flannelboard

See pattern 162. (Full-size patterns can be found at
www.ala.org/editions/extras/macmillan09775.)
With my eyes, I can see
The colors of the rainbow in front of me!
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple!
See also Rooster’s Feathers Flannelboard (34) and A Blanket for the Princess Flannelboard Story (193).
54 Concepts
163 Mrs. Mark’s Favorite Color File Folder Story

See pattern 163. Use the pattern to place a paint-can shape on the front of a file folder.
Carefully cut out the paint portion of the can so that items placed in the folder will show
through. Copy the story below and tape it to the back of the folder for reference. Tape the top
and bottom edges of the folder together. Arrange sheets of colored construction paper in the
order the colors are mentioned in the story: white, brown, orange, blue, red, yellow, black,
green, purple. The white paper should be on top of the pile. To create the last piece in the pile,
tape strips of construction paper together to make a rainbow. Place the sheets of construction
paper, in sequence, in the folder. Each time Mrs. Mark’s favorite color changes, remove the
top piece of paper.
Once upon a time there was a lady named Mrs. Mark. Her living room
was white, which was her favorite color. But one day she decided she
was tired of it. She looked at the beautiful brown tree trunks and decided
that was the color she wanted her living room to be.
Now brown was her favorite color. But soon she saw a pretty orange
flower and decided that the color she really liked best was orange.
Repeat the pattern with blue—blueberries; red—strawberries; yellow—
sun; black—night sky; green—grass; purple—grapes.
Then she decided that she liked all of those colors, so she couldn’t choose just one to
be her favorite. And she wanted all of them in her living room. So she painted her living
room with a . . . rainbow!
Numbers
164 Building Rhyme 166 Pennies in My Piggy Bank

Stack flat hands to represent bricks as you Flannelboard
count. See pattern 166.
One, two, three, build a building with Having an empty piggy bank is not
me, much fun,
Four, five, six, we need more bricks, But my grandmother gave me a penny
Seven, eight, nine, this building looks and now I have one.
fine, One penny in my piggy bank, and I
Number ten, let’s do it again! asked Mom what I should do,
Alternative: Number ten, that’s the end! She gave me a penny for taking out
the trash and then I had two.
165 Counting Cheer Two pennies in my piggy bank, I told
Dad to come and see,
One, two, three, four—let me hear you He gave me a penny to help him wash
scream for more, the car and then I had three.
Five, six, seven, eight—counting is Three pennies in my piggy bank, but I
really great! still wanted more,
I can count nine and ten, I got one for my birthday and then I
Want to hear me do it again? had four.
Four pennies in my piggy bank, I
wished more would arrive,
I found one lying on the ground and
then I had five.
Concepts 55
Five pennies in my piggy bank, and I knew what they were for,
I used one to buy a flower for my mother and then there were four.
Four pennies in my piggy bank, so I went on a shopping spree,
I bought a ball for my brother and then I had three.
Three pennies in my piggy bank, and I knew what to do,
I bought some candy for my sister and then I had two.
Two pennies in my piggy bank, and I was having fun.
I bought some lemonade for my father and then I had one.
One penny in my piggy bank for a special someone,
I gave that one to you and then there were none.
Quick Tip: Pennies in My Piggy

Bank also makes a great prop rhyme.
Use real pennies and a real piggy
bank instead of a flannelboard.
Using a variety of formats in Quick Tip: Pennies in My Piggy Bank
storytime adds interest and aids works well as a follow-up to Benny’s
comprehension by allowing children Pennies by Pat Brisson (New York:
to use different senses. Delacorte, 1993).
167 My Number Book Craft
Materials: one My Number Book for each child (assembled from pattern 167),
stickers, small items that can be glued into the books (such as feathers and
sequins), glue, crayons
Directions:
1. Glue or stick the
appropriate number of
items on each page.
Opposites
168 Here We Go 169 Opposites

Here we go—up, up, up, (stand up on Roll your hands so slowly,

toes) As slowly as can be.
Here we go—down, down, down. Roll your hands so quickly,
(crouch down) As quickly as can be.
Here we go—moving forward, (take a Clap your hands so softly,
step forward) As softly as can be.
Here we go—moving backward. (take Clap your hands so loudly,
a step backward) As loudly as can be.
Here we go around and around and And fold your arms like me.
around! (spin)
56 Concepts
170 Opposites That I Know 171 Tall as a Tree

(traditional)
You say stop, (hold palm out)
And I say go. (motion palms toward you) Tall as a tree, (reach for the sky)
You run fast, and I run slow. (run in Wide as a house, (stretch arms toward
place) walls)
You jump high, (jump) Thin as a pin, (place arms next to body)
And I crawl low. (crawl) Small as a mouse. (squat down)
These are some opposites that I know.
172 Mom’s Kitchen in Contrast Flannelboard

See pattern 172.
Some days my mom’s dishes are very dirty, with plates piled to the sky,
But with enough soap and bubbles, the clean dishes squeak and shine.
On winter days my mom makes soup, which can be very hot,
But in the summer a cold drink with ice really hits the spot.
I try to avoid eating anything that could be sour
And instead gobble up a tray of sweets before my mom can discover!
The best smell in the kitchen is my mom baking me a cake,
But stand around too long and dad could give me a stinky chore I hate.
173 Animal Opposites Flannelboard

See pattern 173. Use the animals to play an opposites game. For younger children, place
pairs of contrasting animals on the board and discuss what makes them opposites. For older
children, randomly place animals on the board and ask kids to match the opposites. Discuss
why they are opposites.
Fast Cheetah—Slow Turtle
Prickly Porcupine—Smooth Snake Tall Giraffe—Short Monkey

Concepts 57
Hard Crab—Soft Kitten Fat Hippo—Skinny Flamingo
Loud Rooster—Quiet Rabbit Big Elephant—Small Mouse
174 Daytime/Nighttime House Picture
Materials: one daytime/nighttime house

coloring sheet for each child (from pattern
174), crayons
Directions: Decorate half of the page with
things that happen in the daytime (such as
children playing, someone delivering mail)
and the other half with things that happen in
the nighttime (an owl in a tree, Mom’s and
Dad’s cars in the driveway, etc.).
See also Slowly, Slowly (56).
Size
175 Drawing
(to the tune of “Apples and Bananas”) Quick Tip: The song Drawing helps
Draw shapes or letters in the air as you sing children develop large and fine-
the song. This song can be adapted to any motor skills and practices skills they
theme by choosing theme-related items to draw. will need for writing later on.
I like to draw, draw, draw teeny little
pictures,
I like to draw, draw, draw teeny little pictures.
I like to draw, draw, draw great big giant pictures,
I like to draw, draw, draw great big giant pictures.
58 Concepts
176 Sizes Flannelboard

See pattern 176.
I am big,
My brother is bigger,
My daddy is biggest.
I am little,
My sister is littler,
My baby brother is littlest.
Sometimes I am big,
Sometimes I am little,
And sometimes I am in between.
See also Blue Sea Flannelboard (51) and Sandwich Shapes Flannelboard Story (231).
Shapes
177 Shapes Drawing
Draw a circle,
Draw a square,
Draw a star in the air.
Draw an oval,
Draw a triangle,
Tell me, can you draw a rectangle?
178 Shape Game Flannelboard

See pattern 178. After asking each of the following
questions, place the correct shape on the board.
What shape has two sides that are short and two
sides that are long?
What shape has four sides that are all the same?
What shape has three corners and three sides?
What shape is round with no sides to be
found?
What shape has five points?
What shape looks like a stop sign?
What shape looks like a kite?
What shape looks like an egg?
179 What Shapes Make Me?

Flannelboard
See pattern 178 above. Use the shapes to create pictures of items on the flannelboard; then say
the rhyme and ask children to identify what shapes make up each picture. Picture suggestions:
wagon—rectangle, wheels—circles; ice-cream cone—triangle cone, circle scoop; sandwich—
square cut into triangles; book—rectangle; beach ball—circle; pizza—circle cut into triangle
slices; kite—diamond.
I am a (name of item), as you can see.
What shapes do you see?
What shapes make me?
Concepts 59
180 Shapes Touch Bag Activity
Place various shapes in a bag. (Wooden shape blocks work well.) Have the children take
turns putting their hands in the bag to see if they can guess which shape they’re holding.
After they guess, have them take the shape out to show the rest of the children.
181 Shape House Craft
Materials: one shape house coloring sheet for

each child, windows (from pattern 181),
glue sticks, crayons, library processing
stickers in various shapes
Directions:
1. Glue on the windows.
2. Color the shape house coloring sheet.
3. Make additional items on the picture
using the library’s processing stickers. For
example, a circle could be the sun, and a
rectangle could become a bee if you draw
on wings and stripes.
182 Shapes Masterpiece Craft
Materials: one piece of construction paper for each child, various shapes cut from
construction paper, glue, crayons
Directions:
1. Glue shapes onto the construction paper to create animals, machines,
imaginary beasts, ice-cream cones, and so forth.
2. Decorate with crayons.
Concepts: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Little Bear’s Little Boat by Eve Bunting. New York: Clarion, 2003. (for toddlers)
Cat’s Colors by Jane Cabrera. New York: Dial, 1997. (for all ages)
The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst. New York: Simon
and Schuster, 2004. (for preschoolers)
Telling Time with Big Mama Cat by Dan Harper. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1998. (for all
ages)
A is for . . . ? A Photographer’s Alphabet of Animals by Henry Horenstein. San Diego:
Harcourt Brace, 1999. (for preschoolers)
Kipper’s A to Z by Mick Inkpen. San Diego: Harcourt, 2000. (for preschoolers)
Black? White! Day? Night! by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. New Milford, CT: Roaring Brook
Press, 2006. (for all ages)
One Naked Baby: Counting to Ten and Back Again by Maggie Smith. New York: Knopf, 2007.
(for toddlers)
One More Bunny: Adding from One to Ten by Rick Walton. New York: Lothrop, Lee, and
Shepard, 2000. (for preschoolers)
Cookie’s Week by Cindy Ward. New York: Putnam, 1988. (for toddlers)
Chapter 8
Fairy Tales
and Castles
183 Castle Capers With a beautiful dress and glass

slippers, (twirl around to show dress
I am the king of running, and slippers)
I run and run and run. No princess is as lovely as me.
My subjects all run with me, Now I’ll go to the ball,
And we have so much fun! I’ll dance and have some fun. (dance)
But when the clock strikes midnight,
I am the queen of jumping,
(strike index finger against opposite
I jump and jump and jump.
palm twelve times to represent a clock
My subjects all jump with me
chiming)
And fall down with a bump.
It’s time for me to run! (run in place)
I am the prince of turning,
I turn and turn and turn. 185 Dragon, Dragon
My subjects all turn with me,
Dragon, dragon, swoop and sway,
It’s an easy thing to learn!
Dragon, dragon, fly away.
I am the princess of dancing, Dragon, dragon, fly even higher,
I dance and dance and dance. Dragon, dragon, breathe your fire!
My subjects all dance with me
And sit when they get the chance! 186 My Castle
Four stone walls on my castle tall, (use

184 Cinderella Speaks
flat hands to show walls)
My name is Cinderella, A tower, a garden, and a garden wall.
I am so very sad. (make a sad face) (mold a tower in the air and point to
My stepsisters went to the ball, indicate garden)
And now I’m feeling mad. (make a mad Down goes the drawbridge over the
face) moat so wide, (move flat hands down
But my fairy godmother will help me and away from you)
She’ll wave her wand, and see! (wave Hello, my friends! Please come inside!
wand) (wave and gesture friends inside)
60
Fairy Tales and Castles 61
187 My Magic Wand 190 Crowns Everywhere

Use a magic wand from a costume shop (to the tune of “Spider on the Floor”)
or make one from a straw and a tinfoil
Make crowns from scalloped bulletin
star. Let each child take a turn waving the
board border for this activity. Measure
magic wand and choosing an action for
a length of border and staple the ends
the group to perform. End by having the
together to make a crown for each child to
magic wand say “Sit down” for the next
use as you sing the song below.
story.
I’ve got a crown on my head, on my
I brought my magic wand to the
head.
library today.
And when I wave it, you must do
head.
what I say.
Did you hear what I said? I’ve got a
Magic wand says jump!
crown on my head.
188 To Win a Prince
head.
One sweet princess trying to win her . . . on my arm . . . it’s not doing any
prince harm . . .
Slept on a bed of peas that made her . . . on my knee . . . oh goodness
wince. gracious me . . .
The princess tossed and turned all . . . on my bottom . . . don’t think that I
through the night, forgot ’em . . .
When she appeared for breakfast she . . . on my head . . . did you hear what
was quite a sight. I said? . . .
Her delicate skin was black and blue,
For the peas had turned her pale skin
an ugly hue.
But the prince knew she was fit to be
a queen,
All because the peas had left
something to be seen.
189 Make a Wish: A Rhyme to Sign

say this rhyme.
Come and make a WISH for me
I’ll do some MAGIC, one, two, three!
TURN AROUND and JUMP, and then
We will make a WISH again!
62 Fairy Tales and Castles
191 Five Little Dragons Flannelboard

Five little dragons with great big scales,
One lost his balance and bumped his tail.
He cried “Ouch!” and breathed some fire,
And then he flew away, higher and higher.
Four little dragons . . .
Three little dragons . . .
Two little dragons . . .
One little dragon . . .
192 Five Tiny Fairies Flannelboard

See pattern 192.
I saw a little fairy dancing in the sun,
With a dress of red and that was one.
I saw another fairy in a dress of blue,
I counted up the fairies and that was two.
I saw another fairy in a dress of green.
Will you help me count them? That makes three.
Here comes another fairy, flying past my door,
In her dress of yellow, she makes four.
One more fairy flies in, with a soar and dip and dive,
In her pretty dress of purple, she makes five.
Five fairies in my garden on a magical sunny day,
But when the rain came, they all flew away.
193 A Blanket for the Princess Flannelboard Story

See pattern 193.
The king and queen had just had a beautiful baby girl. “We shall name her Princess
Marigold,” the king said.
“She must have a baby blanket as beautiful as she is,” said the queen. She looked out
the window and said, “It must be as yellow as the sun.”
The king looked out and said, “It must be as yellow as the sun and blue as the sky.”
The queen looked down at the garden and said, “The blanket must be as yellow as the
sun and blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers in my garden.”
The king looked at the lawns of the palace and said, “The blanket must be as yellow as
the sun and blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers in my garden and green as
the grass.”
The queen looked at the cherry trees and said, “The blanket must be as yellow as the
sun and blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers and green as the grass and red
as the cherries.”
Night began to fall. The king looked at the darkening sky and said, “The blanket must
be as yellow as the sun and blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers in my
garden and green as the grass and red as the cherries and purple as the twilight sky.”
The moon and stars came out. The king looked at the moon and said, “The blanket
must be as yellow as the sun and blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers in my
garden and green as the grass and red as the cherries and purple as the twilight sky and
silver as the moon.”
The queen looked at the stars and said, “The blanket must be as yellow as the sun and
blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers in my garden and green as the grass
and red as the cherries and purple as the twilight sky and silver as the moon and golden
as a star.”
The servants looked everywhere in the palace but could not find such a blanket. They
sent out a call to all the weavers and tailors in the village to find a blanket as yellow as the
sun and blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers in my garden and green as the
grass and red as the cherries and purple as the twilight sky and silver as the moon and
golden as a star. Fine tailors and weavers came from all over. The first brought a blanket
as yellow as the sun, the second brought one as purple as the twilight sky, and the third
brought a blanket as golden as a star. But none were what the king and queen wanted.
None were as yellow as the sun and blue as the sky and orange as the beautiful flowers in
my garden and green as the grass and red as the cherries and purple as the twilight sky
and silver as the moon and golden as a star.
Finally an old woman shuffled forward with a faded quilt. “Your Majesties,” she said,
“this is the quilt I wrapped my own children in when they were babes. I made it myself
from yarn as yellow as sunlight, a piece of blanket as blue as the sky, a dress as orange
as the beautiful flowers in your garden, a strip of curtains as green as grass, a ribbon as
red as the cherries, an apron as purple as the twilight sky, and ribbons as silver as the
moon and as golden as a star. And I would be honored if you would take it now to wrap
Princess Marigold in.”
“No, it is we who are honored,” said the king. “Yes,” said the queen. “For you have
given us a blanket as beautiful as our daughter but also as warm as a mother’s embrace
and as light as a father’s kiss. Thank you.” They wrapped Princess Marigold in the
blanket, and they all lived happily ever after.
194 Three Billy Goats Gruff Flannelboard

See pattern 194.

Once upon a time, there were three billy goats: a little billy goat, a medium-sized billy
goat, and a big billy goat. Every day they grazed on a field of lovely grass. But one day,
the little billy goat said, “I am tired of grazing in this same field every day. I want to see
what’s down the road.”
“You go on,” said the other two billy goats. “We will come in a while.” So the little
billy goat set off down the road. Well, soon he came to a bridge. And this wasn’t any
ordinary bridge, because there was a troll living underneath it. The little billy goat started
across the bridge, trip-trap, trip-trap.
The troll was a grumpy fellow. You see, he hadn’t had any breakfast that morning. So
he snarled, “Who’s that tripping over my bridge?”
“It’s only me, the littlest Billy Goat Gruff,” said the little billy goat in a tiny voice.
“Well, I am coming to gobble you up!” said the troll.
“Oh no, I would barely be a mouthful,” said the clever little billy goat. “You had better
wait until my big brother comes.”
The troll thought about that. It seemed sensible. “Well, be off with you,” he said.
And the little billy goat crossed the bridge and found a hillside full of delicious grass
on the other side.
A little while later, the medium-sized billy goat set off down the road and started to
cross the bridge, trip-trap, trip-trap.
“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” snarled the troll.
“It’s only me, the medium Billy Goat Gruff,” said the medium billy goat in a medium
voice.
“Oh no, you’d still be hungry,” said the clever medium-sized billy goat. “You had
better wait until my big brother comes.”
The troll thought about that. It seemed sensible. “Well, be off with you,” he said.
A little while later, the big billy goat set off down the road and started to cross the
bridge, trip-trap, trip-trap.
“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” snarled the troll.
“It’s only me, the big Billy Goat Gruff,” said the big billy goat in a big voice.
And the big billy goat laughed. The troll jumped up onto the bridge, and the big billy
goat ran at him with his huge horns. He tossed the troll right off the bridge and into a
berry bush on the other side. The troll tasted one of those berries and decided that they
were much tastier than goat meat anyway.
And the big billy goat went to join his brothers in the field, and they had a wonderful
time eating and playing there all day long.
195 Cinderella’s Rat File Folder Story

See pattern 195. Cut a rat shape out of one side of a file folder. Copy the story below and tape
it to the other outer side of the folder. Tape the top and bottom edges of the folder together. In
the folder place pieces of colored construction paper in the order the colors are mentioned in
the story: orange, black, white, green, gray, gold. Each time Nat changes colors, remove the
top piece of paper. You could also use a magic wand each time he changes colors.
You probably know the story of Cinderella. Well, did you know that the rat her fairy
godmother turned into a horse had lots of adventures too? His name was Nat. While
he was at the ball, he turned back into a rat, and he had to hide, so the fairy godmother
waved her magic wand. Nat said, “I’m Cinderella’s rat, my name is Nat, and I can change
colors just like that!” He turned orange, so he could hide in front of the pumpkin carriage.
But then some of the castle servants saw him and he had to hide again, so the fairy
godmother waved her wand and Nat said, “I’m Cinderella’s rat,
my name is Nat, and I can change colors just like that!” And he
turned black like the carriage wheels.
Repeat the pattern with white—walls; green—grass; gray—
stone wall; gold—statue.
“I’m Cinderella’s rat, my name is Nat, I’m gold now and
that is that.”
196 Big Bad Wolf Game

Props needed: wolf nose or mask, picture of a cheeseburger. Ask for one volunteer to play
the wolf. This child should put on the wolf mask or nose and stand at the front of the room.
Demonstrate the rhyme and then ask the wolf to knock on an imaginary door and repeat it.
The other children can take turns standing on the other side of the door and responding No!
to the wolf.
I am a wolf, hungry and thin.
Knock, knock, knock!
Will you let me in?
After everyone has had a chance to answer the wolf, have the wolf stand at the front of the
room and recite the next part.
Then I will huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow you all down!
Everyone pretends to fall down.
Librarian: Poor wolf! You’re so hungry! Here, have a cheeseburger!
197 Bulletin Board Border Crowns
Materials: wavy-edged bulletin board border cut to 22-inch lengths, crayons or

markers, stickers, glue, glitter, feathers, fake gemstones and other decorating
materials, stapler or tape
Directions:
1. Decorate the crown.
2. Fit the crown to your head; then staple or tape the ends together.
198 Granny and the Wolf Puppet Craft
Materials: one granny/wolf piece for each child (from pattern

198, printed or backed on card stock), one skirt piece cut from
fabric for each child (use pinking shears to avoid fraying), one
1×2-inch piece of card stock for each child, glue, tape, crayons,
Directions:
1. Color the granny and the wolf as desired.
2. Glue or tape the skirt piece to the center line that divides
the granny and the wolf.
3. Turn the granny/wolf piece over. Tape the small piece of
card stock to the back of the puppet so that it forms a loop large enough to put
one finger through.
4. Hold the puppet with the granny side up to make it a granny puppet; then
turn it upside down to make it a wolf puppet.
199 Magic Wand Craft
Materials: one straw for each child, one star cut from poster board for each child
(from pattern 199), lengths of curling ribbon, glitter, glue, crayons, and other
Directions:
1. Cut two small slits in the top of the straw.
2. Place glue on the bottom edge of the star.
3. Slide the bottom edge of the star into the slit on the straw.
4. Tie lengths of ribbon around the base of the star.
5. Decorate the wand with glitter, stickers, and crayons.
Fairy Tales and Castles: Ten Great Books

for StoryTime
The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. (for toddlers)
Snog the Frog by Tony Bonning. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s, 2005. (for toddlers)
Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale by Pamela Duncan Edwards. New York: Hyperion, 1997.
(for preschoolers)
The Missing Tarts by B. G. Hennessy. New York: Viking, 1989. (for toddlers)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall. New York: Dial, 1988. (for all ages)
Good Night, Princess Pruney Toes by Lisa McCourt. Mahwah, NJ: Troll, 2001. (for all ages)
The Kiss That Missed by David Melling. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s, 2002. (for preschoolers)
Dragon Pizzeria by Mary Morgan. New York: Knopf, 2008. (for all ages)
Custard the Dragon and the Wicked Knight by Ogden Nash. New York: Little, Brown, 1961.
(for preschoolers)
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
1985. (for all ages)
Chapter 9
Family and
Friends
Family
200 Some Families Your diaper can be stinky,

You like to suck on your binky,
Some families have a mommy, But you are sweet,
Some families have a dad, With pudgy feet
Some families have a grandmother, And a cute little belly too.
Some have a granddad,
Some families have a sister, 203 Family
Some families have a brother, (to the tune of “My Darling Clementine”)
But one thing that all families have
Is lots of love for each other! There’s a mother,
There’s a father,
201 Someone Special There’s a sister and a brother.
Altogether they’re a family,
There’s someone special in my family And they all love one another.
Who doesn’t talk much, but is always
there for me. 204 The Family
If I am sad, I know he’s always there (to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)
With a friendly hug or a listening ear. The sisters in the family go ha-ha-ha
I love my mom and my dad, (laugh) . . . All through the day.
And my sister and my brother, The brothers in the family say “Let’s
But the one I am talking about all play” . . .
Is another. The babies in the family go wah-wah-
He is one I love, oh yes. wah . . . (cry)
Who is it? Can you guess? The daddy in the family says “Come
My dog! on home” . . .
The mommy in the family says “I love
202 Baby Song
you” . . .
Baby, baby, give me your hand, please

do,
I’ve been waiting for kisses and hugs
from you.
67
68 Family and Friends
205 The Family in the Dell

The family in the dell,

The family in the dell,
Hi-ho-the-derrio,
The family in the dell.
The mother says “Hello” . . .
The father says “Good day” . . .
The baby says “Wah-wah” . . .
The sister says “Come in” . . .
The brother says “Let’s play” . . .
206 Family Portraits Craft
Materials: one sheet of construction paper for each child, craft sticks, glue, crayons
or markers, decorating materials, die-cuts or pictures of mothers, fathers, sisters,
brothers, babies, and grandparents (from pattern 206). (Full-size patterns can be
found at www.ala.org/editions/extras/macmillan09775.)
Directions:
1. Find pictures representing the people who live in your home.
2. Glue the pictures to the construction paper.
3. Draw a frame around the edge of the paper and decorate as desired.
See also Pennies in My Piggy Bank Flannelboard (166), Sizes Flannelboard (176), D-A-D-D-Y (245),
Daddy Song (246), Mother’s Day (262), M-O-M-M-Y (263), and Mommy, All through the Year (264).
Friends
207 I Went to See My Friend Call-and- Knock!
Response Chant Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
Have the children repeat each line after No answer!
you.
I went to see my friend,
I went to see my friend, I went up to her door.
I went up to her door. How could I let her know
How could I let her know I was right outside her door?
I was right outside her door? Ring the doorbell!
Family and Friends 69
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! 209 Five Friends Flannelboard

No answer! See pattern 209.
I went to see my friend, One little girl alone with nothing to do,
I went up to her door. Decided to call a friend and then there
How could I let her know were two.
I was right outside her door? Two little friends sitting in a tree,
Call her on the telephone! They call for another and that makes
Dial, dial, dial, dial. three.
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Three little friends knock on the
No answer! neighbor’s door,
They invite her to come out and then
I went to see my friend, there are four.
I went up to her door. Four little friends go for a drive,
How could I let her know They see another friend and that
I was right outside her door? makes five!
I couldn’t think of any more
So I went home. See also Friendship Sign Song (101).
And guess who was waiting
Right outside my door?
My friend!
208 Two Little Friends

(traditional)
Two little friends are better than one,

(hold up two fingers on right hand, one
on left)
And three are better than two, (three
on left, and two on right)
And four are much better still. (four on
right hand)
Just think what four little friends can
do!
Getting Along/Manners
210 Helping
Helping, helping,
That’s what we like to do.
I feel better
When I am helping you.
I might get in a pickle
And need to borrow a nickel.
But you’ll help me
And I’ll help you
Because that’s what good friends do.
70 Family and Friends
211 Manners Song

(to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
Sign the words in capital letters as you sing this song.

If we want to ask for something, we say PLEASE.
If we want to show good manners, then we really need to say it.
If someone gives us something, we say THANK YOU . . .
If we make a mistake, we say SORRY . . .
If we bump into someone, we say EXCUSE me . . .
212 My Friend Is Angry at Me

(to the tune of “On Top of Old Smoky”)
My friend is angry, angry at me,

Because I pushed her and did not say sorry.
And now I am sad, as sad as can be,
Because my friend’s angry and won’t talk to me.
Now I tell her I’m sorry, as sorry can be,
And she says, “I forgive you, now please play with me.”
So if you push your friend and she’s angry at you,
You should say sorry. Yes, that’s what you should do.
213 Handprint Craft
Materials: construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Trace your hand on the construction paper and cut out the shape.
2. Trace a friend or family member’s hand on the construction paper and cut out
the shape.
3. Glue the hands together and decorate as desired.
214 Hug Card Craft
Materials: one card (traced and cut from pattern 214)

for each child, one circle (from pattern) for each child,
two hands (from pattern), glue, yarn, crayons, and
other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Glue the circle to the top of the card to create a head.
2. Glue the hands to the end of the arms.
Family and Friends 71
3. Draw a face on the head.

4. Glue yarn to the head for hair.
5. Fold the arms on the dotted lines to create the hug.
6. Write a message on the inside and/or outside of the card.
See also Thank You Rhyme (365).
Family and Friends: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Mommy, Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera. New York: Holiday House, 2004. (for toddlers)
Feast for Ten by Cathryn Falwell. New York: Clarion, 1993. (for all ages)
Four Friends Together by Sue Heap. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2003. (for all ages)
Spot Visits His Grandparents by Eric Hill. New York: Penguin, 1996. (for toddlers)
Excuse Me: A Little Book of Manners by Karen Katz. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 2002.
(for toddlers)
Henry and Amy (Right-Way-Round and Upside-Down) by Stephen Michael King. New York:
Walker, 1998. (for all ages)
Families Are Different by Nina Pellegrini. New York: Holiday House, 1991. (for
preschoolers)
Truman’s Aunt Farm by Jama Kim Rattigan. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. (for
preschoolers)
Too Close Friends by Shen Roddie. New York: Dial, 1997. (for preschoolers)
Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells. New York: Dial, 1997. (for all ages)
Chapter 10
Food
215 Breakfast 218 In My Garden
I like breakfast, In my garden I can see

Yes I do! So many vegetables for me to eat!
I like breakfast Carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and
For lunch and dinner too! peas,
Eggs and bacon Lettuce, potatoes—what a great treat!
And pancakes piled high,
With whipped cream 219 Sandwiches
Reaching to the sky!
Sandwiches, sandwiches, my favorite
216 Crazy Food treat.
Sometimes I have peanut butter,
Popcorn, popcorn, (jump up and down) sometimes I have meat.
Mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, Put on some mayonnaise, or lettuce
(swish feet) could be fun.
Boiling water, boiling water, (run in Now cut it in half, and eat it. Yum!
place)
Spaghetti, spaghetti, (wave arms 220 Cereal for Breakfast
loosely) (to the tune of “Here We Go Round the
Fruitcake. (sit down heavily) Mulberry Bush”)
This is the way we pour the cereal,

217 Five Green Peas
pour the cereal, pour the cereal,
This is the way we pour the cereal, so
Five green peas in a pea pod pressed, early in the morning.
(make fist) This is the way we pour the milk . . .
One, two, three, four, five. (lift fingers This is the way we take a bite . . .
one at a time) This is the way we drink the milk . . .
They grew and grew and did not stop
(stretch fingers out)
Till one day that pea pod popped!
(clap hands)
72
Food 73
221 I Like to Eat

(to the tune of “Apples and Bananas”)
Teach the children the signs for the various foods as you sing this song.
I like to eat, eat, eat lots of yummy APPLES.
I like to eat, eat, eat lots of yummy APPLES.
. . . ORANGES . . .
. . . GRAPES . . .
. . . COOKIES . . .
. . . CRACKERS . . .
. . . CHEESE . . .
222 Making a Sandwich 223 Pizza Man

(to the tune of “Here We Go Round the (to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin
Mulberry Bush”) Man?”)
This is the way we smash the peanuts, Oh do you know the pizza man,
smash the peanuts, smash the The pizza man, the pizza man.
peanuts, Oh do you know the pizza man,
This is the way we smash the peanuts Who makes it hot and fresh?
when making peanut butter.
This is the way we crush the grapes, 224 Five Little Apples Flannelboard
crush the grapes, crush the grapes, (traditional)
This is the way we crush the grapes Use the apple from pattern 228. (Full-size
when we make some jam. patterns can be found at www.ala.org/
This is the way we bake the bread, editions/extras/macmillan09775.)
bake the bread, bake the bread,
This is the way we bake the bread, Five little apples lying on the floor.
bread for our sandwich. One rolls away and that leaves four.
This is the way we spread the peanut Four little apples hanging on a tree.
butter, spread the peanut butter, I’ll pick one and that leaves three.
spread the peanut butter, Three little apples, I know what to do!
This is the way we spread the peanut I’ll put one in my pocket and that
butter on our sandwich. leaves two.
This is the way we spread the jam, Two little apples sitting in the sun.
spread the jam, spread the jam, I’ll pick one up and that leaves one.
This is the way we spread the jam on One little apple waiting in my lunch.
our sandwich. I’ll eat it up with a crunch, crunch,
This is the way we eat our sandwich, crunch!
eat our sandwich, eat our sandwich,
This is the way we eat our sandwich,
munch, munch, munch, munch,
munch. Yummy!
74 Food
225 Five Little Jelly Beans 226 Five Little Cookies in the Bakery
Flannelboard Shop Flannelboard
See pattern 225. See pattern 226.
Five little jelly beans rolling on the Five little cookies in the bakery shop,
floor, The ones with the sugar and the icing
I’ll eat one and now there are four. on top.
Four little jelly beans all just for me, Along comes a child with a nickel to
I’ll eat one and now there are three. pay,
Three little jelly beans, red, purple, She buys a cookie and takes it away.
and blue, Repeat for four, three, two, one.
I’ll eat one and now there are two.
Two little jelly beans having lots of
fun,
I’ll eat one and now there is one.
One little jelly bean, we’re almost
done,
I’ll eat one and now there are none.
Quick Tip: Practice money and

counting with this rhyme. Give
each child a felt nickel. Have an
assortment of flannelboard cookies
for the children to purchase.
227 Ice-Cream Shop Flannelboard

See pattern 227. Pass out a variety of colored scoops of ice cream to each child. Place an ice-
cream cone on the bottom of the flannelboard. Say the rhyme and call a color or flavor of ice
cream. Have the children add their scoops to the cone.
Let’s all go to the ice-cream shop!
What type of scoop should we add on top?
. . . Strawberry!
After you’ve called all the children, count how many scoops
make up the giant ice-cream cone.
228 Picking Fruits and Vegetables Flannelboard

See pattern 228.
Monday is my apple day,
I pick apples from the tree this way.
Tuesday is my blueberry day,
I pick blueberries from the bush this way.
Wednesday is my raspberry day,
I pick raspberries from the bramble this way.
Thursday is my strawberry day,
I pick strawberries from the plant this way.
Friday is my sweet potato day,
I pick sweet potatoes from the ground this way.
Food 75
Saturday is my pumpkin day,

I pick pumpkins from the vine this way.
Sunday is my pie-making day,
I eat all my pies this way!
229 Pizza Pie Flannelboard

See pattern 229. Pass out a variety of pizza toppings to each child. Place a round pizza
crust on the flannelboard. Say the rhyme and call out a topping. Have the children add their
toppings to the pizza crust.
Pizza, pizza! I love to eat it while it’s hot!
What type of toppings should we add on top?
. . . Anchovies!
. . . Cheese!
. . . Meat!
. . . Pineapple!
. . . Pepperoni!
230 If You Give a Moose a Muffin Flannelboard

See pattern 230. Based on the book by Laura Numeroff (New York: Laura Geringer Books,
1991). If you give a moose a muffin, it leads to all kinds of trouble. Read the book and ask the
children to help retell the story on the flannelboard. Ask prompting questions like, “If you
give the moose the paper, what will happen next?”
Quick Tip: If You Give a Moose a Muffin is a circle story. Ask the children if they
noticed that the story begins and ends with the same items. Try creating a short circle
story with your group.
76 Food
231 Sandwich Shapes Flannelboard Story

See pattern 231.
Jill’s mother always cut her sandwiches into fancy shapes. Sometimes she cut them into
moons. Would you like to eat a moon? Sometimes she cut Jill’s sandwiches to look like
stars. (Continue the story in this pattern, showing all shapes except the triangle.) One day, her
mother asked her what shape she would like best. Jill said, “Mommy, today I would like
to have a sandwich shape I have never had before. I would like my sandwich to be in the
shape of a sandwich.” Her mother thought that was a splendid idea. And Jill thought her
sandwich-shaped sandwich was the most delicious one she’d ever had!
232 Bake Me a Cupcake Craft
Materials: one printout of a cupcake for each child (from pattern 232), tissue paper,
stickers, glue, crayons, glitter, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Squish small pieces of tissue paper and glue to make
toppings for your cupcake.
2. Add stickers and other toppings, such as sequins or glitter.
233 Make a Pizza Craft
Materials: old cardboard or brown construction paper cut into pizza slices, one slice
for each child; tissue paper; circle stickers; glue; crayons; and other decorating
materials
Directions:
1. Squish small pieces of tissue paper and glue to make toppings for your pizza.
2. Add stickers and other toppings, such as sequins or shapes cut from
construction paper.
Food 77
234 Pea Pod Craft
Materials: one printout of a pea pod for each child (from pattern 234), green tissue
paper, glue, crayons, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Color the pea pod.
2. Squish small pieces of green tissue into balls
to make peas for your pod.
See also Did You Ever Eat . . . ? Flannelboard (73), Pumpkin Pie
Flannelboard (272), Sweet Potatoes Growing (291), and I Am a Grocer
Flannelboard (319).
Food: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. Little Rock, AR: August House, 1998. (for preschoolers)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. New York: Philomel, 1979. (for toddlers)
Maisy Goes to the Playground by Lucy Cousins. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1992. (for all
ages)
Ants at the Picnic by Michael Dahl. Minneapolis: Picture Window Books, 2006. (for
preschoolers)
Jamberry by Bruce Degen. New York: Harper and Row, 1983. (for all ages)
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987. (for
toddlers)
Lunch by Denise Fleming. New York: Henry Holt, 1992. (for toddlers)
Spot Goes to the Park by Eric Hill. New York: Putnam, 1991. (for all ages)
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. (for
preschoolers)
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. New York: Harper and Row, 1985. (for
preschoolers)
Chapter 11
Holidays and
Celebrations
Birthdays
235 My Birthday 236 My Birthday Party
Today is my birthday, I’m having a birthday party,

It’s my very special day! It’s this Saturday.
I’ll get all my favorite foods Here is your invitation.
And a cake made any way I say! Will you come and play?
After everyone sings We will have some cake
And all my candles I blow, And presents and ice cream too.
I’ll open my presents When I open my presents,
While my family enjoys the show. I will say thank you.
So light the candles,
Here I go!
Happy Birthday to me!
Now blow!
237 Birthday Crown Craft

Materials: one large piece of construction paper cut with zigzag points or bulletin
board border paper for each child, stickers, gems, crayons, and other decorating
materials
Directions:
1. Make a birthday crown by either cutting a large piece of construction paper
with zigzag points or using bulletin board border paper.
2. Decorate with stickers, drawings, gems, and more.
3. Fit the crown to your head and staple the ends together.
78
Holidays and Celebrations 79
Christmas
238 Christmas Tree 241 Five Little Candy Canes

Flannelboard
I wish I could be See pattern 241. (Full-size patterns can
A Christmas tree. be found at www.ala.org/editions/extras/
I’d have a star of red macmillan09775.)
Right on my head,
And tinsel of gold Five little candy canes on my
Around me rolled. Christmas tree.
I’d shine with lights The first one said, “Please don’t eat
All through the night, me!”
And then I’d say, The second one said, “I’ve got stripes
“Merry Christmas today!” of red and white.”
The third one said, “It’s Christmas Eve
239 Giving Presents tonight.”
(to the tune of “Frère Jacques”) The fourth one said, “Soon Santa
Claus will come!”
Giving presents, giving presents The fifth one said, “Isn’t Christmas
Is such fun, is such fun. fun?”
Let’s open Christmas presents, Then the tree lit up and they each
Let’s open Christmas presents, made a wish,
Everyone, everyone. And five little candy canes shouted,
“Merry Christmas!”
240 The Reindeer-Pokey
(to the tune of “The Hokey-Pokey”)
You put your antlers in,

You put your antlers out,
You put your antlers in,
And you shake them all about.
You do the Reindeer-Pokey
And you dance around the room,
Christmas is coming soon!
. . . tail . . .
. . . red nose . . .
. . . hooves . . .
. . . whole self . . .
80 Holidays and Celebrations
242 Celebration Streamer Craft

Quick Tip: You can make a
Materials: strips of crepe paper in green, celebration streamer for any special
red, and white for each child; one occasion: red, white, and pink crepe
drinking straw for each child; stickers;
paper for Valentine’s Day; pastel
tape; crayons; and other decorating
crepe paper for Easter; and so on.
materials
Directions:
1. Tape crepe-paper streamers to the straw.
2. Decorate with stickers as desired.
Easter
243 Five Little Easter Eggs Flannelboard

See pattern 243.
Five little Easter eggs hidden by the door,
(Child’s name) found one and then there were four.
Four little Easter eggs so beautiful to see,
(Child’s name) found one and then there were three.
Three little Easter eggs and we knew what to do,
(Child’s name) found one, and then there were two.
Two little Easter eggs, this egg hunt is such fun!
(Child’s name) found one and then there was one.
One little Easter egg sitting in the sun,
I found that one, and then there were none.
244 Bunny with a Basket Flannelboard Matching Game

See pattern 243 above. Place the bunnies and baskets on the flannelboard and pass the eggs
out to the children. Use the rhyme below to invite the children to place their eggs in the basket
of the same color.
Bunny with a (name of color) basket
Lost his eggs, I don’t know how.
If you have a (repeat name of color) egg,
Come give it to him now.
Father’s Day
245 D-A-D-D-Y 246 Daddy Song

(to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O”) (to the tune of “Frosty the Snowman”)
There is a man we celebrate, My dad’s the greatest dad in the

And Daddy is his name, oh. world,
D-A-D-D-Y, D-A-D-D-Y, D-A-D-D-Y, He plays with me and lets me be
And Daddy is his name, oh. Anything I want!
Repeat, gradually replacing letters with Daddy loves me just the way I am,
claps. And I love the days we get to play
Just me and him!
247 You’re Special Craft
Materials: one sheet of paper for each child, pictures cut out of magazines, glue,
crayons, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. List the things you like to do with a special person or things that make the
person special. Then make a collage about those things with pictures and
words cut from a magazine.
Fourth of July
248 Fireworks 250 Marching Band
Fireworks, fireworks, green and blue, The marching band and the music
Fireworks, fireworks, just for you. man
Fireworks, fireworks, bursting high, Have come to town today.
Fireworks, fireworks, Happy Fourth To celebrate the Fourth of July with
of July! A good old-fashioned parade.
249 Fourth of July 251 Wave the Flag
When fireworks light up the night sky, Wave the flag on the Fourth of July!
I know it’s the Fourth of July! Wave the flag and wave it high!
The distant drums beat and I march We’re so proud of the red, white, and
along, blue.
While I sing a patriotic song. It means freedom for me and you!
Groundhog Day
252 Pop Up, Little Groundhog
Pop up, little groundhog, (crouch down and jump up)

From the ground.
Look around, don’t make a sound. (place hand at forehead and look around)
If there’s no shadow, spring is on its way. (spread arms)
If you see a shadow, winter’s here to stay. Brrrrr! (shiver)
253 Groundhog Pop-Up Puppet Craft
Materials: one groundhog shape for each child (from pattern 253),
one Styrofoam or paper cup with a hole poked in the bottom for
each child, one craft stick for each child, glue, crayons or markers
Directions:
1. Decorate the groundhog as desired.
2. Glue the groundhog to the craft stick.
3. Place the groundhog in the cup so that the stick goes through the hole in the
bottom. Move the stick to make the groundhog pop up.
Halloween
254 Trick or Treat 255 Five Little Ghosts Flannelboard

(to the tune of “The Addams Family”) See pattern 255.
On every Halloween Five little ghosts out on Halloween
We like to make a scene. night,
Our costumes are a scream One runs away because he has a
When we go trick or treat. fright.
Trick or treat! (knock, knock) Four little ghosts out on Halloween
Trick or treat! (knock, knock) night,
Trick or treat, trick or treat, trick or One is amazed when he takes flight!
treat! (knock, knock) Three little ghosts out on Halloween
There are ghosts and there are bats, night,
Witches and black cats, One left to play in the park with a kite.
Clowns with funny hats, Two little ghosts out on Halloween
When we go trick or treat. night,
Trick or treat! (knock, knock) One tries to trick or treat but doesn’t
Trick or treat! (knock, knock) get a bite.
Trick or treat, trick or treat, trick or One little ghost out on Halloween
treat! (knock, knock) night,
Realizes it’s time for bed and says
good night.
See also Bats Are Flying (58).
Hanukkah
256 Festival of Lights 257 Our Menorah
Light the lights On our menorah, we have candles

On this Hanukkah night. eight,
It’s so great to celebrate One for each night of Hanukkah we
This festival of lights! celebrate.
We start with one, and you can be
sure
That every night we add one more.
Here we go! I can’t wait!
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight!
Kwanzaa
258 Seven Candles on the Kinara The sixth is for Kuumba, creativity and
imagination and more!
Seven little candles shining on our The seventh is for Imani, the faith our
kinara bright, people possess.
Help us celebrate Kwanzaa on each We celebrate them all and wish you a
Kwanzaa night. Kwanzaa full of happiness!
The first candle stands for Umoja—
that means unity. 259 Light the Candles
The second is for Kujichagulia—that (to the tune of “Frère Jacques”)
means self-determination, you see.
The third is for Ujima, working Light the candles, light the candles,
together and taking responsibility. This Kwanzaa night, this Kwanzaa
The fourth is for Ujamaa, supporting night.
businesses in our community. We celebrate our people, we celebrate
The fifth is for Nia, to remember the our people,
great ones who came before. With their light, with their light.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
260 The World Is Like a Rainbow: A Rhyme to Sign

Sign the words in capital letters as you say this rhyme.
The world is like a RAINBOW
Made up of DIFFERENT colors.
But we are all BEAUTIFUL
And should RESPECT each other.
It DOESN’T MATTER if your skin
Is black or tan or white
Or purple polka dots or plaid
Or orange with yellow stripes!
Every PERSON is a PERSON,
And in the end,
Every PERSON is a PERSON
Who could be your FRIEND!
261 Martin Luther King Jr. Day

(to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man?”)
Do you know Martin Luther King? Martin Luther King? Martin Luther King?
Do you know Martin Luther King? We celebrate him today.
He believed everyone was equal, everyone was equal, everyone was equal,
He believed everyone was equal, and the world should be that way.
He said it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, if you’re black or white, if you’re
black or white,
He said it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, we should all be friends.
Martin Luther King was a great man, a great man, a great man.
Martin Luther King was a great man, we celebrate him today.
Mother’s Day
262 Mother’s Day 264 Mommy, All through the Year

Mother’s Day is a special day for Mom,
But we should celebrate her all year My mommy plays with me, plays
long. with me, plays with me,
She helps you out and takes good care My mommy plays with me all
of you, through the year.
And kisses your knee if you get a boo- My mommy bakes me food . . .
boo. My mommy gives me hugs and
So now is the perfect time to say, kisses . . .
“I love you, Mom! Happy Mother’s Day!” See also Kisses for Mommy (92).
263 M-O-M-M-Y
(to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O”)
I have a very special friend,

And Mommy is her name, oh.
M-O-M-M-Y, M-O-M-M-Y, M-O-M-M-Y,
And Mommy is her name, oh.
Repeat, gradually replacing letters with
claps.
New Year’s Eve / New Year’s Day
265 Staying Up Till Midnight
On other nights we go to bed at eight,

But on New Year’s Eve we celebrate!
Mommy says we can stay up till midnight,
We’ll bang pots and pans and shout in the night.
We’ll count down to zero and give a cheer,
And wish everyone a happy New Year!
It’s only nine thirty and so much fun I can’t take it.
I’m starting to yawn. Do you think I’ll . . . ZZZZZ.
266 Happy New Year

(to the tune of “Good Night Ladies”)
Happy New Year,

Happy New Year,
Happy New Year,
Today is New Year’s Day.
Hello, new year,
Good-bye, old year,
Happy New Year,
Today is New Year’s Day.
Saint Patrick’s Day

267 Saint Paddy’s Day 268 Shamrock Song
Dressed in green the leprechauns
scurry through the fields, One little, two little, three little
Following the rainbows and hiding shamrocks,
under clover shields. Four little, five little, six little
Carrying their treasures they hatch a shamrocks,
secret plot, Seven little, eight little, nine little
They bury their gold and hope the shamrocks,
children can’t find the spot. On Saint Patrick’s Day.
269 Shamrock Craft
Materials: three or four hearts cut from green paper for each child (from pattern
269), one green chenille stem for each child, glue, crayons, and other decorating
materials
Directions:
1. Glue edges of three hearts together to make a three-leaf
shamrock or four hearts for a four-leaf clover.
3. Tape green chenille stem to decorated shamrock.
Thanksgiving
270 Pilgrims
One happy pilgrim preparing for They asked another to set the table in
Thanksgiving Day, a special way.
She asked for help making sure the Four happy pilgrims preparing for
horses had hay. Thanksgiving Day,
Two happy pilgrims preparing for Asked their guests to relax, sit down,
Thanksgiving Day, and stay.
They asked a friend to pour the water Five happy pilgrims preparing for
in the glasses on the tray. Thanksgiving Day,
Three happy pilgrims preparing for Began their meal with thanks and
Thanksgiving Day, bowed their heads to pray.
271 Tom Turkey 272 Pumpkin Pie Flannelboard

See pattern 272. Make enough felt
Little Tom Turkey, come home, come pumpkin pies for all of the children. Count
home, how many pies you have on the board
Little Tom Turkey, why do you roam? to start. As you say the rhyme, call a
“I am running far, far away child’s name to come and take a pie off the
For it is almost Thanksgiving Day!” flannelboard. Continue until all the pies
are gone.
(Number) pumpkin pies on the bakery
Quick Tip: Perform this rhyme with shelf,
a turkey puppet or stuffed turkey, (Child’s name) bought a whole one for
acting out Tom running away. Let the herself!
children take turns making Tom run
far away.
Valentine’s Day
273 Five Valentines 275 Five Little Valentines Flannelboard

(traditional)
Five valentine cards outside my door,
I gave one to my sister and then there See pattern 275.
were four. Five little valentines were having a
Four valentine cards so beautiful to see, race.
I gave one to my brother and then The first little valentine was frilly with
there were three. lace.
Three valentine cards, lovely and new, The second little valentine had a
I gave one to my mother and then funny face.
there were two. The third valentine said “I love you.”
Two valentine cards, isn’t this fun? The fourth valentine said “I love you
I gave one to my father and then there too.”
was one. The fifth valentine was sly as a fox.
One valentine card, and I will say She ran the fastest to your valentine
As I give it to you, “Happy Valentine’s box.
Day!”
274 Hearts and Flowers

Hearts and flowers, hearts and flowers,

Chocolates too. Chocolates too.
A day to say I love you,
A day to say I love you.
Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day.
276 Four Candy Hearts Flannelboard

(traditional)
See pattern 276.

I had a candy heart that said “I love you,”
My mommy gave me another,
Now I have two!
Two candy hearts just for me,
My daddy gave me another,
Now I have three!
Three candy hearts—sister gave one more,
This one said “You’re the best!”
Now I have four!
Four candy hearts say “You’re the best,”
“I love you,” and “Be mine.”
It sure is sweet to be
My family’s valentine!
277 Matching Hearts Magnetboard

(to the tune of “Happy Birthday”)
See pattern 276 above. Cut out at least ten hearts from white poster board. If you will have
a large group at your program, cut out two hearts for each child. Using magic markers,
decorate the hearts with stripes, polka dots, and other designs. Make two hearts with
each design. You may wish to laminate the hearts so you can reuse them. Place adhesive
magnets on the back of each heart. In storytime, place one set of hearts on the magnetboard
and distribute the other set to the children. Use the song below to invite each child to the
magnetboard to find a match.
Which two hearts are the same?
(Child’s name), please show me,
Holidays and Celebrations:

Ten Great Books for Storytime
Maisy’s Snowy Christmas Eve by Lucy Cousins. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2003. (for
toddlers)
Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato: An Irish Folktale by Tomie dePaola. New York: Putnam,
1992. (for preschoolers)
Spot’s First Easter by Eric Hill. New York: Putnam, 2002. (for toddlers)
Little Bear’s Valentine by Else Holmelund Minarik. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. (for all
ages)
Fourth of July Mice! by Bethany Roberts. New York: Clarion, 2004. (for all ages)
Father’s Day by Anne Rockwell. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. (for preschoolers)
Mother’s Day by Anne Rockwell. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. (for preschoolers)
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman. New York: Macmillan, 1992. (for preschoolers)
John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith. New York: Hyperion, 2006. (for preschoolers)
Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Rynbach. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1995. (for toddlers)
Chapter 12
The Natural World
Winter
278 Snow Day 281 I’m a Friendly Snowman

(to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)
No school today,
It’s time to play, I’m a friendly snowman big and fat,
Out in the snow so white! (stretch arms out to sides)
We’ll build a snowman, Here is my tummy and here is my hat.
Ride sleds all we can, (point to tummy, then top of head)
Then we’ll have a snowball fight! I’m a happy fellow, here’s my nose,
(smile, then point to nose)
279 Snow, Snow I’m all snow from my head to my toes.
(point to head, then to toes)
Snow, snow, falling from the sky, I have two bright eyes so I can see
Snow, snow, white before my eyes. (point to eyes)
Pat it into a great big ball, All the snow falling down on me.
We will make a snowman tall! (flutter fingers downward)
When the weather’s cold I’m strong
280 I Like Snowflakes and tall, (stand up tall)
(to the tune of “Frère Jacques”) But when it’s warm I get very small.
I like snowflakes, (crouch down low)
I like snowflakes,
In the air, 282 Five Little Snowmen Flannelboard
In the air. Use the snowman from pattern 303.
Falling, twirling snowflakes, (Full-size patterns can be found at www
Falling, twirling snowflakes, .ala.org/editions/extras/macmillan09775.)
Hit the ground, Five little snowmen on a Saturday
Hit the ground. night,
One went to explore—oh what a sight!
Four little snowmen slid across the ice,
One bumped his head and it didn’t
feel nice.
Three little snowmen danced with glee,
One let go—Whee!
88
The Natural World 89
Two little snowmen sledding down

the hill,
One decided to sled again, it was such
a thrill.
One little snowman noticed the
morning sun,
He went home, but couldn’t wait for
the night’s fun.
283 Four Snowflakes Flannelboard

See pattern 283.
One little snowflake falls on a shoe,
He calls for a friend and then there are two.
Two little snowflakes hanging in a tree,
Another drops in and then there are three.
Three little snowflakes stuck to the door,
The wind blows again and then there are four.
Four little snowflakes having lots of fun,
Playing hide-and-seek from the morning sun.
284 Mitten Count Flannelboard

See pattern 284.
One mitten, two mittens, three mittens, four,
Five mittens, six mittens, seven mittens, more!
Eight mittens, nine mittens, ten mittens, you see,
Can you say the colors with me?
Red, orange, yellow, green, and blue,
Purple, pink, black, white, and brown too.
285 Cupcake-Liner Snowman Craft
Materials: one sheet of construction paper for each child, three cupcake liners for
each child, glue, crayons
Directions:
1. Glue the three cupcake liners onto the paper to form a snowman.
2. Decorate with crayons as desired.
See also Getting Dressed from Head to Toe Flannelboard (22) and Skating Song (333).
Spring
286 Be a Tree 287 Splash! Crash! Flash!
See, see, see the trees Down comes the rain!

Sway, sway in the breeze. Splash, splash, splash!
Reach up high and you will see Now comes the thunder!
It’s easy to pretend you’re a tree! Crash, crash, crash!
Lightning sizzles!
Flash! Flash! Flash!
90 The Natural World
288 What Grows 290 In the Spring

(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
What grows?
Plants and flowers and bumblebees, In the spring the sun does shine, sun
Kittens and butterflies, and don’t does shine, sun does shine,
forget . . . me! In the spring the sun does shine.
That’s how we know it’s spring.
289 Flowers Growing . . . rain does fall . . .
(to the tune of “Camptown Races”) . . . wind does blow . . .
. . . flowers grow . . .
Flowers growing in our yard, . . . birds build nests . . .
growing, growing, . . . sun does shine . . .
Flowers growing in our yard, growing
in the sun. 291 Sweet Potatoes Growing
Let the rain fall down,
Let the sunshine in, Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, in the
Flowers growing in our yard, growing ground,
in the sun. Growing, growing, without a sound.
When you’re ready, we pull you out,
“Sweet potatoes are great!” we all
shout.
292 Growing Flower Pop-Up Puppet
Materials: one Styrofoam or paper cup with a hole poked in the bottom for each
child, one circle cut from construction paper for each child, flower petals cut from
construction paper, one craft stick for each child, glue, crayons or markers
Directions:
1. Glue petals around the circle to create a flower.
2. Decorate the flower as desired.
3. Glue the flower to the craft stick.
4. Place the flower in the cup so that the stick goes through the hole in the
bottom. Move the stick to make the flower grow.
See also Springtime Outing (88), Spring Has Come (94), Fuzzy-Wuzzy Caterpillar (134), I Saw a Butterfly
(137), Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly (139), I’m a Little Ladybug (141), Five Little Ladybugs Flannelboard (142),
Five Little Caterpillars/Five Little Butterflies Flannelboard (144), Egg-Carton Caterpillar Craft (149), Paper-
Bag Butterfly Wings Craft (150), In My Garden (218), Five Little Kites Flannelboard (337), Let’s Fly a Kite
Streamer Game (343), and Kite Craft (344).
Summer
293 Sand between My Toes Call-and- 294 O-C-E-A-N
Response Chant (to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O”)
I love to feel the sand between my There is a place we like to swim,

toes. The ocean is its name, oh.
I dig in it. O-C-E-A-N, O-C-E-A-N, O-C-E-A-N,
I scoop it up. The ocean is its name, oh.
Let it fall. Repeat, gradually replacing letters with
Pour on some water. claps.
Mound it up.
A sand castle tall!
295 Sand on My Head

(to the tune of “Spider on the Floor”)
There’s sand on my head, on my head,

There’s sand on my head, on my head,
Oh how I dread this sand on my head,
There’s sand on my head, on my head.
There’s sand up my nose . . . how do
you suppose this sand got up my
nose . . .
There’s sand in my ear . . . I really,
really fear there’s sand in my ear . . .
There’s sand in my shorts . . . This
sand in my shorts is making me out
of sorts . . .
There’s sand down my leg . . . Oh help
me, I beg . . .
There’s sand in my sandal . . . I don’t
know how to handle . . .
296 Sand Art
Materials: coloring sheets depicting summer scenes, one for each child; glue;
paintbrushes; sand in various colors; empty bowls (Pour the sand into condiment
bottles for easier use.)
Directions:
1. Paint each area of the picture with a think layer of glue.
2. Spread the desired color of sand over the area.
3. Slide the excess sand into an empty bowl.
See also Firefly, Firefly (93), Firefly (133), All through the Summer (138), Five Little Fireflies Flannelboard
(143), and Five Little Baseballs Flannelboard (334).
Fall
297 Way Up High in the Maple Tree 299 Leaves Are Falling
Way up high in the maple tree
A little gray squirrel smiled at me. Leaves are falling, leaves are falling,
I said, “Little squirrel, those nuts sure On the ground, on the ground.
look good,” Rake them in a pile,
And he shared them with me, like Rake them in a pile,
good friends should. Then jump in,
Then jump in.
298 Autumn Leaves
(to the tune of “London Bridge”)
Autumn leaves are falling down,

Falling down, falling down.
Autumn leaves are falling down,
Red, yellow, orange, and brown.
300 Leaf Man Craft

Quick Tip: This craft is a great tie-in
Materials: one sheet of paper for each to Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Orlando,
child, a variety of leaves, glue, crayons, FL: Harcourt, 2005). Check out the
book for great leaf shapes to create.
Directions:
1. Glue leaves on paper to create a
new shape, animal, or object of choice.
301 Leaf Rubbing Craft
Materials: one printout of leaves for each child (from pattern 301), crayons, variety
of textured surfaces such as sidewalk, tree bark, and carpet
Directions: Use a crayon to color/rub the leaf. Be sure to have a textured surface
under the printout.
See also Five Little Geese Flannelboard (29), Time to Sleep
Flannelboard (63), Leaves Flannelboard (96), and Five Little
Apples Flannelboard (224).
General Seasonal
302 Seasons
I love the seasons for so many reasons!

Autumn’s air is crisp and the leaves are too,
Listen to them crunch when you squish them with your shoe.
Winter is cold, with holidays and cheer,
It’s the best time of all when the snow is here.
Spring is beautiful, with all the flowers blooming,
Kids are outside playing, their voices booming.
Summer is fun, even with the heat,
The pool is great and so are icy treats!
303 Seasons Game

See pattern 303. Put up pictures of various seasonal activities and ask the children if they are
done in the winter, spring, summer, or fall. To add challenge, include activities that can be
enjoyed all year long, like playing with a ball.
304 Season Wheel Craft
Materials: paper plates divided into quarters by one horizontal line and one
vertical line, one plate for each child; seasonal pictures cut from magazines (sun,
pool, leaves, snowflake, snowmen, flowers, rain, etc.); glue, crayons, and other
Directions:
1. In each quarter of the plate write a season: winter, spring, summer, and fall.
2. Draw a picture that represents each season, or glue on pictures from a
magazine.
Space
305 Four Little Stars 307 Twinkling Stars

Four little stars winking at me, At night I see the twinkling stars
One shot off, then there were three. (wiggle fingers)
Three little stars with nothing to do, And the great big shining moon. (circle
One shot off, then there were two. arms overhead)
Two little stars, afraid of the sun, My mama tucks me into bed (fists
One shot off, then there was one. under chin)
One little star, not having any fun, And sings this good-night tune. (sing
It shot off, then there were none. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)
306 Galaxy Bend and Stretch 308 Planets Song

Bend and stretch, reach for the stars,
There goes Jupiter, here comes Mars. One little, two little, three little
Bend and stretch, reach for the sky, planets,
Stand on tiptoe, oh so high! Four little, five little, six little planets,
Seven little, eight little, nine little
planets
Orbiting the sun.
Mercury, Venus, and the Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
Orbiting the sun.
309 Five Little Stars and the Moon Too Flannelboard

(traditional)
See pattern 309.

Five little stars shine and shine some more,
One fell to the earth and then there were four.
Four little stars, happy as can be,
One fell to the earth and then there were three.
Three little stars in a sky so blue,
One fell to the earth and then there were two.
Two little stars, having lots of fun,
One fell to the earth and then there was one.
One little star left all alone,
That one fell to earth and then there were none.
The moon came out—what a pretty sight!
He waved to the stars and he said good night.
310 Look Out into Space Flannelboard

See pattern 310. Hand a colored star or planet to each child. Place the moon on the
flannelboard and invite the children to place their planets on the flannelboard when you call
their colors.
The moon is sad and all alone out in space.
But if you have a (name of color) star (or planet),
Put it in the sky and make the moon happy!
311 There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star Flannelboard

See pattern 311. Based on the book by Charise Mericle Harper (New York: Little, Brown,
2002). A bold lady uses various means of transportation to capture a star in this variation on
“There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.”
312 Moongame Flannelboard

See pattern 312. Based on the book by Frank Asch (New York: Aladdin, 2000). Bear plays
hide-and-seek with his friend the moon.
Quick Tip: Read the book first; then use the flannelboard to
retell the story with the children’s help. Ask prompting questions
such as, “Where did the bear think the moon was hiding next?”
Retelling a story builds comprehension skills in young listeners.
The Natural World: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. New York: Dial, 2004. (for preschoolers)
Maisy’s Pool by Lucy Cousins. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1999. (for toddlers)
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2005. (for all ages)
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1995. (for all ages)
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll. New York: Scholastic, 2005. (for toddlers)
Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton. New York: Kingfisher, 1997. (for preschoolers)
Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. Delray Beach, FL: Winslow Press, 2000.
(for preschoolers)
Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2003.
(for toddlers)
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off to the Moon by Dan Yaccarino. New York: Scholastic, 1997. (for
all ages)
Beach Party by Harriet Ziefert. Maplewood, NJ: Blue Apple Books, 2005. (for all ages)
Chapter 13
People in My
Neighborhood
313 The Firefighter The doctor uses a stethoscope . . . to

listen to our hearts.
The firefighter wears a big yellow coat Now we get a shot . . . to help us stay
(mime putting on coat) well.
And a hard hat. (touch head) Now we take some medicine . . . to
He pulls on one boot, and then the help us get all better.
other, (mime putting on boots)
And sprays his fire hose like that.
(mime spraying fire hose) Quick Tip: Mine the resources of
your patrons! Do you know a regular
314 Garbage Collector Song patron who is a doctor, dentist, or
(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”) other community helper? Invite
We’re picking up the trash, him or her to be a special guest
We’re picking up the trash. at a storytime featuring his or her
The garbage truck is coming soon, profession.
We’re picking up the trash.
We put it in the trash can . . .
We’re bagging up the trash . . . 316 In My Neighborhood
We’re putting out the trash . . . (to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)
Thank you, garbage collectors! The people in my neighborhood help
me out, help me out, help me out,
315 Going to the Doctor The people in my neighborhood help
(to the tune of “For He’s a Jolly Good me out all throughout my life.
Fellow”) The doctor in my neighborhood takes
We’re going to the doctor, care of me, takes care of me, takes
We’re going to the doctor, care of me,
We’re going to the doctor, The doctor in my neighborhood takes
Because we don’t feel well. care of me every time I’m sick.
We’re stepping on the scale . . . to see The firefighters in the neighborhood
how much we weigh. put out fires, put out fires, put out
The doctor looks in our ears . . . to see fires,
what she can see. The firefighters in the neighborhood
The doctor looks in our mouths . . . put out fires anytime there’s need.
and so we all say ah. The police in the neighborhood
protect me, protect me, protect me,
96
People in My Neighborhood 97
The police in the neighborhood 318 Veterinarian Song

protect me every single day. (to the tune of “Happy Birthday”)
The librarian in the neighborhood
My cat had a cold,
finds me books, finds me books,
And so I was told
finds me books,
To take her to the vet.
The librarian in the neighborhood
Good-bye, runny nose!
finds me books anytime I ask.
My dog had the flu.
317 My Teacher I knew what to do.
(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
I took him to the vet.
Now he’s better too.
At school I learn to read and write, My snake’s throat was sore,
read and write, read and write, So I went once more.
At school I learn to read and write I took him to the vet,
because my teacher helps me. Now he’s better, that’s for sure!
We learn math and ABCs, ABCs,
ABCs,
We learn math and ABCs because my
teacher helps us.
We learn science and history, history,
history,
We learn science and history because
my teacher helps us.
319 I Am a Grocer Flannelboard

See patterns 228 and 319. (Full-size patterns can be found at www.ala.org/editions/extras/
macmillan09775.) Give out items to the children; then ask for categories by color or food type
to be brought up and placed in the basket.
I am a grocer at the food store.
Every day I set out more food and more.
Do you like peaches and apples so sweet?
Bread and ice cream and broccoli and meat?
Whatever you want, go ahead and ask it,
And I will put it in your basket!
98 People in My Neighborhood
320 Milo’s Hats Flannelboard

See pattern 320. Begin with Milo on the flannelboard.
Milo is trying to decide what he wants to be when he grows up. He likes to cook, so
maybe he should be a chef. (Place chef’s hat on Milo’s head.) But then he thinks, “Maybe I
would like to be a firefighter and ride in a big red fire truck.” (Repeat pattern until all hats
have been used.) Then Milo thinks, “Maybe I will be everything!” (Place all hats on Milo.)
321 Shhhhh! Everybody’s Sleeping Flannelboard

See pattern 321. Based on the book by Julie Markes (New York: HarperCollins, 2004). After
a hard day at work, everyone is tired, and all the community helpers are tucked into bed.
Quick Tip: Don’t miss the

wonderful illustrations by David
Parkins in Shhhhh! Everybody’s
Sleeping. Use this flannelboard to
bolster comprehension by having the
children help you retell the story. As
you put each community helper to
bed, discuss his or her job.
People in My Neighborhood 99
322 Sorting the Mail Game

See pattern 322. Make three baskets or mailboxes labeled “Zoo,” “School,” and “Jones
Family.” Copy the pictures from the pattern and attach them to fifteen envelopes. Invite the
children to sort the mail into the appropriate baskets or mailboxes.
Mr. Mailman has to sort the mail! Will you help him?
323 Make a Doctor’s Kit Craft
Materials: sheets of construction paper, U-shaped handles cut from construction

paper, paper fasteners, Band-Aids, cotton swabs, and tissue, one of each for each
child; tape; glue; crayons; and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Fold the piece of construction paper in half.
2. Glue the U-shaped handle to the inside of one side of the paper.
4. Inside the kit tape a Band-Aid, a cotton swab, and tissue; then fold the kit shut.
5. Secure the kit shut with a paper fastener.
324 Badge Craft
Materials: one badge for each child (from pattern 324), star stickers, crayons, and
other decorating materials
100 People in My Neighborhood
Directions:
1. Decorate badge as desired.
2. Place star sticker in center of badge.
3. Cut out badge if desired and tape it on your shirt.
325 What Hat Should I Wear? Craft
Materials: one printout of community helpers for each child (from pattern 325),
one set of hats (from pattern) for each child, glue, crayons, and other decorating
materials
Directions:
1. Match the hats with the appropriate community helpers and glue each hat in
place.
2. Color and decorate as desired.
See also I Went to the Dentist (7), Teeth (8), The People in the School (356), and Five Little Fire Trucks (390).
People in My Neighborhood:
Ten Great Books for Storytime
Going to the Dentist by Cindy Bailey. New York: DRL Books, 2002. (for all ages)
Garbage Collectors by Paulette Bourgeois. Buffalo, NY: Kids Can Press, 1998. (for
preschoolers)
Police Officers by Paulette Bourgeois. Buffalo, NY: Kids Can Press, 1999. (for preschoolers)
On the Town: A Community Adventure by Judith Caseley. New York: Greenwillow, 2002.
(for preschoolers)
Going to the Doctor by Anne Civardi. Tulsa, OK: EDC, 2000. (for toddlers)
Stormy’s Hat by Eric Kimmel. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2008. (for
preschoolers)
Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer. Racine, WI: Western, 1990. (for toddlers)
My Teacher Can Teach Anyone! by W. Nikola-Lisa. New York: Lee and Low Books, 2004.
(for preschoolers)
Caillou: A Visit to the Doctor by Joceline Sanschagrin. Montreal: Chouette, 2001. (for all
ages)
Fireman Small by Wong Herbert Yee. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. (for all ages)
Chapter 14
Play
326 Ahoy! 330 Let’s Play Outside
Ahoy, mateys! Climb on board! I like to jump,

My pirate ship is leaving shore. I like to skip,
Swab the decks and raise the mast, I like to run,
We’re heading out to sea at last! And then I sit.
I stand up straight,
327 Basketball and take a breath,
then I start the race again!
I love the beat, beat, beat
That my ball bouncing makes on the 331 What Is It?
court,
Dribble, dribble—until I can shoot. You can kick it,
Beat, beat, beat, swoosh! You can bounce it,
You can dribble it like that.
328 Dribble, Dribble, Basketball You can pass it,
You can hit it
Dribble, dribble, basketball, With a club or with a bat.
Pass, pass, basketball, You can roll it,
Dribble, dribble, basketball, You can spin it,
Bounce, bounce, basketball, And that’s not all.
Dribble, dribble, basketball, What is it? Can you guess?
Shoot! Two points! It’s a ball!
329 Jack-in-the-Box 332 Roll, Roll, Roll the Ball
(to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Jack-in-the-box, Ask the children to sit in a circle and take
You sit so still. (make fist with thumb turns rolling the ball to one another as
inside) you sing this song. This is a good activity
Won’t you come out? for children to learn one another’s names.
Yes, I will! (pop out thumb)
Roll, roll, roll the ball,
Happy as can be.
(Child’s name) rolls it back to me,
Quick as one, two, three!
101
102 Play
333 Skating Song 335 Soccer Song

(to the tune of “A Bicycle Built for Two”) (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Skating, skating, out on the ice so cold. Kick, kick, kick the ball,
Spinning, twirling, when we are Soccer is such fun.
feeling bold. Pass the ball and kick the ball,
It’s hard to keep our balance And run, run, run, run, run!
When we show off our talents.
We love to skate, 336 Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
It is first-rate (to the tune of “Edelweiss”)
To twirl and slide in the cold. Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Every evening I hug you.
334 Five Little Baseballs Flannelboard
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
(traditional)
There is no one above you.
Use the baseball from pattern 341.
337 Five Little Kites Flannelboard
Five little baseballs, look at them soar!
See pattern 337.
One went over the fence and now
there are four. One little kite in the sky so blue,
Four little baseballs, look and see, Along came another, then there were
One rolled into a pond and now there two.
are three. Two little kites flying high above me,
Three little baseballs, over the hill one Along came another, then there were
flew, three.
I can’t find it, now there are two. Three little kites, just watch them soar,
Two little baseballs, Spot wants some Along came another, then there were
fun, four.
He picked one up and now there is Four little kites, so high and alive,
one. Along came another, then there were
One little baseball flying in the sun, five.
Johnny hit a homer, Five little kites dancing across the sky,
Look at him run! What a sight to see, way up so high!
338 Color Balloons Flannelboard

Use pattern 312 to make colorful balloon shapes. (Full-size patterns can be found at
www.ala.org/editions/extras/macmillan09775.) Pass out the balloons for the children to put
on the flannelboard. As you say the rhyme, make windy sounds and call out a balloon color!
On a windy day, way up in the sky,
Look for the colored balloons as they fly!
I see a red balloon, wow—look at all those red balloons flying.
Continue with other colors.
Play 103
339 A Little Ball Flannelboard

(traditional)
See pattern 339.

A little ball,
A bigger ball,
A great big ball I see.
Now let’s count the balls.
One . . . two . . . three!
340 Silly Sally Flannelboard

See pattern 340. Based on the book by Audrey Wood (San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
1992). Silly Sally walks to town backward and upside down and meets silly new friends along
the way.
341 Ball Flannelboard Game

See pattern 341. Ask the following questions and place the ball on the board.
I’m black and white. I often get kicked around! What sport do you play with me?
I’m orange. I get bounced up and down the court and thrown through a hoop! What
sport do you play with me?
I’m small and white. After a hard hit I fly through the air! What sport do you play
with me?
I’m brown. I get thrown around a lot! What sport do you play with me?
104 Play
342 Baby’s Favorite Toys Prop Story

Place a doll, a ball, a toy train, a teddy bear, a drum, a rubber duck, a toy car, and a board
book in a bag. Pull each toy out in turn as you tell the story.
Baby has a doll. That doll is Baby’s favorite toy, except for Baby’s ball. That ball is Baby’s
favorite toy, except for Baby’s train. (Repeat with other toys.) You know what? Baby has lots
of favorite toys. Which one is your favorite?
343 Let’s Fly a Kite Streamer Game

Make kite streamers by cutting out diamonds from construction paper and taping a length of
curling ribbon to the back of each. Hold the end of the ribbon and swish the kite through the
air as you say the rhyme below.
I took my kite to the park
And flew it in the air.
I flew it high,
I flew it low,
I flew it everywhere.
I flew it in a great big circle,
I flew it in a square,
I flew it in a squiggly line,
And tossed it in the air.
344 Kite Craft
Materials: one large piece of paper or newspaper or brown grocery bag for each
child, yarn, tape, crayons, stickers, streamers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Create a diamond shape from a large piece of paper, grocery bag, or
newspaper.
2. In the center of the diamond punch two small holes about 6 inches apart.
3. Thread yarn through each hole, knot the ends, and secure them with tape so
that you create a handle to hold on to on one side of the diamond.
4. Decorate the kite as desired and tape streamer tails to the bottom end.
5. Fly the kites through the room.
345 Toy Box Craft
Materials: one old shoe box or envelope or piece of white paper folded in half
and glued along side edges for each child, pictures of toys or games cut from a
magazine or store ad, paper, crayons, glue, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Decorate a shoe box, envelope, or folded piece of paper as desired to create
your own special toy box.
2. Color your own pictures of favorite toys or use pictures of toys cut out of a
magazine.
3. Place your pictures inside your toy box.
See also Fancy Me (18), Gone Fishing (46), Teddy Bear (82), Kite Song (86), Drawing (175), Two Little
Friends (208), Five Friends Flannelboard (209), Seasons Game (303), There Was a Bold Lady Who
Wanted a Star Flannelboard (311), and I Can (371).
Play 105
Play: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Pickle and the Ball by Lynn Breeze. New York: Kingfisher, 1998. (for all ages)
Maisy Plays by Lucy Cousins. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2001. (for all ages)
Farmer Will by Jane Cowen-Fletcher. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2001. (for all ages)
Cowboy Kid by Max Eilenberg. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2000. (for toddlers)
Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer. New York: Atheneum, 2003. (for preschoolers)
Traction Man by Mini Grey. New York: Knopf, 2005. (for preschoolers)
Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. (for preschoolers)
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. New York: Platt and Munk, 1999. (for
toddlers)
Plaidypus Lost by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. New York: Holiday House,
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion, 2004. (for toddlers)
Chapter 15
School and
Library
346 Back to School 349 I Like Books

Two little houses all closed up tight, I like books, I really do,
(make fists) Books with stories and pictures too,
Open up the window and let in the Books of birds and things that grow,
light. (open fists) Books of people we should know,
Ten little children tall and straight, Books of animals and places too,
(show ten fingers) I like books, yes I do.
Ready for school at half past eight.
(walk with fingers) 350 Library Storytime
347 Field Trip When I am going to storytime (point

to self)
Teacher says we are going somewhere I jump right out of bed. (jump)
special today, I wash my face, (scrub face)
Maybe it will be a place where we can And brush my teeth, (brush teeth)
play! And pull on clothes over my head.
It will have really neat people and (arms up and down)
stories in books, I run downstairs, (run in place)
And lots of neat things so we can take And drink my milk, (pretend to drink)
a look. And eat my breakfast just so. (pretend
All of our favorite friends will be to chew)
there— I wave good-bye as I go out the door,
Hey! We have that at school! We don’t (wave)
have to go anywhere! I’m so happy that I can go! (smile)
348 Here Is My Book 351 Story Hour

Here is my book. (hold hands together) When the sun lights up the sky,
I open it wide (open hands like a book) I sit right up and rub my eyes.
To see all the pictures that are inside. I dress myself with greatest care,
and brush my teeth and comb my hair.
Then off to story hour I go,
To hear the stories that I love so!
106
School and Library 107
352 We’re Going to the Library The publisher puts it together, the
publisher puts it together,
We’re going to the library, Hi-ho-librario, the publisher puts it
We’re leaving right away! together.
If we could, we would stay all day! The patron checks it out, the patron
We might see a book on castles or checks it out,
maybe one on dragons, Hi-ho-librario, the patron checks it
We might see a book on dinosaurs or out.
how to build wagons.
The best thing about the library is that 356 The People in the School
every time you go, (to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)
You can check out a new book and
start an adventure, you know? The teacher in the school says, “Time
to learn,” “Time to learn,” “Time to
353 Bumpin’ Up and Down in My learn.”
Yellow School Bus The teacher in the school says, “Time
(to the tune of “Bumpin’ Up and Down in to learn,” all through the day.
My Little Red Wagon”) The librarian says, “Let’s read a book”
...
Bumpin’ up and down in my yellow The cafeteria lady says, “Time to eat”
school bus, ...
Bumpin’ up and down in my yellow The gym teacher says, “Let’s run, run,
school bus, run” . . .
Bumpin’ up and down in my yellow The art teacher says, “Let’s draw a
school bus, picture” . . .
Won’t you be my darling? The students in the school say, “We
One wheel’s off and the axle’s broken, love school” . . .
One wheel’s off and the axle’s broken,
One wheel’s off and the axle’s broken, 357 The School Bus Went Down the
Won’t you be my darling? Road
(to the tune of “The Bear Went Over the
354 Going to School Mountain”)
(to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little
Star”) The school bus went down the road,
The school bus went down the road,
Going to school is so great, The school bus went down the road,
I know you can hardly wait. To pick up all the children.
First you’ll learn your ABCs, It picked up all the children . . . so they
Then you’ll count your 123s. could go to school.
Going to school is so great, The school bus drove them to school
I know you can hardly wait. . . . so they could start their day.
The children learned to read and write
355 Hi-Ho-Librario . . . while they were at school.
The author writes a book, the author

writes a book,
Hi-ho-librario, the author writes a
book.
The illustrator draws a picture, the
illustrator draws a picture,
Hi-ho-librario, the illustrator draws a
picture.
108 School and Library
358 This Is the Way We Get to School 359 This Is the Way We Go to the
(to the tune of “Here We Go Round the Library
Mulberry Bush”) (to the tune of “Here We Go Round the
Mulberry Bush”)
This is the way we get to school,
Get to school, get to school. This is the way we go to the library,
This is the way we get to school, so Go to the library, go to the library.
early in the morning. This is the way we go to the library, all
Some of us walk to school . . . through the day.
Some of us are car riders . . . This is the way we read our books . . .
Some of us ride the bus . . . This is the way we turn the pages . . .
This is the way we look at pictures . . .
This is the way we listen to stories . . .
360 Ten Little Books Flannelboard


One little, two little, three little books,
Four little, five little, six little books,
Seven little, eight little, nine little books,
Ten little books on the library shelf!
361 The Bus for Us Flannelboard

See pattern 361. Based on the book by Suzanne Bloom (Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 2001).
A little girl sees a variety of vehicles as she waits eagerly for the bus on the first day of school.
School and Library 109
362 My Book Craft
Materials: paper cut in half and folded to create a four-page booklet for each child,
pictures cut out of magazines, glue, crayons, stickers, and other decorating
materials
Directions:
1. Glue on pictures of things you like, pictures that create a story you would like
to tell, or even pictures to remind you of a favorite book you can find in the
library.
2. Draw additional pictures as needed to complete your story.
4. Make sure you share your book with a special person!
363 School Bus Craft
Materials: one school bus (from pattern 363) on yellow construction paper for each
child, rectangle and circle stickers or those shapes cut from construction paper,
glue, crayons, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Place rectangle stickers where windows would be, or glue on rectangle shapes.
2. Place circle stickers where wheels would be, or glue on circle shapes.
3. Decorate bus as desired.
Encourage children to write their names

and bus numbers (if they have a number)
on their buses.
See also My Teacher (317).
School and Library: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss. New York: Arthur A. Levine, 2001. (for toddlers)
Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2005. (for all
ages)
The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort. New York: Henry Holt, 2000. (for all ages)
I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel. New York: Viking, 1990. (for toddlers)
If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff. New York: Laura Geringer Books, 2002.
(for toddlers)
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America,
1993. (for preschoolers)
Wild about Books by Judy Sierra. New York: Knopf, 2004. (for preschoolers)
I Love School! by Philemon Sturges. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. (for all ages)
Library Lil by Suzanne Williams. New York: Dial, 1997. (for preschoolers)
Baby Bear’s Books by Jane Yolen. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2006. (for toddlers)
Chapter 16
Sing and Dance
Hello and Good-bye
364 Hello You! 367 Hello/Good-bye, Friends

(to the tune of “Good Night Ladies”)
Hello eyes! Hello toes!
Hello mouth! Hello nose! Hello, friends, hello, friends,
Hello shirt! Hello shoe! Hello, friends, it’s time to say hello!
Hello tummy! Hello you! Repeat, replacing “friends” with each child’s
name until everyone has been greeted.
365 Thank You Rhyme
(adapted traditional) Good-bye, friends, good-bye, friends,
Good-bye, friends, it’s time to say good-
Sign THANK YOU as you say this rhyme.
bye!
Our hands say THANK YOU with a
clap clap clap. 368 Hello, My Friends
Our feet say THANK YOU with a tap (to the tune of “Skip to My Lou”)
tap tap. Sign HELLO and HOW ARE YOU as you
Clap clap clap, tap tap tap. sing this song.
THANK YOU, everyone!
HELLO, my friends, and HOW ARE YOU?
HELLO, my friends, HOW ARE YOU?
HELLO, (child’s name), and HOW ARE
YOU . . . (continue until all children have
been greeted)
366 Wave Good-bye
We had so much fun at the library today,

We came to read and sing and play,
We did a craft and said some rhymes,
Now let’s wave good-bye until next
time!
110
Sing and Dance 111
369 Storytime Hello and Good-bye Song 370 What Is Your Name?
(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”) (to the tune of “Happy Birthday”)
Hello, hello, all my friends, Please tell me your name,

All my friends, all my friends. Please tell me your name.
I am glad to see my friends What is your name? (get name)
At storytime today. Hello, (child’s name).
Good-bye, good-bye, all my friends,

All my friends, all my friends.
I was glad to see my friends
At storytime today.
Transitions
371 I Can 373 Reach and Wiggle
I can run, run, run. Lift your arms way up high,

I can walk, walk, walk. Wave them, wave them in the sky.
I can reach, reach, reach. Reach way down and touch your toes.
I can talk, talk, talk. Wiggle your eyebrows, wiggle your
I can smile, smile, smile. nose.
I can frown, frown, frown. Put your bottom on the floor,
I can jump, jump, jump. Count with me: one, two, three, four.
I can sit right down. Clap your hands now: one, two, three,
Then fold them in your lap like me.
372 My Fingers Can
374 Wiggles
My fingers can wiggle.
My fingers can tickle. Put a wiggle in your head,
My fingers can clap. Put a wiggle in your toes.
My fingers can tap. Put a wiggle in your arms,
My fingers can count. Put a wiggle in your nose.
My fingers can bounce. Put a wiggle in your bottom,
My fingers can wave—through the air Put a wiggle in your knee.
they go. Put a wiggle in your whole body,
My fingers can fold gently in my lap Now sit quiet as can be.
just so.
See also I Wiggle My Fingers (2), All about You (4),
Opposites (169), Castle Capers (183), My Magic
Wand (187), Crazy Food (216), and Galaxy Bend
and Stretch (306).
112 Sing and Dance
Music and Dance
375 That’s a Dance
If you jump up and down and you That’s a dance! Toodly-doo, toodly-
make a silly sound, doo.
That’s a dance! Toodly-doo, toodly-doo. If you swing your arms loose and you
If you reach for your toes and you shake your caboose,
wrinkle up your nose, That’s a dance! Toodly-doo, toodly-
That’s a dance! Toodly-doo, toodly- doo.
doo. If you shake your hair like you just
If you stretch your hands up high and don’t care,
flap like you can fly, That’s a dance! Toodly-doo, toodly-doo.
376 Admission Ticket Craft

Materials: a half sheet of paper with the written words “Admit One” for each child,
glue, crayons, stickers
Directions:
1. Write your name on your ticket so your parents and friends know that you are
having the show.
Encourage children to put on a show for their parents after dinner and collect tickets.
377 Microphone Craft
Materials: one toilet paper roll for each child, decorating paper cut to fit tubes, one
foam ball for each child, glue, crayons, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Glue paper around toilet paper roll.
2. Decorate roll as desired.
3. Glue foam ball on top, then allow to dry.
Encourage children to put on a show for their parents after dinner and use their
microphones.
378 Show Off Your Talent Craft
Materials: one sheet of paper for each child, glue, crayons, stickers
Directions:
1. Draw a microphone, dance shoes, or an instrument on the poster, or glue on
pictures cut from magazines.
Encourage children to put on a show for their parents after dinner, using the poster as
an announcement. Children who made tickets (376) and microphones (377) may also
incorporate those props into the show.
Sing and Dance 113
379 Dancing Shoes Craft
Materials: one printout of dancing shoes page for each

child (from pattern 379), crayons, stickers, and other
decorating materials (Full-size patterns can be found
at www.ala.org/editions/extras/macmillan09775.)
Directions:
1. Color the dancing shoes.
See also She Dances Alone (105) and Bee Dance (132).
Quick Tip: Ask the children if they can match each type of shoe to the appropriate
activity: tap shoes for tap dancing, ballet shoes for ballet dancing, bunny slippers for
nighttime fun, and so forth.
Sing and Dance: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman. New York: Knopf, 1988. (for preschoolers)
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae. New York: Orchard, 2001. (for toddlers)
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton. New York: Workman, 1993. (for all ages)
Gabriella’s Song by Candace Fleming. New York: Atheneum, 1997. (for preschoolers)
When Uncle Took the Fiddle by Libba Moore Gray. New York: Orchard, 1999. (for all ages)
Got to Dance by Mary-Claire Helldorfer. New York: Doubleday, 2004. (for preschoolers)
Barn Dance by Pat Hutchins. New York: Greenwillow, 2007. (for toddlers)
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995. (for
preschoolers)
Skip to My Lou by Nadine Bernard Westcott. New York: Little, Brown, 1989. (for toddlers)
Belinda the Ballerina by Amy Young. New York: Viking, 2002. (for preschoolers)
Chapter 17
Transportation
380 Choo-Choo Rhyme 382 In the Car
Choo-choo, choo-choo, riding on the Riding, riding, in the car, (mime driving)
train, Driving near and driving far.
Choo-choo, choo-choo, riding on the We always buckle our seat belts just
train. so, (mime buckling seat belt)
Conductor yells, “All aboard!” Start the engine and off we go! (mime
Then the engine starts to roar. turning key and driving)
I’ll take your ticket, hop on board,
Riding on the train. 383 Red Light Game
Whistle blows, toot-toot!
Riding on the train. Red light, green light, stop and go,
Sometimes fast and sometimes slow.
381 Helicopter (mime driving)
Sign HELICOPTER as you say this Step on the gas and we speed up,
rhyme. Step on the brake and we come to a
stop!
HELICOPTER going up,
HELICOPTER going down, 384 Vehicle Guessing Game
HELICOPTER turning, turning all
around. I have headlights and a steering wheel,
HELICOPTER going left, I take you near and far.
HELICOPTER going right, My horn says honk! And my engine
HELICOPTER going up, out of sight. says vroom!
Hop in! I am a (car).
I pull my cars along the rails,

I chug through sun or rain.
My smokestack lets out a woo-woo!
Hop aboard! I am a (train).
I’ll take you soaring in the sky,

We’ll reach the clouds and soon!
I come in bright colors, with a basket
for you.
Hop in! I am a (balloon).
114
Transportation 115
I have two wheels and a handlebar, 388 Drive the Car

And pedals you will like. (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your
You can ride me down the road. Boat”)
Hop on! I am a (bike).
Drive, drive, drive the car,
I have wings and an engine that roars. Driving to and fro.
My comfy cabins contain When the light is green we know
Lots of seats where passengers sit. That now it’s time to go.
Hop aboard! I am a (plane). Drive, drive, drive the car,
Driving through the town.
I have a great big cab and a loud horn, When the light is yellow we know
And big wheels so I won’t get stuck, That it’s time to slow down.
A giant trailer to carry big loads. Drive, drive, drive the car,
Hop aboard! I am a (truck). Driving to the shop.
When the light is red we know
385 Zoom! That now it’s time to stop.
(traditional)
Zoom! 389 Farmer’s Riding on the Tractor
Let’s go to the moon! (to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the
Let’s take a trip Railroad”)
In my rocket ship! Farmer’s riding on the tractor
Get ready for the countdown! All the live long day.
Ten-nine-eight-seven-six-five-four- Farmer’s riding on the tractor
three-two-one! Just to pass the time away.
Blastoff! Can’t you hear the engine turning?
Rise up so early in the morn.
386 Airplane Can’t you hear the soil churning?
(to the tune of “A Bicycle Built for Two”) Tractor, blow your horn.
Airplane, airplane, Tractor won’t you pull,
Spread out your wings for me. Tractor won’t you pull,
We’ll go flying Tractor won’t you pull
Over mountains and sea. Your load?
Your cabin is cozy and comfy, Tractor won’t you pull,
Your pilot is never grumpy, Tractor won’t you pull,
And we will fly Tractor won’t you pull
Up in the sky Your load?
And away into the clouds. The farmer is riding the tractor,
He’s riding the tractor right now.
387 At the Construction Site The farmer is riding the tractor,
(to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”) And the tractor is pulling the plow.
The hook on the crane goes up and 390 Five Little Fire Trucks
down, up and down, up and down, (to the tune of “Down by the Station”)
The hook on the crane goes up and
down at the construction site. Five little fire trucks at the fire station.
The shovel on the digger goes dig, dig, See the engines gleaming all in a row.
dig . . . When the fire chief sounds the
The barrel on the mixer goes round alarm—
and round . . . Nee-naw! Nee-naw! Off they go!
The dumper on the dump truck goes
dump, dump, dump . . .
116 Transportation
391 Found a Tractor

(to the tune of “Found a Peanut”)
Found a tractor, found a tractor, Fixed the tractor . . .

Found a tractor just now. Turned it on . . .
Just now I found a tractor, Rode the tractor . . .
Found a tractor just now. Cut the grass . . .
Turned it on . . . Swept the grass . . .
It was broken . . . Parked the tractor . . .
Turned it off . . . Turned it off . . .
392 Five Big Boats Flannelboard

macmillan09775.)
Five big boats sailing from the shore,
One stopped to catch some fish and then there were four.
Four big boats sailing out to sea,
One stopped to look around and then there were three.
Three big boats with so much to do,
One stopped at an island and then there were two.
Two big boats sailing under the sun,
One pulled into a port and then there was one.
One big boat sailing all alone,
That one turned around and sailed for home.
393 Five Hot-Air Balloons Flannelboard

See pattern 393.
Five hot-air balloons, up they soar,
One floats north and then there are four.
Four hot-air balloons, so pretty to see,
One floats south and then there are three.
Three hot-air balloons in the sky so blue,
One floats east and then there are two.
Two hot-air balloons having so much fun,
One floats west and then there is one.
One hot-air balloon when the day is done,
That one floats home and then there are none.
394 Five Little Trucks Flannelboard

(to the tune of “Five Little Ducks”)
See pattern 394.

Five little trucks drove out one day,
Over the hills and far away.
Mother truck said, “Beep-beep-beep,”
Four little trucks drove home to sleep.
Four little trucks . . .
Three little trucks . . .
Two little trucks . . .
One little truck . . .
Mother truck said, “Beep! Beep! Beep!”
Five little trucks drove home to sleep.
Transportation 117
395 Rocket Ships Flannelboard

See pattern 395.
Five shiny rocket ships exploring outer space,
One saw aliens and set off on a chase.
Four shiny rocket ships exploring outer space,
One bumped into an asteroid and was knocked out of place.
Three shiny rocket ships exploring outer space,
One found Jupiter first and thought he was an ace.
Two shiny rocket ships exploring outer space,
One caught a shooting star and took off in a race.
One shiny rocket ship left in outer space,
He wanted to go home so he headed for Earth’s base.
396 Grandma Rabbitty’s Visit Flannelboard

See pattern 396. Based on the book by Barry Smith (New York: DK, 1999). Two little bunnies
see a series of vehicles as they wait for their grandmother to arrive.
397 My Dump Truck Fred Flannelboard Story

See pattern 397.
If I had a dump truck, I would name it Fred. Fred and I would go everywhere together,
and everyone would get out of the way when they saw us coming! Fred would eat dinner
with my family every night, and I would teach him good table manners. I’d make sure
he brushed his teeth every night, and put his nightcap on, and then I’d tuck him into bed
right next to me. In the morning I would make sure he ate a healthy breakfast of gravel
cereal. I’d even hang a stocking up for him on Christmas Eve, but it would have to be
pretty big! In the winter I would make sure Fred bundled up warm and wore his scarf,
and in the summer I would remind him to wear his sunglasses and hat. But no matter
what, I would know that I loved Fred and that Fred loved me!
118 Transportation
398 Helicopter Craft
Materials: one helicopter coloring sheet for each child (from pattern 398), one cotton
ball for each child, glue, crayons, stickers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Stretch out the cotton ball to look like clouds in the sky. Glue it in the sky.
399 Tractor Craft
Materials: one printout of tractor for each child (from pattern 399), hay bales cut
from brown construction paper, vegetable shapes cut from construction paper,
glue, crayons, stickers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Glue hay bales and vegetables in the fields around the tractor.
400 Train Craft
Materials: one printout of a train for each child (from pattern 400), one ½ x 11 inch
strip of black construction paper for each child, one cotton ball for each child, glue,
crayons, stickers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Glue the black strip of construction paper under the train to make the track.
2. Stretch out the cotton ball to look like a puff of smoke. Glue it on the
smokestack.
Transportation 119
401 Outer Space Craft
Materials: one printout of a rocket ship for each child (from pattern 401), planet
circles cut from construction paper, glue, crayons, stars cut from construction
paper or star stickers, and other decorating materials
Directions:
1. Glue planets and stars around the rocket ship.
See also Bumpin’ Up and Down in My Yellow School Bus (353), The Bus for Us Flannelboard (361), and
School Bus Craft (363).
Transportation: Ten Great Books for Storytime

Airplanes by Byron Barton. New York: T. Y. Crowell, 1986. (for all ages)
The Bridge Is Up! by Bab Bell. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. (for toddlers)
Freight Train by Donald Crews. New York: Tupelo Books, 1996. (for all ages)
Truck by Donald Crews. New York: Tupelo Books, 1997. (for all ages)
The Journey Home from Grandpa’s by Jemima Lumley. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books,
All Aboard the Dinotrain by Deb Lund. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2006. (for preschoolers)
Choo Choo Clickety-Clack! by Margaret Mayo. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 2005. (for
preschoolers)
Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo. New York: Henry Holt, 2002. (for preschoolers)
Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton. New York: Kingfisher, 1997. (for all ages)
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off to the Moon! by Dan Yaccarino. New York: Scholastic, 1997.
(for all ages)
Appendix A
Further Resources
for Storytime
Planning
Resource Books
Baltuck, Naomi. Crazy Gibberish and Other Story Hour Stretches. Hamden, CT: Linnet Books,
1993.
Benton, Gail, and Tricia Waichulaitis. Ready-to-Go Storytimes: Fingerplays, Scripts, Patterns,
Music, and More. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2003.
Briggs, Diane. 52 Programs for Preschoolers: The Librarian’s Year-Round Planner. Chicago:
American Library Association, 1997.
______. 101 Fingerplays, Stories, and Songs to Use with Finger Puppets. Chicago: American
Library Association, 1999.
______. Preschool Favorites: 35 Storytimes Kids Love. Chicago: American Library Association,
2007.
Castellano, Marie. Simply Super Storytimes: Programming Ideas for Ages 3–6. Fort Atkinson,
WI: Upstart Books, 2003.
Chupela, Dolores C. Once Upon a Childhood: Fingerplays, Action Rhymes, and Fun Times for
the Very Young. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998.
Cobb, Jane. I’m a Little Teapot! Presenting Preschool Storytime. Vancouver, BC: Black Sheep
Press, 1996.
Cooper, Cathie Hilterbran. The Storyteller’s Cornucopia. Fort Atkinson, WI: Alleyside Press,
1998.
Cullum, Carolyn N. The Storytime Sourcebook: A Compendium of Ideas and Resources for
Storytellers. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1999.
______. The Storytime Sourcebook II: A Compendium of 3,500+ New Ideas and Resources for
Storytellers. Neal-Schuman, 2007.
Davis, Robin Works. Toddle on Over: Developing Infant and Toddler Literature Programs. Fort
Atkinson, WI: Alleyside Press, 1998.
Dowell, Ruth E. Move Over, Mother Goose! Finger Plays, Action Verses, and Funny Rhymes.
Mt. Rainier, MD: Gryphon House, 1987.
Esche, Maria Bonfanti, and Clare Bonfanti Braham. Kids Celebrate! Activities for Special Days
throughout the Year. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1998.
Faurot, Kimberly K. Books in Bloom: Creative Patterns and Props That Bring Stories to Life.
Chicago: American Library Association, 2003.
Frey, Yvonne Awar. One-Person Puppetry Streamlined and Simplified. Chicago: American
121
122 Appendix A
Fujita, Hiroko. Stories to Play With: Kids’ Tales Told with Puppets, Paper, Toys, and
Imagination. Little Rock, AR: August House, 1999.
Ghoting, Saroj Nadkarni, and Pamela Martin-Diaz. Early Literacy Storytimes @ your library:
Partnering with Caregivers for Success. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006.
Hamilton, Leslie. Child’s Play: 200 Instant Crafts and Activities for Preschoolers. New York:
Crown, 1989.
______. Child’s Play around the World: 170 Crafts, Games, and Projects for Two- to Six-Year-
Olds. New York: Perigee, 1996.
Lima, Carolyn and John. A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books. Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited, 2001.
MacDonald, Margaret Read. Bookplay: 101 Creative Themes to Share with Young Children.
North Haven, CT: Library Professional Publications, 1995.
______. Twenty Tellable Tales. Chicago: American Library Association, 2005.
MacMillan, Kathy. A Box Full of Tales: Easy Ways to Share Library Resources through Story
Boxes. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008.
______. Try Your Hand at This: Easy Ways to Incorporate Sign Language into Your Programs.
Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2006.
Nichols, Judy. Storytimes for Two-Year-Olds. Chicago: American Library Association, 1998.
Reid, Rob. Children’s Jukebox: The Select Subject Guide to Children’s Musical Recording. 2nd
ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007.
______. Family Storytime: Twenty-four Creative Programs for All Ages. Chicago: American
______. Storytime Slam! 15 Lesson Plans for Preschool and Primary Story Programs. Fort
Atkinson, WI: Upstart Books, 2006.
Ring a Ring o’ Roses. Flint, MI: Flint Public Library, 2000. (810) 232-7111.
Roberts, Lynda. Mitt Magic. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 1985.
Schiller, Pam, and Jackie Silberg. The Complete Book of Activities, Games, Stories, Props,
Recipes, and Dances for Young Children. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 2003.
Schiller, Pamela Byrne. The Complete Resource Book for Toddlers and Twos. Beltsville, MD:
Gryphon House, 2003.
Sierra, Judy. The Flannelboard Storytelling Book. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1997.
Silberg, Jackie, and Pam Schiller. The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays,
and Chants. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 2002.
Stangle, Jean. Is Your Storytale Dragging? Belmont, CA: Fearon Teacher Aids, 1989.
Story-Hoffman, Ru. Nursery Rhyme Time. Fort Atkinson, WI: Alleyside Press, 1996.
Warren, Jean, ed. Nursery Rhyme Theme-a-Saurus. Torrance, CA: Totline Publications, 1993.
______. Storytime Theme-a-Saurus. Everett, WA: Warren Publishing House, 1993.
Wilmes, Liz and Dick. Felt Board Fingerplays with Patterns and Activities. Elgin, IL: Building
Blocks, 1997.
______. 2’s Experience Felt Board Fun. Elgin, IL: Building Blocks, 1994.
______. 2’s Experience Fingerplays. Elgin, IL: Building Blocks, 1994.
Software
American Sign Language Clip and Create 4. Institute for Disabilities Research and Training
Inc. (www.idrt.com), 2003.
Further Resources for Storytime Planning 123
Websites
ASL Pro (American Sign Language Video Dictionary): www.aslpro.com

The Best Kids Book Site (Thematic Book Recommendations, Crafts, Fingerplays):
www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/storytimes.htm
Child Care Lounge (Fingerplays): www.childcarelounge.com/Caregivers/main.htm
ChildFun (Fingerplays, Crafts, and Activities): www.childfun.com
DLTK Kids (Crafts and Fingerplays): www.dltk-kids.com
Enchanted Learning (Crafts and Fingerplays): www.enchantedlearning.com
(Paid subscription required to print craft templates and coloring pages.)
First School (Crafts and Fingerplays): www.first-school.ms
The Idea Box (Activities and Crafts): www.theideabox.com
Kids’ Chalkboard (Crafts and Fingerplays): www.kidschalkboard.com
Let’s Create a Flannelboard! http://members.aol.com/Ivinsart/handbook.html
Miss Lisa’s Theme Sharing (Crafts and Fingerplays): www.geocities.com/Heartland/
Acres/7875/themes.html
Nuttin’ But Kids (Crafts and Fingerplays): www.nuttinbutkids.com
Preschool Rainbow (Crafts and Fingerplays): www.preschoolrainbow.org
Songs for Teaching (Fingerplays and Songs): www.songsforteaching.com
Vendors of Prepackaged Flannelboards, Big Books,

and Other Props
Book Props, LLC: www.bookprops.com

Brodart: www.shopbrodart.com
Demco: www.demco.com
The Felt Source: www.thefeltsource.com
Folkmanis Puppets: www.folkmanis.com
Highsmith: www.highsmith.com
Holcomb’s Education Resource: www.holcombscatalog.com
Lakeshore Learning: www.lakeshorelearning.com
The Library Store: www.thelibrarystore.com
Merry Makers Inc.: www.merrymakersinc.com
School Specialty: www.schoolspecialtyonline.net
Teacher’s Paradise: www.teachersparadise.com
Appendix B
Making Flannelboards,
Stick Puppets, and More
Flannelboards/Magnetboards
Every theme in this book features flannelboard rhymes or stories. Flannelboards are a won-
derful addition to all storytimes. If you don’t own a large flannelboard, you can make your
own flannelboard by taking a metal cookie sheet and covering the inside (where cookies
normally go) with felt. This homemade flannelboard can travel anywhere with you and
can also serve as a magnetboard. Any metal surface can be made into a magnetboard, and
magnetboard story pieces are easy to make using adhesive magnets.
You can buy premade art for flannelboards, or you can make your own. There are sev-
eral easy ways to make your own. If you don’t feel you are artistic, clip art is readily avail-
able online or on many common computer packages such as Microsoft Word. Print out the
pictures you need, trim, and mount on construction paper. Laminate the clip art for durabil-
ity. If you don’t have a laminating machine, use self-sealing laminated pouches or contact
paper. Then glue a piece of felt or a magnet to the back of each picture, and you’re done.
When making your own flannelboard with felt, you can use any of the patterns in-
cluded in this book or one of your own creations. Patterns can be enlarged or reduced on
a copy machine to fit your specific needs. When tracing a pattern on felt, use a Sharpie or
other marker. Use a good pair of scissors to cut the felt. Be creative! Decorate the felt pieces
with fabric paint, feathers, sequins, and the like. Googly eyes can be used on animals and
people to give a more animated appearance.
If you have a scanner, you can scan characters and items directly from books and maga-
zines and then print them on fusible fabric. The fusible fabric can then be mounted on felt.
When creating a flannelboard based on a book, remember to cite the book title and author.
Stick Puppets
Stick puppets are a fun addition to storytimes. Most of the flannelboards and rhymes in this
book can be converted for use with stick puppets, and stories often lend themselves to be-
ing told with stick puppets. You can make stick puppets with clip art, hand-drawn illustra-
tions, or pictures cut from books or magazines. Laminate the pictures and glue them to craft
sticks. When using stick puppets with a lap theater, attach a square of Velcro about an inch
from the bottom of each stick and strips of Velcro around the inside top edges of the theater.
125
126 Appendix B
This will allow you to secure your stick puppets to the lap theater. If you are dealing with a
large audience, use large images glued to paint sticks so the entire crowd can see.
Paint sticks can also be used as props. With Velcro attached to the paint stick, you can
attach and detach various clip art pieces and tell many rhymes and stories. An example
would be to attach five monkeys to the paint stick with Velcro. While chanting the Five
Little Monkeys rhyme (126), bounce the stick up and down. Every time one monkey falls
off, remove a monkey from the stick.
Lap Theater
Lap theaters are a wonderful way to tell your stick-puppet stories. They provide a con-
cealed storage spot for your puppet pieces and thus add an element of surprise to the un-
veiling of the story. To create a lap theater, find a box that is big enough to accommodate
a puppet show but small enough to fit easily on your lap. Cut off the top of the box as well
as one of the longer sides. Decorate the remaining three sides as desired or create a curtain.
The curtain need not be fancy; you could just glue a piece of fabric to the walls of the box.
Along the inside top edges of the walls add a Velcro strip. This will give you the option of
securing your stick puppets to the walls during your show and free your hands to introduce
and move other characters.
Glove Puppets
Glove puppets are a great way to tell a story or rhyme. Inexpensive cotton garden gloves
work well. Create the main characters or objects with felt, pom-poms, or clip art and use
Velcro to attach the pieces to the glove’s fingers. Rhymes and stories with five characters or
objects are ideal, but greater numbers can be accommodated if you attach more than one
item to each finger of the glove. If the story has a constant, such as the bed in the Five Little
Monkeys rhyme (126), you can attach that piece to the center of the glove.
Storycards
Storycards are a nice alternative to a traditional book and are easy to make. They are ideal
to use when you have a large audience because they allow you to show the pictures to the
crowd while reading the story text pasted on the backs of the cards. If you have a scanner,
you can make storycards by scanning each page of the book and printing it. Mount each
picture onto construction paper and glue the text for that page onto the back of the card.
Don’t forget to number the cards so they don’t get out of order! Laminate the cards or seal
them with contact paper so they will last for many storytimes. If you do not have a scanner
but have two copies of a book, carefully cut the book apart and glue the pages to construc-
tion paper. Withdrawn books are a great source for storycard materials! Remember, when
using storycards, do not edit the book and make sure to cite the title and author.
Making Flannelboards, Stick Puppets, and More 127
Read-Alongs
A wonderful way to involve your audience in storytime is with a read-along. Pass out a
copy of the book you are reading to each participant so that all can follow along while you
read. This works really well if you read from an oversized book that has simple text.
Costumed Stories
Have fun telling your stories and show your multiple personalities. When a new character
is introduced, put on a headband or other identifying item. Each time that character speaks,
make sure to put on the item. Animal stories and rhymes are easy to do this with because
there are inexpensive, premade animal headbands for purchase. You could also invite audi-
ence members to participate by wearing the costumes and playing the parts in the story.
Manipulatives for Storytime
Bubbles
Invest in a bubble gun; they are a great source of fun and will save you from trying to blow
bubbles manually for an entire song. Pop on a bath or summer fun song and blow bubbles
around the area while encouraging the children to clap and stomp them.
Rhythm Sticks
Rhythm sticks can be made by cutting wooden dowels and sanding the rough edges. They
really help you keep the beat while the group marches around, they make excellent spider
legs during rhymes, and they can be drummed to demonstrate the different sounds made
by things in the room.
Scarves
Scarves are inexpensive to buy. Purchase them in a rainbow of colors. They make great
kites, wonderful dancing partners, and appealing props for playing peek-a-boo.
Shakers
Shakers can be made using old plastic eggs filled with beans or rice and sealed with tape.
They are fantastic background instruments for any rockin’ song.
Streamers
Streamers can be made with crepe paper, old plastic bags, wrapping paper, or wide ribbon
cut into strips. Streamers are fun to dance with, can be used with rhymes to represent wind,
and make great ticklers.
Index of Titles
and First Lines
Note: Titles of books are in italics.
First lines are in quotation marks.
A Autumn Leaves, 91
“Autumn leaves are falling down,” 91
A is for . . . ? (Horenstein), 59
“A little frog in a pond am I,” 21
B
“A small bubble,” 40
“A yellow leaf,” 32 “B, B, I like the letter B,” 51
ABC Clapping Game, 51 “Baby, baby, give me your hand, please do,” 67
Acorn, 29 Baby Bear’s Books (Yolen), 109
Ahoy! 101 Baby Song, 67
“Ahoy, mateys! Climb on board!” 101 Baby’s Favorite Toys Prop Story, 104
Airplane, 115 Back to School, 106
“Airplane, airplane,” 115 Bake You a Pie (Olson-Brown and Claflin), 36
Airplanes (Barton), 119 Ball Flannelboard Game, 103
All Aboard the Dinotrain (Lund), 119 Barn Dance (Hutchins), 113
All about You, 7, 111 Barn Owl, 15
All through Bath Time, 39 Barnyard Dance (Boynton), 113
All through the Summer, 46, 91 Basketball, 101
Alligator, Alligator, 24 Bath, 39
“Alligator, alligator, swim around,” 24 Bath-Time Fun, 39
Alphabet, Alphabet, 51 Bats Are Flying, 21, 82
“Alphabet, alphabet, turn around,” 51 “Bats are flying, bats are flying,” 21
Alphabet Game, 51–52 Be a Tree, 89
Am I Ready to Go? Flannelboard, 12 Beach Party (Ziefert), 95
“An acorn rolled down and down,” 29 Bear Rhyme, 21
Animal Opposites Flannelboard, 26, 56–57 Bedtime Tickle Bug, 40
Animal Walk, 21 Bee Dance, 45, 113
The Animals at the Zoo, 24 “Before I go to bed each night,” 40
The Animals in the Circus, 16 Belinda the Ballerina (Young), 113
Ant Picnic Flannelboard, 48 “Bend and stretch, reach for the stars,” 93
Ants at the Picnic (Dahl), 77 Benny’s Pennies (Brisson), 55
Apples, Apples, Apples (Wallace), 95 Best of All, 13
“Arms in sleeves, shirt over head,” 11 Big Bad Wolf Game, 65
Around the World, 28–29 Big Pumpkin (Silverman), 87
“At night I see the twinkling stars,” 93 The Biggest Snowman Ever (Kroll), 95
“At school I learn to read and write . . . ,” 97 Black? White! Day? Night! (Seeger), 59
At the Construction Site, 115 A Blanket for the Princess Flannelboard Story,
At the Zoo (Florian), 27 53, 62–63
An Australian Creation Story Flannelboard, Blue Sea (Kalan), 20
30–31 Blue Sea Flannelboard, 20, 58
129
130 Index of Titles and First Lines
Book! Book! Book! (Bruss), 109 Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies Flannelboard
Breakfast, 37, 72 Story, 35
The Bridge Is Up! (Bell), 119 Crazy Food, 72, 111
“Brush, brush, brush your hair,” 7 Crowns Everywhere, 61
Bubble Bath Pirates (Krosoczka), 44 Custard the Dragon and the Wicked Knight (Nash),
Bubbles, 39 66
Bubbles, Bubbles, 39
“BUBBLES, BUBBLES all around,” 39 D
“Bubbles, bubbles everywhere,” 39
Dad and Me in the Morning (Lakin), 36
“Bug in the rug, bug in the rug,” 48
D-A-D-D-Y, 68, 80
Buggy Guessing Game, 48
Daddy Song, 68, 80
Bugs in the Rug Flannelboard, 48
Days of the Week, 53
Building Rhyme, 54
Dear Zoo (Campbell), 27
Bumpin’ Up and Down in My Yellow School
“Did you ever eat a hippo?” 25
Bus, 107, 119
Did You Ever Eat . . . ? Flannelboard, 25, 77
“Bunny with a . . . basket,” 80
Dig Dig Digging (Mayo), 119
Bunny with a Basket Flannelboard Matching
Dinorella (Edwards), 66
Game, 80
Do We Touch It? Activity, 38
The Bus for Us (Bloom), 108
“Do you have a red feather, a red feather, a red
The Bus for Us Flannelboard, 108, 119
feather?” 16
Buster (Fleming), 27
“Do you know Martin Luther King? . . . ,” 84
“But if you have a . . . star,” 94
Dog’s Colorful Day (Dodds), 19
Dog’s Colorful Day Flannelboard, 19, 40
C Dolphin Song, 19
Caillou: A Visit to the Doctor (Sanschagrin), 100 “DOLPHINS leaping in the sea,” 19
Call the Puppy, 17 Down by the Station (Hillenbrand), 27
Can You Say Peace? (Katz), 36 “Down comes the rain,” 89
Castle Capers, 60, 111 Dragon, Dragon, 60
Cat’s Colors (Cabrera), 59 “Dragon, dragon, swoop and sway,” 60
Cereal for Breakfast, 37, 72 Dragon Pizzeria (Morgan), 66
Choo Choo Clickety-Clack! (Mayo), 119 “Draw a circle,” 58
“Choo-choo, choo-choo, riding on the train,” 114 Drawing, 57, 104
Choo-Choo Rhyme, 114 “Dressed in green the leprechauns scurry
Chores, 38 through the fields,” 85
Christmas Tree, 79 Dribble, Dribble, Basketball, 101
Cinderella Speaks, 60 “Drive, drive, drive the car,” 115
Cinderella’s Rat File Folder Story, 64–65 Drive the Car, 115
Circus Animals, 16
Clara Ann Cookie, Go to Bed! (Ziefert), 44 E
Cleanup Song, 38
The Eensy-Weensy Spider (Hoberman), 50
Clock Stretch, 52
The Elephant Hokey-Pokey, 25
Close Hands, Open Hands, 29
Every Morning, 37
Color Balloons Flannelboard, 102
“Every morning I jump out of bed,” 37
A Color of His Own (Lionni), 14
Excuse Me (Katz), 71
Color Song, 53
The Colors of Us (Katz), 36
“Come and make a WISH for me,” 61
F
Cookie’s Week (Ward), 59 Families Are Different (Pellegrini), 71
Counting Cheer, 54 Family, 67
Cowboy Kid (Eilenberg), 105 The Family, 67
Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies (Taylor), 35 The Family in the Dell, 68
Fancy Me, 11, 104 Five Little Kites Flannelboard, 90, 102
Fancy Nancy (O’Connor), 105 Five Little Ladybugs Flannelboard, 46, 90
Farmer Will (Cowen-Fletcher), 105 “Five little ladybugs on our front door,” 46
Farmer’s Riding on the Tractor, 115 Five Little Monkeys Flannelboard, 26, 41
Father’s Day (Rockwell), 87 “Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,” 41
Feast for Ten (Falwell), 71 Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree (Christelow), 27
Festival of Lights, 82 Five Little Monkeys with Nothing to Do
Field Trip, 106 (Christelow), 43
The Firefighter, 96 Five Little Pumpkins (Van Rynbach), 87
Firefly, 45, 91 Five Little Snakes Flannelboard, 25
Firefly, Firefly, 32, 49, 91 Five Little Snowmen Flannelboard, 88–89
“Firefly, firefly, light your light,” 45 “Five little snowmen on a Saturday night,” 88
“Firefly, firefly, yellow and bright,” 32 Five Little Stars and the Moon Too
Fireman Small (Yee), 100 Flannelboard, 43, 94
Fireworks, 81 “Five little stars shine and shine some more,” 94
“Fireworks, fireworks, green and blue,” 81 “Five little trucks drove out one day,” 116
Five Big Boats Flannelboard, 116 Five Little Trucks Flannelboard, 116
“Five big boats sailing from the shore,” 116 Five Little Valentines Flannelboard, 86
Five Friends Flannelboard, 69, 104 “Five little valentines were having a race,” 86
Five Green Peas, 72 “Five loose teeth and not one more,” 9
“Five green peas in a pea pod pressed,” 72 Five Loose Teeth Flannelboard, 9
Five Hot-Air Balloons Flannelboard, 116 “Five rubber ducks came out to play,” 39
“Five hot-air balloons, up they soar,” 116 Five Rubber Ducks Flannelboard, 39
Five Little Apples Flannelboard, 73, 92 “Five shiny rocket ships exploring outer space,”
“Five little apples lying on the floor,” 73 117
Five Little Baseballs Flannelboard, 91, 102 Five Tiny Fairies Flannelboard, 62
“Five little baseballs, look at them soar!” 102 “Five valentine cards outside my door,” 86
Five Little Camels Flannelboard, 25 Five Valentines, 86
“Five little camels letting out a snore,” 25 Flowers Growing, 90
Five Little Candy Canes Flannelboard, 79 “Flowers growing in our yard, growing,
“Five little candy canes on my Christmas tree,” growing,” 90
79 Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly, 46, 90
“Five little caterpillars and not one more,” 47 A Fly Is on My Toe, 46
Five Little Caterpillars/Five Little Butterflies Found a Tractor, 116
Flannelboard, 47, 90 Four Candy Hearts Flannelboard, 87
“Five little cookies in the bakery shop,” 74 Four Friends Together (Heap), 71
Five Little Cookies in the Bakery Shop Four Little Stars, 93
Flannelboard, 74 Four Little Stars Flannelboard, 40
Five Little Dragons Flannelboard, 62 “Four little stars winking at me,” 40, 93
“Five little dragons with great big scales,” 62 Four Snowflakes Flannelboard, 89
Five Little Easter Eggs Flannelboard, 80 “Four stone walls on my castle tall,” 60
“Five little Easter eggs hidden by the door,” 80 Fourth of July, 81
Five Little Fire Trucks, 100, 115 Fourth of July Mice! (Roberts), 87
“Five little fire trucks at the fire station,” 115 Freight Train (Crews), 119
Five Little Fireflies Flannelboard, 47, 91 Friendship Sign Song, 34, 69
“Five little fireflies shining in the twilight,” 47
From Head to Toe (Carle), 14
Five Little Fish Flannelboard, 20
Fuzzy-Wuzzy Caterpillar, 45, 90
Five Little Geese Flannelboard, 15, 92
Five Little Ghosts Flannelboard, 82
“Five little ghosts out on Halloween night,” 82
G
Five Little Jelly Beans Flannelboard, 74 Gabriella’s Song (Fleming), 113
“Five little jelly beans rolling on the floor,” 74 Galaxy Bend and Stretch, 93, 111
Garbage Collector Song, 96 Here Is My Book, 106

Garbage Collectors (Bourgeois), 100 Here We Go, 55
Getting Dressed, 11 “Here we go—up, up, up,” 55
Getting Dressed from Head to Toe “Here’s the sign for YOU,” 34
Flannelboard, 12, 89 Hi-Ho-Librario, 107
Giant Pencils Activity, 52 Horns to Toes and In Between (Boynton), 14
Giraffes Can’t Dance (Andreae), 113 How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? (Yolen), 44
Giving Presents, 79 How Does It Taste? Activity, 10
“Giving presents, giving presents,” 79 How Much Is That Piggy? 16
Going to Bed, 40 “How much is that piggy in the pigsty?” 16
Going to School, 107 How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
“Going to school is so great,” 107 (Priceman), 36
Going to the Dentist (Bailey), 100 Hurry-Scurry Little Spider, 45
Going to the Doctor, 96
Going to the Doctor (Civardi), 100 I
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Marshall), 2, 66
“I am a bear and I like honey,” 21
Gone Fishing, 19, 104
“I am a clock,” 52
Good Morning Song, 37
“I am a grocer at the food store,” 97
“GOOD MORNING to you,” 37
I Am a Grocer Flannelboard, 77, 97
Good Night, Princess Pruney Toes (McCourt), 66
“I am a wolf, hungry and thin,” 65
Got to Dance (Helldorfer), 113
“I am . . . , as you can see,” 58
Grandma Rabbitty’s Visit (Smith), 117
“I am big,” 58
Grandma Rabbitty’s Visit Flannelboard, 117
“I am the king of running,” 60
Grasshopper Hop, 45
“I brought my magic wand to the library
Growing Flower Pop-Up Puppet, 90
today,” 61
Growing Vegetable Soup (Ehlert), 77
I Can, 104, 111
“I can run, run, run,” 111
H “I had a candy heart that said ‘I love you,’” 87
Hair, 7 “I had a little poodle,” 17
Happy New Year, 85 “I have a nice soft teddy bear,” 29
Hat, 13, 31 “I have a very special friend,” 84
“Having an empty piggy bank is not much fun,” “I have headlights and a steering wheel,” 114
54 “I have six sticky feet and wings,” 48
Hearing and Smelling Activity, 10 “I have two HANDS,” 34
Hearts and Flowers, 86 I Like Books, 106
“Hearts and flowers, hearts and flowers,” 86 “I like books, I really do,” 106
Helicopter, 114 “I like breakfast,” 72
“HELICOPTER going up,” 114 “I like my mom,” 13
“Hello eyes! Hello toes!” 110 I Like Snowflakes, 88
“Hello, friends, hello, friends,” 110 “I like to draw, draw, draw teeny little
Hello/Good-bye, Friends, 110 pictures,” 57
“Hello, hello, all my friends,” 111 I Like to Eat, 73
Hello, Mrs. Monday, 31, 53 “I like to eat, eat, eat lots of yummy APPLES,”
Hello, My Friends, 110 73
“HELLO, my friends, and HOW ARE YOU?” “I like to jump,” 101
110 I Love Bugs! (Sturges), 50
Hello, You! 8, 110 I Love School! (Sturges), 109
Helping, 69 “I love the beat, beat, beat,” 101
“Helping, helping,” 69 “I love the seasons for so many reasons,” 92
Henry and Amy (King), 71 “I love to feel the sand between my toes,” 90
“Here goes the turtle up a hill,” 21 I Love You More Than . . . Flannelboard, 26
“I love you more than one bird,” 26 The Itsy Bitsy Spider (Siomades), 49
“I met a barn owl,” 15 The Itsy Bitsy Spider (Trapani), 50
I Saw a Butterfly, 46, 90 “I’ve got a crown on my head, on my head,” 61
“I saw a little fairy dancing in the sun,” 62 “I’ve got my pants on my arms and my socks on
I Took My Frog to the Library (Kimmel), 109 my head,” 12
“I took my kite to the park,” 104 I’ve Lost My Sock Flannelboard, 11
“I want to see her dance,” 36 “I’ve lost my sock! I’ve lost my sock!” 11
I Went to See My Friend Call-and-Response
Chant, 68–69 J
I Went to the Dentist, 8, 100
“I went to the dentist and this is what she said,” Jack-in-the-Box, 101
8 Jamberry (Degen), 77
I Went to the Pet Store, 17 Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato (dePaola), 87
I Went Up on the Hill, 32 “January, February, March, April, May,” 52
“I wiggle my belly,” 45 “Jill’s mother always cut her sandwiches into
I Wiggle My Fingers, 7, 111 fancy shapes,” 76
“I wish I could be,” 79 John, Paul, George and Ben (Smith), 87
Ice Cream Shop Flannelboard, 74 The Journey Home from Grandpa’s (Lumley), 119
“If I were a kangaroo baby,” 24 Just Going to the Dentist (Mayer), 100
“If we want to ask for something, we say
PLEASE,” 70 K
If You Give a Moose a Cookie (Numeroff), 77 Kangaroo Baby, 24
If You Give a Moose a Muffin (Numeroff), 75, 77 “Kick, kick, kick the ball,” 102
If You Give a Moose a Muffin Flannelboard, 24, 75 Kids around the World Wake Up, 28, 37
“If you jump up and down and you make a silly King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub (Wood), 44, 66
sound,” 112 Kipper’s A to Z (Inkpen), 59
If You Take a Mouse to School (Numeroff), 109 The Kiss That Missed (Melling), 66
“I’m a big tall giraffe stretching way up high,” 24 Kisses for Mommy, 32, 84
I’m a Friendly Snowman, 88 The Kissing Hand (Penn), 109
“I’m a friendly snowman big and fat,” 88 Kite Song, 29–30, 104
I’m a Giraffe, 24 “Kites are rising in the sky,” 29
I’m a Little Ladybug, 46, 90 Knuffle Bunny (Willems), 105
I’m Glad I’m Me, 13
“I’m going to wear . . . today, when I go outside
to play,” 13
L
“I’m having a birthday party,” 78 The Leaf, 29
In My Garden, 72, 90 Leaf Man (Ehlert), 92, 95
“In my garden I can see,” 72 Leaves Are Falling, 91
In My Mirror, 7 “Leaves are falling, leaves are falling,” 91
“In my mirror I can see,” 7 Leaves Flannelboard, 32, 92
In My Neighborhood, 96–97 Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! (Wallace), 95
“In the beginning there was darkness,” 30 “Let’s all go to the circus, let’s all go to the
In the Car, 114 circus,” 16
In the Spring, 90 “Let’s all go to the ice cream shop,” 74
“In the spring, the sun does shine . . . ,” 90 Let’s Fly a Kite Streamer Game, 30, 90, 104
In the Tall, Tall Grass (Fleming), 27, 50 Let’s Play Outside, 101
In the Woods Flannelboard, 22 Let’s Write a Rhyme Activity, 28
“In the woods, I can see, so many animals Letters Are Hiding Game, 51
looking at me!” 22 “Letters are hiding, hiding from me,” 51
“It was springtime, and the birds were all Library Lil (Williams), 109
getting ready to fly north to New York Library Storytime, 106
City,” 33 “Lift your arms way up high,” 111
Light the Candles, 83 Mom’s Kitchen in Contrast Flannelboard, 56

“Light the candles, light the candles,” 83 “Monday is my apple day,” 74
“Light the lights,” 82 “Mondays I wiggle,” 53
“Lily, lily, golden bell,” 30 Months, 52
Lion Hide-and-Seek Flannelboard, 26 Moody Days, 13
A Little Ball Flannelboard, 103 Moon, 33, 43
Little Bear’s Little Boat (Bunting), 59 “Moon, little charming moon,” 33
Little Bear’s Valentine (Minarik), 87 Moongame Flannelboard, 24, 95
Little Elephant, 26, 30 Moses Goes to the Circus (Millman), 36
“Little elephant, little elephant,” 30 Mother, Mother, I Want Another (Polushkin), 24,
The Little Engine That Could (Piper), 105 41
Little Frog, 21 Mother, Mother, I Want Another Flannelboard, 24,
Little Monkey Says Good Night (Paul), 27 41
Little Poodle, 17 Mother’s Day, 68, 84
The Little Red Hen (Barton), 66 Mother’s Day (Rockwell), 87
“Little Tom Turkey, come home, come home,” 86 “Mother’s Day is a special day for Mom,” 84
Look Out into Space Flannelboard, 94 “Mr. Mailman has to sort the mail,” 99
“Lucy Lion was looking for her cub,” 26 Mrs. Mark’s Favorite Color File Folder Story, 54
Lullaby, 40 My Birthday, 78
“Lullaby and good night,” 40 My Birthday Party, 78
Lunch (Fleming), 77 My Castle, 60
“My cat had a cold,” 97
M “My dad’s the greatest dad in the world,” 80
My Dump Truck Fred Flannelboard Story, 117
Maisy Goes to the Library (Cousins), 109
My Eyes, 9
Maisy Goes to the Playground (Cousins), 77
“My eyes can look left,” 9
Maisy Plays (Cousins), 105
My Fingers Can, 8, 111
Maisy Takes a Bath (Cousins), 43
Maisy’s Pool (Cousins), 95 “My fingers can wiggle,” 111
Maisy’s Snowy Christmas Eve (Cousins), 87 “My friend is angry, angry at me,” 70
Make a Wish, 61 My Friend Is Angry at Me, 70
Making a Sandwich, 73 My Granny Went to Market (Blackstone), 36
Manners Song, 70 My House Has Stars (McDonald), 36
Map Activity, 28 My Magic Wand, 61, 111
Marching Band, 81 “My mommy plays with me . . . ,” 84
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 84 “My name is Cinderella,” 60
Matching Hearts Magnetboard, 87 My Teacher, 97, 109
“Maxwell the fisherman floats on the sea,” 19 My Teacher Can Teach Anyone! (Nikola-Lisa), 100
Meet the Tooth Fairy, 9
“Milo is trying to decide what he wants to be N
when he grows up,” 98 “No one looks the way I do,” 13
Milo’s Hats Flannelboard, 98 “No school today,” 88
Miss Spider’s Tea Party (Kirk), 50 Nocturnal Animals, 21
The Missing Tarts (Hennessy), 66 “Nocturnal animals, they come out at night,” 21
Mister Seahorse (Carle), 27 Noisy Nora (Wells), 71
Mitten Count Flannelboard, 89
“Now spring is here and soft winds blow,” 32
The Mixed-Up Chameleon (Carle), 14, 23
The Mixed-Up Chameleon Flannelboard, 23
M-O-M-M-Y, 68, 84
O
Mommy, All through the Year, 68, 84 O-C-E-A-N, 90
Mommy, Carry Me Please! (Cabrera), 27, 71 Octopus, Octopus, 19
Mommy Is Coming, 29 “Octopus, octopus, turn around,” 19
“Oh do you know the pizza man,” 73 Picking Fruits and Vegetables Flannelboard, 53,
Old MacDonald’s Cleaning Cart, 38 74–75
Olivia and the Missing Toy (Falconer), 105 Pickle and the Ball (Breeze), 105
“On a cold winter’s day, to avoid a sore throat,” Pig, Horse, or Cow, Don’t Wake Me Now (Alda), 43
12 Pilgrims, 85
“On a very, very soft piece of material,” 32 Pizza Man, 73
“On a windy day, way up in the sky,” 102 Pizza Pie Flannelboard, 75
“On every Halloween,” 82 “Pizza, pizza! I love to eat it while it’s hot,” 75
“On excited days I jump up and down,” 13 Plaidypus Lost (Stevens and Crummel), 105
“On other nights we go to bed at eight,” 84 Planets Song, 93
“On our menorah, we have candles eight,” 82 “Please tell me your name,” 111
On the Pond, 22 Police Officers (Bourgeois), 100
On the Town (Caseley), 100 Pony Ride, 16
“Once upon a time there was a lady named Mrs. Pop Up, Little Groundhog, 81
Mark,” 54 “Popcorn, popcorn,” 72
“Once upon a time, there were three billy Pumpkin Pie Flannelboard, 77, 86
goats,” 63 “. . . pumpkin pies on the bakery shelf,” 86
“One happy pilgrim preparing for Thanksgiving Puppy Dog, Puppy Dog, 17
Day,” 85 “Puppy dog, puppy dog, wag your tail,” 17
“One little fish all alone in the ocean blue,” 20 Puppy Time, 18
“One little girl alone with nothing to do,” 69 “Puppy time, puppy time, we love puppy
“One little goose heading south for the winter, time!” 18
in a sky of blue,” 15 “Put a wiggle in your head,” 111
“One little kite in the sky so blue,” 102
“One little snake looking for something to do,” R
25
“One little snowflake falls on a shoe,” 89 Rainbow Flannelboard, 53
“One little, two little, three little books,” 108 Reach and Wiggle, 8, 111
“One little, two little, three little planets,” 93 Ready for Bed Flannelboard, 42
“One little, two little, three little shamrocks,” 85 “RED and YELLOW,” 53
“One mitten, two mittens, three mittens, four,” Red Dragonflies, 29, 49
89 “Red dragonflies, red dragonflies,” 29
One More Bunny (Walton), 59 Red Light Game, 114
One Naked Baby (Smith), 59 “Red light, green light, stop and go,” 114
“One sweet princess trying to win her prince,” 61 The Reindeer-Pokey, 79
“One, two, three, build a building with me,” 54 “Riding, riding, in the car,” 114
“One, two, three, four—let me hear you scream Roaring Rockets (Mitton), 95, 119
for more,” 54 Rocket Ships Flannelboard, 117
“One, two, three, four, paper, paper,” 31 Roll, Roll, Roll the Ball, 101
Opposites, 55, 111 “Roll your hands so slowly,” 55
Opposites That I Know, 56 Rooster’s Feathers Flannelboard, 17, 53
“Our hands say THANK YOU with a clap clap
clap,” 110 S
Our Menorah, 82
Saint Paddy’s Day, 85
Over in the Garden (Ward), 50
Sand between My Toes Call-and-Response
Chant, 90
P Sand on My Head, 91
Peek-a-Moo (Cimarusti), 27 Sandwich Shapes Flannelboard Story, 58, 76
Pennies in My Piggy Bank Flannelboard, 54–55, Sandwiches, 72
68 “Sandwiches, sandwiches, my favorite treat,” 72
The People in the School, 100, 107 The School Bus Went Down the Road, 107
The Seals on the Bus (Hort), 109 Staying Up Till Midnight, 84

Seasons, 92 Stone Soup (Brown), 77
Seasons Game, 92, 104 Stormy’s Hat (Kimmel), 100
“See, see, see the trees,” 89 Story Hour, 106
“See the stars up in the sky,” 40 Storytime Hello and Good-bye Song, 111
Seven Candles on the Kinara, 83 Sun Mother Wakes the World (Wolkstein), 30
“Seven little candles shining on our kinara Sweet Dreams, 40
bright,” 83 Sweet Potatoes Growing, 77, 90
Shamrock Song, 85 “Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, in the ground,”
Shape Game Flannelboard, 58 90
Shapes Drawing, 58
Shapes Touch Bag Activity, 11, 59 T
She Dances Alone, 36, 113
Shhhhh! Everybody’s Sleeping (Markes), 98 Take Me Out to the Ocean, 20
Shhhhh! Everybody’s Sleeping Flannelboard, 43, 98 Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things That
Sign Me Hello, 34 Make Me Happy (Menchin), 14
Signing, 35 Tall as a Tree, 56
“SIGNING, SIGNING,” 35 “Teacher says we are going somewhere special
Silly Sally (Wood), 103 today,” 106
Silly Sally Flannelboard, 103 Teddy Bear, 29, 104
Sizes Flannelboard, 58, 68 Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, 102
“Skating, skating, out on the ice so cold,” 102 Teeth, 8, 100
Skating Song, 89, 102 Telling Time with Big Mama Cat (Harper), 59
Skip to My Lou (Westcott), 113 Ten Dogs in the Window Flannelboard, 18
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep (Van Laan), 36 “Ten dogs in the window for the whole wide
Slowly, Slowly, 21, 57 world to see,” 18
“Slowly, slowly, very slowly,” 21 Ten Little Books Flannelboard, 108
Snog the Frog (Bonning), 66 Thank You Rhyme, 71, 110
Snow Day, 88 That’s a Dance, 112
Snow, Snow, 88 “The ants came to the park today,” 48
“Snow, snow, falling from the sky,” 88 “The author writes a book, the author writes a
Snowballs (Ehlert), 95 book,” 107
Snowmen at Night (Buehner), 95 “The bees on the flowers go buzz buzz buzz,” 46
Snug in Mama’s Arms (Medearis), 36 “The bubbles in the tub go,” 39
So Many Stars Flannelboard, 40 “The country of Italy is shaped like a boot,” 28
Soccer Song, 102 “The ducks on the pond go quack quack
Some Days, 13 quack,” 22
“Some days I’m happy,” 13 “The firefighter wears a big yellow coat,” 96
“Some days my mom’s dishes are very dirty, “The hook on the crane goes up and down,” 115
with plates piled to the sky,” 56 “The king and queen had just had a beautiful
Some Families, 67 baby girl,” 62
“Some families have a mommy,” 67 “The leaf, the leaf,” 29
Someone Special, 19, 67 “The lion in the circus goes roar roar roar,” 16
Sometimes I’m Bombaloo (Vail), 14 “The lions at the zoo go roar roar roar,” 24
Song and Dance Man (Ackerman), 113 “The marching band and the music man,” 81
Sorting the Mail Game, 99 “The people in my neighborhood help me out .
Splash! Crash! Flash! 89 . . ,” 96
Spot Goes to the Park (Hill), 77 “The school bus went down the road,” 107
Spot Visits His Grandparents (Hill), 71 “The sisters in the family go ha-ha-ha,” 67
Spot’s First Easter (Hill), 87 “The teacher in the school says, ‘Time to learn,’”
Spring Has Come, 32, 90 107
Springtime Outing, 30, 90 “The world is like a RAINBOW,” 83
“There are lots of chores around the house . . . ,” Two Bad Ants (Van Allsburg), 50
38 Two Hands Signing, 34
“There are seven days of the week,” 53 Two Little Cats, 18
“There is a man we celebrate,” 80 “Two little cats sitting on my windowsill,” 18
“There is a place we like to swim,” 90 Two Little Friends, 69, 104
There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star “Two little friends are better than one,” 69
(Harper), 94 “Two little houses all closed up tight,” 106
There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star
Flannelboard, 94, 104 V
“There’s a mother,” 67
“There’s sand on my head, on my head,” 91 Vehicle Guessing Game, 114–115
“There’s someone special in my family,” 67 The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Carle), 77
“This is the way to fill the bath . . . ,” 39 The Very Lazy Ladybug (Finn), 50
This Is the Way We Get to School, 108 The Very Lonely Firefly (Carle), 50
This Is the Way We Go to the Library, 108 Veterinarian Song, 19, 97
“This is the way we pour the cereal,” 72
“This is the way we smash the peanuts . . . ,” 73 W
“This little child is going to bed,” 40
Waiting for Wings (Ehlert), 50
This Little Doggie Flannelboard, 18
Wake Up, 37
“This little doggie ran away to play,” 18
“WAKE UP, WAKE UP, it’s morning,” 37
The Three Bears (Barton), 2
Wake-Up Kisses (Edwards), 43
Three Billy Goats Gruff Flannelboard, 63–64
“Wash your hair and wash your face,” 39
Three Bubbles Flannelboard, 40
Wave Good-bye, 110
Three Little Kittens, 18, 40
Wave the Flag, 81
“Three little kittens going for a stroll,” 18
“Wave the flag on the Fourth of July,” 81
Three Little Puppies, 18
Way Up High in the Maple Tree, 24, 91
“Three little puppies looking fresh and new,” 18
“We had so much fun at the library today,” 110
“Tickle bug, tickle bug,” 40
Wee Willie Winkie, 42
Time for Bed (Fox), 43
“We’re doing the grasshopper hop!” 45
Time to Sleep (Fleming), 23
Time to Sleep Flannelboard, 23 “We’re going to the doctor,” 96
To Win a Prince, 61 We’re Going to the Library, 107
Toby’s Rainbow (Szekeres), 14 “We’re picking up the trash,” 96
Today I Feel Silly (Curtis), 14 We’ve All Got Bellybuttons (Martin), 14
“Today is my birthday,” 78 What Grows, 90
Tom and Pippo Make a Mess (Oxenbury), 44 What Is It? 101
Tom Turkey, 86 What Is Your Name? 111
Too Close Friends (Roddie), 71 “What shape has two sides that are short and
Touchy-Feely Bag Activity, 10 two sides that are long?” 58
“Toys are scattered everywhere,” 38 What Shapes Make Me? Flannelboard, 58
Traction Man (Grey), 105 What Sound Does It Make? Flannelboard, 9–10
Trick or Treat, 82 When Do I Wear It? Flannelboard, 13
“Trot, trot, trot,” 16 “When fireworks light up the night sky,” 81
Truck (Crews), 119 “When French kids wake up in the morning,
Truman’s Aunt Farm (Rattigan), 71 they always say good day,” 28
Try Your Hand at This (MacMillan), 6 “When I am going to storytime,” 106
The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book “When I get dressed up to go on the town,” 11
(Ernst), 59 “When the sun lights up the sky,” 106
Turtle, Turtle, 22 When Uncle Took the Fiddle (Gray), 113
“Turtle, turtle, off you go,” 22 When You Are Happy (Spinelli), 14
Turtle’s Flight Flannelboard Story, 33 “Which two hearts are the same,” 87
Twinkling Stars, 43, 93 Wiggle Week, 53
Wiggles, 8, 111 “You probably know the story of Cinderella,” 64

Wild about Books (Sierra), 109 “You put your antlers in,” 79
“With my ears, I can hear,” 9 “You put your trunk in,” 25
“With my eyes, I can see,” 53 “You say stop,” 56
The World Is Like a Rainbow, 83
Z
Y Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (Moss), 113
“You gotta brush, brush, brush your teeth each Zoom! 115
day,” 8 Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off to the Moon!
“You have two arms, they are for waving,” 7 (Yaccarino), 95, 119
Index of Craft Ideas
Admission Ticket Craft, 112 Magic Wand Craft, 66

Make a Doctor’s Kit Craft, 99
Badge Craft, 99–100 Make a Pizza Craft, 76
Bake Me a Cupcake Craft, 76 Microphone Craft, 112
Birthday Crown Craft, 78 My Book Craft, 109
Bulletin Board Border Crowns, 65 My Number Book Craft, 55
My Texture Book Craft, 11
Celebration Streamer Craft, 80
Cupcake-Liner Snowman Craft, 89 Name Craft, 52
Dancing Shoes Craft, 113 Outer Space Craft, 119

Daytime/Nighttime House Picture, 57
Design Your Own Pajamas Craft, 13, 43 Paper Plate Tooth Faces Craft, 9
Paper-Bag Butterfly Wings Craft, 49, 90
Eensy-Weensy Spider Rainspout Craft, 49 Pea Pod Craft, 77
Egg-Carton Caterpillar Craft, 49, 90 Porcupine Craft, 24
Family Portraits Craft, 68 Sand Art, 91

Funny Face Picture Craft, 8 School Bus Craft, 109, 119
Season Wheel Craft, 93
Granny and the Wolf Puppet Craft, 65 Shamrock Craft, 85
Groundhog Pop-Up Puppet Craft, 81 Shape House Craft, 59
Shapes Masterpiece Craft, 59
Handprint Craft, 70 Show Off Your Talent Craft, 112
Helicopter Craft, 118 Star Mobile Craft, 43
Hug Card Craft, 70–71
Toy Box Craft, 104
I LOVE YOU Sign-Language Stick-Puppet Craft, Tractor Craft, 118
35 Train Craft, 118
In My Mirror Craft, 8
Wee Willie Winkie Bedtime Clock Craft, 42
Jellyfish Craft, 20 What Hat Should I Wear? Craft, 100
Worm Finger Puppet Craft, 24
Kite Craft, 90, 104
You’re Special Craft, 81
Leaf Man Craft, 92
Leaf Rubbing Craft, 92
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Storytime Magic

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Storytime Magic

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Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker

400 Fingerplays, Flannelboards, and Other Activities

Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker

American Library Association

Pattern illustrations are by Melanie Fitz.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter 1 Storytime Tips for Numbers 54

Chapter 13 People in My Chapter 16 Sing and Dance 110

Appendix A Further Resources for Storytime Planning 121

Flannelboard and craft patterns can be found on the book’s website,

Welcome to Storytime Magic, your treasure trove of fingerplays, flannelboards, action

Storytime Tips for

General Programming Tips

All Ages/Family Storytimes

A Note about Using Sign Language in Storytime

1 In My Mirror Now no more wiggles

6 Funny Face Picture Craft

7 I Went to the Dentist I went to my dentist and what do you

I went to my dentist and she said

9 Five Loose Teeth Flannelboard

10 Meet the Tooth Fairy

Invite a dental hygienist or dentist in your area to

11 Paper Plate Tooth Faces Craft

The helicopter flies without a stop,

14 How Does It Taste? Activity

15 Touchy-Feely Bag Activity

Create a touchy-feely bag with an

16 Hearing and Smelling Activity

17 My Texture Book Craft

See also Shapes Touch Bag Activity (180).

18 Fancy Me 20 I’ve Lost My Sock Flannelboard

19 Getting Dressed I’ve lost my sock! I’ve lost my sock!

21 Am I Ready to Go? Flannelboard

I’ve got my pants on my arms and my

22 Getting Dressed from Head to Toe Flannelboard

23 When Do I Wear It? Flannelboard

I’m going to wear my (item of clothing)

24 Moody Days 26 Best of All

On excited days I jump up and down, I like my mom

All About Me: Ten Great Books for Storytime

28 Barn Owl 29 Five Little Geese Flannelboard

30 The Animals in the Circus 31 Circus Animals

32 Pony Ride 33 How Much Is That Piggy?

34 Rooster’s Feathers Flannelboard

Do you have a red feather, a red

35 Call the Puppy I went to the pet store,

I went to the pet store I had a little poodle, (hold up fist)

39 Puppy Time 43 Ten Dogs in the Window Flannelboard

42 Two Little Cats

Two little cats sitting on my windowsill,

45 Dog’s Colorful Day Flannelboard

See also Someone Special (201) and Veterinarian Song (318).

46 Gone Fishing 48 Dolphin Song

Octopus, octopus, turn around.

49 Take Me Out to the Ocean 50 Five Little Fish Flannelboard

51 Blue Sea Flannelboard

53 Animal Walk 57 Nocturnal Animals

59 Turtle, Turtle 60 On the Pond

The frogs on the pond go ribbit ribbit

Chapter 1 Storytime Tips for Numbers 54

Chapter 13 People in My Chapter 16 Sing and Dance 110

39 Puppy Time 43 Ten Dogs in the Window Flannelboard

73 Did You Ever Eat . . . ? Flannelboard

103 I LOVE YOU Sign-Language Stick-

127 Mother, Mother I Want Another Flannelboard