Opening Songs and Movement:
Our February Story Time for our 4K friends the UW-W Children’s Center opened with our standard “We clap and sing hello” action song. To mix things up a bit, we tried out a new movement rhyme found by browsing finger play and action rhyme books in the Main Collection LB1177 section:
Hop. Hop. STOP.
Hop. Hop. STOP.
Run a little. Run a little.
Sit down. PLOP! (From Fingerplays and rhymes : for always and sometimes by Terry Lynne Graham.)
Stories:
After plopping down on their beanbags, our Friends were ready for some February stories about things we love to do (I Love Going Through This Book by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino) and how no one – or no pug – is unlovable (Unlovable by Dan Yaccarino)
Rhyme time:
While browsing the Main Collection LB1177 section, I was reminded of another classic rhyme. I tweaked the words to update – ten cent store became the dollar store-, Squeak the Squirrel led the rhyme, and he gave a valentine to his animal buddies:
Five Valentines
(Original: Insert children’s names. Our version: Insert animal names)
Five cheerful valentines from the dollar store-
Squeak sent one to _____________; now Squeak has four.
Four cheerful valentines, pretty ones to see-
Squeak gave one to ____________; now Squeak has three.
Three cheerful valentines with flowers pink and blue-
Squeak gave one to ____________; now Squeak has two.
Two cheerful valentines-my story’s almost done.
Squeak gave one to ______________; now Squeak has one.
One cheerful valentine-one and only one-
Squeak gave it to _______________; now Squeak has none.
Story & Craft:
The Valentine rhyme with stuffed animals transitioned to My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall. The Friends recognized how a simple heart shapes become lions, herons, and other zoo animals. This inspired their crafty creations: animals made of different sized an color hearts which they used to decorate the 2nd floor Curriculum Collection bulletin board.
