Down in the Farmyard: A Circle Time Farm Song
Three Little Penguins Counting Rhyme
Count up from 0-3 with toddlers & preschoolers in this fun penguin counting rhyme for story time!
Pie Count Up: A Circle Time Counting Song!
Circle Time Weather Bear: Dress for Winter!
As a teacher, I had a requirement to talk with the kids about the weather each day. (I know--seems like a strange requirement to me, too!) But anyway...Weather conversations occurred naturally, since weather is something that typically affects all of us in some way or another. Raining? The kids had rain gear on and likely got wet on the way to school. Snowing? Maybe we'll go outside and we'll have to put on some snow gear! Hot and sunny? We'll be sure we've all got sunscreen on for playground time...
But just in case it didn't come up in natural conversation, Weather Bear is a great workaround :)
Christmas Play Felt Board Set
I've had a lot of fun creating some holiday sets for holidays that I don't personally celebrate (like Diwali, and Kwanzaa, and Ramadan, and Hanukkah!) (I was right--it WAS fun, and wow, I learned a lot while doing research for those sets.) I'm really happy to be able to share those, as I think it's pretty important to expose kids to various cultures. And to share in celebrations with the kids who DO celebrate holidays outside of my own experience :)
For the most part, I focus holiday sets on the parts of holidays that kids understand most easily. So the concepts are generally about simple traditions vs. religious themes.
I also want my sets to be usable both as storytime sets-- where the adult is using the set pieces as props to support a rhyme, song or story--and as play sets for the kids--where the kids are re-enacting traditions, songs, and stories that they've learned about.
And today I'm sharing my Christmas set! This one was primarily created for kids to play with independently at home (or in a classroom or library setting). I've got a couple of other Christmas storytime sets already, and I was thinking more about independent play when I built this cutie But as you see from the songs below, it can certainly be used at story time as well!
The Lights on the Tree
As you sing each
verse, place the pieces on the board.
The lights on the tree
go sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, (twinkle fingers)
sparkle, sparkle, sparkle; sparkle, sparkle, sparkle
The lights on the tree go sparkle, sparkle, sparkle…
On Christmas day!
The cookies left for Santa are yummy, yummy,
yummy (rub tummy)
The stockings hung with care are red and green (point at
each as you sing the color)
The Christmas pajamas we wear are cozy and warm (put the
jammies on the kids and hug yourself)
The presents under the tree have bows and ribbon (place
the ribbons on the gifts)
The candy canes in the stockings are sticky and sweet (put the
candy canes in the stockings)
Ornament Hide and Seek
Arrange your pieces on the board as you’d like them, naming them
with the children. Have the children cover their eyes, or turn the board
around, or take the pieces off and sneakily put one of the felt tree ornaments
under one of them as you replace them on the board. Then, perform
your chant:
Ornament, ornament, you fell off the tree!
Are you behind the ___________?
Let’s look and see!
Hanukkah Play and Storytime Set
I thought it would be fun to create some holiday sets for holidays that I don't personally celebrate (like Diwali, and Kwanzaa, and Ramadan!) (I was right--it WAS fun, and wow, I learned a lot while doing research for these sets.) I'm so happy to be able to share these, as I think it's so important to expose kids to various cultures, and to share in celebrations with the kids who DO celebrate holidays outside of my own experience :)
I focus holiday sets on the parts of holidays that kids understand most easily, so the concepts are generally about simple traditions vs. religious themes.
I also want them to be usable both as storytime sets-- where the adult is using the set pieces as props to support a rhyme, song or story--and as play sets for the kids--where the kids are re-enacting traditions, songs, and stories that they've learned about.
So up today is Hanukkah. This particular set was originally created for kids to play with independently--but then I realized it's completely usable at story time, too! I made up some super simple songs to go with the set--Hanukkah vocabulary and concepts are sprinkled within, and the tunes are familiar so everyone will have an easy time joining in.
It is Hanukkah © Wendy Gerbi
To the tune of Frere
Jacques. Explain the concept of call and
response if the kids aren’t familiar with it.
You can set up your pieces on the board ahead of time or place them on
as you sing about them. Do what works
for you—having the kids help place the pieces on the board is the most fun 😊
It is Hanukkah, it is Hanukkah
The festival of lights, the festival of lights!
The shamash lights the candles, the shamash lights
the candles.
Shining bright, shining bright!
It is Hanukkah, it is Hanukkah
The festival of lights, the festival of lights!
Fry potato latkes, fry potato latkes,
Eat them up, eat them up!
It is Hanukkah, it is Hanukkah
The festival of lights, the festival of lights!
Spin the little dreidels, spin the little
dreidels,
Watch them fall, watch them fall!
It is Hanukkah, it is Hanukkah
The festival of lights, the festival of lights!
Fry the sufganiyot, fry the sufganiyot,
Cherries on top, cherries on top!
Hanukkah is Here
to the tune of Farmer in the Dell
As you sing about each felt piece, place it on
the board.
Hanukkah
is here, Hanukkah is here,
Light
the candles in the menorah,
Hanukkah
is here!
Fry
the latkes in the pan,
Hanukkah
is here!
Hanukkah
is here, Hanukkah is here,
Spin
the dreidels and watch them fall,
Hanukkah
is here!
Hanukkah
is here, Hanukkah is here,
Chocolate
gelt for all the kids,
Hanukkah
is here!
Hanukkah
is here, Hanukkah is here,
Icing
and cherries on our doughnuts,
Hanukkah
is here!
Hanukkah
is here, Hanukkah is here,
Celebrate
with friends and family,
Hanukkah
is here!
Five Little Friends Went Out Today
Wild Animal Count Up
Counting Animals
I've often referred to this collection of cuties as jungle animals, but I've seen the error of my ways and will henceforth be referring to them as Wild :) Upcoming videos will even mention their various habitats, like the savannah, plains, rainforests, etc....
In this counting rhyme I've included some related vocabulary like roar, swing, stomp, snap and dive. Let's keep things simple, right? We name our animals, we count, we name our numbers... Of course you can make this longer by pointing out various features of the animals, like colors, body parts, habitats, etc.
But sometimes you just need something short and sweet, and I think this short counting rhyme fits the bill. I hope you and the kids enjoy it!
Elephant in a Hole
Elephant in a Hole
Cumulative Story: Kite Stuck in a Tree
A little bird told me that the summer reading program this year is All Together Now. I thought it would be nice to have a group of sweet felt friends all work together to solve a problem. And that's how this little felt set was born :)
Here they are:
Five Little Friends Went Out Today
Little Kite Hide and Seek