Crawlers & Totally Tots- Pirates

My original plan was to do a "Pirates"  theme in honor of the International Talk  Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19, 2016). I have tried this theme in the past, and it hasn't worked out, not sure if it was me or the books I choose or what, but I thought I would give it another try.  Well, I changed the plan as the week went on.

 

Books:

Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett  Krosoczka

Penguin’s Big Adventure by Salina Yoon
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen
A boy, a dog, and a frog by Mercer Mayer

I realized Tuesday with our Crawlers group that a couple of the books were to long for them.  Wednesday & Thursday I started with Penguin's Big Adventure, followed by Bubble Bath Pirates, and Friday My Radio Flyer Flew.  Thursdays' group enjoyed A boy, a dog, and a frog one of the first wordless books I have used with these groups.

Opening Song- Everybody say…

Wiggles

Nursery Rhyme: Smiling Girls, Rosy Boys * We have been skipping this section.

Rhyme: Here Are My Ears

Here are my ears. Here is my nose.

Here are my fingers. Here are my toes.

Here are my eyes both open wide.

Here is my mouth with white teeth inside.

Here is my tongue that helps me to speak.

Here is my chin and here are my cheeks.

Here are my hands that help me to play.

Here are my feet for walking today.

Pirate Ship
Sail, sail, sail your ship
Gently over the sea
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
A pirate’s life for me.

Credit: Fingerplays & Action Rhymes Blog

The One-Eyed Pirate * Some of the toddlers really liked this rhyme.
The one-eyed pirate (cover one eye)
He’s fierce, and he’s tough (clench fists & scowl)
He digs for buried treasure (digging motion)
But it’s never enough. (shake head)
He lives on a ship (hold up flat hand, thumb out)
Way out on the sea. (rock hand in curvy motion, other hand under it)
His parrot is his only friend, perch hand on shoulder)
Except for me. (point to self)

Flannel: This Old Pirate
This old pirate, has a hat
Where a skull and crossbones sat.
With an Ar, Ar, Ar, and an Ay Matey!
This old pirate sailed the sea.
This old pirate has a hook, uses it to hold a book.
This old pirate has a map, keeps it handy in his lap
This old pirate has a bird, barely knows a single word.
This old pirate has a ship, travels the world in a single trip.
This old pirate looking for treasure, more than anyone could measure!

Bubble Time
After Bubble time we have been playing/exploring our storytelling using fingerpuppets and flannel board items. This week we used Old MacDonald farm animals, and our community helpers.  

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

Baby Bloomers- Siblings & Animals

This week's theme is a bit random, an old traditional tale, a realistic picture book about little kids & siblings, and a short Spanish book about nature.  I am truly not doing themes with the group but finding a good mix of books that work well.  I am also adding more play time by using our puppets and finger puppets.

Here is the plan

Books: 
Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera
My Baby & Me by Lynn Reiser
Grande y Pequeno  by Britta Teckentrup

Opening Song-The More We Get Together

Wiggles

Nursery Rhyme: Smiling Girls, Rosy Boys

This Little Piggy

This little piggy went to market,

This little piggy stayed home,

This little piggy had roast beef,

This little piggy had none.

And this little piggy cried

“wee, wee, wee, wee”

All the way home.

Credit: The Big Book of Stories, Songs, & Sing-Alongs

Touch Your Nose

Touch your nose

Touch your chin,

That’s the way this game begins.

Touch your thighs,

Touch your knees,

Now pretend you’re going to sneeze.

Touch your hair,

Touch your ears,

Now touch your two lips right here.

Touch your elbows,

Where they bend,

That’s the way this touch game ends.

Credit: Little Hands Fingerplays & Action Songs

Little Cat

Creeping, creeping , creeping,

Comes the little cat.

Meow, meow, meow, meow

Just like that!

Creeping, creeping, creeping,

Comes the little bunny.

Hop, hop, hop, hop

Do you think that’s funny?

Credit: The big Book of Stories, Songs, & Sing-Alongs

Flannel: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

               

Bubble Time/Goodbye song- We Wave Goodbye Like This

Bedtime Stories- Adventure

This week our Bedtime stories turned out to be a mix of stories~ some about going to bed rituals, some adventure, and a wordless picture. We read

Go To Sleep, Maddie! By Maureen Wright
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen * Love the big illustrations on these book.
A boy, a dog, and a frog by Mercer Mayer * I tried this wordless book hoping the kids would be interested on telling their own story.  Tuesday's group was a bit young and a bit distracted with some of the toys, so we decided to dance instead.

We watched



Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

We used our regular Opening Song and Wiggles

Twinkle Here and There
Twinkle standing up ( wiggle fingers)
twinkle sitting down (sit while wiggling fingers)
twinkle while you're hoping
around and around and around
twinkle at the ceiling (wiggle fingers high)
twinkle at the door (wiggle fingers towards door)
twinkle at each other (wiggle fingers at each other)
and twinkle on the floor (sit and wiggle fingers) 

Rhyme: Here Are My Ears

Here are my ears. Here is my nose.

Here are my fingers. Here are my toes.

Here are my eyes both open wide.

Here is my mouth with white teeth inside.

Here is my tongue that helps me to speak.

Here is my chin and here are my cheeks.

Here are my hands that help me to play.

Here are my feet for walking today.

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

Baby Bloomers- Library Time

This is our first week of Storytime for this fall, and today was my first day back with my little babies! I love all my groups, but these babies have a sweet spot in my heart. I don't know what it is about babies but they always get me.  I love to see that first spark of excitement when I read to them, the little one that wants to grab the book, that squeals with joy, the ones that laugh out loud with the stories and funny animals sounds.  There is no better way to start your day that to read to a baby.  This week we read:

 

Leo Loves Baby Time by Anna McQuinn
Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells
Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy! by Sandra Boynton 

               

Opening Song-The More We Get Together

The more we get together,

Together, together.

The more we get together,

The happier we’ll be.

Because your friends are my friends,

And my friends are your friends.

The more we get together,

The happier we’ll be.

Wiggles

A wiggle, wiggle here

A wiggle, wiggle there.

Wiggle your hands up in the air

Wiggle our shoulders and wiggle your hips,

Wiggle your knees and move your lips,

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

And wiggle and bend

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,

And this is the end!

Nursery Rhyme: Smiling Girls, Rosy Boys

Hand Motion rhyme: This Is Big

This Is Big

This is big big big 

This is small small small

This is short short short

This is tall tall tall 

This is fast fast fast

This is slow slow slow

This is yes yes yes

This is no no no

Two Little Eyes to Look Around

Two little eyes to look around

Two little ears to hear a sound

One little nose to smell what’s sweet

One little mouth that likes to eat!

Bubble Time

Goodbye song- We Wave Goodbye Like This

                                                             

Storytime is back~ Crawlers & Toddlers Library Time

We are back for another awesome session of Storytime @ the library.  I have been off for about a month~ vacation for a few weeks, and prep time, school visits, collection care, etc~ now I am ready for storytime.  I can't wait to see the kiddos, the little ones that have mastered walking over the summer, the ones that are chatting up and are so excited to be back at the library. I can't wait to meet the new faces, the little kids that will fill my days with joy, and laughter, and love.  Here we go again!

For this first week I choose Books & Libraries for my theme.  I am actually having an internal debate with the whole "theme" idea. Sometimes is so hard to find appropriate books for babies & toddlers within a predetermined theme.  But this week I think I found some great reads.  Here is the plan:

Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates

Read It Don’t Eat It by Ian Schoenherr

Lola Reads to Leo by Anna McQuinn 
Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn

Dinosaur vs. Library by Bob Shea

               

Opening Song-

Everybody say one, story time has just began

Everybody say two, shake your shoulders show your shoes

Everybody say three, listen very carefully

Everybody say four, and put your bottoms on the floor

Wiggles

A wiggle, wiggle here

A wiggle, wiggle there.

Wiggle your hands up in the air

Wiggle our shoulders and wiggle your hips,

Wiggle your knees and move your lips,

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

And wiggle and bend

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,

And this is the end!

Nursery Rhyme: Smiling Girls, Rosy Boys

Read, Read, Read a Book (Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Read, read, read a book,
Travel anywhere,
Worldwide, you decide,
A book will take you there.
Read, read, read a book,
Beginning to the end,
What a way to spend the day,
A book’s a special friend!
Credit: Harris County Public Library

Flannel: 5 little books

Five Little Books
Five little books at the library
Five little books as great as can be
Along comes (name) with their library card
To take one home and read
Credit: What Happens In Storytime

Bubble Time

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

We wave goodbye like this,

We wave goodbye like this,

to all our friends.

We clap our hands like this,

We clap our hands like this,

with all our friends.

Story time has ended.

Bedtime Stories- Library

This is a new version of our Bedtime Stories, aka Pajama Storytime,  I started this family storytime last year as a way to provide working parents a chance to bring their little ones to storytime. Because of schedules and other programs, I was offering it only once a month, which I know is not ideal to keep the momentum going and to creature routines with the kids. So this fall I will offer it every Tuesday along with my regular storytimes.  I will do a combination of my Crawlers/Totally Tots storytimes themes with some "bedtime books".  The routines will be a bit different, like no bubbles ( no parent wants bubbles before bedtime) instead we will listen to lullabies while watching the stars circling our ceiling.  I will also use our TumbleBooks subscription to show a short book. So this first week we read

No Nap! Yes Nap!  by Margie Palatini

Time for Bed, Fred by Yasmeen Ismail

We watched
 

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown 

Opening Song-

Everybody say one, story time has just began

Everybody say two, shake your shoulders show your shoes

Everybody say three, listen very carefully

Everybody say four, and put your bottoms on the floor

Wiggles

A wiggle, wiggle here

A wiggle, wiggle there.

Wiggle your hands up in the air

Wiggle our shoulders and wiggle your hips,

Wiggle your knees and move your lips,

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

And wiggle and bend

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,

And this is the end!

Twinkle Here and There
Twinkle standing up ( wiggle fingers)
twinkle sitting down (sit while wiggling fingers)
twinkle while you're hoping
around and around and around
twinkle at the ceiling (wiggle fingers high)
twinkle at the door (wiggle fingers towards door)
twinkle at each other (wiggle fingers at each other)
and twinkle on the floor (sit and wiggle fingers)

Goodbye song-  We Wave Goodbye Like This

We wave goodbye like this,

We wave goodbye like this,

to all our friends.

We clap our hands like this,

We clap our hands like this,

with all our friends.

Story time has ended.

Pop-Up Storytime~ Dance, Dance, Dance

So this summer I have been doing "Pop-Up Storytime" a fun, impromptu (almost) storytime for my Crawlers & Toddlers. I found that parents love to get together and the little ones are so excited to see their friends plus we have new families joining our group and siblings that normally don't get a chance to come to storytime.  I say almost impromptu because I tell the families a few days before, maybe a week before , so if they are around and want to do it great if not is not a big deal. Of course, there is planning on my part, but is a great way to find new rhymes and songs.  Today I felt like dancing, and oh my did we dance, and shake, and wiggle.

We read

Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance by Birgitta Sif

Dance With Me by Charles R. Smith

Wiggle by Doreen Cronin

Here is the plan

 Opening song: Let’s start story time!

Everybody say 1, story time has began,

Everybody say 2, shake your shoulders, show your shoes,

Everybody say 3, and listen carefully

Everybody say 4, and put your bottoms on the floor

Wiggle, Wiggle

I Clap My Hands

I clap my hands,

I touch my feet,

I jump up from the ground,

I clap my hands,

I touch my feet,

And turn myself around

Shake Your Pudding

Shake, shake, shake your pudding

Shake it here, shake it there,

Shake it everywhere

Shake it twice to the right

Shake it twice to the left

Shake it nice

Shake it slow

Shake it low

Shake it here, shake it there,

Shake it everywhere 

Touch Your Nose

Touch your nose

Touch your chin,

That’s the way this game begins.

Touch your thighs,

Touch your knees,

Now pretend you’re going to sneeze.

Touch your hair,

Touch your ears,

Now touch your two lips right here.

Touch your elbows,

Where they bend,

That’s the way this touch game ends.

Credit: Little Hands Fingerplays & Action Songs

We also used our parachute for the first time in a long time....

 Bubbles/Goodbye Song