Mommy & Me Storytime
April 14 and 21, 2008

Mommy & Me Storytime on April 14 was all about our hands, fingers, feet, and toes and everything in between. We began by clapping our hands and stomping our feet to the song “Clap Your Hands” on the “Wiggleworms Love You” CD. We read Busy Fingers by C.W. Bowie and sang “Itsy Bitsy Spider” while doing the motions. We also used our hands to play “Pat-a-Cake”. We followed with our second book, My Nose, My Toes, and Me! and stretched out doing the actions to “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”. We moved our entire bodies and played with our scarves to “The Freeze” from Greg & Steve’s “Kids in Motion” CD. We closed with our “Hands Up High” fingerplay and blowing kisses goodbye.

On April 21, Mommy & Me Storytime was all about the farm. We read Peek-a-Moo by Marie Torres Cimarusti and followed it by making farm animal sounds while Miss Mary sang the song “Pig on Her Head” from Laurie Berkner’s “Buzz Buzz” CD. Boy, did she look silly with all those animals on her head! We read Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri, and tried to guess each of the farm animals. We sang about the “Five Little Pigs” rolling in the mud. Oink, oink, oink! Our last book was a special giant pop-up book, My Giant Book of Snappy Farm. Our storytime ended after we played our instruments to “Old MacDonald’s Band” from Hap Palmer’s “Rhythm on Parade” CD. Visiting the farm in our books and songs sure was fun!

NEWS TO KNOW
The library staff is working hard on preparations for SummerREAD 2008. This summer reading program for ages 0 to 12 is a fun way to motivate your children to read over their school break. Pick up a flyer in the children’s area for all the details. SummerREAD will also include a teen and adult program so there’s something for everyone!

Early Literacy Tip of the Week
You’ve probably heard it said that you are your child’s best teacher. When it comes to reading, this certainly is true. While you may not teach “reading”, you will lay the foundation for your child’s success in reading when they get to school. Talking, reading and singing with your young child will help stimulate the growth of your child’s brain and build the connections that will be the foundation for reading. Storytimes provide a fun way to do this with your child and give you ideas for books, music, rhymes and more.

PUPPET SHOW

Mark your calendar! Draw a big circle around Saturday, May 24. Everyone enjoys a great puppet show whether you’re 3 or 63 and we have a great one for you…and it’s free!

The Saddleback Room in City Hall across from Mission Viejo Library will be the site of The Great Puppet Show “The Case of Elephant Trunk” presented by Swazzle on May 24 at 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. No registration required but come early for the best seats. We’ll see you there.

Preschool Storytime will be celebrating El Dia de los Ninos (Children’s Day/Book Day) on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 10:30am and 1:30pm. Please join us as we enjoy stories, music, and craft. No registration is necessary.

Mommy & Me Storytime
April 7, 2008

Today’s Mommy & Me Storytime was all about a toddler’s day. After “shaking our sillies out” we began with the book Wake Up, Me! by Marni McGee. We followed along as the child in the book greeted the new day, had his breakfast and got ready to go out to play. We sang “this is the way…” as we acted out all the things we do in the morning such as wash our hands and face, and brush our hair. We pretended to brush our teeth to Raffi’s song “Brush Your Teeth” on his “Singable Songs for the Very Young” CD. In our second book, Lulu’s Busy Day by Caroline Uff, we followed Lulu through her day and her many activities. Then we dressed our flannelboard teddy to the tune “Mary Wore Her Red Dress” changing it to “teddy wore his red shirt” and so on as we added each new article of clothing. We sang a song to see what all of our storytime friends were wearing, singing “If you’re wearing red today, stand up and shout hooray!” and going through all the primary colors until all of our friends had a chance to shout out. We ended storytime by playing together with our sponge teddy bears to Hap Palmer’s “Teddy Bear Playtime” from his “So Big” CD and then blowing kisses goodbye.

NEWS TO KNOW
We ask that everyone attending storytimes has a Mission Viejo Library card. You can get one at the check-out desk by filling out a short application and showing the requested ID. Library cards are free so if you don’t already have one, please take the time to get one on your next visit.

Early Literacy Tip of the Week
Remember to have fun when sharing books with your little ones. It will help them develop good feelings about reading and books. Reading a few minutes at a time is fine. As your child grows they’ll be able to sit for longer periods. If your child gets fussy, try again later. Don’t worry if you don’t finish the story. Make reading an enjoyable time both for you and your child.

Ants, ladybugs, caterpillars, butterflies! It’s an invasion! Keep your eyes and ears open for more information that will be coming your way about Mission Viejo Library’s “buggy” summer reading program. Fun! Fun! Fun!