An Introduction to Coco and Let's Get Wild

I promised last time that I would introduce y'all to Coco the Storytime Bear. Coco has been the opening act during storytime at the Coventry Village Library for around ten years. He has his own theme songs and loads of adoring two year old fans.  Here's a head shot of the Old Bear himself:

Puppets are a fantastic way to open your storytime routine. They give children something to look forward to each week and have a magical way of making them feel safe and secure in a new environment. Hive fives all around!

The storytime theme this week was "Let's Get Wild!". I was inspired by a fantastic new book, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.



Mr. Tiger is tired of living a grey and proper life and decides to shake things up a bit. The full page illustrations are really what make it a gem.

SONG: Silly Dance Contest - Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song

Itsy-Bitsy Animals by Margaret Wild and Jan Ormerod.

My storytime is a family storytime not geared toward a specific age group so the median age fluctuates throughout the year. Since we're into October, my four and five year olds that were here all summer have started preschool or kindergarten and the group is fairly young, rendering shorter attention spans. Itsy-Bitsy Animals is on the shorter side with very cute illustrations of baby animals. Used in storytime, you can make it interactive by asking the children what the animals "say" or how many of each animal there are. Asking for participation is an easy way of keeping the children interested in the book. This is also a sweet bedtime story for home, as the animals snuggle up to go to sleep in the end.

SONG: Five Little Monkeys - Bouncy Blue by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael

ACTION RHYME: We Can...
We can jump, jump, jump,
We can hop, hop, hop,
We can clap, clap, clap,
We can stomp, stomp, stomp,
We can shake our heads for yes,
We can shake our heads for no,
We bend our knees a little bit,
And sit down slow.

We read a classic to wrap everything up. Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. is full of colorful illustrations by Eric Carle and a cadence that just invites shaker-eggs or clapping or lap-patting. Using rhythm while reading helps build core early literacy skills that are essential building blocks for developing language and learning to read. More high fives! And for your viewing pleasure here is an adorable dad reading to baby...

One of the best, best, best things you can do is read to a child often and much. It's just as good for you as it is for them, I promise.

Here's some more info on that rhythm and rhyming stuff: Toddler Rhymes and Rhythm

Happy Day!