Dear Parents: Today we used some of these books, fingerplays, and other materials in our toddler and preschool storytimes. Please continue helping your child develop a love for books and reading by sharing these rhymes, books, and other activities with your child.

Books To Share

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Clive and His Hats by Jessica Spanyol

Do You Have a Hat? by Eileen Spinelli

Grandma, It’s for You! by Harriet Ziefert

Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima

The Hat by Jan Brett

Hats Off to Mr. Pockles by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Hats Off to You by Karen Beaumont

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

Stormy’s Hat: Just Right for a Railroad Man by Eric Kimmel

Who Took the Farmer’s Hat? by Joan L. Nodset

You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Phillip

Fun With Fingerplays and Songs

Five Hats (Cut out five paper rings (brims) to put on each finger.) One little girl (or boy) on a sunny day, Put on her hat and went out to play. Two little girls heard the singing of a lark, Put on their hats and went to the park. Three little girls when the sky was blue, Put on their hats and went to the zoo. Four little girls by the kitchen door, Put on their hats and went to the store. Five little girls on a sunny day, Nodded their heads and went out to play. (Finish by nodding fingers, then “running” them be-hind your back.)

Eat Your Hat I would never eat my hat If it were made of straw, But there are hats so good to eat, Just tuck these in your jaws.

A hat for ice cream is chocolate sauce, And icing’s the hat for a cake. For the hamburger hat Use a fluffy white bun, And syrup’s a hat for pancakes.

A hat for potatoes is gravy. Put a marshmallow hat on cocoa. A hat for spaghetti’s A meatball for sure. Top popcorn with butter to go!

Yankee Doodle had a hat And called his feather macaroni. I wonder if he Ate his hat, Or if that’s just baloney!

Hats Off to You t

Dear Parents and Caregivers: Our Toddler and Preschool storytimes celebrate the diversity of people, places, and more through books, fingerplays, and other materials. Please continue helping your child develop a love for the world around them and a love for books and reading by sharing these rhymes, books, and other activities with your child. To learn more about our Storytime Values, please see https://read.poudrelibraries.org/kids/storytime.cfm.

Old Town Library 201 Peterson

Council Tree Library 2733 Council Tree Avenue

Harmony Library 4616 South Shields

A joint-use facility of

Front Range Community College and Poudre River Public Library District

www.PoudreLibraries.org 221.6740

Reasonable accommodations will be made for access to programs for people with disabilities. Please call 221.6740 for assistance.

Other Fun Things

Helmets You will need: plastic gallon jug, scissors or packing knife, cloth tape, glue, permanent markers or stickers, cloth and paper scraps

Directions: Cut the jug in one continuous movement, removing the spout and lid, handle, and top of jug. What is left is a piece of bowl-shaped plastic that will form the body of the helmet. Place it over your child’s head and mark where it should be cut away so it does not rub against shoulders, ears, or neck. You may have to stuff a small towel inside it to make it sit right on your child’s head. Cover the edges with tape to avoid scratches. When the helmet fits comfortably, decorate it to create a football or astronaut helmet.

Homemade Hats You will need: plastic flowerpots, round ice cream containers, paper bowls, pie plates, glue.

Directions: Young children will quickly come up with their own makeshift hats. Provide an assortment of decorations – feathers, small flags, rickrack, buttons, artificial flowers, stickers, etc. – so they can create a hat masterpiece. For extra fun, have a hat parade!

Funny Hat (tune: “This Old Man”) On my head I wear a hat. (hands on head) It is such a funny hat, (shake head) That my head will wiggle, wiggle to and fro, (wiggle head) Where else can my funny hat go? (hands shoulder high, palms up)

Work Hats An astronaut’s hat Is worn out in space. (hands up, walk as if in space)

A lifeguard’s visor Keeps the sun off her face. (shield eyes with hand)

Quarterbacks wear helmets To protect their heads. (bend knees, place hands on them)

Fire fighters wear hats All bright red. (mime using fire hose)

Police wear hats With a shiny shield. (hand up as if stopping traffic)

Farmers wear brimmed hats Out in the field. (mime hoeing field)

These hats help people Get their work done. (hands out, palms up)

But sometimes, Hats are just for fun. (clap three times)

Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library® Learning to read begins before your child starts school. Help your children develop early literacy skills now; this makes it easier for children to learn to read once they begin school. Five of the best ways to help your child get ready to read are:

If you would like more information, please ask the staff in the children’s area.

Every Child Ready to Read® is a project of the Association for Library Service to Children and the Public Library Association, divisions of the American Library Association.

Talking Singing Reading

Writing Playing

Updated 5/19