Baby/Toddler Story Time, 5/15/12

Opening Song: Hello, how are you? 

Rhyme: Wiggle Fingers 

Book: Monster Musical Chairs by Stuart J. Murphy (2000)
This is a beginner's book about the concept of subtraction, but it turns out also to be a rhythmic, repetitive, and highly appealing story time book for toddlers. I doubt the kids understood what they were being taught, but they definitely understand monsters!

Song: One Little Monster
I love hearing little kids pretend to roar.

Song: Head and Shoulders 

Book: Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (1999)
This book has a great refrain, and it also focuses on a subject that many kids at my library currently love - garbage trucks!  Each time the text asked if the truck was full yet, I shook my head to cue the adults to say "no" along with me, and that was a great way to get them involved.

Song: Tommy Thumb
There was one dad at this story time who seemed completely shocked - in an amused away, not an angry one - that I would hold up two middle fingers and dance them around. 

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Book: Faster! Faster!  by Leslie Patricelli (2012)
I went back and forth about whether to read this one, since there are so few words, and many of them are the same word over and over again. But I went with it anyway, and what a great choice it wound up being! One family even checked the book out at the end of story time, which is a rarity with this crowd. I think what made it work was that I named the animals and gave some verbal cues about what was happening in the pictures. By the end, all the adults were saying, "Faster! Faster!" right along with me.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Song: Chickadee

Song: ABC Song

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

Baby/Toddler Lap Time, 5/11/12

Opening Song: Hello, how are you? 

Rhyme: Wiggle Fingers

Book: Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack (1968)
This is a much longer book than I've ever read to this group, but the ending was well worth the time it took to get there. This was a big hit!  

Song: Five Little Monkeys
I haven't done this song in a loooong time, but I'll be reintroducing it full time this summer  since it goes so well with the theme. So singing it Tuesday was a good refresher!  

Flannel Board: Five Little Flowers (Mother's Day Edition)
Just like the Tuesday groups, they loved this one. The Mother's Day twist at the end gets them every time! 

Song: Shake My Sillies Out  

Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Book: More, More, More said the Baby by Vera B. Williams (1990)
This is another long one, and I probably could have read just one portion and satisfied the group. Still, it's one of those that pleases adults and has a nice rhythm for reading aloud. 

Rhyme: The Baby in the Cradle 

Song with Puppet: Mr. Sun

 

Book: Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (2007)
This book is always a success at story time. This time, I liked that the adults shouted out the names of the animals for me. 

Song: Put Your Finger in the Air 

Song: ABC Song 

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This

After School Read-Aloud and Craft: Names, May 10, 2012

I really had trouble deciding what to read last week week, and I think what I came up with in the end was actually kind of a dud. The theme was names, and the craft, which I found on Pinterest, focused on the kids' first initials. The craft was a huge hit, but the books... maybe not so much.

The Read-Alouds: Books About Names and Nicknames

Book One: Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (1991)
I love this book, and enjoyed having a good excuse to share it. My group was mostly too young to really relate to the school experiences, but all of them said they liked the story.

Book Two: Matthew A.B.C. by Peter Catalanotto (2002)
I think the humor in this would have gone over really well with five- and six-year-olds, but it was too sophisticated for threes and fours.

Book Three: Nosy Rosie by Holly Keller (2006)
This book was one too many for this crowd. It's a cute story, but not a great read-aloud.

The Craft: Initial Posters 

This image, and the craft idea, came from Pinterest.

I. Supplies 

• Masking tape 
• White paper 
• Crayons

II. Prep
A coworker made one example, where she actually colored around her tape and then removed it to create the outline of her letter in white. I chose colored tape for mine and chose not to remove it. Both examples were presented to the kids.

III. Process
This was a huge hit, with kids from age 2 right on up to about 7. Some kids did all one color, others turned their letters into fancy designs. No two were at all alike, and I actually had to give them a clean-up time to make sure they were out by closing!

The Display: More Naming Books

• My Name is Elizabeth! by Annika Dunklee
• Man Gave Names to All the Animals by Bob Dylan and Jim Arnosky
• The Two Tyrones by Wade Hudson
• Max & Mo's First Day at School by Patricia Lakin
• Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Tedd Arnold

I will definitely repeat this craft, and I might even go so far as to look the kids' names up next time, to find out their meanings. I might go with alphabet-themed books next time, though, such as Sue MacDonald Had a Book and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.