We shared stories and activities about gardens during Infant Storytime. Take a look at the books, flannel boards, songs, rhymes & bounces we shared.
Fun Fact: Here is an interesting blog post from Growing Minds about creating a Sensory Garden for your toddler. It doesn’t have to incorporate everything listed, but you could try a few things that work for you. Happy reading!
Early Introductions to Sensory Gardens: Infants and Toddlers
Books We Shared
In Bob Barner’s I Have a Garden, we meet a rather selfish dog. There are a green frog, a buzzing bee, a slimy snail, a blue bird, a green grasshopper, a brown badger, a beautiful purple butterfly and gorgeous flowers in “his” garden. When all of the creatures who inhabit “his” garden want to share in its beauty he says NO! This is MY garden! The green frog mediates and reminds him that the garden is there for all to share. I used flannel pieces to accompany the story and make it come alive.
Lenny in the Garden by Ken Wilson-Max is a rhyming tale about all of the creatures Lenny finds in the garden. He sings a little song to greet each of them by name! For example:
Mr. Ant, Mr. Ant
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am, how do you do?”
By the end of the book he’s encountered an ant, a spider, a worm, a butterfly a caterpillar, a ladybug, a snail, a grasshopper and a bee! Finally his mother comes out to tell him its time for lunch and she sings:
Lenny Lou,
Lenny Lou,
Where are you?
Nursery Flannel
Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider, who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away!
Songs, 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.
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.
Smooth Road to London Town (bounce)
Video: Smooth Road to London Town
Smooth Road to London Town
presented by AnnMarie
A smooth road to London town (bounce child gently on lap)
A smooth road to London town
The road goes up (lift child up in the air)
And the road goes down (bring child back down to lap)
A smooth road to London town (bounce child gently on lap)
But… by and by we come to a dell (bounce child a little faster and bumpier)
and there the roads are not so swell
A bumpy road, a bumpy road
A bumpy road to London town.
A smooth road to London town (bounce child gently on lap)
A smooth road to London town
The road goes up (lift child up in the air)
And the road goes down (bring child back down to lap)
A smooth road to London town (bounce child gently on lap)
But… by and by we come to a wood (bounce child a little faster and bumpier)
and there the roads are not so good
A rough road, a rough road
A rough road to London town.
Peas Porridge Hot! (bounce)
Video: Peas Porridge Hot
Peas porridge hot (bounce baby on lap)
Peas porridge cold (bounce baby on lap)
Peas porridge in the pot, nine days old!
Some like it hot (move baby to left)
Some like it cold (move baby to right)
Some like it in the pot, nine days old! (bring baby down below knees)
Two Little Eyes (fingerplay rhyme)
Two little eyes to look around (point to eyes)
Two little ears to hear a sound (point to ears)
One little nose to smell what’s sweet (point to nose)
One little mouth that likes to eat! (point to mouth)
Dickery Dare (bounce)
Video: Dickery Dare
Dickery, dickery dare,
The pig flew up in the air…WOOOO! (lift baby up)
The man in brown
Soon brought him down! (put baby back on lap)
Dickery, dickery, dare.
With My Little Hands (song activity)
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 once
Tickles:
Round the Garden (circle baby’s belly button)
Round and round the garden, goes the Teddy Bear, a one-step, a two-step, a tickle under there.
Baby’s Fingers (point to baby’s body parts and circle baby’s belly button)
These are baby’s fingers, these are baby’s toes, this is baby’s tummy button, round and round it goes!
Goodbye Babies (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” fm 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
“Sing” from Shining Like a Star by Laura Doherty
“Time to Say Goodbye” from Shining Like a Star by Laura Doherty
Continue the Fun
If you’d like to read more books about gardens, check these out from your local Pasadena Public Library!