Preschool Storytime: Weather

Last week, I visited one of our local preschools and brought a storytime about weather. We certainly have been having crazy weather over the past few weeks, so this was a fun topic to explore. This is what I did:

Opening Song: My Hands Say Hello

Book: Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand. This is a cute, colorful story about friends Bear and Mole who build and fly a kite on a perfect, windy kite day. When a storm pops up, they lose the kite, but luckily it lands in a great place - in a tree, protecting a nest of baby birds from the rain. The text is very simple with lots of repeated sounds. We talked about what kind of weather you need to fly a kite (windy!) and that weather can change very quickly, especially in spring!

Felt Story: Hello Sun! by Dayle Ann Dodds. Speaking of weather changing very quickly - in this cute picture book, every time we try to leave the house, the weather has changed and we need to change our clothes! Miss T had made this into a felt story and it was perfect to relate to our changeable weather. We talked about what different clothing you need when it's sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, etc.

Book: Storm Song by Nancy Viau. We'd especially had some stormy weather the week I went to visit the kids, so this book was perfect. Short, rhyming text evokes the sounds and sights of a thunderstorm rolling in - the roaring thunder, the spark of lightning, leaves blowing past the windows. When the power goes out, mom calms the kids by singing songs, making a snack, and taking a nap.

Felt Rhyme: Five Little Umbrellas. (I had a source for this once upon a time, but it looks like the site I linked to no longer exists...!)

Five umbrellas stood by the door,
The pink one went outside, then there were four.
Four umbrellas, pretty as could be,
The blue one went outside, then there were three.
Three umbrellas with nothing to do,
The green one went outside, then there were two.
Two umbrellas not having much fun,
The yellow one went outside, then there was one.
Just one umbrella alone in the hall,
The purple one went outside, and that was all.

Book: Duckie's Rainbow by Frances Barry. As we turn each page in this book, a rainbow forms with the colorful page edges. My favorite thing to do with this book is to read it and then have the kids help me retell it with our colorful scarves! So you know the next thing...

Scarf Activity: Retell Duckie's Rainbow with scarves. I passed out the scarves and asked the children to notice what color scarf they had. When I reached the page with their color, I asked them to hold their scarves up high and wave them. When we get to the end, we all waved our scarves together to make a rainbow!

Scarf Song: Toss Your Scarves. It's so much fun to play with scarves! This song is not only fun, but it gives the children practice following instructions and it builds gross motor skills. 

Source: Scarf Songs by Jean Warren

Tune: “Jingle Bells”

Toss your scarves, toss your scarves
Toss them way up high.
Toss your scarves up in the air,
‘til they reach the sky.

Wave your scarves, wave your scarves,
Twirl them ‘round and ‘round.
Twirl your scarves one more time,
Then let them, all fall down.

Book: Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham. All of the children and animals want to accompany Mr. Gumpy on his motorcar ride, but when it starts to rain and the car gets stuck in the mud, no one wants to help push! This is a silly story and the kids just love the name Mr. Gumpy. 

Closing Song: Do You Know What Time It Is?