Baby Storyhour

I loved doing a storytime about babies for BIG KIDS like two-year-olds. And you can always throw baby animals into the mix for variety. I like Farm Animals, Watch Me Grow at 636 pets.

Game: Intro: I had a four sets of animals and their babies pinned to the clothesline. The lion was with her cub, but the others were all mixed up. I asked the kids to help me straighten them out. Is this right? Is this right?

Books 

• Potty Time by Guida van Genechten (Yes! Everyone poops! and it's so funny!) Pause and solicit the "Do zebras have potties?" to get that "Nooo!" from the kids. They'll think it's funnier.
• King Baby by Kate Beaton.  Must try, toooo funny. More for the moms than the kids, but they thought it was funny too.
• The Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz. Kids all sang along.
• Royal Superbaby by O'Malley. Every year I think this bunch is going to be much too young for this story, and every year I look up from reading it to see them listening with jaws dropped.  This is a story kids really want to hear, weird though it is to us grown-ups.
• Rock-a-Bye Romp by Linda Ashman.  A near perfect readaloud. First we sang Rockabye Baby, and the moms gave a little sigh of disapproval afterward. Then we read the book. All thoroughly enjoyed. I do love the Moon's appearance at the end.
• Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton
• Baby Says "Moo!" by JoAnn Early Macken. I had puppets for all the animals, so I distributed them among the sitters in front.  Then as I read the book, I approached each child and interacted with them. 
• Baby Danced the Polka BB by Karen Beaumont
• Didn't get to: Quickie: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox. I like to remind the kids that when they were all born (Yes! They were born!), the first thing their doctors and nurses and moms and dads did was count all their fingers and toes. So how many fingers and toes do they have? They were born with then fingers and toes, and they still have that many, just like the babies in this book!
• Hello Baby! by Mem Fox.  Animal babies
• Mommy, Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera. I like this one so much because it talks about how each mom carries her baby.  "Would you like to sit in your mother's mouth?" etc.
• Maybe: Avocado Baby by John Burningham. The Hargraves are a bunch of weaklings, and at first, their baby is too.  But the children get the idea of feeding their new baby avocado, and in no time he is moving furniture, chasing burglars, and throwing bullies in the nearest pond. For avocado eaters everywhere. Pull it out: ahhhh-voe-caaaahh-doe.

• Ninja Baby by David Zeltser.  Shorten
• Before You Were Big by Jennifer Davis. 

Songs Background: Any lullaby CD

• Over in the Meadow
• Mama's little baby loves bouncing, bouncing (to Shortnin' Bread). 2nd chorus, wiggling.
• 5 little babies rocking in a tree

4 little babies blowing kisses at me.

3 little babies knocking at the door.

2 little babies crawling on the floor.

1 little baby playing hide and seek. Keep your eyes closed now, till I say PEEK!

• Bringing Home a Baby Dinosaur

(sung to I'm Bringing Home a Bumblebee)

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee
Whoops! It stung me!! 
I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur

Won't my mommy hide behind the door?

I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur

Whoa! He's heavy!

I'm bringing home a baby grizzly bear.

Won't my mommy pull out all her hair
I'm bringing home a baby grizzly bear?

I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur

Big Bear Hug!

I'm bringing home a baby kitty cat

Feeding him will make my mommy poor.

Won't my Mommy give him gentle pats.
I'm bringing home a baby kitty cat.
Ooooh, he's gone to sleep.

• Let's make one thing perfectly clear: The babies on my Wheels on the Bus do not go waa-waa-waah. They play peekaboo. I hope yours do too.

Craft

Mobiles

Baby Oil Suncatcher

I know, I know, incredibly dorky, huh?  But the kids get into polka dotting, and everyone smells like baby oil instead of poster paint for a change.

Materials:  Construction paper shapes (I just cut up some scrap pieces in odd geometrics and odd colors); baby oil in VERY small cups, Q-tips, washi tape, and straws.

Washi tape made this a VERY simple craft.