This 30-minute storytime was designed for a family storytime with a mix of ages and language abilities. You can hear all of the songs and rhymes by clicking on the Watch Here links. If you’d like to hear more songs about food, check out our Food playlist. For more Making Food storytime ideas, check out our Pinterest board!
Books I Shared:
To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda; illustrated by Janet Stevens
Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Ho Baek Lee
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
I tried to choose books that dealt with buying food, making food, and eating food. To Market, To Market and Bee-bim Bop! use a lot of repetition which is what I was looking for knowing a lot of the kids are English language learners. I also wanted to feature foods from a non-Western culture, not only to make it more inclusive, but also to expose Canadian children to foods from around the world.
Rhymes and Songs:
1. Welcome and Goodbye Song: Bread and Butter
To make this the goodbye song, I simply swapped out all of the “hello” parts for “goodbye.”
2. Action Song: Bananas Unite
Bananas Unite!
(clap hands above head)
We pick bananas, pick pick bananas
(do a “milking” motion up and down in the air)
And peel bananas, peel peel bananas
(hands spread to side-right and left alternating)
And chop bananas, chop chop bananas
(karate chop in front of body)
And mash bananas, mash mash bananas
(hands in fists, “pounding” the air)
And eat bananas, eat eat bananas
(“scoop” bananas into your mouth)
Then go bananas!
(jump around wildly)
3. Call and Response Song: I Am Hungry(Tune: Are You Sleeping?)
I am hungry! (I am hungry)
What should I eat? (What should I eat?)
Think I’ll have some pizza
(think I’ll have some pizza)
Without any meat! (Without any meat).
I am hungry! (I am hungry)
What should I eat? (What should I eat?)
Think I’ll have tomato soup
(think I’ll have tomato soup)
With lots of heat! (With lots of heat).
I am hungry! (I am hungry)
What should I eat? (What should I eat?)
Think I’ll have some ice cream
(think I’ll have some ice cream)
Cold and sweet! (Cold and sweet).
4. Counting Song: At the Kitchen Door
1, 2, 3, 4 _______’s at the kitchen door. (insert child’s name)
5, 6, 7, 8 eating _________ off a plate. (insert child’s favorite food and make eating noises)
5. Felt Song: P-I-Z-Z-A(Sing to tune of “B-I-N-G-O”)
I had a pizza big and round
And all of it was mine-O
P-I-Z-Z-A…
And all of it was mine-O!
(Clap out each letter)
6. Song: Table Manners (Tune: Frere Jacques)
Chewing quietly, chewing quietly
Do not slurp, do not slurp,
We must say excuse me,
We must say excuse me
When we burp,
When we burp.
Other Books to Share:
The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos Happy Belly, Happy Smile by Rachel Isadora
Soup Day by Melissa Iwai
Tyler Makes Pancakes by Tyler Florence
Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly by Carolyn Parkhurst; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
Peeny Butter Fudge by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison; illustrated by Joe Cepeda
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
Whopper Cake by Karma Wison and Will Hillenbrand
The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges; illustrated by Amy Walrod
Thank you, thank you for these great ideas!