What can you do with your fingers and toes? Join us for a wiggle-tastic week!
#READ – Toesy Toes by Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang
Use your library card or apply for an ecard here to access our digital library!
Toes have long had their place in songs, where they head off to market and enjoy roast beef, but they have been overlooked and underrepresented in children's books. That's all about to change with this rhyming board book featuring piggledy-wiggled digits in all their delightful glory. Toesy Toes head to the beach, jump around, take a bath, and delight in being one of a baby's most adorable parts. Sarah Tsiang's clever couplets will have little ones reaching for this book come storytime, perhaps even with their toes.
Increase pre-literacy skills as you read together:
- Describe to your little ones what is happening in the images, or let them describe them to you if they can, e.g.:
- Splishy-splashy toes are getting wet.
- Beachy-breezy toes are sandy, like the beach.
- Sudsy-wudsy toes are covered in soap suds.
- Act out some parts of the story, e.g.:
- Have your little one lightly squeeze each toe and try to count them, or lightly squeeze your little ones toes for them while counting.
- Have your little one wiggle their piggledy-wiggledy toes or help them by wiggling some of their toes.
- Have your little one bounce up and down or gently bounce them up and down on your lap.
- Tickle your little ones prickly-tickly toes.
- Sound out the rhyming words so your little ones can hear the similarity. If they are able to, have them repeat the words with you (sunny-funny, piggledy-wiggledy, pouncy-bouncy, sudsy-wudsy, etc.)
#SING – My Fingers are Starting to Wiggle
My body is starting to wiggle,
My body is starting to wiggle,
My body is starting to wiggle,
I’ve got wiggles all over me!
My legs are starting to wiggle,
My legs are starting to wiggle,
My legs are starting to wiggle,
I’ve got wiggles all over me!
My arms are starting to wiggle,
My arms are starting to wiggle,
My arms are starting to wiggle,
I’ve got wiggles all over me!
My hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
I’ve got wiggles all over me!
My fingers are starting to wiggle,
My fingers are starting to wiggle,
My fingers are starting to wiggle,
I’ve got wiggles all over me!
#EXPLORE – Playclay Handprint
Fingers are for making! As you make this dough with your little ones, let them help measure and mix the ingredients too!
Materials:
- 4 cups of flour
- 1 cup of salt
- 1 ¾ cups of warm water
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
Instructions for Dough:
- Mix the flour (4 cups), salt (1 cup), and water (1 ¾ cups) together in the bowl.
- After it begins to combine, knead it by hand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- To save your dough creations, either let them air-dry for several days or bake them on a cookie sheet at 325 °F for about one hour (or 30 minutes per ¼ inch of thickness of the creation).
Ideas for Play:
- Split the dough into 2 halves.
- With one half: Play with the dough as your little one pleases. Knead it, squish it, create sculptures, press objects into it and remove them to see the imprint, cut shapes out with cookie cutters.
- With the other half: Roll the dough into a circle and squish it down to flatten it. Place your little ones hand into the dough and press down to create an imprint.
For more activities like this one, check out First Art for Toddlers and Twos: Open-ended Art Experiences.
#JOIN – Join us for storytime virtually or at branches!
Pop-Up Storytime
Join us for a storytime either outside of our library or in the community! Your child loves singing, dancing, playing and reading! Gather them around for a storytime they won’t forget featuring Ten Little Toes, Two Small Feet by Kristy Dempsey and Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz.
- Pablo Creek Branch
- Monday, September 27– 10:00 am
- Highlands Branch
- Tuesday, September 28– 10:00 am
- Island at Jarboe Park
- Wednesday, September 29– 10:00 am
- West Branch
- Wednesday, September 29– 10:00 am
- South Mandarin Branch
- Thursday, September 30– 10:00 am
- Mandarin Branch
- Friday, October 1– 10:00 am
Virtual Little Movers & Shakers
Let’s get the wiggles out! This music-based program is for children from birth to pre-k and their families. Through books, songs, and movement activities we will build pre-literacy skills. Get moving with Who Has Wiggle-Waggle Toes by Vicky Shiefman and This Little Piggy by Tim Harrington.
