Sing a Song!

Singing is a powerful way to learn.  Catchy melodies, repetitive lines, and rhyming words make it easy for your child to remember the lyrics. Singing together is a wonderful way to share a moment, catch or divert your child's attention, and elevate your mood.  On top of that, you'll expose to your child to new vocabulary, words that might not ever come up in casual conversation. 

Many songs have fun hand movements that will add to your child's enjoyment and memory of singing a song.  These songs are perennial favorites in our storytimes: The Wheels on the Bus, She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain, This Old Man, Five Green and Speckled Frogs, There's a Spider on the Floor, Five Little Ducks, just to name a few. 

You'll find a wonderful selection of CDs you can check out in any of our branches.  Look for these artists if your child is 18 months to 3 years old:  Raffi, Hap Palmer, and Carol Hammet.  If your child is a bit older, add these artists to your repertoire:  Laurie Berkner, Sarah Barchas, Greg & Steve, Trish & Gail, and Old Town School.  And for some wonderful songs in Spanish (some are bilingual), check out something by Jose Luis Orozco.

Many parents have asked me if we have any bean bag songs similar to what we use in storytime.  The answer is yes! We often use songs by Gerorgiana Licone Stewart, Hap Palmer, and The Learning Station in our storytimes.   And you don't need to have a bean bag to enjoy them.  Any small stuffed animal will do. 

Have fun playing and singing with your child. The memories will last a lifetime.

-Miss Meg

Can You Moo?

Toddlers love learning animal sounds, and while they do they're unwittingly developing their sound awareness, an early literacy skill. A fun new book that plays on this skill is Baby Says "Moo!" by Joann Early Macken.

In the book, we follow mom, dad, and baby as they head out of town and into the country for a picnic, encountering a variety of animals along the way. Everytime baby is asked what sound a particular animals makes, he replies "moo". When they finally spot a cow, baby is fast asleep.

Other great stories for toddlers featuring animal sounds include: Bark George by Jules Feiffer, Hello Day! by Anita Lobel, Meow said the Cow by Emma Dodd, Everywhere the Cow says Moo! by Ellen Weinstein, and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear? by Bill Martin.

Complement any of these books with a few fun songs like Old MacDonald, Fiddle-i-Fee, Five Little Ducks, or Baa Baa Black Sheep, and your child will soon be making animal sounds like a pro!

~Meg