Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Storytime - My Body

Toddler


Books: Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault and My Octopus Arms by Keith Baker

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Head and Shoulders”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Hi, My Name is Joe”, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: Xylophones. Materials: printout of the letter X, construction paper rectangles in red, yellow, orange, and blue, crayons, glue, and tape. The toddlers glued and taped their rectangles to their papers to make a xylophone. *I was trying to stick with an X theme, but when I couldn't find enough material for toddlers, I went with My Body. It was too late to change the craft, though. The idea came from The Measured Mom.





Preschool

Books: Here are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Head and Shoulders”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Johnny Hammers One Hammer”, “Them Bones”, and “The More We Get Together”.




Special Activity: I explained to the group that under our skin we have bones. I used the overhead projector to show the preschoolers x-rays of body parts and the preschoolers tried to guess what part they were looking at. I used hand, foot, knee, shoulder, and chest x-rays taken by my husband when he was still in radiology tech school (don't worry, they're not of real people).

Craft: X-rays. Materials: black construction paper, cotton swabs, white construction paper crayons, tape, scissors, and glue. The preschoolers traced their hands and feet to the paper using the special crayon. When they were done, they filled in the outline with cotton swabs to make their very own x-rays! The idea came from Inspired Montessori.







Songs/Rhymes

Head and Shoulders
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Head and shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes!
-- Traditional

Hi, My Name is Joe
Hi, my name is Joe.
I work in a button factory.
One day, my boss comes up to me and says,
“Hey Joe, are you busy?”
I said, “No.”
“Then turn the button with your right hand.”
Continue with:
Left hand, feet, head, whole body
--Traditional


Johnny Hammers One Hammer
--Lapsit Services for the Very Young II by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001.

Move Them Bones
Your toe bone’s connected to your foot bone.
Your foot bone’s connected to your ankle bone.
Your ankle bone’s connected to your leg bone.
Let’s shake those bones, those bones.

Your leg’s connected to your knee bone.
Your knee bone’s connected to your hip bone.
Your hip bone’s connected to your back bone.
Let’s shake those bones, those bones.

Your back bone’s connected to your shoulder bone.
Your shoulder bone’s connected to your neck bone.
Your neck bone’s connected to your head bone.
Let’s shake those bones, those bones.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Wee Read - Fly Away, Birdie!

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:
Using simple signs will help your baby express what she feels and will lead to less frustration. As she ages, she will abandon signs once she’s learned how to say the words.

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

Good Morning, Mrs. Perky Bird (with crow puppet)
--Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.

Open Shut Them

Book One
Have You Seen My Cat by Eric Carle

Three Crows
Three crows,
Sat upon a wall,
Sat upon a wall,
Sat upon a wall.
Three crows,
Sat upon a wall,
On a cold and frosty morning.

Two Little Blue Birds
Two little blue birds sitting on a hill.
One named Jack, the other named Jill.
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill.
Come back Jack, come back Jill.

Pretty Bird
--Babies in the Library by Jane Marino. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2003.

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle








Blue Bird, Blue Bird
Blue bird, blue bird
On my window,
Blue bird, blue bird
On my window.
Blue bird, blue bird
On my window,
Oh, Mommy, I’m tired.

I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock!
Rock babies gently back and forth on your lap as you say the verse. Then lift them up in the air for each “Cuckoo!”
Tick tock, tick tock
I’m a little cuckoo clock
Tick tock, tick tock
It’s one o’clock!
CUCKOO!
Tick tock, tick tock
I’m a little cuckoo clock
Tick tock, tick tock
It’s two o’clock!
CUCKOO! CUCKOO!

Read Together
Baby Says Peekaboo by Dawn Sirett

The More We Get Together

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Storytime - Eric Carle Day

Toddler


Books: From Head to Toe and Little Cloud by Eric Carle

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Johnny Hammers One Hammer”, “Who’s That Knocking at My Door?” game on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: Tissue Paper Collages. Materials: tissue paper squares, dark blue construction paper, and glue. The toddlers collaborated with each other to make a collage in the style of Eric Carle. When they were finished, I used their creations as artwork in the meeting room.




Preschool


Books: My ApronBrown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (written by Bill Martin, Jr.) on the felt board; and The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse. All written and/or illustrated by Eric Carle. The felt board template came from Kiz Club.

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Johnny Hammers One Hammer”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Note: Many of the children already knew the words to Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I explained to the caregivers that even though it can be tiresome to read the same book repeatedly, repetition can be extremely helpful to children. It creates pathways in their brains that will help them read on their own when the time comes.

Craft: Tissue Paper Collages. Materials: tissue paper squares, dark blue construction paper, and glue. The preschoolers collaborated with each other to make a collage in the style of Eric Carle. When they were finished, I used their creations as artwork in the meeting room.




Songs/Rhymes

Johnny Hammers One Hammer
--Lapsit Services for the Very Young II by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001.

Who’s That Knocking? Felt board
Who’s that knocking at my door?
make knocking motion
Who’s that knocking at my door?
Let’s guess who is out there!
KNOCK, KNOCK!
clap in rhythm
WHO’S THERE?
MEOW!
MEOW WHO ?
IT’S A CAT!
(Repeat with other animals, singing the song between the chants and prompting children for the answer to the riddle.)
--Children’s Programming Monthly v. 1 no. 12 pg. 27 by Judy Nichols

Monday, February 17, 2014

Wee Read - Autumn Once Again

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:
Reading the same book repeatedly to your baby will help develop strong memories. As a result your baby will be able to decode words faster when he’s ready to read. --KT Paxton

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

Roll Roll Sugarbabies
Roll, roll sugarbabies (arms roll)
Roll, roll sugarbabies.
Push, pull,
Clap, clap, clap!

Open Shut Them

Book One
Who Loves the Fall? by Bob Raczka

Way Up High in the Apple Tree
--Lapsit Services for the Very Young II by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001.

Little Leaves
Sung to: "London Bridge"
--Babies in the Library by Jane Marino. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2003.

The Leaves are Falling Down
Sung to: "The Farmer in the Dell"
The leaves are falling down
The leaves are falling down
Red, yellow, green, and brown
The leaves are falling down

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two
Baby Loves Fall! by Karen Katz

Tall as a Tree
--I’m a Little Teapot: Presenting Preschool Storytime by Jane Cobb. Vancouver, BC: Black Sheep Press, 1996.

Criss Cross Applesauce
--from Lapsit Services for the Very Young by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001.

Read Together
Rokko by Paola Opal

The More We Get Together

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Storytime - Dragons

Toddlers


Books: Waking Dragons by Jane Yolen and Who Wants a Dragon? by James Mayhew.

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Open, Shut Them”, “If You’re a Dragon and You Know It”, “Three Little Knights” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, “and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: Crowns. Materials: die cut construction paper crowns, foam shapes, yarn, crayons, glue, and tape. The toddlers glued the shapes to their crowns. Their caregivers used the yarn to fit the crowns to the toddlers’ heads.

Preschool


Books: Me and My Dragon by David Biedrzycki and The Pet Dragon by Christoph Niemann (If I had to do this storytime again, I wouldn't pick The Pet Dragon. It didn't have quite the appeal factor my kids needed to pay attention.)

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Head and Shoulders”, “Open, Shut Them”, “If You’re a Dragon and You Know It”, “Three Little Knights” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: Crowns. Materials: die cut construction paper crowns, jewel stickers, yarn, crayons, glue, and tape. The preschoolers stuck their jewels to the crowns. Their caregivers used the yarn to fit the crowns to the preschoolers’ heads.

Songs/Rhymes

If You’re a Dragon and You Know It
Sung to: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
If you’re a dragon and you know it,
Show your claws.
If you’re a dragon and you know it,
Show your claws.
If you’re a dragon and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you’re a dragon and you know it,
Show your claws.
--Miss Mollie

Three Knights in Shining Armor
Three knights in shining armor,
Fearless and brave,
Went dragon hunting
Deep in a cave.
The dragon started breathing fire,
The knights’ knees were all aquiver,
And one little knight
Took off running for the river!
...
One little knight in shining armor….
So the last little knight
Took off running for the river!
--JPL
*I did this rhyme using the felt board. I used this dragon and this knight.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Wee Read - Woof Woof!

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:
Babies love books with pictures of other babies, with textures, or with animal sounds!

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

Do Your Ears Hang Low
Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them over your shoulder like a Continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?
--Traditional

Open Shut Them

Book One
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

How Much is that Doggie in the Window?
How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggly tail?
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie’s for sale.
--Traditional

Where is Puppy?
Sung to: "Where is Thumbkin"
Where is puppy?
Where is puppy?
Here I am.
(reveal stuffed puppy)
Here I am.
How are you today sir?
Very well I thank you.
Run Away.
(hide Puppy behind you)
Run Away.
--HCPL

If You’re a Doggie and You Know It
If you’re a doggie and you know it,
Say, “Woof, woof”.
If you’re a doggie and you know it,
Say, “Woof, woof”.
If you’re a doggie and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you’re a doggie and you know it,
Say, “Woof, woof”.
Repeat with give a lick, scratch your ears.
--Miss Mollie

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two
Eli, No! by Katie Kirk

After My Bath
After my bath…I try, try, try
To rub myself till I’m dry, dry, dry (pretend to rub body with a towel)
Hands to dry and fingers and toes (point to body parts)
Two wet legs and one shiny nose (point to body parts)
Just think how much less time it would take
If I were a dog and could shake, shake, shake! (shake whole body)

This is the Way We Bounce
This is the way we
Bounce, bounce, bounce.
Bounce, bounce, bounce.
Bounce, bounce, bounce.
This is the way we bounce, bounce, bounce
Early in the morning.  Wheeee!

Read Together
Puppy Love illustrated by Patti Jennings

The More We Get Together

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Storytime - It's My Favorite!

Toddler


Books: Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “The Hokey Pokey”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Five Little Monkeys Swinging from a Tree” on the felt board, “Come Under My Umbrella” with parachute, “Ring Around the Rosie” with parachute, “London Bridge” with parachute, “Row Boat, Row Boat” with parachute, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: There was no craft today. The toddlers played with the parachute instead.

Preschool



Books: That Is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems and Crankenstein by Samantha Berger

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “The Hokey Pokey”, “Open, Shut Them”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Craft: There was no craft today. The preschoolers helped make a rain circle instead.

Special Activities: The preschoolers helped me make a rain circle to celebrate the rainstorms outside. They stood in a circle around me, and copied the actions I made when I turned to them. They snapped their fingers, rubbed their hands together, tapped their legs, clapped their hands, and stomped their feet. When it was all put together, they sounded just like a rainstorm!

Songs/Rhymes

The Hokey Pokey
You put one arm in,
You take one arm out.
You put one arm in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!
Substitute different body parts. For more advanced children, use left and right.
--Traditional

Five Little Monkeys Swinging From a Tree
Five little monkeys swinging from a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile, “You can’t catch me!”
When along comes Mr. Crocodile annnnd SNAP!
-- Traditional





Come Under My Umbrella
with parachute
Come under my umbrella,
Umbrella, umbrella.
Gently wave the parachute up and down.
Come under my umbrella,
It’s starting to storm.
Move parachute faster.
There’s thunder and lightning
And wind and rain.
Come under my umbrella,
It’s starting to storm.

Ring Around the Rosie
with parachute
Ring around the rosie
A pocket full of posie
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!
--Traditional

London Bridge
with parachute
London Bridge is falling down.
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
--Traditional

Row Boat, Row Boat
Row boat, row boat go so slow (wave the chute slowly).
Row boat, row boat go so fast (shake the chute fast).
Row boat, row boat the waves are getting worse (shake fast again).
Row boat, row boat put it in reverse (stop the chute by pulling towards you).

If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
Repeat with stomp your feet, shout hooray, do all three.
--Traditional

Monday, February 3, 2014

Wee Read - Can You?

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:
By 6 months, babies can recognize the sounds of their language. Rhymes help introduce different forms of the sounds. --Library Bonanza

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

Early in the Morning
Sung to: "Mulberry Bush"
This is the way we get out of bed
Get out of bed, get out of bed.
This is the way we get out of bed
So early in the morning.
Repeat with brush our teeth, comb our hair, eat our breakfast
--Traditional

Open Shut Them

Book One
I See by Rachel Isadora

Can You Kick with Two Feet?
Sung to: “Mary Wore a Red Dress”
-- Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.

Fingers Like to Wiggle Waggle
--Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.
Repeat with: way down low, on my knee.

They’re a Part of Me
Sung to: “The Wheels on the Bus”
-- Babies in the Library by Jane Marino. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2003.

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two
Babies on the Go by Linda Ashman

Fi, Fi, Fo, Fum
--Babies in the Library by Jane Marino. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2003.

Let's Go Riding
Sung to: "Are You Sleeping?"
Let’s go riding, let’s go riding,
Saddle up. Saddle up.
Everybody ready? Everybody ready?
Giddyup! Giddyup!

Read Together
Toes, Ears, & Nose by Marion Dane Bauer

The More We Get Together