Baby & Toddler Storytimes

Play: I had two bottles of paint, red and yellow.  What color should I paint the sun? Of course there was a smart aleck in the audience -- she knows who she is -- who said, "Is it sunset?" and "You can paint it any color!"  But I just wanted to perform my magic trick of painting a yellow sun on a big sheet of paper. Prop: "Should I put on my brown monkey hat? Or my yellow duck hat? Books: Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg. There were a lot of oohs and ahhs as I read this wonderful, wonderful book. Its message, reminding us to enjoy and make the most of the lucky serendipity of the moment, is one that all us parents need to hear again and again. Prop:  Which is yellow?  Is this orange yellow? Is this lemon yellow? Book:   Hands are Not for Hitting by Martine Agassi.  This yellow book is fun for storyhour. I read it: "Hands are not for hitting!" and then slapped myself lightly on the cheek with a shocked expression. Following along in the book,

Book/Song: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.  The babies were a tiny bit young for this, but when my two-year-old fell while jumping on HIS bed last Tuesday, I just had to sing a verse or so to calm him down. A cornerstone in any child's repertoire. Book: Maisy's Bedtime by Lucy Cousins. I've heard people complain that Maisy books are a bit dull, but I think she is very zen.  Book: Good Night, Pillow Fight by Sally Cook. I love this book -- there's a lot yelling involved, counting, and silliness in general, plus it's really really short which makes it perfect for babies.   Next year, remember to bring a squishy little pillow. Book: Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman. Animals in the jungle (and savannah) go to sleep. Very sweet plus, of course, you can make the animal noises.  Song: Five Bears in a Bed -- we only did four. They like this even more than they did last month.  This is a real keeper. I esp. love the addition of that "whoopsie!&q

Author recommendation: Bob Shea 's Dinosaur books. He's someone any young dinosaur can identify with! Book: Dinosaur vs. The Library by Bob Shea. Next time, I'll do a better job of reading this fun book, so ideal for babies. Dinosaur corrupts an innocent cow, chick, turtle and owl into loud roaring instead of making their proper sounds -- until he comes up against storyhour.  Next year, use puppets to get the concept across. Book: My Crayons Talk by Patricia Hubbard. I won't say that a universal shudder went through the audience of moms when I mentioned the word "crayons" in front of their babies, but a quick consensus -- "No, mine hasn't had crayons yet," went through the audience.  The toddlers were fascinated though, as I drew colored shapes on a white paper. Next year, print out the text & stick it on your board  instead of flipping back and forth to the book. Book:   Where is Baby's Christmas Present by Karen Katz -- maybe a good

A couple months ago I was babysitting my 18 month old grandson Quinn for a few hours. (Don't let that big innocent stare fool you.) During that time, he must have fallen on his little diapered butt over a hundred times -- on purpose.  He put a sofa cushion on the floor and then methodically practiced falling on top of it over and over and over, chuckling to himself each time. By the end of the evening, he had mastered falling down, a vital baby skill.  According to Montessori, a child has a "limitless motivation to achieve competence over his or her environment" and Quinn had just demonstrated that motivation.  Today at storyhour (in the middle of riding the Wheels on the Bus, Motor Boat, and Mama's Little Baby Loves Bouncing) I talked about the Montessori method. Here are some of the very simple, practical exercises I demonstrated: I was careful to show Kiley & Elsie how to pinch the end of the clothespin together to make it open. Pouring.  Equipment, two cups