Reading to Babies and Toddlers

Babies and Toddlers are meant to explore their surroundings. If you keep trying to read with your baby and they don’t seem interested, just keep reading. Eventually they will start to become more interested and may even bring you books from the book basket and sit in your lap, ready to read. You may catch them sitting down with a book, turning the pages, and even "talking" to the pictures or babbling the story.  Remember to make a special time that is reading time every day, even if it’s a few minutes. Have a special place you like to read in the baby’s room, before nap or bedtime. Having a weekly library story time you attend is another way to explore new surroundings, expose your child to new vocabulary, books, song’s and even make new friends. You also can check out board books! And it’s all free! 

Ask these questions as you choose your books for baby...

Can I Move It? Can I feel It? Does It make noise?

Are there pictures of babies? Does it have bright colors?

Are their real objects? Can I sing it?

Could I read it again and again?

All of the above make reading more appealing to babies and toddlers!

Strategies for Reading to Babies

• Make a variety of books available (library books make for great variety!)
• Books that you can touch and feel
• Board Books with bright colors
• Board Books with real images
• Books with sounds
• Books with things that move or lift the flap
• Picture Books with Family Members ( Grandma, mom and dad)
• Books with a CD ‘s
• Books about songs (Wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider)
• Ask Questions ( what sound does that make? Do you know what animal that is?)
• Change the sound in your voice as you read
• Think of what they are interested in, does your son love cars, then look for car books, or animals, animal books. There are so many things to explore in board books!
• Join a Baby Story time at the Library
• Check out Board books from the Library
• Read it again and again... they love the language of a good book! 

Some book suggestions:

Peek-a-moo by Cimarusti

Chicka Chicka Boom, Boom by Martin 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See? by Martin

Charlie Chick by Denchfield

I spy Under the Sea by Gibbs

I spy Pets by Gibbs

I spy on the Farm by Gibbs 

Board Books to look for include:(we don't put these books in the card catalog, just search the board book area)

DK Touch and Feel Farm 

Eyes, nose, toes Peekaboo! by 

Where is Baby's Belly Button? by Katz 

Jen 

Fairy Tales - Read Some Today!

In a quote attributed to Albert Einstein; "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." 

Fairy Tales are defined as a story that includes supernatural characters like fairies, fairy godmothers, witches, trolls, ogres, giants or wizards. These supernatural characters often exhibit one of the following characteristics; an unpredictable nature, power to predict the future, control over humankind, and the ability to take on different forms. (The Children's Literature Dictionary by Latrobe.) 

Here at Greece our Fairy Tales are shelved in children's non-fiction at it's call number j398. 

Some Fairy Tales come from an oral tradition, like Cinderella and others are literary fairy tales which is an original creation from the author like Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.  

Some classic Fairy Tales include; Cinderella, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk.   

Some literary fairy tales by The Brothers Grimm include; Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Bremen Town Musicians, Rumplestiltskin.  

Hans Christen Andersen's Fairy tales include; The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Snow Queen. 

Some children and parents expect Fairy Tales to be like the Disney movie version of the tale, when in reality the books are often a much darker tale. The author Cynthia Rylant has done versions of the fairy tales that look more like the Disney movie version. She has a version of Hansel and Gretel, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Walt Disney's Cinderella.  


Cathy

What I am reading now

I just finished reading the following books:




Hunter Moran Hangs Out by Patricia Reilly Giff.

When Hunter and his twin brother Zack, hear from Sarah Yulefiski that there is going to be a kidnapping in Newfield, they are on high alert. But the most shocking news is yet to come: they figure out that Steadman, their younger brother, is the kidnapper's target. After erecting a rickety lookout tower high in a tree in nearby Werewolf Woods, they discover suspicious activities going on around town.



Hello Kitty: Here we Go! by Jacob Chabot.

I have been trying to expand my horizons and read more graphic novels. My colleague Amy who actually buys all the J Graphic Novels recommended this book to me. I will be honest the whole graphic novel format is not my preferred reading format, but I understand that the kids enjoy it. 

In this book, Join Kitty in her first ever comic book adventures as she explores an underground realm, moonlights as an international superspy, climbs the Himalayas, travels back in time, and discovers that sometimes, the best place to get away from it all is between the pages of a good book.



Kung Pow Chicken, Let's Get Cracking! by Cyndi Marko.  

I laughed out loud as I read this book and can see why the kids love it so much.  

Kung Pow Chicken is the superhero everyone has been waiting for. Gordon Blue transforms into Kung Pow Chicken, an avian superhero who fights crime in the city of Fowladelphia.Suddenly, POOF Feathers fill the air and shivering naked chickens are everywhere. Why have all these chickens lost their feathers? Forced to wear wooly sweaters, the city itches for a hero.

Cathy

Using iPads with your child

I just came back from Indianapolis where I attended the Public Library Association's Annual Conference. I got to learn about new books coming out and how to use technology in children's program. 

What I have learned is that technology and apps are just another media we use in children's programming just like puppets, music and flannel boards. There are recommendations on how much screen time children from birth to 2 should have and you can read about it here. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center  talks about Joint Media Engagement when dealing with technology and children. The National Association for the Education of Young People and the Fred Rogers Center put out a position statement on Technology and Interactive Media in Early Childhood Programs, we use this statement  to help guide us when using technology with children and programs here at the library. 

So just as we help you find the best books to read, or songs to use with your child we will help model the use of technology with your child. To introduce this idea, we will offer a new program called Tablet Time for children ages 3-6 with their adults (grandparents, parents, caregivers etc.)  The programs will be offered in May 10 and 19 and June 2 and 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Registration is necessary so please check the calendar.  We will explore an app, a book, and a literacy craft that you can take home! At each session we will explore a new app. There will be time for each family to explore our iPads, hone their tablet skills, ask questions, and discover new learning apps at the end of each session. 

This is something new and we hope it will be educational and fun. 

Cathy 

MIss Nina is coming to GPL April 16th, 1-2 pm

Acclaimed children's performer Miss Nina is coming in concert to the Greece Public Library!  We use many of her songs here for story time and we are very excited that she going to perform live here at the library during the spring break from school.

Here is a YouTube video of one of our favorite songs here at the library, The Brown Bear Rap based on Bill Martin's book Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see?

For this program we are trying something new, no registration but we have a room limit capacity based on the Fire Code. We will actually be counting the number folks in the room. So I hope you can join us.

Cathy

Read Across America Day at Pinebrook School, March 7, 2014

 

My colleague Laura and I were asked to read to classes at Pinebrook School as a part of Read Across America. 

I had so much fun reading to Mrs. Berbert's Kindergarten class and Mrs. Eggleston's 1st grade class. 

I read the following books:

This is one of my all-time favorite picture books. George's mom has George bark and when he does he makes a variety of animal sounds. It is fun to read it and make the animal sounds. The look of surprise at how the story ends is priceless. 

Buddy the Monster wants to eat all the bunny's he sees. The bunny's try to outsmart Buddy so they don't get eaten. 

Counting and dancing go hand in hand in this book. I had the kids say the refrain with me; 

ee-ee-oo-oo-ah-ah-ah! 10 little chimps to do the cha-cha-cha!

The animals on the farm are bored when the children go back to school. They want something to do and go into town where they find a place with happy people, the library! 

Laura read to Mrs. Keller's 5th grade class and Mrs. Adams 4th grade class. She read one of our favorites here at the library.

How far would you go to avoid eating your vegetables? A young boy thinks he’s discovered a way out of eating his peas—he makes a bargain with a fiendishly funny monster. First the deal is simple: the monster will eat the boy’s peas in exchange for his soccer ball. But with each new encounter, the monster’s demands escalate. Eventually, our hero faces a daunting decision—can he conquer his loathing for peas or will he lose his most prized possession?

Cathy
 

 

Sharing Music with your child

"Where words fail, music speaks." Hans Christian Andersen 

How has music influenced your life? Ask yourself these questions: 

1. What effect does music and singing have on you?
2. How do you use music? For relaxation? To lift your spirits? 

These questions will help you understand how best to share music with your child:

1. How does your child make their own music?
2. What are other ways,without singing, that you can bring music into your child's life?   

From "Getting in Tune, The Powerful Influence of Music on Young Child's Development" put out by Zero to Three. 

This is how the children's staff shares music with children:

Jacki is not a fan of children's music. If you attend one of her programs she will use what is considered adult music in her programs for children. She will use a Beach Boys song like Good Vibrations and has the kids use rhythm sticks to count out the beat.  The Beatles are one of her favorites for programs, the lyrics are clean and the adults most likely know the music; tunes and words.

 Jacki also uses popular music that the kids have heard in the car. Pharrell Williams Happy is a great example of an upbeat song that your kids have probably heard on the radio or at the movies, it was in the soundtrack for Despicable Me 2. “Happy” is driven by its percussive, clapping rhythm, addressed right in the lyric: “Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.” {Slate online magazine accessed 3/4/14.} What Does the Fox Say ? by Ylvis say is another of her favorites.

Use music you have and enjoy and your child will too. So don't feel bad if you can't relate to traditional children's music.

Jen's favorite music to use in preschool storytimes is the Laurie Berkner Band. We own several of her CD's.  You can check the catalog here. Jen is also a big fan of Jim Gill, (who will do a concert this July here at the library), Hap Palmer and The Bare Naked Ladies CD- Snacktime!  The Popcorn song is a storytime favorite from that album. 

When Cheryl is working with younger children, she uses a lot of Carole Peterson and Hap Palmer music, because the songs tend to be a slower pace, and easier for the kids to pick up and remember. When she needs a song with a great beat and lots of activity, she uses Jim Gill and Laurie Berkner.

Cheryl suggests that a great rainy day music activity is to use a light weight scarf with the music. It's an inexpensive, safe way for kids to practice their eye-hand coordination by throwing and catching the scarf. They can also experiment with musical expression by moving the scarf to music.  

Laura uses Hap Palmer, Carole Petersen, and Greg & Steve CD's because they are very interactive for the younger children to participate. The kids can dance, jump, skip, hop, walk and clap to their songs and have so much fun! She also uses these CD's because many of songs introduce great listening skills. The kids are having so much fun and learning at the same time. For example, many of these CD's have freeze songs and the kids learn that when the music is playing they can dance or do a specific activity, but when the music stops, they need to freeze! 

Cathy 

New Chapter Books

Looking for a good chapter book? Here is what's new.



Terrors of the Deep by Lock. This DK Adventure book is a mix of narrative and non-fiction. After years of planning, marine biologists Dom Marlin and Jake Sturgeon set off to explore Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean — the deepest ocean trench in the world.  



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game of Clones by Castle. The third book in the Clone Chronicles is a funny James Bond for the middle school set. Fisher Bas now has three clones he has to deal with and it is making life tricky. 

 

  

 

Seven Wild Sister, a Modern Fairy Tale by De Lint.  This book is a full-color, illustrated companion to The Cats of Tanglewood Forest. This modern fantasy is about adventure about magic, family and the power of believing in both.

 

 

Winter Sky by Giff. In this book by prolific children's author Giff; friends, family and a very special dog help Siria see how brave she really is.

 

 

 

Wildwood Imperium by Meloy. This is the third book in the Wildwood Chronicles. A young girl's midnight séance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit. . . . A band of runaway orphans allies with an underground collective of saboteurs and plans a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland. . . . Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toy makers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince. . . . As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance.

 

 

 

Codename: Zero by Rylander. There are places in the world where heroes are born. There are places where brave men and women fight a never-ending battle against evil in order to keep our country and all other countries safe. There are places where the fate of our planet is being decided, even at this very moment, the consequences of which will echo through history. None of these places is in North Dakota.

 

Cathy

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I am reading now

I am reading The Pet War by Allan Woodrow. This funny story is about eleven year old Otto and his older sister Lizzie. He wants a dog, his sister wants a cat. Mom has a solution. Whoever can raise enough money to pay for their pet can choose - and so the competition begins!  This is the story about the timeless battles of dog vs. cat, brother vs. sister, know-it-all vs. know-nothing.

Cathy

App of the Month

Don't forget to take advantage of the IPad Literacy Program for Children. The Greece Public Library and the Barnard Crossing Branch Library will loan iPads to use in the library. The iPads are preloaded with interactive books, literacy, and educational apps. Every month I will showcase an App of the Month!















App Name: Chalk Walk

Age Group: 1 & up

Description: This apps helps children trace lines and develop hand-coordination. Children can draw and trace letters. I absolutely love this app!

Features:
· Encourages fine-motor flexibility/exercise
· Builds awareness of hand positioning
· Left-hand icon option is included in settings menu

Karen

 

Early Literacy your child's foundation for learning

Learning to read begins at birth. Brain connections are made when babies hear the sound of their parents’ voices and see the black-and-white images of their first board books. Parents, caregivers and librarians can reinforce and grow these connections through five practices that will help a child develop the foundation upon which a reader is built.  These activities, practiced regularly, will help a child develop the six early literacy skills and be prepared to learn to read.

The five basic practices in early literacy are:

1.      Playing

2.      Singing

3.      Talking

4.      Writing

5.      Reading

The six early literacy skills are:

1.      PRINT MOTIVATION: includes being interested in and enjoying books

2.      PRINT AWARENESS: includes noticing print everywhere, knowing how to handle a book, and knowing how to follow the written word on the page.

3.      LETTER KNOWLEDGE: includes knowing that letters are different from each other, knowing letter names and sounds, and recognizing letters everywhere

4.      VOCABULARY: includes knowing the names of things.

5.      PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS: includes hearing and playing with the smaller sounds of words and recognizing that words are made up of a number of different sounds.

6.      NARRATIVE SKILLS: include describing things and events, telling stories, knowing the order of events (sequencing), and making predictions (what might happen next). {Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy accessed 1/28/14.}

 

Marilyn Jager Adams once wrote that "Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read." That's a powerful statement! Read with your kids every day, and watch them blossom. Reading Rockets accessed 6/20/13. 

 

Cathy

 

New Apps on our iPads and a new program alert!

We have 7 iPads available to check-out and use in the children's room. They have a variety of apps on them for kids of all ages. 

I recently added some new apps and want to share them with you. 

Hopscotch 

This apps shows kids how to code (computer programming.) The tag line is Anyone can code- even- and especially- kids.  Try it out.  Here is a link to a You Tube video that gives a quick look at Hopscotch. {Free}

Daisy the Dinosaur

This programming app is for younger children. This fun app has an easy drag and drop interface that kids of all ages can use to animate Daisy to dance across the screen. Kids will intuitively grasp the basics of objects, sequencing, loops and events by solving this app's challenges.
 {Free} 




Peekaboo Vehicles

 This app is an interactive peek-a-boo game for children based on vehicle sounds. It shows an image of clouds and plays the sound of a specific vehicle (a train, a firetruck, a helicopter, ….). When you tap on the clouds they disappear to reveal an animated image of the vehicle. {$1.99}










Animal Sounds

 

 This app is so much fun. We have even used it in story time. The kids enjoy listening to the sound to determine the animal.

We say this rhyme: “There’s someone in my garden,
Whoever can it be?  There’s someone in my garden,
Let’s listen, then see.”
{Free- gets you 20 animals, an in app purchase of $.99 get you 30 more animals}







New program alert : in May and June, I am introducing a new program called Tablet Time for families with children ages 3-6. We will read a book, then explore the app about the book as well as explore how to use iPads, and then do a craft based on the book. The tentative dates are Saturday, May 10, Monday, May 19, Monday, June 2, and Saturday, June 7th. The programs will run from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00a.m. Registration will be necessary so watch the calendar.

Cathy