Storytime Programs - Week 8, Winter 2015

Welcome to the eighth and final week of our winter storytime programs.  We hope you and your child have enjoyed spending time with us.  We are all looking forward to spring and some better weather! The spring session of storytimes begins March 16 (registration opens March 2 for any of our storytimes which require pre-registration).  Below you will find some of the books, rhymes, and fingerplays we are presenting this week.

Baby Rhyme Time (For babies 0-11 months and a caregiver)

Books
Baby Day! -  Wallace 

How Do I Put It On? - Watanabe

Rhyme - I'm Going To Wear  A Jacket
I'm going to wear a jacket, a jacket, a jacket,
I'm going to wear a jacket when I go out today.
When I go out today, when I go out today,
I'm going to wear a jacket when I go out today.
(Hat, Scarf, Boots)

Narrative skills include being able to understand and tell stories.  When you narrate events in your child's day, you help him build this skill, and many others.  It is never too early to start.  Talk, talk, talk to your child!

Wonderful Ones (For babies 12-23 months and a caregiver) 

Books
Overboard - Weeks 

Bunny And Me - Greenspun

Rhyme: Five Plump Peas
Five plump peas in a pea pod pressed, (Hold up one fist)
One grew, two grew, and so did all the rest. (Open fist one finger at a time)
They grew and they grew and they never stopped,
(Put both hands together and move them apart on each "grew")
They grew so big that the pea pod popped! (Clap hands on "pop")

This simple rhyme is just plain fun for your toddler!  He is sure to enjoy listening for and anticipating the loud "pop" at the end!

Terrific Twos (For toddlers 2-3 years and a caregiver) 

Books
Winter Is The Warmest Season - Stringer 

Winter Blanket - Brimner
Snowballs - Ehlert

Action Rhyme: This Is The Way 
This is the way we put on snowpants,
Put on snowpants, put on snowpants,
This is the way we put on snowpants on a cold and snowy morning.
(Boots/Coat/Hat/Mittens)

Just like with the babies in Baby Rhyme Time this week, this rhyme is an effective way of developing your child's narrative skills - the ability to understand and recount stories.  A great skill builder!

1, 2, 3, Go! (For children 1, 2, and 3 years and a caregiver)

Books 
Aliens Love Underpants - Freedman and Cort 
What Color Is Your Underwear? - Lloyd

Action Rhyme: Once There Was A Snowman
Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman,
Once there was a snowman, tall, tall, tall.
In the sun he melted, melted, melted,
In the sun he melted, small, small, small.

Sing the rhyme at home with your toddler making sure he understands the concept of  "tall" and "small".  Can he find other things/people at home that are tall or small?  

Story Mix For 3 to 6 (For children 3-6 years without caregiver)

Books  

Jo MacDonald Saw A Pond - Quattlebaum 
Whose Chick Are You? - Tafuri
Little Lumpty - Imai

Rhyme: Down At The Pond

Down at the pond

What do you hear?

Ribbit, ribbit

What do you think it is?

A frog must be near!

(quack, quack - duck/buzz, buzz - bee/tweet, tweet - bird)

This week Story Mix is all about ovals, like eggs and ponds!  In the book Jo MacDonald Saw A Pond, we sing the Old MacDonald song but with different words to fit the story.  "Jo MacDonald saw a pond, E-I-E-I-O, And in that pond she saw some ducks, E-I-E-I-O.  With a quack-quack here and a quack-quack there..."  Make up your own verses using this familiar song!  Did you know singing and rhyming increases children's awareness to sounds in words.  This helps prepare children to decode written language.