momstown Milton moms enjoyed "La Nuit De Noel" at our Scholastic French Tales for Tots

Our momstown Milton moms and tots enjoyed listening to Madame Gergereau read  "La Nuit De Noel" by Barbara Reid at our Scholastic Sponsored French Tales for Tots Program this month.

We started off with a simple Santa craft where the little ones had to assemble Santa's face. As they reached for each part ( les yeux, le nez, la bouche, le visage, etc..)  the moms reinforced the item in French and had their child repeat the word back to them.

 Once the craft was completed we gathered around to listen to the story. The kids were very excited to talk about Père Noël and what happens in their homes La Nuit De Noel. Madame Gergereau engaged the children by asking lots of questions and then helped them pronounce key words en français.

Once the story was read we had a special visitor come to our program! Yes - the Big Guy himself - Mr Potato Head! The kids could hardly contain themselves and they were happy to assist in putting him all back together again. I would call out a part in French and then the child who had the item was allowed to come up and place it back on. The kids jumped up with delight as their item was called out and at one point we had a swarming of exited little people yelling out body parts! 

We had one happy little lady who won her very own copy of our featured book "La Nuit De Noel" by Barbara Reid thanx to Scholastic Canada!

Join us  at our momstown Milton early literacy programs weekly as we focus on key learning concepts in a fun and interactive way! At a cost of only $45 per year it's well worth the membership! Hope to see you soon.



"Never Let You Go" Sponsored by Scholastic is a Must Read

Our lucky group of mamas and tots got a wonderful treat on Wednesday at momstown Milton Books for Babes. Our lucky bunch got to hear Patricia Storms’ adorable book Never Let You Go thanks to our generous friends at Scholastic Canada. This book was especially touching to our Mamas getting ready to return to work as the book is about never letting your little one go and being there for them no matter what. The book also teaches our little ones that although sometimes their Mamas are not always with them like when they are playing with their friends, or drawing a picture or even going to the bathroom they are always there for them.

 

 

The book’s illustrations leave you warm and fuzzy as the message of the story highlights a little ones growing independence and the never ending and undeniable love us Mamas have for our little bundles of sunshine. The bond between mother and child is so important and such a special bond that it lasts a lifetime even when you are not together.

This book definitely put a smile on the faces of our Mama’s and their little tots and I think brought a little tear in the eyes of those knowing in a few weeks they were headed back to work.

Miss Tracey read the book and led a sing-a-long where the group sang You are my Sunshine and I Love You.

 

You are my Sunshine

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away

I Love You

I love you You love me
We're a happy family
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.
Won't you say you love me too
I love you You love me
We're best friends like friends should be
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.
Won't you say you love me too
I love you You love me
We're a happy family
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.
Won't you say you love me too
I love you You love me
We're best friends like friends should be
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.
Won't you say you love me too

 

Thanks to Scholastic Canada one lucky babe and Mama got to take home a copy of Never Let You Go, congratulations Kate and Victoria!

 

 

Written by Jacqueline Bellmore-Kinney, momstown Milton Member and mom of an adorable baby girl.

Lots of laughs at our Scholastic Sponsored Baby Basics Program while reading "Giggle!" by Caroline Jayne Church

There is nothing more infectious than the sound of your little baby giggling and laughing, and that is what our mamas and little ones were able to experience at Baby Basics: Books for Babes with momstown Milton held at Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids.

Books for Babes which encourages reading early on with your child, has always been very popular with the baby basics program held on Wednesdays, but thanks to Scholastic Canada, books for babes has been packing a full house.

 

Giggle! Written by Caroline Jayne Church is an adorable board book complete with a button that your little one can press to hear the giggles of babies. The illustrations along with the feel good rhymes found in the story put a smile on our adorable audience of tots and their mamas. As Miss Tracey read the book, the older babes were captivated by the sound of giggles, and had a lot of fun pressing the button to hear it again and again with the same surprise and excitement each time.

 

 

A Sing-a-long followed the reading of Giggle! Here are the fun silly songs that our mamas had a blast singing with their little ones. 

Apples & Bananas

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas

I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay nays

I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay nays 

I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-nees

I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-nees

I like to ite, ite, ite i-ples and by-ny-nys

I like to ite, ite, ite i-ples and by-ny-nys 

I like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-nos

I like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-nos

I like to oot, oot, oot oo-ples and boo-noo-noos

I like to oot, oot, oot oo-ples and boo-noo-noos

 

5 Little Monkeys

Five little monkeys (Hold up 5 fingers)

jumping on the bed. (Jump up and down)

One fell off (Hold one finger and then roll your hand down towards the floor)

and bumped his head. (Tap your head with your fist)

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, (Put your pinky to your mouth and thumb to your ear like a telephone)

“No more monkeys jumping on the bed” (Put a hand on your hip and wag your index finger)

Repeat until you get to one little monkey 

Shake My Sillies Out! 

Gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out

And wiggle my waggles away 

I gotta clap, clap, clap my crazies out

Clap, clap, clap my crazies out

Clap, clap, clap my crazies out

And wiggle my waggles away 

I gotta jump, jump, jump my jiggles out

Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out

Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out

And wiggle my waggles away 

I gotta yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out

Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out

Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out

And wiggle my waggles away

I gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out

And wiggle my waggles away

And wiggle my waggles away

 

After the sing-a-long , Giggle! was passed around to the group where each mama got to spend time taking their little one through the story and pressing the giggle button.

 

 

 

 

The book was a HUGE hit with our babes, and thanks to our generous friends at Scholastic Canada, two lucky babies were able to add this book to their home library. Congratulations Taya and Kayia.

 

Like the book said “Laugh out loud or just giggle, feel a tickle in your middle” that is exactly what our momstown Milton Baby Basics group got to do!

 As always, new members are welcome so register here to join us next time!  All  one year memberships purchased in 2013 will receive a Today's Parent magazine subscription for 12 months!

 

Written by Jacqueline Bellmore, momstown Milton Member.

 

 

Five Little Puppies Jumping on the Bed was a great read at our Baby Basics Program!

It was Tail Wagging Fun at Books For Babes with – Five Little Puppies Jumping On The Bed by Lily Karr

Our momstown Milton Babies had fun with puppies and their pals at Books for Babes this month at Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids.  Scholastic generously provided our program with a book to explore the love of reading to help encourage early literacy right from infancy. Five Little Puppies Jumping on the Bed is a board book written by Lily Karr and is based on the popular Children’s Song Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.Each page has simple bright images beautifully illustrated by Aaron Zenz that attract the eyes of our little ones and include a tactile sensory component (fluffy dog, shiny elements etc.)

We began our Baby Book Club by singing different songs about dogs people have as pets.  Here is a list of some of the songs we sang incase you too would like to sing with your little one…

 

My Dog Rags

http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/mydogrags.php

I have a dog.
His name is Rags.
He eats so much that his tummy sags,
His ears flip flop
and his tail wig wags.
And when he walks, he goes zig zag.

He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag.
He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag.
He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag.
I love Rags and he loves me.

My dog Rags, he loves to play.
He rolls around in the mud all day.
I whistle. [whistle] 
He won't obey.
He always runs the other way.

He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag.
He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag.
He goes flip flop, wig wag, zig zag.
I love Rags and he loves me.

B-I-N-G-O

http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/bingo.html

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(clap)-I-N-G-O
(clap)-I-N-G-O
(clap)-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

(Continue repeating the song clapping for each letter)

Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

http://bussongs.com/songs/oh-where-has-my-little-dog-gone.php

Oh where, Oh Where has my little dog gone?
Oh where, Oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short and his tail cut long.
Oh where, Oh where can he be?

Then as Miss Jen read the story aloud to the group, the Mom’s were able to sing along.  Everyone enjoyed the surprise ending. 

 

 

After the story was read, each Baby took a turn reading the book with their Mom.

  

 

The Babes enjoyed playing with some puppy toys provided by Miss Sam. 

 

 

Congrats to this month's lucky little one who won the draw to add today’s book to their own personal library!  

 

 

 

Thank you very much Scholastic for giving our little ones the chance to explore and sing with Five Little Puppies Jumping on the Bed – It was a tail wagging good time! Looking forward to seeing what adventure we will take next month at our Scholastic Books for Babes Program.  We hope you can join us!

 

Rain Rain Go Away by Caroline Jayne Church made a splash at our Scholastic Baby Book Club

Some cultures do rain dances to bring on the rain.  Today at Sharkey’s Milton, we improvised and created our own rain scenario at our Baby Basics Books for Babes.  ScholasticCanada has been very generous providing us with a fantastic books each month for our little ones to explore. This month our giveaway book was Rain, Rain Go Away by Caroline Jayne Church and our little ones had a splish splashing good time.
 

The mom’s and babies alike, got into the singing spirit to belt out familiar “rain” tunes.  Once the first round of singing was complete, we did a reading of Rain, Rain, Go Away and watched as the babies took in the bright colors and faces in the book. The phrases are short and sweet and the board book makes it easy for little hands to grasp and turn the pages.

 

After one more round of singing, it was time for some sensory play.  In light of it being a “rain” theme, the babies had an opportunity to have water play!! 

Some of the younger ones just watched and took it in as the older babies were stripped down and got right into the spirit of splashing.  Although they enjoyed the singing, and reading the book too, their favorite part of this program was making a big “rainy” mess!! 

 
 

 

Congrats to our winner Jiya who was super excited to take home today's featured book!  As always, thank you Scholastic Canada for another lovely book and thank you to Sharkey’s for providing us the space for our mamas and babies to hang out!

Looking forward to seeing what adventure we will take next month at our Scholastic Books for Babes Program.  We hope you can join us!

momstown Milton Tots get Quacking over Lucky Ducklings - Our Scholastic Sponsored Book!

Was that a quack we just heard? Is a duck within our midst?

Our momstown Milton kiddies were quacking with excitement to read Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore at our Tales for Tots at Indigo sponsored by Scholastic Canada.

Always getting the group off to a crafty start, momstown Milton's mamma, Sam Kassam-Macfie, guided the group through the steps of creating a fascinating duck puppet.



 Once the craft was completed, these happy kids were only too ready to settle down for an interactive and fun story. Each child's puppet was named after one of the ducklings in the story and they were instructed to hold them up every time the ducklings names were mentioned in the book.  Oh, how the children laughed and followed along Sam's enthusiastic rendition of the telling of the comical misadventures of the tale of a Mama Duck taking her baby ducks out for a walk one day.

 
 First, the five little ducklings: Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippin, and Little Joe follow steadfastly behind their Mama Duck. But one by one, much to Mama Duck's dismay, the little ducks get separated and end up in the town's slat drain! Imagine the intrigue and excitement on the children's faces as they listened and watched in suspense to learn how this tale ends: three firemen and a pickup truck rush to the rescue of these wayward but very lucky ducklings.

Once the story time was done, the little ones were only too eager to get up and get active! As a fun activity, the children lined up in a row and reenacted the Mama Duck and little ducklings scene. Laughter filled the air as they flapped their wings and quacked with gusto.


Bringing the Little Ducklings story to life! 

With Mama Duck in front, the ducklings flapped and quacked along

A morning of crafts, reading, fun, and laughter - one that our 'Lil Explorers won't soon forget!

Congrats to our Littlest Lucky Duckling who won the book to take home. 

Thank you Scholastic Canada for inspiring such a fantastic event! 

We would love to have you join us at our amazing momstown Milton events!  
Register here for your 6 week FREE trial. 

Written by Liz Marques Kogan, a momstown Milton member and mother of two children. 

You can check out her site at OrchidaWords.