Early Literacy Fun!

Here are five simple, seasonal activities to do with your child to help him get ready to read.

1. Talk about holiday or seasonal traditions in your family.  What is your child's favorite tradition and why? 
2. Sing holiday songs together.
3. Read a holiday or winter book with your child.  Then, ask him to tell you what happens in the book.
4. Help your child write a card or letter, or draw a picture, for a family member or friend.  
5. Play a fun memory game together!  Select five seasonal objects (tree ornament, mitten, cookie cutter, etc.) and place them on the floor.  Have your child close his eyes while you remove one of the objects and hide it behind your back.  Then, ask him to open his eyes and guess which one is missing.  Take turns hiding and guessing. 

  

Storytime Programs - Summer 2016, Week One

School is out and summer is finally here!  We are so excited to begin our storytimes this week.  In addition to our weekly storytimes, there are numerous special events happening so be sure to check our Events Calendar http://gailbweb.gailborden.info/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp, give us a call, or stop by the desk in the Early Learning Center if you would like more information.  We hope that you'll be joining us and continue to make a visit to the library part of  your summer routine.   Below you will find some of the books, rhymes, and fingerplays we are presenting this week.

Tiny Tales  (For babies 0-23 months and an adult caregiver)

Books
Countdown! With Milo by Austin
Zoom, Rocket, Zoom! by Mayo

Action Rhyme: I'm a Little Rocket (Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little rocket pointing at the moon (raise arms above head)
Now I'm getting fueled up (wiggle hips)
We'll be ready soon (straight up straight and tall)
When it's time to board me, then I'll say (slowly bend knees and crouch with arms above head)
Blast off!  Zoom!  We're on our way. (jump up and shout!)

After we read stories and sang rhymes about flying into space, the parents and babies listened, bounced and counted along to Zoom, Zoom, Zoom on the Oh Baby!  CD.  If you'd like to watch a YouTube version of this song, click on the following video.

Babies love singing and dancing with you!  Did you know that singing exposes your baby to rhythm, language, and communication?  By adding dancing to the mix, you are incorporating balance and coordination too.  Learning is so much fun!    

Starry Time Stories (For children 2 years -Kindergarten with adult caregiver)

Books
The Wind Blew by Hutchins

Mother, Mother, I Want Another by Robbins (presented as a puppet story)

Rhyme: Climb Aboard The Spaceship (Tune: Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Climb aboard the spaceship
We're going to the moon
Hurry and get ready
We're going to blast off soon
Put on your helmets
And buckle up real tight
Here comes the countdown
Let's count with all our might
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1...BLAST OFF!

Our audience sang and danced along to Laura Doherty's Rocket Ship on Shining Like a Star CD. Click on the following image if you'd like to listen to this fun song again.

The preschoolers enjoyed the repetition in this song and the anticipation of "Blast Off"!  Repetition is a powerful way to master a skill, whether it be counting down numbers in this song or by doing another activity.  As often as possible, ask your child to sort socks by color when you do laundry, write the letters in his name, button up his own clothing, etc.  Repeat, repeat, repeat!  

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.    

Interactive Learning Center

Have you and your preschooler noticed our colorful new canopy and signage in the Early Learning Center?  It's our newly re-designed Interactive Learning Center!  This is a great space for you and your child to complete either the literacy or science activity - or both! Just ask at the Help Desk for the materials you will need.  Your child will get to choose a sticker afterwards.   

Ten Summer Activities You Can Do Together: Vacation Ideas

Are you going on a vacation or trip this summer?  Is it somewhere adventurous, sunny and warm, or a staycation in your backyard?  No matter where you go on your summer journey, we have a group of  Ten Summer Activities You Can Do Together perfect for sharing with the whole family.  All of these activities are designed to be done while on a trip or while getting to your destination!  Don't forget to visit the library and check out some books to read while you're gone or discover some audio books to listen to on your journey.  Be sure you indicate on your Summer Reading log all the progress you make.  

1. Make a list of what to pack in your suitcase
2. Make a tent inside using blankets or outside with a tent and play camping
3. Draw a picture of you and your family swimming in a lake
4. Go on a hike or ride your bike at a forest preserve
5. Collect seashells or rocks and count them
6. Write a postcard and send it to Grandma or Grandpa
7. Play I spy with license plates or the traffic signs you see
8. Find the state or country on a map where a friend or relative lives
9. Read a book about your favorite vacation spot or a place you want to visit
10. Sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” (Get the lyrics from Bussongs.com)

Ten Summer Activities You Can Do Together: Reading is SO Delicious Part 2

Reading is SO Delicious!  Have you signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the library?  Children from birth through 35 months are encouraged to sign up to become a "Little Listener."  This is a great program for parents and caregivers to incorporate the 5 essential early literacy skills into your everyday routine!

We have even more food-based ideas in this part two of our Reading is SO Delicious Summer Activities to Do Together. Check out a book to read together and then share some delicious fun with these food games.  Don't forget to color in the shapes of your reading log when you complete the activity. You can do these at the library, at home, at the park, at the pool, or wherever you find time together!
 

1. V is for vegetable – list your favorites
2. Make DIRT with pudding, Oreo cookies and gummy worms
3. Draw a flower for Mom or Grandma
4. Sing the "Ten Red Apples" song (From our friends at King County Library System)
5. Visit a farmstand
6. Take a taste test and determine which is better:  cooked or raw carrots
7. Make ants on a log using celery, peanut butter and raisins
8. Count the seeds in a slice of watermelon
9. Read a book that describes how a plant grows then talk about what you learn
10. Help weed or dig up a new garden OR plant a seed in a paper cup

Ten Summer Activities You Can Do Together: Cars and Trucks and Planes and Trains OH MY!

 ZOOOOOOOOM and VROOOOOOM!  CHOO CHOO!  Select a book about cars, trucks or other moving objects such as an airplane or train from the library and read the story with your child.  Then, help reinforce the sounds, actions and names of the objects by trying one or all of these activities.  You can do these at the library, at home, at the park, at the pool, or wherever you find time together! 

1. Count all the blue (or red or green or brown, etc.) trucks you see
2. Sing Wheels On The Bus or Wheels on the Car
3. Draw a picture of the car you would like
4. Help Mom & Dad or Grandma & Grandpa wash the family car
5. Find a box and make a car
6. Use wheels and paint to make tracks on paper
7. Read a book about different types of trains
8. Use the lid of a pot as a steering wheel and pretend to drive a _(Choose car, truck, etc.)_ to the _(Choose a location such as the store)_
9. What words rhyme with car? What words rhyme with plane? What words rhyme with truck? What words rhyme with train?
10. Use small toy cars to form the 1st initial of your name

Ten Summer Activities You Can Do Together: Reading is SO Delicious!

Reading is SO Delicious!  Have you signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the library?  Children from birth through 35 months are encouraged to sign up to become a "Little Listener."  This is a great program for parents and caregivers to incorporate the 5 essential early literacy skills into your everyday routine!

Check out a book to read together and then share some delicious fun with these food games.  Don't forget to color in the shapes of your reading log when you complete the activity. You can do these at the library, at home, at the park, at the pool, or wherever you find time together!

1. Visit a grocery store
2. Make a list of your favorite foods
3. Pack and enjoy a picnic
4. Write a recipe for a sandwich
5. Make play dough or clay food
6. Spell out your name in cereal
7. Put a vegetable into a brown bag and let the grown up reach in and guess
8. Count the fruit at your house or a store
9. Try a new flavor of ice cream or dessert
10. Sing the "Ten Vegetables" rhyme (From our friends at King County Library System)

Ten Summer Activities You Can Do Together: All About ANIMALS

Bring the fun and silliness of animals into your day!  Select a book about animals from the library and read the story with your child.  Then, help reinforce the sounds, actions and names of the animals by trying one or all of these animal activities.  You can do these at the library, at home, at the park, at the pool, or wherever you find time together!

1. Visit a farm or petting zoo
2. Sing  a song such as "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" or "Farmer In The Dell"  (From our friends at King County Library System)
3. Count the legs on a cow
4. Make a list of animals you would see in a zoo
5. Count the geese at a pond
6. Make a parade of your toys/stuffed animals
7. What animals like bananas?
8. Make a lion mask
9. Walk like a penguin or gallop like a horse
10. Add an animal to the story you read and talk about:  What would they do? What sounds would they make?  What would they look like?

Join Us for Children Just Like Me at the Library!

 

Saturday, June 2   1 – 4 pm
Enjoy a cultural extravaganza with music, dance, crafts and food tastings. Stop and visit the free Children Just Like Me Exhibit and learn about the lives of 11 children from around the world through hands-on activities.

• 1:30 – 3 pm — Battle of Mole —Taste and vote for the best mole in Elgin.
• 1:45 pm — Cross-Cultural Fashion Show
• 2:30 pm — Troupe Namaste dance performance using swords, veils nad finger cymbals

The Children Just Like Me EVERYWHERE! Event is free. Simply enter through the entry rotunda to receive information, then move on to the Youth Gateway to register for the summer reading program to attend this cultural event.

Get details and more information on the Gail Borden Library website. 

Wonderful Ones: Clap, Pat, Stretch, Repeat!

Babies love to move their bodies by dancing, hopping, bopping and being silly.  These activities also help your baby learn motor skills, learn communication skills, and helps build self-confidence as he or she learns to do new motions.  Clap along or pat your hands on your knees to rhymes and songs you sing together, stretch your arms out wide or small to indicate sizes,  and use your facial expressions to share moods and thoughts.   Bending, stretching, and bouncing to rhythms also allows babies to not only hear, but feel the motion of syllables and sounds which allows for learning new words and speech.

Clap Your Hands Rhyme
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Clap your hands with me.
Clap them fast,
Clap them slow,
Clap your hands with me.

Pat, pat, pat your knees,
Pat your knees with me.
Pat them fast,
Pat them slow,
Pat your hands with me.

Stretch, stretch, stretch your arms,
Stretch your arms with me.
Stretch them fast,
Stretch them slow,
Stretch your arms with me. 

Bright Sun Song
Bright sun shining down,
Shining on the ground.
What a lovely face you have,
Yellow, big, and round!


Me, Me, Me Rhyme
Me, me, me
Look at me
And you will see
Ten fingers, ten toes
Two arms, two legs
Two eyes, two ears
One head, one nose
All on me.

Me, me, me
Look at me
And you will see
Ten fingers, ten toes
Two arms, two legs
Two eyes, two ears
One head, one nose
All on me.

We read these fun books at this week's Wonderful Ones class:

This Little Baby Goes Out by Lynn Breeze
A toddler has an exciting adventure in the park with his mother. 
Check catalog availability

Baby Loves Visiting by Michael Lawrence
Baby and mother go out to do errands and see friends and then go back home again. 
Check catalog availability

Story Mix for Three to Six: ZANY ZOO ANIMALS: Graceful Giraffes

We are continuing our theme of ZANY ZOO ANIMALS and this week is all about tall giraffes with long necks!  We've also added a new animal onto our "All Through the Zoo" song!

Children will learn important concepts through repetition and singing, and making animal motions and movements. Using arms and legs to make the motions of a tall-necked giraffe will keep children active and help them learn about animal movements and sounds. The counting rhyme game is great for helping children learn numbers and sequence. 

All Through the Zoo Song (Sung to the tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The tiger in the grass says roar, roar, roar
Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar
The tiger in the grass says roar, roar, roar
All through the zoo.

The Parrot in the leaves goes squawk, squawk, squawk
Squawk, squawk, squawk, squawk, squawk, squawk
The Parrot in the leaves goes squawk, squawk, squawk
All through the zoo.

The bear in the grass says growl, growl, growl
growl, growl, growl, growl, growl, growl
The bear in the grass says growl, growl, growl
All through the zoo.

The giraffe by the tree, munches the leaves,
munches the leaves, munches the leaves
The giraffe by the tree, munches the leaves,

All through the zoo.


Five Tall Giraffes Rhyme
Five tall giraffes walk and sway
In the jungle not far away.
The 1st one said, “Come on, let’s run!”
The 2nd one said, “Oh, that’s no fun.”
The 3rd one said, “I’ll find a tree.”
The 4th one said, “Some leaves for me.”
The 5th one said, “We can’t stay.”
So the 5 tall giraffes ran away.

For more zoo animal fun, check out these books we read at Story Mix this week:   

Zoo-looking by Mem Fox
While Flora visits the zoo with her father, not only does she look at the animals but some of them turn to look at her. 
Check catalog availability

No Spots for Gilda the Giraffe by Lucie Papineau
To keep warm while searching for her spots blown away by the North Wind, Gilda the giraffe tries on the coats of several of her animal friends but still longs for her pretty, funny spots. 
Check catalog availability

Birthday Zoo by Deborah Lee Rose
Rhyming text describes the preparations made for a boy's birthday party by his hosts, the animals at the zoo. 
Check catalog availability

Wonderful Ones: Tippy Tippy Toes

This week at Wonderful Ones, we bring together several interactive rhymes that will help your little one learn eye-hand coordination, flexibility and even critical thinking skills.  Games such as these also help baby learn to associate sounds and words with objects. By stamping your feet, stretching your arms, tip toeing, and moving up and down like a merry-go-round, you are also helping your baby learn to associate movements with the action word. 

I Can! Rhyme
I can!  I can!  I can!  (clap hands)
Stamp my feet.
I can!  I can!  I can! (clap hands)
Stamp my feet.

I can!  I can!  I can!  (clap hands)
Stretch up high.
I can!  I can!  I can! (clap hands)
Stretch up high.
 
I can!  I can!  I can!  (clap hands)
Touch my nose.
I can!  I can!  I can! (clap hands)
Touch my nose.


Tippy Toe Rhyme
Tippy tippy tiptoe, off we go. (tiptoe fingers up arm)
Tippy tippy tiptoe, to and fro.  (tiptoe fingers over head)
Tippy tippy tiptoe, through the house.  (tiptoe fingers down other arm)
Tippy tippy tiptoe, quiet as a mouse.

Tippy tippy tiptoe, off we go. (tiptoe fingers up arm)
Tippy tippy tiptoe, to and fro.  (tiptoe fingers over head)
Tippy tippy tiptoe, through the house.  (tiptoe fingers down other arm)
Tippy tippy tiptoe, quiet as a mouse.

Merry-Go-Round Song
(Rock baby on lap)
Merry-go-round, merry-go-round,
We go riding all around.
First we’re up, then we’re down,
We go riding all around.
Hold on tight and don’t fall down.

Merry-go-round, merry-go-round,
We go riding all around.
First we’re up, then we’re down,
We go riding all around.
Hold on tight and don’t fall down.

We read these books at Wonderful Ones this week: 

Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora
A toddler plays peek-a-boo throughout the day.
Check catalog availability

One Beautiful Baby by Martin Oborne
Counts all of the characteristics of a beautiful baby from one smile to ten sticky fingers.
Check catalog availability

1, 2, 3 Go! Rain, Rain, Go Away!

At 1, 2, 3 Go!  this week, we are discovering all the wonderful aspects of rain!  The rhymes and books below are great to share with your child on a rainy day when you stay indoors.    The motions made while singing the Rain in Spring below helps kids learn the sounds of rain and wind, and how rain makes things such as flowers grow. The Five Umbrellas rhyme helps children learn colors and rhyming.   

Five Umbrellas Rhyme
The First umbrella is RED-It keeps rain off my head
The second umbrella is YELLOW –For a very lucky fellow
The third umbrella is Blue-It looks like the one I drew
The fourth umbrella is BROWN-I will carry it to town
The Fifth umbrella is green-I am glad that it is Spring!

The Rain in Spring (sung to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The rain in the spring goes
drip, drip, drop, drip, drip, drop, drip, drip, drop.
The rain in the spring goes
drip, drip, drop, all day long!

The flowers in the spring all
grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow, grow
the flowers in the spring all
grow, grow, grow, all day long!

The wind in the spring goes
swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish,
the wind in the spring goes
swish, swish, swish, all day long!

For storytime fun on a rainy day, try these rain-themed books:

Who Is Tapping at my Window? by A. G. Deming
A poem in which a child tries to discover who is tapping at the window.
Check catalog availability

Rain Song by Lezlie Evans
Poem expresses the excitement of a summer thunderstorm. 
Check catalog availability

The Rainy Day by Anna Milbourne
Join the search for the source of rainfall. 
Check catalog availability
 
Soggy Saturday by Phyllis Root
After a hard rain, the animals on Bonnie Bumble's farm all turn blue.
Check catalog availability

When Rain Falls by Melissa Stewart
Offers a variety of habitats, providing young readers with a glimpse of animals as they weather a rainstorm. 
Check catalog availability

Wonderful Ones: Spring Showers and Flowers

This week at Wonderful Ones we are exploring more about springtime with showers and flowers!  You'll use active movements to help babies learn about the space around them, such as, clapping hands to the rhythm, bouncing baby on your lap like a bunny, and using your fingers to show falling raindrops.  Through simple counting rhymes, you are also helping your baby learn numbers.  Gentle upward motions using your arms mimics the size of a flower and encourages hand and eye coordination.   

Raindrops Rhyme
Raindrops, raindrops!
Falling all around.
Pitter-patter on the rooftops,
Pitter-patter on the ground.
Here is my umbrella;
It will keep me dry.
When I go walking in the rain,
I hold it up so high.

Flowers Tall and Small Rhyme
Flowers tall,
Flowers small,
Count them one by one,
Blowing with the breezes,
In the springtime sun!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

Flowers tall,
Flowers small,
Count them one by one,
Blowing with the breezes,
In the springtime sun!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5!

Baby Bunny Rhyme
Baby bunny bounces high,
Baby bunny bounces low.
Baby bunny blinks his eyes,
Baby bunny waves goodbye.

Baby bunny bounces high,
Baby bunny bounces low.
Baby bunny blinks his eyes,
Baby bunny waves goodbye.

We read these springtime books at Wonderful Ones: 

What Can You Do in the Rain? By Anna Grossnickle Hines
The rain provides opportunities to feel it fall, hear it patter, and mix a mud pie. 
Check catalog availability

Beautiful Babies by Karma Wilson
Kids can touch and feel photos of beautiful animal babies. 
Check catalog availability

Story Mix for Three to Six: ZANY ZOO ANIMALS: Terrific Tigers

We start a new theme this week at our Spring Story Mix classes!  Our theme for the next several weeks is called ZANY ZOO ANIMALS and this week is all about those striped tigers!  Children will learn important concepts through repetition and singing, and making animal motions and movements. Sounds such as "roar" and "growl" will help children hear different syllables and learn new words and letters.  Movement and activity helps children develop their imagination during playtime. 

All Through the Zoo Song (Sung to the tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The tiger in the grass says roar, roar, roar
Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar
The tiger in the grass says roar, roar, roar
All through the zoo

I'm a Little Tiger Rhyme (Sung to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot)
I’m a little tiger in the zoo
Here are my stripes
And my swishy tail too.
When I get angry you will see
Just how loud my growl can be.

TIGER Song (Sung to the tune of Bingo)
There was a big cat that had some stripes
And Tiger was his name-o
T – I – G – E – R,   T – I – G – E – R,   T – I – G – E - R
And Tiger was his name-o    

If You Want to Be a Tiger Song (Sung to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It)
If you want to be a tiger, roar out loud!
If you want to be a tiger, roar out loud!
If you want to be a tiger, if you want to be a tiger,
If you want to be a tiger, roar out loud!

We read these Tiger themed books at our class today! 

Follow the Leader by Emma Chichester Clark
A boy and his animal friends play a game of follow the leader until a tiger shows up and wants to play too. 
Check catalog availability

Tiggy Tiger Brave Explorer by Claire Freedman
Tiggy Tiger plays brave explorer, knowing that if he needs her, his mother will save him from danger. 
Check catalog availability
 
The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr
A tiger comes to tea at Sophie's house and eats and drinks everything in sight, so that there is nothing left for Daddy's supper. 
Check catalog availability

Terrific Twos: Bicycles Go ROUND AND ROUND!

It's Terrific Two Year Old time!  We are concluding our winter theme of 'things that go' with BICYCLES!  The topic of wheels, things that go, motion and sound is one every child can enjoy.  As we approach the spring season in the coming months, encourage your child to get outside and ride a bicycle or pull a wagon.  This week's selection of rhymes and stories engage your child to use their hands and feet to mimic pedaling and steering along with making sounds like a bell.  Through making sounds and motions, children learn the letters and sounds words make, engages children's imaginations and helps them get Ready to Read!


One Wheel Rhyme   
One wheel, two wheels,  (make circles with fingers)
On the ground.
My feet make the pedals
Go round and round.  (pretend to pedal)
The handlebars help me
Steer so straight.   (pretend to steer)
Down the sidewalk and out the gate.

One wheel, two wheels,  (make circles with fingers)
On the ground.
My feet make the pedals
Go round and round.  (pretend to pedal)
The handlebars help me
Steer so straight.   (pretend to steer)
Down the sidewalk and out the gate.


My Bear is in the Wagon Rhyme
My bear is in the wagon waiting for a ride.
The sun is shining and it’s fun to be outside.
Here we go, I’ll pull him around fast.
And we’ll make this ride last and last and last.

My bear is in the wagon waiting for a ride.
The sun is shining and it’s fun to be outside.
Here we go, I’ll pull him around fast.
And we’ll make this ride last and last and last.


We read these books at Terrific Twos this week:

Sophie's Wheels by Debora Pearson
As Sophie grows and changes, her wheels change, too. Then one day Sophie is ready to try out a special set of wheels. They will carry her on a small but important journey unlike any she has been on before. 
Check catalog availability

At the Supermarket by Anne Rockwell
A mother and child fill a cart at the supermarket with everything from grapes to paper towels, finishing off with some very special items.
Check catalog availability

Check these books out for more bicycle riding fun!

Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen by Cari Best
When Sally Jean outgrows her beloved bicycle, Flash, she experiments with various ideas for acquiring a new, bigger one. 
Check catalog availability

Madison and the Two Wheeler by Vanita Braver
When Madison tries to ride her bike without training wheels, she feels discouraged at how hard it is, but with determination and the help of her parents, she finally succeeds. 
Check catalog availability

New Red Bike!  by James Ransome
Tom enjoys the thrill of riding his brand new bicycle, and then shares it with a friend. 
Check catalog availability

Story Mix Week for Three to Six: Favorite Characters Max and Ruby

This week in our Story Mix post, we are devoting rhymes and books about a lovable brother and sister pair, Max and Ruby!  Max and Ruby are two bunny children who love to invent and imagine.  Ruby is the older sister who often teaches her little brother Max important lessons such as sharing and playing. 

Incorporate playtime into your daily routine!  Such active play helps elevate children's imaginations and allows them to embrace their creativity.  Share and read a Max and Ruby book together! 

For more Max and Ruby, visit their site on Nick, Jr. 
Get more information on their creator, author and illustrator, Rosemary Wells

Ants Fingerplay (sung to the tune of 'Are You Sleeping?')
Big ants, little ants
Big ants, little ants
See them crawl
Up the wall
Creepy, creepy crawling
Never, never falling
Ants, ants, ants
Ants, ants, ants

Cake Batter Action Rhyme
Mix the batter
Stir the batter   
Shake some flour in
Mix the batter
Stir the batter
Pour it in a tin
Sprinkle raisins in it
Pop it in to bake
Open wide the oven door
And out comes a cake!


For more Max and Ruby Fun, check out these books by Rosemary Wells:

Click here for a full list of books by Rosemary Wells at the library.

Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
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Max's ABC by Rosemary Wells
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Max and Ruby's Bedtime Book by Rosemary Wells
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Ruby's Tea for Two by Rosemary Wells
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Terrific Twos: Trains Go CHOO CHOO!

It's Terrific Two Year Old time!  We are continuing with our fast moving theme of 'Things that GO!' and sharing rhymes and books about TRAINS!  Our selection of rhymes, songs and stories encourages active play and thoughtful fun for kids who like motion and movement.  Children will use hands and feet throughout the rhymes to create activity, such as making chugging motions.  Through making whistle sounds and other train noises such as the whoosh of a steam engine, children learn the letters and sounds words make.  Such simplicity of motion and sounds engages children's imaginations and helps them get Ready to Read!

I'm a Choo Choo Train Rhyme   
I’m a choo choo train chugging down the track.  (make chugging motions)
First I go forward, then I go back.
Now my bell is ringing, hear my whistle blow,  (make whistle noise)
What a lot of noise I make everywhere I go.
   
I’m a choo choo train chugging down the track.  (make chugging motions)
First I go forward, then I go back.
Now my bell is ringing, hear my whistle blow,  (make whistle noise)
What a lot of noise I make everywhere I go.

If I were a..... Rhyme
If I were a bus or a car,
I would roll down the road.  (roll hands)
If I were a truck,
I would dump my heavy load.  (let hands fall)
If I were an airplane,
I would fly up to the sky.  (spread arms like wings)
If I were a boat,
I would make waves as I went by.  (make waves)
If I were a train,
I would chug along the track.  (train motions)
But I am a person,
So I will walk there and back.

For more train fun, check out these books we read at Terrific Twos this week: 

A Train Goes Clickety Clack by Jonathan London
Trains are fast. Trains are sleek. Trains make wonderful sounds as the wheels clatter, boilers hiss, and couplings clang. This playful picture book captures the excitement of trains through evocative language and vibrant illustrations. 
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I Love Trains by Philemon Sturges
A boy expresses his love of trains, describing many kinds of train cars and their special jobs. 
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Story Mix for Three to Six: Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is a great day to explore colors with your little one!  Red and Pink are often colors associated with Valentine's.  Colors can be both useful and expressive ways for children to not only learn new words, but also identify objects and feelings.  Using such skills, children can begin to learn about colors in books and get ready to read!

These are two great resources to use for learning more about how colors help children learn and grow:
Purdue University College of Consumer and Family Sciences
Kennesaw State University Educational Technology Center

There is also a Valentine themed rhyme in which you can pretend to make a Valentine!  Or for more fun, bring out the craft supplies and make real Valentine's for everyone your child loves!  Crafts are a great way for your little one to enhance their imagination, as well as, engage important hand and eye coordination for improving fine motor skills. 


Let's Make a Valentine Rhyme
Snip, snip, snip the paper.  (scissor motion)
Glue, glue glue the paper.   (glue stick motion)
Press, press, press the paper.  (pressing motion)
Here’s a valentine for you!  (give valentine away)

Valentine Kisses Rhyme
1 little, 2 little, 3 little kisses
4 little, 5 little, 6 little kisses
7 little, 8 little, 9 little kisses
10 little kisses on Valentine’s Day.

We read these Valentine themed books at Story Mix this week:

Clifford's First Valentine's Day by Norman Bridwell
Clifford spends his first Valentine's Day going to the post office with Emily Elizabeth to mail valentines, but he gets lost in the carts full of letters. 
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My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Depicts in rhyming text how love can be many different things, such as eager as a beaver, steady as a yak, or silly as a seal. 

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Hug Me by Patti Stren
More than anything in the world, Elliot the porcupine wants a friend who will hug him. 
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Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis
Tiny Too-Little loves someone who's very, very tall, and Tiny wants a kiss. What if he stands on his tiptoes on top of a thimble? What if he stands on his tiptoes on top of a matchbox on top of a thimble?
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