Rhymes to Share with Little Ones

Rhymes are a regular part of storytime for children. Children naturally play with language through rhyming and songs. This is an important part of language development and helps build their phonological awareness. Phonological awareness, or the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds of words, is a critical skill children need to get ready to read. To develop this skill, parents and caregivers can share music, poetry, and books with rhyming language in them. It also helps to learn a small assortment of rhymes to share with children throughout the day. Share a lively one during playtime, a soft quiet lap rhyme at bedtime, or a silly one during a car ride to pass the time. Some favorite rhymes include:

A B C
Big A, little a,
Bouncing B!
The cat’s in the cupboard,
And can’t see me.

BANBURY CROSS
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see an old lady upon a white horse.
Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.

DANCE TO YOUR DADDY
Dance to your daddy,
My little laddy.
Dance to your daddy,
My little lamb.
You shall have a fishy,
In a little dishy.
You shall have a fishy
When the boat comes in.

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK
Hickory dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down.
Hickory, dickory dock.

JACK BE NIMBLE
Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jump over the candlestick!

MISS MARY MACK
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,
All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For 50 cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high --
They reached the sky, sky, sky,
And didn't come back, back, back
'Til the 4th of July, -ly, -ly!

THE MOON
The Moon is round
As round as can be
With two eyes, a nose,
and a mouth, like me!

RIDE AWAY, RIDE AWAY
Ride away, ride away,
Johnny shall ride,
And he shall have pussy-cat
Tied to one side;
And he shall have little dog
Tied to the other,
And Johnny shall ride
To see his grandmother.

WEE WILLIE WINKIE
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs, in his nightgown;
Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,
“Are the children in their beds?
For now it’s eight o’clock.”

Looking for Child Care?

If you're searching for child care for your child, did you know that Linn-Benton Community College's Family Connections department provides free referrals tailored to your family's situation and needs? Family Connections also provides information on what to consider when searching for child care for your children. For more information, call Family Connections at (541)917-4899 to check out this community resource. Or visit them online.

Pick of the Week: Old Bear

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books, 2008)

What a splendid book! This is one of my absolute favorite books I've encountered so far this year. Kevin Henkes gorgeous full-bleed illustrations set the tone for a journey through the seasons. The old bear curls up for hibernation during the winter and takes the reader along with him through his dream of the changing seasons. As spring progresses to summer then fall, winter and back to spring again, the full-page illustrations are saturated in seasonal hues. Even the text shares in the colorful celebration of the season. As the old bear awakes from hibernation, he wonders, "Could it be true? Is it really spring?" The reader will share in the old bear's pure delight in finding that yes, spring has finally come!

School Days

September means the transition back to earlier bedtimes, stricter routines, the end of summer and the beginning of school for many children. A few new books that center on the subject of school are featured below:

Jake Starts School by Michael Wright (Feiwel and Friends, 2008)

No one can pry a frightened Jake away from his parents on the first day of school, and so the three must watch as his classmates have fun until, at the end of the day, his teacher finally gets him to let go.






The New Bear at School by Carrie Weston, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Scholastic, 2008)

When a new bear comes to school, all the other animals are afraid of him until he saves them from the Rat Pack bullies.







Panda Goes to School by Tara Jaye Morrow, illustrated by Aaron Boyd (Sterling, 2007)

Panda is nervous about his first day of school, but his mother and new teacher help him to adjust and enjoy the experience.

Pick of the Week: The House in the Night

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008)

I love this book! Beth Krommes' black and white scratchboard illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the simple text. The reader is taken on a nighttime journey from home up into the sky to the moon and back again. The text and illustrations work so well together it's hard to imagine one without the other. The illustrations bring a calm, gorgeous light into the nighttime scenes and bring the reader a visual bedtime lullaby. A real treat for bedtime storytime!

Strengthening Families: Youth 10 – 14

Parenting an older child as well?

The Strengthening Families program has an opportunity for families with children ages 10-14 coming up. Details are below:

Strengthening Families: Youth 10 – 14

Join other parents and their youth for this award winning program to promote your child’s positive peer relationships and develop a cooperative parent-child relationship. Dinner provided. On-site child care available for children under 10 years of age.

Cost: Free

Length: 7 weeks

Sweet Home

Begins 9/23, Tuesdays

Location: Sweet Home Junior High, 880 – 22^nd Ave.

5:30 dinner, 6:00 – 8:00 class

To register call the LBCC Sweet Home Center at 541-367-6901

Albany

Dates: TBA

Location: TBA

5:30 dinner, 6:00 – 8:00 class

To register call LBCC at 541-917-4897.

Corvallis

Begins 10/7, Tuesdays

Location: Lincoln School, 110 SE Alexander Ave.

5:15 dinner, 5:45 – 7:45 class

To register call Lincoln School at 541-757-5955.

Philomath

Begins 10/7, Tuesdays

Instructors: Phoenix Ries, Jodi Warne, Bob Boss

Location: Philomath Middle School, 2021 Chapel Dr.

5:30 dinner, 6:00 – 8:00 class

To register call the Rural Parenting Initiative at 929-2535

For more information about the Strengthening Families program contact Jerri Wolfe, jerri.wolfe@linnbenton.edu

Pick of the Week: My Baby & Me

My Baby & Me by Lynn Reiser and Penny Gentieu (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008)

What can a little baby do? Maybe not everything their older brother or sister can do, but they can do plenty! This is a great book for sharing with either babies or toddlers. They'll each get something different out of the book - whether they identify with the baby or the older sibling in each layout. Lynn Reiser's rhyming text and Penny Gentieu's fabulous photographs are the perfect match for a picture book to share with the very youngest of children. Great for one on one or even group storytime sharing!