Dancing at the Library

Last week we had our first preschool Dance Party! Children from a year old up to 6 had lots of fun dancing to some of our favorite songs and learned a few new ones.

Some of the favorite songs came from Jim Gill and Laurie Berkner. There were three cousins who get so excited every time they hear Jim Gill's Swing Your Partner. And for the first time, we danced to Laurie Berkner's "Goldfish," which I see making regular appearances in the future. We danced with scarves and maracas and did some of the classics, like the Hokey Pokey.

Why dancing at the library? Music helps children to hear and feel the rhythm of words, an important skill for learning to read.  Also, we want children to associate the library and books with good memories, so playing and having fun are always appropriate.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Dance Party comes back sometime, so keep a lookout!

Programs this week:

Tuesday, May 6, 10:30am or 1:00pm: Preschool Storyhour for children ages 4-5 (and independent 3s)

Thursday, May 8, 10:30am: Toddler Time for children ages 2-3 and a caregiver

Toddler Time

The toddlers enjoyed these stories last week:

Trashy town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

Walking through the jungle by Debbie Harter

Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz

Children love to say "No!" without the risk of getting in trouble, so the Pigeon book is always popular. For that same reason, they also enjoyed "No!" by They Might Be Giants.

Using popular books, such as Mo Willems, makes children want to read, which is Print Motivation, which is so important when it's time for children to learn to read. Trashy Town introduces new vocabulary, as well as lending itself for children to act out the "Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town!" refrain.

At craft time, the children created a garbage truck of their own using simple shapes. Recognizing the shapes helps to build letter knowledge. And the coloring and gluing develops fine motor skills, which helps in writing as the children get older.

April Showers...

As I'm sitting here on this gray, rainy day, I'm sure hoping that these April showers do bring some May flowers! Of course, there's always something bright and colorful happening at the library!

 It's been another busy month and we're not even half way through!

We celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Mo Willems' Pigeon books this month! Mo Willems' books are wonderful for young readers and pre-readers. The artwork is so expressive and gives children an opportunity to talk about emotions, which develops vocabulary. The books have lots of rhyming and repetitive phrases, which work on phonological and narrative skills. And they're just so fun that children love them! Don't most kids love the opportunity to tell someone "No!" without getting into trouble? (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!)

In Preschool Story Hour for our 4 and 5 year olds, we did a storytime about Spring. We read Possum and the Peeper, which then led to the children requested several other frog books I had available including a huge favorite, The Wide Mouthed Frog.

I think we've also found a new favorite song - "Swing Your Partner" from the Jim Gill Sings Moving Rhymes for Modern Times cd. It's a square dance type of song that we've done in a circle and I've heard, "Let's do it again!" several times!

For a craft, we made and decorated those colorful windsocks that you see over to the left. A relatively simple craft, but gluing the streamers and feeding the yarn through the small punched holes works on fine motor skills, which children need to learn to write.

And we can't forget our monthly Lego program! We had several new children attend last week, so the fun just keeps growing!



So, what's coming up?
Saturday, April 13 from 10am to noon: Trash to Treasures Craft Program for all ages.

Tuesday, April 16 at 10:30am and 1:00pm, Preschool Story Hour for 4 and 5 year olds and 3 years old who are ready to come in independently.

Please register for our programs so that we can plan for all our children: 

Children's Programs at the Cedar Lake Branch Library

They're on the Loose!

Mother Goose on the Loose is always a fun program with the babies. Seeing the changes in how the children interact with each other and with me is a great experience. And our group is growing again! We had several new families join us last week... Hooray!

Part of our session concentrates on body rhymes. For example:

"Fingers Like to Wiggle Waggle"
Fingers like to wiggle waggle, wiggle waggle, wiggle waggle.
Fingers like to wiggle waggle on my.... head!

Then we repeat with other body parts such as toes, knees, elbows, and, everyone's favorite, tummy!

Lots of giggles and grins and the children are learning vocabulary while singing a fun song. I heard that one little girl was persuaded to get out of the car by the promise that the fingers could wiggle waggle on Daddy's tummy when she got inside!

A favorite part of Mother Goose on the Loose is our music section. This week, we used maracas and danced to Laurie Berkener's "I Know a Chicken."


This age group is full of energy and likes to move. The half hour often flies by before I realize it. And even when they're this little, they look forward to their storytime. And they're (hopefully) developing an important love for the library and books that will help them when it comes time to learn to read.

For a Love of Books

Do you ever wonder what books are the best for your child? Do you wonder if you're reading the books your preschooler needs to hear?  There are so many lists of "must read" books for children, where do you start? And what if your child doesn't like the "best books" that you see displayed?

If this sounds like you, don't worry! The answer is, you probably are doing what you need to if you're reading together.

One of the building blocks of getting ready to learn to read is Print Motivation, which is the Every Child Read to Read description for enjoying books. Which books will teach that love?

Any your child enjoys! It really is that simple.

Does your child love dinosaurs? Then choose books about dinosaurs. Does your child like to learn about "real" farm animals... then hit the nonfiction section! Fairies? Poems? Silly stories? Songs? We've got them all at the library and they're all good for your child!

Children who establish reading and books as fun activities are likely to find learning to read easier than children who don't. So whatever books you read together are helpful. And the other skills will come naturally. It works like this...

Talk about the books. Have your child retell the story. Talk about the colors and shapes in the illustrations. Show your child how to treat the books. Encourage your child to draw their favorite thing about the book... or "write" part of the story. If there's a tune to the book, sing it together with all your might. (Remember, your child will treasure the time together and won't care whether you have a great singing voice!) If it's a book they love, it will often find its way into your child's play. And no, you don't have to do all that for every book!

Don't ever feel like you have to read a book just because someone has told you it's a good one! And if you start reading a book and your child doesn't enjoy it, don't feel like you have to finish it! Just enjoy the time you spend reading with your child!

What are some books that you enjoy reading with your child?