Rhyme Cube: Click here for description.
Sign Language: The word for the day is “Bee”
Opening Rhyme: Open them, Shut them,…
First Book: Where There’s a Bear, There’s Trouble! by Michael Catchpool
Flannel Board: 5 Bees
One little bee flew and flew.
He met a friend, and that made two.
Two little bees, busy as could be.
Along came another and that made three.
Three little bees wanted one more.
Found one soon and that made four.
Four little bees going to the hive.
Spied their little brother and that made five.
Five little bees working every hour.
Busy away, bees and find a flower.
(rhyme from: http://sturgiskids.wetpaint.com/page/Bee+Storytime+songs+and+games )
Song: “I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee…”
Second Book: Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier
Flannel Board: Here is a Beehive
I got this cute idea and the template from Sunflower Storytime
Make a bee hive and little bees that you can velcro onto a glove. Here’s a picture of mine:
Then recite this rhyme”
Here is a beehive. Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Soon they come creeping out of the hive (have one bee pop out)
1-2-3-4-5! BUZZ! (bring each bee out as you count)
(make your bees fly all around the hive)
Song: Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee
(I can’t remember where I found this song but it’s basically a version of “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear…”)
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Buzzing all around.
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Buzzing on the ground.
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Buzzing up so high.
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Buzzing in the sky.
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Buzzing past your toes.
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Buzzing on your nose.
Third Book: Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, Went the Bumblebee by Colin West
Flannel Board: Patterns
Using the flannel bees I used previously, I pointed out that the bees had a pattern on them. Tell the kids that bees have stripes. Point to yellow, black, yellow… “this is a pattern! It’s the same over and over again.”
“You can make patterns with shapes too. Not just colors. Here is a pattern I’ve made:
Bee, hive, bee, hive, bee, hive – Let’s see if we can make the same pattern right below-”
(I asked the kids to repeat the pattern right below the first one while I put the pieces up. Here’s a picture:)
We did the activity again but I made the pattern a little more difficult:
You could also create a pattern leaving one piece out and ask the kids to tell you what’s missing.
This is a very easy way to introduce a simple STEM concept into the storytime and the kids liked it!
Activity: Egg Shakers
We used egg shakers (pretended they were bees!) and danced around while we listened to Laurie Berkner’s song “Buzz Buzz”
* I already conducted this storytime but just found an app that could be used in storytime to emphasize pattern recognition.
iPad App: Park Math HD by Duck Duck Moose
This is a great app (Duck Duck Moose is one of my favorite developers) that promotes math skills for the very young. There are a number of cute activities included in the app but the one that I could use the next time I do this storytime is activated by tapping on the green kite (unfortunately, the activities are not labeled).
The screen displays a pattern made up of a number of everyday objects. There is one object missing from the pattern and at the bottom of the screen there are four choices of objects that can be used to complete the pattern. Here’s a couple screen shots:
You could hold the iPad facing the children and discuss the pattern that is displayed on the top half of the screen. Then ask them to tell you what object would complete the pattern. The app starts out with simple patterns (like the ones above) but there are slightly more difficult patterns included as well.
AnnesLibraryLife 