Storytime: Nature!

There’s so much about nature to be appreciative of: clouds, trees, bugs, animals, plants, hiking in the forest, the sky, sun, and moon! Each one of these can be their own separate theme, but I also like doing the broader topic of Nature. Typically, I’ll do this storytime the same day we do our Preschool Math and Science: Observing Nature program.

Introduction: Nature encapsulates so many different things within our world, so it’s understandable that kids sometimes have a hard time answering the question, “what is nature?” I like to ask this question because once the light bulb goes off for the kids, the answers come flooding! After we’ve named and identified nature, we talk about how it’s our responsibility to keep nature safe and healthy. Then we sang our Hello Song.

ASL Sign of the Day: For our sign of the day, we learn “Nature.” To remember this one, I tell the kids to imagine a bee or fly buzzing around and landing on their hand.

Book: Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd

This beautiful book follows two kids as they explore the concept of wild. It’s small and big, it’s creeping and bold, it’s full of scents, it’s fragile and bursting at the seams. Shows a good variety of urban, suburban, and wild forest.

Song: Going on a Bear Hunt. This is a nice one, because it’s active (making all those movements will have you breathing like you just ran from a bear!) and it talks about all sorts of nature! Grass, a river, a mushroom patch (other versions say a mud pit), and a cave!

We’re going on a bear hunt, / We’re going to catch a big one,
I’m not scared, / What a beautiful day!
Oh look! It’s some long, wavy grass!
Can’t go over it, / Can’t go under it, / Can’t go around it,
Got to go through it!
(Repeat with “a mushroom patch,” “a wide river,” “a deep, dark cave”)
Uh, oh! It’s dark in here.
I feel something,
It has lots of hair!
It has sharp teeth!
It’s a bear!
Hurry back through the river, (Pretend to swim and make splashing sounds)
Back through the mushroom patch, (Make popping sounds)
Back through the long grass (Motions like you’re going through grass and make swishing sounds)
Run in the house and lock the door. (Make a loud clap sound.)
Phew! That was close!

Book: My Forest is Green by Darren Lebeuf

With absolutely stunning artwork, this book follows a young artist as he tries to describe his world. This title is a fantastic vocabulary-builder as well as an inspiration for artwork processes from charcoal rubbing, rock art, photography, sponge painting, snow sculpture, and cut-paper collage.

Song: Birds Fly High (Tune: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

Birds fly high and bees fly low,
(fly hands up, fly hands down)
Caterpillars crawl and rivers flow,
(Creep hand up arm, then wave arms in flowing motion)
Cats ‘meow’ and cows go ‘moo’.
(Use ASL sign for cat and cow)
Puppies ‘bark’ and babies ‘coo’.
(use ASL sign for dog and baby)
So many things to see and hear,
(Point and look in different directions)
I use my eyes and I use my ears.
(Point to eyes and ears)

Book: A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel

This author is a pro at discussing perspective with little ones! We see the stone through animal’s eyes as a kitchen, a resting place, etc. and see what the passage of time does.

Felt: It Looked Like Spilled Milk by Charles Green Shaw

Who doesn’t love this imaginative classic?! I remember days and weeks and probably months of my life spent looking up at the clouds, my imagination singing at the shapes I saw! The felt edition of this book just gives it a little more life as the kids guess the shapes.

Closing: We review our ASL sign of the day, then sing our closing song, Tickle the Clouds. Afterwards, the kids leave the room so we can set up our Preschool Math and Science: Observing Nature program, where we put out a collection of real-life nature (hornet’s nest, antlers, snake skin, etc) and activities to encourage the kids to describe, discover, and engage with nature.

More Books to Check Out: