These Are the People In Your Neighbourhood: Community Helpers Family Storytimes

Work smarter, not harder, right? A class visit that’s coming next wek requested a Community Workers/Helpers theme so I thought I’d use similar content for today and tomorrow’s Family Storytimes, plus incorporate some of it into next week’s Babytime, and then do it all again for the class visit. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and refine.

Round #1

  

Version #1 on Thursday was the least successful. I learned that although tons of toddlers come to our Family Storytimes, everything’s different when ALL the kids at your Family Storytime are toddlers! Which is exactly what happened on Thursday. I only saw one person cry. Luckily it wasn’t me (but still, poor little guy!).

Welcome Song with signs —  The More We Get Together (x2)

Flannel/Felt/Guessing  Game — Little Cat, Little Cat Are You Under the ___’s Hat? 

(based on Making Learning Fun and Storytime Katie)

Weekly Opening Song — Bread and Butter

Book #1 — Shhh! Everybody’s Sleeping! by Julie Markes

Movement/Rhyme — Fireman, Fireman, Turn Around (x2)

(to the tune of Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear)
Fireman Fireman, turn around
Fireman, fireman, touch the ground
Fireman, fireman, drive the truck
Fireman, fireman, don’t get stuck!
Fireman, fireman, hurry to the fire
Fireman, fireman, spray the water higher.
Fireman, fireman, give a shout,
Fireman, fireman, you put the fire out! Hooray!
(from Sunflower Storytime)

Happy New Year….and Another Babytime!

Hope everyone had happy holidays!  Our library system winds down on programs in early December and we don’t start up again until mid-January, so it ended up being pretty perfect timing for a little vacation before the holidays hit.  It’s hard to get back into a routine with all that time off, but I sure am trying.

My first program in 2013 is our weekly drop-in babytime.  For our first session, I decided to go with lots of classics that new and returning caregivers will know.  I wanted to give them a bit of everything to whet their appetites for the session ahead, so here’s a big mix of bounces, nursery rhymes, fingerplays, tickles, , songs, etc. that I threw together into a babytime I’m calling Welcome Babies!

 

Weekly Opening Song with Signs — The More We Get Together (x2)
With signs for more, together, happy, and friends.

 

Weekly Opening Song — Bread and Butter

 

Action Rhyme/Body Vocab.– Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes (x2)

 

Cuddle/Tickle — Round and Round the Garden (x2)

 

Mother Goose Rhyme — Humpty Dumpty (x2)

 

Mother Goose Rhyme — Hey Diddle Diddle (with a lift & a laugh) (x2)
Thanks to Read Play Sing for the idea of a lift and a laugh!

 

Big Book — Wheels on the Bus

Bounce/Song — You Ought to See My Baby (from Baby-O by MaryLee Sunseri )
You ought to see my baby (baby on your lap facing out, bouncing)
My baby loves to bounce
And every time we sing this song
We bounce and bounce and bounce
Get along home, little baby (double bounces, 2 left, 2 right)
Get along home, little baby
Get along home, little baby
We’ll bounce and bounce and bounce!(bounce in the middle, last bounce, high)

(repeat with stretch, roll, and clap)

I’ve been humming pretty this much all day, every day since Babytime!

 

Closing /Standing/Circle Song: Shoo Fly (x2)

 

How it Went
Lots of moms and babies today, but also a handful of dads, a handful of grandmas, and even a grandpa. I realized that all this time, I’d go around, introduce myself, and make nametags for all the babies,  but never asked the caregivers their names. How rude! I rectified the situation today.   I also realized that I need to find something for everyone to do after Shoo Fly.  They were all just awkwardly standing around as I thanked them for coming, set out the shakers for free play, and told them the room was theirs for the next half hour. I haven’t figured that one out yet, but I’m sure I will.