Penelope Tejeda Reads Out Loud Wacky Wednesday

Penelope Tejeda and her Beta Delta Epsilon Afro-Latina Sorority sisters at SUNY Oneonta have recorded several engaging read alouds for ABC’s children. Many of them are education majors studying to become teachers, and they wanted to share their favorite stories with ABC’s children!

We are posting the first of their read alouds today — Dr. Seuss’s beloved story, Wacky Wednesday. A rhyming story about a child who wakes up to find wacky things happening all around him, it’s sure to make you laugh!

We recommend this story for children ages 3-7.

ABC Volunteer Maxwel Stein Reads Out Loud His Favorite Stories

ABC volunteer Maxwel Stein reads out loud two of his favorite stories from childhood: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. Both highly-acclaimed classics, these are perfect stories to wind down to after a long day.

We recommend both of these stories to children 4-8 years old.

GoodNight Moon by Margaret wise Brown

Green Eggs and ham by dr. seuss

Kristen Avery Reads Out Loud Frog and Toad Together: The Garden

ABC volunteer Kristen Avery reads out loud the second story in the beloved children’s series Frog and Toad Together, titled The Garden.

Frog and Toad are back with another adventure. After Toad sees Frog’s beautiful garden, he decides that he would like one too. Frog gives him some seeds but warns him it will be hard work. Impatient Toad is upset that the seeds don’t sprout as soon as he plants them. Will Toad ever learn the value of patience and hard work? Will he ever have a garden of his own? Follow along with Kristen to learn what happens to Frog and Toad!

We recommend this story for children 4-8 years of age. If you like The Garden, make sure to check out the first story in the series, The List, here!

Speaking of gardens, did you know that ABC also has a garden? Our Bunny’s Garden, located on 124th Street, provides children and families with an oasis in which they can grow their own produce, learn about healthy eating habits, and explore nature. You can take a virtual tour of the garden in the video below:

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ABC’s Bunny’s Garden distributed 400 gallon-sized bags of fresh produce to families with needs in 2020. We also have several videos on blog with ideas for delicious, nutritious meals that use fresh produce, including kale pesto or callaloo.

Our garden coordinator, Ebony Boone, could teach Toad a lesson or two about gardening!

ABC Volunteer Kristen Avery Reads Out Loud "Frog and Toad Together: The List"

ABC volunteer Kristen Avery reads out loud her favorite story from growing up, Frog and Toad Together: The List. This story, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, is a heartwarming children’s story about two best friends, Frog and Toad, who do everything together. By listening to their comical adventures, children can experience the value of friendship. We recommend this story for children ages 4-8.

In this story, Toad makes a list of everything he wants to do in his day with Frog, only to lose it to a gust of wind. What will he do without it? How will Frog help him? Watch the video to find out!

Kristen has volunteered at ABC’s Open Door and Saturday programs.

Listen to a wonderful winter story about a boy and a penguin

Merricat’s teacher Jennifer Grossman Grenert reads out loud a delightful children’s story called Lost and Found, written by Oliver Jeffers. It is a perfect tale to share with your children during the winter because it follows a boy’s journey to help a lost penguin return to the South Pole.

We recommend this story to children aged between 3 and 7.

ABC Volunteer Kaylee Weil Reads Out Loud "If You Give a Pig a Pancake"

ABC Volunteer Kaylee Weil reads out loud If You Give a Pig a Pancake, a captivating children’s tale by Laura Numeroff. This story follows the whimsical demands of a pig, who wants to eat a pancake, gets her fingers sticky, wants to take a bath, and so on. One reviewer wittily pointed out that parents “will feel a familiar twinge as they witness the pig's increasingly elaborate demands.”

We recommend for children aged between 4 and 8 years old.

Merricats' Teachers Sing Two Songs about Seeds

Seeds are quite magical - they are so little, but when they are buried in the ground with the right conditions, they can grow into large plants and trees! Our Merricat’s teachers sing two songs that teach us all we need to know about seeds and how they work in the videos below. We hope you enjoy these sing-a-longs.

‘A Little Seed’

‘ONE SEED'

Make popcorn and sing about it with Merricat's teacher Jeff Bradley!

Pop, pop, pop is the sound popcorn kernels make when they become heated and start to expand. Popcorn is great snack food, especially when you are watching a movie or a sports game. In these two videos, Merricat’s teacher Jeff Bradley teaches you how to make popcorn and have fun eating it too!

In this video, learn how to make popcorn with Jeff!

Now that you learned how to make popcorn, listen to the popcorn song and follow along with the dance moves!

This song and dance are sure to engage your children and help them have the best time eating popcorn.

Listen to Merricat's Teachers Perform the "Waiting for Elevator" Song!

Ever felt bored waiting for the elevator to come down to your floor? Well, don’t! Everything in life can be fun with enough music and dance moves. In this video, you can listen to Laurie Beckner’s “Waiting for the Elevator” and watch Merricat’s teachers dance along with it. Besides teaching children that they can enjoy even little moments in life, this song is also great for children just beginning to learn numbers.

Listen to Arielle Bakst's Read Aloud of "When's My Birthday?"

ABC volunteer Arielle Bakst reads out loud the children’s story When’s My Birthday, which is written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Follow along as we try to list everything that makes a birthday so special and fun! We recommend this resource for children between pre-school and first grade.