Welcome to Winter! Drop-In Story Time, 1/8/13

After our two-week story time break, story time is back in full swing as of this morning. I'm doing things a bit differently in 2013. To keep myself better organized and to prevent myself from maintaining an endlessly growing hoard of story time books in the closet, I've started planning story times by theme. This week, all of my story times - both drop-ins, all three lap times, pajama story time and preschool story time - will have a Winter theme. I'll make good use of all my Winter books and props and then put them away and move onto the next theme. I'm also providing families with a handout for each theme with suggested songs and rhymes for sharing with their kids. (There is just one handout for the week, not one per session per week because that seemed nuts.)

  Welcome to Winter! Drop-In Story Time, 1/8/13

Click to download this week's handout. 

Book: Snow by Manya Stojic
Dialogue doesn't work with toddlers - at least not in this book. They were with me early on, but lost me as soon as the animals started speaking.

Song: Five Little Snowmen Riding on the Sled 
The kids love this song and have started to make the connection that the motions are the same as for Monkeys on the Bed. 

Book: Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone
I expected the group to like this one more, but the room got really restless really quickly so I didn't linger over the story too much. 

Song: A Hat Goes on My Head
This song works best when the kids do a little motion to go along with each article of clothing. 

Song: Bumpin’ Up and Down in My Little Blue Sled

Letter of the Day: S

• Flannel Board Song: Sarah’s Scarves (based on Daddy's Ties)
• Song with colored stars: Stars Shining Bright 
  This was once again a huge hit, even though they thought almost every color was yellow.
• Song: Shake My Sillies Out
• Flannel Board Story: Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
  This story often gets mixed results - today's reaction was applause!

Songs: ABCs /  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Song: Rum Sum Sum
A couple of the nannies cheered when I said we'd sing this next. We'll be hanging onto this song for a while, I think!

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It


I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.