Baby Storytime: Zoo Animals

I have so many baby storytimes in my archives that it is really fun to plan a completely new one.

OPENING SONG: Hello Song*

OPENING FINGERPLAY: Open Them Shut Them*

BOOK: Dear Zoo by CAMPBELL
I bought posterboard and paint to try to make a giant-size version of this book, but it hasn’t happened yet! On the snake page, I always change “scary” to “slithery,” because I am a big fan of snakes and don’t like making them look bad!

LITERACY MESSAGE: Reading
Parents, when you first read this book to your baby they aren’t going to know what a camel is or what a giraffe is. That’s okay! When you read books with your baby, they learn all sorts of new ideas. This will help them become a good reader because the more they know about the world, the easier it will be to understand what they find in books. Reading with your child helps them get ready to read!

SONG: Alice the Camel
This, no lie, is the dumbest song in the world. It makes people laugh when they hear it for the first time, though! You can start with 5 humps, but with the babies I started with 2. Sing it to the tune of Dem Bones.

Alice the Camel has 2 humps
Alice the Camel has 2 humps
Alice the Camel has 2 humps
So go, Alice, go!

Alice the camel has 1 hump…
So go, Alice, go!

Alice the camel has no humps…
Because Alice is a horse!

FLANNEL SONG: One Elephant Went Out to Play
Sing to Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play

One elephant went out to play
On a spiderweb one day
She had such enormous fun
That she called for another elephant to come:

Raise hands to cup mouth, and call loudly: Oh, Ellllllllephant!

Slap hands on thighs to make “running” sounds.

Two elephants went out to play…
Three elephants…
Four elephants…

Five elephants went out to play
On a spiderweb one day
They had such enormous fun
That they played until the day was done!

FLANNEL SONG: A Hunting We Will Go*
Today we used bear/chair, snake/cake, parrot, carrot, and bat/hat.

BOOK: Monkey and Me by GRAVETT
Why have I not used this book for baby storytime before? It was great!

ACTION RHYME: 5 Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree
I love this version.

5 little monkeys sitting in a tree
hold up five fingers
Teasing Mr. Alligator, “Can’t catch me!”
put thumbs in ears and waggle fingers
Along came the alligator quiet as can be
put palms together like an alligator mouth and weave back & forth
And SCARED that monkey right out of the tree!
open palms wide and clap loudly on “scared”

ACTION RHYME: This is Big Big Big*

CLOSING SONG: Sneeze Game*

*Check out the My Baby Storytime page for the words and/or citations for these weekly activities!

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