Nuts To You!

The Children's Department workroom is a busy place right now, gathering books and puppets and crafts to
prepare for the fall lineup of preschool storytimes. We're trying out a new system this fall where we all collaborate on our storytimes, and each programmer is assigned to collect all the stories and materials we will need
to choose from to create our own storytime programs on that topic. There are large bins to fill with stories, crafts, and songs. It's a programmer's dream!

Speaking of gathering, have I mentioned my latest obsession with squirrels and gathering nuts? I was assigned the storytime called, "Squirrel Tales." Now, this is new for me so I naively said, "Are there really enough books about squirrels for a whole program?" Let alone fingerplays about squirrels! Well, as I soon discovered, there is a plethora of things to choose from in the storytime world of squirrels!

I found books: "Nutty Nut Chase", "Those Darn Squirrels", "Nuts to You!", and "Little Squirrel's Special Nest." Fingerplays: "Five Little Squirrels", and songs: "Frisky Squirrel", "A Squirrel Song", and "Fall is Here." I have no less than three squirrel crafts to choose from and large acorns cut for a creative movement gathering song.

About this time, I left for a vacation with my family in the Smoky Mountains. I was still thinking about squirrels, but how could I avoid the subject while hiking out in the beautiful mountains there? As we were hiking a couple miles straight up the side of the mountain (in 93 degree heat, no less), we heard a squeal from the hikers behind us. I thought it might be a black bear, native to those woods, but no--it was just a couple ordinary squirrels!

Squirrels! They're everywhere! I took the opportunity to start a round of Squirrel Songs with my young nieces and nephew (which also gave me a chance to sit down and rest). I would have been happy to whip out my newly discovered squirrel fingerplays right then and there, but people seemed more interested in hiking.

So I returned from vacation with a new-found passion for sharing the joy of squirrels with the children of Massillon. My manager said to me, "How about blogging something about your obsession with squirrels after researching materials for story times?!? "

Me, obsessed? What does she mean?? Just because in my purse I have a glove finger puppet with 5 little squirrels attached (I meant to work on that at home!), I'm labelled obsessed. Just because I've stuffed the squirrel storytime bin in the workroom to the brim, I'm out of control! Hmph! Well, maybe she has a point...

Hope to see you at our preschool storytimes for the week of September 20th for SQUIRREL TALES!

It's Never Too Early to Read

This morning a young mother came in with her infant in a stroller to the Children's Department. Outside our library, the streets had been blocked off for a Children's Fun Fest with free activities and crafts for children. We had a lot of interest in our air conditioning and bathrooms today!

The mother was checking out several picture books and board books for her young baby. We started talking about the importance of reading early as I made silly faces at her smiling baby. She said she had been reading to her infant since the time he was born and by now at only 4 months old, he was interested in turning the pages on the board books for her! Even if your baby is only chewing on the corners of the board book, he/she is beginning to learn important early literacy skills. They will learn print awareness (how to hold the book, turn the pages, words and pictures correspond) and print motivation (learning to enjoy reading books or hearing stories).
Most of all, they will enjoy the time spent with you sharing the love of reading!

I encouraged this mother to sign up her baby for the Tyke Tales Story Time on Thursday mornings with Mrs. Haney so they could come to the library and read stories and sing songs together. If you can't make story time, still come in and we'll help you pick out some great board books for you and your baby.
And babies---keep reading!

Fall Story Times

The Massillon Public Library's Story Times are for 2- to 5-year-olds (not yet in kindergarten) who are accompanied by an adult. Story Times include a variety of books, storytelling, rhymes, fingerplays, songs and movement activities. We provide informational handouts to encourage parents and caregivers to continue Story Time activities at home. This helps to reinforce early literacy skills. Each week, a take-home craft further reinforces the ideas learned or discussed in Story Time and also provides fun and creativity. In order for us to prepare materials, we require that you pre-register for Story Times. We hold sessions that are approximately six weeks long, beginning in early January, late February, early September and late October.

Pajama Story Time with Mrs. Brant is on Mondays from 6-6:30 pm AND 7-7:30 pm (ages 2 to 5 yrs)

Tots 'n' Toddlers Story Time with Mrs. Warden is on Wednesdays from 10:15-10:45 am AND
11:15-11:45 am (ages 2 to 3 yrs old)

Tyke Tales Story Time with Mrs. Haney is on Thursdays from 10:15-10:35 am (ages 0-23 months)

Preschool Story Time with Mrs. Haney is on Thursdays from 11:15-11:45 am (ages 4 to 5 yrs)

Watch for other special events throughout the year!