Baby Lap Time did not have a theme this week. I just picked some books, and basically stuck with the same songs as last week. Not too many babies actually attended, and we had a lot of preschoolers who lingered after the 10:00 preschool story time and came to this one as well. In all, there were around 15 children, each with an adult.
I'm learning that babies pay much more attention to the books than toddlers. I think I could have read three more and they'd have been just as happy.
Opening Song: If You're Happy And You Know It
Book: I Love Trucks by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern (2001, Harper Collins)
A little boy playing with toy trucks in a sandbox sings the praises of every kind of truck imaginable. His favorite truck? The ice cream truck, of course! Bold colors against a white background make this book a really appealing thing for babies to look at. And of course, the toddlers in the group can't resist trucks, especially after many of them attended my transportation-themed Baby/Toddler story time on Tuesday.
Song: Open, Shut Them
Wee Sing for Baby has a version of this, but it's a little bit different than the one I know, so I just sing it on on my own.
Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Another sing-along. The moms and nannies know this one well, so I use it to really get them involved.
Rhyme: Here is the Beehive
Book: Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker (1999, Sandpiper)
I have become such a fan of 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe lately. I love Anna Grossnickle Hines's version, but it was checked out, so I went hunting for another one, and now I think I love Big Fat Hen even more. The illustrations are huge and inviting, which is great for baby eyes, and there is actually a lot going on in the pictures that would also make it a good title for one-on-one reading with slightly older kids. The numbers in the rhyme correspond to the number of various insects, as well as the number of eggs waiting to hatch on each page. And at the end, we get to see a big fat hen, all of her friends, and their many, many chicks. A great twist on the original nursery time, and definitely my favorite of the three books we did today. And I remembered to linger over each page, and let the babies take everything in, which is something I've been working on, so that made me feel good.
Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
We have a recording that I use on Tuesdays, but for this one I just sang and used puppets. We sang about the cow, horse, chicken, cat, and dog.)
Song: Where is Thumbkin?
Book: Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett (2008, Simon & Schuster)
I am new to Emily Gravett's books, but they're growing on me. Despite the grammar issue in this book (it should really be Monkey and I!), the repetitive story of a girl and her stuffed monkey going to see various other wild animals, such as penguins, kangaroos, and elephants, is very sweet. I especially love the subtle way the illustrations set us up for the animals - in every other illustration, the little girl mimics the behavior of the animal that is then shown on the next page. Perfect for babies - and toddlers, too.
Song: I'm a Little Teapot
Song: Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This
Oh my gosh! So excited you have decided to do this. It's been a bit since I have done babytimes with Calgary Public--would like to start them up this fall at our wee town library. This will bring me back up to speed! Thank YOU! Looking forward to hearing about your other story times and book choices, as well.
ReplyDeleteDeb -
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for visiting this blog! I get my best story time ideas from other librarians and teachers, so I figured someone might be able to benefit from some of my ideas as well. I'm so glad it's a resource you can use!
I am pretty new to baby times myself, but I'm really loving it so far. It's becoming my favorite story time of the week.