I don't do a theme every week, but the books I chose for this week all had to do with the concepts of Big and Little. Both sessions were exactly the same with the exception of one book.
Opening song: Hello song
Rhyme: This is big, big, big
This is big, big, big. (hold arms out wide)
This is small, small, small. (cup hands close together)
This is short, short, short. (hold hands close together, vertically)
This is tall, tall, tall. (spread hands apart vertically)
This is fast, fast, fast. (roll hands quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow. (roll hands slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes. (nod head yes)
This is no, no, no. (shake head no)
Rhyme: Flowers Tall and Small
Flowers tall, (hold up three middle fingers)
flowers small, (hold up pinky and thumb)
in the springtime sun. (make a circle over your head)
Blowing gently in the breeze, (wiggle fingers)
count them one by one.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5. (point to each finger as you count)
Song: Monkeys on the Bed
Song: If You'd Like to Read a Book
Book: Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
A monster with yellow eyes, squiggly hair, and a blue-ish greenish nose appears, one facial feature at a time. Then, we tell the monster to go away, and his scary features disappear in reverse order, leaving him bald, earless, and eventually faceless. I debated whether I would scare the kids with this book. I think only one child actually cried, in the first session - the others really seemed to like it.
Flannel Board Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Our version of this song ends with an elephant. We made trunks with our arms and attempted to imitate an elephant sound.
Flannel Board Rhyme: I Went to Visit the Farm One Day
I went to visit the farm one day.
I saw the [cow] across the way. (put cow on the flannel board)
And what do you think the [cow] did say?
[Moo, moo, moo.] (make a mooing sound)
(repeat with a variety of farm animals)
Rhyme with Paper Puppets: This Little Pig
I created five paper puppets using construction paper and clip art, and held them up as we said the rhyme. I expected the adults to be more familiar with the rhyme than they were. If we do it again in the future, I'll make sure to post up the words so the parents and nannies can say it along with me more easily.
Book: A Pig is Big by Douglas Florian
This book begins with a pig, and then continually questions what's bigger, until finally, we're looking at the whole universe. Some of the words are a little on the difficult side for little ones, but I emphasized the words they would know to help them figure out the overall idea of the story. They liked the early part of the book, which was about a pig, a cow, and a car, and seemed to lose interest as things got more abstract.
Song: There's a Little Wheel A-Turnin' in my Heart
Song: I'm a Little Teapot
Book: When Stella Was Very, Very Small by Marie-Louise Gay (session 1)
This book
shows us how the world looked to Stella when she was a baby, and how it looks different now that she is a big girl. I reviewed this book on my book blog, so I'd read it before, but I didn't really remember how poetic and abstract the text was until I was in the middle of the session. Some of the older kids liked it, but it wasn't as toddler-friendly as I thought.
The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton (session 2)
This brightly colored retelling of the well-known fairy tale has been a story time favorite here. The kids love hearing the animals say "Not I," and they really seem to gravitate toward the hen's three little chicks. And even though I chose it as a last-minute replacement, it still fit our theme!
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
Goodbye song: Skinnamarink
