Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson

Introduction: Our next book is called Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson. It is illustrated by Brian Won. [Remember Hooray for Hat? Brian Won wrote and illustrated that book, too! Bill Martin, Jr. wrote Brown, Bear, Brown, Bear, What Do You See?]

I'd like you to help me with reading this book. The monkey is getting some exercise and does somemovements to sounds. So, when it says the rhythm of the head, the sound is ding-dong and we move our head from side to side. Let me see you do that. Great! When it says rhythm of the hands, then we clap twice, clap clap. Try that. Great! For the feet, it says stomp stomp, so stomp your feet twice. Good! And then for the rhythm of the hips, it says shake, shake so wiggle your hips. OK! Let's try it.
[Read the book, having them join in. Repeat the movements in sequence till the children are comfortable with it--the page with ding dong, clap clap, stomp stomp, shake shake] Yay! You got the pattern--ding dong, clap clap, stomp stomp, shake shake!

Early Learning Aside--Example--Math Concepts--Patterns: Adults, in math, a repeated sequence is a pattern. When we did the repeated motions over and again, they could notice the pattern and begin to anticipate what comes next. This fun activity and book helps to build math skills!

Early Learning Aside--Empower: You can notice patterns or make up movement and clapping patterns throughout the day. Lots of fun and builds math skills, too.

Prepositions

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: When you go to play in the park next time with your children, talk about some of the concepts we talked about today--over/under, top/bottom, left/right. The best way for children to learn these concepts is not by memorizing what they mean, but by learning them as they are playing.  By helping them learn these concepts, they will later better understand what they read.Natalie Beaver, Sacramento (CA) Public Library

Videoclip of Hickory Dickory Dock--Interaction

Videoclip of making Hickory Dickory Dock more interactive between adults and children.In order to keep adults as well as children involved in storytime, it is good to have some storytime items interactive between the adults and the children. This encourages language interactions between them. We can encourage them to continue this kind of interaction even after storytime is over.

Spider on the Floor by Raffi

Read Spider on the Floor by Raffi or use the Raffi recording on Singable Songs for the Very Young.You can add verses with less familiar parts of the body.
Activity: Give each child a plastic or rubbery spider. As the song progresses have them put their spiders on the correct body part until it jumps back on the floor. (Shopping for spiders around Halloween is the best time for getting creepy rubbery spiders.)
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Using props during a song or story that prompts children to act out the meaning of the words, provides children with a fun and active way to learn new words and to practice their vocabulary skills.
Submitted by Kathleen Moore, Dayton (OH) Metro Library System

Scarecrow, Scarecrow Rhyme and Dance

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Here's a rhyme that you can do anytime and it reinforces rhyming words which develops phonological awareness while having fun at the same time.Do Scarecrow, Scarecrow activity Children stand up with arms bent at elbows like a scarecrow and head tilted. Actions to words. Scarecrow, Scarecrow, turn around Scarecrow, Scarecrow, jump up and down Scarecrow, Scarecrow, raise your arms high Scarecrow, Scarecrow, wink one eye Scarecrow, Scarecrow, bend your knees Scarecrow, Scarecrow, flap in the breeze Scarecrow, Scarecrow, climb into bed Scarecrow, Scarecrow, rest your head.

Submitted by Terri Stringer, Vandalia Branch, Dayton Metro (OH) Public Library

Bop 'Til You Drop Song by Mr. Al

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Research shows that there are early literacy skills that influence a child's ability to learn to read. Today, you will probably notice several places where I demonstrate examples of narrative skills, which is the ability to describe things and events and to tell stories. When you develop this skill, it will help your children understand what they reads later.Song: Bop 'Til You Drop Go through the sequence of motions that are in the song, Bop 'Til You Drop Early Literacy Aside--Example: Singing songs that have a certain order is one great way for children to remember the sequence or order of things. They will use the same skill when they retell a story. They learn how stories work. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: One thing that you can do at home to develop narrative skills is to describe regular activities such as taking a bath--"first we'll get out the towel, then we'll put the water in the tub and add the bubbles/toys, then we'll take off your clothes, and get in the water. We can scrub our toes, our ears . . . " With older kids, let THEM describe the sequence of events with prompts like, "What do we have to do before we put the bubbles in? or "What do we do next?"

Candlewick Press Storytime Plan

Storytime Plan includes these books with suggested activities and relation to the early literacy skills.Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpiller by Clare Jarrett On the Farm by David Elliott A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker Tweedle Dee Dee by Charlotte Voake [Some activities are more for school-age children.] readtousstoryhourkit.pdf

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont

Early Literacy Aside--Example: As I read this story, I am going to pause and have the children fill in the rhyming word. This is something you can easily do with rhyming books. Start off by using rhyming books that your child has read with you before. Helping your children hear rhymes will help them later to sound out words when they learn to read!Read the book: As you read the book, let the children chime in with some of the rhyming words, like head to follow red. After the book activity: Everyone stand up! What's a word that rhymes with head? Children give suggestions. Pick one--bed. OK, take your hand and dip it in red paint on the floor (pretend). Now take your hand and draw a bed. Good! What's a word that rhymes with green? Perhaps the children say bean. OK, dip your foot in some green paint on the floor, and draw a bean. We all laugh together.

Submitted by Katie Ross, Kanawha County (WV) Public Library System

Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! by George Shannon

Book Introduction: In our next book, there is a mother hen and her three chicks, one is a Big Chick, one the Middle Chick, and lastly the Little Chick. The Little Chick likes to run on tiptoes, very quickly. Everyone stand up. Let me see you run in place, just where you are standing. Great! Now let me see you stand on tiptoe. That's right you don't touchyour heel to the floor. Now run in place again, but on tiptoe--that's how Little Chick runs. Everyone sit down and let's see what happens. In this book there are sounds like RUFF-RUFF that the dog makes. Let me hear you say that. Great! For Little Chick the sound is tippy-toe, tippy-toe, tippy-toe. Let me hear you say that. Great!OK, ready?! As I read the book you'll be making these sounds. Listen to the story too and see how smart Little Chick is. Read the story Tippie-Toe Chick, Go! by George Shannon. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Having your children make the sounds of animals and other sounds helps them develop phonological awareness, being able to hear the smaller sounds in words. This is so important when they later try to sound out words.

Children's names or any words

Early Literacy Aside:--Explain: Separating a word into sound parts is called segmentation. Playing with words this way with your children now will help your children later when they learn to break words into syllables to decode words. Clap childen's names or choose words with different numbers of syllables. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Clapping or tapping helps children hear parts of words which will make it easier for them to sound out words when they learn to read. [for 3 - 5's you can use rhythm sticks]

Submitted by Di Gagnier, Roanoke County (VA) Public Library

Thank You Bear by Greg Foley

Talk about how what is special to one person might not be special to another. People see things and use things differently.Read the book Thank You Bear by Greg Foley. Activity: Pull out a cardboard box and have the children act out the story. You are the bear. There can be as many monkeys, owls, elephants, etc. as there are children who want to be that animal. Then talk together about the many things you can do with a box. Early LiteracyAside--Example: Acting out stories and having children say parts helps develop their narrative skills, the expressive part of language. Retelling stories is one way that children will later more easily understand what they read. If your child did not get a chance to talk about how they might use a box, listen to their ideas on the way home.

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Here is a handout for making stick puppets. Using props or puppets is one fun way to encourage children to retell stories at home. It is activities like this that you do with your children that set them on a strong road to reading, in this case helping them understand what they read and how stories work! Puppets: Patterns for making stick puppets. The pattern for the mouse is here, but I use a mouse puppet. The pattern for a bear is also here, but I make myself the bear when I am retelling it with these stick puppets. Thank You Bear stick puppets

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (or other song with repeated sounds)

For any song with repeated sounds. Example: My Bonnie Lies Over the OceanStart out with one sound, say /b/ (buh). Each time you hear a /b/ raise your hands over your head. Sing the song and raise your hands over your head each time you hear the sounds /b/. Then add another sound, say /m/ (mmmm). Each time you hear /m/, tap your knees. Sing the song again doing the motions for both sounds. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Putting motions to the sounds helps some children hear the sounds by emphasizing them. This helps develop phonological awareness, the ability to hear the smaller sounds in words which will later help them sound out words. Words to song: My bonnie lies over the ocean; my bonnie lies over the sea. My bonnie lies over the ocean; so bring back my bonnie to me. Bring back, oh bring back, oh bring back my bonnie to me, to me. Bring back, bring back, oh bring back my bonnie to me.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Read the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, having children join in. Then we stand up, put on our imaginary wolf suits, and have the participants act it out and tell it back to me.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Narrative skills is the ability to describe things and talk about or tell stories. It is an important skill for chidlren to learn about how stories work and to later understand what they read. Acting out stories, or parts of them, using their bodies, helps children internalize and understand what is happening in the story. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: At home, using any story, encourage your children to practice telling and retelling stories to improve your children's narrative skills. Submitted by Alison Towles, Middlesex County (VA) Public Library

Roll Your Hands (song) from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett

Sing Roll Your Hands from Toddlers on Parade by Carol HammettWords: Roll, roll, roll your hands fast as fast can be. Do it now, let me see Do it now with me.

Tap, tap, tap your feet Shake, shake, shake your hips Roll, roll, roll your hands [Repeat one or two times all together. Clap together when done.]

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: This is a good rhyme to do as you are bathing or diapering your child. Use different parts of the body and words for different actions to help increase your child's vocabulary. Even though your baby does not understand everything you say, it is important for her to hear you say many words. The wider variety of words that your child hears, the larger her vocabulary will be, and the more easily they will later be able to read.

Eensy Weensy Spider (song) from Mainly Mother Goose by Sharon Lois & Bram

Song Introduction: Our next song is Eensy Weensy Spider on this CD called Mainly Mother Goose by Sharon Lois and Bram. In this version, there is the eensy weensy spider and then next door there is a big, fat spider, and then a teensy weensy spider. Let's listen to the song first and then we'll act it out together.[Talk about a big fat spider and what it might look like, have them try to be a big fat spider. Do the same with a teensy weensy spider, using just your fingers. Have them try it themselves. You can use synonyms for big, fat like huge, enormous, and then for teensy such as tiny, tiny, minute.]
Early Literacy Aside--Example:  Adults, by using the movements can help children understand what the words mean. Talking with your children about opposites and using more similar words--all these activities help to develop your children's vocabulary which will later help them understand what they read.