Gee, thanks!

During Toddler Time one day, we had just finished a fingerplay when it was time to hold hands in a circle. A little girl came up to me with her hand held out like she was giving something to me. "Here," she said. Since I couldn't see anything in her hand, I thought she was either pretending, or there was something very small in it. I bent over to look and still didn't see anything. "What is it?" I asked. "A booger," she answered. And then I saw it, nice and plump, on the end of her finger. "Why don't you go give it to your mother," I suggested. She was happy to oblige, thankfully. Whew!

This Week's Fingerplays

Here are a couple of the rhymes we did this week:

Here Is the Beehive

Here is the beehive.
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and you'll see them come out of the hive.
One, two, three, four, five.
Bzzzzzzzzzz


Tom Thumb Up

Tom Thumb up and Tom Thumb down.
Tom Thumb dancing all around the town.
Dancing on my shoulders.
Dancing on my head.
Dancing on my knees.
Now tuck them into bed.

Great Titles From Tricycle Press

In researching publishers that I might want to submit to, I've fallen in love with Tricycle Press. As you know from my post about Robert Munsch, I love books that are fun and imaginative, those that go in unexpected directions or really understand the mind of a child and what works for them.

Several new books from 2008 especially caught my attention:


The Day We Danced in Underpants, by Sarah Wilson and Catherine Stock

This puts us in the time of Louis XIV. Guests at a formal ball in the summertime get hotter and hotter and sweatier and sweatier until finally they all, including the king, strip to their underwear and have a real "ball". What kid doesn't laugh at underpants?


What Does Mrs. Claus Do?, by Kate Wharton and Christian Slade

Has your child ever asked what Mrs. Claus does while she's waiting for her husband to make his rounds? She's running board meetings, performing safety inspections, developing new toys with the engineer elfs and working as a polar geographer and heli-ski operator. Whew! She's busy!


Twelve Terrible Things, by Marty Kelley

Marty Kelley certainly knows what would ruin a child's day. There's the cheek-pinching granny, the cafeteria lady who thinks EVERYBODY loves gravy, and the brother who makes you smell his feet. I might add this to my "Rotten Days" theme.


Most likely these won't be on the shelf in Sherwood, but you can request them and wait for a pleasant surprise.

Be Good!

"Be good", is what we often tell our children (and maybe other people's children too). And I'm sure whatever child we just said that to certainly means to be good. We know exactly what "be good" means. We have the perfect picture in our heads. But does the child know what "be good" means?

To the child, it probably means "don't do anything that makes Mommy (or Daddy, Grandma, Teacher, etc.) mad." The problem is, poor little Jacob/Emily has no idea what that might be. "Hmmm," thinks Jacob/Emily, "I know hitting people gets me in trouble, so as long as I don't hit anyone, I'm being good. Oops! I just got in trouble for throwing something. Okay, no hitting, no throwing. Uh oh! I just got in trouble for running. So no hitting, no throwing, no running. What? Now I'm in trouble for yelling. Maybe I just better sit here by Mommy and not move. That's the only way I won't get in trouble." Poor kid. Now he/she's afraid to try anything. How did this happen?

Children are very literal and concrete. They can't picture what "Be good" looks like in their heads. Let's take going to Storytime as an example. Mom walks in the door, Jacob heads for the blue rug, and Mom says "Be good." Jacob just turned three a couple of months ago and hasn't had much experience with group activities. He really has no idea what's expected of him. Better if, at home or in the car on the way, Mom says, "Jacob, when Storytime starts, I want you to pick a spot on the floor to sit. And while Miss Teresa reads the stories, stay in that spot and listen quietly. You can talk and play with your friends before and after Storytime, but not during." Now Jacob knows exactly what's expected of him. That's so much better than waiting for him to do something wrong and then correcting him.

It's always better to be telling your children what they are supposed to do, than what they aren't. When we get to say "yes" to our kids, and praise their good behavior (because they knew what was expected of them) we end up with happy, positive, confident children.

Favorite Rhymes and Fingerplays

Parents have asked me a few times where I find my fingerplays and rhymes, or where they can get them so they can have them to refer to at home. This blog seems like a perfect place to make them available. Here are some that we did today and last week. If there are other specific rhymes you'd like me to post, ask for it in a comment, and I'll put it up.


Three Little Kittens
Three little kittens were sleeping in the sun.
Three little puppies said "Lets have some fun!"
Up to the kittens the puppies went creeping
As quiet as can be.
One little, two little, three little kittens
Went scampering up a tree!


A Little Seed I Plant in the Ground
A little seed I plant in the ground.
A little rain comes tumbling down.
A little sun comes shining through.
I pick a flower, just for you!


Rain For the Garden
Rain for the garden,
Rain for the trees.
Rain made the puddle
That I didn't see!
Woops! Splash!



Hands Up High
Hands up high.
Hands down low.
Hide those hands.
Where did they go?
Here is one.
Here is two.
Clap them, fold them.
Now we're through.


My Hands Upon my Head I Place
My hands upon my head I place,
On my shoulders, on my face,
On my hips and at my sides,
Then behind me they will hide.
Now I clap them, one, two, three.
Then I fold them quietly.

What Should Mom Be Doing?

Sometimes parents look very unsure of themselves when they first come to Toddler Time or Storytime. They're not sure where they should sit, if they should make their child sit down and be quiet, and they especially don't know what to do with themselves once the program starts. Do they have to stand up and sit down for the songs? Do they have to do all the fingerplays? Can they visit with the person next to them? Can they go sit in the chairs and drink their coffee?

I'll tell you what I like to see at Toddler Time.

I like it when Mom comes in and sits in the circle with the other parents. I'll use "Mom", though I love seeing dads and grandparents. And it's great when the nanny gets to bring little Jacob or Emily (favorite names of 2008).
She lets her child greet the other kids and maybe start a spontaneous silly game, though she doesn't let it get out of hand with running and chasing. If her child wants to just watch from her lap, that's fine too. She says hi to the other parents, but when the music starts, she focuses on her child and the activity going on. She smiles encouragement to Emily and does the motions along with me, singing the song or saying the rhyme with me, though she doesn't have to stand up and sit down for every activity. Maybe Emily joins in too, maybe not, but she sees that Mom is engaged and participating, so she knows this is important to Mom, and that Mom is having fun, so she can too. Mom intervenes quickly if Emily gets a little too rambunctious with the other kids. When it's time for a story to be read, Mom makes sure Emily sits on her bottom in front of me, but if Emily would rather sit in Mom's lap, that's not a problem. Mom listens quietly to the story and doesn't use it as visiting time, since she wants to be a good role model to Emily. After all, Emily learns how to behave in groups and how much importance to place on paying attention to the teacher by watching Mom. Whenever Emily makes an attempt to sing, do motions, or participate, Mom is her best cheerleader, with smiles and clapping when it's over.

That's a great mom!

Here's what I like to see at Preschool Storytime.

Mom brings Jacob in, and he greets the other kids. She doesn't expect him to sit down and be silent for the six or seven minutes before the program begins. She lets him make friends or play a little game that doesn't involve chasing or turning cartwheels. Mom sits in the chairs or on the edge of the circle and says hi to other parents. When I start the program, she quiets down and sets a good example of listening when the teacher reads. A quiet comment here or there is okay, but if lots of parents visit during a story, it gets very distracting. Mom keeps an eye on Jacob since she knows he just recently graduated from Toddler Time and sometimes he gets antsy and starts to visit with other kids in the middle of the story. If I can't get his attention back, mom intervenes with a whisper in the ear, or by moving him to the back of the group where he can sit in her lap and keep listening. It's hard for me to read a story well if I have to interrupt it several times to try to quiet a child. If Jacob's done with Storytime, even though I'm not, that's okay and they can leave. Some younger ones just aren't ready for a thirty minute program. They'll grow into it. When Storytime is over, she praises Jacob for being such a good listener, and asks him about his favorite story.

What a great mom! See you next week.

Robert Munsch - A Favorite Read Aloud

If I'm going to read to kids, I would always rather read something funny than something beautiful. You know what I mean by beautiful - those artsy, poetic, quiet books that parents prefer at bedtime (because they put you to sleep). There's certainly a place in children's literature for them, but funny is always more fun. That's why "fun" is the root word of "funny". Isn't it?

Robert Munsch is a genius at read aloud books, probably because he is a storyteller at heart. While not every single one of his books hit the spot for me, the ones that do are absolutely the most fun for me to read aloud. I'm sure you've heard of a few of them: Love You Forever, Thomas' Snowsuit, Alligator Baby, Stephanie's Ponytail, Mortimer, The Paper Bag Princess, Mud Puddle.

His books always feature some kind of repetitive language, and sometimes a silly song. In Love You Forever, we see the mother crawling across the floor, picking up her baby, and singing her "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always" song. In Stephanie's Ponytail, it's the kids yelling at Stephanie "Ugly, ugly, very ugly!" To which Stephanie replies, "It's MY ponytail, and I LIKE it!" Frequently there's a huge fight (very silly of course) between the grownups, or the child saves the day or outwits something scary, all of which is satisfying to a child on a deeper level.

BUT, all the cute dialog and repetitive language in the world won't make a book fun unless it's read aloud with energy and variety (see "Your Voice is a Symphony" below). Besides, the fun works both ways. Channeling a little Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy is fun for you too!