Preschool Storytime Ideas
Rainbows – Science
The following ideas for a Rainbow storytime were posted on the PUBYAC Listserv. We have added the book annotations and a few craft ideas. You can also sing the “Roy G. Biv” song, or “I Can Sing a Rainbow,” or “Mary Wore Her Red Dress.” For a craft, you can make easy rainbow windsocks using just one piece of construction paper for the body of the windsock, and strips of colored tissue paper taped to the tube of paper. The tissue will hang down and move in the wind. You can even have the kids arrange the strips of tissue in the order colors are arranged on a rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. To add some science information, bring in some prisms to show how light contains all of these colors, or bubbles which also show a “rainbow” of colors on the bubble’s surface.
Lionni, Leo. A COLOR OF HIS OWN. A chameleon doesn’t like his ability to change colors to look like his surroundings, until a wiser chameleon explains that it is a gift.
Freeman, Don. A RAINBOW OF MY OWN. A yellow-slickered boy plays after a storm, and looks for a rainbow.
Ehlert, Lois. PLANTING A RAINBOW. Distinctive cut paper illustrations show how different flowers make up a rainbow of colors.
Jonas, Ann. COLOR DANCE. Three young dancers with various scarves demonstrate how colors are mixed to make new colors.
Barry, Frances. DUCKIE’S RAINBOW. This book is cut into a rainbow, or half circle shape that lends itself perfectly to storytime.
Feeney, Stephanie. HAWAII IS A RAINBOW. Photographs highlight this book on colors that also shows the variety of people in Hawaii.
Hooper, Patricia. HOW THE SKY’S HOUSEKEEPER WORE HER SCARVES. This original pourquoi tale describes the seven scarves that make up the rainbow.
Peek, Merle. MARY WORE HER RED DRESS. You can learn the names of the children at storytime with this easy to learn folksong, done as a picture book. Also available in Spanish.
Asch, Frank. MOONBEAR’S SKYFIRE. Bear and his friend bird investigate a rainbow, looking for a pot of gold.
Walsh, Melanie. NED’S RAINBOW. Simple enough for toddlers, Ned’s mother paints a rainbow on the wall after Ned sees one in the sky.
Pfister, Marcus. RAINBOW FISH. A longer story about a fish that gives his scales to other fish who need them, this is better suited to a school age storytime.
Wood, Audrey. THE DEEP BLUE SEA. A cumulative tale of the colors with a surprise rainbow at the end.
Wood, Audrey. THE NAPPING HOUSE. Available as a flannel board or apron story, this cumulative tale ends with a rainbow.
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. WARTHOGS PAINT. Stuck inside on a rainy day, three warthogs paint a rainbow on the kitchen wall.
Hopgood, Tim. WOW! SAID THE OWL. Owl stays awake to see the colors of the day, including a rainbow.