Baby Storytime 5/28/15

Book read: Do Monkeys Tweet? by Melanie Walsh

ASL Sign of the Week: Please

My thumbs are starting to wiggle (from Storytime Allstars, To the tune of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”) 
My thumbs are starting to wiggle.
My thumbs are starting to wiggle.
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
At the library today!
Continue with other body parts.

This Is The Way (from Mel's Desk)
This is the way we wash our arms,
Wash our arms, wash our arms.
This is the way we wash our arms,
When we're in the bathtub.
(repeat using legs, tummy, head, etc)

Let's Go Riding in an Elevator (from Jbrary)
Let's go riding in an elevator (hold baby in front of you)
An elevator, elevator. (rock back and forth)
Let's go riding in an elevator!
First floor (lift baby, raise up on each floor)
Second floor,
Third floor,
Fourth floor,
Down, down, down! (bring baby down to ground) 

Hickory Dickory Dock (done standing up, babies lifted as the mouse goes "up the clock" then dropped as the mouse runs down)

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

I'm a little cuckoo clock (from Born to Read)
Tick tock, tick tock, (rock baby)
I'm a little cuckoo clock!
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's one o'clock!
CUCKOO! (lift baby once)

Tick tock, tick tock,
I'm a little cuckoo clock!
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's two o'clock!
CUCKOO! CUCKOO! (lift baby twice) 

Down at the Library (from What Happens in Storytime)
Down at the library in the story room,
Sat babies and Ms. Kelly and a parachute.
Lift said Ms. Kelly, lift the chute!
And they lifted and lifted that parachute,
Other actions: shake, drop, let go

Literacy tip of the week: Every time you read or sing to your baby you are introducing them to new vocabulary!

Bugs Storytime 5/26/15 and 5/27/15

Books read:
I Love Bugs by Emma Dodd
Noisy bug sing-along by John Himmelman

ASL Sign of the Week: Bug

If You’re a Bug and You Know It (from Librarian Lisa's Storytimes)
If you’re a bee and you know it buzz like this “buzz, buzz”
If you’re a bee and you know it buzz like this “buzz, buzz”
If you’re a bee and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you’re a bee and you know it buzz like this “buzz, buzz”

Additional verses:
If you’re a grasshopper…hop like this…
If you’re a caterpillar… eat a leaf “chomp, chomp”…
If you’re a butterfly … flap your wings…

Butterflies (from Perry Public Library)
Butterflies float,
And butterflies fly.
Butterflies low,
And butterflies high.

Butterflies flutter
Over everything.
And when they stop,
They fold their wings.

The Ants Go Marching (with scarves for toddlers, parachute for preschoolers)

Everyone can shake (with shakers, modified from Jbrary)
Everyone can shake, shake, shake
Everyone can shake, shake, shake
Everyone can shake, shake, shake
And now it's time to stop.

Additional verses: 
Everyone can tap, Everyone can clap, Everyone can wave, etc.

Bringing home a baby bumblebee (from Storytime Songs)
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Ouch! He stung me!

I'm squishing up my baby bumblebee.
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm squishing up my baby bumblebee.
Eww! It's all over me!

I'm wiping off my baby bumblebee.
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm wiping up my baby bumblebee.
Look! All clean! 

There's a spider on the floor (with scarves, from so tomorrow)

Craft: We made ladybug headbands out of red construction paper and black stickers.  

Literacy tip of the week: Song lyrics often include unfamiliar words, which makes singing a great way to boost your child's vocabulary.

Baby Storytime 5/21/15

Book read:
I love my baby because by Paullina Simons

ASL Sign of the Week: Thank you

My thumbs are starting to wiggle (from Storytime Allstars, To the tune of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”) 
My thumbs are starting to wiggle.
My thumbs are starting to wiggle.
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
At the library today!
Continue with other body parts.

Open them shut them (from Sunflower Storytime)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and shut both hands)
Give a little clap, clap, clap (clap hands three times)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and shut both hands)
Put them in your lap (lay hands flat on your legs)
Creep them, creep them (creep them up legs, body, all the way up to chin)
Creep them, creep them
Right up to your chin
Open up your little mouth (open mouth and hold fingers outside of mouth)
But do not let them in! (shake finger ‘no’)

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom (from Reading with Red)
Zoom, zoom, zoom! (bounce baby)
We're going to the moon.
Zoom, zoom, zoom!
We'll be there very soon.
5 ,4, 3, 2, 1!  Blast off! (lift baby)

We Hit the Floor Together (to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell", from Abby Librarian)
We hit the floor together,
We hit the floor together,
We hit the floor together,
Because it's fun to do!
Repeat with different actions: clap hands, nod heads, sway side to side, say hello, etc.

Row, row, row your boat (done with parachute)

I'm a little cuckoo clock (from Born to Read)
Tick tock, tick tock, (rock baby back and forth)
I'm a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's one o'clock! (lift baby once)

Tick tock, tick tock,
I'm a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's two o'clock! (lift baby twice)

Wheels on the Bus

From Head to Toe Storytime 5/19/15 and 5/20/15

Books read:
We've all got bellybuttons by David Martin
I ain't gonna paint no more by Karen Beaumont

Other book suggestions:
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
If you're happy and you know it by Jane Cabrera
Dancing Feet by Lindsay Craig

My hands say hello (to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell", from Abby the Librarian)
My hands say hello
My hands say hello
Every time I see my friends
My hands say hello
Repeat using other body parts. 

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Touch Game (from Perry Public Library)
Touch your nose, touch your chin,
That's the way this game begins.
Touch your eyes, touch your knees,
No pretend you're going to sneeze!
Touch your hair, touch your eat,
Touch your two red lips right here.
Touch your elbows where they bend,
That's the way this touch game ends.

Reach up high (from Perry Public Library)
Reach up high,
Bend down low,
Reach up, up, up
Bend down, down, down
Up, up, up
Down, down, down.
And jump! Jump! Jump!

Body Rock on Kids in Motion

Hands are for clapping by Jim Gill

Where is Big Toe? (to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin?", from Library Meow)
Where is big toe?
Where is big toe?
Here I am! Here I am! (touch baby's toe)
Wiggle, wiggle, big toe,
Wiggle, wiggle, big toe.
My big toe. My big toe.

Other verses can include:
Where is elbow...bendy, bendy elbow.
Where is tummy... tickle, tickle tummy.
Where are two eyes... peekaboo two eyes.
Where are two hands... happy clappy two hands.

Movement Cube

Used parachute with preschoolers to play a simplified version of Twister

Craft: We colored this body part labeling worksheet. Parents were encouraged to talk about the parts of the body with their children.

Literacy tip of the week: Coloring is great practice for writing. It develops the hand muscles and fine motor skills necessary to hold a pencil.

Baby Storytime 5/14/15

Book read: 
Lucy and Henry are twins by Elizabeth Winthrop

ASL Sign of the Week: All Done

Open them shut them (from Sunflower Storytime)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and shut both hands)
Give a little clap, clap, clap (clap hands three times)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and shut both hands)
Put them in your lap (lay hands flat on your legs)
Creep them, creep them (creep them up legs, body, all the way up to chin)
Creep them, creep them
Right up to your chin
Open up your little mouth (open mouth and hold fingers outside of mouth)
But do not let them in! (shake finger ‘no’)

Let's Go Riding in an Elevator (from Jbrary)
Let's go riding in an elevator (hold baby in front of you)
An elevator, elevator. (rock back and forth)
Let's go riding in an elevator!
First floor (lift baby, raise up on each floor)
Second floor,
Third floor,
Fourth floor,
Down, down, down! (bring baby down to ground)

Giddyup, Giddyup (from King County Library System)
Giddyup, giddyup ride to town, (bounce baby on your lap)
Giddyup, giddyup, up and down.
Giddyup fast, (bounce quickly)
Giddyup slow, (bounce slowly)
Giddyup, giddyup, WHOA! (dip baby backwards)

Hop along (to the tune of "Row, row, row your boat", found here)
Hop, hop, hop along,
Or bounce on someone's knee.
Higher and higher and higher,
Bunny hop with me!

This Is The Way (from Mel's Desk)
This is the way we wash our arms,
Wash our arms, wash our arms.
This is the way we wash our arms,
When we're in the bathtub.
(repeat using legs, tummy, head, etc)

Peekaboo 

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

I'm a little cuckoo clock (from Born to Read)
Tick tock, tick tock, (rock baby back and forth)
I'm a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's one o'clock! (lift baby once)

Tick tock, tick tock,
I'm a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's two o'clock! (lift baby twice)

Wheels on the Bus

Literacy tip of the week: Bouncing songs are great because they help your baby physically feel the sounds and rhythms of language. The better they understand these things the easier it is for them to learn to read!

Frog Storytime 5/12/15 and 5/13/15

Books read:
Jump by Scott Fischer
Ribbit by Rodrigo Folgueira

Other book suggestions:
Wide Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner
One frog sang by Shirley Parenteau
Big frog can't fit in by Mo Willems

ASL Sign of the Week: Frog

If you're a frog and you know it
If you're a frog and you know it hop like this (hop)
If you're a frog and you know it hop like this (hop)
If you're a frog and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you're a frog and you know it hop like this!
Other verses include: Say "ribbit" and catch a fly (bring hands together in front of you)

Funny, Funny, Froggy (from Perry Public Library)
Funny, funny froggy,
Hop, hop hop!  (jump)
Funny, funny froggy,
Stop, stop, stop! (stop)
Funny, funny froggy,
Don't run away! (run)
Funny, funny froggy,
Stay and play!

A little frog in the pond (from Ms. Katie's Storytime Wiki)
A little frog in a pond am I
Hippity hippity hop
And I can bounce in the air so high
Hippity hippity hop

Croak said the frog (from Child Fun)
Croak said the frog, (make croaking sound)
With his golden eyes. (fists up to eyes)
Sitting on a lily pad, (crouch on the ground)
Catching flies. (grab air with hand)
I have a sticky tongue, (stick out tongue)
It’s as fast as can be…
And I catch the mosquitoes (catch bugs again),
1-2-3. (count on three fingers)
Credit: Child Fun

Jumping between numbered paper Lilly Pads like a frog

Here's Mr. Bullfrog (from Storytime Extras, done with scarves)
Here's Mr. Bullfrog (wave scarf)
Sitting on a rock (put scarf on fist)
Into the water he jumps (raise scarf)
KERPLOP! (throw scarf)

Row, Row, Row Your Boat with parachute

Literacy tip of the week: Practicing numbers is actually related to developing your child's storytelling skills. It helps them understand that events in a story proceed in a certain order. For instance, one event comes first and another comes second.

Baby Storytime 5/7/15

Book read: 
Little Sleepyhead by Elizabeth McPike

Open them shut them (from Sunflower Storytime)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and shut both hands)
Give a little clap, clap, clap (clap hands three times)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and shut both hands)
Put them in your lap (lay hands flat on your legs)
Creep them, creep them (creep them up legs, body, all the way up to chin)
Creep them, creep them
Right up to your chin
Open up your little mouth (open mouth and hold fingers outside of mouth)
But do not let them in! (shake finger ‘no’)

My Pony Macaroni (do three times with increasing speed) (from Born to Read)
I have a little pony, (bounce baby on lap)
His name is Macaroni.
He trots and trots and then he stops (stop bouncing)
Funny little pony!

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Bouncing, Bouncing (adapted from NIEHS)
Bouncing, bouncing (bounce baby)
Hop, hop, hop! Hop, hop, hop!
Bouncing, bouncing bouncing,
Bouncing, bouncing,
Now we stop! (stop)
Other actions can include clapping, stomping, flying, etc)

Where is Big Toe? (to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin?", from Library Meow)
Where is big toe?
Where is big toe?
Here I am! Here I am! (touch baby's toe)
Wiggle, wiggle, big toe,
Wiggle, wiggle, big toe.
My big toe. My big toe.

Other verses can include:
Where is elbow...bendy, bendy elbow.
Where is tummy... tickle, tickle tummy.
Where are two eyes... peekaboo two eyes.
Where are two hands... happy clappy two hands.

I'm a little cuckoo clock (from Born to Read)
Tick tock, tick tock, (rock baby back and forth)
I'm a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's one o'clock! (lift baby once)

Tick tock, tick tock,
I'm a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock,
It's two o'clock! (lift baby twice)

Wheels on the Bus

Row, row, row your boat (done with parachute)

The Elevator Song (done with parachute, from Jbrary)
Oh the city is great and the city is grand.
There's a whole lot of people on a little piece of land.
And we live way up on the 57th floor.
This is what we do when we go out the door:
We take the elevator up and the elevator down.
We take the elevator up and the elevator down.
And we turn around.

Literacy tip of the week: Ask your baby simple questions as you read to them, even if they can't respond. The more you engage with your baby in this manner the more words they will learn to understand.

Mother's Day Storytime 5/5/15 and 5/6/15

Books read:
Mommy, where are you? by Leonid Gore
The mommy book by Todd Parr

Other book suggestions:
Does a Kangaroo have a mother too? by Eric Carle
Is your mama a llama? by Deborah Guarino 
Mommy hugs by Karen Katz

ASL Sign of the Week: Mom

If you Love Mommy and You Know It (to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It")
If you love Mommy and you know it blow a kiss. (blow kiss)
If you love Mommy and you know it blow a kiss.
If you love Mommy and you know it then your face will surely show it
If you love Mommy and you know it blow a kiss! 
Additional verses include giving a hug an jumping for joy.

Mama Don't Allow (from Perpetual Preschool)
Mama don't allow no "jumping" around here.
Mama don't allow no "jumping" around here.
I don't care what Mama's going to say,
I'm gonna do it anyway!
Other actions include clapping, spinning, dancing, etc.

Give Mom a Hug (from Storytime Katie)
Roar like a lion, growl like a bear (act like each animal)
Give Mom a hug, show her you care (give hug)
Hop like a bunny, flap like a bird (hop and flap your arms)
Quiet as a mouse now, don’t say a word.

Here We Go Jumping (from Storytime Katie)
Here we go jumping high,
Here we go jumping low.
Here we go jumping around,
That’s how a kangaroo goes.
Here we go jumping fast,
Here we go jumping slow.
Here we go jumping everywhere,
That’s how a kangaroo goes.

Little Heart (from Delta Township District Library Storytimes)
I have a little heart, (place hand over heart)
And it goes thump, thump, thump(pat chest three times)
It keeps right on beating,
When I jump, jump, jump! (jump three times)
I get a special feeling, when I look at you. (point to child)
It makes me want to give you a hug or two. (hug yourself)

Mommy Says (played with our parachute)

Craft: We decorated red strawberry cut out with black stickers and torn green paper. We labeled our creations "I love you berry much!" 

Literacy tip of the week: Positive associations of sharing books with a parent help reinforce a child's love of reading.

Money Smart Storytime 4/22/15

Books read: 
Benny's Pennies by Pat Brisson

Other book suggestions:
Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw
Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells

ASL Sign of the Week: Money

If You're a Saver and You Know It

I Can Count (to the tune of the Hokey Pokey, from A to Z Kids Stuff)
You put one finger up (raise one finger)
You put one finger down (point finger down)
You put one finger up
And you shake it all around
You give it a shakey-shakey
And you turn it all about (turn around)
And that's how you learn to count!
(continue with as many numbers as desired)

Numbers Jump  (From Clifford's Top 15 Sing and Learn Songs)

Old MacDonald Had a Farm (as Old MacDonald "bought" animals we bounced corresponding puppets on our parachute)

Literacy tip of the week: The area of the brain that controls finger movement is in the same area of the brain as the one we use as we count.