Directions (Up, Down, and All Around!) Toddler Story Time

This week we are learning about directions- going up, down, forward, backward, side to side, crazy, ya know. Directions are crucial for toddlers to learn, not just because they are going everywhere, all of the time, but also because it is a great opportunity to expand their vocabulary!

The rest of the library staff needed to use the meeting room for a staff meeting, so, as an experiment, we decided to try Toddler Story Time in the middle of the library. SUCCESS. I was worried about those crazy little toddlers going everywhere and, I don't know, breaking things, but guys- they were so great. We have this amazing glass ceiling in the atrium that they were able to look up at, and had so much more space for movement. We've been getting big turn-out to Story Times this season, so the extra wiggle room was key. I think we have found our new home. We will still have toys, activities, and parent social time in the meeting room after Story Time, but have now graduated to the big-kid venue for the main event. Stoked.

Also, to compensate for the no play time today, my story time was about a million extra minutes long. The kids hung with it though, because they are the best.

Crazy long opening Medley:  
  Bread and butter
Marmalade and Jam
Let's say hello as quiet as we can
(whisper: hello) ...loud as we can, slow, fast, high, low, nice...

Hello and Goodbye Song Using Sign Language
Hello, friends. (x3)
It's time to say hello.

Open Them Shut Them



Thematic Rhyme:
Yay, directions! The first direction we will learn is UP! Everyone stand up!

The Grand Old Duke Of York
The grand old duke of York, he had 10,000 men
He marched them all up the hill,
And marched them down again
And when you’re up, you’re up
And when you’re down, you’re down
And when you’re only half-way up,
You’re neither up nor down!

and.. a nerdy camp variation that has been floating around my department for a while:

The Noble Captain Kirk

The noble Captain Kirk, he had 500 men

He beamed them up to the Enterprise and beamed them down again
And when they’re up, they’re up
And when they’re down, they’re down
And when they’re only halfway up,
They’re nowhere to be found!

Before-our-first-book-Rhyme:
These Are My Glasses
These are my glasses, this is my book.
I put on my glasses, and open up my book.
Then I read read read, and I look look look.
Then I take off my glasses, and whoop! close up my book!

Book #1: Up, Down, and Around, by Anastasia Suen

Love this book and all of its celebration of vegetables. This is a great one to get the kids and parents to read along with you- point up for up, down for down, and crazy circular all over finger action for all around. Fun!








Consistent movement activity: DICE PLAY! (pictures forthcoming)
Instead of actions on the dice this week, we had directions! The six directions were: up, down, side to side, forward, backward, and all around. Then as a group, a big messy beautiful chaotic group, we went where-ever the dice told us to. If it was thrown and landed on down, we sat down. Up, we stood. You get the gist. Adorable, silly fun. We were inspired for these "Get Up & Move Dice" by the blog Growing a Jeweled Rose.

Action rhyme: Way Up High In The Apple Tree  

Way up high in the apple tree (stand, hands in fists up above head)
Two little apples were looking at me (look up at your apple hands!)
So I shook that tree just as hard as I could (shake your body, arms, whatev)
Down came the apples (hands fall to the ground)
Mmmm they were good! (eat your hands, children!)


Book #2: We're Going On A Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen (we have a staff resource pop-up version that is beat up but still awesome.)

Get up on your feet and go on the bear hunt together! So sweaty at the end of this, seriously. Toddler story time is my kind of exercise. Swimming, stumbling, squelching and squerching... the best.








Also, readers. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO? Michael Rosen doing the Bear Hunt story, it is the best. His accent, sigh. When he says "a swirling, whirling snowstorm", I melt.

Transition: Roll Over
Got this simple transition idea from Mel at Mel's Desk in her amazing No Prop, No Book, No Sweat Storytime post. You already have the kids in bed at the end of Bear Hunt, might as well keep them there for some roly-poly fun!
There were five in the bed and the little one said, "Roll over! Roll over!"
So they all rolled over and one fell out (one fell out). And so on.

Calming rhyme: Can You Find Your Lap

Got this from Intellidance and love it. Needs no introduction, everyone catches on and comes back together after massive stimulation.

Magnet board song: Bear Went Over The Mountain
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
To see what he could see.
But all that he could see,
But all that he could see,
But all that he could see was
The other side of the mountain.
The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
was all that he could see. (repeat with under side of the mountain!)
Got the template from the bear from Jen at Jeninthelibrary. Simple, cute ease.

Book #3: Silly Sally, by Audrey Wood

Love Audrey Wood, so much. That Sally, she is just so silly. And her petticoat and bow, so fierce. Opportunities for naming animals and rhyming words abound.









We don't stop! Time for stretchy lycra band fun!
We got this idea from a story time workshop with Jim Gill, and our wonderful and talented cofairyworker Naomi brought it to life. As a general introduction to it, we practiced sitting with it, walking in and out with it, walking around in a circle with it (working up to that), getting inside of it, and stretching it. Then we sang The Wheels on the Bus using it, lifting it up and down for the windows, in and out for the doors, and rolling it up towards us for the bus driver. More cute chaos.

Closing Rhyme: Bread and Butter

Welcome and Goodbye Song: Bread and Butter
Marmalade and Jam
Let's say goodbye as quiet as we can
(whisper: goodbye)
...loud as we can (slow, fast, silly, nice)

Happy storytiming, friends!

--Emily