Sleepy Storytime
Scott Bahlmann
Opening: Shake My Sillies Out – Raffi
Book: Moo, Moo, Brown Cow, Have You Any Milk? – Phillis Gershator
(This was a fun way to show where things come from (pillows, blankets, milk, bread and honey). Pretty well received too.)
Activity: Sleepy Bear
from Storytime Katie
(Tune: “Thumbkin”)
(We shouted 'Wake up Bear!' after each round. Super fun, the kids love it!)
Where is bear? Where is bear?
Here I am. Here I am.
How are you this winter?
Very tired, thank you.
Go to sleep. Go to sleep.
Book: My Dad is Big and Strong, But… - Coralie Saudo
(Such an adorable story, and the parents love it as much as the kids.)
Activity: Owl Freeze Game (modified from the song ‘Silly Dance Contest’ by Jim Gill)
(I made a two-sided moon/sun visual and explained to the kids that we were going to be owls. That means that if the sun is out we have to be asleep! Then I’d flip it around to the moon for us to be owls flapping our wings. I used a freeze game format, shouting out Sleep! after they’d been flying for a bit and everyone lay down. Loads of fun!)
Fly any way you want to, fly any way you please
Fly any way you want to, but stop when I say Sleep!
(continue with fly as high as you want to, fly as fast as you want to,
then fly any way you want to again to end.)
Book: Sleep Like a Tiger – Mary Logue
(Perhaps a bit ambley, I felt like the group was wandering a bit during this one. Might swap it out with Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime for my Thu group.)
Activity: Princess and the Mattresses
(Princess and the Pea)
A video of my presentation.
(This was loads of fun! I saw another princess flannel board, and used that as inspiration to make this. We counted all the mattresses as we set them up, and the kids loved guessing what the item was, and watching the princess throw them away. ...though she was too scared to pick up the monster, and just karate chopped it out of my hand.)
On top of all these mattresses I get to spend the night,
I toss and turn and cannot sleep, for something is not right.
Something (tickley, squishy, buzzy, scary, lumpy) keeps me up.
These mattresses I’ll spread…
A (feather, banana peel, bee, monster, pea)! That’s no good,
get out of my bed!
(The princess then throws the item and climbs up for the next verse)
Finally everything is soft, and I can rest my head. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Book: Who Said Coo? - Deborah Ruddell
(A very cute, simple story, and a great end to the program.)
Activity: Parachute
(The final activity was our parachute with monkey beach balls, for the five little monkeys jumping on the bed. The group was too big to try the song, so we just had fun bouncing!)