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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Conley McAtee got into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit to attend the Gotta Move Story Time at the Canfield library on March 13.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Youth librarian Megan Rankin (left) read “From Head to Toe” by Eric Carle during the Canfield library’s Gotta Move Story Time on March 13.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Megan Rankin, Poland library youth librarian (left) and Lauren Ellis, Canfield library youth librarian, led a group of children in playing Red Light, Green Light at the Canfield library’s Gotta Move Story Time on March 13.
By ABBY SLANKER
Canfield library hosted its weekly Gotta Move story time for children ages 2-5 on March 13.
The story time offers a variety of musical and movement activities, which stimulate brain development and motivate language learning. The children acted out stories and rhymes, sang, danced, talked and played.
Megan Rankin, Poland library youth librarian, and Lauren Ellis, Canfield library youth librarian, led the group of children throughout the program.
To welcome the children to the story time, Rankin and Ellis sang an opening song and asked the children to join in.
Next, Rankin and Ellis passed out shakers for the children to use as they danced around during the “Shake Song.”
Rankin and Ellis then played Red Light, Green Light with the children, with green meaning “dance,” yellow meaning “slow down dancing” and red meaning “stop dancing.”
Rankin and Ellis then moved into “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” asking the children to clap their hands, stomp their feet, shout “hurray” and then do all three at once.
Rankin and Ellis gathered the children at the front of the room.
“Gather around, everyone. I’m going to read you a story and I will need your help,” Rankin said.
Rankin read “From Head to Toe” by Eric Carle, and asked the children to act out movements to mirror the animals’ movements in the story.
Rankin and Ellis then showed the children the motions to “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” before putting the motions to music. As the song played, the children kept up with all the motions of the song. They also showed the children the motions to the “Chicken Dance” and then added the music so the children could show off their dance moves.
Next, Rankin and Ellis played Simon Says with the children and then ended the story time by calling the children to the front of the room for the goodbye dance and goodbye wave.