Baby Lap Time, 2/1/12 and 2/2/12

Opening Song: Say Hello
I love singing hello to each child individually. My recall with names has been ten times better this series than last! 

Rhyme: Cheek Chin
Is there anything better than watching eighteen babies all lifted into the air at the same time? This is the first time the caregivers and parents got really into that part of it, and it was great to see. 

Rhyme: This is Big Big Big

Rhyme: Groundhog, Groundhog
I will explain how I did this rhyme in my flannel Friday post tomorrow, hopefully. 

Bounce: Mother and Father and Uncle John
Finally, after three weeks, this is catching on! I even had a dad tell me it's his son's new favorite thing. Which I could tell because it gave him the giggles.

Rhyme: Baby Game
Well, this was the weak link in the chain today. I thought the peek-a-boo idea would work, but the second half of the rhyme lingers too long over the part where the baby's eyes are covered, and it just didn't quite have that spark. I won't use it again.

Book: Uh-oh! by Rachel Isadora (2008)
I remember now why I don't use this book in story time. The illustrations are nice, but the changes from scene to scene aren't big or broad enough to get a reaction even from the parents. It was nice to hear a couple of babies seem to imitate the "uh-oh" refrain, but the book didn't really take hold of the group like some others I've read.

Rhymes and Songs with Shaker Eggs: 

• Mix a Pancake 
• Humpty Dumpty
• Shake My Sillies Out (a cappella)
• Shake Your Eggs (based on Roll Your Hands)

Finally, the perfect combination of shaker egg activities! One new rhyme, one well-known  rhyme, and two simple songs. Excellent. 

Song: Tony Chestnut
I love it when people figure out the "joke" of this song for the first time. It cracks me up every single time, especially because I think the whole thing is extremely clever. 

Song: Head and Shoulders (a cappella, to the tune of London Bridge)

Book: Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker (1999)
This is the perfect book for babies and toddlers, and their parents, too, because they know the original rhyme (One, Two, Buckle My Shoe) but don't see the surprises coming at the end.

Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm (a cappella)
I traded in my flannel board for puppets this week. A good call on my part. This was a lot of fun.

Song: Row, Row, Row, Your Boat (a cappella)

Song: Where is Big Toe?
This is the BEST baby song. I love it. 

Goodbye Song: Open, Shut Them Goodbye Song

I love baby lap time so much. I seriously can't wait for the Spring session already!