Trash Song Sung to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush". Consider placing shaker eggs or scarves on the floor for children and grown-ups to pick up during the song. Also provide a box or low bin where participants will place the collected items.
This is the way we pick up trash, pick up trash, pick up trash. This is the way we pick up the trash to help our planet Earth!
After Story Activities
Sensory Gel Bags Fill plastic zip-top bags with aloe gel and, if you like, food coloring. Tape the tops securely closed. Ask caregivers to help their babies and toddlers trace letters, numbers, or shapes with their fingers in the gel through the plastic.
Recycled Binoculars
The manual suggests letting the children assemble the binoculars themselves. I would recommend having the toilet paper tubes already attached and have the children decorate them with colors or stickers. Then they can practice using these "binoculars" to notice things in the library.
Play in the Dirt
Place soil trays and bins on tables or protected floor space. Hide objects in the soil for toddlers to discover. Provide shovels for digging and a variety of cups for scooping. If you have them, provide magnifying glasses for looking a little more closely at the contents of the soil. Talk about how the soil feels and what the children may find. You may include sand in one bin and soil in another for variety. But make sure your material doesn't contain fertilizer, as toddlers may taste it.
Digital Storytime: Kids, Apps and Libraries
The Public Library Development Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is proud to announce a new professional development course about the role of apps and devices in the lives of young children and their families. Digital Storytime: Kids, Apps, and Libraries is a FREE online tool designed for public library staff serving youth and other educators.
To access the course, go here. (https://media.dpi.wi.gov/pld/digital-storytime/story_html5.html)