Living in the Midwest, farms are ALL around! So this is a theme that gets done by every single daycare and preschool around us and is always welcomed as a storytime theme!
Introduction: This storytime is so much fun because so many of the kids know about the topic and are really interested in it! Generally, that combination results in a really great energy that spreads to me! So we chat a little about farms and talk about how there can be different kinds of farms. Ones with just veggies (or even specific kind of veggies, like just corn), animals, a mixture, etc. Then I ask the kids what kind of farm they would have if they could have a farm. Then we get started by singing our hello song.
Sign of the Day: We learned two main signs in this storytime. The one on the left (Farm) and the one on the right (Cow)! Both came in handy during our stories.
Book: My Farm Friends by Wendell Minor
I love this book because it’s simple, but also introduces some really great, funny facts about the animals on the farm!
Song: Moo, Moo Brown Cow (Tune: Baa-baa Black Sheep). This is a fun one to do with a cow puppet! You can also add a human puppet (I like to use a little girl so I can use a high-pitch voice). The bold lyrics are the cow and I make sure to play up a deep, booming voice to play with pitch.
Moo, Moo Brown Cow
Have you milk for me?
Yes sir, yes sir
As tasty as can be!
Churn it into butter
Make it into cheese
Freeze it into ice cream
Or drink it if you please
Moo, Moo Brown Cow
Have you milk for me?
Yes sir, yes sir
As tasty as can be!
Book: Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier
What could be better than a cow who likes to scare the mailman? This one is sure to have everyone giggling at Millie’s antics!
Song: Sweetly Sings the Donkey
Sweetly Sings the Donkey, at the break of day.
If you do not feed him, this is what he’ll say
Hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw
Rhyme: Here is the Barn
Here is the barn
Where I like to go
It’s as tall as a tree
And cozy, you know!
Here is the barn
I’ll go there with you
To pet a sweet lamb
And cuddle it too!
Book: Farmer Falgu Goes on a Trip by Chitra Soundar
This is a great story similar to the traditional tale of It Could Always Be Worse (some of you might know it as Too Much Noise). Our farmer, Falgu, is tired of all the noise at the farm and decides to take a trip in search of quiet. It all works until he’s joined by a new noisy crew, one by one!
Oral Tale: The Enormous Turnip. This is such a fun one to tell! I learned it from one of my mentors, Mary, and the way she tells it, there’s a chorus and some movements. These aspects really draw the kids and their grownups into the story and they adore it! Check it out below!
Closing: We reviewed our two signs, then said goodbye with our traditional song, Tickle the Clouds
More Books to Check Out:
Librarian Ginny 