Every spring muddy sports uni­forms descend on my wash­ing machine and remind me it’s a good time to do a messy storytime.

Back­ground music as chil­dren gath­ered for sto­ry­time: Black Socks by Bill Harley and I Took a Bath in a Wash­ing Machine by Jim Gill.

Opener:
Elbow, elbow
Wrist, wrist
Fin­gers go like this, this
Knees and toes
Hips and nose
And, that’s the way it goes (clap 2x)

via King County Library System’s Tell Me a Story (includes video)

What did you put in your pocket? by Beat­rice Schenk de Reg­niers. This is a good chance to talk about April 26, Poem in Your Pocket Day, too)

Action song: Alou­ette Game (Eng­lish version)

Those Messy Hempels by Brigitte Luciano. An all-too famil­iar scene in my house — try­ing to find one lost thing (in the Hempels’ case a whisk) leads to the dis­cov­ery of many more lost items.

I got out Melissa’s adorable Clean and Dirty Pigs for the next two rhymes.

Five pigs so squeaky clean
Clean­est pigs you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go out­side and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a big THUD
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs.

Repeat until no clean pigs left.

Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! by David McPhail. I have teen boys. I can relate :)

I kept the pigs muddy side-up on the flan­nel­board and we did this next rhyme after fin­ish­ing Ten Dirty Pigs; Ten Clean Pigs.

Five lit­tle pigs rolled in the mud -
Squishy, squashy, felt so good.
The farmer took one piggy out.
“Oink, Oink, oink,” the pig did shout!

Con­tinue with four, three, two, until…

No lit­tle pigs rolled in the mud.
They all looked so clean and good.
The farmer turned his back and then,
Those pigs rolled in the mud again.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beau­mont — this story is always a lot of fun!

Movie: I’m Dirty. Based on the book by Kate McMullan.

Other book suggestions:

Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin

Dog’s Col­or­ful Day by Emma Dodd

Mouse Mess by Lin­nea Riley