DANCING BABIES is a family event for "the Five and Under" crowd.
Gari Stein will lead the program Saturday morning, January 14, 2012, at the Pittsfield Branch Library. Young "Twinkle Toes" families are invited to "Polish and Shine" muscles and voices at this popular Preschool Music and Motion Program. The program will begin at 11:00 am and end by 11:45 am.
It has the makings for one Happy Day!

Denise Owens, affiliated with KinderMusik, will lead "JUST! Babies" and their adults in a program of rhythm, music and motion.

This program is for our youngest audience. If you are 1-18 months old and need to get your parents out of the house, come to TRAVERWOOD Branch Library on Friday, July 15, 2011.

This program will run between 6:30 pm and 7:10 pm. No registration is required.
Wear your best onesies, and get ready to roll, rock, clap and kick.

Books for babies provide rich word activity for astonishingly fast-growing baby brains.
The richest experience is between the Baby and an attentive person.
Books offer words and ideas for sharing calm comfy moments.
Here are 3 favorite winter books:
One Mitten is a winter snow story with a game … find the mitten in every picture while the story shows what you can do with one mitten.
Mouse's First Snow provides zippy twirly action sounds for each snowy activity.
Polar Bear Night follows baby polar bear through an arctic night-time trek.

Looking for more ideas to entertain yourself and your baby/toddler?
Flip through some of the following books, and find things that will work for you:
Baby Games
Start Smart
Baby’s First Skills
From Crib To Kindergarten
The Secret Of Play
Raising Your Child Well
It's surprising how many are simple "tried and true" activities for generations, and we just forgot.
Enjoy!

Here are Books and Songs about "Things That GO" so you can take Baby PlayGroup activities home with you.
Journey Home From Grandpa's is a "Kit" which has a book of colorful pictures, with words to the song, and a CD of Fred Penner singing the song.
Honk Honk Rattle Rattle is a CD full of "vehicle" songs sung by Richele Bartkowiak. Find more of her theme-based CDs and find your favorite songs to sing.
Clang Clang Beep Beep: Listen To The City helps you make the sounds you hear in the city.
Books by Byron Barton are classics for bright, bold pictures and beginning concepts, to include My Car, Trains, Airport, and Machines At Work.
Or ... take home a Stories To Go bag on a theme of your choice like Transportation.
Then read Good Night Engines before you go to sleep.
HONK Honk, BEEP, Beep !!

Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed are in Baby PlayGroup this week @ Malletts Creek. You can find more "monkey business" in these titles:
Eileen Christelow's other "five little monkey ... " books.
Those monkeys are jumping in Spanish too Cinco monitos brincando en la cama.
Little Gorilla who grows up to have his first birthday and "everybody loves him!"
The timeless classic Caps For Sale about the monkeys who steal the peddler's caps.
Monkey, Monkey, Monkey wants to find some monkey-monkey- monkey nuts in the jungle.

Baby PlayGroups and Preschool Storytimes start up this week throughout the Library system. They will run for 7 weeks in a row, or through the end of April.

Toddlers who have been in Baby PlayGroups, and are aging over 2 years old, are invited to join Preschool Storytimes next. Don't worry .... you will find other babies and toddlers (they are "the younger-siblings") and still enjoy the programs too.

Monica Higman will lead DANCING BABIES at the Malletts Creek Branch Library on Sunday February 14, 2010, ... Valentine's Day! Consider it a Valentine's Dance for families with children under 5 years old. Join us for Heartfelt fun from 1:00 to 1:40 pm.

It's snowing and the snowsuits are out. When you come back inside, and warm up, review the play with these books for very young children:
Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson
Carl's Snowy Afternoon by Alexandra Day
Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
In The Snow by Huy Voun Lee
or ... choose from many other "snowy" titles in the online Catalog.

This Little Piggy:Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games and Pantomime Rhymes
is a book full of activities and rhymes to play with your toddler or baby.
Books are a wonderful way to share with your child, while they are in your lap.
For fingerplays, AND toddler activities, to entertain little ones around the house,
visit the following websites:
National Network For Childcare Plus
Gayle's Preschool Rainbow