Storytime: Tea Party

Special storytime program for ages 3-8.

Books:

Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf

by Judy Sierra and pictures by Jotto Seibold

 

Miss Spider's Tea Party

by David Kirk

Sheep Out to Eat

by Nancy Shaw and pictures by Margot Apple

Tea for Ruby

by Sarah Ferguson and pictures by Robin Preiss Glasser

Fancy Nancy

by Jane O'Connor and pictures by Robin Preiss Glasser

Additional Books:

Hattie Hippo by Christine Loomis and pictures by Robert Neubecker

I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge

Just Like Mama by Leslea Newman and pictures by Julia Gorton

Kid Tea by Elizabeth Ficocelli and pictures by Glin Dibley

The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr

Idea Books:

Come to Tea by Stephanie Dunnewind and pictures by Capucine Mazille

Fancy Nancy Tea Parties by Jane O'Connor and pictures by Robin Preiss Glasser

Songs and Fingerplays

I'm a Little Teapot

Fingerplays and Rhymes "Sippety-Sup" and "Yeeow! Tea!"

from HCPL Kidsite

Sippety-Sup, Sippety-Sup (Chant)

"Sippety-Sup, Sippety-Sup,

I drink juice from a sippy-cup.

Sippety-Sup, Sippety-Sup,

Mom drinks tea from a pretty cup.

Sippety-Sup, Sippety-Sup,

Dad drinks coffee from a big-big cup."

(Pretend to slurp tea after each pair of verses getting louder each time.)

This was adapted from a version on the Children Only ESL-EFL Website

(http://www.childrenonlyesl-efl.com/)

From HCPL Kidsite

Yeeeeoooouchhheee Tea! (Chant)

Teabag in and teabag out,

Don't burn your fingers or you'll have to shout:

Yeeeeoooouchhheee! Yeeeeoooouchhheee Tea!

Pour some sugar, Pour some cream,

Don't burn your fingers or you'll have to scream:

Yeeeeoooouchhheee! Yeeeeoooouchhheee Tea!

(Pretend one hand is a teacup and the other is a teabag being dunked. Then hold up and wiggle fingers for the second verse, and finally wave arms and hands wildly for the third verse. Do the same for the next set, only substitute a pouring motion for the first verse)

From HCPL Kidsite


Simon Says

We played the traditional game, "Simon Says". But instead of saying "Simon says", I said "please". If I didn't say please they weren't supposed to do what I asked. I asked for curtseying, bowing, twirling, golf claps, waving like royalty, etc.

Craft

Bud Vase

My coworker saves Ramune bottles from her Anime Club.

So, I had the kids make them into flower vases. Each child had a cup of glue diluted with water. They painted the glue onto the bottle with a paint brush and then placed squares of tissue paper on the glue. A final coat of glue on top when they were finished and then we left them to dry.


Other crafts I considered:
Paper Placemat Weaving
Muffin Cup Flowers

Refreshments:

We served pink lemonade and cookies, and had hot tea available for the adults.

Storytime: Too Many in the Bed

Family storytime for ages 3-8 and their families, with craft.

Books:

The Squeaky Door

by Margaret Read MacDonald and pictures by Mary Newell DePalma

I have a few other versions listed in "Additional Books" but this is my favorite to read to a group. The repetition is a real crowd-pleaser. Be sure to add big SMACKs and long, loud squeaks. I also throw in a motor activity and have them click off the light with me.

Creak! Said the Bed

by Phyllis Root and pictures by Regan Dunnick

The clever, hanging ending and jabs at Dad's snoring keep this a little more entertaining for the parents.  Wouldn't be my first pick for outreach, though.

The Napping House

by Audrey Wood and pictures by Don Wood

An all-time favorite of mine-- even holds the interest of the very youngest audience members. I wanted to make a magnet board out of this story but our laminator was out of commission. Check out this great color pattern pdf from kizclub.com. Search their website if you would prefer the black and white.

Additional Books:

Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly by Judith Mathews and Fay Robinson and pictures by Alexi Natchev

Race You to Bed by Bob Shea

The Squeaky, Creaky Bed by Pat Thomson and pictures by Niki Daly

Songs:

Ten in the Bed

Traditional 

I love this version I found on YouTube. But, I don't think I'd have time to get the kids and chairs set up. We just rolled our arms for "roll over".

Five Little Monkeys

Traditional

Using these darling finger puppets always seems to hold their attention.

Or learn the sign language version.

Craft:

Mouse Paper Craft

from DLTK Kids

We copied the mouse onto white paper and had teen volunteers cut out the pieces. I told the kids they could draw pajamas on their mice if they wanted, since we're "quiet as a mouse" when we go to bed. A bit of a stretch, but nobody noticed.

Storytime: Eggs

Family storytime for kids ages 3-8 and their families, with craft.

Books:

Egg Drop

by Mini Grey

The first group I read this to was horrified by the ending. So, I warned the second group that it wasn't a happy ending, and said "Humpty Dumpty" with them afterwards; which worked much better.

The Odd Egg

by Emily Gravett

Very fun with quirky drawings. Simple enough story to hold the attention of the younger ones, and the illustrations kept the older ones interested.

Additional books:

Cluck, Cluck Who's There? by Caroline Jayne Church and James Mayhew

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston and Pictures by Sylvia Long

Eggbert: The Slightly Cracked Egg by Tom Ross and pictures by Rex Barron

An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni

Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss

What's In That Egg? by Becky Baines

Songs:

"I Know a Chicken" from Laurie Berkner's Whaddaya Think of That

With shaky eggs, of course. To get the adults involved, I told the kids to give an to the adult they came with. Always a hit!

Activity:

"So Many Eggs" from "Liven Up Your Storytimes", a 2010 ALA Presentation by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirkner, www.storytimemagic.net

Prepare a nest of plastic eggs. Inside each egg place pictures or figures of animals that come from eggs. Have the child pick out an egg and open it for the group when you say the rhyme.

I found a nest while walking one day.

"Look at all the eggs!" I had to say.

I waited and waited and what did I see?

Craaack! Who hatched? A baby _______ was looking at me.

Craft:

Hatching Egg

I had a volunteer cut out a duck and two "eggs" (just ovals) from the Ellison. Then she cut one of the eggs to appear cracked. The kids glued down torn paper "nests", and the whole egg. Next, they pasted on the chicks. And finally, the adults helped attach the cracked egg with a paper fastener.