Music Storytimes - Week of September 28

This week our storytimes have been all about music.

The Toddler Storytime lineup included:

Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun

Introduce Rhythm Instruments and the Letter 'B' for Bell

Story - If You're Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera

Song - Walking, Walking from Songs for Wiggleworms

Story - Dance With Me by Charles R. Smith Jr.

Action Rhyme - Clap Your Hands

Song - Reach For the Ceiling from Toddlers on Parade

Puppet Story - Music In the Night

The Preschool Storytime lineup included:

Song- Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem

Story - Animal Band by Christopher S. Jennings

Action Rhyme - Clap Your Hands

Story - Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin

Song - This Old Man (sung by Miss Kim)

Flannel Story - Fiddle-I-Fee

Story- Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Nancy Hellen

The Family Storytime lineup included:

Song - Clap Your Hands from Wiggleworms Love You

Introduce Rhythm instruments and Letter 'B' for Bell

Story - If You're Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera

Flannel Story - Boom Boom Boom! Oom-pah-pah!

Song - Roll Your Hands from Toddlers On Parade by Carole Totsky Hammett

Story - Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Nancy Hellen

Song - Hop Like a Bunny from Toddlers on Parade by Carole Totsky Hammett

Puppet Story - Music in the Night from the book by Etta Wilson

Ready to Read Skill: Print Motivation (Loving Books)

Print Motivation means being interested in and enjoying books. There are many ways to encourage this skill with your child, but the best way is to make reading fun! Some ways to do this include helping your child choose books to read with you, trying funny voices for the characters in the books, having your child help you read by saying a repeating phrase, or choosing books that have a pop-up or lift-the-flap feature. Also, feel free to ask the librarians at the branch you visit for books about topics your child is interested in (for example: trains, frogs, princesses, etc.). Another way to foster a love of books is by reading some that involve movement or singing, like we did this week with If You're Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera.

Good Morning Storytimes- Week of September 21

This week we said "Good Morning!" at storytime.

The Toddler Storytime lineup included:

Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun

Story - Wake up, Me! by Marni McGee

Action Rhyme (with props) - Eggs on Your Nose (from the book by Ann McGovern)

Story - Bear's Busy Morning by Harriet Ziefert

Flannel Story - How Do I Put It On? (from the book by Shigeo Watanabe)

Song - Skinamarink from Sing Along with Bob #1 by Bob McGrath

Story - Hello Day! by Anita Lobel

The Preschool Storytime lineup included:

Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem

Story - Grizzly Dad by Joanna Harrison

Action Rhyme (with props) - Eggs on Your Nose (from the book by Ann McGovern)

Story - Cock-a-Doodle Quack Quack! by Ivor Baddiel

Song - Wake Up Toes from Morning Magic by Joanie Bartel

Flannel Story - How Do I Put It On? (from the book by Shiego Watanabe)

Story - Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are you Waking Up? by Bill Martin

Ready To Read Skill - Narritive Skills (Storytelling)

Narritive Skills means being able to describe things and events and tell stories. Working on this skill will help your child understand what they are reading as they get older and move to more advanced books, because they will be able to recognize that stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Ways to improve Narritive Skills include telling your child are doing throughout the day, listening to them and asking questions, and encouraging them to tell stories. Another way to practice Narritive Skills is to take a favorite book and tell it or act it out in a different way like we did this week with our Eggs on Your Nose and How Do You Put It On?

Monkey Fun! Storytimes for the Week of Sept. 13

This week at Storytime we are having Monkey Fun!

Our Toddler Storytime linup included:

Song - Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun

Introduction to the Letter M - M Is for Monkey!

Story - Just Mommy and Me by Tara Jaye Morrow

Flannel Story - Way Up High in the Banana Tree

Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms

Story - Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

Action Rhyme - Monkey See, Monkey Do

Song - Clap Your Hands from Wiggleworms Love You

Story - Mimi's Book off Opposites by Emma Chichester Clark

Our Preschool Storytime lineup included:

Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem

Draw and Tell Story - Banana Cream Pie from Draw-And-Tell by Richard Thompson

Introduction to the Letter M - M is for Monkey!

Story - Mo's Stinky Sweater by David Bedford

Song - Monkey Fun from Debbie's Ditties 3 by Debbie Clement

Action Rhyme - Monkey See, Monkey Do

Story - Monkey, Monkey, Monkey by Cathy MacLennan

Song - Milkshake from Songs for Wiggleworms

Ready to Read Skill: Phonological Awarness (Sounds)
Phonological Awareness means being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. Working on this skill will help your child sound out words when they start reading. Ways to improve phonological awareness include saying rhymes (like the ones below) and emphasizing the rhyming words. Doing motions with the rhymes also helps your child break the words into smaller parts. Singing songs is another great way to work on this skill while having fun!

Action Rhyme: Monkey See, Monkey Do
Monkey See,
Monkey Do,
Monkey can clap his hands!
Can you clap too?

(...stomp his feet
...jump
...spin around
...peek-a-boo
...dance
...make monkey sounds
...make up your own!)

Flannel Rhyme: Way Up High in the Banana Tree

Way up high in the banana tree,
Five Bananas smiled at Monkey.
He shook that tree as hard as he could,
And down fell a banana!
Mmmmm! It was good!

(repeat with 4,3,2, and 1 bananas until they are all gone)

The theme for Bilingual Storytime this week was Underwear (Calzones), and the lineup included:

Story - No! That's Wrong! by Zhohua Ji and Cui Xu

Story - Pants by Giles Andreae

Story - What Color Is Your Underwear by Sam Lloyd

Song - Hola from Dr. Jean en Español

Song - Tu-ti-ta from Dr. Jean en Español

Song - Adios from Dr. Jean en Español

WOW! Said the Owl!

We just got this brand new book at the Hilltop branch today, and I love it!!! Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood is the story of Little Owl who decides to stay up during the day to see what she is missing. What she discovers is that colors are everywhere! Kids will have fun saying "Wow!" along with Little Owl and pointing out the colors of the objects in her world.

...And speaking of fun books about colors, I have to mention another of my favorites :

In Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horácek, Lucy chases a colorful butterfly around the garden and finds many other insects along the way. Like Wow! Said the Owl, this book gives kids a chance to point out the colors, but it also has die cut holes that add some excitement. Best of all- there is a great popup at the end!


What color books do your children like the best?

Pets Storytimes- Week of 9/7/09

This week we have been learning about pets at storytime.

Our Toddler Storytime lineup included:

Song- Fingerpopping from Preschool Aerobic Fun

Story- Peek-a-Pet by Marie Torres Cimarusti

Flannel- Fish Bowl

Song- Jumping and Counting from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem

Story- Please Puppy Please by Spike Lee

Action Rhyme- Call the Dog

Song- Happy and You Know It from Songs for Wiggleworms

Story- Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward

Song- Walking Walking from Songs For Wiggleworms

Our Preschool Storytime Lineup included:

Song- Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem

Story- What Pet to Get by Emma Dodd

Action Rhyme- BINGO

Story- Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

Flannel- Fish Bowl

Song- Shake Your Sillies Out from The Singable Songs Collection by Raffi

Story- I Don't Like Gloria by Kaye Umansky

Our Family Storytime Lineup Included:

Song - Can't Wait to Celebrate from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem

Book - What Pet to Get by Emma Dodd

Flannel - Pet Toys

Song - Old MacDonald Had a Farm from Songs for Wiggleworms

Book - Bark, George! by Jules Feiffer

Draw & Tell - Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

Book - I Don't Like Gloria -Umansky

New Blog for a New Season of Storytimes!

With the new season of storytimes starting in just a few days, I am very excited to introduce the Hilltop Storytime blog! Each week, I will post my storytime themes and plans, including books, music, fingerplays, and more. I will also offer some further reading suggestions and ways to incorporate the six skills that will help get your child Ready to Read (which I will expand on in my next post). I look forward to seeing all of my little friends and their caregivers again this season for Storytime at the Hilltop Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library!

-Megan