Exercise is Fun!

There are lots of fun ways that we can exercise and grow big and strong. We can stretch, do yoga, jump, play at the park, kick a ball, do sports, and dance (my favorite!). Here’s what we did at storytime today…

Nursery Rhyme of the Week:
Jack Be Nimble
Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over the candlestick.

Books Shared:
Bounce by Doreen Cronin
Playground Day! By Jennifer J. Merz
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Rhymes sheet.):
Stretching Fun
My Eyes Can See
Sometimes
Tony Chestnut
Old MacDonald
If You’re Happy and You Know It
If You’re Wearing Red Today
Tommy Thumb

Music:
Greg and Steve’s Kids in Motion (Animal Action)

Books for Toddlers

Today, I visited the Burbank Adult School to speak with parents about some good books for toddlers as well as other resources we have available at our library. Here are some of the titles that I recommended:

Characteristics of Good Books for Toddlers
*Stories they can relate to: animals, body, clothes, home, holidays, familiar situations
Example: Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin Jr.
*Stories with rhyme and rhythm
Example: The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
*Stories with phrase or repeated happenings
Example: Napping House by Audrey Wood
*Predictable stories
Example: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Formats
*Picture Books
Examples: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle; Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day (wordless)
*Folktales, Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes
Examples: Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews; My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie and Rosemary Wells; The Three Bears by Paul Galdone
*Board Books—thick sturdy cover and pages; small size for little hands; bright colorful pictures; simple shapes; clear pictures; pictures of human faces; few words; nursery rhymes
Examples: Clip Clop by Nicola Smee; Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton; Mary had a Little Lamb by Salley Mavor
*Toddler Collection—Concept books (ABCs, 123s, Shapes, Colors, etc.)
Examples: Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd; Max’s ABC by Rosemary Wells; Count and See by Tana Hoban

Parent Collection—Books written for parents as well as books written for children dealing with various “growing up” topics (potty training, new sibling, discipline, education, etc.)
Examples: Once Upon a Potty by Alona Frankel; The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease; The Mother of All Toddler Books by Ann Douglas

Mother Goose Loves Books and Rhymes!

HONK! HONK! We had a very special visitor today. Mama Goose flew to the south to hear some of her favorite rhymes at storytime. There are lots of Mother Goose books in the 398.8 section in the children’s library. We love books!

Nursery Rhymes of the Week:
We did a million gazillion nursery rhymes this week in honor of Mother Goose. Okay, maybe not that many.
Little Miss Muffet
Humpty Dumpty
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Jack and Jill
Jack Be Nimble
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hey Diddle Diddle
(Links to the text of these rhymes can be found at this website.)
(Flannel figures for the rhymes can be purchased here.)

Stories Shared:
I Like Books by Anthony Browne
Book! by Kristine O’Connell George

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Storytime Rhymes Sheet.):
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Stretching Fun
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Ten in the Bed
Tony Chestnut

Music:
Re-Bop Records: Bouncin’ with Mother Goose
Me and My Bean Bag (Take that Bean Bag)

Things that Go!

Vroom! Choo Choo! Beep! Whoosh! Today’s storytime was all about transportation or things that go…

Books Shared:
Row Your Boat by Anthony Lishak (pop-up)
Sputter Sputter Sput! by Babs Bell
Freight Train by Donald Crews
I Love Planes! by Philemon Sturges

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Rhymes sheet.):
Sometimes
My Eyes Can See
Tommy Thumb
If You’re Wearing Red Today
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Bonus Song:
The Wheels on the Bus
(Melody and lyrics can be found here.)
(Patterns can be found here, though link does not always work.)

Music:
Carole Peterson: Sticky Bubble Gum and Other Tasty Tunes (Little Old Wagon and Hokey Pokey)

Food, Glorious FOOD!

Happy New Year! It was sure great to see familiar smiling faces at storytime today. Today’s theme was FOOD…YUM!

Nursery Rhyme of the Week:
Pat-a Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Pat it and roll it and mark it with “B”
Put it in the oven for Baby and me.

Stories Shared:
Round is a Pancake by Joan Sullivan Baranski
Today is Monday by Eric Carle
Slop Goes the Soup by Pamela D. Edwards
Hi, Pizza Man! by Virginia Walter
Who ate all the Cookie Dough? By Karen Beaumont

Rhymes (Can be found on Toddler Storytime Rhymes Sheet):
I’m a Little Teapot
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Five Little Sausages
Old MacDonald

Flannel:
The Enormous Turnip (Traditional folktale. Pattern pieces can be found here, though link does not always work.)

Bonus Flannel Song:
Aiken Drum
There was a man lived in the moon,
lived in the moon, lived in the moon,
There was a man lived in the moon,
and his name was Aiken Drum.
And he played upon a ladle,
a ladle, a ladle,
He played upon a ladle,
and his name was Aiken Drum.
And his eyes were made of gum drops…
And his nose was a banana…
And his mouth was a watermelon…
And is hair was made of green beans…
(Templates can be found in the book 52 Programs for Preschoolers: The Librarian’s Year-Round Planner by Diane Briggs.)

Music:
Sharon, Lois & Bram: Mainly Mother Goose
Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes (Silly Dance Contest)

Craft:
Paper Donuts (Idea from this website.)