Tag Archives: Flowers

C’mon, Spring, Start Springing! A Bug and Flower Storytime

4 Apr

It’s the time of year in the school schedule when we start celebrating all things spring: flowers, plants, bugs, rain and (oh please) SUNSHINE. Here’s my bug and flower storytime plan, heavy on the bugs.:

I have an awesome watering can puppet (will add a picture later) that I picked up at the Illinois Museum of Natural History several years ago. Your thumb is the spigot, and your fingers are green stems attached to a butterfly, ladybug, bee, and flower, respectively. I start with my fingers scrunched down in the watering can and ask the kids about it. Then I lift my fingers one by one and the kids identify each creature as it comes out.

  • Rosen, Michael. Tiny Little Fly. This is a new title, and the kids have enjoyed it. Tiny little fly flies from elephant to hippo

    Is it a bug? Is it a flower?

    to tiger, and each animal in turn winks his eye and tries to catch the fly. But fly is too tiny, and too fast! There’s a wonderful 4 page spread of all the animals (and fly).

  • Foley, Greg. Don’t Worry, Bear. Bear meets caterpillar as he’s making a cocoon. Once caterpillar is inside, Bear worries about him and so checks on him regularly in the rain, wind, night and snow. Each time caterpillar reassures him, saying “Don’t worry, bear.” This is a sweet story, and although the kids can predict the ending, it’s well-loved. Plus, being able to predict the ending of a story is a good feeling for a kid!
  • Flannelboard: 5 Spring Flowers
  • Carle, Eric. Very Quiet Cricket. This is my favorite of Carle’s bug books (next to the Very Hungry Caterpillar which I use in my Food-themed storytime), but it’s often difficult to find a copy in which the cricket’s noise is still working. Library books wear out. And the kids really love the surprise at the end, so I try to find one that makes the noise. This year I’m using a copy of The Very Clumsy Click Beetle because that’s the one I had that worked. I would also have accepted The Very Lonely Firefly.
  • Song “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”. We end with several rousing choruses of this, with me on ukulele (which means the kids have to promise to help, because I can’t do the hand movements and play at the same time, obviously). First, we sing the “normal” version. Then, a version of the “Great Big Spider” (in very deep voices) and the “Teeny Tiny Spider” (very quietly). We end with a rockin’ version, which is just the regular song but I attempt to play a more energetic and “rock and roll” version. I’ll let you judge for yourself if I succeed:

Other stories I might use:

Buzz Buzz! What are your favorite bug books?

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Flannel Friday! 5 Spring Flowers

25 Mar

I am ready for spring.  It’s happening here in fits and starts; I would appreciate a solid week of 60 or 70 degree weather SO MUCH.

To encourage spring to stay a while, I’ve started performing my bug/flower storytime. I will post that storytime in its entirety next week, but in the meantime, here’s the flannel. I can’t remember where I found the rhyme, but if I discover it again, I will post the source!:

Look what’s growing on my flannelboard!

We start by counting the flowers as I put them on the board, and then I ask about the colors. For the two-colored flowers, I ask about the color on the outside, and the color on the inside (yay for vocabulary building!). I ask the kids to show me 5 fingers, and we begin.

5 spring flowers, all in a row. [hold up 5 fingers]

The first one says [hold up 1 finger] “we need rain to grow” [use fingers to show rain]

The second one says [hold up 2 fingers] “oh yes, we need water” [nod head yes]

The third one says [hold up 3 fingers] “it’s getting hotter!” [fan face with hand]

The fourth one says [hold up 4 fingers] “I see clouds in the sky!” [point up]

The fifth one says [hold up 5 fingers] “I wonder why!” [shrug shoulders and hold up hands questioningly]

Boom! Crash!

Then…BOOM! went the thunder [add cloud to board] and CRASH! went the lightning [add lightning bolt]

That springtime storm was very frightening [hug self as if scared]

But the flowers weren’t worried, oh no, no, no! [shake head]

Because the rain helped them to grow, grow, grow! [raise arms as if growing]

The preschoolers always figure out the “grow” part without me having to tell them. We do the whole thing twice, and they help even more the second time.

Enjoy!

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