Pierce County Librarians Create Some Great New Stretches!

On November 29th I presented a workshop on Story Stretches to Pierce County Librarians. We had participants who worked with every population, from babies to toddlers to school age and teenagers to senior citizens. I presented lots of material that they can add to their repertoires, but we also spent some time creating some brand new story stretches. The material participants came up with was fresh, fun, snappy, and sweet. You can be certain that it will be used in upcoming programs. They have generously allowed me to feature their original story stretches in this publication.

THE ITSY BITSY DACHSUND
Sung to the tune of "Itsy bitsy Spider"

The itsy bitsy dachsund was playing in the grass.
Out came the cat and gave the dog some sass.
Out came the mom and shooed the cat away,
And the itsy bitsy dachsund came out again to play.

By Lauren Murphy, Dave Durants, and Judy Nelson.

For some sweet material for a Valentine's Day
program, try the following stretches.

HERE'S A HEART

Here's a heart for you.
Here's a heart for me.
This heart is_______(color),
As you can see.

Here's a heart for me.
Here's a heart for you.
I think ______(child's name)
Would like one, too!

HEARTS IN THE BOX
(Sung to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus")

There are hearts in the box for Valentine's Day,
Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day.
There are hearts in the box on Valentine's Day,
And this is what they say.

The red heart says, "I love you,
"I love you, I love you."
The red heart says, "I love you."
That is what is says.

The blue heart says, "Blow a kiss,
"Blow a kiss, blow a kiss."
The blue heart says, "Blow a kiss."
That is what it says.

The yellow heart says, "Give a hug....

The kids with the box go "Crunch, crunch, crunch...

Now the hearts are gone.

By Naomi Smith, Bonnie Anderson, and Carol Hopkins.

VALENTINE, VALENTINE

Valentine, valentine, turn around.
Valentine, valentine, touch the ground.
Valentine, valentine, blowing up high.
Valentine, valentine, falling from the sky,

Pick 'em up, pick 'em up , pick 'em up quick!

Valentine red, valentine blue,
I'll give them a kiss and send them to you!

By Seung, Emily, Jackie, and Peggie.

SNOW IS FALLING
(Sung to the tune of "Skip to My Lou")

Snow is falling down from the sky (fingers fluttering)
Snow is falling down from the sky
Snow is falling down from the sky
Let's go make a snowball! (pack a snowball, plop it down)

Roll a snowball faster now (roll hands, increasing speed)
Roll a snowball faster now
Roll a snowball faster now
Look-a bigger snowball! (plop down a bigger shape)

Roll a snowball down the hill (roll hands, swoop down hands)
Roll a snowball down the hill
Roll a snowball down the hill
That's the biggest snowball! (plop down a really big one)

Build a snowman 1-2-3 (stack 3 snowballs)
Build a snowman 1-2-3
Build a snowman 1-2-3
WOW! He's as big as ME!

By Kris, Sandy, Alex, and Jami

FIVE LITTLE ANIMALS ON THE FARM

Five little animals on the farm.
The sun is setting low.
It's time for them to go in the barn.
Hear the cow go..."MOOOO."
Bye bye, cow!

Five little animals on the farm.
The sun is setting low.
It's time for them to go in the barn.
Hear the duck go...QUACK."
Bye, bye, duck!

Hear the hen go..."BUCK, BUCK, BUCK."

Hear the sheep go..."BAA."

Hear the pig go..."OINK."

By Lorianne Callison and Susan Anderson-Newham

OWL FLYING

Owl flew over the mountain.
Owl flew over the tree.
Owl flew over the river,
To see what he could see.

He saw the moon on the mountain.
He heard branches rattling in the trees.
He saw the fish in the river,
And he saw ME!

ByJ.T. Isch, Tamara Sarinan, and Dawn Hornsby

The following stretches are perfect for a snow day. They are
also an excellent example of tailoring a stretch to make it
age-appropriate for a particular audience.

GLITTER, GLITTER, LITTLE FLAKE
(To the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")

Glitter, glitter little flake,
Like the sprinkles on a cake.
Swirling, swirling all around,
Falling, falling to the ground.
Glitter, glitter, little flake,
You're so cold, you make me shake!

GLITTER, GLITTER, LITTLE FLAKE
(For school-aged kids)

Glitter, glitter, little flake,
I hope you're here when I awake.
Keep on falling through the night.
Make the roads a solid white.
Tomorrow there's a test to take,
But you can save me little flake!

By Brad Jacobsen, Genevieve Dettmer, Alison Pascone, and Sheri Skuja