
I’m planning a series of story times to do outside when it warms up. My virtual story times are getting less and less interaction all the time and I’m ready to get outside and interact with my kids. My fingers are crossed for a warm March. These story times have the loosest of themes–books are about movement and nature.
Books:


Introduction Song:
Rum pum pum, this is my drum.
Rum pum pum, this is my drum.
My name is (name).
What’s your name?
Tap out the appropriate syllables on the drum while saying your name. Then invite you kiddos to do the same thing using their names. So that all the littles aren’t touching the drum I’ll be asking them to use one end of one of their rhythm sticks to tap out their name.
Credit: Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen
Simon Says:

This is my friend Simon and his favorite game is Simon Says.
Scarf Action Songs:
I’ll be providing scarves and rhythm in plastic bags at each families assigned seating area. Scarves will be washed and sticks wiped down and quarantined until the next story time.
We Wave Our Scarves Together
Tune: The Bear Went Over the Mountain
We wave our scarves together.
We wave our scarves together.
We wave our scarves together,
At story time today!
We wave them way up high!
We wave them way down low!
We wave our scarves together,
At story time today!
Other verses:
We shake our scarves together.
We spin our scarves together.
We wear our scarves together.
Peek-A-Boo!
Tune: Clementine
Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-boo!
Peek-a-boo! Where are you?
Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-boo!
Peek-a-boo! Where are you?
Helicopter
Tune: Frère Jacques
Helicopter. Helicopter.
Way up high. Way up high.
See the blades are spinning. See the blades are spinning.
In the sky. In the sky.
Helicopter Movements:
Spin the scarf over your head.
Credit: We Groove
Rhythm Sticks Song:
(Sung to Clementine)
We Are Tapping
We are tapping, we are tapping,
We are tapping with our sticks.
We are tapping, we are tapping,
We are tapping with our sticks.
Additional verses:
We are scraping . . .
We are hammering . . .
We are pounding . . .
We are rolling . . .
Credit: Abigail Flesch Connors, 101 Rhythm Instrument Activities for Young Children
Song: ABCs

This is my friend Alphabetty and she likes to squawk the alphabet with us! The kids love her! We end every story time with the ABCs. Also pictured is my big drum that we use in the introductory song.
Outdoor Activity: I’ll be planning a safari for the kids. For my outdoor activities I’ll have all the supplies that each family needs in a bag at their assigned seating area so we don’t have a bunch of people piled up in line to get supplies.
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