The Lion is a Bookworm: Storytime: Trees

Age: 2-5 years
Time: 25 minutes + play

1) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

2) Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree - Jan Peck

I really liked Jan Peck's Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea that I used during my Underwater storytime, and this one was a lot of fun too.

3) Way Up High in the Apple Tree

Way up high in a tall green tree (stretch up high)

Two red apples smiled down at me (make hands into fists)

I shook that tree as hard as I could (shake your whole body)

Down came those apples (quickly drop hands and smack thighs)

Mmmmm were they good! (rub tummy)

4) Five Little Apples Flannel

I wanted to make our flannel interactive this week (I used this rhyme last week for our Red storytime too, with bigger apples and no tree), but I only had 3 kids in my class. So I put 4 small apples on my flannel tree and gave an animal to each child plus kept one for myself. Each kid brought up their animal when I called it, and as they put it on the flannel board I took an apple off the tree.

Four little apples hung in a tree

The farmer wasn’t looking, so guess who came to eat?
A pig! Munch munch munch!

Three little apples hung in a tree
The farmer wasn’t looking, so guess who came to eat?
A sheep! Munch munch munch!

Two little apples hung in a tree
The farmer wasn’t looking, so guess who came to eat?
A cow! Munch munch munch!

One little apple hung in a tree
The farmer wasn't looking, so guess who came to eat?
A horse! Munch munch munch!

Now the tree is bare, there are no more apples there
But when next fall comes around, guess who’ll be there?
A pig, a sheep, a cow, and a horse!

5) Five Little Acorns Flannel

Down around the corner in the big oak tree

Hung five little acorns looking so yummy
Along came a squirrel with a big bushy tail.
He took one acorn and ran off down the trail.
etc...

I used the same tree flannel from the apples and made five acorns to fit on it. I had the kids wiggle their index finger like a squirrel's tail.

6) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Bill Martin Jr.

"This next book is about something that goes in a tree too!"... I had a parent tell me "that book is longer than the one we have! I didn't know there was more to the story!" I agreed - I'd only ever known the board book too, which stops half way through, and was surprised when this kept going!

7) Rhythm sticks
I used rhythm sticks for the first time during our Music/Sound storytime during summer reading this year. They were a huge hit. After handing out sticks, which they started clicking, I took a pair myself and said "You guys sound great!! Let's see how good your ears are today, let's see how well you can listen." We practiced putting our sticks on our shoulders until I gave further instructions, and we practiced making our sticks sound fast and loud, and soft and quiet. Then we did this song together:

(Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we tap our sticks, tap our sticks, tap our sticks
This is the way we tap our sticks, so early in the morning.

This is the way we rub our sticks...
This is the way we tap our knees (gently!!)...

I also tried to get them to do some responsive clicking - I'd say "chicka chicka" and they were to respond by clicking their sticks twice and saying "boom boom!" Maybe if they had been a little older than 3 years they would have gotten the idea a bit better. :)

8) Tap the Magic Tree - Christie Matheson

The kids looooved this one. I had them "tap" the air in front of them, since they couldn't all come up and do it to the book itself.

9) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

10) Playtime/Craft
I brought out the blocks and instruments again. For the table activity I used an idea from Sunflower Storytime - I'd printed bare trees on cardstock that they could color brown, then finger paint green, red, and yellow leaves onto it.