Mother Goose on the Loose!!

Normally I share what I do in the 2 and 3 yr old Storytime, but today I felt like sharing the program for the infants.

So the program we do for the infants is Mother Goose on the Loose. It is a half hour program of nursery rhymes, songs, a board book, and other fun activities meant to help your baby grow and develop, especially with attention span, motor skills, self-esteem, and of course, a love of reading and books. The Merrillville Branch of the Lake County Public Library offers it every first and third Tuesday of the month at 10 am ( Check Library Events and Happenings for info at other branches.)

Because about 75 % of the program is repeated ( and about 25 % is negotiable), I may not always be writing about this program ( plus there are so many rhymes and songs). What I will do instead is share a few of them ( some of which I have also used for storytime for 2 and 3 yr olds and daycare visits)

Here is a small idea of  what to expect at  a typical Mother Goose on the Loose ( or MGOL) program-

Mother Goose ( always at the start)


Old Mother Goose,
When she wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On her very fine gander.
 

Hit the Floor

We hit the floor together
We hit the floor together
We hit the floor together
Because it's fun to do

(Other verses/actions optional-wiggle ten fingers, sway side to side,etc)

Round and Round ( uses child's palm, tickle rhyme)
Round and round the garden ( draw circles on palm)
Goes the teddy bear ( see above)
One step, two step ( creep fingers on arm)
Tickle under there ( tickle under armpit)

I Went to Visit the Farm ( part of the animal/farm portion, use of Very Busy Spider or some farm animal to do animal sounds)
I went to visit the farm one day
I saw  a duck along the way
And what did you think the duck did say?
Quack, quack, quack
( Usually show about 4-5 animals)


 Pretty Ponies (part of the lullaby section)
Hush a bye, don't you cry
Go to sleep my little baby
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little ponies






These are just a few of the rhymes. Usually it's about 20 or so songs, rhymes, etc. to fill the half hour. Some things are changed from time to time ( for example, one program might have bells for the musical instruments, another program could feature sticks for musical instruments. Or there might be more knee bounces during the body rhyme segment.)

Of course the book will always be different. I like using books that at least are somewhat interactive. Some of the board books I have used are:

Tickle Time by Sandra Boynton
Time for a Hug by Phillis Gershanto
Five Little Ducks by Penny Ives

To end, I am using the closing song " We're So Happy.I'll admit that I have added a extra line or two  encourage the babies and parents to come back.

We're so Happy
We're so Happy
Everybody's here
And We're so happy
We're so happy
We'll.... see in two weeks /next month

Y'all come back now. Bye-bye.

Book Review-Cozy Classics and BabyLit Board Books

Ever wanted to read Pride and Prejudice or Moby Dick to your babies? Well, now you can with two wonderful new board books series, Cozy Classics and BabyLit.





Cozy Classics- Written by brothers Jack and Holman Wang, the CC series presents a classic story in 12 kid-friendly words with needle-felt characters. For example, the words featured in Moby Dick include " captain", " leg" ( as in peg-leg,), and "sink". A small description of the plot is provided on the back and Cozy Classics website provides quotes and a simple version of the story(this is helpful for those who may not know the story) . The concept is a cute idea to introduce the classics( and big words) to wee ones( or a delight for English majors). We currently have four in the series ( and saw we are ordering Oliver Twist and Jane Eyre. I also saw  on the CC website that Emma  is coming. Can't wait to see how that turns out.). I love all four (but being an Austen fan, really like Prejudice, especially how Mr. Darcy's proposal is portrayed with the words "yes" and "no".  )

Here is a video that shows how the characters are made-

BabyLit- Like CC, it takes classic stories but uses retro-like artwork and concepts to present the story to wee ones. For Dracula, author Jennifer Adams and illustrator Alison Oliver have turned into a counting tale with two friends, five heroes, and 9 coffins. For Wuthering Heights,  the story is presented with weather concepts. Again, this is a really cute way to get to little ones into the classics. I actually like these a little more than CC because of the concept idea and use of the labels on characters and places.  My favorite out of the five that we have is Sense and Sensibility which is presented as a tale of opposties ( featuring a "happy" Willoughby and "sad" Colonel Brandon), though I might use Dracula this year for my fall programs.
They also have a website, where you can also buy prints and other items featuring the artwork .

Here is a trailer for Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre.

Cozy Classics-by Jack and Holman Wang
Age Range:0-3
Rating: **** ( 4 stars)

BabyLit by Jennifer Adams
Age Range: 0-3
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars)