Storytime - Eeek! A Mouse!

Toddler

Books: Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson and Lunch by Denise Fleming

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Tall as a Tree”, “Open, Shut Them”, “The Leaves Are Falling Down” with pretend leaves, “Hickory Dickory Dock” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Activity: After reading Mouse’s First Fall, I described how much fun fall can be, especially when there are leaves falling down! I sang “The Leaves Are Falling Down” while throwing the pretend leaves in the air. When I was finished, I asked the toddlers to “rake” them back up and put them in a pile (back in the bag).

Craft: There was no craft today. The toddlers took home an M is for Mouse coloring sheet.

Preschool

Books: Mice by Rose Fyleman and Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Tall as a Tree”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Five Little Mice”, “A Tooty Tah”, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, “The Leaves Are Falling Down” with pretend leaves, and “The More We Get Together”.

Special Activity: After reading Mouse’s First Fall, Miss Mollie described how much fun fall can be, especially when there are leaves falling down! She sang “The Leaves Are Falling Down” while throwing the pretend leaves in the air. When she was done, Miss Mollie asked the preschoolers to “rake” them back up and put them in a pile (back in the bag).

Craft: There was no craft today. The preschoolers took home an M is for Mouse coloring sheet.

Songs/Rhymes

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

--PreschoolEducation

Hickory Dickory Dock (felt board)

Hickory, dickory, dock

(clasp hands together and swing gently back and forth)

The mouse ran up the clock.

(run fingers up so hands end up above head)

The clock struck one,

          (clap hands once)

The mouse ran down,

          (bring arms back down in front)

Hickory, dickory, dock.

--Traditional

Five Little Mice (magnet board)

Five little mice came out to play

Gathering crumbs along the way

Out came the big cat brown and fat

Four little mice go scampering back.

Continue until one

...

One little mouse came out to play

Gathering crumbs along the way

Out came the big cat brown and fat

No little mice go scampering back

--Child's Play

*Clip art used: cat and mouse.

Tooty Ta

We do thumbs up, elbows back, feet apart, knees together, bottom up, head back, tongue out.

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2006/01_Jan/pg06.html

Wee Read - My Body

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:

Babies who are responded to quickly learn to trust their caregivers and environment. A way to respond is to “say back” a noise your baby makes. --KT Paxton

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

Jump, Jump

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

Open Shut Them

Book One

Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Roll Your Scarf

--Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.

Wave Your Scarf

Use scarves

Wave your scarf, one, two, three

Wave your scarf, just like me!

(repeat with roll and throw)

--Adapted by Miss Mollie. Originally from Lapsit Services for the Very Young II by Linda L. Ernst. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2001.

Peek-a-Boo

(can be used with scarves)

Tune: Are You Sleeping?

Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo

I see you, I see you

I see your button nose,

I see your tiny toes.

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

--Jim Thomas

Wind, Oh Wind

-- Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two

A Kiss Means I Love You by Kathryn Madeline Allen

Clap Hands, Clap Hands

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

Rickety, Rickety Rocking Horse

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

Read Together

Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz

The More We Get Together

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.

--Sticky Kids

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.

--via Library Quine

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.

--Jim Thomas

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!

--Mel’s Desk

Read Together

Baby Says Peekaboo by Dawn Sirett

The More We Get Together

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 Apron; Brown 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