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. 

  

1, 2, 3 Go! Here Comes the Sun!

We are continuing to explore weather and spring seasonal elements at the 1, 2, 3 Go!  class this week.  Take some some this week to engage your child in talking about the spring weather and what happens after it rains...the sun comes out!  Ask questions such as, "what does the sun do?", or "what color is the sun?" and then, "what other objects are yellow?". Developing a conversation with your child is important as he or she learns to communicate ideas and information, which leads to comprehension.  By learning how to communicate and comprehend, children are learning essential early literacy and reading skills.

Yellow Song (sung to the tune of 'If You're Happy and You Know It')
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow.
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow.
Like the bright and early sun when the day has just begun
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow.
Ducklings and bananas are YELLOW.
Lemons and flowers are YELLOW.
Like a smiley face is yellow he is such a happy fellow
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow.

Mister Sun Song
Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree...

These little children
Are asking you
To please come out
So we can play with you

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on...
Please shine down on...
Please shine down on me!

We read these books at 1, 2, 3, Go!

The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch
Celebrates a child's love of the sun and the wondrous ways in which it helps the earth and the life upon it. 
Check catalog availability

Where’s Spot? By Eric Hill
 A mother dog finds eight other animals hiding around the house before finding her lost puppy. 
Check catalog availability

1, 2, 3 Go! April Showers Bring May Flowers

At the 1, 2, 3 Go!  class this week, we had fun with all kinds of songs and games to welcome in the spring season! Below are two songs we sang and several books we shared.   These introduce concepts such as weather and seasons  through repetition and rhythmic language.  The actions and movements used help children develop motorskills as they clap and jump, as well as, make connections with concepts.  Take some time this week to engage your child in conversation about what they sing such as, 'what do the flowers do?' or 'what flutters?' to keep the fun moving!  Share one of our books below together, which carry through the concepts by way of creepy, crawly spring bugs!

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

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

The butterfly in the spring goes flutter, flutter, flutter, flutter, flutter, flutter.
The butterfly in the spring goes flutter, flutter, flutter, all day long!

---

Everyone loved the songs we sang at the 1, 2, 3 Go class, including "Walter the Waltzing Worm by Hap Palmer.  This music CD is available to check out at the library so you can sing the whole song.   For additional resources from Hap Palmer, visit his website.  To help you with the song, you may want to create your own Walter the Waltzing Worm by using a piece of yarn or string.

Check catalog availability of "Walter the Waltzing Worm"

Walter the Waltzing Worm
Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Select Lyrics: 
Chorus:
Please don't scream when I show you my friend
Walter the waltzing worm
In three-quarter time he slithers and slimes
Wiggles and squiggles and squirms

Verses:
He crawls up my leg with a slippy slip slide
He slides over my shoulder and down to my side

In front of my tummy his head and tail meet
Then he falls to the floor and lands by my feet

Between my ankles he slides as I stand
Then he rolls up my leg and slips through my hands

He stretches his body across my chest
Then he curls up on my back to take a short rest

We shared these books and stories at our 1, 2, 3, Go! class this week:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle / La oruga muy hambrienta
Follows the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep. / Una oruga muy hambrienta come y come y come una gran variedad y gran cantidad de comida hasta que, por fin, construye un capullo y se duerme.
Check catalog availability / En Espanol

Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horáček
Lucy's garden is full of colorful creatures that wriggle and spin, scurry and slither. 
Check catalog availability

We also shared the Itsy Bitsy Spider Song!  Check out these Itsy Bitsy Spider books we have at the library!

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. 
Check catalog availability

5 Busy Ducklings by Children's Press
Five busy ducklings are on the go in this first counting book
Check catalog availability

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. 
Check catalog availability

The Happy Egg by Ruth Krauss
A bird hatches from its egg and learns to fly. 
Check catalog availability 

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. 
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

1, 2, 3 Go! Spring is Coming Soon!

The spring season is starting to appear as we welcome the month of March at the Gail Borden Public Library!  Our rhymes and stories below combine movement, rhyming, critical thinking and most of all fun!

Stories and songs in rhyme encourage new vocabulary, listening and oral language skills.  Sharing songs and stories together also encourages talking and conversation between you and your child.  Another idea would be to have your child draw a picture of what they see outside, such as a sunny day, a flower growing or a bunny rabbit with two long ears.    Helping your child write captions for the picture connects the spoken words to the ideas, and creates a visual representation of your child's imagination to share.

What’s the Weather? (sung to the tune of Clementine)
What’s the weather, what’s the weather,
What’s the weather outside now?
Is it sunny? Is it snowing?
Is it raining or cloudy now?
*(Is it…Sunny, snowing, raining or cloudy?)
It is __________, it is ____________
It is _____________outside now.
That’s the weather we see today.
It is _____________ outside now.

Rabbit Rhyme:
Can you make a rabbit with two ears so very long?
And let him hop and hop about on legs so small and strong?
He nibbles, nibbles carrots for his dinner every day.
As soon as he has had enough, He scampers far away.

If I Were a Flower Rhyme:
If I were a flower
Growing in the ground,
I’d stretch my arms
And raise my head
So I could look around.
Then I’d nod my head and say,
“I’m glad to see you all today.”

What Do You See With? (sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)
What do you see with?
What do you see with?
Tell me now, tell me now.
These are what you see with,
These are what you see with,
These are your eyes!

What do you clap with?
What do you clap with?
Tell me now, tell me now.
These are what you clap with,
These are what you clap with,
These are your hands!

Repeat the rhyme with other actions such as stamping with your feet or hugging with your arms.


Enjoy these books we read at 1, 2, 3 Go! 

The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss
In the middle of winter, different forest animals awake and run sniffing through the trees, to discover a single flower growing in the snow. 
Check catalog availability

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit:  A Book of Changing Seasons by Il Sung Na
While other animals migrate, hibernate, or stay busy all winter, a little white rabbit watches. 
Check catalog availability