Come and Play at the Library!

2013Mary Ellen Braks &Gwendolyn Haley

• Early Literacy– What children know about reading and

writing before they learn to read and write– Parents and caregivers learn how they can

develop these skills at home

• Skill Development– Literacy– Math– Science– Social

We know that Storytime Matters

• Songs• Fingerplays• Stretches• Dances• Beanbags• Instruments• Parachutes• Bubbles

Already included stories and then some…

• Baby Lapsit– For Children 0-18 months in age

• Toddler Play and Learn Storytimes– For Children 18 months to 3 Years

• Play and Learn Storytimes– For Children 2 years to 5 years

• Preschool Play and Learn Storytimes– For Children 3 years to 5 Years

• Family Play and Learn Storytimes– For Children of all ages

Variety of Storytimes SCLD

• Ready Readers Baby and Me• Ready Readers Toddler• Ready Readers Preschool• Twos are Terrific• Tickly Toddle• Baby Play• Family Storytime

Sno-Isle Storytimes

• KHQ Success By 6 Spot

• One Baby/One Adult

• Lifelong learning begins here!

• 20 minutes followed by playtime

Baby Lapsit

• Started with a grant from Family, Friends and Neighbors/Thrive by Five

• Started with our Mother Goose Math and Science Kits

• Began with only 5 libraries.– 4 Rural Communities, plus Spokane Valley

• Expanded to all 10 in September

Play and Learn Storytime

• Video Clip here: Play and Learn Compilation

What Happens in Storytime…

• If you build it, they will come!– Spokane Valley DOUBLED

• Adults value the opportunity to connect and network with other adults.

• Meeting a critical need for Early Learning opportunities.– Not every community has a Children’s

Museum or a Science Center– Many families cannot afford Preschool

What We’ve Learned:

• We’ve talked for years about the digital divide and how, if you’re on the wrong side of that technology access gap, you get left behind. I think there’s the potential for a kind of curiosity gap. – Michael Wesch

Cultural Anthropologist

Why Play?

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

-Plato

Why Play?

• “The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things”

-Plato

Why Play?

• “Play is the highest form of human activity.” -Nietzsche philosophy

Why Play?

• Play is the highest form of research.– Albert Einstein

Why Play?

• “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood.– Friedrich Froebel

Why Play?

• Play is the “free expression of what is in a child’s soul,” giving “joy, freedom, contentment, inner and outer rest, [and] peace with the world.”– Friedrich Froebel

(father of kindergarten)

Why Play?

• Play is serious learning– Fred Rogers

Why Play?

• Natural extension of storytime activities• Lifelong learning begins at birth.• Lifelong learning begins with play.• Early Literacy is intrinsically wrapped up

with all aspects of Early Learning.

Why play at storytime?

• Reading• Writing• Talking• Singing• Playing

Five Practices

• Structured• Unstructured

Elements of Play

• Have you seen this in your branch?

WA State Early Learning Guidelines

• Building Relationships• Touching, seeing, hearing and moving

around• Communicating• Learning about my world

Areas of development that relate to play

• Interact with adults and peers• Social Behaviors• Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution

Building Relationships

• Gross motor skills• Fine motor skills• Using sensorimotor skills

Touching, Seeing, Hearing and Moving Around

• Speaking and listening (language development)

• Reading• Writing

Communicating

• Knowledge (cognition)• Math• Science• Social Studies• Arts

Learning About My World

• WA State Early Learning Guidelines• Head Start Framework• WA Kids• P- 3 Alignment• K-12 Learning Standards• Common Core

Connections

• Invite the adults in the room to participate with their children

• What to do if a parent/caregiver is not engaged?

1. Model desired behavior2. Draw parent/caregiver into the

conversation or activity3. Encourage child to show their parent or

tell parent about what they are doing

Engaging Parents and Caregivers

• Facilitate group play.• Encourage the adults to play with the

children.• Spark ideas with questions.• Be a resource: Understand the Early

Learning Guidelines.• Have fun!

Role of the Librarian

• We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.– George Bernard Shaw

Play for a lifetime!

Easy Peasy Flannels

• Family, Friends, and Neighbors grant from Thrive by Five (administered by CCR&R)– Original grant $3000 (first 5 libraries)– Second grant $5000 (remaining libraries)

• Target Early Literacy Grant ($2000)• Mother Goose What’s the Big Idea Kits• Lakeshore Learning• Kimbo• Amazon (Melissa and Doug, etc)

Where did you get these wonderful toys?

Have Fun!