Storytime: Movement/Kinetics

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 was our last week, we talked about movement & kinetics!


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
It had been another rainy couple of days, so we sang our song to bring the sun back out again. I use 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: movement 
We listed all of our previous science topics of the summer, and everyone was sad this was our last week. I didn't go into a lot of detail about kinetics, just made mention of how our bodies are able to do some pretty cool motions, and how our storytime today would be mostly songs and action stuff. I had rearranged the room, taking out the craft tables, to allow room for us to move!


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) How Can You Dance? - Rick Walton

I paperclipped a bit in this book to only read the pages that included motions kids can actually do. Their favorite was dancing like a snake. :)


6) Shake Your Sillies Out - The Wiggles, Yummy Yummy


7) The Goldfish Song - Laurie Berkner, The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band


8) Head Shoulders Knees and Toes


9) Hokey Pokey
We did right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, head, whole self, tongue (by request - they must have remembered my 5 senses storytime!). Afterward I pointed out to parents how I was using my other arms/legs. Kids' natural instinct is to mirror what they see, so then they were using their correct side.


10) Stretch - Doreen Cronin

The kids stretched with the dog during the first half of the book. Then we all sat down to finish it.


11) We Are the Dinosaurs - Laurie Berkner, Whaddya Think of That
I always save this one for last, so we can get the biggest roars out of the kids and they don't have to be afraid of being quiet in the library. :)


I closed with a few announcements about fall storytime, encouraging the adults to keep reading to their kids, and letting them know about the free books they would receive that day for completing our Summer Reading Program. And that's the end! I made it through my second summer! :)



Other movement ideas:
Bounce - Doreen Cronin
Wiggle - Doreen Cronin
Dance With Me - Charles R. Smith Jr.