Burnaby Public Library in British Columbia, Canada is collecting songs and rhymes in many languages so everyone can learn them. Videos of 30 songs and rhymes in 15 languages are available through the Embracing Diversity: Sharing Our Songs and Rhymes website (no longer available).

You can find resources for using the rhymes in programs, hear some great stories and songs.  I’m not sure how easy they would be to reproduce in a storytime forthose of us with no familiarity with the language, but it seems much easier to consider if you can see someone performing it.  Or maybe there is a way to incorporate the actual videos in your program.

Here’s the cool thing:  they are hoping to include more songs, more languages, more voices!  More songs and rhymes are available on the Embracing Diversity Vimeo channel , and we need your help to make this collection grow. It’s easy —  videorecord yourself performing a children’s song or rhyme and add your video to Vimeo using the instructions found at http://www.bpl.bc.ca/kids/embracing-diversity/add-your-own-video.

This would be a fun project to do with library staff or community members whose first language was not English.  Borrow the IFLS flip videos and upload them to your own website, too! (To borrow the cameras, contact Leah at langby@ifls.lib.wi.us)