All posts by Children's Staff
Summer storytimes end this week
The last toddler storytime for the summer happened this morning. There are preschool storytimes on Wednesday at the Main Library and Friday at the branch this week. We will not begin storytimes again until the week of September 29.
This is our fall storytime schedule at the Main Library:
Ages 0-12 months: Fridays at 10am (begins Oct. 3)
Ages 12-18 months: Fridays at 11am
Ages12-30 months: Mondays at 10am or Wednesdays at 11am (begins Sept. 29 and Oct. 1)
Ages 2.5-5 years: Mondays at 11am or Wednesdays at 10am
Ages 4-6 years (without a caregiver): Thursdays at 1:00pm (begins Oct. 2)
You may drop-in to any of our storytimes. No registration is necessary.
There is a Friday morning storytime this fall at 10:30am at our MacKay Branch in North Chelmsford. It begins on Friday, October 3. Families with children ages 2 years and up are invited to drop-in.
We always offer the Dads and Donuts storytime on the 2nd Saturday of every month at the Main Library. This is a special storytime for ages 2 and up, because there are snacks at the end. Dads make up the majority of the grown-ups, but moms are always invited.
We will offer Bubble Dance parties on Wednesdays in September for ages 2-6 years old as a fun activity to help you wait for storytimes again. Please note that the bubbles start at 10:30 am.
Book at Toddler Storytime on Monday, August 11
We listened to another book by Audrey and Don Wood this week. The Napping House is a cumulative story. All previous action is repeated each time something new happens. Children can help us tell the tale by remembering what they just heard. Again, with a big group, full participation is not possible. Today we all snored along with granny and made noises with the animals.
Baby Storytime – Friday, August 8
Today at Baby Storytime we read the classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Everyone was really hungry by the end of the story! There are many other great books to read with your baby that are written by Eric Carle. Check them out!
Talking points
Talk about your visit to the library.
“We are going to the library today. Let’s gather all our library books.”
“Which ones were our favorites this past week?”
“I really liked how funny the bear was in that book. What did you like best?”
“What books do you want to look for when we are at the library?”
Talking to children seems to be too obvious to mention. Everyone talks to children.
Research is being done on very young children to support our wisdom that talking to children matters a lot. Quantity matters. The more we provide child-directed speech, the faster and more reliable the child will be in interpreting speech. That seems obvious. The research shows that it is a child’s superior skill in processing language that leads to success in learning vocabulary. That’s why quantity matters as much or more than using “big words”.
So talk to children often throughout the day. Use a variety of words when you think of them. Engage them in conversations as they get older.
And remember – speech needs to be directed at the child for this to work. Speech that is simply overheard is unrelated to vocabulary development.
~Maureen
Book at Toddler Storytime on Monday, August 4
We had a huge group today, and I was a bit worried that all the children would not be able to listen to the story and see the pictures in the book. I read Quick as a Cricket by Audrey and Don Wood in a Big Book format and changed my voice to correspond to the adjectives: quick, slow, sad, happy, etc. (I read books near the beginning of our time together when I still have everyone’s attention.) Attention started to disappear, but I got everyone back and focused after reading “I’m loud as a lion” in a voice that is not usually described as a library voice. If the group had been smaller, I would have been more interactive on each page. ~Maureen
Encourage writing
Squirt shaving cream on a cookie sheet or waxed paper and encourage your child to draw and write in it. Use a bit of food coloring to make the activity fresh, if you’ve left it uncolored before.
This is messy play, so take advantage of the great weather and get messy outside.
Rhymes at Toddler Storytime on Monday, July 28
Today I read a version of “Hickory Dickory Dock”. Many of us know the 1st verse, but there seems to be wide variation on subsequent verses. I have been using a Wee Sing version in my storytimes with Maureen Mouse. In that version there is always a mouse on the clock. In today’s version, different animals took turns climbing the grandfather clock. I suggest you read and sing lots of versions at home.
Better yet, make up your own verses. ~Maureen
Here are some books, and music CDs, that include Hickory Dickory Dock:
Book for Baby Storytime – Friday, July 25
Today the caregivers at Baby Storytime were exposed to the wonderful author Sandra Boynton! If you are not familiar with her books and songs, you should borrow some books and cds from the library. It will leave a smile on your face and will entertain your baby!
We read this Sandra Boynton book together today!
Why do I only read 1 book at Toddler Storytime?
The Chelmsford toddler storytimes serve children ages 12 months to 2.5 years old.
These children are usually active. It is very hard to sit still when your brain is prompting you to walk. In fact, we usually tell parents that age 12 months is just a guideline. Whenever your child begins to walk is the best time to leave our baby storytime and join the toddlers.
I want a group experience with these children, so I try to engage the children in a variety of activities. We begin with a song that has sign language. I always start with The More We Get Together. After a few simple songs and rhymes, I read a book. I almost always read a “Big Book” that can be seen by many children in the room. I want the children to stay with their caregivers and not have to come close to me to see the pictures.
After that first book, I sing and act out many rhymes and songs with the children. I need the grownups to help. They need to sing and encourage the children to jump with the monkeys and pour water as a teacup. When we sing to children, it is easier for them to hear the distinct syllables in the words. Rhyming is the beginning of phonics, so nursery rhymes are a very important step on the road to reading. Adding actions to the rhymes and songs make them more fun and memorable.
When your child enjoys longer stories that you read at home, you may want to try our preschool storytimes. I want children who are less active at these sessions, so again, 2.5-5 years is a guideline. A younger child may be more engaged listening to stories rather than acting out rhymes. I just ask that you make decisions based on your child’s interests. It is absolutely fine with me if children stay with the toddler group when they are 3 years old. It is about attention spans and participation – not about birthdays. Keep singing and reciting rhymes for all the preschool years. The preschool storytimes offer 3 or 4 books.
Your active toddlers may need to move even when you read at home. This is fine also. For more tips on reading to toddlers, I recommend visiting the Reading Rockets website. ~Maureen