Last weekend the movie, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" opened in theaters, starring Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers. The release of the movie brings back wonderful memories of watching Mister Rogers as he explored many places in his neighborhood, including trips to the local public library. This week your neighborhood libraries will be celebrating the ideals shared by Fred Rogers, including the people we meet in our neighborhoods, as well as ways to be a good neighbor by sharing and being a good friend.
We've chosen several books exploring this theme and you can find them by typing in the tag: #bemyneighbor into the search bar for the online catalog. We even have several DVDs of old episodes from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to share with your child. So head on over to storytime this week to sing and hear some great books, pick up a few neighborly books to take home, and explore the craft and songs below!
Make a Bookmark!
Cut a triangle shape from one corner of an old envelope about 5inches long. Cut a 3 3/4 inch square from cardstock or paper. Tape the top of the square to one side of the inside of the triangle so the triangle looks like a roof. Draw doors, windows, etc. on your building. Make a sign for the building. This makes a bookmark that will slip over the corner on the page of a book.
Music and Rhymes to Share:
If You're Friendly...
Sung to: "If You're Happy and You Know It"
If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're friendly and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands!
(Create new verses using Friendship Skills you are teaching such as give a high five, share a smile, say thank you, etc. . .)
One Little House
One little house all alone it stood
Then another was built
There grows the neighborhood.
Two little houses…
Three little houses…
Four little houses…
Five little houses
All together they stood
On a beautiful street in a happy neighborhood.
Do You Know?
Sung to: "Muffin Man"
Do you know this friend of mine,
this friend of mine, this friend of mine?
Do you know this friend of mine,
At the library today?
The More We Get Together
Sung to: "Did You Ever See a Lassie?"
The more we get together, together, together,
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.
For your friends are my friends,
And my friends are your friends,
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.
Elevator Song
Sung to: “Turnkey in the Straw”
Oh the city is great and the city is grand
There’s lots of tall buildings on a little piece of land
And we live way up on the 57th floor
and this is what we do when we go out the door.
We take the elevator up and the elevator down,
take the elevator up, take the elevator down
Take the elevator up and the elevator down
and we turn around.