diggin' dinosaurs...

Last week, we had some fun with dino stories... I expected it to be a big hit - and it kind was, and it kinda wasn't. Plus, thanks to my approach (roaring, stomping, etc.) the kids were pretty riled up. :P


Anyway, on to the Setlist*:


Song: 'Hello Everybody'

Welcome: We read a quick book from one of our kits called Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner. I chose to do this because I wanted to remind all the kids (and maybe inform them, who knows?) that dinosaurs were real, but they aren't around anymore. I had the kids name some dinosaurs that they knew (boy, some kids are regular paleontologists!) and got right to the stretch. 


(Dinosaur) Wiggles: 
Can you stretch your neck like a brontosaurus?
Can you flap your wings like a pteranodon/pterodactyl?
Can you stomp your feet like a stegosaurus?
Can you open your jaws like a tyrannosaurus?
Now can you do it all at the same time and give a big ROAR??
That's how we stretch like a dinosaur!


Now reach WAY up high... and WAY down low... and tuck in  your bottom... and sit yourself down for our first dino-story.


Dinosaur Roar by Paul Stickland

Great way to start off, especially for the little ones. This is a book of dinosaur opposites and shows that there were dinosaurs that were big and ferocious and dinosaurs who were small and "meek". The colorful illustrations were great as I asked the kids to remember them for the craft we worked on later...


Flannel: "One Dinosaur Went Out to Play"


Song: 'I'm Bringing Home a Baby Dinosaur"

I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
Won't my mommy fall right through the floor?
I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
Ouch! He squished me! Flat as a pancake!

I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
Won't my mommy hide behind the door?
I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
Tromp! Tromp! Tromp!

I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
Feeding him will make my mommy poor.
I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
There goes all the dog food! There goes the dog!

I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
My mommy shouts, "Don't bring me any more!"
I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur
Where you going with those suitcases, Mom?

The Littlest Dinosaur's Big Adventure by Michael Foreman

Didn't realize that this is actually a follow-up to an earlier book by Foreman, The Littlest Dinosaur. This little guy wanders away as he follows his fancy, but ends up helping another little guy who is not so brave. The illustrations are soft and lovely - a different kind of dino-tale.




I'm Bad! by Kate & Jim McMullan

The McMullans just know how to write a funny book (check out I'm Dirty! and I'm Stinky! for proof). This T-Rex means business and he does everything in his power to prove to you that he is, indeed, BAD. But when it's time for dinner, do his bad ways get him anywhere?


Craft: Make Your Own ___________asaurus!
We do a lot of "make your own"s, but it's super cute and this week was no exception. I drew the outline of a dinosaur and wrote "This is my _________________asaurus!" underneath. :) I gave the kids a googly eye (duh - I love them), markers, some construction paper shapes (circles and triangles), and a glue stick and told them to go to town! Then, I encouraged the kids to come up with their own dinosaur names - or USE their own names! Mine was a storytimeasaurus. :)

Goodbye Song: 'The More We Get Together'

All in all, I think we had a stompin' good time!

* I call my storytime plans "Setlists" because I actually carry a half sheet of paper into the Story Room with me to remind me what I'm doing. It's all keyword/notes, so that's what it looks like to me - a setlist. And, "setlist" cracks me up. We're rockstars! :D