Underwear Storytime 8-2-17

By Awnali Mills

As it is in libraries around the country, things around here are crazy.  Yep, the crazy has hit full force at my library, and we’re all dog paddling as fast as we can just trying to keep our noses above the water.  So blogging my storytimes has fallen by the wayside.  I’m gonna play catch-up here starting with the Underwear storytime that I did today.  This was a two-fer that I did, first the regularly scheduled storytime and then immediately after, a daycare came in and I did it again.  The books I chose were Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier and Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort.

My boss has a two year old, and I asked him if I could borrow a pair of his son’s underwear (which is a weird request if there ever was one.)  He had a brand new pair that he graciously let me borrow.  To start the storytime, my dinosaur puppet did his usual attempt to munch on crunchy children.  Then, we talked about how there’s something he likes even better than children—underwear!  He brought out the pair of underwear, and he and I had a tug-of-war over them (I won.)  We talked about who wears underwear (I’m sure you’ll be as astonished as I to learn that adults Do Not Wear Underwear!  I know!  But the children assured me that this was true. )  Then we talked about the letter U and what sounds it makes.

I read Brief Thief, and we laughed about the bunny wearing underwear on his head as a mask.  Then I grabbed my ukulele (I know, ya’ll!  This is a Development.  I have had 4 lessons and have started playing in storytime.)  I sang I’m Getting Dressed Myself to the tune of Farmer in the Dell.  I let the kids tell me the different articles of clothing, and they were great about singing along.

C
I’m getting dressed myself
C
I’m getting dressed myself
F              C
Hi-ho, I’m growing-o
C    G7    C
I’m getting dressed myself.

More verses:
I put on underpants…
I’m slipping on my socks…
I’m tugging on my shirt…
I’m pulling on my pants…
I’m tying up my shoes…
I’m ready for the day!…

Then I did the flannel Five Pair of Underpants.

Five pairs of underpants hanging outdoors
One blew away and then there were four
Four pairs of underpants blowing in the breeze
One blew away and then there were three
Three pairs of underpants, each a different hue
One blew away and then there were two
Two pairs of underpants hanging in the sun
One blew away and then there was one
One pair of underpants, Just one pair!
Put it in your drawer so you’ll have a clean pair!

I had made the five pair of underpants in felt, and placed them on the board as if on a clothesline.  Then, I had the kids tell me which one got blown away each time.  They loved shouting instructions at me.

Next, I read Dinosaurs Love Underpants.  I adore this book.  It’s all about how underpants led to the extinction of the dinosaurs and saved mankind.

We played a game called Where, Oh, Where Are My Underwear? next.  I took a flannel where children are meant to bring up different colored underwear and changed it to a variation on Little Mouse, Little Mouse.  I didn’t want to make a huge amount of underwear (Summer Reading here, remember?) and instead made six felt laundry baskets and one pair of underwear to hide underneath.  I sang this song and then we searched:

(Tune: Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?)
Oh where, oh where has my green underwear gone?
Oh where, oh where can they be?
I’ve looked up high, and I’ve looked down low,
Did someone hide them from me?
Are they in the __________laundry basket?

To finish off the first group, I pulled out a parachute and we played parachute games.  For one of them, I tossed the underwear and my dinosaur puppet on and we bounced to see if the dinosaur could catch the underwear.  Then I threw a second dinosaur on, and it looked like they were fighting over the underwear!  Then I took away the dinosaurs and threw a chameleon beanie baby on, and after a few minutes, a rabbit.  So I extended two books for one activity!

The second, the daycare, was just too large a crowd for our small parachute, so I spread everyone into a circle and had them do The Undie Pokey:

You put your left sock in
You put your left sock out
You put your left sock in and you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!

More verses:
You put your right sock in
You put your t-shirt in (Lean your shoulders in and out)
You put your underwear in (Turn around and put your butt in and out)
You put your long johns in (Jumping forward and back)

All of the underwear songs and activities were from a PUB-YAC post several years ago, so I don’t have sources for them.