Whales, Tales and Sails!

"Play by  me, bathe in me, mother and child."
from The Water Babies by Warwick Goble, 1909

I am delighted to share that I will be leading the Whales, Tales and Sails program at the New Bedford Whaling Historic Park again, every Friday beginning October 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for eight weeks. The park hopes to secure additional funding for the program so it may continue through the winter. Check their website for upcoming details.

This is a lapsit program for the younger children. There will be songs, stories both read and told, fingerplays, puppets, crafts and snacks. And yes, it is all free! There will be a theme each week beginning with, of course, Whales and the Ocean!  Every storyteller needs some snappy songs, rhymes and fingerplays in their bag of tricks so I have gathered some below for your use.

Here is one of the cute fingeplays I will use during the program:

I Walked to the Beach

I walked to the beach, (Swing arms and walk in place)

And what did I see? (Put hands over eyes, looking)

A lot of little fish, (Place hands together, wiggle)

Looking at me! (Point to self)

I jumped into the water, (Jump)

And splashed all around. (Put palms down; make splashing motions.)

The fish swam away, (Place hands together; wiggle)

And didn't make a sound! (Put fingers to lips)

Below is the good-bye poem I found. We end with each day it helps the little ones learn the names of their body parts while they have fun following along  as I point to my nose, toes, etc.

Good-bye Poem

On my face I have a nose,

And way down here I have ten toes.

I have two eyes that I can blink.

I have a head to help me think.

I have a chin and very near,

I have two ears to help me hear.

I have a mouth with which to speak,

An when I run I use my feet.

I have two arms to hold up high,

And here's a hand to wave GOODBYE!

Take Home Tips for Parents from The Center for Children’s Books.

During Programs

• Relax! Enjoy this special time with your infant.
• Don't worry if you don't know the song or rhymes - they will be repeated many times for you to join along and learn.
• Be sure to join in and sing along with the songs, rhymes and move your baby with the actions.
• Talk to your baby and identify various things from the stories, songs, and rhymes - Where are baby's toes? What does the duck say?
• Your baby may not appear to be actively participating, but she learns a great deal though her senses and is very much aware of sounds, touch, taste, and sight that are happening during the program.
• Feel free to take books and handouts after programs to use at home with your baby.

At Home and Every Day

• You are the best teacher for your baby as she gets ready for learning to read.
• Incorporate rhymes and songs into your daily routine: diaper changes, bathtime, mealtime, cartime, playtime, bedtime!!
• Pick the best time when both you and your baby are in the mood to share books.
• Share throughout the book - point to pictures and talk in an excited voice, name objects, colors; count.
• Relax - let him play with the book, turn pages, chew. (that's what board books are for!)
• Cuddles and love while sharing books- this is a special bonding time for you and your baby .
• Share books with musical qualities - repetition, rhymes and bouncing.
• If your baby loses interest, just come back and try at a different time.
• SHARE BOOKS EVERYDAY - it's important even if only for a few minutes.http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/Projects/storytelling/piel/babies_takehome.html

Below are three blog posts with resources from some of my previous lapsit programs.

Birds, Bees and Butterflies

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/04/birds-bees-and-butterflies.html

Five Speckled Frogs

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/04/five-speckled-frogs-and-so-much-more.html

Let’s Swim with the Fishes
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/05/lets-swim-with-fishes.html

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Alphabet Soup.net – Songs, poems and fingerplays to complement many themes.
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/me/mesong.html
 

Children's Center for Books - If you are interested in starting a lapsit program in your area, there are helpful resources listed here with a number of suggested books and programming resources.
http://tinyurl.com/9u57ehj

Good Morning Songs
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems68.html

Good-Bye Songs
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems92.html

Kidsspace – Printable books with rhymes and fingerplays from the Toronto Public Library.
http://tinyurl.com/8jb6bvf 

You Are What You Read – Printable booklet form the Chicago Public Library. While some of the information is for older children, there are also rhymes, songs and more for the wee ones.
http://tinyurl.com/9evv7ub 

** Storytime Katie – This is one of my favorite storytime resources. Katie is a librarian and she shares her amazing knowledge with programs, all categorized by theme. If you are a preschool teacher, storyteller or parent, this is one site to bookmark!
http://storytimekatie.com/songs-rhymes/master-list/

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.