Storytime: Tools

Storytime: Tools

Storytime: Tools

“T” is for tools! Explore the world of tools and construction with your child using these books and activities. You can also talk with your child about what a tool is… an object that that is used, especially in your hand, to do or make something. Then try making something together with a tool.

Join us Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room.

Ages 2-5

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Tip

Singing to your children is very important, and it doesn’t matter if you sing in English or another language. In one scientific study, babies as young as one week could distinguish their mother’s voice from a group of other female voices. Children love being sung to by their parents, and such singing helps to trigger their speech development and continues on with early literacy phonetic awareness. So, sing aloud to your children at home in any language you like.

- Lambert

Activity

Create a “Favorites” or core nursery song list to sing with your child every day, then you can add other songs that match with books you like to read together.

Books Presented

I Love Tools! by Philemon Sturges

Tools can cut things apart . . . . . . or put them back together again. You can use tools to make almost anything! From the clamps that hold down the wood for the very first cut through the paintbrush that adds the finishing touches, this book is full of useful tools! Young readers will love watching a busy family saw, hammer, and chisel as they work together to create a new home for their friend the bluebird.

Old MacDonald had a Woodshop by Lisa Shulman

Together with the other farm animals, Old MacDonald is building a surprise for the babies on the farm. Saw, drill, chisel, file, screwdriver, and paintbrush are operated by cat, goat, chicken, pig, cow, and dog. With a zztt zztt here and a tap tap there, there’s a miniature toy farm being made—just for the baby animals. For any preschooler who likes tools and making things, Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop is sure to be a hit! E-I-E-I-O!

 

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays

Five Little Nails

Five little nails, standing straight and steady (hold up 5 fingers)
Here I come with my hammer ready! (make fist with other hand)
Bam, bam, bam! (tap fist to 1 finger)
That nail goes down (lower 1 finger)
Now there’s just four nails left to pound

(count down)

I’m a Builder
Tune to “Frere Jacques”

I’m a builder, I’m a builder.
Watch me pound, hear my sound.
Tap, a tap, a tap, tap. (tap fists)
Tap, a tap, a tap, tap.
Hear me pound, hear me pound!

Johnny Works With One Hammer

Johnny works with one hammer, one hammer, one hammer (tap fist to leg)
Johnny works with one hammer, then he works with two
Johnny works with two hammers…. (tap both fists to legs)
Johnny works with three hammers… (tap both fists to legs and stomp one foot)
Johnny works with four hammers… (tap both fists to legs and stomp both feet)
Johnny works with five hammers… (tap both fists to legs, stomp both feet and nod head)
And then he goes to sleep (snore)

Crafts and Activities

Coloring Page

Build a tool set with your little ones!

Additional Books

Drew the Screw by Mattia Cerato

The saw cuts, the hammer hits, and the drill makes holes; so Drew needs a job too.

Tools Rule by Aaron Meshon

In a messy yard, a team of tools gets organized, then spends a busy day building a shed.

Workshop by Andrew Clements

The dazzling cut-paper artistry of Caldecott medalist David Wisniewski combines with Andrew Clements’s free-verse celebration of woodworking tools to tell the story of a surprise in the making. The evocative description of each workshop tool-ruler, axe, saw, hammer, and the rest-is accompanied by a vivid, dramatically composed illustration showing how it is used in the step-by-step construction of an ornate, old-fashioned carousel. An eager young apprentice assists one craftsman after another as the project takes shape and is rewarded with a toolbox of his won. Young wood-working enthusiasts will enjoy the affectionate and knowledgeable portraits of familiar tools as well as an acclaimed artist’s vision of the magic simple tools can do.

Big Enough to Help, a Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Book

 Dad Tiger is building a playhouse. Daniel wants to help, but he’s not big enough to use the grown-up tools yet. Daniel learns that there are lots of other things he can do to help. Everyone is big enough to do something. Little ones will love reading the story and then measuring how big they’re growing with the pull-out growth chart inside.

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Story Time: Something NEW, Just for YOU! in January

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Book Babies + Toddler Time: Construction Site

Book Babies + Toddler Time: Construction Site

Book Babies + Toddler Time: Construction Site

Having fun and learning in the construction zone!

Book Babies: Wednesday @ 9:45am in Community Room

Ages 0 – 10 months

Toddler Time: Monday & Tuesday @ 9:45am in Community Room

Ages 11 – 23 months

Welcome Songs

Here We Are Together

Here we are together, together, together! Oh, here we are together in our library. There’s (sing names)… Here we are together in our library!

Hello Everybody

Hello everybody let’s clap our hands*, clap our hands, clap our hands. Hello everybody let’s clap our hands today! *pat our head, stretch up high, wiggle our fingers, tickle our knees, kick our feet, bounce up high!

S, T, R, W, P

(Sing while pointing to each finger on your child’s hand.) Sing, talk, read, write, play! Sing, talk, read write, play! Sing, talk, read, write, play! Sing, talk, read, write, play each day!

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Tip: Singing to your children is very important, and it doesn’t matter if you sing in English or another language. In one scientific study, babies as young as one week could distinguish their mother’s voice from a group of other female voices. Children love being sung to by their parents, and such singing helps to trigger their speech development. So, sing aloud to your children at home in any language you like.

- Lambert

Activity

Create a “Favorites” or core nursery song list to sing with your child every day, then you can add other songs that match with books you like to read together.

Books Presented

Construction by Sally Sutton

Hoist the wood. Hoist the wood. Chain and hook and strap. Swing it round, then lower it down. Thonk! Clonk! Clap! Build the frame. Build the frame. Hammer all day long. Make the stairs and floors and walls. Bing! Bang! Bong!

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

As the sun sets behind the big construction site, all the hardworking trucks get ready to say goodnight. One by one, Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck, Bulldozer, and Excavator finish their work and lie down to rest—so they’ll be ready for another day of rough and tough construction play!

I'm Dirty by Kate and Jim McMullan

A busy backhoe loader describes all the items it hauls off a lot and all the fun it has getting dirty while doing so.

Five Trucks by Brian Floca

Five different trucks do five different jobs to get an airplane ready for takeoff.

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays

Bumpity Bumpity Goes the Dump Truck

Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
Bumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
bBumpity, bumpity goes the dump truck
Dump out the load.

Dump Truck

Dump truck, dump truck
Bumping down the road,
bounce baby on lap
Spilling gravel with our heavy load!
rock baby back & forth on lap
Dump truck, dump truck
Bumping down the road,
bounce baby on lap
Spilling gravel,
rock baby back & forth on lap
And now it’s time to DUMP!
tip baby backward, or lift in air

Scoop and Dump

Tune to “Skip to My Lou”

Scoop! Goes ditch digger in the dirt.
(Bend low, raise arms high)
Scoop! Goes ditch digger in the dirt.
Scoop! Goes ditch digger in the dirt.
Scoop up all the dirt!
Reach up high with the crane.
(Cup hands, hold high)
Reach up high with the crane.
Reach up high with the crane.
Hold the dirt up high!
Dump the dirt into the truck.
(Reach high, drop hands to knees)
Dump the dirt into the truck.
Dump the dirt into the truck.
Haul it all away!

Hello Bubbles

Hello bubbles, hello bubbles
come and land, come and land
right in the middle, right in the middle
of my hand, of my hand.
Goodbye bubbles, goodbye bubbles
time to go, time to go
I will help you, I will help you
with a blow, with a blow.

Rainbows in My Bubbles

Tune to “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain “

I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes I do.
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes I so.
When I blow up towards the sun,
They have rainbows, every one.
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes I do

Baby Sign Language

“More”

“All Done”

Additional Books

Vroom, Vroom, Trucks! by Karen Katz

 

In this book “little ones can lift the flaps at the construction site to reveal bulldozers, dump trucks, and more things that build!”

Construction: a Lift the Flap Book by Roger Priddy

There’s a lot of building going on in Playtown! There is so much to explore, learn, and discover inside this busy, busy book – diggers are digging holes, materials are being delivered, and roads are being laid. On every page there are fun flaps to lift which tell children more about the picture above, and at the back of the book is a big page to fold out that reveals a bustling construction scene

Roadword by Sally Sutton

Rhyming text and illustrations show how a road is made, from planning to moving dirt, laying asphalt, putting up signs, and landscaping.

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres

Discover what bedtime looks like for the snowplows, dump trucks, giant cranes, and more that dot the pages of this irresistible construction story. Just like you and me, the vehicles in this story get tuckered out after a long day of hard work and need to quiet down and settle in for sweet dreams. Young readers will surely identify as these trucks ask for one more story while their parents sing them a goodnight song and send them off to bed

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There’s a monster in this book, and he’s adorable. We love our little monsters, and they are all so different from each other, just like children. As you embark on an exciting adventure into the world of friendly monsters, you'll meet monsters who love to play,...

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Programs for Kids ‘n’ Tweens

Old School PoetryThis February, let love take center stage! Stop by our special collections area to type out a heartfelt poem on our vintage typewriter—whether it’s for a dear friend or your favorite pizza. Drop your masterpiece into the submission box nearby if you'd...

September Kids + Tween STEAM Craft

September Kids + Tween STEAM Craft

Find out why cats’ eyes glow with this craft!

Materials needed:

  • Clean can
  • Scissors
  • 4×4 black trash bag piece
  • Rubber band
  • Flashlight

Kid ‘n’ Tween Activities February 2026

Story Time and Early Literacy Join us this February for Early Literacy Programs as we explore a snowy theme! Toddler Time (Ages 1-3, walking toddlers & grown-ups) - Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:30 AM in the Community Room. Enjoy songs, stories, and sensory building...

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May Kids ‘n’ Tween Programs

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April Kids ‘n’ Tween Programs

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SEPTEMBER Kid and Tween Activities

SEPTEMBER Kid and Tween Activities

SEPTEMBER Kid and Tween Activities

 FAMILY FRIENDLY FILM NIGHTS ARE BACK!

Madison Library District is bringing FAMILY FRIENDLY FILM NIGHT back!

Every Tuesday @ 4pm in the Community Room.

SCHEDULE:
September 7th: Raya and the Last Dragon
September 14th: Peter Rabbit
September 21st: Spirit: Untamed
September 28th: Luca

Children under 12 must be accompanied by someone 14 or older.

 

 

 TWEEN FALL KICKOFF FOR BOOK CLUBS

Books for Boys + Mother-Daughter Book Club will be meeting together to celebrate FALL! 

Come SEPTEMBER 9TH at 6:30pm to have fun crafts, treats, and activities. Meet in the Community Room

Ages 8-11 with accompanying adult.

 

 

 

 KID + TWEEN STEAM KITS

For ages 6-11. Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month.
Pick up at the Front Circulation Desk.

September 7th: Why Do Cats’ Eyes Glow?
September 20th: Why Do Frogs Not Freeze?

 

 

 

STORYTIME – LIVE IN COMMUNITY ROOM

STORYTIME
Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 10:30am
Tuesdays at 6:30pm

TODDLER TIME:
Mondays & Tuesdays at 9:45am

BOOK BABIES:
Wednesdays at 9:45am

Take n’ Go Kits will be available during Storytime. Any extras will be distributed at the end of the week at the Children’s Reference Desk.

 

 

 

Kid ‘n’ Tween Activities February 2026

Story Time and Early Literacy Join us this February for Early Literacy Programs as we explore a snowy theme! Toddler Time (Ages 1-3, walking toddlers & grown-ups) - Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:30 AM in the Community Room. Enjoy songs, stories, and sensory building...

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December 2025 Programs for All Ages

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November 2025 Kids ‘n’ Tweens Programs

Story Time and Early Literacy Start your little ones on their reading journey with age-appropriate stories, songs, and activities! Book Babies is for infants not yet walking. Toddler Time is for walking littles 1-3 years old. Story Time is for preschoolers ages 3-5....

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Story Time and Early Literacy Start your little ones on their reading journey with age-appropriate stories, songs, and activities! Weekly Schedule: Mondays: Toddler Time 9:30 AM | Spanish Story Time 10:30 AM (No early literacy programs Mon. Oct. 6) Tuesdays: Toddler...

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Story Time and Early Literacy Dive into tales, tunes, and tiny triumphs at our Early Literacy programs in the Community Room—tailored for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and their grown-ups! Story Time (ages 2–5 + adult) Tue 10:30 AM & 6:30 PM (Activity Room) |...

August Programs for All Ages

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July Programs for Kids ‘n’ Tweens

Summer Reading is Here! You can sign up now for Summer Reading: Color Our World! With Beanstack you can sign up online, or you can visit us at the Library and track your reading on paper. Check out our Summer Reading page for our prize schedule and more details.Story...

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May Kids ‘n’ Tween Programs

Books For Boys & Great Reads for GirlsMeet Princess Cimorene—a princess who refuses to be proper. She’s everything a princess shouldn’t be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart… And bored. So bored she runs away to live with Kazul, one of the most powerful dragons around!...

Summer STEM: Animal Coding Game

Summer STEM: Animal Coding Game

Our Summer STEM from Your Library program is made possible by our sponsors: the Idaho Commission for Libraries and the Idaho STEM Action Center. A big thank you to them for their support!

This fun and interactive STEM activity will teach the technique of “If-Then,” which is a coding method used by coders. 

Materials needed:

  • Large grid paper for a game board (image below)
  • If-Then Cards (image below)
  • Homes + Obstacles printout (image below)
  • Plastic Bits
  • Die
  • Acornimals (or any small toy!)
  • Scissors

Inspired by the craft “If-Then Dice Grid Game” STEM activity from 100 Easy STEAM Activities: Awesome Hands-On Projects for Aspiring Artists and Engineers by Andrea Scalzo Yi

Kid ‘n’ Tween Activities February 2026

Story Time and Early Literacy Join us this February for Early Literacy Programs as we explore a snowy theme! Toddler Time (Ages 1-3, walking toddlers & grown-ups) - Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:30 AM in the Community Room. Enjoy songs, stories, and sensory building...

January 2026 Programs for Kids ‘n’ Tweens

Story Time and Early Literacy Join us for stories, songs, and fun all month long as we explore the letter D! We'll groove with Dance, learn from Service Dogs, try on costumes for Dress Up, and finish with something brand new just for you! Story Time is on Tuesdays and...

November 2025 Kids ‘n’ Tweens Programs

Story Time and Early Literacy Start your little ones on their reading journey with age-appropriate stories, songs, and activities! Book Babies is for infants not yet walking. Toddler Time is for walking littles 1-3 years old. Story Time is for preschoolers ages 3-5....

October Activities for Kids ‘n’ Tweens

Story Time and Early Literacy Start your little ones on their reading journey with age-appropriate stories, songs, and activities! Weekly Schedule: Mondays: Toddler Time 9:30 AM | Spanish Story Time 10:30 AM (No early literacy programs Mon. Oct. 6) Tuesdays: Toddler...

Story Time: A is for Alphabet

I have 26 members, but no family. I start with A and end with Z, but you won't find me in a zoo. What am I? Of course, I am the alphabet! Help your child discover language through letter recognition and their accompanying sounds. Try beginning with your child’s name...

September Activities for Kids ‘n’ Tweens

Story Time and Early Literacy Dive into tales, tunes, and tiny triumphs at our Early Literacy programs in the Community Room—tailored for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and their grown-ups! Story Time (ages 2–5 + adult) Tue 10:30 AM & 6:30 PM (Activity Room) |...

July Programs for Kids ‘n’ Tweens

Summer Reading is Here! You can sign up now for Summer Reading: Color Our World! With Beanstack you can sign up online, or you can visit us at the Library and track your reading on paper. Check out our Summer Reading page for our prize schedule and more details.Story...

June Events for Kids ‘n’ Tweens

Summer Reading is Here! You can sign up now for Summer Reading: Color Our World! With Beanstack you can sign up online, or you can visit us at the Library and track your reading on paper. Check out our Summer Reading page for our prize schedule and more details.Story...

May Kids ‘n’ Tween Programs

Books For Boys & Great Reads for GirlsMeet Princess Cimorene—a princess who refuses to be proper. She’s everything a princess shouldn’t be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart… And bored. So bored she runs away to live with Kazul, one of the most powerful dragons around!...

April Kids ‘n’ Tween Programs

Story TimeGet ready for April celebrations with our early literacy programs! Book Babies – Wednesdays at 9:30 AM* for babies not yet walking and their grown-ups. Enjoy songs, stories, baby sign language, movement, and sensory activities. Toddler Time – Mondays &...

Book Babies + Toddler Time: Bird Tails

Book Babies + Toddler Time: Bird Tails

Book Babies + Toddler Time: Bird Tails

Cheep, cheep! Tweet, tweet! Quack, quack! Oh, how babies love the sounds of our feathered friends. Help your child explore the world of birds with the following activities.

Book Babies: Wednesday @ 9:45am in Community Room

Ages 0 – 10 months

Toddler Time: Tuesday @ 9:45am in Community Room

Ages 11 – 23 months

 

Welcome Songs

Here We Are Together

Here we are together, together, together! Oh, here we are together in our library. There’s (sing names)… Here we are together in our library!

Hello Everybody

Hello everybody let’s clap our hands*, clap our hands, clap our hands. Hello everybody let’s clap our hands today! *pat our head, stretch up high, wiggle our fingers, tickle our knees, kick our feet, bounce up high!

S, T, R, W, P

(Sing while pointing to each finger on your child’s hand.) Sing, talk, read, write, play! Sing, talk, read write, play! Sing, talk, read, write, play! Sing, talk, read, write, play each day!

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Tip

Did you know that “singing” a book instantly engages a child’s brain? Because music affects multiple regions of the brain, when a child is listening to a book being sung, both hemispheres are working. One side of the brain processes the words while the other processes the music.

Musically Minded

 

Activity

Find a “singing” book which has an accompanying fingerplay such as “Five Little Ducks.” Then “sing” the book and do the fingerplay with your child! Remember to model the finger movements for your child; never force them to do it.

Books Presented

Five Little Ducks

A duck with a feather on his back leads his siblings with a “quack, quack, quack.” End notes list the benefits of children’s poems and songs.

This is a Book of Shapes by Kenneth Kraegel

First comes the circle. Then the square and the triangle. Then the . . . emu pushing a pancake wagon down a hill? What begins as a concept book about everyone’s geometric favorites soon defies expectations with a series of funny and imaginative twists.

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays

Two Little Bluebirds

Two little bluebirds
(Hold up thumbs)
Sitting on a wall
One named Peter
The other named Paul
Fly away, Peter!
Fly away, Paul!

Bird in the Egg

Bird in the egg sits so still.
Will he come out?
Yes, he will!

There’s a Bird in the Air

There’s a bird in the air, in the air
There’s a bird in the air, in the air
There’s a bird in the air, now he’s flying in my hair

There’s a bird on my leg, on my leg
There’s a bird on my leg, on my leg
There’s a bird on my leg and he is pretty big

There’s a bird on my hand, on my hand
There’s a bird on my hand, on my hand
There’s a bird on my hand but now he is my friend

Scarf Song: Popcorn Kernels

Tune of Frere Jacques

Popcorn Kernels
(wave scarves overhead)
In the pot
(tell the kids to make their scarves ‘disappear’ by bunching them up in their fists)
Shake them shake them shake them
(shake)
’til they POP
(toss scarves up into the air)

Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only four little ducks came back
1, 2, 3, 4

Four little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only three little ducks came back
1, 2, 3

Three little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only two little ducks came back
1, 2

Two little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only one little duck came back
1

One little duck went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But none of the five little ducks came back

Sad mother duck went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
And all of five little ducks came back

Five little ducks went out to play
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
And all of the five little ducks came back!

Five Little Birds

One, Two, Three, Four, Five.
Five little birds went flying one day,
Over the hills and far away.
When Mother bird said, “Tweet, tweet, tweet,”
Only four birds came to the tree.
One, Two, Three, Four.

Four little birds went flying one day
Over the hills and far away.
When Mother bird said, “Tweet, tweet, tweet,”
Only three birds came to the tree.
One, Two, Three.

Three little birds went flying one day
Over the hills and far away.
When Mother bird said, “Tweet, tweet, tweet,”
Only two birds came to the tree.
One, Two.

Two little birds went flying one day
Over the hills and far away.
When Mother bird said, “Tweet, tweet, tweet,”
Only one bird came to the tree.
One.

One little bird went flying one day
Over the hills and far away.
When Mother bird said, “Tweet, tweet, tweet,”
No little birds came to the tree.

Sad Mother bird went flying one day
Over the hills and far away.
When Papa bird said, “TWEET!”
All the birds came flying to the tree!

Additional Books

Ten Little Bluebirds by Emily Ford

A rhyming counting book that features ten bluebirds that disappear on each page as they decide to fly away to play.

Quick Duck by Mary Murphy

Over and under, around and down–where is he going in such a hurry?

My Nest is Best by PD Eastman

Mr. and Mrs. Bird search for a place to build a new nest only to discover their old one is better.

Small Bird's Big Adventure

Small Bird escapes his cage… and discovers a whole big world outside.

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