Pursuing excellence for library service to children
This year, I’m viewing “traditional” New Year’s resolutions through a library lens. This month, we’re focusing on the resolution to exercise more. While the library may not be the ideal place for exercise classes, it can serve as a space for physical activity, exploration, and growth. Instead, we’re looking at ways to incorporate intentional, accessible movements, adaptations, and spaces in our programs.
Interactive picture books are perfect for storytime! Library storytimes offer many benefits, including promoting early literacy and language development. We also want to show that reading is fun! Interactive books engage readers by having them actively participate in the story. Some of the benefits include encouraging body movement and awareness, learning to follow instructions, and interacting with a storyteller.Some books will work better than others in a group setting. The interactive elements may also need to be adjusted depending on the age of the participants. However, all of these titles offer the reader a chance to play by following cues. The effects of their actions help further the fun in the story.
“Don’t sit down!” That might not be a sentence you’ve used with children at the library outside of often, but the value of movement-based activities in children’s services isn’t restricted to storytime. What follows is a brief intro to how movement can make a difference in children’s services. Recent research suggests that whole body engagement is great for stress management, encouraging physical awareness, and mindfulness. Like play, movement can make a meaningful impact when working with a variety of age groups.
When we talk about how to connect with underserved communities, one way is through programs for youth who may be looking for more than books. Instead, they may be looking for a place to belong, a space to develop confidence, or a time that works with their variety of learning styles. I’m a librarian who loves movement in storytimes but also as part of programming for all youth. As a kinesthetic learner, I try to incorporate many different access points in my programs to connect with a variety of learners. As a Chinese martial artist, I like to bring what I have learned as well as acknowledge community members who may want to share. Today, I’d like to focus on using movement as a way to enhance programs you already do or as inspiration to partner with others to authentically bring a new type of program to your community. Storytime….
Summer Reading 2019 No, it really is NEVER too early to be thinking about summer reading 2019! If you have the means, hire your performers super early. If it’s you, some volunteers and a great deal of cardboard, then this is the beginning of a great series of blogposts just for you! Summer reading 2019 is largely about outer space. Already ideas have been bouncing off the satellites. Here’s some to get your engines started! STARNet! STARNet was introduced to me at ALA when it hit Orlando. Since that time, I have never been let down in terms of all they have to offer, and the support they can give. Already STARNet has a whole portion of their site dedicated to – say it with me! – summer reading 2019! They’re calling it “A Universe of Stories”. And just to get your pulse running, they have a handy countdown…
Yoga Story Time programs are a really great way to incorporate movement and mindfulness into your classic early literacy story time offerings. I was inspired to start offering Yoga Story Time programming after reading a post right here on the ALSC blog! As a regularly practicing yogi myself, this seemed like the perfect way to combine my love for yoga and reading into something really special I could offer at my library. Typically I structure a Yoga Story Time around two short yoga focused picture books (fiction and nonfiction titles), with pictures of poses so kids can easily replicate the pose as they wish from the book. I also demonstrate many of the poses myself. Incorporating animal sounds is a must! Below are some of my favorite recently published yoga titles perfect for little yogis and ideal for usage in planning and leading a Yoga Story Time program . Yoga…
Amy Steinbrauer’s “Storytime Live: Improv Techniques that Work” session was a delight to attend, because Amy is a delight herself. I’ve never thought about how storytime is really a platform for improv, but she’s completely right. Amy taught us some great games that make use of patterns (STEM concept, y’all), gross motor movements and silliness.