Toddler Storytime: Trees and Fall

This morning we had a most excellent storytime. Parents were fully engaged and the toddlers ate up all the physical activity of the stories, games, and action rhymes. First we learned and practiced our 'Hello' song, followed by 'Open Shut them.'

Our first book was Christie Matheson's Tap the Magic Tree.

This was my favorite picture book published last year! Readers touch, rub, wiggle and blow at the book to help the tree change through the seasons. Instead of letting all the kids touch/rub/etc. the book at once, with each new page I would let just one child complete the action, moving around the semicircle of children as we progressed through the book, letting each one get a special turn. I think the anticipation helped maintain their focus. This book is a great read for most any new season and one I recommend often. A must-read for fans of Herve Tullet's Press Here book.

Then we did an action song:

Leaves are Falling (sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)
Leaves are falling, Leaves are falling  (wiggle fingers and drop hands from high to low)
To the ground, to the ground,  (hit the ground)
Look at all the colors, look at all the colors, (point to eyes and look around the room)
Red Yellow Brown, Red Yellow Brown (clap-clap-clap, clap-clap-clap)

Next we played a great game: Roll and Play, a superb $20 toy. I let each toddler roll or throw the plush cube and then I would name what color it landed on, draw a card of that same color and lead the group in the simple command on the card (eg, 'Wiggle your nose.')  Easy and fun: just what the toddlers want! Okay, it is awfully educational too.

Our second book was Andy Pritchett's Stick!

This title is a little bit of a stretch from the 'Trees' theme, but my philosophy is that the quality and potential engagement value of a book is more important than how well it fits the chosen theme.  My transition was something like "Trees give us many wonderful things. Our next book is about something dogs especially enjoy from trees." This book is one of few words (three or four, I think) but there is much to discuss. The kids voluntarily started naming the animals in the book and the noises they make, and the book's happy ending champions the value of friendship and play.

After we did Here is the Beehive, it was already time to go home. I offered a simple craft for people who had time to stay: make your own leaf rubbing! I cut the wrappers off big crayons, brought in some leaves, and the parents already knew what to do. (In case you've never done this, you just lay a sheet of thin paper over some leaves and rub the crayon over the paper. A leaf 'appears.')