Storytime: Light

Age: 2-5 years
Time: 30 minutes

Sticking with the Fizz Boom Read! CSLP theme, I have chosen seven science topics for our summer. This week we looked at light!


1) What's the weather? 

I made a weather chart for week one of summer reading, and am starting each week this summer talking about the current weather. We sang this little song to go with it, to the tune of Oh My Darling Clementine:

What's the weather, what's the weather,
What's the weather everyone?
Is it windy, is it cloudy, is there rain, or is there sun?


2) Mr. Sun - Raffi
I told the kids we would be talking about light today, and how we get a lot of light from the sun. I used a combination of motions from Jbrary and Raffi himself.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Please shine down on me (wiggle fingers and come down, kind of like rain actually)
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Hiding behind a tree (hide eyes with hands)

These little children are asking you (point at self with thumbs)
To please come out so we can play with you (hands make "come here" motion)
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Please shine down on me (wiggle fingers and come down)


3) Introduce science topic - light
I hung a big piece of posterboard, and wrote the sun at the top. Then I asked the kids where else we get/see light. Both groups came up with a pretty good list!

4) These Are My Glasses - Laurie Berkner
We sing this every week before reading our first book. I start by asking them to show me their glasses and their book so that they remember the signs. We sing it through twice, then I ask them to put their "books" in their lap while we read our first book.

These are my glasses (make the letter o with each hand)
And this is my book (hands together)
I put on my glasses (put "glasses" over eyes)
And open up the book (open book hands)
Now I read read read (hold book up in front of face like reading)
And I look look look (put glasses over eyes and look around room)
I put down my glasses and… (lower glasses)
WHOOP! Close up the book. (clap as if closing a book quickly)


5) Night Lights - Susan Gal

I liked how this one showed lots of places where we see light, like we had just listed. It was simple enough we could have even used it as a closing book (I typically pick a longer one for our first book), but it was a good way to introduce our topic.


6) Song - Moon Moon Moon - Laurie Berkner

We had already mentioned the sun, and the previous book ended with the moon and stars. This song is on Laurie's Victor Vito CD. I started with the motions from Sunflower Storytime, and then changed a few...

Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head) 
Shining bright (wiggle fingers like they are sparkling) 
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head) 
My night light (act like turning off a light) 
Moon, moon, moon (arms in circle over head) 
I can see (point to eyes)
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head)
You’re taking care of me (hands over heart) 

Look up, it’s the moon (point up with right hand and look up) 
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with left hand and look up) 
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with both hands)
Up in the sky (wave arms back and forth over head)
It’s big and round (make circle with arms over head) 
And I have found (thumbs to chest)
That it looks just like a pizza [lemon] pie! (make circle with hands in front of you, then take a bite)

7) The Very Lonely Firefly - Eric Carle

In one of my groups, a kid did mention fireflies when we wrote out our light list. This is the time of year when there are sooooo many of them out in our area, so most of the kids knew what they were. On each page I asked the kids "was it another firefly?!" and waited for their "nooo..." answer. Unfortunately my batteries are dead in this book, though one kid exclaimed "I have this book at home, and the fireflies DO light up!!!"


8) Two Little Fireflies
Two little fireflies land on my hand ("Blink" fingers of both hands)
One named Sally ("Blink" right hand)
One named Sam ("Blink" left hand)
Lights ON Sally! (Spread right hand open)
Lights ON Sam! (Spread left hand open)
Lights off Sally (Make right hand into a fist)
Lights off Sam (Make left hand into a fist)


9) Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Everyone knows this one...


10) Night Light - Nicholas Blechman

A really fun guessing book. One of the kids in my second group had this book at home, so he yelled out the answers each time... Oh well! I was a little disappointed in how the book was created, in that the last page included the inside of the back cover -- which got partially covered with the book's dust jacket (which is of course taped down for library use).


11) Suncatcher craft
I'd seen a number of tissue paper suncatchers on Pinterest that used contact paper. I really didn't want to cut 60 pieces of contact paper and risk having 2-year-olds crumple/wrinkle/bend/stick together. So I searched for another idea and came up with a great one all on my own! I found a box of clear transparency sheets (remember using those with overhead projectors??), which I sliced in half. The kids took one piece and spread glue on it, then stuck down tissue paper pieces. Then they put glue on the other half and stuck it on top of the tissue-papered half. Brilliant! Beautiful! They turned out so sturdy. My daughter has hers leaning up against her window at home.

Showing how it looks with a flashlight. My club room
doesn't have easily accessible windows (basement).

Other light ideas:
What Makes a Shadow? - Clyde Robert Bulla
Moonbear's Shadow - Frank Asch
The House in the Night - Susan Marie Swanson
The Dark - Lemony Snicket
Katie's Light & Electricity Storytime