Song for Introduction

Storytime Announcement (tune: Yankee Doodle)
Please turn down your cell phones now,
So they will not distract us.
Please join along and sing the songs,
It always helps to practice.
Storytime can help us read.
Storytime is what we need.
Storytime is lots of fun!
Storytime’s for everyone.

EarlyLiteracy Aside--Explain: When you participate in storytime with your children you send them the message that what we do in storytime is important. You let them know that reading is important and enjoyable, worth doing. They love to do things with you. By being present you help to support their print motivation, their enjoyment of books and reading. This will later help them stick with learning to read even if it is difficult for them.
Submitted by Mary Binda, Augusta County (VA) Public Library

Catch That Goat by Polly Alakija

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Today we're going to highlight narrative skills. This is the ability to describe things and to talk about events and tell stories. Researchers have noted this skill as one of the early literacy skills that will help your child be ready to read. It helps children understand what they will read.Read Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg Flannel Board of Three Billy Goats Gruff Early Literacy Aside--Example: In Catch That Goat we're going to say part of the story together. Acting out or repeating parts of stories helps children internalize and understand what is happening in the story. This will help them tell the story back to you, especially with their favorite stories which they like to hear over and over again. OK, now, let's all say together, "Have you seen my goat?"  and "No!"  Great! Read Catch That Goat Song: "Spaghetti Legs" on Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes Rhyme: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive Read Oh, Look by Patricia Polacco Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Today we read some of my favorite stories. Practice telling and retelling stories. If you let your child watch television, talk about the shows you watch together. Have them tell you what happened in the show. This will help them talk aout what is happening in books also. Talking about what they know and retelling events and stories helps them understand what is being read.

Submitted by Vera Beers, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Teddy Bear puppet talking to introduce the skill: Today we are going to develop your children's story knowledge and thinking skills. These skills help them to understand what they read when they learn to read. [Then hide the bear in a black piece of paper like a cave.]Read We're Going on a Bear Hunt, putting motions to the words. Activity: Give children colored stips of paper to represent each of the scenes in the book. Connect each color strip with each scene; for example: blue for river, green for grass, brown for mud. Now, retell the story using first, second, third, etc.--first we went to the river and as they say the phrase they place the blue colored strip down, and so on. For the last action where they go home, have a piece of material to represent a blanket. Early Literacy Aside--Example:  With this activity what your child knows, by helping them in a couple of  ways--retelling the story so they understand how stories work and also with sequencing and connecting colors with actions which develops their thinking skills. 

Submitted by Irania Patterson, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC) and Saroj Ghoting

Train Song by Harriet Ziefert

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Researchers have found that one of ways you can support later reading is by helping children hear the smaller sounds in words. This skill is called phonological awareness. Today I'll point out some thing you can do to help your childrne develop this skill.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Rhyming is one way that children learn to hear that words are made up of smaller parts. By doing rhymes with your children you are setting the stage for them to sound out words to read. Read Train Song Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Find a book at home which has rhyming words and see if your child can identify words that rhyme. If you don't have a rhyming book, just read a book and then pick a word and think of rhyming words together.

Submitted by Rita Doran, Dayton Metro (OH) Public Library

Flora's Surprise by Debi Gliori

Early Literacy Aside--Example: This is a favorite book of mine. It shows children enjoying planting seeds and also how children think, in interesting ways. Let your child know when you are reading a favorite book of yours. This helps develop print motivation.Read Flora's Surprise

Submitted by Marie Kupchinski, Buchanan Branch Library, Saskatchewan (Canada) Public Library

Who Wants a Valentine by Linda Lowery

Early Literacy Aside--Explain:  Researchers have found that children with a large vocabulary, who have heard a lot of different words, find it easier to learn to read when the time comes.Read Who Wants a Valentine? Early Literacy Aside--Example: Don't replace unfamiliar words, use them and explain them if necessary. For example: "Tea for two?/ I decline./ I don't want a valentine." I didn't change the word decline, I explained it: decline means to say no.

Submitted by Megan Brandmaier, Cincinnati (OH) Public Library

Old Macdonald Had a Farm Flannel Board

Pass out flannel board pieces of fam animals. Play or sing "Old Macdonald Had a Farm" .   When a child hears the animal he/she is holding, that child comes up to place the animal piece on the flannel board.Early Literacy Aside--Example:  Having your children hear and make the sounds of the animals is one enjoyable way to help them develop phonological awareness, to eventually be able to hear the smaller sounds in words. Take-Home Activity: Hand out shapes of animals for families to take home. Early Literacy Aside--Empower:  Parents, you can use these animal shapes to make animal sounds with your children and home and sing the song with them to practice the skill of phonological awareness.

Submitted by Helen Patzer, Dayton (OH) Metro Library, Northtown-Shiloh Branch.

Fiddle I Fee Song

Sing the song Fiddle I Fee[If you like you can do it as a "clothesline song". Put string or a rope across the room. As each animal is added, hang it on the clothesline (from left ot right as the children see it). This helps them remember the sequence.

Bought me a cat and the cat pleased me, I fed my cat under yonder tree. Cat goes fiddle-i-fee. Bought me a duck and the duck pleased me, I fed my duck under yonder tree. Duck goes quack, quack, Cat goes fiddle-i-fee. Keep adding verses one-by-one: Bought me a dog and the dog pleased me, I fed my dog under yonder tree. Dog goes bow-wow, bow-wow, Horse goes neigh, neigh, Cow goes moo, moo, Pig goes oink, oink, Sheep goes baa, baa, Goose goes hissy, hissy, Duck goes quack, quack, Cat goes fiddle-i-fee. Early Literacy Aside--Example: This song includes some silly animal sounds which is the beginning of making the child aware of the sounds within words.

Submitted by Carol Miller, Dayton (OH) Metro Library System

Tickle Teddy by David Ellwand

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Rhyming is one way that children learn to hear that words are made up of smaller parts.  By doing rhymes with them you are supporting phonological awareness.  This skill helps them when they later try to sound out words to read. And it's fun too.Read the book. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Even though young children do not understand the meanings of the rhymes, it is important for them to hear them.  By six months babies are already able to recognize the sounds of the languages they hear.  They also are losing those sounds they don't hear even though they were born able to learn to make them. Submitted by Sandy Smith, Muskingum County (OH) Library System

Five Candles

Five CandlesFive candles on a birthday cake Five, and not one more. You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion] And that leaves four! Four candles on a birthday cake There for all to see. You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion] And that makes three! Three candles on a birthday cake Standing straight and true. You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion] And that leaves two! Two candles on a birthday cake Helping us have fun. You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion] And that leaves one! One candle on a birthday cake We know its task is done. You may blow this candle out, [make blowing sound and motion] And that leaves none! Early Literacy Aside--Example: Rhyming words are an important step in early literacy. They will help your children distinguish words in the same family with the same vowel and ending sounds. This will help your children when they learn to sound out words to read.

 

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Our next book is Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney.Early Literacy Aside--Example: This is my favorite book from my son's early years. We would read this one every night and we both knew the book word for word. Having a positive interaction with books and reading is an example of print motivation, helping children to associate reading with enjoyment. Submitted by Karri Marshall, Lane (OH) Public Libraries

Five Little Kittens Rhyme

Say the rhyme together. Act out the lyrics.Five Little Kittens Five little kittens sleeping on a chair One rolled off, leaving four there. Four little kittens, one climbed a tree To look in a birds nest; then there were three. Three little kittens wondered what to do. One saw a mouse, and then there were two. Two little kittens playing near a wall. One little kitten chased a red ball. One little kitten with fur soft as silk, Left all alone to drink a dish of milk.

Early Literacy Aside--Example: We are acting out the lyrics. After we do it a few times, I will see if the children can help me recall the actions and say the rhyme themselves. This is a form of narrative skills, saying the rhyme in order and using the actions to help them recall it, a first step in later understanding what they read.

Submitted by Anna Hancock, Cincinnati (OH) Public Library

Penguins by Liz Pichon

[New words in this book: activities, camera lens, grinning, waddle, amazing, developed]Listen to the interesting words in this book as I read it. Read the book. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Hearing new words in books helps your child learn lots of words and the more vocabulary they learn the more they will understand what they will read.

Submitted by Lou Ann Studer, Lebanon (OH) Public Library

Print Motivation

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Our Early Literacy Tip of the Day is on print motivation or showing children how to love books. You know that kids love to read the same book over and over. This is how children learn, so go ahead and read Dora the Explorer or their favorite book one more time. Your kids will love you for it.Early Literacy Aside--Empower: As you leave, please pick up a book from the table and read it with your child. If for some reason your child is not interested, don't force it on her. Find something she is interested in or wait until your child is ready to listen. It's OK to not finish a book! Don't make it a chore that needs to be done.

Submitted by Kim Connett, Marion (OH) Public Library

Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Our early literacy tip today is on print motivation, ways to develop your children's interest and enjoyment of books and reading. Children who enjoy being read to are more likely to stick with learning to read even if it is hard for them. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Bear Feels Scared is one of my favorite books. It is part of the "Bear" series by Karma Wilson. A couple of weeks ago, we shared Bear Snores On which is by this same author. I also like the illustrations by Jane Chapman. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Reading your favorite books makes your home storytimes so much more enjoyable for both you and your kids. You are helping to develop their print motivation.

Submitted by Kim Connett, Marion (OH) Pubic Library

Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: We are going to have fun playing with sounds today, reading stories with sound words. Playing with sounds helps develop phonological awareness which will help your child learn to hear the smaller sounds in words.Read book emphasizing sound words like crunch and munch. Then I go back to some pages and have the children say the words with me, again emphasizing different sounds. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Hearing and learning sound words like splish-splash is an enjoyable way of learning phonlogical awareness and will help your children later hear smaller sounds in words. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: At home, play with sound words, like splish-splash in the bath, crunch-munch at snack, and exaggerate how you are saying words to practice hearing their parts.

Submitted by Carrie Burrier, Akron-Summit County (OH) Public Library

Amazing Adventures of Bathman by Andrew Pelletier

Book Introduction: Start with book upside down. Children will say to "turn it the right way". If not, look at the upside-down book and say, "Oh I can't read it like this, I have to turn it right side up. Read title and point out author/illustrator, running finger under the words. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Some of the words in this book are written in large type. I'll be pointing to these words as I read the book. This helps your child notice the print and develop print awareness.

Submitted by Jolene Roush, Muskingum County (OH) Public Library, Dresden Branch

Bop 'Til You Drop Song by Mr. Al

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Research shows that there are early literacy skills that influence a child's ability to learn to read. Today, you will probably notice several places where I demonstrate examples of narrative skills, which is the ability to describe things and events and to tell stories. When you develop this skill, it will help your children understand what they reads later.Song: Bop 'Til You Drop Go through the sequence of motions that are in the song, Bop 'Til You Drop Early Literacy Aside--Example: Singing songs that have a certain order is one great way for children to remember the sequence or order of things. They will use the same skill when they retell a story. They learn how stories work. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: One thing that you can do at home to develop narrative skills is to describe regular activities such as taking a bath--"first we'll get out the towel, then we'll put the water in the tub and add the bubbles/toys, then we'll take off your clothes, and get in the water. We can scrub our toes, our ears . . . " With older kids, let THEM describe the sequence of events with prompts like, "What do we have to do before we put the bubbles in? or "What do we do next?"

Ten Little Campers Fingerplay

Fingerplay: Ten Little CampersTen little campers putting up their tent. (Put finger tips of fingers together forming tent roof) Ten little campers close the vents. (Intertwine fingers together to signify closure) Ten little campers make a ring. (Form circle putting tips of fingers together and thumbs together) Ten little campers start to sing. (Cup hands to mouth) Ten little campers around the fire. (Form circle putting tips of fingers together again) Ten little campers dance till they tire. (Put all ten fingers up in the air and dance them around) Ten little campers say good-night. (Wave good-night with both hands) Ten little campers close their tent up tight. (Intertwine fingers together again to signify closure) Early Literacy Aside--Example: Rhymes are fun to sing and say with your child. Because they rhyme, they also help children develop phonological awareness, an important skill for later reading when they try to sound out words.

Submitted by Beth Grai, Independence (MI) Township Library