Just as stories provide mirrors, windows, and sliding doors for folks – toys can too! Being intentional with the items we place in our public spaces makes our spaces more engaging. Being creative with our toys and play spaces also helps us make our limited budgets go further. One way we’re being intentional within our library play space is through our doll play. We were able to purchase the “Play-All-Around Dollhouse,” furniture, and “Lakeshore Block Play People – Complete Set” from Lakeshore Learning for our children’s area. We elected to withhold the furniture pieces that were choking hazards and only put out what fit easily within the rooms. This also means a little less to clean up. Please note, this is not an advertisement for Lakeshore; I simply find their toys made well for long-lasting play. For the dolls, we chose 34 of the people to create 12 families. Some…
Tag: Sing Talk Read Write Play
Sing Talk Read Write PLAY
I’m lucky enough to co-present storytime at my location on Fridays. We’ve been examining our storytime routine and doing some deep thinking on how we are integrating the five early literacy practices of sing, talk, read, write, and play. We determined we needed to find a way to better incorporate PLAY into our storytime. But how would we do this and where to put it? We like to incorporate a variety of inclusive movement activities. Therefore, we decided on a rotation of three activities – parade, follow the leader, and dance. We’ve placed this play time strategically between both books and sandwiched it between some breathwork to bring us back. For logistics, we use a portable bluetooth speaker that is synced to my phone. When we do follow the leader and parade, I carry the speaker with me and start the line while my co presenter brings up the end…
Art Appreciation at Storytime
During the weekly, all ages storytime I co-present on Fridays, we do art appreciation. This occurs after I finish reading the first book. At this time, everyone is instructed to “find your grown-up” and we pass out half sheets of paper that all have the same piece of art printed on them. While passing out the art, we instruct grown-ups to ask their child(ren) “What do you see?” If their children don’t talk yet, I encourage them to describe what they are seeing with as much detail as possible. Generally, this art relates to one of the two books we are reading that day. After about 20 seconds, Monet Manatee asks the entire group, “What do you see?” Children are encouraged to verbally share what they are seeing as I restate what they have shared for everyone to hear better. There are no hands being raised or protocols, just talking….