Past Musical Monday Posts:

• Education Through Music
• The Song Experience Game
• Early Literacy in ETM
• Every Child Ready to Read and ETM
• Sing
• Play
• Talk
• Write
• ETM in Lapsit

Fall Tales for 2's & 3's

In the fall my themes were Marvelous Me, Fall, and Favorites.  These are the ETM songs that I incorporated into my Fall Tales for 2’s and 3’s storytime.

Sing with Me
Sing with me altogether
Sing with me altogether
Sing with me altogether
Won’t you be my darling?

Stomp with me altogether
Stomp with me altogether
Stomp with me altogether
Won’t you be my darling?

Twist with me altogether
Twist with me altogether
Twist with me altogether
Won’t you be my darling?

High Stepping Horses
High stepping horses
High stepping horses
High stepping horses
Go jiggety-jiggety-jog

Looby Loo
Here we go looby loo, here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo, all on a Saturday night

I put my nose in, I take my nose out
I give my nose a shake, shake, shake
and turn myself around

Here we go looby loo, here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo, all on a Saturday night

I put my arm in, I take my arm out
I give my arm a shake, shake, shake
And turn myself around

Here we go looby loo, here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo, all on a Saturday night

I put my tongue in, I take my tongue out
I give my tongue a shake, shake, shake
And turn myself around

Oats, Peas, Beans
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Nor you (point to the crowd)
Nor I (point to self)
Nor anyone knows (shrug)
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow

First the farmer (hold up index finger for 1st)
Sews the seed (pretend to scatter seeds)
Then he stands and takes his ease (stand with arms folded like you are relaxing)
He stamps his foot (stamp foot)
And claps his hands (clap hands)
And turns around (turn around)
To view the land (have hand above eyes like you are shielding your eyes from the sun)

Come Along and Walk with Me
Come along and walk with me
Come along and walk with me
We’ll walk and walk and walk and walk
So come along and walk with me

Come along and jump with me
Come along and jump with me
We’ll jump and jump and jump and jump
So come along and jump with me

Come along and twist with me
Come along and twist with me
We’ll twist and twist and twist and twist
So come along and twist with me

Come along and bend with me
Come along and bend with me
We’ll bend and bend and bend and bend
So come along and bend with me

*You can add in other actions like tickle, wiggle, hop, and creep

Spring Tales for 2's and 3's

In the Spring, my themes were love, farm, and favorites.  These are the ETM songs that I incorporated into my Spring Tales for 2’s and 3’s.

Come Along and Wave with Me
Come along and wave with me
Come along and wave with me
We’ll wave and wave
and wave and wave
So come along and wave with me

Come along and hug with me
Come along and hug with me
We’ll hug and hug
And hug and hug
So come along and hug with me

Come along and twist with me
Come along and twist with me
We’ll twist and twist
And twist and twist
So come along and twist with me

Come along and stretch with me
Come along and stretch with me
We’ll stretch and stretch
And stretch and stretch
So come along and stretch with me

Come along and wiggle with me
Come along and wiggle with me
We’ll wiggle and wiggle
And wiggle and wiggle
So come along and wiggle with me

Old MacDonald Had a Farm
I chose to sing and play Old MacDonald as a flannel.
I would hide the animal behind my back and have the kids guess what animal it was before the "grand reveal"

Clap Your Hands Duo, Duo
Clap your hands duo, duo
Clap your hands duo, duo
Clap your hands duo, duo
Shake those fingers down

Wiggle your hands duo, duo
Wiggle your hands duo, duo
Wiggle your hands duo, duo
Shake those fingers down

Stomp your feet duo, duo
Stomp your feet duo, duo
Stomp your feet duo, duo
Shake those fingers down

Tap your knees duo, duo
Tap your knees duo, duo
Tap your knees duo, duo
Shake those fingers down

Rub your tummy duo, duo
Rub your tummy duo, duo
Rub your tummy duo, duo
Shake those fingers down

Looby Loo
Here we go looby loo, here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo, all on a Saturday night

I put my elbow in, I take my elbow out
I give my elbow a shake, shake, shake
and turn myself around

Here we go looby loo, here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo, all on a Saturday night

I put my belly in, I take my belly out
I give my belly a shake, shake, shake
and turn myself around

Here we go looby loo, here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo, all on a Saturday night

I put my bottom in, I take my bottom out
I give my bottom a shake, shake, shake
and turn myself around

Here we go looby loo, here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo, all on a Saturday night

Booklist

​Last year I put together a booklist for the ETM literacy team and conference participants.  I initially used Google Docs.  I was happy with having an electronic list of books that can be used to extend the play of an SEG.  This semester, I decided that I wanted to create an updated version of the list as part of my final project for my independent study of ETM.

I examined various curation platforms before I finally settled on Pearltrees.  I liked that it wasn’t as busy as Pinterest and that I could create collections for various SEGs.

This booklist is a “living document” so I will continue to add titles to the list. I hope that this will be a valuable resource to the ETM literacy team and the conference participants this summer.

In the children’s library world, the decision to use a theme or not use a storytime theme is akin to deciding which is the superior beverage- Coke or Pepsi.  As someone who is not a consumer of dark carbonated drinks, I do not have a preference in regards to the Coke/Pepsi debate.  Now, if we were to debate what the most superior holiday candy is, I will 100% root for Cadbury Eggs (particularly the hard shell mini ones).

I digress.  

What I am trying to say is that there are two camps of thought in the children’s library world: YES - themes and NO - themes.   I see the value of using themes, but I also know the importance of selecting books, songs, bounces, and tickles that are delightful, rich in language, and that build early literacy skills.  I love a good theme - unicorn storytime?  Yes, please!  I also love using books, songs, and tickles that do not center around a specific topic.  

Sometimes, I have a deep rooted feeling that I must do this particular theme because I think that my storytime crowd will love it.  Other times I have a gut feeling that I should use specific books, songs, and bounces because I feel that my storytime crowd will delight in them.

​When it comes to ETM in storytime, I use ETM SEGs all of the time.  If they fit the theme, I consider it to be a bonus.  If not, that is perfectly fine too.  I want to try and repeat some of the SEGs as much as possible because repetition is great for the kiddos and repetition empowers caregivers to try it at home.

I have three storytime tenets when planning a storytime:

• I will use books, songs, bounces, tickles, etc. that I love
• I will use developmentally appropriate materials
• I will empower caregivers to use storytime materials (i.e., songs, bounces, books, etc.) at home

From there, I decide:

• Theme? yes/no
• Books
• ETM songs
• Additional songs, bounces, tickles, etc.

For the purpose of this post we are not going to focus on one particular storytime theme.  These are songs and bounces that can fit into any storytime.
​

​When someone calls you by name and pronounces your name correctly, it’s a nice warm and fuzzy feeling.  Being called by our name makes us feel seen.  Our names are one of the first words that we learn to recognize, spell, and write.  Names are very important in ETM.  

In the digital age we live in, human connection and social interaction are becoming even more important and valuable.  A big piece of ETM is building regard.  The facilitator is responsible for creating a welcoming and safe atmosphere - a place full of warm fuzzies.  

One of the best ways to fill a room with warm fuzzies is to sing a name song.  I focused on name songs in lapsit because I wanted to learn the names of the babies that were attending my storytime.  I also wanted the caregivers to learn who was who so that they could connect with one another during playtime.

As everyone came into the room, I had a table with laminated hearts (with velcro on the back) and dry erase markers.  Caregivers wrote baby’s name on the heart and the caregiver (or baby) put the heart on the flannel board.  It was a great way to put names to faces, to count how many participants were in my storytime, and also gave the babies ownership of something in storytime (during playtime they loved to take their name heart and walk around with it).

The song that I chose to use was “Oh, I Know” which is to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell.”  I would find one of the names on the flannelboard and say “where is James sitting today?” and James’s caregiver would raise their hand.  Then we would sing and wave “Oh, I know James.  Oh, I know James (finger cheer in the air).  Hi-ho the derry-o!  We all know James.  We would repeat this process until we sang about every baby.  The smiles, gurgles, and coos in response to their name being sung was something to behold. 

​For young children, making self-made symbols (i.e., “scribble/refrigerator art”) is the first step in the process of learning how to write.  The symbols that young children make are pretty fluid.  One day the “scribble” can represent Doug, the dog and the next day the “scribble” can represent a superhero platypus eating a can of beans.  

In ETM, song mapping allows children to make their own self-made symbol to represent an SEG.  For song mapping to be beneficial in the development of pre-writing skills, it is crucial that children have internalized the SEG before mapping.  There are a few ways to tell if a child has internalized the song: they can sing and play the song on their own, they begin to play with the language of the song, or they can identify the song when presented with a series of movements, pictures, or clapped rhythms that represent the song.  

An excellent example of internalization is the SEG that I like to use in my Tales for 2’s and 3’s storytime.  I have been using Come Along and Wave with Me for the whole storytime cycle (spring and fall - so about 24 weeks).  We have been doing the same movements in the same order.  If I were to walk into my Tales storytime next week and say “guess my song” then proceeded to do the motions of our hello song - wave, hug, twist, stretch, and wiggle without singing any of the words, the children who have been coming to my storytime every week will likely know that it is our hello song.

​Let’s pretend that I’ve been facilitating preschool storytime.  We’ve been singing and playing the song "Fly Away Little Birdie" every single week.  I notice the kids are playing it out in the play area after storytime.  The following week, we play "Fly Away Little Birdie" again, and I have them follow along as we “draw” the song in the air our fingers.  We will not “draw” the entire song.  Instead, we will “draw” short phrases like “Fly away little birdie” or “way up in the sky.”  After three or four weeks of having the kiddos mirror my movements when we chunk the song, I will notice the way that a child has chosen to “draw” the song and we will mirror that child’s movements.

Since most storytime sessions are between 10-14 weeks, that will be as far as we get with mapping and that is perfectly okay.

When you think about it, all songs tell a story.  Music is just another form of communication. Basically, music and communication go together like unicorns and rainbows.

Think of a conversation that you recently had with a friend.  Think about the way that you conveyed what you had to say to your friend.  Did you use facial expressions? Did you use your hands?

When we communicate, even if we are aware of it or not, we like to move when we speak.  Movement is an essential function. Think of movement as coffee for your brain - it helps you think.  In order for us to communicate our thoughts coherently, we employ our entire body in the process of conveying our message.  We use our voice, eyes, ears, hands, and brain! This is particularly important for children because they are still new here and they are learning how to communicate.  In her book Aesthetic Foundations of Thinking, Mary Helen Richards says “children are drawn to move when they are speaking in order to say what they mean and to develop their understanding more thoroughly.”

Talking plays a HUGE role in the acquisition of early literacy skills.  If adults do not talk to children, then they do not have the words to communicate, and if children cannot communicate then they cannot read and write!  We want to encourage talking in storytime by asking questions - “what do you think will happen next?”, “what color is the cat?”, “how are you today?” In smaller storytime groups, we can also provide children with the opportunity to explain something or to share a story of their own.  

In addition to talking, singing is an excellent way to boost a child’s language development.  Mary Helen Richards said it best “song, (is the) godmother of communication and the godchild of language.” When it comes to language development in children, ETM SEG’s are a triple threat - there is language, movement, and experience.  When children participate in the playing of a SEG, they also have the added benefits of practicing social skills and communication. Basically, SEGs are the vitamins of early literacy!

​I have never understood why the word “play” is considered a four letter word.  I have learned that play is vital to the development and education of children, but our society deems play as “a waste of time.”  We have a system in place that wishes to rush children through childhood rather than protecting their right to play. 

We forget that play helps children explore and experience the world around them.  Play leads to imagination, creativity, and innovation - a cardboard box becomes a robot companion that goes on adventures, a stick becomes a wizard’s wand, a hula hoop becomes a portal to a new world.  Cultivating imagination in the post-modern child just may lead to discoveries that will propel our society forward - a dryer that dries AND folds clothes, flying cars, a safe and renewable energy source, or the cure to cancer.

​Libraries are encouraging play by providing toys and games in their children’s departments. Children’s departments in libraries aren’t bastions of solitude and silence anymore.  They are full of singing, talking, exploring, and playing.  Caregivers are playing “dinosaurs” with their children, children are giving impromptu puppet shows, or families are sitting down to play a board game together.  

Playing has also been extended into library programming. Librarians are creating and facilitating programming that encourages imagination and play.   Librarians are also incorporating playtime into our age-specific storytimes.  

Librarians are making play the norm and I am 200% here for it.

Mary Helen Richards defined playgrounds as something “full of wonderful things for the child to use, build with, manipulate, take apart, and put back together,”  

In ETM, the Song Experience Game (SEG) is very much like a playground or children’s department. 

Benefits of playing through the use of a SEG:

• Children are having a shared experience with friends
• Exploration and creativity is encouraged
• Children learn how to navigate their surroundings (spatial awareness)
• Children work on social interaction and communication 

When I get to experience the singing and playing of ETM SEGs, I find that I am happier, more engaged, and I am more regardful of others.  If I can experience those benefits as a 33-year old, can you imagine the benefits for a 3 year old?  

For children, the play state has a slew of benefits:

• They are actively engaged - they are 100% in it to win it
• They are experiencing enjoyment and a genuine pleasure from the activity
• There is (playful) structure and routine which provides children with a sense of safety, but also encourages them to take risks.  
• Increased motivation
• Stronger language skills and symbolic thinking

When I facilitated Lapsit, I liked to tack on 10-15 minute playtime at the end.  It provided babies with an opportunity to explore our various age appropriate toys and caregivers with an opportunity to socialize and share stories.  During this time, I like to talk with the caregivers and play with the babies.  Aside from the total complete joy of getting to interact with a baby, I also had an opportunity to foster relationships with the caregivers.  

In my years of study of ETM, I realized how important it is to allow yourself to be a little vulnerable and be completely silly because it shows children that this is a safe space to explore, play, and imagine.  This session of Tales for 2s and 3s, I used an ETM favorite that I adapted “Come Along and Walk with Me” as our hello song.  Each week we sing “Come Along and Wave with Me”.  The last action that we do is “come along and wiggle with me.”  Every week when it is time to wiggle, the kids all look at me expectantly because they know that this is the part where Ms. Nicole gets super dooper silly.  Every week they laugh and wiggle along with me.  Every week, we play.

My goal as a librarian is to make play the norm in storytime.  Whether it is through using a SEG, reading an interactive picture book, playing a guessing game on the flannel board, or adding on some time for children to play at the end of storytime.  I want caregivers and children to know that play is a far more effective learning tool than flashcards, apps, and standardized testing will ever be.  Play is part of the human experience.  It allows us to create, marvel, and engage with one another.