3rd week of January Storytime
The Mitten: Week 3
Books:
The Mitten by Jim Aylesworth
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Mouse’s First Snow by Lauren Thompson
Cleo in the Snow by Stella Blackstone
Opening Activity: Stretch and wave
Sing: Welcome Song: If you are happy and you know it clap your hands!
Talk: We have been talking a lot about the story “The Mitten” in Storytime! Do you remember what happens? What animals come to get warm in the mitten? Does the boy find his mitten at the end of the story? I have another version of The Mitten. This book was written by a different author. (Hold up a past version of The Mitten that you read, for example, the book by Jan Brett.) What looks different on the covers? Do you think the boy still finds his mitten at the end of the story? Let’s find out!
Read: The Mitten by Jim Aylesworth
(Possible aside for parents: Children like to hear the same story over and over again. When you read a story that you have already read together, this is an opportunity to talk about the pictures, share new vocabulary words with your children. This helps them develop a deeper understanding of the story and the characters.)
Write: Write letter M on the white board. Does anyone know this letter? Draw a letter “m” on the white board. Does anyone know this letter? Do these letters look the same? What makes them look different?
Show them the three triangles that I cut out of paper. Do they know what shape this is? Can they draw a triangle in the air with their arm? Show them how they can put the three triangles together to make the letter M like a puzzle.
Credit: Super Charged Storytimes!
(Aside for parents: This was a letter review from last week. Showing children letters, and asking them how they are the same and different helps your child learn their letters and recognize them. If your child is too young to tell you, then just gently pointing out letters as you see them in books or in signs around your child’s life will help them learn that letters are something special.)
Sing: Snowflakes, Snowflakes
Snowflakes, snowflakes dance all around, (Have hands wiggle fingers and move up and down, and side to side)
Snowflakes, snowflakes touch the ground, (touch the ground with fingers)
Snowflakes, snowflakes in the air, (Fingers wiggling)
Snowflakes, snowflakes everywhere! (Stretch arms out with fingers wiggling)
(Possible Aside for parents: Singing is a fun way to bring up topics in ordinary life, like snowflakes coming down from the sky. As simple as this concept is, the more that children understand what happens in the world around them, the easier it will be for them to learn how to read about those things when it is written abstractly in a book.)
Credit: Preschool Education
Read: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Sing: Sing 5 Little Snowmen while holding up the puppets. Ask the kids to hold up 5 fingers as you sing the rhyme, and with each verse, one of their fingers becomes folded down.
5 Little Snowmen:
5 Little snowmen all in a row,
5 little snowmen all made of snow
Out popped the sun and it shown all day (bring the sun out)
One little snowmen melted away (take one snowman away)
Credit: Laptime Songs
Talk: What is your favorite thing to do outside? Do you like to play in the snow? Do you like to build a snowman? Do you like to go sledding? What color is your sled?
Read: Mouse’s First Snow by Lauren Thompson
(Possible Aside for parents: This is a fun book because it has fonts that visually explain what the words mean (show example “twirly, whirly”). When you find a book that has text written in fun ways like this, pointing it out to your child helps them realize that text has meaning and that those words represent something and they help you tell the story. Remember, reading is a new concept for them, and everything is new and exciting!)
Play: Find the lost snowball while asking, “Snowball, snowball cold and round! Behind which mitten can you be found?” Have kids close their eyes while I hid the snowball. They lift each mitten looking for it until they find it.
Credit: So Tomorrow Blog
Read: Cleo in the Snow by Stella Blackstone
Sing: End of Storytime Closing Song:
Tickle the Stars,
Tickle your toes,
Reach down over and tickle your nose,
Reach down low,
Reach way up high,
Storytime is over can you wave goodbye?
Credit: Laptime Songs