Today was the first Infant Storytime of the spring session!  It was wonderful seeing all of those beautiful babies this morning.  We explored stories about bears, sang some great songs and did quite a bit of bouncing around.  Hope everyone had as much fun as I did!

Listed below you’ll find the books we read and the words to the rhymes, songs & activities we shared.  Also, for those of you who want to learn the words/lyrics/tunes to the various songs and bounces we sing during our storytime, I have included both words/lyrics and (when available) a video clip of the songs we sang without CD accompaniment.  That way you can practice with your wee one(s) at home!


Books We Shared

Mama’s Little Bears by Nancy Tafuri begins with a family of bears (a Mama bear and her three little bears) catching all kinds of fish until…the three little bears run off.  They encounter a family of birds, lizards, and moles and an owl family way up high in a tree.  The owl family frightens them and they run, “…down, down, down” the tree looking for their Mama.  Of course she isn’t far behind!  The perfect story to stir toddler emotions.

   

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? is a classic picture book by Bill Martin.  Because the story is rhyming and repetitive it makes for great audience participation.  I used  accompanying flannel pieces so the infants could easily see the colors of the different animals.

We also read Whose Tail? by Sam Lloyd – a fun guessing book that showed different animals and their tails and yes, a grizzly bear was involved!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?

I see a red bird looking at me…
Red bird, red bird, what do you see?
I see a yellow duck, looking at me.
Yellow duck, yellow duck, what do you see?
I see a purple horse looking at me.
Purple horse, purple horse what do you see?
I see a green frog looking at me.
Green frog, green frog what do you see?
I see a white dog looking at me.
White dog, white dog what do you see?
I see a black sheep looking at me.
Black sheep, black sheep what do you see?
I see a goldfish looking at me.
Goldfish, goldfish, what do you see?
I see a librarian looking at me.
Librarian, librarian what do you see?
I SEE CHILDREN LOOKING AT ME!


Flannel Boards We Shared

Bears

(sung to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)

Video:  Grizzly Bears Are Big and Brown

Grizzly bears are big and brown,

Big and brown, big and brown.

Grizzly bears are big and brown.

They live in the woods.

Polar bears are soft and white,

Soft and white, soft and white.

Polar bears are soft and white.

They live where it’s cold.

Teddy bears are just my size,

Just my size, just my size.

Teddy bears are just my size,

To cuddle with at night.


Nursery Rhyme We Shared

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Video:  Bear Went Over the Mountain

(sung to the tune of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”

   

The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
The bear went over the mountain
To see what he could see
To see what he could see
To see what he could see

But all that he could see (clap twice)
But all that he could see (clap twice)
Was the other side of the mountain
The other side of the mountain
The other side of the mountain
Was all that he could see.


Action Songs & Bounces We Shared

We share a lot of songs, bounces & rhymes during storytime!
You’ll find lyrics/words to those songs & rhymes we shared without CD accompaniment here.

Welcome 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!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Video:  Twinkle Twinkle

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle Twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are.

Dickery Dickery Dare (bounce)

Video:  Dickery Dickery Dare

Dickery dickery dare,
The pig flew up in the air –
Wooooo!
The man in brown,
Brought him back down,
Dickery dickery dare!

The Grand Old Duke of York (bounce)

Video:  The Grand Old Duke of York

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
When they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down.

Goodbye Friends (song in sign)

Click here for video:  Goodbye Babies (Friends) 

Goodbye babies, goodbye babies
Goodbye babies, it’s time to say goodbye.

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.  Click onto the CD titles to find these items in our library catalog.

“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman

“With My Little Hands” from  Active Baby by Tumble Tots

“I’m a Little Teapot” from Toddler Favorites by Music for Little People

“Two Little Blackbirds” from by Circle Time: songs and rhymes for the very young by Lisa Monet

“Itsy Bitsy Spider” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel


Continue the Fun

Here are some more books about bears to check out at your Pasadena Public Library Branch.