Baby Storytime #12 - Cats!

This week my theme was Cats!

Here is what I did:
Opening song: the more we get together
Bounce: Roll Roll Sugar Babies
Nursery Rhyme: Pussycat Pussycat...(should have said it rather than sung it)
Action song: I'm a little kitty (to I'm a little tea pot)
I'm a little kitty cat
Nice and sweet
Here are my whiskers and
Here are my feet
When I go out hunting, mice beware
Or you might just have a scare!

Flannel Story - 3 little kittens

Poem- the Great Big Cat and the teeny little mouse (I used hand motions)

There was a Great Big Cat
and a Teeny little mouse
Who ran around and around
In a tall, tall house!
Until that teeny tiny mouse got caught at last
Because that Great Big Cat ran around so fast!

Book - Mother has three kittens by Fleming (clipped pages to shorten)

Shaker song: I know a Chicken by Berkner

Song: Soft Kitty (uke)

Action Song: Alabama, Mississippi

Book: How to be a Cat by McClure - this is a black and white book. I showed the parents how books with one word per page can get babies interested in books.

Closing song: May there alway be sunshine (uke)

Bubbles: Cat's in the Cradle (Chapin)

The kids were not very attentive today. The parents too. I just plowed on and got through it but it wasn't much fun. I have had worse!

5 more to go!

I have 5 more baby storytimes before I return to toddler time (18 months - 3 years old).
I have had a bit of a learning curve with the babies and I think I have hit my stride. I am looking forward to returning to TT in 6 weeks.


Things I will miss about babies:
No craft
Lots of music
Engaged adults
Small crowds
Bounces
Fun!


Things I will gladly leave behind:
Starting at 9:30 am
Large crowds
bubbles


Things I will be doing in TT but didn't before:
So many shaker songs!
New flannels

Preschool Storytime - Monkeys!

I filled in for a co-worker today and did preschool storytime.
I did one of my favorite themes...Monkeys!

Here is what I did:
Irrational Anthem - Jim Gill
Open Shut them
Book #1 - Caps for Sale by Slobodkina
Fingerplay - 5 little monkeys
Settle down song; Shake your Sillies out
Book #2 - Two Little Monkeys by Fox
The Animals in the Jungle (to wheels on the bus)
Bean Bag Rock
Book #3 - Sock Monkeys do the Monkey Monkey by Winburn

Craft: http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Bendable-Monkey.html

How it went: Not great! The parents and kids were quite loud in the beginning and I had to shout to be heard. During one of the books, I forget which one, 4 kids started running around in circles. They liked the Bean Bag song and Hokey pokey book. The craft was too complicated since there were no tables to use. I am exhausted!

Baby Storytime #11 - Ocean

A very small crowd today made for a wonderful Baby Storytime.

I redid my ocean theme. Here is the order I did:

Hello song – the more we get together (on my uke)

Bounce - Roll roll sugar babies

Book - Hooray for Fish by Cousins

     This book is very good for the vocabulary literacy tip.

Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Row Row Row your boat

Gently down the stream.

Merrily Merrily merrily

Life is but a dream.
Twish, Bounce, Sway, Wiggle, Tickle

Song: SONG WITH PUPPETS: Did You Ever See a Fishy?
Sing to “Did You Ever See a Lassie?”

Did you ever see a fishy, a fishy, a fishy
Did you ever see a fishy swim this way and that?
Swim this way, swim that way, Swim this way, swim that way,
Did you ever see a fishy swim this way and that?
Crab crawl
Seal Clap
Sea Horse whinny

Flannel Story - three little jelly fish

Choral Reading - In my Ocean

Action song: Waves at the Beach ( Sung To: " Wheels on the bus")

The waves at the beach go up and down.

Crabs… crawl back and forth,
Lobsters… go snap, clams… open and shut, jelly fish… wibble wibble wibble

Shakers song: Under the Sea

Closing song: May there always be sunshine (on my uke)

Bubbles - Octopus's Garden

I had 5 babies and most were lap babies so I added a couple of bounces at the last minute. 

Baby Storytime #10 - Farms

This week I did Farms. I talked about how using animal sounds can help babies with phonological awareness.

Opening song - The more we get together (uke)

Bounces:
Roll, Roll Sugar Babies

When Animals get up in the morning

When ducks get up in the morning,this is what they say
When ducks get up in the morning, this is what they say
Quack, quack, quack, quack, that is what they say
Quack, quack quack, that is what they say.
Continue with Cows, Dogs, Sheep, Pigs, Cats

Flannel Rhymes - Bo Peep, Baa  Baa Black Sheep

Action song – Alabama, Mississippi - Jim Gill

Puppet story -  Old Macdonald

Animals on the Bus (Tune: “The Wheels on the Bus” )

The pigs on the bus go oink, oink, oink.

Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink.

The pigs on the bus go oink, oink, oink,

All through the town.

Substitute other animals and the sounds they make.

Cows, Dogs, Frogs, Pigs, Cats

Choral reading – My First Farm

Song with shakers – Grandpa’s Farm

Bubbles

Toys and Balls

I forgot to do "May there always be sunshine" so I played it on CD during bubbles and a grandma said she missed singing the song. My voice was pretty shot after Alabama, Mississippi - I forgot to bring my water - so maybe it was just as well. It is nice that she told me - I will do it next week.

Baby Storytime #9 - Mother's Day

Today I had a fantastic baby storytime!
My theme was Mother's day and I found some great stuff around the web.

Opening song – The more we get together (on the uke)

Bounce – Roll Roll sugar babies (jbrary)

Nursery Rhyme

The (New) Old Woman

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

She had so many children and knew just what to do

She gave them some broth and a big slice of bread

Kissed them all soundly and tucked them in bed

Puppet story – Ask Mr. Bear by Flack - I changed this to be for Mother's day rather than birthday. Worked great!

Finger play – Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
Book - Is your Mama a Llama? by Guarino - a little long, skipped to the end

Action song – If you’re happy and you know it

Shaker song – Mother's Day Song (on the uke)

(Tune: You Are My Sunshine)

I love you mommy.

My dearest mommy.

You make me happy when I am sad.

 I want to show you How much I love you.

Here’s a hug For Mother’s Day!

And Oh what a Miracle! (I did this one sitting down and it worked great!)

Goodbye song – May there always be sunshine (on the uke) - I go around the room and get everyone's name. Maybe I will learn them eventually!
Bubbles song – Good Morning starshine