Wee Read - We're Going to the Zoo

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:

To keep your baby focused, remove everything that competes with your face and voice. –KT Paxton

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

Animals Wake Up

Bunnies wake up with a hop, hop, hop.

Horses wake up with a clop, clop, clop.

Cows wake up with a moo, moo, moo.

Roosters wake up with a cock-a-doodle-doo.

Monkeys wake up with a scratch, scratch, scratch.

But I wake up with a yaaaaaaaawn and a stretch.

--Children’s Programming Monthly v. 1 no. 5 pg. 5 by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker

Open Shut Them

Book One

Dotty by Paola Opal

I Went to the Zoo One Day

I went to the zoo one day.

I saw a [lion] across the way.

And what do you think the [lion] did say?

[roar, roar, roar].

Substitute other animals.

--Originally "I Went to the Farm One Day" from Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.

An Elephant Goes Like This and That

An elephant goes like this and that.

(Move on all fours, slowly like an elephant)

He's terribly big.

(Stand up, reach arms high)

And he's terribly fat.

(Stretch arms out to the sides)

He has no fingers,

(Make fists, hiding fingers.)

He has no toes,

(Wiggle toes)

But goodness gracious, what a nose!

(Point to nose)

-- PreschoolEducation.com

One Elephant Went Out to Play

One Elephant went out to play

Upon a spider’s web one day

He had such enormous fun

He called another elephant to come.

(HEY, ELEPHANT!)

Two elephants went out to play

Upon a spider’s web one day

They had such enormous fun,

They called another elephant to come…

etc.

--Miss Mary Liberry

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two

One Gorilla by Atsuko Morozumi

Jump, Jump, Kangaroo Brown

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

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream!

--Traditional

Read Together

Saffy and Ollie by Paola Opal

The More We Get Together

Storytime - Winter is Here

Toddler

Books: Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin and Mouse’s First Snow by Lauren Thompson.

Songs / Rhymes: “Good Morning”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “The Winter Pokey”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Boots, Jacket, Scarf, and Hat”, “Four Little Snowflakes” on the felt board, “I Wiggle My Fingers”, and “The More We Get Together”. 

Craft: Snowy Pictures. Materials: Elmer’s glue, shaving cream, silver glitter, dark blue construction paper, and paintbrushes. Mix equal parts shaving cream and glue into a cup and add glitter. The toddlers painted their blue paper with the snow paint. When the paint dries, they will have a three dimensional picture of a winter wonderland!

Preschool

Books: Snow by Manya Stojic and The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson (non-fiction title).

Songs / Rhymes: “Welcome to the Library”, “Hello, How Are You?”, “Hi There, So Glad You Came”, “The Winter Pokey”, “Open, Shut Them”, “Boots, Jacket, Scarf, and Hat”, and “The More We Get Together”. 

Craft: See Toddler craft above.

Songs/Rhymes

The Winter Pokey
Sung to: "The Hokey Pokey"

You put your mittens in,
you take your mittens out,
you put your mittens in
and you shake it all about.

You do the winter pokey
and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about.

Additional verses:
You put your boots in . . .
You put your hat in . . .
You put your snowsuit in . . .

--PreschoolEducation

Boots, Jacket, Scarf, and Hat

Sung to: “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”

Boots, jacket, scarf, and hat,

Scarf and hat.

Boots, jacket, scarf, and hat,

Scarf and hat.

In wintertime we dress like that.

Boots, jacket, scarf, and hat,

Scarf and hat.

--Mel’s Desk

Four Little Snowflakes

One little snowflake with nothing to do,

Along came another and then there were… two!

Two little snowflakes laughing with me,

Along came another and then there were…three!

Three little snowflakes looking for some more,

Along came another and then there were…four!

Four little snowflakes having so much fun!

Out came the sun, and then there were none!

--Loons and Quines at Librarytime

*note: my set only has four snowflakes. 

Original last line for "Five Little Snowflakes":

Four little snowflakes dancing a jive,

Along came another, and then there were…five!

Five little snowflakes, having so much fun!

Out came the sun, and then there were none!

Wee Read - Down on the Farm

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:

By the time your baby reaches six months, he realizes that some objects have purposes. He now realizes that books have fun pictures and include time spent with his caregiver. –-KT Paxton

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

To Market, to Market

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

Open Shut Them

Book One

Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming

I Went to the Farm One Day

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

Cluck Cluck, Red Hen

Use a chicken puppet and two plastic eggs

Sung to: "Baa Baa, Black Sheep”

Cluck, cluck, red hen, have you any eggs?

Yes, sir, yes, sir, as many as my legs: 1,2

--Storytime Source Page

This Little Cow

This little cow eats grass

This little cow eats hay

This little cow drinks water

This little cow runs away

This little cow lies in the grass all day

Let's tickle, tickle, tickle her until she wants to play.

--Storytime with Miss Tara and Friends

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two

Wee Little Lamb by Lauren Thompson

Three Dirty Piggies

Three dirty piggies rolling in the mud.

Squishy, squashy, felt so good!

Then along came the farmer,

who took one for a bath.

Continue to one little piggy

-- PreschoolEducation.com

Three Pigs So Squeaky Clean

Five pigs so squeaky clean

Cleanest you’ve ever seen

Wanted to go outside and play

Oink! Oink!

One jumped into the mud

Landed with a great big THUD

Then there were two clean squeaky pigs.

--Mel’s Desk

Read Together

Touch and Feel Farm Animals by Julie Aigner-Clark

The More We Get Together

Storytime - Animals Down Under

Toddler

Special Note: This week’s storytime was performed by Miss Kelly

Books: Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, Who Hops? by Katie Davis, and Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? by John Butler.

Songs / Rhymes: “Shake Your Sillies Out” by Raffi, “The Silly Dance Contest” by Jim Gill, and “Sticks Tap” with popsicle sticks.

Craft: Koala Hats. Materials: koala head cut out, cotton balls, yarn, crayons, glue, and tape. The toddlers glued and taped their cotton balls to their cut outs to make their own koala hats.

Preschool

Special Note: This week’s storytime was performed by Miss Kelly

Books: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill, Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, and Who Hops? by Katie Davis.

Songs / Rhymes: “Shake Your Sillies Out” by Raffi, “The Silly Dance Contest” by Jim Gill, and “Sticks Tap” with popsicle sticks.

Craft: Platypus Puppets. Materials: Platypus printout, paper lunch bags, glue, tape, crayons, and scissors. The preschoolers cut out the pieces of the platypus and glued them to the bags to create a puppet.

Wee Read - Pumpkin Time

Early Literacy Tip of the Week:

Hearing a caregiver’s voice can be the most soothing portion of reading for a baby. –KT Paxton

Good Morning

Hello, How are You?

Jack-O'-Lantern, Jack-O'Lantern

--Artsy Toddler Storytimes: A Year's Worth of Ready-To-Go Programming by Carol Garnett Hopkins. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2013.

Open Shut Them

Book One

Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Rynbach

Mr. Pumpkin

Sung to: “Are You Sleeping”

Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Pumpkin

Eyes so round, eyes so round

Fall is coming, Fall is coming,

To my town, to my town.

--Everything Preschool

Pumpkin Pumpkin

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Sitting on the wall

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Tip and fall

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Rolling down the street

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Trick-or-Treat

--Harris County Public Library

Pumpkin, Pumpkin!

Sung to: “Ten Little Indians”

Pumpkin, pumpkin, orange pumpkin

Pumpkin, pumpkin, orange pumpkin

Pumpkin, pumpkin, orange pumpkin

Hi Ho!  Halloween is here!

--PreKandKSharing

I Wiggle My Fingers

Book Two

It’s Pumpkin Day by Laura Numeroff

Ring Around the Pumpkin

Sung to: “Ring Around the Rosie”

Ring around the pumpkin

Orange, big and round.

Pumpkin seeds, Pumpkin seeds

We all fall down!

--Harris County Public Library

Three Little Bats

Sung to: "Five Little Ducks"

Three little bats went on a flight

by the light of the moon one night

Mama bat said squeak squeak squeak swack!

but only 2 little bats came back.

--Naturally Educational

Read Together

Baby Farm Friends by Jeanie Lee

The More We Get Together