Swimming and Water

Swimming and Water

Books

The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water

by Gemma Merino

Puppy Pool Party

by Seth Castell

The Whale in the Swimming Pool

by Joyce Wan

Song

All the Fish--Casper Babypants

Why Just a Board Book?

Hey, George! a new book by Sandra Boynton is so cute and clever, but it only comes as a board book.  Why??  I would love to share this story in preschool storytime, but as a board book it's just too small to read.  And I think preschool children would get a kick out of George's secret. 

Here, George!

by Sandra Boyton; illustrated by George Booth

Maybe I'll have to ask a coworker to make me a flannel based on the book!

Libraries Rock! Baby Storytime

I loved putting together this Baby Storytime series all about how "Libraries Rock!"  So we had five weeks of all things singing, dancing, and making music!

Read Aloud Books

Jazz Baby

by Lisa Wheeler; illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Babies on the Bus

by Karen Katz

Dancing Feet!

by Lindsey Craig; illustrated by Marc Brown

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

by Bill Martin Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle

Sung to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

If You're Happy and You Know It!

by Jane Cabrera

Clap, stomp, kiss, jump

Shared Reading

Board books about music, singing, dancing

Let's Make Music

National Geographic Kids

Barnyard Boogie!

by Tim McCanna; illustrated by Allison Black

Amazing Me! Dance!

by Carol Thompson

Itsy Bitsy Spider

by Anne Kubler

Songs/Rhymes/Bounces

*Clap Your Hands
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap your hands together
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap your hands together.

Roll, roll, roll your arms
Roll you arms and stretch them
Roll, roll, roll your arms
Roll you arms and stretch them

Kick, kick, kick your feet
Kick your feet and stretch them
Kick, kick, kick your feet
Kick your feet and stretch them

Repeat clap

Good Morning!
tune: Happy Birthday

Good morning to _________
Good morning to _________
Good morning dear _________
It's nice to see you!

Little Bear
Little Bear in the tree
Sitting oh, so still
Won't he come out?
Yes, he will!

He looks to the left,
He looks to the right
He looks straight ahead
Then he POPS out of sight!

When Ducks Get Up in the Morning
When ducks get up in the morning they always say "good day"
When ducks get up in the morning they always say "good day"
"Quack, quack, quack!" That's how they say good day
"Quack, quack, quack!" That's how they say good day

Use a variety of puppets and their animal sounds

Dump Truck
Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
Dumping out it's load.

Me
I have 10 little finger and 10 little toes

Two little arms and one little nose

One little mouth and two little ears

Two little eyes for smiles and tears

One little head and two little feet

One little chin;  that's ME, complete! 

*This is the Way the Lady Rides
This is the way the ladies ride: (baby on your lap facing out)
Prim, prim, prim, prim (bounce slowly, gently)
This is the way the ladies ride: Prim, prim, prim!

This is the way the gentlemen ride:
Gallop-a-trot, gallop-a-trot (bounce a little faster)
This is the way the gentlemen ride: Gallop-a-gallop-a-trot!

This is the way the farmers ride:
Hobbledy-hoy, hobbledy-hoy (tip baby off to one side then the other side of your lap)
This is the way the farmers ride: Hobbledy-hobbledy-hoy!

This is the way the hunters ride: (fast bouncing)
Gallop-a-gallop-a-gallop-a-gallop
This is the way the hunters ride: Gallop-a-gallop-a-gallop!

*Little Flea
Creeping, creeping, little flea (tickle up the body)
Up my leg and past my knee
To my tummy, on he goes
Past my chin and to my nose (touch lightly on the nose)
Now he’s creeping down my chin (tickle down the body)
To my tummy once again
Down my leg and past my knee
To my toe that little flea…
Gotcha! (grab both feet and nuzzle them)

Three Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Pat-a-Cake

*The Elevator Song
Parents stand up and hold baby facing them

Oh, the city is great and the city is grand
There are lots of tall buildings
On a little piece of land
We live way up on the fifty-seventh floor
And this is what we do
When we go out the door

Take the elevator up, take the elevator down (3 times)
Then we spin around

Repeat chorus

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Flannel Board
I cut out lots of felt stars and while we sang I continually added stars to the flannel board

Toast
I am toast in the toaster (bounce)
I'm getting very hot
Tick Tock, Tick Tock (side to side)
Up I
POP!

One Bright Scarf
One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow
Wiggle it high
Wiggle it low
Shake it fast
Shake it slow
Hide it behind your back
Where'd it go?

*On Baby-O CD

Libraries Rock! Making Music

Oh, this was such a fun [and noisy] storytime!!

Books

Punk Farm

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka 

My Family Plays Music

by Judy Cox; illustrated by Elbrite Brown

I passed out all the instruments that the girl plays in the book and when we got to that part of the book the child played that instrument.  I had extras of some of the instruments so each child would have something to play!

I skipped lines 3 & 4 of each stanza on a page to make the book shorter.  For example:

This is my mom.

She plays fiddle in a country-and western band.

When I play with her, I play the tambourine.

Songs

Head Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Bluegrass Band

Clap It! (with musical instruments)

Play and Learn

Play with musical instruments

Make a shaker (paper plate, streamers, beans)

Summer Meals and Stories

I went to three parks this summer to read aloud books while children ate a free lunch provided by the school district. At two of the events the YMCA Day camp was there, which made reading aloud more challenging because not all of those kids actually wanted to hear the books.

JUNE
Valley Mission Park

My Pet Wants a Pet

by Elise Broach; illustrated by Eric Barday

Troll and the Oliver

by Adam Stower

Giant Pants

by Mark Fearing

Falling for Rapunzel

by Leah Wilcox; illustrated by Lydia Monks

Alan's Big Scary Teeth

by Jarvis

Terrace View Park

Big Mean Mike

by Michelle Knudsen; illustrated by Scott Magoon

A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals

by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Creepy Pair of Underwear

by Aaron Reynolds; illustrated by Peter Brown

Wolf's Coming!

by Joe Kulka

JULY
Terrace View Park

I'm Bad!

by Kate and Jim McMullan

Carnivores

by Aaron Reynolds; illustrated by Dan Santat

Don't Play with Your Food

by Bob Shea

Max the Brave

by Ed Vere

The Lion Inside

by Rachel Bright; illustrated by Jim Field

Libraries Rock! Singing!

Another fun Libraries Rocks storytime!

Books

Kat Writes a Song

by Greg Foley

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

by Eric Litwin; illustrated by James Dean

Songs

Song Cube

I made s song cube with six pictures that represented songs.  We rolled the dice and sang the song together

*Five Little Ducks

*Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

*Wheels on the Bus

*Itsy Bitsy Spider

Ants Go Marching

Five Little Monkeys

*ones we actually sang

Play and Learn

Scavenger Hunt with the same pictures we used on the Song Cube

Playdough with non-traditional tools (craft sticks, beads, straws, pipe cleaners)

Libraries Rock! Dancing!

I love creating storytimes to "go with" the Summer Reading Theme.  They are usually themes I wouldn't naturally gravitate to do.

Books

Giraffes Can't Dance

by Giles Adnreae and Guy Parker-Rees

Everybunny Dance!

by Ellie Sandell

Graph Question
How do you like to dance?

Silly like a monkey, fast like a bumblebee, slow like a turtle, graceful like a swan

Songs to Dance To 
(Jim Gill)

I've Changed My Mind--with scarves 

Silly Dance Contest 

Play and Learn
Scarves and Ribbons