"All about me" storytime

I did my last story time for the year earlier this week. It's been a fun adventure for me. The kids were great to work with and I loved presenting the story times each month. The theme this time was "all about me" so I looked at many books about feelings, getting bigger, babies, etc. to help me decide which ones I would use.

After our opening song, "When ducks get up in the morning," I read the book, BIGGER, by Daniel Kirk. The story is told from the view of a little boy from when he was in his mother's womb to when he is old enough to go to school and learn lots of things. I really liked this book!;)

Next, I read the poem, "Whistles" by Dorothy Aldis.

Whistles

I want to learn to whistle.

I've always wanted to.

I fix my mouth to do it but 

the whistle won't come through.

I think perhaps it's stuck, and so

I try it once again.

Can people swallow whistles?

Where is my whistle then?

The next book I read was From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. This colorful book compares the actions of what animals do to what we can do.

The kids did the actions as I read book, but then afterward, I pulled out a few animal puppets for them to do the actions with.

They did an awesome job as they stomped their feet like the elephant, arched their back like a cat, bent their knees like a camel, raised their shoulders like a buffalo, clapped their hands like a seal, and thumped their chest like a gorilla.

The last book I read was Here are my hands by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. It's a short and simple book about the things you can do with your hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc.

I pulled out the gorilla from my bag and played a game of "Gorilla says..." (like "Simon says") with the kids. They had to move quickly as the gorilla told them to touch their head, touch their toes, jump, turn around, etc. They really seemed to enjoy this a lot!

We talked about shadows and how they are made before reading the classic poem called, "My Shadow" by Robert Louis Stevenson.

My Shadow

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

We sang "The Goodbye Song" with the gorilla and then it was time for me to leave. I had a great time with these kids and I hope I can do it again next year!:)