AUTUMN LEAVES

AUTUMN LEAVES Preschool Storytime 

Saying Hello:

We woke up our furry storytime rat puppet, Nutmeg, with a loud and cheerful, "Good morning, Nutmeg!"  She said good morning to all the children and sat on her Cat in the Hat bed to watch the rest of storytime.

We opened storytime with our Good Morning song that incorporates sign language.  Check out Jbrary's video for the correct signs.  The words to the song go like this:

Hello, friends
Hello, friends
Hello, friends
It's time to say hello. 
[Credit: Dana and Lindsey, Jbrary.com]

Each word is said while integrating sign language.  The kids really loved this song, almost as much as the storytime parents and outreach teachers did.

Props used:

Felt squirrel and five felt acorns - I used these for the Five Little Acorns fingerplay

Leaf sticks: Leaves are cut out of foam sheets and glued to paint sticks.  Each child had their own.  We used our leaf sticks for our Autumn Leaf song and the book, Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka.

Action Songs:
"If You're Ready for a Story"  
[tune: If You're Happy and You Know it] 

* Clap Your Hands!
* Nod Your Head!
* Sit so still  (The kids really love this part and usually end up giggling part way through.)
* Do All Three!

 "Scarecrow, Scarecrow, Turn Around"
[include lots of movement when acting out the verses] 

Scarecrow, scarecrow, turn around 
Scarecrow, scarecrow, touch the ground
Scarecrow, scarecrow, bend down low
Scarecrow, scarecrow, touch your toes
Scarecrow, scarecrow,reach up high
Scarecrow, scarecrow, touch the sky

* We repeated this three times going a little faster each time.
[credit: http://www.learningstationmusic.com/blog/2013/11/13/scarecrow-autumn-songs-children/] 


Action Rhyme:
"Autumn Leaves"

Little leaves fall gently down, (sway leaves slowly, back and forth)
Red and yellow,
Orange and brown;
Whirling, whirling, (gently spin in a circle with leaves)
Round and round, (spin in the other direction)
Quietly, without a sound; (Shhhh!)
Falling softly to the ground, (slowly sway leaves downward)
Down and down and down and down (continue to sway all the way to the ground - my kids actually stretched out on the ground with their leaves in hand) [Credit: Words: Unknown / Actions: Michelle Bullock, Bellevue Public Library]


Finger Play:

"Five Little Acorns"

Five little acorns, lying on the ground,
The first one said, "Oh my I'm getting round!"
The second one said, "I think I'm getting fat."
The third one said, "I have a nice hat."
The fourth one said, "There's a squirrel over there!"
The fifth one said, "Well I don't care."
Down came the squirrel and swept them all away, up to his nest for a cold winter day. 

Little Mouse:

This game works on colors, counting and 'paying attention' (the other kids will let you know if a certain color has already been called.)  After our books are read, we play a round or two of Little Mouse.  See Nutmeg's Debut! for more information about our Little Mouse game.

Books:

Leaves, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein ---  

This is an adorable story about a young bear's first autumn.  When he notices the leaves falling, he sets out to find out what is happening.  The kids enjoyed talking about the special leaves they have discovered so far this fall.


Fall Mixed Up, by Bob Raczka; illustrated by Chad Cameron ---

This story starts with, "Bears gather nuts. Geese hibernate. Squirrels fly south in big figure eights."  This book held the kids attention as they listened for mixed up sentences.  When they heard something that wasn't right, they held up their leaf sticks and waved them in the air.

Saying Goodbye:
We closed storytime with our new goodbye song.  The words to the song are very similar to our Hello song:

Goodbye, friends
Goodbye, friends
Goodbye, friends
It's time to say goodbye.

Again, check out Jbrary's video for the correct signs.  

When storytime came to an end, the kids lined up and fed Nutmeg imaginary food they had in their pockets, gave her high-fives, or just pet her head. Today, she ate xxxx.