Last week I fell victim to the dreaded stomach virus that has been making the rounds.  Every week I look forward to seeing my Lapsit Crew, so I had to binge watch the entire season of "Nailed It!" on Netflix to drown my sorrows.  

Even though I missed last week's storytime, I can still share my plan.  During our fall and spring storytime sessions, I like to create my weekly plans for my storytimes at the beginning of the month.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I plan a month's worth of storytimes in advance.  What can I say?  I like to be prepared.  #FormerTeacher

This week, our Lapsit Crew made two new friends.  One of our new friends made my day with their contagious enthusiasm: applause for stories and songs, happy gurgles, and a radiant smile. 

I also witnessed some not-so-secret guests participating in our storytime.  A couple of preschool aged children stopped playing in the play area and stood in the door way to sing and bounce along with us.  At one point, I saw them holding toy dinosaurs like they were babies.  They bounced and tickled the dinosaurs.  I had to keep myself from giggling and bursting from joy because that is hands-down the cutest thing I have ever witnessed while doing a storytime.  

All Kinds of Kisses is a fabulous interactive book for caregivers and babies.  I had the caregivers help me make the animal noises.  The babies loved the animal noises and all of the kisses they recieved.

My Nursery Rhyme mission continues.  This week we read and recited "To Market" from Iona Opie's My Very First Mother Goose.  I had the caregivers gently bounce baby in their lap as we recited "To Market."

Bouncing Time is another great interactive book.  I encouraged the caregivers to bounce baby in their lap as I read the story.

We sang and shook our eggs to "Going to Kentucky" and "We Shake Our Eggs Together."  Both of these songs came from the amazing ladies of Jbrary.

The Baby Book by Ann Morris shows pictures of babies around the world being loved, hugged, cuddled, and fed.  My little lapsit pals loved looking at the pictures of the babies.

This week we read and recited "Shoo Fly" from My Very First Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie and illustrated by Rosemary Wells.

Say Goodnight by Helen Oxenbury is a lovely interactive boardbook about getting baby ready for bedtime.

Last year, I realized that it is beneficial to repeat the same songs every week. It really gives caregivers the opportunity to learn the songs and bounces so they feel comfortable and confident using them at home!  

When we switch to a new monthly theme, I like to introduce new songs and bounces but I try to keep one or two familiar songs or bounces from the previous month.  This session I thought of a way to digitally share the songs and bounces with the caregivers. Each month, I create a Google Doc with the words to the songs and bounces. Then I create a custom Bitlink and share it with the caregivers.  

The two songs that I never change are the hello song and the name song.  These songs are part of our lapsit routine because they signal the start of storytime.  I have some toddlers that have been attending my lapsit since they were itty bitty.  It amazes me how they will stop what they are doing and sit with their caregiver when I start singing the hello song!  Routines rock!

This is an adaptation of a song experience game from Education Through Music (ETM), a literacy approach through The Richards Institute of Education and Research.  I will be sharing my experiences with this amazing "working of a work" in a post later this month.  

As caregivers come into the room, there is a nametag station with laminated hearts that have velcro on the back.  I have a small flannel board where caregivers (or toddlers) can display the nametag hearts.  After we sing our hello song, we sing "Oh I Know." I do not hesitate to ask the caregiver how to pronounce their little one's name. This song is great for learning names and for building a storytime community with the parents and babies.  I love how the babies smile and coo when they hear their names. 

I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap.
And now he's sick in bed with a bubble in his throat!

Credit: The YMCA where I spent my summers being a camp counselor

Sliced banana
Green beans
Chocolate cake
Mashed Potato!     (drop baby in between your knees)

Credit: Mel’s Desk Blog

Mix a pancake, stir a pancake,      (draw big circles on baby's tummy)
Pop it in the pan.                            ("pop" baby in your lap)
Fry the pancake,                             (rock baby)
Toss the pancake,                           (lift baby in the air!)
Catch it if you can!                         (give baby a big hug!)

Credit: Library Village Blog

This is a really popular bounce with the caregivers.  I decided to keep it again this month because it's great fun and the "ch ch ch ch ch ch" part is absolutely delightful.

I found this great song on Library Village.  I thought it would be fun to sing about tummies as the last verse and end the song with a tickle.
​
To the tune of Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush​

This is the way we wash our arms,
Wash our arms, wash our arms.
This is the way we wash our arms
When we're in the bathtub!

This is the way we wash our nose,
Wash our nose, wash our nose.
This is the way we wash our nose
When we're in the bathtub!

This is the way we wash our toes,
Wash our toes, wash our toes.
This is the way we wash our toes
When we're in the bathtub!

This is the way we wash our tummies,
Wash our tummies, wash our tummies.
This is the way we wash our tummies
When we're in the bathtub!  (tickle baby)

Credit: Library Village Blog

This song is great fun with scarves.  The babies think it's hillarious.