Baby & Me Storytime

This Baby & Me Storytime was presented at Bellevue West High School's Early Head Start program on Thursday, February 6, 2014.

Book:

Hug You, Kiss You, Love You by Joyce Wan

Songs:

Wave Your Bells In The Air
(tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It")

Wave your bells in the air, in the air.
Wave your bells in the air, in the air.
Wave your bells in the air, oh, wave them way up there.
Wave your bells in the air, in the air.

Tap your bells on the floor, on the floor.
Tap your bells on the floor, on the floor.
Tap your bells on the floor, let's all tap them once more.
Tap your bells on the floor, on the floor.


Shake your bells all around, all around.
Shake your bells all around, all around.
Shake your bells all around, now shake them near the ground.
Shake your bells all around, all around.


Clap Your Hands, One, Two, Three
(tune: "This Old Man")

Clap your hands, one, two, three
Play a clapping game with me.
Now your hands have gone away.
Bring them back so we can play!

Final time:
Clap your hands, one, two, three
Play a clapping game with me.
Now your hands have gone away.
We'll play this game another day!

The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round,
'Round and 'round.
'Round and 'round.
The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round,
All through the town.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish...
The babies on the bus go waa, waa, waa...
The doors on the bus go open and shut...


Rhymes:

It's Snowing

It's snowing!  It's snowing!
How the wind does blow!
Snowflakes falling from the sky.
Oops!  One landed on my...head!

Have fun with your little one by continuing this rhyme, choosing other parts of her body where a snowflake might land and unexpectedly tickle her!  Snowflakes might land on Baby's neck, toes, ears, back, tummy, knee, etc.




One Little Baby Splashing in the Sea

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)

I Saw a Snake Go By One Day
(© Lois Simmie)  

I saw a snake go by one day (make snake motion with arm)
Riding in his Chevrolet (hands on steering wheel)
He was long (extend arms to show "long")
And he was thin (arms show "thin")
And he didn't have a chin. (point to chin)

He had no chin,
But what the heck (shrug)
He had lots and lots and lots of neck! (touch or tickle baby's neck)

POPCORN!

Pop! Pop! Pop! 
(clap with each "pop")
Pour the corn into the pot! 
(rub palms of hands together quickly)
Pop! Pop! Pop! 
(clap with each "pop")
Take and shake it 'till it's hot! 
(rub palms of hands together quickly)
Pop! Pop! Pop! 
(clap with each "pop")
Lift the lid, what have you got? 
(rub palms of hands together quickly)
Pop! Pop! Popcorn! 
(clap twice, then raise arms in the air and/or gently lift baby into the air)

We enjoyed discovering some of the many ways to make music with jingle bells!  We held them in our hands, but we also tried putting the bells on our feet... and then shaking our legs! A couple of the little ones were even willing to walk around with a bell hooked to their ear!  Boy, did that feel silly!  One youngster enjoyed listening to the sounds made while threading the loops of bells onto his arm.  Once his arm was full and his hand was completely covered, he had fun dumping the bells onto the floor as he played his own improvised game of "Where did my hand go?!"

Providing opportunities for your child to experiment with musical sounds doesn't have to cost money - although there are nice quality rhythm instrument sets readily available for purchase if you want to make the investment.  There is a reason why children have been beating metal pots and pans with wooden sticks for centuries:  everyone has pots and pans around their house, they are fairly safe for children to handle, and they are a lot of fun to play! You can provide even more variety by letting your little one make sounds using empty oatmeal or cornmeal canisters, metal pie pans, plastic Easter eggs or plastic water bottles filled with objects securely sealed inside.  Until they try it themselves, infants and toddlers won't know that a wooden spoon striking a metal pan sounds different than hitting the couch, a wall, the side of the dog kennel...or the side of the dog.  I encourage you to take time to enjoy the expressions of delight and wonder as your child learns more and more about their amazing world!

 

Each Outreach Storytime includes activities that support one or more of the five early literacy practices identified as essential in helping your child develop the skills they need before they can learn to read. The five practices – singing, talking, reading, playing and writing –were developed for Every Child Ready to Read®, an initiative of the Association for Library Services for Children (ALSC) and the Public Library Association (PLA).