Wintry Weather

We may have been a little too enthusiastic at our storytimes about Winter weather this week because it actually did snow! At least I'd like to think we were the reason behind it! It was also the first week I have incorporated a ukulele into storytimes!

Books:

Toddler Books:

No Two Alike - Keith Baker

OH! - Kevin Henkes

Under My Hood I Have a Hat - Karla Kuskin

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons - Il Sung Na

Flannel Kisses - Mari Takabayashi

Preschool Books:

No Two Alike - Keith Baker

Snowmen at Work - Caralyn Buehner

The Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons - Il Sung Na

All You Need for a Snowman - Alice Schertle

Rhymes/Fingerplays/Songs:

Once There Was a Snowman:

Once there was a snowman, a snowman, a snowman,

Once there was a snowman, tall, tall, tall,

In the sun he melted, he melted, he melted,

In the sun he melted, small, small, small.

Source: Jbrary*

*If you haven't seen anything by the Jbrary Librarians, it is a must-have resource to check-out! 

Five Little Snowpals:

Five little snowpals, standing in a row,

Each with a hat and a carrot nose.

Out came the sun and it shone all day,

One little snowpal melted away.

(Count down 4, 3, 2, 1)

Source: One of my clever Library Assistants came up with this one. We have 5 flannel snowpals as well (They are snowpals, instead of snowmen, because we have several snow women.)

Ukulele Song: Bumping Up and Down in My Little Blue Sled

C 

Bumping Up and Down in My Little Blue Sled,

G7 

Bumping Up and Down in My Little Blue Sled,

C 

Bumping Up and Down in My Little Blue Sled,

G7                         C

Won't You Be My Darling?

Repeat with other actions: Clapping My Hands, Swaying To-and-Fro, Rocking Back-and-Forth, Twirling Round-and-Round, etc.

Source: Jbrary 

*I borrowed the idea from Jbrary, but came up with actions that I could do reasonably well and still play a ukulele. I had found a more difficult song version to play but I am not the greatest at changing fingers for the chords (especially while keeping my eyes on a bunch of rambunctious kids at storytimes). So I adjusted the song until it sounded fine with just two chords - C and G7. The strumming pattern just goes with the tune. 

Snowflake on My Shoulder (Tune: "Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?"):

There's a snowflake on my shoulder, my shoulder, my shoulder,

There's a snowflake on my shoulder and it's melting away.

Repeat with: Elbow, Tummy, Knee, Head, etc.

Source: Time for Storytime

*Surprisingly, Toddlers were a little unsure about an instrument at storytime. It was the first time in was introduced, so we may wait a few weeks to bring it back out at Toddler Storytime. They will stop everything they are doing and quiet down when I sing a cappella but I think the instrument was an added piece that they weren't ready for. Instead of the ukulele song for the second Toddler Storytime of the week, one of my Library Assistant's told me about this song she was using later in the week with a flannel snowflake. Anything having to do with learning parts of the body is perfect with Toddlers and they loved it!

Song: "I Wanna Be a Snowman" by Caspar Babypants
*This didn't have actions so I did not use it during the actual storytime. But I do love the song so I used it while I was stamping hands at the end of storytime.