Flannel Friday: 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe

Two Little Bluebirds

I've got some more Mother Goose on the Loose fun this week. MGOL is wonderful because it gives you the skeleton with the ability to add your own guts! (Note: I've been spending way too much time working on the body with my 3-year-old). The suggested rhyme for MGOL is "Two Little Dickie Birds." I found these wood and flannel birds at Hobby Lobby, though and adjusted the rhyme to go with them. Aren't they cute (after Easter sale, too!)?

Two Little Bluebirds

Two little bluebirds

Sitting on a cloud

One named soft

And one named LOUD

Fly away soft

Fly away LOUD

Come back soft

Come back LOUD

1, 2, Buckle My Shoe

 Last week, I shared an interactive flannel with Humpty Dumpty. This week, I'm sharing another one that works well with older toddlers as well as large groups. I start off the rhyme with the pieces like this. Then, say the rhyme as I move the pieces to suit the actions.

1, 2, All in a row

1, 2, Buckle My Shoe

1, 2, buckle my shoe

(fit buckle on shoe)

3, 4, knock on the door

(knock)

5, 6, pick up sticks

(pick up)

7, 8, lay them straight

(place neatly)

9, 10, a big white hen.

With older toddlers, the children try their favorite action. If there is a small group, they can try the whole rhyme. For a larger group, I have lots of different hens on hand. I hand out a color to each child (several of the same colors, too). Then, we say the rhyme together with a different ending a few times. Each child has a turn to bring up their hen and put her on the board.

Thank you for checking out my flannels. Mel is hosting the round-up this week if you'd like to see more. Check out the Flannel Friday blog if you'd like to get involved or want to find out what it's all about.

TFT: Participation in Baby Storytimes

Question: How many children attend storytime? What is the ideal number for letting children come to the flannel board? --Miss Tara of Storytime with Miss Tara and Friends

Miss Tara posed these questions in relation to my baby storytimes. I'm sharing a few pictures of past storytimes, but I don't have any photos of BABY storytimes. It is just too hard to snap pictures as I'm leading. I use the curriculum Mother Goose on the Loose by Dr. Betsy Diamant-Cohen.

I first heard of MGOL at a presentation at ILF about six years ago when I was first learning to be a children's librarian. It was the first professional meeting I attended! Wow, what a way to begin. MGOL is more than storytime. It combines music, movement and art with traditional storytime elements like picture books, flannel boards and knee bounces.

Babies and toddlers under 2 along with caregivers (1 lap, 1 child) are the intended participants. However, I've had older siblings attend (with a lovey for their lap) who also enjoyed the program. As I don't require registration for MGOL, I have anywhere from five to 20 babies and toddlers (plus 5-20 adults).

Sorry for fuzzy picture, fluorescent lighting...

At the beginning of each MGOL meeting, I lay out the rules. "I don't expect your little ones to sit perfectly still or be perfectly quiet. They can roam around the room and babble. They are paying more attention than you think. The only rule I have is, if your little one comes to the flannel board and tries to pull things off or get materials out of my cubby or box, please pick them up and put them back on your lap."

Voila! The expectations are presented and the parents take care of behavior. Phew. Humpty Dumpty is the last rhyme I present before the closing song. I say, "Now it's your turn to come to the board. You get to pull Humpty off the board, then we'll clap for you. Everyone gets ONE turn." Again, parents are in charge of enforcing the one turn.

Even when I have 20 babies and toddlers, not EVERYONE is going to want a turn. Some children are shy, especially if it's their first visit to the library. Sometimes, it takes 5-6 visits to participate, which is fine. I never make a child take a turn. I know they will do it when they are ready.

If you have even bigger numbers for your youngest audience, I would use the candlestick participation activity. Each baby still gets one turn, but the line will move faster. You place a candlestick in the middle of the room and ask each child to jump over it. Say the rhyme:

Jack be nimble

Jack be quick

Jack jump over the candlestick.

This post is part of my Thanks for Your Thoughts series. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment. You may get featured on Thursday!

Flannel Friday: Mother Goose on the Loose

Baby storytimes work so well with flannels. I use Mother Goose on the Loose to plan and have all the rhymes and songs memorized, so I use the pieces as a reminder.

Slowly, Very Slowly

Tickle Rhyme

Slowly, very slowly

Creeps the garden snail,

Slowly, very slowly

Along the garden trail.

Quickly, very quickly

Goes the little mouse

Quickly, very quickly,

All around the house.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

The "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is always a favorite as most children and parents are already familiar with it. I love when the little ones start doing the motions as soon as I put him up.

Humpty Dumpty

I use Humpty Dumpty as the interactive rhyme each week. Each child gets a turn to pull him off the board. Most of them like to put him back up, too!

Notes from the Story Room is hosting this week.

Babies and Toddlers Storytime

Haven't heard of Mother Goose on the Loose, yet? It is the first baby and toddler storytime offered at the South Branch Library. We use puppets, musical instruments, songs and nursery rhymes for a fun lap-sit program. Worried your child won't sit on your lap? Not a problem! We have all ages and levels of mobility coming to the program. See what MGOL is all about on Tuesday @ 3.

New Baby Program!

Mother Goose on the Loose is finally here! The South Branch Library will be offering a program just for babies (birth to 24 months) for the first time. Mother Goose on the Loose (MGOL) is a nursery rhyme program that lasts about 30 minutes. It is a fun program that aids with speech development and motor coordination while helping children gain prereading skills, such as matching words with objects and becoming familiar with books.

After the program, please stay to chat with other parents while your children play. We will start at 3 on Tuesday.