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

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. 
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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.
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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. 
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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. 
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New Red Bike!  by James Ransome
Tom enjoys the thrill of riding his brand new bicycle, and then shares it with a friend. 
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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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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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Terrific Twos: Buses go BEEP! BEEP!

It's Terrific Two Year Old time!  We are continuing with our animated theme of 'Things that GO!' and sharing rhymes and books about BUSES!  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 wheels going around in a circle, waving arms like airplane or walking back and forth.  Such simplicity engages children's imaginations.

If I Were a Bus or a Car Rhyme
If I were a bus or a car,
I would roll down the road.  (roll hands)
If I were a truck,
I’d dump my heavy load.  (let hands fall)
If I were an airplane,
I would fly up in the sky.  (spread arms like wings)
If I were a boat,
I’d make waves as I went by.  (make wave motions)
If I were a train,
I’d chug along the tracks.  (pump arms like train)
But since I’m a person,
I will walk there and back.  (walking motion)

The Wheels on the Bus (From our friends at the King County Library System)
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.

The people on the bus go up and down,
Up and down, up and down,
The people on the bus go up and down,
All through the town.
The money on the bus goes clink, clink, clink,
Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink,
The money on the bus goes clink, clink, clink,
All through the town.

Repeat the song using other elements of the bus such as the wipers or the horn:
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish…
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep…
The babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah…
The driver on the bus says move on back…
The doors on the bus go open and shut…
The grandmothers on the bus go knit, knit, knit…
The grandfathers on the bus go ZZZ, ZZZ, ZZZ…
The mothers on the bus say I Love You…
The fathers on the bus say I Love You Too…
All through the town.

We read these stories about buses at Terrific Twos: 

Maisy Drives the Bus by Lucy Cousins
Maisy the mouse picks up an assortment of passengers as she drives her bus. 
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Bus Stop by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Kindergartners gather for their exciting first ride on the school bus.
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Wonderful Ones: Toot! Toot! Beep! Beep!

This week at Wonderful Ones we have the fun of songs and rhymes with car and train action!  You'll use gentle movements to help baby learn about the space around them, such as, clapping hands to the rhythm, nodding and shaking heads for yes and no, and bouncing baby on your lap to mimic the bumps along the road or tracks.  Using these songs, rhymes and books, you are helping to introduce new words and sounds to your child, which helps him or her develop a bigger vocabulary.    

We Can Rhyme
We can jump, jump, jump,
We can hop, hop, hop,
We can clap, clap, clap,
We can stop, stop, stop.
We can nod our heads for yes,
We can shake our heads for no,
We can bend our knees a tiny bit,
And sit down slow.

Car Ride Song (Sing while bouncing baby on lap)
This is the way the car goes,
Bumpity, bumpity, bump.
This is the way the car goes,
Bumpity, bumpity, bump.
Oh, oh, there’s a hole in the road,
Bumpity, bumpity, BUMP!

The Little Train Rhyme
The little train went up the track, (hand runs up arm)
It went toot, toot,
And then it came back.
The other train went up the track, (other arm)
It went toot, toot,
And then came back.

The little train went up the track, (hand runs up arm)
It went toot, toot,
And then it came back.
The other train went up the track, (other arm)
It went toot, toot,
And then came back.

We read these books at Wonderful Ones this week:

Beep!  Beep!  Peekaboo! by Dawn Sirett
As babies play hide-and-seek with their toys, readers can open the flaps to discover where the textured toys are hiding. 
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A Red Train by Bernette Ford
Come take a ride with animals in a book that covers two concepts--colors and forms of transportation. A charming cat looks happily out the window of a red train , a bunny rides in a yellow rocket , and there's also a blue car, orange submarine, green bus, purple boat, and more!
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Terrific Twos: Airplanes go SWOOOSH!

It's Terrific Two Year Old time!  We are continuing our theme of motion with rhymes and stories about 'Things That Go!'  Our selection of rhymes, songs and stories encourages active play and thoughtful fun for kids who like motion and movement.  In this week's rhymes and stories, children will also learn important concepts through repetition and singing.  Learning such words as 'zoom' or 'hungry' challenge children to learn new words.  Learning new words helps them put together ideas in order to make connections and understand words in print.

Zoom Goes the Airplane Rhyme
Zoom goes the airplane in the sky.
Flying above the clouds so high.
The plane goes up, the plane goes down,
The plane goes flies high all over our town.

Zoom goes the airplane in the sky.
Flying above the clouds so high.
The plane goes up, the plane goes down,
The plane goes flies high all over our town.

Are You Hungry Little Bird Rhyme
Are you hungry little bird?
Tell me please, give me the word.
Here’s some seed, it’s good I’m told.
It will keep you fed in this winter cold.

Are you hungry little bird?
Tell me please, give me the word.
Here’s some seed, it’s good I’m told.
It will keep you fed in this winter cold.


We read these books at Terrific Twos this week: 

Bird, Fly High by Petr Horacek
Bird goes out to find breakfast for her chicks. 
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I Love Planes! by Philemon Sturges
A child celebrates his love of planes by naming his favorite kinds and their notable characteristics. 
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Terrific Twos: Cars Go VROOM!

It's Terrific Two Year Old time!  Our theme over the next several weeks will be 'Things That Go!' beginning with everyone's favorite, CARS!   Our selection of rhymes, songs and stories encourages active play and thoughtful fun for kids who like motion and movement.  In this week's rhymes and stories, children will also learn concepts such as numbers and counting through repetition and singing.  They also learn about how a car works which helps them put together words and ideas in order to make connections and understand words in print.   


Five Little Cars 
One little car,
It happened to be blue,
Met another car,
Then there were two.

Two little cars
Driving by the sea.
One drove up from the beach,
Then there were three.

Three little cars
Driving by the store,
Another pulled out,
Then there were four.

Four little cars
Out for a drive.
Another car joined them,
Then there were five.

Open the Door Rhyme
Open the car door, climb inside.
I wish I could help my Mommy drive.
Fasten our seatbelts, shut the door.
Start the motor, hear it roar…vroom…vroom…
Turn the corner, step on the gas.
Sometimes we go slow and sometimes we go fast.

We read these books at this week's Terrific Twos:

My Car by Byron Barton
Sam describes in loving detail his car and how he drives it.
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Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham
Mr. Gumpy's human and animal friends squash into his old car and go for a drive -- until it starts to rain.
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The Life of a Car by Susan Steggall
Follow the life of a car as it is built, sold, delivered, and in the end recycled to build a new car! 
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