Thursday, April 2, 2020

Storytime at Home: T is for . . .

We've been reading through the alphabet this year in Storytime.  Since we won't be able to meet in person for a while, here are some ideas for you to continue with the alphabet at home.

There are more choices than we'd use in one Storytime.  You can choose what you want to do and skip the rest - or spread out the stories and activities over multiple times.



The letter T

You can write the letters T and t on paper for your child to see.

Here is the letter t in sign language:

And the entire alphabet:




Songs

  • The Alphabet Song

  • We Clap and Say Hello

    We clap and say hello.
    We clap and say hello.
    With our friends in Storytime,
    We clap and say hello.

    You can change the third line to: "With our family in our house" to better fit the situation, if you prefer.

    Take turns choosing activities with your child: jump, spin, dance, . . . anything you want!

  • I'm a Little Teapot
    on YouTube here

    I'm a little teapot, short and stout.
    Here is my handle, and here is my spout.
    When I get all steamed up, hear me shout,
    Tip me over and pour me out!

    I'm a clever teapot; yes it's true.
    Here let me show you what I can do.
    I can change my handle and my spout.
    Just tip me over and pour me out.

  • Old MacDonald

    Sing Old MacDonald with animals that start with the letter T.  Help your child choose animals that start with a T.  Here are some ideas: turtle, tiger, tadpole, tarantula, tree frog, turkey, tyrannosaurus rex, toad, toucan, triceratops, and trout.

    Old MacDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-O.
    And on his farm, he had a tiger. E-I-E-I-O.
    With a roar roar here, And a roar roar there
    Here a roar, there a roar, everywhere a roar roar.
    Old MacDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-O.


Books

You can look through your books at home for things that start with t and read some of those with your child.  Trees, trucks, tails, teachers, tigers, toads, toys, turnips, turtles are just a few T words you might find in your books.

Here are some online books:


Tails by Matthew van Fleet
on KidLit TV here or YouTube here
This is a story about a variety of animal tails, read by the author.

Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens 
Go to Tumblebooks here and then search for the title.  You must use & - not the word and for this one.  (We can't link directly to individual stories.)  You can mute the volume and read it yourself, if you prefer.
Rabbit's family plants and harvests a garden on Bear's land while Bear sleeps.  Rabbit offers Bear the tops or bottoms and plants accordingly (e.g. potatoes vs. lettuce) so Rabbit will get all of the vegetables.  Some conversation starters: What vegetables grow above and below ground. Working vs. sleeping.  Kindness vs. trickery.  
Toilet Tales by Andrea Wayne-von-Königslöw.
Go to Tumblebooks here and then search for the title.  (We can't link directly to individual stories.)  You can mute the volume and read it yourself, if you prefer.
This is a silly story about why animals don't use toilets - elephants are too big and would crush them, a hen would think it was her nest and lay an egg in it, etc.
If you read Tails and Toilet Tales, you can discuss homophones:  some words that sound alike can be spelled differently and have different meanings.

The Great Big Turnip
on YouTube here
There are many versions of this fairy tale.  We have a good one at the library that I would have read, but this is the best option I found online.  A farmer plants a turnip that grows so large he can't pull it out of the ground. One by one, he asks his wife, (in some versions a child), and various animals to help. When a tiny mouse helps and they all work together, they can finally pull out the turnip.


Crafts

Trees:
If you have brown and green construction paper, you can cut a trunk out of brown, tear the green paper into small squares, and glue them on paper to create a tree.  Or use white paper and have your child color them brown and green.   Or use a paper towel tube as the trunk and any green paper (or color white paper green) as the top of the tree.

Toothpicks:
If you have extra toothpicks, you can use them to create a project.  Make the letter T, triangles, or create a picture.


T page for alphabet books:  
t page here and t pictures here


Additional activities

Scavenger hunt:
Go on a scavenger hunt in your house or yard.  You can look for things that start with the letter T and/or look for the letter T written on packages, book titles, artwork in your house, etc.  See how many you can find.

Retell and act out a story:
Retell and act out The Great Big Turnip story.  Make a turnip out of a wad of paper or a sock or anything that can be your turnip and "plant" it in a couch cushion, under a pillow, or anywhere that works for you.  Your child can be the farmer and try to pull it out and call on family members, stuffed animals, dolls, etc. to help.

Tails:
You can make your own tails out of supplies you have at your house - scarves, yarn, socks, craft supplies.  Compare your "tails" to real animals' tails.  Make different tails and talk about them: Which one is longer? Which one is softer? Can you wag your tail like an dog? Or stretch your tail like a cat?

Movement:
What can you do that starts with a t?
Tap your Toes
Tiptoe
stretch up Tall
get very Tiny
climb a Tree
ride a Tricycle
roar like a Tiger
crawl like a Turtle
do something (jump, spin, stomp, etc.) Two times, Three times, Ten times, or Twenty times.
have a Tea party
build a Tower
pretend you're taking a Trip on a Train
What else can you do?

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See Storytime at Home for the letter U here.

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Additional resources:

Online reading, learning, and fun resources
Printable activity pages, story starters and more
Screen-free things to do at home
Resources about COVID-19 - books for children, journal pages, tips for talking with your child

Projects:

Share a Smile - Share artwork and letters with Meals on Wheels recipients.
Share Your Story - Share your experiences and daily life during this pandemic.
Poetry Month - Write a poem to add to our Poetree.

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