In an effort to make storytimes more manageable with their large size (adding a storytime is out of the question, trust me, I’ve asked), we decided to split Wednesday’s Toddler Storytime in to two groups. So we now have Tiny Tots (walkers to 24 months) at 9:30 and Toddlers (24-36mos) at 10:30. Anyone one twitter yesterday knows I was stressing about prepping for two different storytimes when likely no one would care or notice the change and would just come to whichever time worked best for them. This was the first time so I decided to just plan the same as before, with a couple of older books, just in case the 10:30 group did end up being all 2′s by some miracle. Amazingly, the group were kind of different by age. The 10:30 was mostly older kids and the 9:30 was mostly youngers. And parents seemed to be perfectly OK with the idea of coming at a different time so their kid would be in a group with others their age, especially when I told them the content would be a little different from now on. So, while this won’t take care of our large numbers (hit occupancy again!), the groups might be a little easier to handle if there are a bunch of almost 3′s bowling over the barely 1′s. Fingers crossed.
Today’s Outline (Rhymes page here)
Hands Are Clapping (thanks to Brooke for this one!)
Parent message: Toddlers are just learning to isolate finger movements so they may need help to wiggle their thumbs with the rhyme. Show them how with your thumbs, then help them with theirs. We’ll do it a few times to help us all learn it.
Book: We’ve All Got Bellybuttons by David Martin
Row, Row Your Boat w/ puppets: cow, dog, pig, frog, and lion
Book: Llama Llama Hoppity-Hop by Anna Dewdney
Shakers: We’re Tapping by Kathy Reid-Naiman
Book: If You’re Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera. We just did the first 4 verses.
Splish Splash
Activity: Window decorating! We hang contact paper on the windows with the sticky side out. Kids take pre-cut tissue paper shapes (umbrellas, rain drops, snowflakes, and clouds for winter!) and put them on the sticky contact paper. We then turn the paper around and stick it to the window. It will stay there for a few months before we change it to a spring design.
January 14, 2013 at 6:44 am
I love the window decorating! Where did you get the tissue paper shapes?
January 14, 2013 at 6:57 am
We cut them out of tissue paper sheets using die cuts. Usually a volunteer cuts the shapes and lengths of contact paper but we’ve done it as a team over a few weeks, too. We have to cut a LOT of shapes to have enough for 8 storytimes. We change them each season.
January 16, 2013 at 9:12 am
Yay! I’m glad you went with Hands Are Clapping. I hope it went well with your group! Also, thanks for sharing your bubbles video. I just went online and ordered your bubble blower for my upcoming Baby & Me
January 16, 2013 at 11:41 am
Yay! You will LOVE it. They really like the Hands are Clapping so it’s a keeper. We’ll be using it until June at least.
Thanks again!
March 12, 2013 at 12:22 pm
Does the contact paper leave a sticky mess when you take it down?
March 12, 2013 at 12:31 pm
No! It comes off very easily and with no mess. Like it was never there.