Our summer session of Infant Storytime is underway. Each week you’ll find a blog post that covers the books, rhymes, songs, tickle, bounces, flannel stories, fingerplays and puppets we shared. I also throw in some information about the benefits of reading, singing and talking to your baby!
For our sixth storytime of the session we celebrated Mouse’s birthday! We even baked a birthday cake!
Below you’ll find a record of everything we shared!
Fun FACT: The nursery rhyme, Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, was first published in 1698 but the author remains unknown. Just think, 321 years later and we recited it during storytime today!
BOOKS WE SHARED
In The Fairytale Cake written by Jonathan Langley and illustrated by Mark Sperring we see a group of beloved nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters baking and delivering a very special cake for a little boy’s birthday! This picture book is wonderful for so many reasons, not the least of which is the wonderful 3-layer cake! At the end of the story, children get to join the little boy in closing their eyes and making a wish before he blows out the candles.
Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein is a sweet tale about a little gorilla who is loved by everyone in the forest. Yet, he fears that he won’t be as loveable as he grows into a HUGE gorilla. However, on his next birthday he is proven wrong as all the forest animals come to his birthday party to show him how loved and special he is (regardless of his size).
New Nursery Rhyme We Shared
Action Songs, Flannels, Rhymes & Bounces We Shared
We share a lot of songs, bounces & rhymes during storytime! You’ll find lyrics/words to most of the bounces, songs & rhymes we shared.
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!
Clap Everybody and Say Hello! (see “CDs section” below to find this song in our CD collection)
Clap everybody and say hello, clap everybody and say hello, clap everybody and say hello, no matter what the weather
Stamp everybody…
Wiggle everybody…
Jump everybody…
Dance everybody…
Sing everybody…
Songs, Bounces & Tickle
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.
Nursery Rhyme We Shared
Pat-a-Cake (See video clip above)
(Clap your hands to the rhythm of the rhyme.)
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Prick it and pat it and mark it with a “b”
And put it in the oven for Baby and me!
Flannel We Shared
Mouse’s Birthday Gifts
It was Mouse’s birthday and he received three gift boxes! He hoped that at least one of the boxes contained his favorite treat – cheese!
He opened the first box and it was a PARTY HAT!
He opened the second box and it was a RED BALLOON!
Finally, he opened the third box and inside was a HUNK OF CHEESE!
Mouse was so happy!
Acka Backa Soda Cracker (see video clip above)
Acka backa soda cracker, acka backa boo!
Acka backa soda cracker, up goes you!
Acka backa soda cracker, acka backa boo!
Acka backa soda cracker, I love you!
Dickery Dickery Dare (bounce or nursery rhyme)
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.
Peas Porridge Hot! (nursery rhyme)
Video: Peas Porridge Hot
Peas porridge hot
Peas porridge cold
Peas porridge in the pot, nine days old!
Some like it hot
Some like it cold
Some like it in the pot, nine days old!
With My Little Hands
With my little hands I go clap, clap, clap, (clap baby’s hands)
With my little feet I go tap, tap, tap. (tap baby’s feet)
With my little arms I wave bye, bye, bye, (gently lift baby’s arm to wave bye)
With my little legs I kick high, high, high! (help lift baby’s legs)
With my little eyes I say peekaboo, (cover baby’s eyes and play peekaboo)
With my little lips I say I love you! (look at baby and say I love you)
REPEAT but change the last line to…”sing I love you! (sing I love you to baby)
Round the Garden
Round and round the garden, goes the Teddy Bear, a one-step, a two-step, a tickle under there.
NEW Tickle:
Color, color up and down
Color, color all around
Color, color knees and toes
Color, color on your nose
Color, color on your tummy
Color, color with your mommy (daddy, nanny, Auntie, etc.)
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
“Ladies Ride” from More Tickles & Tunes by Kathy Reid-Naiman
“Smooth Road” from Baby’s Boat by Kathy Reid-Naiman
“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
If you’d like to read more books about birthdays, check these out from your local Pasadena Public Library!
