Welcome to the Storytime at Home series! Every other week, we share a list of book options tied to a kid-approved theme, a craft you can set up to go along with the theme, songs/rhymes you can do during storytime, and additional enrichment activities. All books are available at Richmond Public Library, and crafts will involve items you likely have at home already! Our hope is that we can make it easy for you to share stories with your little ones and create a little bit of library magic at home.
P.S. Love library storytimes? Take a look at all in-library storytime options here. There is a storytime for your child every morning at our various branches!
Okay, now to the fun stuff…
Today’s storytime theme is PORCUPINES!
Source: Maymont
If you live in the greater Richmond area, chances are you’ve heard of the new porcupine babies (aka porcupettes aka maybe the cutest animal ever?) at Maymont. Over here at Richmond Public Library, we cannot get enough of these precious little ‘pettes! To celebrate their arrival, this week’s Storytime at Home theme is porcupines. Not only are these main characters cute, stories about porcupines help teach young readers lessons about friendship and respecting personal boundaries. And sometimes, these stories are simply silly and fun ones to enjoy together! You and your children alike are sure to enjoy this theme. The library has some wonderful books about porcupines, and we’ve included some of our favorites below. When you visit, you can also search in our catalog or ask a librarian to help you find the perfect book for you and your child. Happy reading, and welcome to Richmond, porcupettes!
Books
Reading to your kiddos turns them into confident thinkers. Making books a regular part of your daily routine is a great way to build children’s love of reading and learning. Storytimes also help build excitement around reading to support their literacy development.
Here are a few book options you can choose from for your porcupine-themed storytime.
- I Need a Hug by Aaron Blabey
- Norman Didn’t Do It! (Yes, He Did) by Ryan Higgins
- Elmore by Holly Hobbie
- A Porcupine Named Fluffy by Helen Lester
- I Love Cake!: Starring Rabbit, Porcupine, and Moose by Tammi Sauer
- Hugs from Pearl by Paul Schmid
- Problem Solved! by Jan Thomas
There are many ways to make reading fun and engaging for your little one!
Click here to see some of our favorite tips for bringing stories to life at home.
- Point at the pictures and ask your child what they see. Help build their vocabulary by pointing to pictures and saying the word aloud.
- Ask your child questions about the story: What do you think will happen next? How do you think this character is feeling?
- Read with expression and enthusiasm, and use different voices for different characters.
- Act out what’s happening in the story.
- As your child gets older, count objects in a book, discuss the different colors they see, point out shapes in the story, etc.
- Snuggle up and be patient. Reading is great bonding time for you and your child. Take your time walking them through the story. If your child wants to turn the page or be finished with reading, that’s OK too. You don’t have to read every word or even every page for reading with your little one to be beneficial for their development.
Songs and Rhymes
We love adding songs and rhymes to our storytimes. This is a great way to practice language with your child and support their physical (motor) development through movement.
Here are two songs and rhymes you can use for this themed storytime.
Counting Rhyme: Five Little Porcupines
Hold five fingers up and put them down as you count; roll your arms as your say rolling each time
Five little porcupines rolling across the floor,
One waddles off and then there are four.
Four little porcupines rolling by me,
One waddles off and then there three.
Three little porcupines rolling by you,
One waddles off and then there are two.
Two little porcupines rolling under the sun,
One waddles of and then there was one.
One little porcupine rolling all alone,
He waddles off and that leaves none.
Movement Song: Two Little Porpcupines
We love this fingerplay and have adapted the original version to feature porcupines! Watch the video below to see the movements that accompany the song as well as other lyrics you can use to extend the song.
Two little porcupines, sitting on a hill.
One named Jack,
And the other named Jill.
Roll away, Jack.
Roll away, Jill.
Roll back, Jack.
Roll back, Jill.
Arts and Crafts
Adding a craft along with a book is a great way to continue allowing your child to learn, explore, and grow. Crafts are a nice supplement as they encourage motor development, creativity, self-confidence, and more.
In fact, art and craft activities:
- Build fine motor skills. Actions such as painting, coloring, gluing, and cutting develop small muscles in small hands and improve coordination skills as children learn to use both hands at the same time.
- Support early literacy. When children make art, they learn vocabulary and how to follow directions when getting verbal instructions from parents and caregivers. They also boost their communication skills via talking about their work!
- Teach early math concepts. Math skills are used frequently in arts and crafts. Kids learn about and recognize different shapes, count and sort art supplies, and even measure out materials.
- Encourage creativity. Art helps develop creativity, self-expression, problem-solving, and curiosity.
- Boost self-esteem. Doing arts and crafts can give children a sense of achievement and allow them to take pride in their work, which builds confidence.
- Offer bonding time. Kids love spending quality time with parents and caregivers, and arts and crafts are a great opportunity for this.
Here is a craft activity you can do along with the porcupine theme.Â
Porcupine Nature Craft
Materials Needed
- A piece of cardboard
- Rubber bands
- Markers
- Scissors
- Sticks
- Googly eyes (optional)
Source: Little Pine Learners
Directions
- Draw a porcupine body and head onto the cardboard. TIP: Trace half a howl to make the body and then draw a small head on one side.
- Cut out the porcupine. Draw facial features onto the head, adding googly eyes if desired.
- Make several short cuts on the porcupine’s back and bottom. Stretch rubber bands between these cuts. Ensure the bands are going in all directions and overlap.
- Help your child weave the sticks between the rubber bands. Continue adding until done!
Additional Enrichment Ideas
The fun doesn’t have to end at books, songs, and a craft. There are many ways to enrich a storytime with additional activities and lessons. Here are a few ideas for you and your child:
- Go visit the porcupettes! They will be living in Robins Nature Center until 2026 when they will move to their permanent home on Maymont’s forthcoming Virginia Wildlife Trail.
- Make playdough porcupines. Build a body, legs, and head out of playdough and then help your child push toothpicks into the top of the body to complete the porcupine. This is a great fine motor activity!
- Practice giving porcupine-approved hugs. Do you need to spread your arms out extra wide? What if you wear a pillow as a shirt to protect yourself from getting poked? Get creative while getting some extra kiddo snuggles!
- Play Porcupine Pros and Cons. Tell kids to close their eyes and imagine that they are a porcupine. How would life be different? What would the pros and cons be? For example, do porcupines cuddle? Do they ever get their quills stuck as they try to wiggle into small spaces? Do they enjoy more alone time?
- Make porcupine-themed snacks like this one with apples, peanut butter, and chocolate chips or this one with a pear and cheese cubes.
We share these Storytime at Home posts twice a month, so be sure to check back soon for more. You can also search “#storytimeathome” to see all past posts.
Have a suggestion for the next theme we cover? Email Sarah at sarah.fenninger@rva.gov and let us know!
