Garden Storytime--Toddlers

A few weeks ago, when a "warm" day consisted of a high of 45 degrees, I decided that it was spring, dangit, and we were going to have a garden storytime. Ignoring the fact that the weather guy was calling for snow later that week, I trolled the blogosphere and Pinterest and found some awesome books about growing and gardens. What follows is the resulting storytime plan.

Welcome everyone to storytime and share guidelines

Shake Your Sillies Out (Johnny Only version)

Calm Down Rhyme: Wiggle My Fingers 
I wiggle my fingers,
I wiggle my toes,
I wiggle my shoulders,
I wiggle my nose.
Now no more wiggles
Are left in me
And I will be
As still as can be.

Book: Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayers

Game: Act out Up, Down and Around
Put up a photo of a veggie on the flannel board. We jump up, bend down or spin around based on how it grows!
Corn-UP
Carrots-DOWN
Cucumbers-AROUND
Peppers-UP
Potatoes-DOWN
Pumpkins-AROUND
Broccoli-UP
Beets-DOWN
Green beans-AROUND
Okra-UP
Onions-DOWN
Tomatoes-AROUND

First I introduced the cards, making
sure to point to each word as I said it.

I had a stash of 12 veggies
and pulled them out one at a time
and placed them under the
correlating word before we
did the associated movement.

Song: Sleeping Bunnies (with ukulele, a la Miss Mary Liberry)

Calm Down Rhyme: Wiggle My Fingers

Felt Story: The Carrot (my version is based on this version from My Storytime Life)



Felt Rhyme: Little Seed in the Ground (I couldn't find the original, but it's all over the internet)
Little seed in the ground (crouch down on the floor)
Sitting so still (stay crouching)
Little seed, will you sprout?
Yes, I will! (jump up!)
(I think we did this a few times.)

Song: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes


Evaluation:
This was a really fun storytime! I felt like our movement activities were really great extensions of the stories, especially the Up, Down and Around activity. The kids were really paying attention, trying to figure out what to do next. I didn't use all 12 veggies, but I probably could have, they were so engaged. I was expecting them to get bored after 5 or 6 so that's about how many I did. But, I should have given these little guys more credit : ) The Carrot is always an awesome time because we all pull and puuulll and puuuullllll every time we add a new animal until we finally pull the carrot out. Little Seed was a simple/slow enough rhyme that pretty much everybody was with me (this usually doesn't happen with this group). Overall, it was a pretty awesome morning!