May Stories Week Four

This week was bittersweet for me-the last one for the session means saying goodbye for awhile but makes me smile when I see how much fun everyone seemed to be having. I loved sharing the clever book "Duck! Rabbit!" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal! Children have a way of reminding us that sometimes things are not always as they seem and that there is more than one way to look at something. I loved that when my kids were little-they were looking and the world through fresh eyes and noticing things that I took for granted. And they were also learning about the way things work! I also liked sharing the Tana Hoban books-did anyone notice that the texture of the black and white shapes were different?


Well, the next time I'll have class is in September-we haven't set up our schedule yet but watch for more information over the summer. In the meantime-I'm going to keep in touch here-so be sure to visit me-virtually and in person!!

May Stories Week Three

Are we there yet? Children are fascinated by wheels-round and round they go. I had fun with the Gershwin piece 'An American in Paris' played with musical horns and car horns! I love how the author William Lach pairs amazing art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art with classical music. Try putting on a classical music cd and moving to the music or asking your child what they hear. Even get out the pots and pans for a jam session! We have a number of great children's art books-from board books and picture books to nonfiction titles. So get creative and mix your music and art together!
I didn't get to share all the books that I had picked out but some days are like that! Picture book artists are very talented which creates a wonderful opportunity to expose children to great art. Local museums (such as the Wadsworth Antheneum in Hartford and New Britain Museum of Modern Art) also provide opportunities for preschoolers by holding their own story hours focusing on the art in their collections. Another great museum is the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. This museum has a permament display of Eric Carle's art and rotating exhibits of other artists. Check out the museums' websites at: http://www.wadsworthatheneum.org/ , http://www.wadsworthatheneum.org/ and http://www.picturebookart.org/.





I can't believe this month has gone by so quickly! See you all again next week!

Drivin in My Car!!

For those of you with the song "Drivin' in My Car" from Ralph's World rattling around in your head-here are the lyrics:

Drivin’ In My Car

Chorus:
Drivin’ in my car! Drivin’ in my car!
Drivin’ all the way to Minneapolis in my car!

Red light, stop!
What sound does a car horn make? (Beep!)
That’s right! Let’s sing the song with our car horns!

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Chorus

Red light, stop!
What sound do car windshield wipers make?
(Swish!) Thant’s right! Let’s sing the song with our windshield wipers!

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Chorus

Red light, stop!
What sound does a car muffler make? (Bbbbbbft!)
Let’s sing the song with our car mufflers!

Bbbbbft! Bbbbbft! Bbbbbft! Bbbbbft!
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Chorus

Red light, stop! What sound would you make
If you were driving down the street
…And you saw your very best friend on the sidewalk
…And you rolled down the window
…And you stuck out your hand…
What would you say? (HI!)
Let’s sing the song for our very best friend!

Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!
Bbbbbft! Bbbbbft! Bbbbbft! Bbbbbft!
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Chorus

May Stories Week Two

Our second week together has been just as fun as the first! The 'visit' to the farm in song and books is always a great place to go. I grew up in western New York-so farms were all around me-not only the rows of corn and other vegetables but the cows (and their smells)! My father grew up on a farm so it's always been a special connection for me. Here in Connecticut the farms are few and far between but an interesting farm to visit is the one at UConn-check out this link for more information http://www.canr.uconn.edu/ansci/barntours.htm Stop by the dairy barn for a taste of their ice cream.

May Stories Week One

We had a lot of fun in class trying out some new music and books. I'm still working on our opening song, but I think the kids liked the very popular "The Little Green Frogs" from It's Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel! My personal favorite was "Drivin' in My Car" from Ralph's World by Jim Powers and Ralph Covert! And how about that rockin' version of "You Are My Sunshine" from the band Reflector. Here's a cute animation on the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCasf82hmr4&feature=player_embedded The books were a hit-check out the bookshelf on the right hand side for the titles.

Never in my wildest dreams did I EVER think I'd be starting a blog. But...I'm giving it a shot. I plan on including information about things I do during Fun for Ones here at the Cora J. Belden Library-including books we read, songs we sing and other interesting things. Missed a class? Check here to see what we did!