Sensory Storytime- Snow

Sensory storytime is for children with Sensory Integration Issues, Autism Spectrum Disorders or other developmental delays, their friends and families.
 
The program includes fine/gross motor activities, songs, fingerplays and stories.
A predictable, visual schedule guides our sessions.  
 
The program is open to all ages, but is geared towards a preschool interest level. 
 
This week our theme was Snow. 
 

 
Carpet squares are already in a circle and children are welcomed into the room and invited to sit on one of the squares, with their parents close to them.
I introduce myself and go over storytime rules. They are simple! 
1. Participate
2. If anyone gets too rowdy, they are welcome to go to the calming corner (where there is a calming caddy; a small caddy filled with fidgets, stress balls and other manipulatives) and come back to the circle once they are settled.
3. A little movement around the room is ok, but if the child gets too close to any materials that are being used, please bring them back to their square.
 
The visual schedule is already on a flannelboard. I go over the activities we are going to do today, pointing at each card as I talk.There is a lot of repetition between programs.
 
This week's theme is snow and as there is very little snow in Florida, when introducing the theme, I ask if anyone has ever been in the snow. We talk about what it looks like, what it feels like and that we will use our imagination to pretend it is snowing.
 

 
 
Time to sing! We go around the room and welcome everyone by singing to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell:
___________ is here today,
 ___________ is here today,
Everybody wave hello
'Cause __________ is here today.

 

Then we sing "Open, Shut Them"  Click on the link to see how to do it at home.

Open, shut them
Open shut them,
Open shut them,
Give a little clap clap clap!
Open shut them,
Open shut them,
Put them in your lap, lap, lap!
Creep them, crawl them,
Creep them, crawl them,
Right up to your chin, chin, chin!
Open wide your little mouth,
But do not let them in!  
 
Falling, falling, falling, falling
Almost to the ground, ground, ground
Slowly pick them up again
and turn them ‘round and ‘round, ‘round, ‘round
Faster, faster, faster, faster,
faster, fasterClap, clap, clap
Slower, slower, slower, slower
Put them in your lap, lap, lap

 
 
 

 
We read:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

We read this book twice. The first time, children were just to listen.
The second time, we did all of Peter's actions.
I coached children as necessary to make the appropriate movements.
 

  
I gave each child 2 pieces of paper and talked about how it doesn't really snow in Florida so we have to use our imaginations and pretend.
As we sang the song, we crumpled our paper and made snow.
Make a Snowball
(tune: Frere Jacques)
Make a snowball, make a snowball,
Throw it now, throw it now,
Make yourself a snowball,
make yourself a snowball,
Throw it now, throw it now. 



This is actually a Flannelboard song.
5 Little Snowmen
5 little snowmen riding on a sled,
1 fell off and bumped his head.
Mamma called Frosty and Frosty said,
"No more snowmen riding on a sled!"
...4, 3, 2, 1....
(found at: http://lisaslibraryland.blogspot.com/2013/01/flannel-friday-five-little-polar-bears.html)

We read: 
 

Snow by Uri Shulevitz

Before I read this book, I gave each child a bag filled with packing peanuts and Christmas scatter. We explored what it looked like when we shook it and talked about what snow actually feels and looks like.

 

Children were instructed to shake their bags and make it "snow" when the boy in the book says "Its snowing!"

 

Once the story is over, have children put their bags away to take home after storytime. 
 

I give a scarf to each child and they make a "bird" with the scarf and we sing: 
There's a bird in the air
(tune: There's a spider on the floor)
There's a bird in the air, in the air
There's a bird in the air, in the air
There's a bird in the air, now he's flying in my hair!
There's a bird in the air, in the air.

There's a bird on my leg, on my leg.
There's a bird on my leg, on my leg.
There's a bird on my leg and he's getting pretty big,
There's a bird on my leg, on my leg.

There's a bird on my hand, on my hand.
There's a bird on my hand, on my hand.
There's a bird on my hand, but look, he's my friend!
There's a bird on my hand, on my hand.

We then use our scarves to do:
Peek-a-boo, I see you- I see you in the morning
Peek-a-boo, I see you- I see you in the afternoon
Peek-a-boo, I see you- I see you in the evening.



Our opening and closing songs, our scarf song and this rhyme/ fingerplay are the same across all storytimes.

Two Little Blackbirds
Two little blackbirds, sitting on a hill,
One named Jack, and one named Jill.
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill.
Come back Jack, and come back Jill.

 

Tickle the Clouds

Tickle the clouds, 

Tickle your toes

Turn around and tickle your nose

Reach down low

And reach up high

Storytime's over- wave good-bye!

 

As a parting activity, I hand out bubbles and play a song and allow children to blow bubbles around the room.

 

It is important to give children an opportunity to play and parents an opportunity to socialize, so I open our play room; you could bring out toys.

 

I remind parents and children about the items I have given them and instructions on how to continue the activities at home.

 

My final words are to remind parents and children about our next storytime.