Baby & Toddler Storytimes

  Books: Round Balls, Round Balls (Round)  Fairly goofy big: try just pitching the creatues up in the air, the ball, the bunny, the bear, the kitty, and the elephant.  That should amuse the babies! Where's My Teddy by Jez Alborough.  An all time favorite.  Don't forget to bring the bears, and then sing "This is Little". Not a Box by Antoinette Portis. Babies might not get the gist of this exercise in imagination, but they will certainly get the concept of having a good time with a box. Songs: By all means collect all the noisemaking baby toys and pass them out for a grand finale:  Rattle up high, rattle down low,  rattle fast, and rattle slow.  Rattle all around -- don't stop! -- don't quit!  Rattle till you're tired and ready to quit. Game: Have them count while you throw the beanbags into the box.  Get the parents to join in.

  Puppet: Our turtle puppet made his bow, since he lives in a house -- his shell. As usual, I circled the audience and said the Vachel Lindsay poem: There was a little turtle, he lived in a box. He swam in the paddles, he climbed on the rocks. He snapped at the mosquitoes, he snapped at the fleas, He snapped at the minnows, he snapped at me! He caught the mosquitoes, he caught those fleas, He caught those minnows, but he didn't catch me! The kids love being snapped at and gobbled  while I circle the room. Books: Guess What I Am  by Anni Axworthy.  I had the matching puppets in a big bag, and the kids (a bit older today) liked watching me take them out.  I swapped out the animals in the book for puppets I actually had.   The Napping House  by Audrey Wood. I do this with a xylophone, hitting a note for each new character element. Bling Blang  by Woody Guthrie. This book has nice hammering and sawing actions to go along with the bright rhymes. Songs: We sang all our favorites. If I s

What will I do without my babies for a week?