For over 20 years the children of San Antonio have been calling in to Dial-A-Story to hear a children's story. The children's librarians record new stories every Tuesday and Friday, one in English and one in Spanish.
Just call 210.207.4466 to listen!
Opening Song: “Hello Everybody”
Song: “Five Little Pumpkins Song”
Read Story: “Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins”
Movement Song: “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes”
Goodbye Song: “Now It’s Time to Say Goodbye”
Family Activity: With your grown-up, find a word in the story that rhymes with another word. Then say the words together. Get some orange, black, white, yellow, and green construction paper. Have family members make their own paper pumpkins!
Opening song: Clap everybody and say hello
Read Aloud: Where are you? By Sarah Williamson
Sing Along: Old Mac Donald had a farm
Movement song: Walking, walking
Activity: Role-play game
Have your child wear an apron and help her pretend to mix dough, to knead it, and to roll it, and to bake it in the oven. Pretend to be a customer entering her bakery hoping to buy some baked goods.
Everyone should tap and clap and simulate mixing, rolling, and patting. Use your fingers to draw your child's initial on a pretend cake and to say your child's name in place of "baby"
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it and pat it and mark it with "B" (Use child's initials)
And put it in the oven for "baby" and me (Use child's name)
From: The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Dr. Betsy Diamant - Cohen and Saroj Nadkarni Ghoting.
Opening Song: Hello, hello, How are you?
Read Aloud: Sooty & Snow by Nikki Rogers View the recording together. Remember, you can pause the video to have your own discussion
Fingerplay: Rock Scissors Paper
Action Song: Move
Extension Activity: Make a new home for Sooty to explore that you think he will like. Rather than draw it find items around your home that you can use to make it.
Opening Song: Hello, Friend by Dr. Jean
Read Aloud: Bumpety Bump! by Pat Hutchins
Action Song: Plant a Little Seed
Song: Harvest Stew
Extension Activity: When preparing fresh fruits and vegetables for meals, say their names with your child and talk about where each one grows. If the fruit or vegetable you are preparing is one included in Bumpety Bump!, point it out in the illustrations there as well.
Opening Song: Can You Say Hi
Read Aloud: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
Song: Gray Squirrel , Grey Squirrel, Swish you Bushy Tail
Song: Five Little Squirrels
Closing Song: Goodbye Song
Activity: Scavenger Hunt - Can you find these items from The Busy Little Squirrel? Take a walk outside and see what you can find!
Opening Song: Hello, Hello
Read Aloud: The Bravest Fish by Matt Buckingham View the recording together. Remember, you can pause the video to have your own discussion
Action Song: Brave
Song: Being Brave
Extension Activity: Let’s be brave! Make a jar of things you’re scared of but would like to try. Whenever you complete a brave task make a brave collection by drawing a picture of yourself.
Opening Song: Hello Everybody
Movement Song: Grandparent’s Day Song
Read Story: “What Grandmas Do Best / What Grandpas Do Best” by Laura Numeroff
Goodbye Song: This Little Piggy
Family Activity: What do the grandmas do with their grandkids in this story? What do the grandpa’s do with their grandkids in this story? Draw your grandma or grandpa or both doing an activity with you—it’s ok for your grown-up to help you too!
Hello: If You’re Ready for a Story
Read Aloud: Squares by Yusuke Yonezu
Song: Skidamarink
Song: Ten Little Fingers
Activity: By developing an awareness of the designs and shapes that bodies can make as well as where their bodies are in space, children also gain an awareness of others and the world around them.
Parents with very young children can hold their babies while dancing, and children who are already walking can follow the instructions in the song, which is sung to the tune of "Here We Go, Looby Loo".
Here we go in, in, in.
Here we go out, out, out.
Here we go in, in, in.
Then we turn ourselves about.
Here we go uppity up.
Here we go down - ditty down.
Here we go uppity up.
Then we turn ourselves around.
Repeat, then sing this last line:
Then we sit ourselves right down!
From: The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Dr. Betsy Diamant - Cohen and Saroj Nadkarni Ghoting.
Hello Song: When Cows Get Up in the Morning
Read Aloud: Safari Animals by Simms Taback
Song: Old MacDonald
Song: Pig on Her Head by Laurie Berkner
Extension activity: Animal Sounds Guessing Game
Opening Song: Hello, how are you today?
Read Aloud: Kindergarten, Here I come by D.J Steinberg. View the recording together. Remember, you can pause the video to have your own discussion
Fingerplay: Line Up
Song: School supplies song
Extension Activity: Let’s get ready for school by packing our backpacks! What do you think you’ll need? To make it more fun lets draw our backpacks and all the items we think we will need to take on paper.
Opening Song: Hello Everyone! How are You?
Read Aloud: I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs
Action Song: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
Closing Song: Skinamarink
Play Activity: I Spy Game
I Spy is a great game to test powers of observation, have fun with any age child and it takes no supplies. Like the book, you can use colors: “I spy with my little eye, something that is color, or you could use shapes, numbers, letters, etc.
Other players take turns guessing what it might be
Some people allow players to ask yes/no questions such as “Is it inside the car? Is it smaller than my hand? Is it alive?
A player wins when she guesses the object. Then it is her turn to say “I spy….”
B Is for Baby by 
Good Night, Forest by 
Silly Lullaby by 
What a Nice Car! by 
Who by 
