Z718.3 → January's Baby Storytime

After a month away from programming due to holiday scheduling, I was back doing baby storytime this month. In fact, I'll be doing baby storytime for the months of February and March, too! After three weeks of doing the program in November, which I got increasingly used to as I went along, I went into this month of organization not nearly as stressed as before. 

As a quick explanation of my library's programming: each session is three weeks, and we always sing the same songs and rhymes for that time period. The books and music played for dancing/shakers/bubbles changes up each week, but repetition is so great for this age we like to keep things simple and memorable. My themes for January were: bath time (week 1), monkeys (week 2), and winter (week 3). Though the songs and rhymes stay the same each week, I try to pick ones that will apply to a particular week. So though we'd be singing 'Rub-a-Dub-Dub' each week, it really only fits well with Week 1. And while singing Pop Goes the Weasel, which features a monkey, every week - it really only fits with Week 2. You get the idea. 

So, How'd it Go?
Overall, it was another successful month, I think! Right away there was a whole new group of participants, so I felt like I was really presenting something completely fresh and new to them. On top of it all, I felt that I got a good mix of participants -- an equal number of boys and girls, and a fairly wide range of ages considering the 0-24 months requisite. The monkey theme was quite well received, and caregivers were much more participatory by the second week. One of the books I chose for the final week was a little too long, in retrospect, but it was simple and repetitive enough that overall it was okay. Otherwise, the babies loved playing with the shakers and popping bubbles, as usual!

After the jump is my full outline of this month's storytime sessions. Lots of fun ahead!

Opening Song: The more we get together

Book 1:

WK1 -- Big red tub / Julia Jarman; WK2 -- Five silly monkeys / Steve Haskamp; 

WK3 -- Max and Ruby's snowy day / Rosemary Wells

Action Rhymes
Early in the Morning
This is the way we wash our hands [rub baby's hands together]
Wash our hands, wash our hands.
This is the way we wash our hands,
So early in the morning.
          ... Wash our face.
          ... Brush our hair.
          ... Shine our shoes.

Pancakes
Mix a pancake, [roll hands]
Stir a pancake, [stir]
Pop it in the pan [bounce baby]
Fry the pancake. [rock side to side]
Toss the pancake [lift baby high]
Catch it if you can!

Bouncing Rhymes
To Market, to Market
To market, to market to buy a fat pig.
Home again, home again,
Jiggety-jig!
To market, to market to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again,
Jiggety-jog!
To market, to market to buy a plum bun.
Home again, home again,
Market is done!

Pop Goes the Weasel
All around the mulberry bush,
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey thought it was all in good fun,
POP goes the weasel!

Old Grey Mare [to the tune of 'Row, row, row your boat']
Clip, clip, clippety clop,
Clippety, clippety clop.
The old grey mare goes up and down,
Until it's time to stop!

BOOK 2:

WK1 -- Bathing / Liesbet Slegers; WK2 -- Kiki's blankie / Janie Bynum

WK3 -- Mouse's first snow / Lauren Thompson

MUSIC 1, SHAKERS -- This is where I pass out some maracas to the babies and/or caregiver and play some music so they can move around and get those arm muscles moving/developing. It can get a little loud, and I like to pick some shorter songs because it can get a little too much at times.

WK1 -- Rubber duckie / Sesame Street. Vol. 1: Old School.
WK2 -- Animal crackers in my soup / Animal Crackers [Kids Direct]
WK3 -- My Turkey ran away / Kathy Reid-Naiman. Sing the Cold Winter Away.

Swinging Rhymes
Swing Me Over
Swing me over the water,
Swing me over the sea.
Swing me over the garden gate,
And swing me home for tea!

Clapping Songs
Open Them, Shut Them
Open them, shut them,
Open them, shut them.
Give a little clap, clap, clap.
Open them, shut them,
Open them, shut them,
Put them in your lap, lap, lap.
Creep them, crawl them,
Creep them, crawl them,
Right up to your chin.
Open up your little mouth,
But do not let them in!

Five Green Peas
Five green peas in a pea pod pressed [hold two tight fists]
One grew, [open one fist slowly]
Two grew,
And so did all the rest.
They grey and they grew [open arms wide slowly]
And they did not stop.
Till one day that peapod just had to go,
POP! [clap hands]

Pat-a-Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,
Baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can,
Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a 'B,'
And put it in the oven for baby and me!

MUSIC 2, BUBBLES - This is where I play some music and blow bubbles while the children dance and try to pop them. It's honestly so much fun to watch their absolute concentration and amazement when interacting with the bubbles.

WK1 -- Everybody wash / Sesame Street. Vol. 1: Old School.
WK2 -- The animal fair / Animal Crackers [Kids Direct]
WK3 -- Snowflakes / Kathy Reid Naiman. Sing the Cold Winter Away.

Tickles

Where are your Toes?
What a surprise, here are your eyes!
And this, I suppose, is a nose.
And right under here, I've discovered an ear!
But where, oh where, are your toes?

Rub-a-Dub-Dub
Rub-a-dub-dub, [rub head]
Three men in a tub!
And who do you think they be?
The butcher [tickle left arm]
The baker [tickle right arm]
The candlestick maker [tickle tummy]
And out they jumped all three!

Closing Song: Twinkle, twinkle little star