Valentine Storytime

This week I did a Love/Valentine theme for my toddlers and preschoolers. Here is the summary of my programs:

Toddler
Greeting and opening song: Good Morning to You

Action Rhyme: Open them shut them

Book:  How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You by Jane Yolen

Rhyme:  Wiggle Fingers

Book:  All Kinds of Kisses by Nancy Tafuri. This is a new book by my all time favorite author/illustrator. It was perfect for this storytime.  As I showed each picture, I asked, "What is this Animal?", read the text, then had everyone say the animal sound with me.

Rhyme: Tommy Thumbs Up

Book:  I love you big as the world by David Van Buren

Rhyme:  Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear   - I always do more colors than just red. 

Flannel Board:  Five Little Valentines -  I didn't make the flannel hearts, it is one of the sets that were here when I started the job.  I can find the rhyme everywhere but could not identify the maker or source for the hearts.

I especially like the fox face. We counted the valentines together and then I asked, What shape are these valentines? Are they square? Are they round? Of course, they knew they were heart shape.  That led into..

Song: There's a little wheel a-turning in my heart - This is a tradtional folk song, but I learned it from Laurie Berkner's Buzz Buzz CD.  I demo all the kids' parts: twirling hands, clapping, stomping, barking, snoring, HONKING, then sing the song.  I've done this song many times and the kids will often ask for it if there are a few minutes to wait before storytime starts.

Pop-Up Books - Stop Kissing Me by Ethan Long and  If you're Happy and You know it by David Carter.

Closing Rhyme - My hands say thank you

I use the same rhymes every week and add in one or two different ones that may or may not follow my theme.

Preschool:
Greeting and opening song:  Good Morning to you

Opening rhyme:  Open them Shut them

Book: Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson

Action Rhyme:  Teddy Bear Teddy Bear

Book: Smitten by David Gordon

Action Rhyme:  Head and Shoulders

Book: I ended up reading Do you still Love me  by Charlotte Midleton at the Tuesday session and Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman at the Thursday session.  I enjoy acting out Katie's excitement and her unsuccessful attempts to suppress it as I read the book and it always gets a laugh.

Song:  Skinnamarink

Book: Cat and Mouse by Schoenherr  - The kids and adults really enjoy the cat's expressions in this book.

Flannel board:  Five Little Valentines

Song:  There's a little wheel turning in my heart

Pop-up Book:  Stop Kissing Me by Ethan Long.  If you have not seen this pop-up, I really recommend it. The duck keeps kissing the pink poodle who thinks the slobbery kisses are yuck. There is a button to push to get a smooch sound. I really ham this one up when I read it and put in lots more smooches. The kids usually start calling out - push the button, push the button.
Pop - Book: If you're happy and you know it
Closing Rhyme - My hands say thank you.

We don't do crafts as part of our storytimes, but I have a stack of leftover flyers from last summer's Summer Reading Program.  I printed out coloring pages on the blank backside of the flyers, a simple heart for the toddlers and a more complicated valentine design for the preschoolers.  And lastly, everyone gets a hand stamp of a red heart. ( I use non-toxic, child safe washable ink pads and last week, for the first time to my knowledge, was told by a mom that her infant had had a reaction to it)

Yes, I did mean to say infant.  I get a real mix of ages at both storytimes.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed here are my own, and not my employer's.