Nature Storytime: Spiders

Hello, Hello

Basic Facts about Spiders

Spiders 

by Gail Gibbons 

(pages 5-7, 30-31)

Book

Aaaarrgghh! Spider! 

by Lydia Monks

There's a Spider on the Floor

There's a spider on the floor, on the floor

There's a spider on the floor, on the floor

Who could ask for any more than a spider on the floor

There's a spider on the floor, on the floor,

Additional verses:

How could it be so? There's a spider on my toe!

Oh, how could it be? There's a spider on my knee!

Oh it really isn't funny! There's a spider on my tummy!

Oh, it doesn't mean any harm, this spider on my arm!

Oh, what a big disgrace! There's a spider on my face!

Oh, I wish I was in bed! There's a spider on my head!

Who could ask for any more, than a spider on the floor!

Parent Tip

Rhyming words in the song

Facts about Webs

Gibbon's book Spiders, pages 16-21

Book

Walter's Wonderful Web

by Tim Hopgood

Fingerplay: The Spider Spins a Web  

Tune: The Farmer in the Dell 

 

The spider spins a web. The spider spins a web. 

(make a spider w/ your hand & wiggle fingers like spider legs) 
Round, round, up and down, the spider spins a web. 

(roll hands around each other then put hands up and down) 

 

Additional Verses: 

She spins it back and forth… (move hands from side to side) 

She spins it good and strong… (show off arm muscles) 

Facts about Spider Body Parts

Gibbon's book Spiders, pages 10-11

Book

Frank the Seven Legged Spider

by Michaele Razi

Action Song

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Plus additional verses:

         Big fat hairy spider

         Quick speedy spider

         Really slow spider

Trucks

Hello, Hello!

Books 

The Mixed-up Truck

by Stephen Savage

Chuck's Truck

by Peggy Perry Anderson

Younger crowd

Truck, Truck, Goose

by Tammi Sauer; illustrated by Zoe Waring

Older kids

Where's My T-R-U-C-K?

by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow

Flannel Boards

I Love Trucks!

by Philemon Sturges; illustrated by Shari Halpern

(made into a flannel by a co-worker)

Old MacDonald had a Truck

Five Big Dump Trucks

Five big dump trucks

Rolling down the road

Five big dump trucks

Rolling down the road

One pulls over to unload

There are four big dump trucks

Rolling down the road.

Continue counting down to zero

Little Duck, Little Duck

Little duck, little duck

Are you behind the _________ truck?

My Hands Say Goodbye

Nature Storytime: Tracks

Hello, Hello

Introduction

Nature Detectives--even if we can't see the animal we can determine it was there by other ways such as tracks, scat, fur and feathers, claw marks, nest or burrows.  We can also listen for animal sounds.

Listen to the sounds from a few local animals (app)

Book

Raven, Rabbit, Deer

by Sue Farrell Holler; illustrated by Jennifer Faria

Movement

Move Like an Animal

Birdie's Playhouse

Book

Looking for a Moose

by Phyllis Root; illustrated by Randy Cecil

Flannel

A Hunting We Will Go

Book

Step by Step

by Loreen Leedy

My Hands Say Goodbye

Play and Learn

Animal Footprints in Snow

The animal figurines my coworker found have distinct and accurate footprints--white playdough for the snow

Chalk Stencils of life-size tracks

Measuring

With non-standard measurements (turkey track, fox track, and own foot)

Rubbings of tracks

Tracks Coloring Booklet

Baby Animals

Hello Song

Magnet Board

I Like Baby Animals

(tune: Mary had a little lamb)

I like baby animals, animals, animals

I like baby animals I'll name a few for you.

Kittens, puppies, chicks and cubs

Chicks and cubs, chicks and cubs

Kittens, puppies, chicks and cubs

I'll name some more for you.

Joeys, ducklings, lambs and calves

Lambs and calves, lambs and calves

Joeys, ducklings, lambs and calves

I like baby animals!

Book

Play in the Wild: How Baby Animals Like to Have Fun

by Litta Judge

OR

Hello, Baby Animals

by Lorinda Bryan Cauley

Song

Are You Sleeping?

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?

Little Colt?  Little Colt?

Wake-up little colt, wake-up little colt

Gallop, gallop, gallop

Gallop, gallop, gallop!

Additional/optional verses:

Owlet

Hatchling (alligator)--snap, snap, snap

Bunny--hop, hop, hop

Snakelet

Book

Joey: A Baby Koala and His Mother

by Nic Bishop

OR

Wee Little Lamb

by Lauren Thompson; illustrated by John Butler

Fingerplay

Kitty Cat

(tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little kitty cat

Soft and sweet

Here are my whiskers

Here are my feet

When I go out hunting

Mice beware

Or you might just get a...

SCARE!

Book

Eggs 1, 2, 3:  Who will the babies be?

by Janet Halfmann; illustrated by Betsy Thompson

OR

Homes in the Wild: Where Baby Animals and Their Parents Live

by Lita Judge

Magnet Board

Baby Owls

5 baby owls learning to say "Who?'

They flapped their wings and then said, "___________"

(words that rhyme with who--two, blue, shoe, glue, zoo)

Mama Owl cried, "No, no, not __________."

"Please, oh please, say 'Who, who, who?'"

Play and Learn

First play time in over two years!  All toys had to be easy to sanitize (no wood or fabric)

Balls, cars, and tubes

Art Cart--open ended art (construction paper, scrap colored paper, scissors, glue, crayons, stickers)

Counting cars

Dino bowling

Seal ring toss

Jobs

Hello, Hello

Book

Clothesline Clues to the Jobs People Do

by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook; illustrated by Andy Robert Davies

Songs

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

I Can Work with One Hammer

Book

My Mama is a Mechanic

by Doug Cenko

Song

Driving in my Car

Book

I Can Be Anything

by Jerry Spinelli; illustrated by Jimmy Liao

Magnet Board

What job does Puppy want?  

Puppy hiding behind different vehicles, such as fire truck, police car, airplane

My Hands Say Goodbye

Additional/Optional Books

Trashy Town

Super Rawr

Fire Engine Man

Imagination

Hello, Hello

Use Your Imagination

Painting

Book

Let's Play Monsters

by Lucy Cousins

Song

The Monster Boogie

Laurie Berkner

Book

The Bus is for Us

by Michael Rosen; illustrated by Gillian Tyler

Song

The Wheels on the Bus

Book

The Mixed up Chameleon

by Eric Carle

Magnet Board

(tune: If You're Happy and You Know It)

Oh, I wish I was a floating butterfly

Oh, I wish I was a floating butterfly

I'd go flutter, flutter, fly in the bright blue sunny sky

Oh, I wish I was a floating butterfly.

Additional verses:

Shiny little fish

I'd go swimmy, swimmy, glide in the big blue ocean tide

Silver airplane

I'd go soar, soar, sour as my engines loudly roart

Tall, tall leafy tree

I'd be the place to rest for the birdies in their nest

Green and speckled frog

I'd go croaky, croaky, croak as I jump into the brook

Bright and shining star

I'd go twinkle, twinkle, spark in the nighty nighttime dark.

My Hand Say Goodbye

Alternative books

Hi, Pizza Man!

Meeow and the Pots and Pans 

Boxes

Hello, Hello

Nesting Boxes

Here is a box, let's open it wide

And we'll find out, what's inside...

Last box

Here is a box where something is hid

I wonder whatever is under the lid?

Let's listen for a shout

And see who come out!

Inside last box are a few plastic animals

Book

Grace and Box

by Kim Howard; illustrated by Megan Lotter

Song

Silly Dance Contest

Jim Gill

Book

Thank You Bear

by Greg Foley

Movement

Jack in the box

Jack in the box

Siting quiet and still

Won't you come out?

Yes I will!

I look to the lfet

I look to the right

I look straight ahead

Then I plop out of sight!

Book

Sitting in My Box

by Dee Lillegard; pictures of Jon Agee

Magnet Board

Little Fox, Little Fox come out and play

What color box are you in today?

My Hands Say Goodbye

Alternate books

My Book Box by Will Hillenbrand

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

Big Box, Little Box by Caryl Hart; illustrated by Edward Underwood