TREASURE CHEST KIT #2:
THE WORLD OF BABIES

This Reading Adventure Treasure Chest Kit has been assembled to provide a thematic list of storytime materials for use by enhanced members and their patrons. The kit is geared toward the preschool age group yet is flexible enough to capture the interest of toddlers and early school age children. The Activity Ideas are designed to be aids to use the materials listed in the kits..

If you would like more information concerning this project, contact SERLS via e-mail at dirserls@oplin.org

Material Type	Title	Author
BOOK	101 Things To Do With A Baby	JAN ORMEROD
BOOK	Arthur Babysits	MARC BROWN
BOOK	Arthur's Chicken Pox	MARC BROWN
BOOK	Baby Animals: Eyeopeners	ANGELA ROYSTON
BOOK	A Baby Sister For Frances	RUSSELL HOBAN
BOOK	The Baby Zoo	BRUCE McMILLAN
BOOK	Baby-O	NANCY WHITE CARLSTROM
BOOK	Big Like Me	ANNA GROSSNICKLE HINES
BOOK	Catch The Baby!	LEE KINGMAN
BOOK	The Circus Baby	MAUD and MISKA PETERSHAM
BOOK	Darcy And Gran Don't Like Babies	JANE CUTLER
BOOK	Julius, The Baby Of The World	KEVIN HENKES
BOOK	Love You Forever	ROBERT MUNSCH
BOOK	Moompa, Toby, And Bomp	ANNA GROSSNICKLE HINES
BOOK	Never Babysit The Hippopotamuses!	DOUG JOHNSON
BOOK	The Rainbabies	LAURA KRAUSS MELMED
BOOK	The Right Number Of Elephants	JEFF SHEPPARD
BOOK	A Teeny Tiny Baby	AMY SCHWARTZ
BOOK	When You Were A Baby	ANN JONAS
BOOK	Where Can Daniel Be?	LEAH KOMAIKO
BOOK	The Wild Baby	BARBRO LINDGREN
BOARD BOOK	This Little Baby Goes Out	LYNN BREEZE
BIG BOOK	Over In The Meadow	JOHN LANGSTAFF
RESOURCE BOOK	Read-Aloud Rhymes For The Very Young	JACK PRELUTSKY
BOOK & TAPE	Go And Hush The Baby	BETSY BYARS
CASSETTE	Baby And Me	RACHEL BUCHMAN
VHS	Baby Animal Fun
PUPPET	Baby Elephant Puppet

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ACTIVITY IDEAS AND FINGERPLAYS

Have your class make their own 101 Things To Do With A Baby book; or have them make a 101 Things To Do With A Grown Up book.

Read aloud a poem from Read Aloud Rhymes For The Very Young without showing the illustrations. Have your class make illustrations for the poem. Display their illustrations in your room along with the printed poem written in two to four inch letters.

Read the rhyming verses in the big book Over In The Meadow. Then divide the children into two groups with one representing the mothers and the other their offspring. This introduction to choral reading reinforces group activity and prepares children for the joy of singing together.

Have children bring in pictures of themselves as babies. Display these pictures. Invite them to tell stories about "My Life As a Baby."

Don't Touch the Baby
Here is the baby.
(Teller points to center of a child's palm)
Mama says: "Don't touch the baby."
(Teller points to listener's thumb)
Daddy says: "Don't touch the baby."
(Teller points to listeners' index finger)
Grandfather says: "Don't touch the baby."
(Teller points to listener's middle finger)
Grandmother says: "Don't touch the baby."
(Teller points to listener's ring finger)
Sister says: "Don't touch the baby."
(Teller points to listener's little finger)
Now, do you remember where is the baby?
(Teller waits. Listener will usually reach out and touch palm)
Don't touch the baby!
(Shake finger at listener, as if scolding)

A Baby Elephant
A baby elephant goes like this and that
(Rocking sideways, hands stiff out to sides)
He's sort of big and he's terribly fat.
(Continue rocking motion taking stiff steps)
He has no fingers.
(Wiggle fingers)
He has no toes.
(Wiggle toes)
But OH MY GOODNESS WHAT A NOSE.
(Make trunk with arms clasped and walk around swinging it.)

Five Little Babies
One little baby rocking in a tree.
(Cradle arms, rocking motion)
Two little babies splashing in the sea.
(Splashing motion with fingers)
Three little babies crawling on the floor.
(Crawl fingers along legs)
Four little babies banging on the door.
(Pretend to bang fists)
Five little babies playing hide and seek.
(Hide eyes behind hands)
Keep your eyes closed tight now,
'Till I say, "Peek!"
(Hands down and say, "Peek!")

Ask your local children's librarian about more fingerplays, activities and books such as these recommended titles:

• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. A baby bird asks everyone he meets if they are his mother until he finds her.
• Let Me Tell You About My Baby by Roslyn Banish. A little boy explains his mother's pregnancy, the birth of the baby, the care that it needs, and his feelings about his new brother.
• My Mama Needs Me by Mildred Pitts Water. Jason wants to help, but he isn't sure his mother needs him after she brings home a new baby from the hospital.
• Where's The Baby? by Tom Paxton. A baby girl's day is explored in the form of a hide and seek game with the listener.