Baby & Me Storytime

Presented at Bellevue Public Library on Wednesday, November 7, 2012.
Presented at Bellevue West High School Early Head Start on Thursday, November 8, 2012.
Presented at Peter Sarpy Early Head Start on Thursday, November 15, 2012.


Book:
Farmy Farm by Chris Raschka

Fingerplays and Songs for the Very Young illustrated by Carolyn Croll

Songs:

Welcome to Storytime!
(tune: Old McDonald)

At storytime we have (child's name) today.
We're so glad, let's shout hooray!

(After singing the song I invite an adult to introduce him/herself and their child.  We repeat the song, inserting the child's name.  We do this until everyone has been introduced and all the children have been serenaded!)


(At BWHS and Peter Sarpy we sang this in place of "Welcome to Storytime")
Hello Friends!
(tune: "Goodnight Ladies")

Hello friends.
Hello friends.
Hello friends.
We're glad you came today!

(After singing the song once, we repeat the song for each child, substituting the child's name for the word "friends".



Baby, Baby, Wash Your Hands
(tune: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")

Baby, Baby, wash your hands.  Baby's bath is fun!
Baby, Baby, wash your hands.  Now your hands are done!

Baby, Baby, wash your toes.  Baby's bath is fun!
Baby, Baby, wash your toes.  Now your toes are done!

(Parents then help me come up with other parts of baby's body that need washing.)


  (At Peter Sarpy I used "One Little Baby Rocking in a Tree" instead of "Dance Little Baby")

Dance, Little Baby
(tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")

Dance little baby, dance up high.
Never mind, baby, I am nearby.

Up to the ceiling, down to the ground,
Backward and forward, 'round and 'round.

Dance little baby, dance up high.
Never mind, baby, I am nearby.


Activities:

'Round and 'Round the Garden

'Round and 'round the garden
(hold child's hand, palm up)
Goes the little mouse.
(draw circles on child's palm with finger)
Up, up, up he creeps,
(crawl fingers up child's arm)
Up into his house.
(tickle under child's arm)

'Round and 'round the garden
(hold child's hand, palm up)
Goes the teddy bear.
(draw circles on child's palm with finger)
One step, two steps,
(crawl fingers up child's arm)
Tickle you under there!
(tickle child's neck)

(An alternate action, especially for very young babies, is to use the child's back or tummy instead of his palm.)


Cuckoo Clock

Tick... tock... tick... tock,  ("tick, tock, tick, tock")
Goes the little cuckoo clock.  ("goes the li...ttle cu-ckoo clock")
Tick... tock... tick...tock,  ("tick, tock, tick, tock")
Now I'm striking one o'clock.  ("Now I'm stri-king one o-clock")
CUCKOO!  ("Cu-ckoo")

(This rhyme can be said quite slowly, which makes for a gentle rocking motion.  When we slow down our speech we lengthen some of the words, which helps your child hear syllables as well as the cadence of our language.  When speaking, put the emphasis on the underlined words or parts of words.  Cradle baby in your arms or hold him up with your hands under his underarms.    Gently rock child from side to side in rhythm with your words.  When you say "CUCKOO", gently lift your child into the air.  For older children: have child stand and gently rock from side to side in rhythm with the chant.   Invite your child to raise hands above his/her head and/or jump one time for each "CUCKOO" they hear.  Continue this chant, changing the verse to "two o'clock...CUCKOO!  CUCKOO!, three o'clock...CUCKOO!  CUCKOO!  CUCKOO!, etc.)


One Little Baby Rocking in a Tree (Used at Peter Sarpy EHS)
One little baby rocking in a tree. (adult gently rocks child)
Two little babies splashing in the sea. (adult/child make "splashing" motion)
Three little babies crawling on the floor. (move hands in "walking" motion in front of child)
Four little babies knocking at the door. (make a fist and "knock" in the air)
Five little babies playing hide and seek. (cover eyes with hands)
Don't look!  Don't look!
Until I say...PEEK! (uncover eyes) 

Our Hands Say Goodbye

Our hands say goodbye with a clap, clap, clap.
Our feet say goodbye with a tap, tap, tap.
Clap, clap, clap,
Tap, tap, tap.
We roll our hands around and say... "Let's do it again!"

Our hands say goodbye with a clap, clap, clap.
Our feet say goodbye with a tap, tap, tap.
Clap, clap, clap,
Tap, tap, tap.
We roll our hands around and say... "Goodbye!"

Today I talked with parents about the importance of incorporating music into a child's daily activities and experiences.  As I mentioned in my notes for "Cuckoo Clock", it is important for children to hear the in-di-vid-u-al sounds in words, as this is a vital pre-reading skill.  Songs and chants help emphasize these smaller parts of words by drawing out the syllables.  Studies have shown that attaching music to words can help a person retain the words longer.  Parents sometimes teach important information (e.g. their address or phone number) to their children by using a chant. ("I live with my mommy and daddy at 4-2-9-9 Ba-ker Av-e-nue!")  There are many books and music CDs that can help parents in their effort to incorporate more music into their daily routines.  I shared the board book Fingerplays and Songs for the Very Young illustrated by Carolyn Croll, as a suggested resource.  I'll share more about the importance of music in next week's Baby & Me Storytime blog.