Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Letter D Storytime

This is my storytime that I put together which introduces children to the letter D! 

1. Book:  Lazy Dave by Jarvis


This is SUCH a cute book that we recently got at work. A review on School Library Journal said that the phrasing is awkward but I completely disagree. The review also said that the the dog and human inhabitants of the story fall flat and inexpressive but I disagree with that also! I found this book to be a really great read aloud and the preschoolers absolutely loved it! The kids enjoyed the retro style illustrations and laughed at many of the pages (especially when Lazy Dave trips and stops the diamond thief!). They were entranced by it as I read it and I definitely don't understand how this could have received a poor review at all!

2. Fingerplay:

Dancing Fingers
We’re going to dance our fingers up
And dance our fingers down
We’ll dance them to the side
Let’s dance them all around
And we’ll dance them on our
shoulders
And we’ll dance them on our head
Let’s dance them on our tummy
And we’ll put them all to bed!

I usually extend this and also dance fingers on our knees, ankles, etc. I also go quickly from knees to toes and back to knees because it makes it more fun for children. Preschoolers are easily amused by these simple action rhymes. 

3. Song: Ducks Like Rain by Raffi




Kids of all ages get a huge kick out of this song. There is also a Carol Peterson version which is great. For the action part, I have the kids use their hands to make a duck mouth sing as the song goes "Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack." I also have the kids stomp around as if they're a duck that is splishin' and splashin' in the rain. This song also greatly amuses any parents in the room!

4. Book: Dog Loves Drawing by Louise Yates

5. Flannel Board: Five Donuts

Down around the corner in the bakery shop
Were five yummy donuts with sprinkles on top
Along comes a dog with a dollar to pay
She buys a donut and takes it away

Down around the corner in the bakery shop
Were four yummy donuts with sprinkles on top
Along comes a dog with a dollar to pay
She buys a donut and takes it away

Down around the corner in the bakery shop
Were three yummy donuts with sprinkles on top
Along comes a dog with a dollar to pay
She buys a donut and takes it away

Down around the corner in the bakery shop
Were two yummy donut with sprinkles on top
Along comes a dog with a dollar to pay
She buys a donut and takes it away

Down around the corner in the bakery shop
Was one yummy donut with sprinkles on top
Along comes a dog with a dollar to pay
She buys a donut and takes it away

Down around the corner in the bakery shop
Were zero yummy donuts with sprinkles on top
Along comes a dog with a dollar to pay
But she so stuffed that she passes out along the way!





Adapted words to fit the D concept from a flannel board story found on Storytime Katie. For a hilarious element, use a dog puppet to "eat" the donuts. I also had the dog let out a little burp after eating each  donut and the kids were dying of laughter. At the end, I show the dog slumped over the flannel board snoring! Kids commented that the dog must be "really fat" after eating all those donuts! 

6. Book: A Dog Wearing Shoes bu Sangmi Ko


This book is absolutely endearing as well! :) I love that it talks about a lost dog and what happens when you find a dog without an owner. It teaches a good moral to children and also discusses where a dog should be adopted (at a shelter rather than a pet store). One preschooler commented in a disappointing sounding voice that the "pictures were black and white."However, as soon as I started reading, he had no trouble paying attention! The kids also got a huge kick out of the fact that the dog wore shoes and that the dog that girl adopted at the end wore a yellow tutu, just like the little girl. This is the type of book that you will need to have the children look closely at the illustrations. Definitely a great read-a-loud and perfect for any dog storytime. 


7. Song: Dinosaur Dinosaur Move Your Body (from YouTube)


How could I have a Letter D storytime and not mention dinosaurs?!  Kids enjoyed acting out all the motions in this song! I also like that it's short enough to get some wiggles out but not too long where it takes away from the main purpose of storytime (reading great stories)!  

8. Book: Dog Loves Drawing


This is another spectacular dog book. I think this is my new favorite book in fact! The way the drawn animals move through the illustrations are very humorous. The kids laughed so hard. This book was also great for getting the children to make predictions about where the story was going to go. For example, on one page it says "Then the dog decided to draw a..." and then on the next page it shows what the duck drew (a monster).  I also love that it shows children that they too could create their own stories with a pencil and let their imaginations go wild through illustrations. 

9. Song: Jim Gill - Silly Dance Contest 

Kids are obsessed with this song and it is the perfect song to get shy preschoolers out of their comfort zone! 


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