Online Storytime: Videos + Activities
Storytime Replay
Activity / Download
Your works of Art:
"Home" - March 15
"Monsters" - March 20
Roll a Monster!
Scroll to 12:51 in the video to learn how to randomly create your very own monster. Send your creations to and I'll add them to our gallery!
"Waiting" - March 23
Create a Waiting Crew
Use your W's!
Who are they?
What are they like?
Why are they waiting?
Send a pic of your crew in action to and I'll add your story to our gallery!
"Seriously Silly" - March 27
Give my book Pictures!
My book with no pictures DEFINITELY needs pictures: draw your favorite part by listening to the story for inspiration!
"I just wanna Fly" - March 27
"How does your garden grow?" - April 3
"Penguins" - April 6
"Chicken Big" - April 13
"Sciency Stuff" - April 17
"Bang boom bam" - April 20
Our Rhythms:
"Here We Are" - April 24
"The Snail and the Whale" - April 27
"Practice, practice, practice" - May 1
"Rainbows" - May 4
"Shadowplay and Doodle-ology" - May 8
"Moms around the world" - May 11
"Narwhal Travels" - May 15
"Paris" - May 15
"South Africa" - May 22
"Dominican Republic" - May 25
"Swiss Reading Day - SPECIAL EDITION" - May 27
"England" - May 29
"Mexico" - June 1
"Beginnings" - June 5
Wings
BONUS FUN: What other wings and flying things do you find around your house? send me your pictures for our gallery!
Ziploc Seedlings
What you need: a paper towel, water, a yummy fruit or veg, water, and a plastic bag.
1) enjoy your snack, save the seeds ; )
2) make your paper towel wet
3) place the seeds on the towel, then fold it over them so they have their own little pockets of space
4) place it in a plastic bag
5) hang it on a sunny window
6) wait
7) wait some more
8) when your seedlings are ready, plant them in a small pot or empty eggshell
9) watch your plant grow!
Penguin Friends
Hatching Chickadee
Homemade Lava Lamps
What you need: an empty jar or PET bottle, colored water, oil
Add your favorite color to the water (either with watercolor paints, food coloring or even a piece of paper colored with a marker), fill your jar about 3/4 full then add oil to the top. Shake and watch the bubbles reform - the oil will always float to the top!
Noise Shakers
What you need: an empty toilet paper roll (or PET bottle), dried beans or seeds or rice, stapler
Staple the bottom of your toilet paper roll shut, then add a spoonful of your chosen noiseshaker element (beans, rice, etc). Give the roll a 1/2 turn and staple the top shut. Color, shake, and make lots of cool rhythms for our gallery!
DIY Universe
What you need: scratch paper, glue stick, pen, and your IMAGINATION!
Tear up your paper into little bits, drop it from on high, and glue the bits where the land. Then ponder and connect the dots to create your own constellations!
Watch Oliver Jeffers AMAZING Ted Talk HERE
Whale Template
Create your own Yoga Pose
What you need:
your IMAGINATION!
Think about something you love doing, and make a pose that show's us something about your favorite things!
A Color Wheel with Household Objects
Print out the color wheel template for a reference then go on a scavenger hunt around your house for colorful things. Arrange them in order of your wheel and enjoy your very own homemade rainbow!
Other fun experiments to do at home...
Noise -shakers and -makers
The Multiverse
Snails, Whales, Tails, oh my!
Our Poses
Mission: Make a Rainbow!
Shadow Tracing
What you need: a sunny sport or household lamp, a cool object, pencil and paper and your IMAGINATION!
Place your object just right so it casts a shadow on your paper, then trace the shadow. Give your tracing to a friend or parent and let them imagine their own drawing using your shape!
Inspired by Vincent Bal's Shadowology
Shadowplay
Draw your Mom's Story
What you need: paper, colors, and your mom
Ask your mom what it's like where she's from, and if she has any special memories or stories from from when she was little. While she tells you her story, draw what you hear to create a picture of her memory.
My Mom...
Dreams and Windows
Use our Narwhal Templates to color in his travel dreams and share with us what's out your window! (Curious about real Narwhals? Click here.)
Narwhal Dreams and Window Views
Build an Eiffel (Shoe) Tower
Using your shoes, or maybe other things you have around the house - like teddy bears or legos - try to build the tallest tower possible!
Pro tip from Mia: when building with shoes, consider using flip flops because they're really light and balance well.
Towers of Power
Homemade Ukelele
What you need: a cup or old can (have your mom or dad make sure the edges aren't too sharp anymore!) and some rubber bands
Wrapt as many bands as you like around the cup and experiment with the sounds you can make. One side sounds more like a tone, the other more like a drum. Feel free to send me your music and pictures!
Ukeleles
Dream your Island
In our story today, Lola talked with neighbors and family members to find out more about the Island where she was born for her school project.
Close your eyes and imagine your own Island: what creatures, experiences, sounds, smells, tastes and stories will we find there? Use the template here to draw us a picture!
Our Island
what we read:
In honor of Swiss reading day we celebrated by reading books about reading. Some more dangerous than others....
A wonderful way to remind yourself why reading matters to you is by treating yourself to The Velocity of Being, a collection of letters authors, illustrators, and creators around the world edited by Maria Popova (Brain Pickings) sharing how reading "sculpted their character and destiny"
Balloon Racers
a slo-mo speedy balloon racer
What you need: a balloon, a straw (or other tube), some string and some strong tape.
Blow up your balloon and attach the straw to its belly. Thread the string through the straw and tie off the ends to (stable) objects. Blow up your balloon and let her rip! How far does your racer go? Pro Tip: put two strings side by side and you can have races with your brothers, sisters, parents!
Make a Wish!
Dandelions
What you need: something round, some paper (thinner is better, maybe old newspapers or magazines?), scissors
Trace a circle onto your paper and cut it out. Fold it in half, then in half again, and cut small strips into the rounded edge. unfold your dandelion and blow! don't forget to make a wish...
Pro Challenge: string your dandelions onto a thread and create your own wishing garland
If I were a flower
Our Storytime Garden
What you need: paper, colors and your imagination
If you were a flower, what color would you be? Would you be tall or tiny? Would you have lots and lots of petals?
Draw a picture of yourself as a flower, and i will put all of our flowers together in one storytime garden!
Coming soon