Fun for Ones

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle | Kideos

2010-02-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Kideos

New Year Week Five

2010-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

Only one more class left :( Hard to believe that this session has gone by so quickly! Over the weekend I saw in the USA Today section a little note about a website called Kideos-check out their site here: www.kideos.com They have age appropriate videos for children aged 0-10. I took a look at the 0-2 age group and saw a variety of videos-from books being read to commercials featuring babies to Baby Einstein. Looks like it could be fun-and they have an app for your iPhone! Stuck waiting for dinner to come while you're out to eat? or in line at the store? This app could come in handy when you're tired of all the other tricks in your bag that you use to keep your child happy while waiting! Don't worry, there will come a day when your purse has no more snacks, board books, toys and wipes in it! (Except maybe it will still have snacks-mine does!) What I'm trying to say is, we all have times when the wait is longer than we'd like it to be, and maybe running around trying to burn off that extra energy isn't practical-why not extend the list of things we can do to entertain?

New Year-Week Four

2010-01-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's fun to see how each child comes to story time. Some are carried in by a parent/grandparent, some walk in on their own, some are coaxed into the room and some walk in and decide that they were having more fun at the train table! But...once they get in the room and the music comes on-they are entirely engaged in having a good time. Which is good news for me! It's much easier to have a child willing to stick it out than to fight with one that would be happier doing something else. I think it's important for parents/caregivers to know that! I won't be upset if someone has to leave-we all have days like that (sometimes weeks :) ) But it's better in the long run to go at YOUR child's pace-they will be required to sit still in school before you know it and won't have the option of changing their mind. And it's much easier to rationalize with a child that can vocally communicate and hold a conversation about their feelings and thoughts. So go ahead-go with the flow and don't stress about it-I'll see you next week!

New Year-Week Three

2010-01-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

We sure do have fun each week! I love the fact that the adults who come with the children in the program are happy and exicited to participate each week. It's important for many reasons, one of which is the fact that it shows the little ones that being here at the library is fun and helps them see that it's okay to participate. There are some children that like to observe the activities and then go crazy doing them at home. That's okay too!
So here's a question for you... What was your favorite nursery rhyme when you were a kid? I vividly remember singing "Sing a Song of Sixpence" at the top of my lungs while swinging in my backyard. In case you forgot what it is or have never heard it here are the words:

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

Did I mention my mother would be out hanging clothes on the line at the same time? Yikes-sounds like something that will have to be explored in a therapy session in the future! :) Just kidding-it's come full circle anyway-now I'm the one hanging clothes out on the line!

New Year-Week Two

2010-01-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

Back for more fun this week! Keeping things simple is working so far! We read the book 'I Went Walking' and I added soft animal shapes to the board. ALL of the kids had to come see these cute creatures and touch them for themselves. I don't blame them! I love doing something that gets everyone involved!

Happy New Year-Week One

2010-01-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! Class has started this week and I am always amazed at how big everyone has gotten since they were here last. Some are singing, some are doing the movements and some are just sitting back and enjoying the fun! I'm trying something new this session and focusing on the 'less is more' philosophy in my planning process. I usually try to squeeze in too much and end up disappointed that "I didn't get to do...". I figure if I just plan a little less, then I can always squeeze in an extra song or fingerplay if there is extra time.
I also loved hearing about the families that shared our songs at their holiday gatherings and got the whole crowd "Beep, beep, beeping" or jumping like frogs!

New Technology

2009-12-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been trying to update the Facebook Fan Page that I created a while ago-not as easy as a personal Facebook page! So I came here to say what I really want to say!
We've got some new stuff coming up:
Registration for Story Hour starts Monday, December 7-check out our web calendar for days and times for each age group at http://www.rockyhilllibrary.info/

Also: Next week there are 3 half days for the elementary schools so we've planned some fun activities.
Wednesday, December 9-Santa Buddies Movie at 2pm All ages
Thursday, December 10-Holiday Gift Making 3-4:30pm Drop in for grades 1 and up
Friday, December 11-Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at 2pm (The high school also has half day)

Happy December! Can't wait until the first snowfall-yes-I'm from NY-I LOVE snow!!

October

2009-10-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems I've taken a three month vacation from this blog. It's good to be back! But at the same time-hard to get back into the swing of things. Programs have finished for the fall and we just had our Halloween Program on Wednesday-what fun it was seeing all the little ones with their costumes on! Now it's on to planning for some programs for older preschoolers and thinking ahead to the winter session...
For those of you who need a little sunshine on these overcast and rainy days check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCasf82hmr4
Have a great weekend and see you all next week!

June Week Three

2009-06-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's sooo quiet here this week! Except for the noise from the construction crew! No little voices or children's laughter-but everything's staying nice and neat-just kidding. We're making some changes in the Children's Department-moving furniture and moving books (lots of books). Hope you like the way it looks when we finally open some time next week-we're not sure which day it will be. The weather is definitely NOT cooperating for working outdoors. We'll let you know!

June Week Two

2009-06-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

GUESS WHAT!! I found Ralph World's website! You can listen to clips from each of his cd's and he has a new one out. This means that you can hear the beginning of 'Drivin' in My Car'! Check out http://www.ralphsworld.com/ See if the rest of his music grows on you like it has on me!
Well, we'll be closed all next week-but we'll be getting new stairs and a ramp so all of you with strollers will be able to use them to get inside again. We'll still answer the phones and email so if you have any questions call or drop me a line at cpotter@ci.rocky-hill.ct.us And I can't wait until we're open again to see all you and all the new things that you've learned since I saw you last. I plan on checking out the new CT Science Center in Hartford soon-I'll let you know if there's anything for the little ones!

June Week One

2009-06-01T08:54:00.001-07:00

Happy first day of June! This week's weather looks wonderful! I just got information I wanted to share with you about great websites for kids. The American Library Association's section Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has put together a list of great websites for kids and families. It can be found at http://www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/default.cfm There are games, science information and book authors. The one I liked the most was Read Kiddo Read by James Patterson which can be found at http://www.readkiddoread.com/home It's great to have a site that can cover so many age ranges and give suggestions on other books that the child might like!

May Stories Week Four

2009-05-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-05-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-06T11:24:00.001-07:00

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!