If you are going to do a cat storytime, it seems only fair to follow that up with a mice storytime!  So today, we celebrated the many ways that mice are nice.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song*

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo*

BOUNCE: Roly Poly*

PARENT TIP: Rhymes with movement, like Roly Poly and other bounces, strengthen your child’s body and helps them develop control.
(taken from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Etsy Diamant-Cohen and Saroj Nadkarni Ghoting.  Available at the ALA Store)

BOOK:

Lunch by Denise Fleming

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
Little Mouse, Little Mouse
 (Pattern & Rhyme from Felt Board Fingerplays by Liz & Dick Wilmes)

Little mouse, little mouse
Are you in the (insert color here) house?

I know I use this rhyme a lot, but it is one of my favorites.  When using it with the infants, I put fewer houses up on the flannelboard so it doesn’t take as much time.  I like hiding other animals in the different houses so that it is a surprise when things are uncovered. The ones picture above are from some of my ArtFelt sets.  I also like to leave one house empty with “nobody home”.

BOUNCE: “Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

BOOK:
I
When the Elephant Walks by Keiko Kasza

NURSERY RHYME FLANNELBOARD:
Hickory Dickory Dock

(Template and Rhyme from Mother Goose’s Playhouse by Judy Sierra)

Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down.
Hickory Dickory Dock.

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:
 
Book: Mice Squeak, We Speak by Tomie DePaola

HOW IT WENT:
This was a good storytime.  I only realized now, when writing it up, that I had forgotten to do our tickle rhyme during this storytime!  That was ok, though, because we had someone from Head Start come to talk about the early programs that they offer.  It made up for that time.

I am going to try to work in some more parent patter/parent tips during my infant toddler storytimes.  I got this one from a great book and cards set from ALA.  It’s super helpful and easy to use, and gives lots of great parent tips along with an activity for each of them.  I always feel slightly uncomfortable with parent tips, because who am I to tell a parent what they should be doing, especially since I do not have children myself.  But I need to accept that I do have knowledge they may not (especially when it comes to early literacy practices), and that it is perfectly appropriate to share that knowledge with them.

ATTENDANCE: 47 people

* For these songs, please see my page Storytime Movements & Music