Make a joyous noise! You’ll be doing your baby’s brain good. Of course, singing is also fun! Songs make language accessible and memorable for young children. (See our last SINGING post about using new words in old tunes, particularly when trying to get children to do a task.)
If you’ve somehow missed it, here’s your reminder to check out our virtual storytimes! It’s been hard not being able to see our favorite smiling faces every week, but we’re trying to keep your kiddos engaged with some online entertainment instead. If you’re a storytime regular, you’ll find a lot of familiar content along with familiar faces. If you haven’t been to storytime before, welcome! Now’s the time to check it out! There is a version of each regularly scheduled storytime updated every week.
Spring has been teasing us for quite some time now, but one of these days it will stick! It’s on us to create entertainment for our kids these days, so how about taking your family outside for some good old-fashioned backyard fun? These games may not look like traditional “literacy,” but chances are there are at least directions to follow, some fun conversation, and score-keeping going on (all of which… shhh... support literacy skills!).
This school year isn’t ending the way we all hoped it would, but it will end soon enough. Do you already know what you want to do when you leave high school? Whether you do or don’t, you can check out these free online college courses to get a feel for what to expect in college and find out what path you’d like to take!
Browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. Harvard University has made these courses available. https://www.edx.org/school/harvardx
Have a conversation with your child today. Boy, that sounds easy… maybe? Talking at or to someone isn’t the same as talking with someone. Obviously young children aren’t the best conversationalists, but in order for them to learn how a conversation works (back and forth interaction), and to hear more words in and about their environment, you need to talk with them.
Snuggling together for a family movie is a great way to spend some of these rainy days! We like to occasionally host Family Movies at the library, but you can do it at home too. You probably already have a streaming service – or at least a few favorite DVDs – to choose from, but did you know you can find movies on Hoopla too? Check out our downloads page to get the Hoopla app and start browsing!
Here are some fun ideas for enjoying movie night with your family.
This month we’re introducing you to Margaret Peterson Haddix. Ms. Haddix’s work features adventure and mystery, creating riveting, suspenseful stories for older elementary and middle school readers that you won’t want to put down.
Are you a comic lover? Check out these 19 webcomics that you can read right now!
In our virtual storytimes this week, we talked a little bit about our essential workers, from grocery store employees to mail carriers to healthcare workers. You can honor them by encouraging your children to take on these roles in dramatic play!
You’ve probably heard that play is a child’s work. It’s true! Dramatic play helps children:
We’re all missing our annual April break library tea party, but you can host your own tea party at home! There are usually three parts to our tea party: games, snacks with tea, and planting a seed.
First, dress up in your best tea party clothes! Find your fancy necklace, bowtie, gloves, or hat, and a fun outfit. Half the fun of the party is getting fancy with friends, so maybe this year you can host a video chat tea party with a few of your closest friends to show off your finery!
