Well! Since I last posted (quite a while ago, oops!), we’ve had a shift in staffing. The result? I’m givin’ up play and learn and taking on Toddler Time! I’m super excited, because I really do believe that Toddler Time is a key part of children’s services at almost all libraries. I also think it’s a good middle age to perfect, because then I’ll definitely be more comfortable scaling up or down in age as programming needs require.
We had a really smooth transition, since we knew we were losing the librarian who normally does TT (she got a promotion!). So I’ve been sitting in on toddler times for a while, and last week we did a co-toddler time, which was great. She was a great toddler-timer, though, so it’s a wee bit intimidating to fill her shoes! I decided that this week, my first solo toddler time EVER, I’d stick to a nice, easy theme. I inherited a lot of her songs and rhymes, and filled in some of my own.
Hello SongMy hands say hello with a clap clap clap My feet say hello with a tap tap tap My fingers say hello with a shake shake shake And my heart says hello with a kiss to take
Hickory Dickory Dock
Diddle Diddle Dumpling
Then we read Pick a Pup by Marsha Wilson Chall.
It’s certainly not the most earth shattering book, but it has pretty good rhythm and it’s really fun to read aloud. The illustrations are also nice and big, so they’re pretty easy to see (although I have a pretty small group, anyway).
Then we did a nice little variation of Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear that I found at Librarian Lisa’s Storytimes. I shortened it and changed some of the words. Here’s the action rhyme we did:
Puppy dog, puppy dog, Turn around. Puppy dog, puppy dog, Sit on the ground. Puppy dog, puppy dog, Bark and wail! Puppy dog, puppy dog, Chase your tail! Puppy dog, puppy dog, Don’t make a peep! Puppy dog, puppy dog, Go to sleep!
This was a great rhyme to do between books because at the end they’re not making a peep and sitting back down (well, in theory at least).
Next I broke out Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd. This book is awesome! Lots of counting and colors, and my toddlers paid attention to the whole thing! Which is good, because it would be pretty difficult to skip any pages, what with all the counting and all. Next time I use this book, I definitely want to put together a flannel for it.
As good as Dog’s Colorful Day is, I can’t ask those wigglers to be still for too long! So we did one verse of Do Your Ears Hang Low with some finger plays. I remember singing Do Your Ears Hang Low incessantly as a child.
Do Your Ears Hang Low Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie ’em in a knot? Can you tie ’em in a bow? Can you throw them over your shoulders, Like a continental shoulder? Do your ears. hang. low?
Then we did a favorite from a librarian whose storytimes I used to help with during an internship in library school.
Dance Your Fingers Dance your fingers up Dance your fingers down Dance your fingers to the side Dance them all around Dance them on your belly Dance them on your head Dance them on your shoulders Then put them all to bed.
Again, this rhyme has a built in “and now you’re sitting down!’ quality that I really like. We finished up storytime with Dogs, by Emily Gravett.
I love the simplicity of this title, and it gives so many opportunities to talk about what’s going on in the text. It’s also short enough so that we could get through and it and to the playing quickly!
We finished up storytime with the songs I inherited. They’re pretty great!
Shaker Songs
We’re going to Kentucky; We’re going to the fair To see the pretty ladies, With flowers in their hair Oh, shake it shake it shake it Shake if you can Shake it like a milkshake And put it on the ground Shake it on the bottom Shake it on the top Shake it round and round and round Until it’s time to stop. Shake your shakers high Shake your shakers low Shake your shakers fast fast fast And then you shake them slooooow Shake them to the left Shake them to the right Shake them in a circle Until they’re out of sight.
Rum Pum
A rum pum pum. (pat knees) A rum pum pum. (pat knees) Gooly, gooly, gooly, gooly. (roll hands) Rum pum pum. (pat knees) A rum pum pum. (pat knees) A rum pum pum. (pat knees) Gooly, gooly, gooly, gooly, (roll hands) Rum pum pum. (pat knees) Ah-roovy, (hands in air) Ah-roovy. (hands in air) Gooly, gooly, gooly, gooly, (roll hands) Rum pum pum! (pat knees)
Goodbye
Goodbye Goodbye we’ll see you soon See you soon See you soon Goodbye Goodbye we’ll see you soon On another day
And then we played! We have a bag of trucks and books and cool discovery tubes, and we put on music and hang out! It was a great first story time, and I’m sure I’ll be over the flop sweats soon. For real!
hushlander 