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From: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and Children"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
To: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and Children" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 1:21 PM
Subject: PUBYAC digest 940
PUBYAC Digest 940
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) Re: toys for librarians!
by "Sheilah O'Connor" <soconnor@tpl.toronto.on.ca>
2) Easy Christmas Craft Ideas?
by Toni Reese <treese@monarch.papillion.ne.us>
3) RE: Programs for Homeschoolers
by Rita Hunt Smith <RitaHuntSmith@DERRYTOWNSHIP.ORG>
4) Replies to "Cushions or Stools for Toddler Time"
by Willa Jean Harner <harnerwi@oplin.lib.oh.us>
5) Re: Universal Themes in literature
by Dawn Sardes <Dawn.Sardes@euclidlibrary.org>
6) core competencies
by "Roberta Meyer" <roberta@effinghamlibrary.org>
7) family films
by "Roberta Meyer" <roberta@effinghamlibrary.org>
8) Stumper--book on going off to Persian Gulf War
by "Amy Roberts" <amyr@sanantonio.gov>
9) 2002 Downs Intellectual Freedom Award Announced
by "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
10) RE: Bloodhag
by "Cindy Rider" <CRIDER@vigo.lib.in.us>
11) Re: Librarians in the media
by "Olivia Spicer" <ospicer@loudoun.gov>
12) Bloodhag documentary
by Suzie Riddle <SRIDDLE@dallaslibrary.org>
13) Copycat Magazine
by Jo Wood <jowood@copycatpress.com>
14) compilation of toddler program responses (long)
by Lorraine Getty <lgetty1969@yahoo.com>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Sheilah O'Connor" <soconnor@tpl.toronto.on.ca>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Re: toys for librarians!
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:18:33 CST
What a great list! Thanks to Ruhama for putting it together.
Don't forget the Lipstick Librarian T shirt - particularly in light of our
Barbie discussions!
http://www.lipsticklibrarian.com/index.html
Sheilah O'Connor
Toronto Public Library
------------------------------
From: Toni Reese <treese@monarch.papillion.ne.us>
To: pubyac <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Easy Christmas Craft Ideas?
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:18:43 CST
Hi Everyone,
I will be doing my first-ever craft session with a homeschooling group
in my town. I think they are going to be age 4-7 or maybe 8 at the
oldest. Our session will last 45 minutes to one hour.
Any easy ideas?
Thanks a lot,
Toni
Toni Reese
Youth Services Librarian
Sump Memorial Library
222 N. Jefferson St.
Papillion NE 68046
treese@monarch.papillion.ne.us
------------------------------
From: Rita Hunt Smith <RitaHuntSmith@DERRYTOWNSHIP.ORG>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: RE: Programs for Homeschoolers
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:18:51 CST
read about homeschooling years ago in The Last Whole
<snip> Earth Catalog, I'll close recommending his most accessible
work (my opinion): Fuller's Earth. Not just for
homeschoolers, his ideas are generally light years
ahead of our public schools.
Peace,
Ed
<snip>
--- Alex Bender <ab44111@yahoo.com>
wrote:
I think it is
> wise for me to stay a little on the conservative
> side of the programming
> fence until I get to know the homeshool group.
>
> Truly yours,
>
> Alex
Here lies the conundrum of serving homeschoolers. In my experience,
homeschoolers come from a wide spectrum with two very distinct and mutually
exclusive poles. On one end are those who homeschool for religious reasons
(which is the primary reason here in central PA and, I suspect, in
Arkansas); on the other end are those who belong to the un-schooling
movement which is more in line with Ed's Whole Earth resources. In the
middle are those who find the public schools not rigorous enough and those
whose children have medical conditions that preclude mainstream schooling. I
know that my homeschoolers would be quite taken aback by some of the
resources Ed listed (although I would find them fascinating). The magazine
"Practical Homeschooling" has some good resources for the more
conservative,
religous-based homeschoolers. _The Well-Trained Mind_ by Jessie Wise and her
daughter, Susan Wise Bauer is a great resource for both middle of the road
and conservative/religous homeschoolers.
Since you are new to the position, maybe you could spend your first session
with the homeschooling group playing ice breakers or having a scavenger hunt
through the reference section. This would give you an opportunity to 1)find
out which philosophy you are dealing with and 2)assess what skills the
children already have.
Good luck--feel free to contact me off-list if you have more questions.
Rita
Rita Hunt Smith
Children's Librarian
Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave
Hershey, PA 17033
ritahuntsmith@derrytownship.org
*************************************************************************
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." George
Eliot
*************************************************************************
------------------------------
From: Willa Jean Harner <harnerwi@oplin.lib.oh.us>
To: PUBYAC@prairienet.org
Subject: Replies to "Cushions or Stools for Toddler Time"
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:19:01 CST
Many, many thanks to the dozen of you who replied to my query:
"Do any of you use some kind of simple stackable stools or substantial
cushions for the adults who attend your toddler times? If so, how do
they work? Where did you
purchase them, and are they easy to store?"
Here are all the replies--
We have small square cushions for the kids to sit on, on top of a
colorful area rug. Our activity room floor is moppable tile. We have
two craft tables in the room with small wooden seats that
can be pulled over for parents. In addition, our Friends group purchased
cheap stackable style white plastic lawn chairs which I also put out for
the parents and older guests. They are not
the most attractive, but are lightweight and easy to move around. I have
toss pillows in the room that I use with the white chairs.
I have cushions 3" thick and 16x16. Bought them through Demco. I
encourage everyone to sit on one, but I also have pregnant moms and
grandparents, not to mention that I am of that age that when I get down,
getting up is not a pretty site. I simply put out a few chairs (adult
size)around the perimeter of the cushion area but not one for every
parent,
maybe 6-8. I don't say anything about the chairs, just let the adults
figure it out. This seems to work well. Those that need the chairs use
them, everyone else is fine with the cushions. I have 2'Lap-sitter'
Storytimes (2-3Yrs) and Pre-school Pals Storytime(4-6yrs). In fact I
use
the cushions for all programs. It provides a space that is just right
for
one set of back pockets. Hope this helps.
I have
several grandmothers who bring a grandchild to toddler time or baby time
and they do have a problem getting up from the floor. For that matter
so
do I since I am overweight. I found that I can sit on a kick stool (for
shelving books) and get up and down easily so you wouldn't need anything
too tall. However, one thing I do now is to plan the program with fewer
up
and down times. I start out standing and doing motion activities such
as
Head and Shoulders, then after several motion activities and songs, we
sit
and read a book, and work with flannel boards, counting, puppets,
fingerplays, songs, etc. Then I get up and we do more of the stand up
things before we leave. It makes it a lot easier than stand up, sit
down,
stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, etc.
We don't use stools or chairs, but I do sit in the middle of the room so
that the adults can lean against the walls. This helps the situation a
little.
Our toddlers sit on "carpet squares" on the carpeted floor, with their
parent or caregiver
sitting behing them. We had both small and adult size chairs to offer
them and they could in
whichever was most comfortable. The child could sit on their lap if that
was comfortable
(then they don't feel so far away). In my experience most people who
need chairs usually
gratefully accept the offer. Maybe some just don't want to feel
"different."
We use stackable cushions for both the children and
adults--whoever wants them. I don't think they're
substantial enough to help someone get up or down.
They're about 2-3 inches thick. We have chairs
available if someone wants them. I think we got the
cushions from Demco. We store them on top of our old
upright piano. I understand the lack of storage space!
We happen to have a couple of over-stuffed chairs in the area where we
do storytime. If there are more than 2 folks who
don't do floors easily, they seem to feel free to pull a chair from a
table in the adjacent area. I've become one of those floor
challenged people, so I roll up one of the short stools we have for
reaching taller shelves in the stacks - keeps me close to
the kids withouth their having to pull me to my feet! Good luck!
We push the furniture aside in the YA room and do ours using the sofa
and
chairs in the room, plus all the straight back chairs we can borrow from
nearby computers. Children sit on laps. We have been getting so many
that
the overflow has to sit on the floor, but at least we have created two
levels so seeing the book is easier.
Here in Slidell, Louisiana at all our storytimes- Baby Storytime,
Toddler Storytime, Preschool Storytime and After School programs and
Family Storytime, I ask the children to sit on the floor and tell the
parents or grandparents that they can sit on the floor or use a chair
that is provided all around the meeting room. During Baby Stories, I use
a small stool so I can be near the babies in laps. At the other
storytimes, I use an office chair (with wheels so I can scoot closer to
my audience if needed).
This seems to work well- I encourage the children during the stories to
sit "real close to someone you love" to foster that wonder feeling of
sharing stories with someone special.
We have adult-sized, metal leg, fabric seat, stackable chairs that we
put
out around the back and sides of the storyrooms, both in carpeted and
uncarpeted areas.
Our Toddlers sit on mats-squares of carpeting we had left over from
reflooring the Special Services Dept. I believe that these could be
obtained from the carpet store fairly cheaply. Because we do have many
grandparents who bring their grandkids, we set a few chairs up at the
back
of the room. That way they don't have to request them, but are grateful
for
them. Even though our program area is carpeted, the mats provide the
kids
their own "space" as well as practice in being responsible for
returning
items after use.
I place a half-circle of chairs towards the outside edges of the story
area. That
way there is still lots of space for people to sit on the floor in front
of me. The chairs
are standard size for adults. When the little ones sit on them it
doesn't last since they
move towards me as the stories are read.
--
Willa Jean Harner, M.L.S.
Head, Junior Department, Tiffin-Seneca Public Library
77 Jefferson Street, Tiffin, OH 44883-2399
Voice 419-447-3751 Fax 419-447-3045
------------------------------
From: Dawn Sardes <Dawn.Sardes@euclidlibrary.org>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Re: Universal Themes in literature
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:19:11 CST
I used to be an English teacher and I remember the "classic" themes
were:
Will versus fate
the triumph of man over a utopian or distopian society
good versus evil
the fatal flaw
To this I'd add:
generation gap
Dawn Sardes
Teen Services Librarian
Euclid Public Library
Dawn.Sardes@euclidlibrary.org
216-261-5300, ext. 138
"Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find
the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to
use a
library, the doors to learning are always open."
-Laura Bush, First Lady, June 2002
----- Original Message -----
From: akacahill@hargray.com
Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2002 6:20 pm
Subject: Universal Themes in literature
> I am a media specialist in an elementary school. One of my
> teachers asked
> for
> a list of universal themes in literature. I have consulted every
> source I
> can
> think of but to no avail. Of course I can brainstorm some themes
> on my own,
> but I wonder is there a "list" of universal
> themes?
>
>
------------------------------
From: "Roberta Meyer" <roberta@effinghamlibrary.org>
To: "PUBYAC" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: core competencies
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:19:21 CST
We are redefining some of the positions in our medium-sized, public library.
Currently, we have three full-time positions: director, youth services
librarian, and technical services librarian. The remainder of our staff is
part-time assistants and pages. The director has asked the librarians to
come up with core competencies for working in the library in general and for
working in our different departments.
If anyone has a core competency list for your library and/or for your youth
services department, I would really appreciate your e-mailing me a copy to
roberta@effinghamlibrary.org.
Thanks so much!
Roberta
**********************************************
Roberta L. Meyer
Youth Services Librarian
Helen Matthes Library
100 East Market Ave.
Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-2464 x6
Fax (217) 342-2413
roberta@effinghamlibrary.org
"The Library is the Answer. What's the Question?"
------------------------------
From: "Roberta Meyer" <roberta@effinghamlibrary.org>
To: "PUBYAC" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: family films
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:19:30 CST
Another question for the combined Great Brain:
We have received an LSTA grant to purchase a core collection of family films
on DVD.
If you had to choose one or two or three "must-have" movies, rated G
or PG,
which would you pick?
Please reply directly to me at roberta@effinghamlibrary.org.
Thanks!
Roberta
**********************************************
Roberta L. Meyer
Youth Services Librarian
Helen Matthes Library
100 East Market Ave.
Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-2464 x6
Fax (217) 342-2413
roberta@effinghamlibrary.org
"The Library is the Answer. What's the Question?"
------------------------------
From: "Amy Roberts" <amyr@sanantonio.gov>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Stumper--book on going off to Persian Gulf War
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:19:39 CST
Hi All,
A patron is looking for a picture book (she's sure that it's an =
Juvenile Easy book) that depicts a father going off to war during the =
Gulf War. She thinks that it was written in 1991 or 1992 and deals with =
the separation of the family and deployment. She also remembers that =
there is a picture of the family on the cover on the tarmac at the =
airport. If anyone has the title/author of this book I would really =
appreciate it! Thank you!
Amy Roberts
Children's Librarian II
Johnston Branch Library
San Antonio Public Library
------------------------------
From: "Don Wood" <dwood@ala.org>
Subject: 2002 Downs Intellectual Freedom Award Announced
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:19:49 CST
2002 Downs Intellectual Freedom Award Acknowledges Librarians Zoia Horn
and Ginnie Cooper and the Multnomah County Library Board of Trustees
http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/gslis/school/news/downs-award-2002.html
"The 2002 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award--presented by the
faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science
(GSLIS) at the University of Illinois--has been awarded to two
recipients: retired librarian Zoia Horn for a lifetime of defending
intellectual freedom, and Ginnie Cooper and the Multnomah County Library
Board of Trustees (Portland, Oregon) for their stand on the Children's
Internet Protection Act."
------------------------------
From: "Cindy Rider" <CRIDER@vigo.lib.in.us>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: RE: Bloodhag
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:19:58 CST
Thanks, Stacy and others who responded to my question. Maybe my age is =
showing? (the Class of '67 rocks!)
Cindy
>>> "Creel, Stacy - HPL" <Stacy.Creel@cityofhouston.net>
12/04/02 07:56PM =
>>>
You'd be surprised what teens can understand and adults - even cool adults =
-
can not. We had a punk rock concert here and teens were actually singing
along to lyrics that sounded like very loud noise and screaming to the =
rest
of us.
slc
Stacy L. Creel
YA Manager
Houston Public Library
500 McKinney Ave, 77002
832-393-1475
-----Original Message-----
From: Cindy Rider [mailto:CRIDER@vigo.lib.in.us]=20
I listened to samples of Bloodhag's music....but couldn't understand one
single word! It just sounded like a lot of yelling to me. How do
they =
get
their message about reading across through their lyrics?? I'm not trying =
to
be difficult; maybe I just don't get it.
------------------------------
From: "Olivia Spicer" <ospicer@loudoun.gov>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Re: Librarians in the media
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:20:06 CST
I was watching either Leno or Letterman last night, & they had a spoof of
the the 'Girls Gone Wild' videos where young college girls flash the
camera, etc. Only this was 'Girls Gone Mild'. They showed girls
doing
things like sewing, cooking, & one was a librarian (she was using an old
card catalog). Ugh! I guess the stereotype will always be there.
Olivia I. Spicer
Youth Services Librarian
Loudoun County Public Library
Rust Library
380 Old Waterford Rd.
Leesburg, VA 20176
Tel: 703-771-5624
ospicer@loudoun.gov
------------------------------
From: Suzie Riddle <SRIDDLE@dallaslibrary.org>
To: "'pubyac@prairienet.org'"
<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Bloodhag documentary
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:20:16 CST
A friend of mine made a fabulous short documentary about Bloodhag. It has
been showing (and winning awards) at several independent documentary
festivals. You can get a copy directly from Brad Vanderberg burgism@aol.com
. You could watch the documentary to learn more about Bloodhag or show it in
your library if you are not one of the lucky libraries to host them on their
upcoming US tour.
Suzie Riddle
Children's Librarian
Dallas Public Library - Lakewood Branch
214-670-1376
sriddle@dallaslibrary.org
------------------------------
From: Jo Wood <jowood@copycatpress.com>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Copycat Magazine
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:20:26 CST
Hello friends!
Recently, we have received several phone calls and emails asking whether we
intend to cease publication of Copycat Magazine for K-3 teachers. We're not
quite sure how this rumor got started, but we would like to assure all of
our subscribers that we have no plans to stop publication. In fact, we're
currently formulating plans for 2004!!
Please help us spread the word and squash the rumor by posting this notice
on your list serves!
___________________________________
Jo Anne Wood
jowood@copycatpress.com
Creative Director
COPYCAT PRESS, INC.
Sharon Tuttle
srtuttle@copycatpress.com
Education Director
COPYCATP PRESS, INC.
------------------------------
From: Lorraine Getty <lgetty1969@yahoo.com>
To: PUBYAC <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: compilation of toddler program responses (long)
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 14:20:36 CST
Thanks to all of you who responded to my request for
info about how different libraries schedule their
toddler programs. Our situation will be different
from many of those who responded, since we service a
realtively small population area (2400 people), but I
appreciated hearing all the ideas and rationales from
everyone. With my background as a grade school/jr.
high/high school librarian, I had not considered such
factors as the children needing more than 4 weeks in a
row to actually "learn how to be there," so I felt I
learned a lot from your comments.
Here is the orgininal posting, and what follows are
the responses I received. If anyone prefers, I will
send you the information as an attachment.
ORIGINAL POSTING:
We are considering offering morning toddler progams,
and I'm looking for advice on the best way to schedule
them. I notice that a lot of you conduct programs in
six-week sessions, offered once in the fall and once
in the spring, or something like that. I was thinking
of doing an every-other month thing, basically through
the school year, where we have 4 programs a month
(same day of the week), but that may be more than I
really want to commit to. What I'd like to hear are
your reasons for whatever type of schedule you have -
the pros and cons that I might not be thinking of.
This will be my first experience with this type of
activity.
Please respond to me individually rather than on the
listserv. It's much easier for me to get to
individual messages.
Thanks,
Lorraine Getty
Forsyth Public Library
lgetty1969@yahoo.com
RESPONSES:
When you say "toddlers" you are talking 3-5 yr. olds?
We call those "preschool." Our toddlers are 2 yr.
olds. Some libraries say 18 mo.-30 or 36 mo.
In either case, I think 4 weeks should be the minimum
length of time for a series. Our 3-5 yr. olds sessions
are 1/2 hr. for 7-8 weeks in fall (Oct/Nov) and 7-8 in
spring (Feb/March). Whether they are 7 or 8 depends on
holidays. We used to start in early Sept. and go to
early Dec. then again Jan. to end of April. Our
director felt that many storytimes took "too much
staff time" and cut it back.
Planning always seems to take longer than the actual
programs do, but once you've done them you can use
some of the same plans over. I also wrote a letter of
greeting and expectations to each child and parent and
sent it to them before the sessions started (or gave
it to them if they signed up after I sent the
letters), so that took some time. You can spend hours
planning, or hours and hours. (the more time I have,
the more time it takes....)
If they are going to increase the hours on a yearly
basis, I'd say 2-4 hr. a week. If just for certain
time periods, then maybe 4-6 hr. a week for the weeks
you do them and another 4-6 hr. a week for the 2
months before for planning and preparation of crafts,
flannelboard stories, etc. It's hard for me to
separate it out of my total time "budget."
Now if you're talking 2 yr. olds....
Our 2 yr. old "Time for Twos" runs 6 weeks in fall
(Sept/Oct) and 6 in spring (March/April) for 1/2 hr.
sessions. A parent or caregiver is required for each
child (although twins usually shared the parent), and
siblings other than babies in carriers were not
allowed. The limit was 10-12 child/parent pairs. I
usually signed up 12, hoping that 8-10 or them would
show. We sat in a circle with the kids on little rugs
and the parent behind them. Parents (or grandparents,
etc. who couldn't sit on the floor easily were
provided chairs). I had a rug too, and I brought my
"friend" Ginger (stuffed gingerbread girl), although
that isn't necessary. I just liked to.
When I did the toddlers, I did 20 min. stories and
activities, then 10 min. "book corner" and "table
time." I read 1-2 books, usually told one story like
3 bears, a flannelboard activity (took toddlers a
while to get used to participating in those). I did
some activities in which I interacted with the
children, and some which required parent/child
interaction. Fingerplays, puppets, songs, action
songs, other physical activities, lots of up and down
stuff. When we did Duck Duck Goose-type games, the
kids were clueless so the parents took them around the
circle.
For book corner I had board books and new books with
lots of pictures and short text in one area, and
encouraged parents to read to them. Table time was a
simple craft that the parent helped with. I started
them out the first week with just big paper and
crayons. Each week I added something new, like
markers, glue sticks, stickers, etc. Mary did
fingerpainting and all kinds of art stuff, but I
personally preferred basic things. I did not do
snacks; Mary did. I did a survey of parents once and
they indicated they preferred no snacks. I always had
a handout for parents to take home to extend the
skills or theme we had that day.
We did 2 sessions, one at 10 and one at 11. I usually
spent 1/2 hour setting up and 1/2 hr. cleaning up,
about the same as for preschool story time, except
you're more exhausted at the end. ha ha
Cindy Rider
Young Peoples School Liaison Program Librarian.
Vigo Co. Public Library
Terre Haute, IN
crider@vigo.lib.in.us
http://www.vigo.lib.in.us/yp/yp.html
---------------------------------------------
Our preschool storytime is for ages 3-5. We have 2
sessions of those; one on Monday p.m. 7-7:30 and one
on Wed. a.m. at 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Our toddler time is once a week for ages 24-36 months,
that's the age we consider toddlers. We do that on
Tuesday a.m.'s at 10:00 for less than half an hour
depending on the group and their attention span.
Both programs run for 8 weeks. We do a fall and
winter session. In the summer we do special programs
for those groups.
For both groups we read appropriate books based on a
theme. Songs, fingerplays and interactive play is
done. There is usually a small craft suitable to the
age group. For instance, the toddlers took home a
piece of pumpkin pie this week. They were given a
triangle, they colored it and then pasted with a
gluestick a dab of cotton on top for the whipcream.
Simple, but fun and they get to practice eye-hand
coordination.
Quite often we send home coloring sheets and special
bookmarks. They also go home at the end of their
session with a magnet that they make to remind them
when the next storytime session will begin.
Debbie Allen
-----------------------
I have been doing a Toddler Time program for
two-year-olds and their parents/caregivers at the
Cherry Hill (N.J.) Library for 12 years now. It
started out as an occasional program but when I took
it over, it met
once a month from September through June. It became
quite popular so few years ago I start having it twice
a month from September through June. I do it on one
Wednesday morning and one Thursday morning each
month. Some people can make only one session and some
can make both. By having the two days available, more
people can participate. The dates do move around
since I have to do my preschool storytime for ages 3-6
during the fall, winter and spring. Preschool
storytime runs 6
weeks at a time. I have also added Toddler Time to my
summer program schedule. It runs for 4 weeks in
July/August along with the other summer programs. I
am the only youth services librarian at my library
so I do all the programs and I have found that this
schedule works the best for me.
You should work out a schedule that is best for you
and your library. However, I would recommend having
the program at least once a month rather than every
other month.
If you would like more information about our Toddler
Time program, please feel free to contact me.
Linda Meuse
Children's Librarian
Cherry Hill Public Library
lmeuse@cherryhill.lib.nj.us
--------------------------
Lorraine,
Here in Goshen, NY we do a six week toddletime
program twice a year. We do four session; two on
Tuesday morning and two on Wednesday morning. each
group has 12-14 children, 18-36 months with a
caregiver.
We have toys and puzzles set up and they play and
socialize for 30 minutes, then I ring a bell, the toys
are put away and we sit in a circle with children on
parent's lap and do fifteen minutes of stories,
songs and fingerplays. Those who have dificulty
sitting and listening can go back out to the hall
where are still some toys set up. We have been doing
this program for about 12 years and the demand is
high. We would like to do more or longer sessions, but
until we get more staff this is not possible. We are
now starting a "Wee Read" for birth - 18 months with a
similar format.
These programs are a lot of fun, but make the set
up as easy as possible. We have a double bookcase
thing that is hinged and a lot of the toys fit in
there.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail
me.
Kathy LaRocca
klarocca@rcls.org
-------------------------------
Hi Lorraine,
I am the one and only children's room librarian in a
small, New England town of 5000. We do have open and
free programs and accept registrants from the smaller
towns which surround us. They all have their own
libraries and storytimes as well but I find that about
1/4 of the participants are from the surrounding
towns. I run a StoryTown and StoryCraft for
preschoolers. I'll explain the difference below.
I find that it takes some time for people to get in a
routine. The six-week signup for my StoryCraft
sessions works because they know there is an end to it
so they show up on a regular basis, not wanting to
miss one of the crafts. I then have a week or two
week break and start up another (with the exception of
the holiday break in December/January and the summer
break.) Therefore, I run two six-week sessions in the
fall; a winter session January 23-Feb 28; and two more
sessions March 20th through June 12. Summer Reading
starts right after that and I haven't offered
StoryCraft in the summer. Some children stay on for
one StoryCraft session after another and others move
on to other things and new children join up. I do not
envy the communities who have to have lotteries for
these types of things! I couldn't stand turning
children away on a regular basis.
The StoryTown program differs from StoryCraft. As far
as my StoryTown (storytime programming with no sign up
and no craft) I find that it takes weeks for people to
get with the program so I might discourage you from
running programming with a month between. Therefore
I run this storytime every week (with some exceptions)
from the end of September through November and again
from the end of January through April. It is tiring
and I find that I am very ready in November and April
to end for the long break.
I find that I really enjoy the StoryCraft program with
a maximum enrollment of ten children for each session
(I currently have 37 children in the program) and
caregiver participation required. I get to know the
children and we spend 25 to 30 minutes together; I
offer four sessions a week - Thursday and Fridays at
10:00 and 10:45. Children sign up for one of those
sessions according to age and sibling group etc. The
children come into the library when it opens and spend
a few minutes in the chidren's room while everyone
arrives, we then go over to the story quilt corner
which is in a different area of the library from the
children's room and read two or three simple books and
talk about the theme in a casual way. I mention
birthdays, upcoming holidays, snowstorms! etc. After
the stories we go up to the tables where I have a
simple craft set up for up to ten children. The craft
compliments the stories in some way. I hand out
animal crackers or shaped cookies, etc. at the very
end while the parents and children are finishing up
their craft. Some mothers hang around for a few
minutes ... others hurry on to their next excursion,
etc. Children and mothers for the second session are
arriving in the library at this time and families tend
to mix and hang out after each session in the
children's room. I then start the routine all over
again from 10:45 until 11:15, calling the next session
into the story corner. The children's room is very
busy on Thursday and Friday mornings until well after
noon. I have (8) 2 to 3-1/2's in the 10 am Thursday
session and (10) 3-5's in the 10:45 session. The same
tends to go for Friday as well, athough I do accept
sibling groups (the older and younger don't seem to
mind.) I am casual and flexible about all of this and
even accept drop in's when they call first. (I don't
advertise this!)
I have extended my storytime programming to the
StoryCraft venue for a year now and I do prefer it
over the large StoryTown with puppets, songs and
stories and family crowds although I would probably
miss this program if I didn't have it any longer. I
don't get to know the kids as well in those sessions
as the families change each year, all year long, as
children go into preschool, daycare and elementary
school programs. There are anywhere from 15 to 30
children at the StoryTown storytimes. We offer
StoryTown on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. and it
lasts 1/2 hour to 45 min.
I will probably add more StoryCraft sessions as they
become more popular. I have added two sessions since
my original program started and with a fully attneded
program, I may need to add one on Tuesday. I don't
believe I will do an afternoon session as preschools
and kindergartens get out at varying times.
Hopes this helps.
Charlotte Rabbitt, Children's Librarian
Peterborough Town Library
Peterborough, New Hampshire
mzlibrary@aol.com
http://townofpeterborough.com/library
-------------------------------
I do two year old lapsit sessions (Sept-Dec; Jan-Mar;
and April-May; July-Mid August).
We offer a choice of Monday, Wed, or Thursday at 9:30.
I found the Monday group doesn't adjust as well in the
Fall because of all the Monday holidays, meetings,
etc. If they miss a week or two in a row, its like
starting all over again.
Once you have it planned, you can repeat the programs
that went over well the next year because the children
will have moved on to the 3-5 year old group. This
year I managed to put my book titles, craft idea and
theme in a database that I can sort by date, book, or
craft so I don't repeat too often.
We do a lot of movement rhymes and songs, simple short
books and a basic craft to reinforce the concept.
Lynda M. Gamble
Youth Services Librarian
Peace Dale Library
1057 Kingstown Rd.
Peace Dale, RI 02883
http://204.17.98.73/Skilib
--------------------------------
Hi Lorraine!
We have three programs for little ones: Little
Listeners (12 to 24 months) and Tales for Twos and
Threes (I think you can figure out the target age for
that one). Both of these go for five weeks, three
times per year--fall, winter, and spring. In most of
the months that we don't have these programs, we have
at least one session of Tot Time (for under age 3).
As for other responses that I've read on the
listserv, I do want to make a few comments. Although
I have more than fifteen titles that I choose from, I
have NO problem using a favorite title frequently
(although I try not to repeat within a five week
session). As you probably know, repetition is good
thing at this age. They love it. I have learned not
to worry too much about whether the parents are
getting bored. But usually if their children love
something, the parents enjoy it too.
Also, the reason we do five week sessions is
simply that this is the way that our library
structures their programs. I don't think it matters
much if you do it every month, in 4 or 8 week sessions
or every week year round, as long as it doesn't wear
you or your staff out. Personally the idea of doing
any program every week of the year would make me
crazy.
Good luck. I hope you find a good solution for your
library.
Clare Meehan
Carol Stream Public Library
Carol Stream,IL
clare329@earthlink.net
------------------------------
Lorraine,
We offer four preschool storytimes each week and four
toddler storytimes. This is for a community of about
60,000. The average weekly attendance for the toddler
sessions (ages 18 months - 3 years) is higher that the
preschool storytimes (ages 3-6) by 10-20%. We feel
strongly about holding year-round programming (with a
break in August, and the two weeks over the Christmas
holidays) because our community has a high growth
rate, and we want newcomers to be able to start
attending as soon as they are ready, and not have to
wait for a new session. Also, regular attendance for
toddlers is difficult, since they tend to get sick, or
just be having a bad day, fairly often. If you
require registration and limit attendance, people
either don't register because they don't feel they can
make the commitment to be there every session, or else
they do register but then don't come to half of the
sessions, thereby keeping out someone who could have
attended. So, we like to run it year-round and not
require registration. It seems to work for us.
Regards,
Sue Ridnour
Youth Services Manager
Flower Mound Public Library
Flower Mound, TX
972.874.6153
sue.ridnour@flower-mound.com
----------------------------
Lorraine,
We offer Toddler Time in the same time frame as
Storytime. The winter/spring session runs from
February-April, summer is June-July, fall runs from
October-December. We don't do programming the other
months to allow us to work on special projects like
weeding, seeing salesmen, getting ready for summer,
etc.
Although I feel a little guilty about the
August-September break, this Works well for us,
especially since we are closed for a week every
September for inventory. (Our main library is right
in the middle of a street fair! Nobody can get within
blocks of us anyway!)
I agree with what others posted to PUBYAC. There are
certainly more than 15 good toddler books and it takes
awhile to get kids in the swing of the program, which
is why I'd recommend longer sessions.
Good luck in whatever you decide. It really is a fun
age. (I just had a mother tell me that her son plays
"Toddler Time" at home. He sits in a chair and is
"Susan" while she sits on the floor and is "Will."
I'd
love to see it!)
Susan Dailey
librarian, speaker and author of A Storytime Year
(www.susanmdailey.com)
Ossian Branch Library, Ossian, Indiana
260-622-4691
<mailto:obldailey@wellscolibrary.org>
-----------------------------------------
I researched this before I started one and the general
consensus, which I found to be true, is that you need
to do it weekly to get the children familiar with you
and the routine. Doing it once a month leaves too much
space in between meetings. I do mine for 6 weeks and
sometimes it is week 4 before the child moves from
moms lap to the floor. I do a 6 week program in the
fall and spring and a 4 week one in June.
Linda Peterson
Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library
125 South Franklin
Bloomfield, Indiana 47424
Phone: (812)384-4125
Fax: (812)384-0820
-----------------------------------
Our toddler time is one of the most successful
programs we do, so I can't imagine restricting it to
short time blocks of four or six weeks. Yes, it gets
hard to find appropriate material. Perhaps we should
be
assembling a list of books that work, as we all run
dry at times. If the point is to get folks to love
their libraries and to enjoy reading to children, I
can't imagine telling them that I've run out of ideas
and have decided to stop - they will soon find other
places to go instead. I'll be glad to collect
suggestions to post to the list if anyone wants to
contribute. There are surely more than 15 great
toddler books out there!
Carol Chatfield
Ilsley Public Library
Middlebury, VT
------------------------------------
We treat toddler time like we do story time: every
week, all year. It works well for us, and we like to
think it helps keep the kids connected with the
library all the time. At the first of the year, we are
even expanding our toddler program to twice a week due
to popularity.
Beverly Kirkendall
Library Manager, Youth Services
Hurst Public Library
Hurst, TX
----------------------------
Lorraine
I'm a children's librarian in Snohomish Washington. We
offer our toddler storytimes for eight weeks three
times a year. We also have a combined storytime in the
summer. I find that 4 week series are too short for
toddlers (18months - 3 years.) It takes about that
long for the children to become comfortable with the
routine and with each other. That leaves us four weeks
to do things that are a little more complex, etc. We
do a craft/activity each week with caregivers working
with their children.
Jeannette Whitworth JWhitworth@sno-isle.org
Children's Librarian
Snohomish Library
Sno-Isle Regional Library System
------------------------------
Lorraine--
I faced a similar situation 4 years ago and decided to
add programing for toddlers. We are a single library
with no branches serving a town of 45,000; I have a
staff of 4 (2 part time, 2 full time including
myself). 4 years ago we had 3 programs for 0-12
years. Summer Reading (which was for school age
children but preschoolers/toddlers could come in
because there wasn't a separate program for them), and
2 preschool
storytimes during the school year (one on Monday night
and one on Wednesday morning). The preschool programs
showed a film strip, read a book and did a craft, ages
ranged from 0-7 in the room (we have a large
homeschool community). Programs ran Sept. thru 1st
week of Dec. /Mid Jan. thru April and 8 weeks of
Summer Reading Program. No registration was required
except for Summer Reading Programs.
When I started here 4 years ago first thing I did was
focus the programs back on reading. No filmstrip,
lots of books, songs, puppets, and finger plays,
colorsheets during the school year and crafts during
summer reading program. We still don't require
registration except for
SRP. On Monday pm and Wednesday am we offer 2
programs a half hour each. Mother Goose is for 0-3yrs
we use lots of nursery rhymes (songs, books, magnet
boards and puppets), board books, big books, pop ups,
songs, finger plays etc. We hand out a coloring sheet
at the end and
everyone gets a sticker and hand stamp. We require an
adult caregiver to stay with the child. We schedule
daycares separately. We have a 2nd preschool program
for 3-6 yrs. (3's can go in either group depending on
if the child is used to listening to stories, how
mobile the child is, the parents schedule). In the
preschool program we use longer picture books, skits,
puppets, more interactive/particapatory type stories,
also I tell more stories to this group, songs, pop up
books etc. They also have a coloring sheet, sticker
and hand stamp.
We have lots of families with children in both age
groups usually infants with preschool siblings join
the preschool group and mobile toddlers with preschool
siblings join the Mother Goose group. In some
cases families are lucky that mom will take one child
to one group and dad or grandma/pa will take the other
child to the next program. I should point out that we
have a separate room in the children's dept. for
storytimes and the programs are back to back. This
set up worked very well and parents liked it so much
that the following year we added 2 more programs on
Thurs am --they filled up and this Fall we added Sat
am programs!
We have also added programs for K-3 which encouraged
children to move up now that we had something for them
during the school year and 4-8th grade programs as
well as teen programs!! Yeah! We have good attendance
at all the programs. Whether you show up on Mon, Wed,
Thurs, or Sat you hear the same stories for that week
and starting on Monday we change to a new theme. The
Mother Goose and preschool storytimes have the same
theme each week (ie dinosaurs) but different titles
that are age appropriate and we only do the nursery
rhymes with the younger children.
We start the week after Labor Day and go until middle
of Dec. and restart 2nd Monday in Jan thru middle of
May, restart June and July and stop in August. We
have low attendance in Dec/Jan because of holidays and
icy weather and in August many families connected with
the local colleges travel for vacation and attendance
is low. We also do inventory and weeding of the
collection in August. We stop in mid-May so we can
travel to the schools to promote SRP. I find it is
more work
to stop the programs for a break because you have to
work to readvertise you've started again and get
everyone coming back plus the children have to get
used to storytime again.
I do all 8 Mother Goose/Preschool storytimes a week
because this stories change each week and it is harder
to learn all the new stories plus the younger children
get used to seeing one face and get shy if we have too
many different people in the room. We also provide
storytimes to daycare providers/headstart. Right now
we do 45 daycare groups a month. Daycares come once a
month. My other 3 staff rotate telling to the
daycares and we rotate Sat. stories (2 staff work one
weekend, 2 staff work the next), we also plan ahead if
I am on vacation, meetings etc. And everyone is
prepared in case someone calls in sick.
I wish we could offer small group infant classes, lap
time, toddlers and preschool. Because I know there
are huge differences between want an infant, 1 year, 2
year old etc. needs at storytime. But given staffing,
budget and room space this is the best we can offer at
this time.
Writing all this it is hard to believe how much we've
grown in 4 years. One word of advice is to start one
program at a time and make sure it is anchored before
you start the next one. You can do a lot but when I
tried to start 2 programs at the same time one seemed
to get short changed. So now we start one new thing
at a time and each quarter or season introduce the new
program. Of course you may not be in our
situation where we were also trying to start
elementary age, tweens and teen programs too.
If you have any question please email me and good
luck!
Jennifer McQuilkin
jmcquilkin@joplinpubliclibrary.org
--------------------------------
Morning,
We do the six week at a time thing because it seems
that people remember better to come if it's every week
for a certain time period than every other week. If
they get out of a routine, attendance drops.
Best of luck
"Traci Moritz" <moritztr@oplin.lib.oh.us
----------------------------
Hi,
I do four story sessions a year, during the school
year. They are each 6 weeks long. I found this works
very well with the school and holiday schedule. We
always take the week of Thanksgiving off. The schedule
allows me to have programming for reading month, in
this area, it is March. I keep the storytimes on the
same day and time. Toddler Time is on Tuesdays from
10:30-10:50 or so. I have found some success with a
preschool storytime from
2:30-3:30, more than I expected.
--
Nancy Thelen
920 W. Michigan Ave
Three Rivers Public Library
Three Rivers, MI
nthelan@monroe.lib.mi.us
--------------------------------
Dear Lorraine-
In response to your question about story time. At
Falmouth Memorial Library in Maine we do two different
weekly programs for children 5 and under. We do three
sessions throughout the year. Sept - Dec; Jan - May;
July and August.
Books and Babies is for children birth to age 3. It
runs approx. 15 weeks at a time. It is a 25 min.
program which includes songs, fingerplays, stories,
rhymes and puppets. Since I enjoy structure, I use
the same songs in the same order each week. I do
alter the order and add songs every time we begin a
new session. As for the books, I do repeat. I don't
get tired at all. In fact, it is more relaxing to
read over some of their favorites. Parents don't
care. They are just
so pleased with how much fun their child is having. I
never do this program based on themes. Children under
3 are too young to grasp that, and it is more work
than it necessary.
Our Preschool stories is 30 mins. We use songs,
longer stories and more interaction with the children.
Puppets and flannel boards are used but not weekly.
We like to keep the focus on books. Puppets and the
flannel board are special treats. My assistant does
this program and she does find using themes to be
helpful.
We do not do crafts with any program. When we do
offer a story and craft program, it is separate from
the regular programs.
Because I am compulsive, I write down the titles of
the books on a calendar so I know what's been read.
Then, at the end of every session I type up the list
and keep it for future reference.
In my community there is a big demand for programs for
children under age 3. If I only offered it in 8 or 6
week sessions, two or three times a year, it wouldn't
be enough. I'm never bored with my programs. I love
children. I love watching them grow. When a child
begins story time in Sept. they can be babies. When
May rolls around, those children are toddlers and I've
watched them progress. My favorite moment is when a
child will do the hand motions for a song for the
first time. It is magical.
Oh, I have approx. 55 people attending Books and
Babies weekly. They are regulars. I am the only
full-time person in the children's room. I have an
assistant that works 15 hr. per week.
Good luck.
Louise Capizzo
Children's Librarian
Falmouth Memorial Library
Falmouth, ME
------------------------------------
Although this is strictly my opinion, I think that one
reason many librarians don't do it as often as you are
suggesting is that it is hard to come up with a new
programs every other month. You will get many of the
same families and if you use the same books, they will
notice. You will also get sick of them (the books, not
the families!). Perhaps you will have greater luck at
this that I, but I haven't found all THAT many top
quality books I want to use for that age. Since you
will likely use at least 15 books in a month, maybe
more, it adds up very quickly!
Sheilah O'Connor
Toronto Public Library
soconnor@tpl.toronto.on.ca
-----------------------------------
Lorraine,
I have to disagree with Sheilah on this one. I have
done weekly, year-round toddler programs at several
libraries for eight years now. Sheilah is right in
her statement that there aren't many books you can use
with very young children; however, I've noticed that
kids (and parents) ENJOY seeing books repeated. Young
children like things that are familiar...when you
re-read a book you've already used in the last four or
five months, kids recognize that familiarity and enjoy
the book again.
However, if you are having trouble finding books for
your toddler program, I can suggest some authors whose
books work well with young children and who are fairly
prolific:
Eric Carle (naturally)
Denise Fleming (my favorite)
Helen Oxenbury
Virginia Miller
Rosemary Wells
Margaret Miller
Some of my other favorite authors are:
Mary Murphy
Katie Davis
Katie Evans
Some of my favorite books for toddlers are:
Tom and Pippo's Day (and all of the other 12
Pippo books) by
Oxenbury
Who Hoots? by Davis
Who Hops? by Davis
Hunky Dory Ate It by Evans
Hunky Dory Found It by Evans
Be Gentle! by V. Miller
On Your Potty! by V. Miller
Whose Shoes? by M. Miller
I hope I haven't bored you with this e-mail. And I
hope you enjoy your
toddler program. Toddler programs are challenging,
but always
interesting
and tons of fun!
Linda Bridges
Effingham County Children's Coordinator
Live Oak Public Libraries
Savannah, GA
bridgesl@liveoakpl.org
--------------------------------------------------
I could not disagree more with the librarian from
Toronto. I run toddler story times 12 months a year,
once a week. In three years I have never run out of
books - sometimes I have favorites to go with seasons
that get repeated and sometimes I do all new things.
I like running consistent programs because the
children develop so fast at this age and they need to
have a routine. I also have an infant
program that I do once a month. My reasoning there is
that #1 I can't
divide myself any further and #2 the moms that come
are so avid that they also have their babies out of
the house for music, swimming and
whatever else is offered in the community. I think
that is a little much for this age and want to
discourage it.
One thing that I have not seen mentioned is that these
programs do not have to be long at all. I only ever
do three books and sometimes only two, I try to have
some kind of art activity, add some songs and rhymes
and you may get to twenty minutes. That is plenty
long enough for a 2-3 year old attention span. If you
feel burdened by doing toddler programs, maybe you
should get a volunteer to help you out. They are the
most fun of all that I do. It's a great age.
Sarah Sachs
Children's Librarian
Potsdam Public Library
Potsdam, NY 13676
sachs@northnet.org
--------------------------------
Hi Lorraine
Starting in September, we do a 6-week session and then
we take 2 weeks off before we do another 6-week
session which ends on the second week of December. We
don't schedule story times too far into December
because of the holidays. In January, we start up
again with a 6-week session with 2 weeks off in
between. We continue that way until the first or
second week in June. Then we get ready for the Summer
Reading Program! The reason we do 6 on and 2 off, is
because we found that 4 week sessions (or 4 times per
month) does not give the children enough time to
experience the whole story time dynamics (group
behavior, listening skills, shyness issues, etc.).
Also, if any one gets sick and misses a story time,
the child will have a very shortened story time
experience! We like to have morning sessions for the
2 year olds (because of their afternoon nap times) and
we also have morning and afternoon story times for
ages 3 to 4 and 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 year olds. This gives
parents more choices to fit into their busy schedules.
We also use the 2 weeks off to take a rest and to
prepare for the next session. We have 3 full time
people in the children's department, so if it looks
like we do a lot of story times, that's why. You can
adjust it to whatever you can handle.
Just remember that it takes a lot work and energy to
do story times on a regular basis, so make sure you
have some downtime, otherwise, you'll burn out very
fast.
Hope this helps.
Adele Boeske
Head of Children's Services
Derry Public Library
Derry, NH 03038
Acmb189B@netscape.net
--------------------------------------------
Hi, We offer sessions every other month during the
school year: October, December, February, and April.
Four week sessions seem to work well with the patrons
also. We offer two sessions that the patron can
choose to attend, a morning at 10:30 a. or an evening
at 6 p. We limit each group to twelve toddlers, 24 -
36 months, and the adult. Other siblings are not
invited to attend. The evening storytime is offered
the same evening we have our preschool storytime. I
chose to do the sessions every other month because we
are a small library and staff and time do not allow
more.
Bonnie Banks" <banksbo@oplin.lib.oh.us
---------------------------
Hello Lorraine, we run all our storytimes on the same
schedule here, as much for our own sanity as for the
consistency with the public. We offer two a week, both
at 10:30 a.m., and we run in 6 or 7 week schedules, I
runf rom the second or third week of September to
Halloween, then from Halloween to the week before
Christmas, with a week between if the calendar allows.
I then run from January to February vacation, a week
break, then MArch to April vacation, then May to the
first week in June. We then break until the first week
of summer reading program, which runs from first week
after July 4th for six weeks. This works out to six
sessions a year at six, sometimes seven week sessions.
Hope this helps!
Melissa
mmacleod@sailsinc.org
-------------------------------------
Hi, Lorraine!
My name is Patty Rose, and I am the Assistant
Children's Librarian at the Wright Memorial Public
Library in Dayton, Ohio. I saw your posting
on PUBYAC this morning about the best times to
schedule a Toddler Storytime.
Our toddler storytimes here are for 2- very young 3s,
and we do require registration for our toddler
storytimes. Our preschool storytimes are for ages 3-5,
and they are drop-in storytimes.
The way that we do our toddler storytimes is this: We
offer it three times during the school year, in the
fall, winter, and spring. Each of this is offered in
an eight week session. So for the fall, if it starts
in mid to late September, it will continue through
the beginning of November. We have a break during the
December holidays, and registration begins again in
January, and the winter session will begin in
mid-January and continue through the beginning of
March, and then registration will begin again for the
spring session and that will go from late March to
mid-May. We do offer some toddler storytimes during
the summer, just once per month, but those aren't
always as well
attended, since people are on vacation, older kids in
camp, etc.
Like I said, our school year toddler storytimes are
offered for 8 week sessions. We have three programs
per week. Toddlers can be registered for Thursday at
either 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. or on Fridays at 10 a.m.
This run for 30 minutes, and we have simple stories,
songs, fingerplays, and an occasional video or
filmstrip. We also give out a cookie at the end.
We offer our Toddler programs this way, because we (I)
feel that 2 months (8 weeks) is a good length of time
for the toddlers to get used to being in a group
setting, toddlers need time to get used to the
librarian's/storyteller's style and to the librarian
herself/himself. It also reinforces discipline in that
they learn that they need to obey or listen to someone
else besides Mommy and Daddy and they learn to sit
still and listen to stories. Granted, not too many 2
year olds are going to sit still for a full 30
minutes, so we do a lot of up and down
songs, like "Ring Around the Rosy," "If You're Happy
and You Know It," Raffi's "Shake Your Sillies Out,"
and things like that. It also provides a good
discipline for the parents since their childre are
registered for a program, it gives them more of an
incentive to come to storytime, and since we have the
parents stay with the toddlers, it gives the parents
an opportunity to hear stories they haven't heard
before, along with old favorites, like Mother Goose
rhymes. I also feel that 8 weeks gives the toddler
enough time to learn the fingerplays that are used
each week, and they get to develop that hand/eye
coordination. The 2s are so much fun, and it is
amazing how much they do improve within an 8 week
period.
I hope this helps you. If you need any more
information, please feel free to contact me at
rosepat@oplin.lib.oh.us
Take care, and good luck!
Patty Rose
Assistant Children's Librarian
Wright Memorial Public Library
1776 Far Hills Avenue
Dayton, OH 45419
-------------------------
Lorraine,
We begin our fall storytimes the week after Labor Day.
Each week, we offer 2 storytimes for toddlers (ages
2-3 and 3-4), 1 storytime for preschoolers (3 1/2 - 5)
and 1 lapsit for babies (birth to 24 months). The
fall series runs through the second week of December,
with a
week off for Thanksgiving. Spring storytimes start the
second week of January and run through the second week
of May, with a week off in February and a week off in
April to accomodate school vacations. Our toddler
storytimes are extremely popular, with an average of
20 children and 20 adults at each session. People
would
love for us to continue all the storytimes through the
summer, but we drop down to 2 storytimes a week (a
lapsit for birth to 24 months and a storytime for ages
2-5).
Continuity with this age group is very important. This
is why we run our storytimes throughout the school
year. The kids don't always deal well with extended
breaks. I would recommend that you might want to email
Marilyn Taylor, who does our storytimes. She can give
you some very good advice. Her email address is:
mmt@scarborough.lib.me.us
I hope this helps.
Kristin Peto
Scarborough Public Library
Scarborough, ME
--------------------------
Lorraine,
We used to do two 12 week sessions fall and spring
but due to extreme demand we changed that to two 6
week session in the fall and two more winter/spring.
We do hold registration and ask that anyone currently
enrolled wait until the next day to register, most
often there aren't any spaces left by then but as we
point out to people that is actually good because more
people are becoming familiar with the library and if
they have just been to a storytime they know that
their child is always
welcome in the library. We have found that the
September registration is like pirahna feeding time at
the zoo! One woman was sitting in front of the door at
8:30 with her beach chair, coffee cup, newspaper and
knitting, I asked her if she thought it was the line
for Rolling Stones tickets (it was someone I know so
she knew I was kidding, sort of). My theory for why
the Sept. reg is the busiest is because everyone is
signing up for new rounds of swimming lessons,
Gymboree and everything else at the start of the
school year and of course we are free so they try to
get into our programs first and since we aren't a
franchise we only have a couple of times available for
any one age group.
We take a one week break between sessions to give
the staff a breather and time to create nametags and
felt boards and other props, in theory anyway this
past break week was chockful of class visits so it was
hard to squeeze in planning time. We take about a six
week break in Dec. and Jan. for a number of reasons,
low turn out, vacation week programs and holidays in
the middle of it all, colds and bad weather are at
their worst around here then and last but not least
the half day kindergarten switch is the last week in
Jan. so some kids who are moving to afternoons can
come to
storytimes in the morning now.
Another reason for doing registered programs in 6
week sessions is that you can repeat programs because
the group is new. I know the storytellers get bored
repeating but it is helpful to be able to when you
need to and build up a collection. One of our Toddler
storytellers has created a Mrs. Wishy Washy program
complete with a large box tub for washing the animals
(toddlers in animal masks), a pizza themed program
with a slice of pizza felt costume for adding
toppings, and debuting today and Old Lady Who
Swallowed a Pie program that lets the kids stuff the
old lady with ballons with all the foods on them and
others. She could never have planned and prepared all
of these in one session but by reusing some storytimes
she has had the time to work on the elaborate
production of the Old Woman.
Probably more than you wanted to hear, good luck
Julie rines'jrines@ocln.org
---------------------------------------
Hello Loraine,
I find if you do toddlertime sessions, once a week
for 6 -10 weeks, the children develop a level of
comfort and expectation that you might not get with a
shorter session. I am not a librarian, but I do the
majority of chilren's programming at our small
northern BC public library, and it has worked out best
for me to do a early fall session, finishing before
the Christmas season, and then two sessions in the new
year. I find I often develop long lasting
relationships with my storytime kids and for this you
need yo see them regularly and often.
Karin Grossmann
karingrossmann@monarch.net
--------------------------
Dear Lorraine,
I do a weekly toddler program for ages 18-35
months. My program runs concurrently with the school
year, and with my preschool storytime. I would not
recommend an every other month schedule for this age
because their learning curve is so based on
repetition. The "on and off" type program would just
confuse them, and they would not be able to learn the
routine. Toddlers love the security of knowing what's
going to happen, and it makes them feel competent when
they know. Just my humble opinion!
Susan Fisher
Bethesda Public Library
4905 Bethesda Road
Thompson Station, TN 37179
615.790.1887
fax: 615.760.8426
sfisher@lib.williamson-tn.org
---------------------------------
We've just changed our storytime format to an "every
other month thing," and while we've had some negative
comments, it's been a
mostly positive experience.
We had already shortened our Winter storytime session
because fewer people came and due to other programming
requirements, we had to contract our storytimes to
outside people. Also, we started doing 2 3-week
sessions in the summer so we wouldn't have storytime
during our super-busy first and last weeks, and could
have a break for the 4th of July week.
Last spring we began wondering how we could add
storytimes for babies, and the only way to do that was
to change how we did storytimes. So we decided we
would do 3-week drop-in sessions, with Circle Time
(2-3 years) and Preschool Storytime (3-5 years) being
offered September, November, January and April and
Baby Time
(pre-walkers) and Toddler Time (walking babies to 24
months) offered in October, December, March and May.
Pros: it's much easier on the staff; parents love the
flexibility; there's not so much time between
sessions.
Cons: we had one person complain that children that
age don't "get" stuff if they don't do it more
frequently (ie, for 6 weeks); we hear disappointed
"Oh, this is the last week!" more often!
Monica Anderson
Youth Services Librarian
Grace A. Dow Memorial Library
Midland Michigan
m.anderson@vlc.lib.mi.us
----------------------------
I worked at a library a few years ago where I signed
up kids and did six week sessions with breaks in
between and it was okay. Now I work at a library
where we have toddler and preschool times every week
and year round except for the month of August (when we
all take big vacations) and I like it so much better.
There is no registration, parents just bring kids when
they can. There are four toddler times, Wednesdays at
10 and 11 and Thursdays at 10 and 11, and we get
anywhere from 15 to 65 kids at each. Toddler time
lasts 20 to 30 minutes.
I know that every library situation is different and
tht our schedule- Might not work for you but I'd be
happy to tell you more if you are
interested.
Abby Stapp, Youth Services Librarian
Flower Mound Public Library
3030 Broadmoor Lane
Flower Mound, TX 75022
972.874.6156
abby.stapp@flower-mound.com
------------------------
Hi,
I saw your post about Toddler Time. I've been doing
Toddler Time for 4 years and it just keeps getting
better and better. I began with ages 18months-36
months. We met for 20 minutes once a week for a
month, then we'd skip a month and begin again.
9:30-9:50 a.m. works for us. It's after the kids are
off to public school and before the Kindergarten needs
picked up and things like lunch. 2 years ago I
changed the age to Walkers to 36 months and continued
the every other month schedule. Last year I was
approached by a mom and asked to consider doing the TT
for longer periods. Her view was that the kids were
just beginning to become comfortable and learning the
rhymes and it was over. So now we meet for 20 minutes
once a week for 2 months then take 1 month off. It
has seemed to help with the continuity of the program.
When I began I struggled to get kids and a grown up
to come. I'd have maybe 6 or 7 kids. That was
sometimes a struggle because the kids didn't like that
concentrated attention on them that is better diffused
in a crowd. But now, mostly through word of mouth, I
have built up TT to 25 kids and parents. It has
gotten so big that in January I'll offer a choice of
two days to attend. Because of the size fo the group,
I have felt like we can't do as much movement as I'd
like. Kids this age learn with their whole bodies.
Some of the younger siblings have grown up attending
TT with big bro or sis. It has been so much fun and
so rewarding to see the child who has set through 1 or
2 sessions and do nothing but watch suddenly stand in
the middle of the group and do evertying without a bit
of discomfort. TT is a lot of work. Lots more than
the 20 minute program. But I love it. Have fun.
Debbie Clapp
Children's Dept
Crawfordsville District Public Library
child2@cdpl.lib.in.us
-----------------------------------
We have a longer session than that. We have a session
in the fall, and a session in the spring, but they're
so long it ends up being almost the whole year, with
the exception of summer. This fall, we started
programs September 9th, and will finish Dec. 14th. We
have a large library here, so we do five toddler
programs a week. Just this last year, we dropped
registration in favor of a first-come, first-served
program, with a cap of fifty people (including
parents, who are required to stay with the children).
It has taken off really well, and at least 3 of them
are always full. We start handing out tickets to the
storytime about twenty minutes in advance, and tickets
are required for entrance. We do ask the child's age
and zip code, just for statistical purposes.
Hope that helps!
Clover White
WhiteCL1@ci.anchorage.ak.us
------------------------------
Lorraine,
I offer a "series" of storytimes within a month. No
matter what they are on the same day of the week and
at the same time. For instance, if there is something
very special (end of a reading program, or what have
you) we will "skip" the storytime and have the program
then.
We are also not requiring parents to register their
children for the First time this spring/winter. It
seemed that no one paid attention to
registering their child as opposed to just dropping
in.
Just my two cents.
Anne Friederichs
Children's Librarian
Dakota County Library, Wescott
1340 Wescott Road
Eagan, MN 55123
-----------------------------
Hi Lorraine,
I have on going, all year long story times for
toddlers. I don't have a sign up or any kind of
registration. I feel little people and caregivers are
the kind of folks that have to "seize the moment" it's
too hard to "schedule" little ones. Sometimes I have
30 people
sometimes 10. I read stories for about 1/2 hour but
sometimes longer it depends on the group. One of our
local colleges offers story hour on Saturday mornings.
For me it comes down to having fun and not being so
strict on sessions, sign ups etc.
It may depend to on how big your library is!
Good Luck
Kathy Ness
Northfield Public Library
------------------------------
End of PUBYAC Digest 940
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