Catch that train! Sept. 28 storytime

We'll be doing:

Freight Train Trip! A Lift-the-Flap Adventure, by Susanna Leonard Hill

This book combines two things toddlers love: trains, and rhyme. Rhyming books help develop early literacy skills as kids start to recognize the different parts of words (phonological awareness). Some other rhyming books to try with your toddler:
Sheep in a Jeep, by Nancy Shaw, or
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, by Bill Martin


Meeow and the Little Chairs, by Sebastien Braun

Kids should recognize this character from last week....







That's Not My Train, by Fiona Watt

There are a series of these books, which can be found in the board book section of the library.





In addition to some of the songs from earlier weeks, we'll be adding:

Choo Choo Train
This is a choo choo train
Puffing down the track
Now it's going forward (bend arms and move in forward circular motion)
Now it's going back (reverse  motion)
Now the bell is ringing (ring bell)
Now the whistle blows (pull the whistle)
What a lot of noise it makes (hold ears)
Everywhere it goes!

Up, Up, Up
Here we go up, up, up (reach up)
Here we go down, down, down (reach down)
Here we go forward and backward (swing arms)
And here we go round and round (rotate arms)

See you in storytime!

Fun with Boxes! Sept 21

Two big boxes that the library received a shipment in prompted this storytime, which included:

Sitting in my box, by Dee Lillegard

Wild animals of all shapes and sizes join a boy in his box, until - wait! It's too crowded in here. Who wants to get out?

 

Meeow and the Big Box, by Sebastien Braun

Meeow uses his imagination to turn his box into something fun. What can you do with a box?

Also see these other books about Meeow:

Meeow and the Little Chairs

Meeow and the Pots and Pans

Meeow and the Blue Table

Not a Box, by Antoinette Portis

Why are you standing in that box little bunny? Because, it's not a box! It's my....mountain, rocket ship, whatever I want it to be, not-a-box!

Other books by Portis:

Not a Stick

A Penguin Story (I especially like this one)

 

The kids seemed to really enjoy being Jack-in-the-Boxes:
Jack in the box
Sitting so still (crouch down)
Won't you come out Jack?
Yes I will! (jump up)

And, a song about surprises in boxes:

I See a Box

  (sung to “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)

 

Someone’s at the door.  I hear knocks. (knock)

I open up the door.  I see a box. (shout “hurray!”)

I open up the box.  The box is full of socks.

I really do not want a box of socks. (boo hoo, pretend to cry)

 

Repeat with rocks, then sing:

 

Someone’s at the door.  I hear knocks.

I open up the door.  I see a box.

I open up the box.  The box is full of blocks.

I really, really want a box of blocks.

We closed with "Polly Wolly Doodle," which we'll use again:

We clap our hands as we sing our song
Polly Wolly Doodle all the day
We clap our hands as we sing our song
Polly Wolly Doodle all the day!
Come along, come along
We are going on our way
Come along, come along
Singing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day!

(repeat with: stamp our feet, turn around, wave goodbye)

See you next week!

Fingerplays and Action Songs We'll Use Again

Some of the songs and rhymes that we used in the first storytime and will be using again include:

The Happy Song (if you're happy and you know it....)
  We'll start out with this song each week, doing three verses. We clap on the first verse, stomp on the third. Help your child think of suggestions for what we can do on the middle verse.

Walking, Walking, from, Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

Walking walking
Walking walking
Hop hop hop
Hop hop hop
Running running running
Running running running
Now we stop
Now we stop
(Repeat: tiptoe, marching)

We also used (hold up five fingers):

This Little Bunny has two big eyesThis little bunny is very wiseThis little bunny is soft as silkThis little bunny is white as milkThis little bunny nibbles awayAt cabbage and carrots, the live long day

Another fun "tickle your palm" rhyme to use:

Round and round the garden
The little bunny goes
Hippity hop, hippity hop
I'm gonna get your nose!

Welcome to Toddler Terrific!

In this Tuesday's storytime, I'll be talking a little about the six pre-reading skills that help your child become ready to read. Each week, I'll demonstrate or talk about easy ways to encourage these skills. You can also find more information at http://library.utah.gov/programs/youth/documents/Talkers-2.pdf. The six skills include:

PRINT MOTIVATION: thinking that books and reading are fun

VOCABULARY: knowing the names of things

PRINT AWARENESS: recognizing print and understanding how books work

LETTER KNOWLEDGE: understanding that each letter has its own name and sounds

NARRATIVE SKILLS: being able to tell stories and describe things

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS: recognizing and playing with the smaller sounds that make up words

Our books on Tuesday, September 14 feature things that grow. You can place a hold on most of the following books by clicking on the title. We'll be reading:

We're Rabbits!, by Lisa Westberg Peters, illustrated by Jeff Mack

Ten Red Apples: A Bartholomew Bear Counting Book, by Virginia Miller

If your toddler enjoyed this book, you can find other titles featuring Bartholomew, such as Be Gentle!, where he learns how to behave around a pet, On Your Potty, and I Love You Just the Way You Are.

Who's In the Garden, by Philis Gershator, illustrated by Jill McDonald (hold unavailable)

There are lots of farmer's markets this time of year - for a fun sensory exploration, take your toddler along to sample fruits, vegetables, honey and other goodies, expanding their vocabulary and perhaps their letter knowledge by talking with them about the names of things - "look, what's in that basket? It's red and round, and starts with the letter A..." The last of the Holladay Community Garden's farmer's markets is this Saturday, September 18, from 4 to 8 in front of City Hall. The Dunmore Lasses, a traditional Irish/Scottish ensemble, will play from 5 to 8. The market in Murray Park goes Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. through late afternoon, until October 30, and of course there's the downtown market in Pioneer Park, now on Tuesday evenings as well as Saturday mornings. For a complete list of markets, see http://utahsown.utah.gov/FarmersMarkets.htm

Other garden books to enjoy with your toddler: A Garden of Opposites, by Nancy Davis, Lois Ehlert's, Growing Vegetable Soup, or What Does Bunny See, by Linda Sue Parks.