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.