Baby Lapsit 11-21-17: Autumn

I tend to repeat songs from week to week in storytime, especially when I do the same age group for weeks or months in a row. It does help brain development and lets them expect patterns and schedules, but it can get repetitive for a regular reader of my blog. That being said, I feel like there is use in repetition as well; these posts are based off my lesson plans, and might be helpful to you if you are a homeschooling or stay-at-home parent, if you run a daycare or preschool class, or if you are new to library storytime and need some ideas.

So without further ado, here is our semi-fall theme Baby Lapsit for today.

First, as always, we said hello, warmed up our motor skills, and did some stretching. 

The first story we read was Fall is Here! by Frankie Jones. This book doesn't really have a plot, but it's full of cute vignettes of a puppy experiencing the joys of autumn.

Our lap bounce portion began, as always, with "Bumpy Road." Grownups are instructed to seat their baby facing forward on their laps and bounce along with me as I demonstrate with a roughly baby-sized teddy bear. Here is the chant:

Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Smooth road, smooth road. (Move baby smoothly back and forth)
Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Smooth road, smooth road. (Move baby smoothly back and forth)
Rough road, rough road! (Bounce baby higher than before)
Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Rough road, rough road! (Bounce baby higher than before)
Hole! (Hold baby under armpits and let them fall between your legs)

The unofficial theme of our lap bounce music today was food. First we did "Pop Goes the Weasel" (mulberries), where grownups are encouraged to lift their baby up high at the ending POP. 

Next we pretended to be popcorn with Raffi, which I always like to play twice through because it's so short. Plus, the sizzle-sizzle-sizzle anticipation before the big dramatic POP always gets babies laughing. 

Finally, we finished up with "Milkshake," one of my all-time favorite storytime crowd pleasers. Here is the version of the song I use, followed by an a capella version by Jbrary.

Sticking with the fall theme, our second board book of the day was This Little Turkey by Aly Fronis. A variation on "This Little Piggy," I like this one for its jaunty rhythms and jauntier art.

Our last gesture/movement song was, once again, "One, Two Hands" by Laurie Berkner. Body part identification is one of the most important early learning skills, and I love this song to start kids learning the names of their facial features, hands, legs, and feet. 

After that, we said goodbye until next time!