Lake Cities Montessori Storytime: the Sea

I'm scheduled to read about 8 times at the school. It just so happens that the summer program is divided into themed days. On the first day that I'll be attending the theme is "The Sea" (cue Disney Mania, Under the Sea, which if I were doing a musical chairs or craft activity, I could play in accompaniment.)

Sea Theme Storytime

Introduce myself – Bring out my visuals (sea shell, camera, sea puppets, boat) and ask if the children can guess what the books I'll be sharing are about. Give my expectations- they listen, but when I ask a question or point to them, it means I'd love to hear their thoughts.

Opening Song as needed: "We are here for storytime." *from Simply Super Storytimes (JR 372.4 CAS)

First book: I'm the biggest thing in the ocean! by Sherry, Kevin – get the sea puppets or make flannel board characters.

Counting rhyme as needed

5 Little Sea Creatures *use flannel board or sea puppets as needed

*from The Big Book of Reading, Rhyming, and Resources by Maddigan and Drennan (JR 027.625 MAD)

Song: The Sharks in the Sea (Tune: The Wheels on the Bus) *from The Big Book of Reading, Rhyming, and Resources by Maddigan and Drennan (JR 027.625 MAD)

Fingerplay as needed: "Open, Shut Them" (I'm ending the above song with a line about the clams in the sea open and shut and this is a good way to transition back to quiet sitting.)

Second book: Flotsam by Wiesner – bring digital camera and film camera to show the difference between the two; bring film in canister and off roll; This is a book that has no words and I’ll need your help in telling the story.

Fingerplay as needed
"Ocean Shell" & "Two Little Fishes"

*from I’m a Little Teapot by Cobb (JR 027.6251 COB)

Final book as needed: The sea house by Zagwyn, Deborah Turney; Show knots in a rope

Craft to hand out: Origami boats and boats for kids to color. 

• Knot tying for the older kids; Need instruction sheets and rope for them to practice.
• Origami boat crafts (http://www.freeprintable.com/view/print-body.html?id=3465 & http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-boat.html)

Ending Song as needed: Raffi's "The More We Get Together"

As much of the above is in copyrighted texts, I don't have the full program typed up here. I did prepare it for me to have on hand and if I were doing a storytime with parents, I'd hand it out for them so they could sing along.