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. 

  

Story Mix for Three to Six: ZANY ZOO ANIMALS: Big, Brown Bears!

We are continuing our theme of ZANY ZOO ANIMALS and this week is all about those big, brown bears!  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. Making "growling" sounds like a bear will help children hear different syllables and learn new words and letters.  The two counting rhyme games are 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.


5 Little Baby Bears
1 little baby bear  (hold up 1 finger)
Almost brand new       
Runs to get another one  (hand behind back)
Now there are 2  (hold up 2 fingers)

2 little baby bears
Climb up a tree  (pretend to climb)
Run to get another one  (hand behind back)
Now there are 3  (hold up 3 fingers)

3 little baby bears
Rolling on the floor  (roll one hand over the other)
Run to get another one  (hand behind back)
Now there are 4  (hold up 4 fingers)

4 little baby bears       
Eat honey from a hive  (rub stomach)
Run to get another one  (hand behind back)
Now there are 5  (hold up 5 fingers)

5 little baby bears
Think they might roam  (wiggle fingers to side)
“Come!” says Mama Bear  (clap hands)
And they all run home  (hand behind back)

5 Little Easter Eggs
Five little Easter eggs
Lovely colors galore
Mommy ate the blue one
Then there were 4

Four little Easter eggs
Two and two, you see
Daddy ate the red one
Then there were 3

Three little Easter eggs
Before I knew
Sister ate the yellow one
Then there were 2

Two little Easter eggs
Oh, what fun!
Brother ate the purple one
Then there was 1

One little Easter egg
See me run
I ate the very last one!

Check out these books we shared at this week's Story Mix!

My Favorite Bear by Andrea Gabriel
As Mama bear puts her child to bed, she shares a lullaby about bears of the world. 
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Milton the Early Riser by Robert Kraus
The first one to awake, Milton the Panda tries hard to wake all the other animals, but to no avail. 
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Panda’s Easter Basket by Tara Jaye Morrow
Panda has a delicious-looking Easter basket, with chocolate eggs, jelly beans, and a big chocolate bunny! But when he gobbles it all up at once, he gets a terrible tummy ache. 
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Wonderful Ones: Little Peter Rabbit

This week at Wonderful Ones we are continuing our celebration of the spring season with rhymes and books about bunnies, ducks, and also several Easter-themed selections!  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.  Repetition helps reinforce important early literacy concepts such as counting and colors. Happy Easter!

Ten Little Bunnies Rhyme
One little, two little, three little bunnies,
Four little, five little, six little bunnies,
Seven little, eight little, nine little bunnies,
Ten little bunnies hop around.

The Big Round Sun Rhyme
The big round sun in a springtime sky,
Winked at a cloud that was passing by.
The little cloud laughed as it scattered rain,
Then out came the big round sun again.

Little Peter Rabbit Rhyme
Little Peter Rabbit has a bright, shiny nose.
Little Peter Rabbit has a bright, shiny nose.
Little Peter Rabbit has a bright, shiny nose,
And a big, fluffy, white tail.

Little Peter Rabbit has a bright, shiny nose.
Little Peter Rabbit has a bright, shiny nose.
Little Peter Rabbit has a bright, shiny nose,
And a big, fluffy, white tail.

For more spring-time animal fun, try these easy-to-share books:

Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting
All the animals of the barnyard community hurry to greet their newest member, who is just pecking his way out of an egg. 
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5 Busy Ducklings by Children's Press
Five busy ducklings are on the go in this first counting book
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Where are Baby's Easter Eggs? by Karen Katz
Readers can help Baby as she searches for Easter eggs and finds some other nice surprises along the way. 
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The Happy Egg by Ruth Krauss
A bird hatches from its egg and learns to fly. 
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I Need an Easter Egg! by Harriet Ziefert
Little Rabbit wants to give his grandmother an Easter egg and so he asks various birds if they can lay one. The reader lifts flaps to see each bird's eggs. 
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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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Terrific Twos: Boats go ZOOOOOM!

It's Terrific Two Year Old time!  We are continuing with our animated theme of 'Things that GO!' and sharing rhymes and books about BOATS!  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 pretending to row a boat or moving their arms and hands like waves in the water.

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 Terrific Two year old 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.


Waves, Waves Rhyme
Waves, waves, back and forth, (move hands like waves)
Rock the boat all day.
We row and row so we can go (pretend to row)
Somewhere far away.  (look with “binocular hands”)   

Five Little Boats Rhyme (From our friends at King County Library System)
The first little boat went chug, chug, chug.
The second little boat went tug, tug, tug.
The third little boat went row, row, row.
The fourth little boat went ohhh sooo slowww.
Here comes the sailboat,
Watch it GO!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat (From our friends at King County Library System)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Row row row your boat
gently down the stream.
If you see a crocodile
Don't forget to scream!

To make this rhyme even more fun, turn it into a game in which you sit down holding hands, and rock back and forth like a boat as you sing the song.

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)

We read these books at Terrific Twos this week: 

My Blue Boat by Chris L. Demarest
While playing with a blue boat in the bathtub, a young girl imagines she is on an ocean voyage.
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Boats by Anne Rockwell
Depicts boats and ships of varying sizes and uses.
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Mouses's First Valentine by  Lauren Thompson
Mouse watches his sister making a valentine and wonders what it is. 
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A New Year Celebration!

The New Year Celebration is a fun way to incorporate family entertainment into your evening.  These websites offer a variety of ideas for crafts and games to do with your kids as you welcome in the New Year!

New Year's Crafts for Kids from Enchanted Learning
18 Crafty Ideas for Celebrating New Year's with Children
Here is a complete article that has noisemaker ideas, games, food and more, plus they are family-friendly!

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If your little ones make it past midnight, you might want to share a bedtime story.  These books listed below are centered around the New Year theme. 

Squirrel's New Year's Resolution by Pat Miller
Squirrel cannot think of a New Year's resolution until she realizes that by helping her friends, she has made one after all.
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Un-Happy New Year, Emma! by James Stevenson
Emma struggles in her New Year's resolution to be nicer to the other witches Dolores and Lavinia, as they persist in being dreadful to her, until their relationship climaxes in a dreadful revenge on New Year's Day. 
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Shanté Keys and the New Year's Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport
When Shanté is sent to find black-eyed peas for her family's New Year's celebration, she learns about each of her neighbor's New Year's traditions in their home countries. 
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First Night by Harriet Ziefert
Although others participate by driving, riding, and making music, Amanda Dade leads the parade to welcome the arrival of the New Year. 
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The Night Before New Year's by Natasha Wing
In this version of Clement Moores' classic poem, a brother and sister struggle to stay awake until midnight to ring in the new year.
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The Tree That Came to Stay by Anna Quindlen
A family finds a way to preserve the feeling of Christmas into the new year by filling a basket with the pine needles from the Christmas tree.
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You can even have fun learning how to say Happy New Year in another language! 

• Chinese: Xin Nian Kuai Le
• Dutch: Gelukkig nieuwjaar
• French: Bonne année
• Gaelic: Aith-bhliain Fe Nhaise Dhuit
• German: Gutes Neues Jahr
• Hawaiian: Hauoli Makahiki Hou
• Hebrew: Shanah tovah
• Indonesian: elamat Tahun Baru
• Italian: Buon Capo d'Anno
• Japanese: Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu
• Polish: Szczesliwego Nowego roku
• Russian: S Novym Godom
• Spanish: Feliz Año Nuevo
• Turkish: Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Holiday and Winter Reads Booklist

The week of Christmas is here!  Hanukkah has begun.  Many families are beginning their festivities for all kinds of holiday traditions!  Ready Set Read compiled a list of holiday and winter reads that we hope you share with your little ones. 

If  you enjoy the books we list throughout our Ready Set Read blog for your children, you can get even more reading suggestions when you sign up for Bookletters!  Visit the Bookletters page on the Gail Borden Public Library website to sign up for a specific interest. You'll see selections available for Pre Readers, Early Readers, Experience Readers, Children's Chapter Books, Children's Picture Books, and many more!

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
Mr. Willowby's new Christmas tree is so tall that he must chop off the top of it, but he's not the only one with the same idea. 
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The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
Retells the story of Goldilocks, set in an Inuit village and featuring a family of polar bears.
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The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola
At the annual celebration of Las Posadas in old Santa Fe, the husband and wife slated to play Mary and Joseph are delayed by car trouble, but a mysterious couple appear who seem perfect for the part. 
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Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
Stick Man ends up far away from his family tree when he is fetched by a dog, thrown by a child, used as a snowman's arm, and even put on a fire, but finally Santa Claus steps in to make sure that Stick Man and his family have a joyous Christmas.
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You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest
When Mrs. Bear and little Sam deliver the cakes they have made for their friends in the neighborhood, Sam carries the cakes all by himself, through the snow and up to the front doors. 
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Noel by Tony Johnston
On Christmas Eve, the melodic sounds of a church bell ring, signaling to creatures great and small that it's time to gather in celebration. 
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The Hanukkah Mice by Steven Kroll
A family of mice enjoys the doll house and furnishings that Rachel receives as gifts on the eight nights of Hanukkah.
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Santa's Little Helper by Angela McAllister
During a game of hide-and-seek Snowball, an arctic hare, hides in Santa's sleigh, where Santa Claus finds him and requests his help to deliver presents. 
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The Christmas Box by Eve Merriam
Eager to see all the presents, the family comes downstairs on Christmas morning to find just one long thin box under the tree. 
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The Gingerbread Man illustrated by Bonnie and Bill Rutherford
A freshly baked gingerbread man escapes when he is taken out of the oven and eludes his pursuers until he meets a clever fox. 
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Story Mix for Three to Six: Trains and Games

It's our last week of Story Mix until the new year, and we want to share some fun holiday themed, as well as more toy themed, stories and rhymes.  Remember over the winter break you and your child can engage in many activities to help bring early literacy skills home.

• Read together!  Shared reading is valuable because your child has your full attention, and you are enjoying the experience together. 
• Sing and Rhyme together! Stories and songs in rhyme encourage new vocabulary, listening and oral language skills. 
• Talk and Play together! Talk and ask questions about what you and your child do during the day such as baking cookies or shopping for presents. 
• Write or Draw a picture together! Help your child draw a picture and write captions of your favorite snow activity to do together, such as making a snowman.  This helps connect the spoken words to the ideas, and creates a visual representation of your child's imagination to share.

Baby Mice Counting Rhyme
Where are the baby mice?
“Squeak, squeak, squeak”
I cannot see them
Peek, peek, peek
Here they come
Out of their hole in the wall
1,2,3,4,5 – that’s all!

This Little Train Christmas Rhyme
This little train – on the tree
Santa put it there for me
With a chug-chug, choo-choo
Rummy-tummy-tum
Christmas Day is so much fun.
Drum – boom-boom, rat-a-tat…
Doll – Ma-ma, Ma-ma…

We read these books at Story Mix this week:

Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
Two little trains, one streamlined, the other old-fashioned, puff, puff, puff, and chug, chug, chug, on their way West. 
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Ten Play Hide-and-Seek by Penny Dale
A little boy and nine stuffed animals play hide and seek before going to bed.
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What Am I? Christmas by Anne Margaret Lewis
Lift the flap to find a Christmas surprise on every page of this book. 
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Terrific Twos: The Color RED

We are featuring the color RED this week at Terrific Twos!  The color red is often associated with the Christmas holiday and you'll notice some of the books we read are Christmas themed to help you celebrate.  The rhymes and stories below help your child with a variety of literacy skills. Rhyming helps children understand word construction and meaning based on sound. Children will begin to think symbolically and develop oral language skills. The fun actions you can perform in each song such as the movements of a little red bird flying, or a snowman who is big, round and has a lovely scarf of red, make these activities memorable and entertaining. 

Little Red Bird Rhyme
Little red bird, fly around
Up to the sky and down to the ground.
Little red bird, flap your wings
And let me hear you sweetly sing.
Little red bird, go to your nest
Now it’s time to take a rest.

Little red bird, fly around
Up to the sky and down to the ground.
Little red bird, flap your wings
And let me hear you sweetly sing.
Little red bird, go to your nest
Now it’s time to take a rest.

I Made a Little Snowman Rhyme (thanks to our friends at King County Library System)
I made a little snowman,
I made him big and round.
I made him from a snowball,
I rolled upon the ground.
He has two eyes, a nose, a mouth,
A lovely scarf of red.
He even has some buttons,
And a hat upon his head.

Check out these books we read at this week's Terrific Twos: 

Who Said Red? by Mary Serfozo
A little girl and her brother introduce red, green, blue, yellow, and other colors as they wander about their farm.
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We Love Christmas by Marilyn Janovitz
Join two lovable cats as they celebrate Christmas. 
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Mouse's First Christmas by Lauren Thompson
While exploring the house on Christmas Eve, a little mouse discovers the tree, a candy cane, a stocking, a jingle bell, and Santa Claus. 
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Story Mix for Three to Six: Traveling Tunes

You may be traveling this week for the Thanksgiving holiday.  What better way to make the time in the car, train or airplane go faster than to share a fun song or book!  Children will also learn through repetition and rhyming sounds, syllables and words.   Repetition and rhyming help children understand word construction and meaning based on sound. The fun actions you can perform in each song such as the movements of a duck, or driving to Grandmother's house, make these activities memorable and entertaining. 


My Little Duck Song
My little duck says,
Quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack
My little duck says,
Quack, quack, quack,
All day long!

My little duck goes
Waddle, waddle, waddle
Waddle, waddle, waddle
Waddle, waddle, waddle
My little duck goes,
Waddle, waddle, waddle
All day long!

My little duck goes
Splash, splash, splash
Splash, splash, splash
Splash, splash, splash
My little duck goes,
Splash, splash, splash
All day long!

My little duck goes
Paddle, paddle, paddle
Paddle, paddle, paddle
Paddle, paddle, paddle
My little duck goes,
Paddle, paddle, paddle
All day long!

Over the River and Thru the Woods
Over the river and thru the woods
To Grandmother’s house we go
The car knows the way
To go today
To Grandmother's house, hoo-ray!

Over the river and thru the woods
To Grandmother’s house we go
The play with the toys
And make lots of noise
And give Grandma a hug and kiss!

We read these stories in Story Mix this week:

All For Pie, Pie For All by David Martin
Grandma Cat bakes an apple pie that is heartily enjoyed by her family as well as the Mouse and Ant families that live nearby.
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Grandpa Bud by Siobhan Dodds
A grandfather busily prepares all kinds of food for his granddaughter and the guests he thinks she is bringing to visit him. 
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Honk Honk!  Beep Beep!  by Daniel Kirk 
When a father and son set out early one morning for a cross-country drive in their jeep, they see all sorts of vehicles and pick up diverse passengers along the way.
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Terrific Twos: The Color ORANGE

We are exploring the color ORANGE in this week's Terrific Twos program.  Orange is often a color associated with Thanksgiving, so we've provided themed rhymes and stories to help you celebrate.  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

Two Little Turkeys Rhyme
Two little turkeys are we.
We sat all night in a tree.
When the Indians came around,
We were nowhere to be found,
And that’s why we are still here, you see.

Two little turkeys are we.
We sat all night in a tree.
When the Indians came around,
We were nowhere to be found,
And that’s why we are still here, you see.

Five Little Turkeys Song
Five little turkeys standing at the door,
One waddled off, and then there were four.
Four little turkeys sitting near a tree,
One waddled off, and then there were three.
Three little turkeys with nothing to do,
One waddled off, and then there were two.
Two little turkeys in the morning sun,
One waddled off, and then there was one.
One little turkey better run away,
For soon it will be Thanksgiving Day.

Visit the DLTK Kid's site for a fun craft to make with this song!

Colors of the Rainbow Song
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
Colors of the rainbow, colors so bright.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
Colors of the rainbow, a colorful sight.

Orange is a pumpkin
Orange is a carrot
Orange is a salmon
Orange is a traffic cone
Orange is an orange
Orange is a sunrise.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
Colors of the rainbow, colors so bright.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple
Colors of the rainbow, a colorful sight.

Sing verses for all the colors of the rainbow by visiting BusSongs.com

Enjoy these stories we read at Terrific Twos this week:

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
At Thanksgiving time, children express their gratitude for the people and things in their lives.
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Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington
Jamie plants a pumpkin seed and, after watching it grow, carves it and saves some seeds to plant in the spring. 
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Click here for more fun color songs and books in Ready...Set...Read!

Boo! Halloween Books to Read Together

Happy Halloween to all the little monsters and goblins!  Here are great pics for reading together on Halloween:

Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
Die-cut pages through which bits of a monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters. 
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It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall
A sister and brother plant and tend their own pumpkin patch so they will have jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. 
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Welcome to Monster Town by Ryan Heshka
Simple text introduces the hardworking residents of Monster Town, including Postmaster Skeleton and Frank N. Stein, an electrician. 
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A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee
A young witch describes what she does on Halloween, her favorite holiday. On the far side of town in a big dark house lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about that very human holiday Halloween, and even though she thinks she knows what humans are like, she has never, ever seen Halloween for herself. Until one very special Halloween comes along . 
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Pumpkin Heads by Wendell Minor   
Pumpkin heads and jack-o-lanterns of all varieties abound when Halloween comes around.
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Los Gatos black on Halloween by Marisa Montes
Easy to read, rhyming text about Halloween night incorporates Spanish words, from las brujas riding their broomsticks to los monstruos whose monstrous ball is interrupted by a true horror. 
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Monstruos en la Noche by Pablo Muttini
Juan le tiene miedo a la oscuridad./Juan is afraid of the dark.
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I Like Pumpkins by Jerry Smath
Rhyming text describes the various characteristics and uses of pumpkins. Includes five pages of games and puzzles.
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What Will You Be for Halloween? by Mark Todd
Rhyming text describes a variety of Halloween costumes and characters, from venomous vampire and hairy werewolf to mysterious mummy and warty witch. 
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We're Going on Ghost Hunt by Marcia Vaughan
When trick-or-treaters let their imaginations run wild, ordinary backyard items seem spooky, so that a mud puddle looks like a swamp and tree branches look like skeletons.
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