Baby Bloomers- Nursery Rhymes

Today's Baby Bloomers theme was Nursery Rhymes. We read some of the traditional rhymes and some new takes on classics like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". The group was a bit distracted since it wasn't our usual Monday program and I thought adding some music props (shakers) would help...it didn't turn out as well as I had hopped for but we still had some fun. Our books today were:

Humpty Dumpty and Other Nursery Rhymes by Lucy Cousins

Ten in the Bed by Jane Cabrera

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Nora Hilb. I made a cute flannel for this board book and the kids loved playing with the different spiders afterwards. 

Opening Song: “The More We Get Together”

Clapping rhyme: “Patty-Cake, Patty Cake”

Wiggle rhyme

Hey Diddle Diddle
Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle

The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed to see such sport

And the dish ran away with the spoon 

The Eensy Weensy Spider. We skipped this rhyme and instead listened to the song version.

The eensy weensy spider

Went up the water spout (crawl fingers up high)

Down came the rain (flutter fingers down)

And washed the spider out

(drop hands quickly down and out)

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

(circle arms over head)

So the eensy weensy spider went up the spout again

(crawl fingers up high again)

This is Big from Mel's Desk.

 

Closing song: “We Wave Goodbye Like This”

 

Totally Tots- Bears

I'm a day behind with all my postings this week as things have been very hectic. We underwent some office construction last week and were able to move back into our new office space earlier this week- Yay.  I am also preparing for a poster session at ILA and two extra programs this month. Exciting times ahead. Check out  my new office space:

 
My Totally Tots group is turning to be an amazing group of eager, funny, vivacious children.  We are getting our routine down and each child is becoming more confident and comfortable. I actually had one moment during yesterday's storytime when everyone was seated listening and engaged with me and the story. It was magical.  Overall we are not going throughout all our rhymes and fingerplays and instead inserting some songs (Shake Your Sillies Out) and telling stories with flannel boars. Our books yesterday were

Bears On Chairs by Shirley Parenteau

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. * We used a flannel for this story.

My Bear and Me by Barbara Maitland

Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie H. Harris

Opening song:  “The More We Get Together”

Wiggle/action rhyme: “Let’s Start Story Time”

Action Rhyme: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, reach up high
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the sky
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch your knees
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, sit down please

Action Rhyme: “Bears Eat Honey”
A bear eats honey (pretend to eat)
He thinks it’s yummy
In his tummy (rub tummy)
But the bees don’t think it’s funny!
Buzzzzzzzzzzzz! (make buzzing noise) Credit: King County Library System

Song: “If You’re a Bear and You Know It”
If you’re a panda bear and you know it, clap your paws
If you’re a polar bear and you know it, show your teeth
If you’re a grizzly bear and you know it, growl real loud. Credit: Childhood

Five Little Bears* fingerplay or use flannels.

One little bear

Wondering what to do

Along came another, then there were two

Two little bears

Climbing up a tree

Along came another

Then there were three.

Three little bears

Ate an apple core

Along came another

Then there were four

Four little bears found honey in a hive

Along came another,

Then there were Five! Credit: The Big Book of Stories, Songs & Sing Alongs

Flannel: All Types of Bears I made this cute flannel and we used it with the rhyme above.

Grizzly bears are big and brown, big and brown, big and brown

Grizzly bears are big and brown, and live in the woods

Polar bears are soft and white, soft and white, soft and white

Polar bears are soft and white, and live where it’s cold

Panda bears are black and white, black and white, black and white

Panda bears are black and white, and live with bamboo

Koala bears have great big ears, great big ears, great big ears

Koala bears have great big ears, and live high in a tree

Teddy bears are just my size, just my size, just my size

Teddy bears are just my size, to cuddle with at night.

Credit: arty toddler storytimes

Flannel: 5 Little Bears (finger play)

5 little bears were dancing on the floor

one fell down and that left 4

4 little bears climbed up a tree,

one found a bee hive that left 3.

3 little bears were wondering what to do,

one chased a bunny rabbit that left 2.

 2 little bears were looking for some fun,

one took a swim that left 1.

1 little bear sitting all alone

he looked all around then ran home.

Closing Song: “We Wave Goodbye Like This”

Baby Bloomers- Bears

This past Monday our Baby Bloomers were all about bears- brown bears, polar bears, coala bears, black bears...we even had a green stuffed bear.  Every week we continue to listen to some of our favorite songs "Rainbow Dancers" and "Skinnamarink". The babies love music and the bouncing rhymes and anything clapping. They liked the big pictures of the little girl and her teddy bear but weren't to interested on the play of words on Orange Pear Apple Bear.Our books were:  

                

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes   

My Bear and Me by Barbara Maitland                                          

 Repeat every week:

Opening Song: “The More We Get Together”

Clapping rhyme: “Patty-Cake, Patty Cake”

Wiggle rhyme

Action Rhyme: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, reach up high
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the sky
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch your knees
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, sit down please

Action Rhyme: “Bears Eat Honey”
A bear eats honey (pretend to eat)
He thinks it’s yummy
In his tummy (rub tummy)
But the bees don’t think it’s funny!
Buzzzzzzzzzzzz! (make buzzing noise)
Credit: King County Library System

Song: “If You’re a Bear and You Know It”
If you’re a panda bear and you know it, clap your paws
If you’re a polar bear and you know it, show your teeth
If you’re a grizzly bear and you know it, growl real loud
Credit: Childhood

Five Little Bears* fingerplay or use flannels.

One little bear

Wondering what to do

Along came another, then there were two

Two little bears

Climbing up a tree

Along came another

Then there were three.

Three little bears

Ate an apple core

Along came another

Then there were four

Four little bears found honey in a hive

Along came another,

Then there were Five! Credit: The Big Book of Stories, Songs & Sing Along

Flannel: 5 Little Bears (finger play)

5 little bears were dancing on the floor

one fell down and that left 4

4 little bears climbed up a tree,

one found a bee hive that left 3.

3 little bears were wondering what to do,

one chased a bunny rabbit that left 2.

 2 little bears were looking for some fun,

one took a swim that left 1.

1 little bear sitting all alone

he looked all around then ran home.

Closing song: “We Wave Goodbye Like This”

Totally Tots- Trains, Trains, and more Trains!

Our group is getting to know each other and our routines.  We are much better at staying seated while we listen to stories and we all love to dance around shaking our scarves or our sillies out.  Today's stories were about trains including the different type of noises we can make, type of trains, and things, people, and places you can see when you travel.   Our books today were:

 

And the Train Goes by William Bee
Freight Train by Donald Crews- flannel
Train man by Andrea Zimmerman 

A Train Goes Clickety-Clack by Jonathan London

Opening song:  “The More We Get Together”

Wiggle/action rhyme: “Let’s Start Story Time”

We listened to "Shake my Sillies Out", "Down By the Station", and "Rainbow Dances". Our favorite was "Shake My Sillies Out" using the scarves.

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack, I created a flannel from The Freight Train for this rhyme. We counted the different trains and their colors.
Here comes the train on the railroad track!
Clickety-clunn, clickety-clunn,
Here comes ENGINE number one.
Clickety-clew, clickety-clew,
Here comes COAL CAR number two.
Clickety-clee, clickety-clee,
Here comes BOX CAR number three.
Clickety-clore, clickety-clore,
Here comes TANK CAR number four.
Clickety-clive, clickety-clive,
Here comes COACH CAR number five.
Clickety-clicks, clickety-clicks,
Here’s the CABOOSE, that’s number six.
Clickety-clack, clickety-clack,
There goes the train on the railroad track!
Choo-choooooooo! Goodbye!

Action Rhyme: “This Is a Choo-Choo Train”
This is a choo choo train
Puffing down the track
Now it’s going forward,
Now it’s going back,
Now the bell is ringing
Now the whistle blows
What a lot of noise it makes
Everything it goes. Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Fingerplay: “This Little Train”
The little train ran up the track (run fingers up arm)
Toot, toot, toot (make train noises)
And then it came toot-tooting back (run fingers down arm)
Toot, toot, toot (make train noises) Credit: SurLaLune Storytime

Train Cars in a Row

Ten train cars all  in a row (show ten fingers)

Ten train cars line up on the track,  just so.

They travel east (move hands to the right)

They travel west (move hands to the left)

They travel north (move hands up)

And they travel south (move hands down)

They travel all around, (move hands in a circle)

Up and down (move hands up in the air and then down)

Always in a row, when they come through town. Credit: Artsy Toddler Storytimes

Closing Song: “We Wave Goodbye Like This”

Andi Unexpected

 

 

Andi Unexpected  by Amanda Flower, Harpercollins Christian Pub, 2013.

What do you do when you discover a lost relative sharing your namesake? If you are Andora or Andi as she prefers to be called you might just have to find out how is this mysterious relative.  It turns out to be just what Andi and her sister Bethany needed as they are trying to put their lives back together after their parents die.  After moving to small Killdeer with their aunt Amelie, the sisters are trying to figure how things are going to work for them.  Andi meets Colin an odd neighbor kid that shares a passion for facts and science.  While cleaning the attic Andi discovers a hidden room and a small chest with a baby’s photograph sharing her name.  In trying to figure who this baby is Andi and Colin, her new best friend, will turn out a few the towns’ secrets and risk their lives.