Some things in the Chicago area are guaranteed. First, our sports teams will either thrill or wildly disappoint. Second, Winter will feel like a year rather than a season. Finally, Spring will include stormy weather. That last certainty makes for a good storytime theme: “Water, Water Everywhere.” The preschoolers enjoyed books, music, and a demonstration of what makes those April showers occur.
Books
Rainy weather was the inspiration, and from there my storytime theme progressed to “Water, Water Everywhere!” From the tiniest raindrop to a bath, from a puddle to the ocean, these books celebrate water in many locations.
Images from publisher websites or library catalog.
Music
We danced and moved our bodies to “The Goldfish” by The Laurie Berkner Band. There’s nothing cuter than a roomful of preschool children dropping to the floor to take “a little nap” on the rock on the bottom of the ocean! Other song options were Jim Gill‘s “Leaky Umbrella” and Raffi’s “Baby Beluga.”
Then we moved our bodies to a variety of verses for “Row, Row, Row Your Boat!” We saw an alligator in the stream and didn’t forget to scream, and we saw a seagull near the lake and had to shake. A water snake in the river caused us to shiver! Rhyming and movement were a winning combination.
STEM Demonstration
At the beginning of the storytime, I pulled out a jar filled with water, a can of shaving cream, and blue food coloring. I sprayed a dollop of shaving cream onto the water, dripped food coloring on top of that, and set it aside. We discussed how water droplets (the food coloring) within clouds get too heavy and eventually fall to Earth in the form of precipitation. This demonstration is very familiar, but the preschoolers were definitely excited to check on our “cloud” throughout the storytime and were thrilled when the “rain” started falling.
What themes do you use in the springtime? Any favorite water-themed books? Be sure to share in the comments below.
This ALSC blog post addresses the following core competencies: I. Commitment to Client Group, III. Programming Skills, and V. Outreach and Advocacy.