Back to the Basics for Babies

With Christmas just around the corner I've been thinking about the babies in my Baby Storytime and wondered what they might be getting for Christmas.  There are so many "educational" toys being produced and marketed to parents.  Many light up and make sounds.  But are these the best toys for babies?

Maybe to select the best toys  for babies we need to go "Back to the Basics".  And many of these basics start with the letter B (which I thought was cute!)  And the great thing is that these B "toys" are very inexpensive (or free), can keep the child occupied for long periods of time, and babies learn so much from playing with and exploring these "toys".

Back to the Basics for Babies

(all items are from Lakeshore Learning unless noted)

Board Books

Balls

Blocks

Bath/water Toys

**some items in this set are a choking hazard, however, many are suitable for babies

Buckets

Store of Knowledge

Bags

Made of cloth. Bags are similar to the bucket babies can put things in and then take things out!

Boxes

Similar to buckets and bags babies love to put things into a box and then take things out again!

Bubbles

We use Gymboree Bubbles at storytime

Most of these "B" toys can be found at discount stores, such as Wal-mart. They do not need to come from expensive, educational stores.

It's a Wrap--Baby Storytime

December 11  This is my last baby storytime of the year (because of meetings and holidays) so I planned a special Play and Learn for the babies!  It was very fun!

Songs/Rhymes/Bounces

Read Aloud Book

Counting Christmas

Karen Katz

Shared Reading

A variety of board books by Karen Katz including:

Counting Kisses

How Does Baby Feel?

Play and Learn

Wrapping Paper and Boxes!

I got four boxes from our recycling and taped them back together and bought two Dollar Store rolls of wrapping paper.  It was so much fun to watch the babies pull out the paper, crumple it up, tear it, etc. and to climb into the boxes.

After 5 minutes or so I brought out our "regular" toys, but many babies continued playing with the paper and boxes.

Spots and Dots Storytime

I did this storytime for toddlers and all ages storytime in November.

Hernietta got into the fun!

Books

Abigail

by Catherine Rayner

Lots of Dots

by Craig Frazier

Animal Spots and Stripes

Britta Teakentrup

Songs/Rhymes/Flannel Board

I'm a Little Monster

(from Storytime ABC's)
Pass out a variety of color felt dots to all the children. 

Place the monster on the board (without any spots)

Use this rhyme to call children up to put their dots on the monster

I'm a little monster friendly and bright.

I won't give anyone a fright.

I love polka dots but I have none.

So step right up and give me red ones.

I'm a little monster friendly and bright.

I won't give anyone a fright.

I love polka dots but I only have some.

So step right up and give me orange ones.

I'm a little monster friendly and bright.

I won't give anyone a fright.

I love polka dots and I have lots.

Thank you for my colorful spots.

Are You Sleeping?
(This is one of my new "go-to" songs!)
We used animals that have spots and dots!

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Little ladybug? Little ladybug?
[snore]
Wake up little ladybug!
Wake up little ladybug!
Fly, fly, fly! Fly, fly, fly!

Giraffe--stretch
Frog--jump
Cheetah--run

Little Ladybug
Ladybug has 1 back spot
1 black spot, 1 black spot
Ladybug has 1 black spot
Pretty Ladybug!

Continue adding dots until you reach 4 or 6.

Play and Learn

Dot Collage

Dotters

Crazy Straw Circles

Pom-pom cookie colors

Blocks

Bedtime Storytime

I had a crazy bunch of kids last week at my all ages storytime!!  Thankfully "Are You Sleeping?" song calmed most of them down!  Maybe I should have started with that one! :)

Books

So Cozy!

by Lerryn Korda

The Full Moon at the Napping House

by Audrey Wood; illustrated by Don Wood

Optional Book (I used at another storytime)

Sleepyheads
by Sandra J. Howatt; illustrated by Joyce Wan

Songs/Rhymes

This is the way...(Going to Bed Edition)

This is the way I take a bath
Take a bath, take a bath
This is the way I take a bath
Before I go to bed!

Additional verses:
Brush my teeth
Get a drink
Read a book
Give a kiss
Whisper "Good Night"

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

Are You Sleeping?
Are you sleeping, are you sleeping
Little Bunny? Little Bunny?
[snore]
Wake up little bunny
Wake up little bunny
Hop, hop, hop
Hop, hop, hop!

Additional verses:
Crocodile--chomp!
Elephant--stomp!
Dinosaur--growl!
Cheetah--run!

Play and Learn

Paper Quilt
Glue on color pieces of paper (triangles and square) onto a quilt template design

5 Little Monkeys Matching (cutting activity)

Puppets

Lacing

Cars

Baby Storytime--Karen Katz

After missing Baby Storytime for 3 weeks (because of meetings, programs, and a holiday) it was great to be back with them this week!

Songs/Rhymes/Bounces
Words to most can be found at this post

Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
Good Morning to You
When Cows Get Up in the Morning (though I couldn't find the cow puppet; used kitten, duck, pig, and bee)
Roly-Poly
Pat-a-Cake
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Hey Diddle Diddle
Grasshopper
Acka Backa Soda Cracker

Mix and Stir (Gingerbread)
Mix and stir and pat it in a pan
I'm going to make a gingerbread man
With a nose so neat
And a smile so sweet
And gingerbread shoes on his gingerbread feet.

Read Aloud Book

Ten Tiny Babies
by Karen Katz

Shared Reading

A variety of books by Karen Katz including

Where is Baby's Mommy?

What does Baby Love?

Play and Learn

Woodland Animals Storytime

The week before Thanksgiving I did a woodland animal storytime with my all ages group.  We had a small group because of all the storm related issues.  But we had a fun time, especially on the scavenger hunt.

Books

One Brown Bunny

by Marion Dane Bauer; illustrated by Ivan Bates

Bear Says Thanks

by Karma Wilson; illustrated by Jane Chapman

Songs/Rhymes/Flannel Board

Five Red Foxes
Out in the wood under the sun,
Up ran a red fox and that made one.

One red fox under a sky so blue
Up ran another and then there were two.

Two red foxes sitting by a tree
Up ran another and then there were three.

Three red foxes trotting by the shore,
Up ran another and then there were four.

Four red foxes watching a beehive
Up ran another and then there were five.

The Beanbag Song
(Totline Magazine, July/August 1999, p. 24)
Sung to: If you're happy and you know it

Put your beanbag on your hair, on your hair
Put your beanbag on your hair, on your hair
Put your beanbag on your hair and leave it right up there.
Put your beanbag on your hair, on your hair.

Additional verses

Ground--step and step around
Toe--lift it high and lift it low
Hand--toss it up and watch it land

Play and Learn

Scavenger Hunt
I placed pictures of different forest animals around the children's area.  Each child had a paper with all of the forest animal pictures.  We walked around the children's area and when we found an animal they crossed it off their paper.  They had so much fun!

Beanbags

Animal Magnets

Train

Yum! Yum! Let's Eat! Outreach Storytime

Outreach Storytime for November

Books

For younger children

Who's Hungry?

by Dean Hacohen and Sherry Scharschmidt

Crunch Munch

Jonathan London; illustrated by Michael Rex

Mmm...Let's Eat!

by Libby Koponen; illustrated by Betsy Thompson

One Little Spoonful

by Aliki

For older children (three of the following)

Hungry Roscoe

by David J. Plant

Badger's Fancy Meal

by Keiko Kasza

Harry Hungry!

by Steven Salerno

All for Pie, Pie for All

by David Martin; illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev

Bear Says Thanks

by Karma Wilson; illustrated by Jane Chapman

Songs/Rhymes

First, the songs that didn't really go over very well...

Picking the Fruit
(some toddlers were really good at waiting their turn, but others just wanted to take all the fruit down--of course it was harder when the teacher wasn't helping!)

Picking the [fruit] and putting it in the basket
Picking the [fruit] and putting it in the basket
Picking the [fruit] and putting it in the basket
Yummy fruit to eat!

I Like to Eat!
(I had two children choose a food clip art, then we'd sing...  It wasn't bad, but not great)

I like to eat, eat, eat
______________ on my ________________
I like to eat, eat, eat
______________ on my ________________

When I was assigned one more outreach visit for the month I decided to try a few different songs.

Jelly on My Head

(touch parts on the body)

Jelly on my head, jelly on my toes
Jelly on my shirt, jelly on my nose
Jelly on my belly, jelly’s the best food
And when I’m in a jelly mood

I just can’t get enough
Of that yummy, yummy stuff!

Nursery Rhymes

Do You Know the Muffin Man?

(children choose a food clipart and then we'd sing about another food man)

Pease Porridge Hot

Pat-a-cake

We also sang a random song or two...

Wheels on the Bus

If You're Happy and You Know It

Five Little Monkeys