Our second storytime of the summer session was all about the concept of OPPOSITES ~ fast & slow, yes & no, black & white, day & night and so on!
Exposing your toddler to concepts through books, songs and rhymes contributes to brain development. Just think of the neural connections your child’s brain is making during our 30 minutes together!
The US Department of Education has a great webpage which outlines the benefits of reading aloud to your child, along with suggestions on how to maximize the fun and learning when you share this activity together. If you want to access that information, click here: USDeptEducation
For now, here are the books, songs, rhymes, flannel stories and video we shared for our storytime on Opposites!
Books We Shared
In Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox we find the blue sheep, the red sheep, the UP sheep, the DOWN sheep, the NEAR sheep and the FAR SHEEP… but we can’t seem to find the GREEN sheep! Well, not until the very last page at least! Opposites are woven into the tapestry of this picture book which also teaches children colors, moves through different locales (beach, circus…) and builds suspense on the way to unraveling the mystery of the GREEN sheep.
Lucy Cousin’s book, Maisy Big, Maisy Small, takes us on a journey of opposites. There is Maisy hot and Maisy cold, Maisy slow and Maisy fast, Maisy thin and Maisy thick… (you get the picture). Simple language and bright, bold colors make this concept book a perfect lap sit or read aloud for infants.
Flannel Boards We Shared
Little Ball, Big Ball
Add the whie ball and say:
Rhymes & Songs & Fingerplays We Shared
We sing a lot of songs during storytime! You’ll find lyrics to those songs without music here.
Welcome Song (song)
(to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now we’re here, let’s have some fun!
First we clap our hands just so
Then we bend and touch our toes
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now we’re here, let’s have some fun!
Open Shut Them (fingerplay)
Click her for video: Open Shut Them
Open shut them, open shut them (open hands wide, close them tight)
Give a little clap, clap, clap (clap 3x)
Open shut them, open shut them (open hands wide, close them tight)
Place them on your lap, lap, lap (bounce hands on lap)
Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them (crawl fingers up to chin)
Right up to your chinny, chin chin (tap chin with fingers)
Open up your little mouth BUT (open mouth)
Do not let them in! (quickly place hands behind your back)
This is Big, Big, Big
This is big big big
Hold arms out to side
This is small small small
Cup hands together
This is short short short
Hold hands with palms facing each other
This is tall tall tall
Reach one hand above head
This is fast fast fast
Circle fists quickly
This is slow slow slow
Circle fists slowly
This is yes yes yes
Nod
This is no no no
Shake head
Credit: Mel’s Desk
You are My Sunshine (song)
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
And I love you more every day…
Music from CDs We Shared
Children love to sing and dance to music. Here are some of the songs/bounces on CD that we used in storytime.
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman
Clap everybody and say hello, (clap hands)
Clap everybody and say hello,
Clap everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Stamp everybody and say hello, (stomp feet)
Stamp everybody and say hello,
Stamp everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Wiggle everybody and say hello, (wiggle baby)
Wiggle everybody and say hello,
Wiggle everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Jump everybody and say hello, (lift baby up high)
Jump everybody and say hello,
Jump everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Sing everybody and say hello, (wave hi)
Sing everybody and say hello,
Sing everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
“Wheels on the Bus” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round ALL THROUGH THE TOWN!
The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish, swish swish swish, swish, swish, swish,
The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish ALL THROUGH THE TOWN!
Repeat with:
The horn on bus goes beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep beep…
The driver on the bus says move on back, move on back, move on back…
The babies on the bus go wah wah wah, wah wah wah, wah wah wah…
The fox on the bus says I won’t go, I won’t go, I won’t go…
The mamas and the daddies say shhh shhh shhh…
The mamas and the daddies say I love you, I love you, I love you…
The people on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down…
The wheels on bus go round and round, round and round, round and round…
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammet & Elaine Bueffel
Click here for video: Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
“Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammet & Elaine Bueffel
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Clap, clap, clap your hands as loud as loud can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Tap, tap, tap your feet as softly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Shake, shake, shake your feet as quickly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
“Goodbye Babies” (in sign)
Click here for video: Goodbye Babies
Goodbye babies, goodbye babies
Goodbye babies, it’s time to say goodbye.
Video We Watched
“Wheels on the Bus”
Extend the Fun at Home