Wonderful Ones: Fun Farm Animals

Babies love animals!  We are sharing animal themed songs, rhymes and stories we enjoyed at this week's class.  Singing and rhyming not only allows baby to hear and learn new words, it also assists in developing listening skills. By listening to the different sounds animals make, babies will be able to decipher syllables in spoken language.  Also, learning to identify different animals by name and sound increase baby's vocabulary!

What the Animals Say Rhyme
Little pup, little pup,
What do you say?
“Woof, woof, woof!
Let’s go and play.”

Kitty cat, kitty cat,
How about you?
“Meow, meow, meow!
And I purr too.”

Pretty bird, pretty bird,
Have you a song?
“Tweet, tweet, tweet!
The whole day long.”


Eight Baby Pigs Rhyme
Two little pigs lived in a pen, (use your thumbs to represent the pigs)
Each had four babies and that made ten. (use your fingers to represent the baby pigs)
These four babies were black and white,
These four babies were black as night.
All eight babies loved to play,
And they rolled and they rolled in the mud all day.

The Animals on the Farm (sung to tune of 'The Wheels on the Bus')
The cows on the farm go moo, moo, moo,
Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo,
The cows on the farm go moo, moo, moo,
All day long.

The horses on the farm go neigh, neigh, neigh,
Neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh,
The horses on the farm go neigh, neigh, neigh,
All day long.

The pigs on the farm go oink, oink, oink,
Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink,
The pigs on the farm go oink, oink, oink,
All day long.

The sheep on the farm go baa, baa, baa
Baa, baa, baa, baa, baa, baa,
The sheep on the farm go baa, baa, baa
All day long. 

(Repeat using other farm animals such as chickens, goats, or ducks)

For more farm animal fun, try these books we read at Wonderful Ones this week:

Where Is My Mommy? by Julie Downing
Animal mothers, including a rabbit, cat, and human, care for their young by waking them up, washing their faces, and performing other activities. 
Check catalog availability

This Little Chick by John Lawrence
A little chick shows that he can make the sounds of the animals in his neighborhood. 
Check catalog availability

Wonderful Ones: It's Playtime!

Playtime is a great way to introduce early literacy skills to your child!   Using these rhymes, songs and stories, you are encouraging playing while teaching babies about hands, feet, and actions of each body part.  Through such playtime and rhythmic language, children learn to think symbolically.  They also learn and practice essential oral language skills by putting thoughts into words and making connections between sounds, letters and objects.   

Put Your Finger On... (sung to the tune of 'If You’re Happy And You Know It')
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes.
Put your finger on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes.
 
Put your finger on your tummy, on your tummy,
Put your finger on your tummy, on your tummy.
Put your finger on your tummy,
Put your finger on your tummy,
Put your finger on your tummy, on your tummy.

Put your finger on your head, on your head,
Put your finger on your head, on your head.
Put your finger on your head,
Put your finger on your head,
Put your finger on your head, on your head.

One, Two, Three Rhyme
One, two, three,
Count with me.
It’s as easy as can be –
Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Now let’s start it once again.

Teddy Bear Can Rhyme (sung to the tune of 'Muffin Man')
Teddy bear can turn around,
Turn around, turn around.
Teddy bear can turn around,
You can do it too!

Teddy bear can clap his hands,
Clap his hands.  Clap his hands. 
Teddy bear can clap his hands,
You can do it too!

Teddy bear can jump up and down,
Jump up and down, jump up and down. 
Teddy bear can jump up and down,
You can do it too!

For more playtime fun, check out these books we read at Wonderful Ones:

Playtime by Baby’s World
Photographs of babies playing with balls, bubbles, and bells. 
Check catalog availability

Playing by Liesbet Slegers 
Pushing a toy car, kicking a ball, stacking blocks, playing a drum, and reading a book are just some of the ways a baby plays.
Check catalog availability

Ready to Listen at the Library

Look for the Ready to Listen section in the Early Learning Center.

Have you seen our special section in the Early Learning Center called "Ready to Listen"?  We've created this special area to designate books that are easy to read and share, with only one or two simple lines per page.  These books are also important because they help early learners get ready to listen to a book being read and teach the concepts of telling a story.

Why is it important to listen?  As children hear the story, they also hear new words and the sounds, speech and syllables those words make.  Learning new words helps children increase their vocabulary, language and communication skills. 

In today's post, we've pulled a selection of books from the Ready to Listen section to give you a sample of what you can find here.  All are available to check out at the library!


Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? by John Butler
Rhyming text describes how various animals move. 
Check catalog availability

Mice Squeak, We Speak by Tomie dePaola
Illustrations and simple text describe the ways various animals communicate, such as "Owls hoot," "Pigs squeal," and "Bees buzz." 
Check catalog availability

The Way the Storm Stops by Michelle Meadows
A mother soothes her child to sleep during a thunderstorm. 
Check catalog availability

Baby Day by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
In rhyming text, babies are described participating in activities, from laughing and crying to playing Pat-a-cake and Peek-a-boo. 
Check catalog availability

The One and Only Me by Marilyn Singer
A child gains a sense of individuality but also enjoys being part of a family. 
Check catalog availability

Red Light, Green Light by Anastasia Suen
A young boy creates an imaginary world filled with zooming cars, flashing traffic lights, and racing fire engines. 
Check catalog availability

Wonderful Ones: Helping Baby Learn Speech and Vocabulary

Many parents and caregivers wonder, what can my baby do to learn speech and vocabulary? What does baby do to learn and how can I help? At Ready Set Read, we want learning to be fun, so that baby learns how fun reading can be as he or she grows.  In addition to the rhymes, songs, and books we provide in our postings and at classes, take a look at this list from the Association for Library Service to Children, which outlines suggested stages in learning vocabulary at various ages.

• Birth:  Cries, burps, sneezes, coughs.
• 2 months:  Vowel-like sounds: goo, aah, ooh, and others.
• 4 - 6 months: Babbling (“mammama”…“dada”).
• 9 - 12 months: Advanced babbling, with sentence-like phrasing and rhythm.
• 12 months: Around one year old, your child will say his or her first real word. He or she will start with single syllables, then may double some syllables, as in “wawa” or “mama.” Your child will continue to say only one word at a time for several more months.
• 18 - 24 months:  Between a year and a half and two years old, your child will begin to talk in
  “telegraphic speech.” This sounds like, “Want cookie” or “Me milk.” You can
  extend your child’s talk by saying, “You want a cookie?” or “You want me to give
  you some milk?” This will help increase your child’s vocabulary.

 We had fun at Wonderful Ones this week with these rhymes:

Five Fingers Rhyme
Five fingers on this hand,
Five fingers on that.
A dear little nose,
A mouth like a rose.
Two eyes, two ears,
And ten little toes,
And that’s the way the baby grows.


What Do We Do? Rhyme
What do we do when baby wakes up?
We laugh and play to start the day,
And clap, clap, clap our hands.
We clap, clap, clap our hands.
We clap, clap, clap our hands.
We laugh and play to start the day,
And clap, clap, clap our hands.


Books we read at Wonderful Ones:

Bouncing Babies by Mike Brownlow
Describes what various babies do from morning until night.
Check catalog availability

Baby Loves Hugs and Kisses by Michael Lawrence
After receiving wonderful hugs and kisses from his parents and grandparents, Baby tries to hug and kiss the family pets.
Check catalog availability