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!

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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. 
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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. 
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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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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.
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Rain Song by Lezlie Evans
Poem expresses the excitement of a summer thunderstorm. 
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The Rainy Day by Anna Milbourne
Join the search for the source of rainfall. 
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Soggy Saturday by Phyllis Root
After a hard rain, the animals on Bonnie Bumble's farm all turn blue.
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When Rain Falls by Melissa Stewart
Offers a variety of habitats, providing young readers with a glimpse of animals as they weather a rainstorm. 
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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. 
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Beautiful Babies by Karma Wilson
Kids can touch and feel photos of beautiful animal babies. 
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Wonderful Ones: Spring Into Storytime!

It's Springtime!  It's also a new set of classes of Wonderful Ones at the library! This very popular program is specifically designed for babies 9 - 23 months and offers 15 minutes of stories, singing, and fingerplays along with an additional 15 minutes of playtime.  From the time they are infants, children learn language and other important skills that will help them learn to read.

Since it's been awhile since we've shared our regular Wonderful Ones songs and rhymes, we wanted to again share them with you!  At each class, there is an opening and closing song and rhyme sung when we say hello and goodbye.  Songs are a fun activity you can do at home, at the park, or even in the car.  Clapping along helps children improve their motor skills.

Opening Song: Here We are Together
Here we are together, together, together
Yes, here we are together all here on the floor.
There's Josh and Maggie and Emma and Sam
There's parents and children and Paula and Jack
Yes, here we are together all here on the floor.

Opening Action Rhyme: The Wiggle Song
(Sung to the tune of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow")
My hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
Around and around and around.

My feet are starting to wiggle,
My feet are starting to wiggle,
My feet are starting to wiggle,
Now all of me is a wiggle!

Closing Rhyme: Wave Goodbye
Wave high, wave low,
I think it's time we gotta go!
Wave your elbows, wave your toes,
Wave your tongue and wave your nose.
Wave your ears and wave your eyes,
Wave your hands and say goodbye.

Here are the new rhymes, songs and stories from this week's Wonderful One's Class:

Where Is Your Nose? Rhyme (sung to the tune of Where Is Thumbkin?)
Where is your nose, where is your nose?
There it is, there it is.
Touch it with your finger, touch it with your finger,
Just like me, just like me.

Where are your hands, where are your hands?
There they are, there they are.
Clap your hands together, clap your hands together,
Just like me, just like me.

Where are your feet, where are your feet?
There they are, there they are.
Stomp your feet loudly, stomp your feet loudly,
Just like me, just like me. 
 

Hands on Hips Rhyme
Hands on hips,
Hands on knees,
Put them behind you,
If you please.
Touch your shoulders,
Touch your nose,
Touch your ears,
And touch your toes.

Hands on hips,
Hands on knees,
Put them behind you,
If you please.
Touch your shoulders,
Touch your nose,
Touch your ears,
And touch your toes.

I’m Gonna Pat My Little Head Rhyme
I’m gonna pat my little head,
I’m gonna pat it twice.
I’m gonna pat my little head.
Because I think it’s nice!

Repeat the rhyme with other parts of your face, such as nose, eyes, ears, etc.)


We enjoyed these books at Wonderful Ones this week:

Look at the Baby by Kelly Johnson
Pictures and a simple rhyme celebrate babies. 
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Who Do You Love? by Melanie Mitchell
Features textures to touch and feel on fold-out pages. 
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Itsy-Bitsy Babies by Margaret Wild
This wonderful story about the things babies love to do will inspire endless fun, as babies always love to read about babies. 
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