All posts by Children's Staff

About Children's Staff

This post was written by the staff of the Children's Room. Contact Nicole Giroux, Head of Children's for more information.

Storytime for Toddlers, Wednesday, October 29

Books for Toddlers, Kids

The story room was filled with a butterfly, a devil, a cow, a princess, a ladybug, a lion, a dog and more!  It was Halloween Storytime for Toddlers!  We have a great time singing lots of Halloween songs and rhymes, using different props and pictures.  We read a book and paraded through the library, finishing up with dancing and eating.  It was a “spooktacular” Halloween celebration!

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Stories for preschoolers on Monday, October 27

Kids, Stories

We had children in costume today, and they were great listeners.  We read many books.

We started with Where the Wild Things Are Image of item

Image of item  Then we had fun with this story that has 2 flaps on each page.  One is a good outcome.  One is a scary silly outcome.  The children found this very funny.

Image of item   With a book like Can YOU make a SCARY FACE?, you don’t need to offer rhymes or songs in between stories.  Children stand up during the book and act out many scenarios.

I told the story of Little Red Riding Hood and then read Go Away Big Green Monster. Image of item

We finished with another book by Ed Emberley and his daughter Rebecca.
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Happy Halloween!

~Maureen

Stories for toddlers on Monday, October 27

Books for Toddlers, Kids, Stories

Today was a special storytime, because many children came in costume.  We recited the 5 Little Pumpkins, which we practiced all month.

 

5 Little Pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The 1st one said, “oh my, it’s getting late!”
The 2nd one said, “There are witches in the air.”
The 3rd one said, “But we don’t care.”
The 4th one said, “Let’s run and run and run.”
The 5th one said, “I’m ready for some fun.”

We read Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley.

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And I dramatized Little Red Riding Hood, in costume with a big wolf puppet.

Then we had a costume parade and a snack.  Happy Halloween!

~Maureen

Imaginative Play

Kids, Tips

There was an interesting Op-Ed piece in the New York Times today about the importance of imaginative play for young children.  At the library we talk about the importance of play for developing early literacy skills, but as this article points out, “many adults think of play as separate from formal learning.  The reality is quite different.”  Play strengthens skills and knowledge and helps children self-regulate in a group.  The article describes what a purposeful play space looks like.  It has activity centers that “invite exploration, fire the imagination, require initiative and prompt collaboration.”

Chelmsford’s Main Library offers a PlaySpace on Tuesday mornings for 2 and 3 year old children.  Children listen to a story and then go to activity stations that are tied to the story.  We create the environment using simple items you can find around the house.  We offer activities to build fine and gross motor skills.  We have crafts and dramatic play.  We have a sensory station, a felt board and an area to read similar stories.

For the next 2 Tuesdays our story will be Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley.  Grownups and children are invited to come promptly at 10:00am and be prepared to play!

~Maureen