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Making Magic: Crafts for Kids

Swamp Monster
by Karen

Splish, splash, monster mash! Learn how to make your own swamp monster and a fun game to feed him letters and numbers! 


Posted by [email protected]  On Jul 13, 2020 at 3:26 PM
  
Benefits of Storytime

Storytime-at-Home: The Benefits of Storytime
by Tess J. 

Most public libraries host multiple storytimes per week for different age groups. Families attend, not only because it is fun and engages the children for 30-60 minutes, but because parents/guardians know that their children will learn. With our model of Read, Write, Sing, Talk and Play, children will be exposed to numerous skills that go beyond the basics of numbers and colors.

The list is endless but here are a few skills children learn at storytime:
- Letter/Word Recognition (both visual and auditory)
- New Vocabulary
- Fine and Gross Motor Development
- Imagination and Storytelling 
- Listening skills

These are just a few in the long list of early literacy skills children will take away from storytime, plus the added bonuses of learning how to sit still, use quiet voices, follow directions and more! I love storytime for all that it provides for children's development in a fun and interactive way. 

While storytime at the library is a great place to learn and practice these skills, it's important to practice them at home too! That is why I created these Storytime-at-Home activity sheets. Parents and caretakers are children's first teachers and children learn more from parents and caregivers than anyone else, especially 0-5 year olds. You have the opportunity to foster their early literacy development! These activity sheets will help you read, sing, play, talk and write with your child(ren)!

Storytime-At-Home: General
Storytime-At-Home: Bedtime
Storytime-At-Home: Dinosaurs
Storytime-At-Home: Fairy Tales
Storytime-At-Home: Lions, Tigers & Bears

Print them out or request one of our themed Curbside Surprise bundles via our library catalog to get a copy!
We've compiled suggested titles for storytime-at-home too. Visit our Pinterest page for recommended reads, songs, activities and crafts to try at home!

Looking for more early literacy tips? Check out our Read, Write, Talk, Sing and Play handouts here! 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have moved our storytimes online! Join us on Facebook at the below times for storytime!
-
All Ages - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, 10 a.m.
- American Sign Language (signed in ASL & read in English) - Wednesdays, 10 a.m.
- Pajama Storytime - Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.
Posted by [email protected]  On Jun 26, 2020 at 2:04 PM
  

Girl in a flower crown reading on while sitting on the ground
Post by Sara V.H. 

While any form of shared reading and exposure to books is beneficial to a young child, dialogic reading is a form of shared reading that can greatly assist in the development of a young child’s language skills. Dialogic reading “involves reading with, rather than to, the child” (Atkinson, 2013). With dialogic reading, the adult involves the child in the book, encouraging them to participate through prompts, providing feedback to the child, and adapting the way they read to the child based on their developing skills (Atkinson, 2013). While there are a number of ways to engage a child while reading, literacy initiative Reading Rockets uses the acronym CROWD as a guide for parents to engage their children.

  • Completion prompts - having a child finish a sentence in a rhyme scheme to help them learn the structure of language
  • Recall prompts - asking a child to tell you what happened in the story to help them understand plots, either at the beginning of a familiar story or at the end of a new story
  • Open-ended prompts - asking a child to explain what is happening, especially when there are strong images, to help develop their expressive abilities
  • Wh- prompts - asking a child the “5 W’s and H” - who, what, where, when, why, and how - to help develop the child’s vocabulary
  • Distancing prompts - asking a child to relate an aspect of the story to something outside of the story, such as an aspect in their own life
    (Whitehurst, 2017)

These simple prompts can help a child engage more in the story and gain more from storytime.
  
To see dialogic reading in action, visit your local Aurora Public Library for a storytime! A complete schedule can be found at AuroraLibrary.org or here.

Below is also video showcasing dialogic reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8jetjDEF4w

Resources

Atkinson, A. (2013). Critical review: Does dialogic book reading improve overall language skills in preschoolers? University of Western Ontario: School of Communication Science and Disorders. Retrieved from https://www.uwo.ca/fhs/lwm/teaching/EBP/2012_13/Atkinson_A.pdf

Whitehurst, G. J. (2017). Dialogic reading: An effective way to read to preschoolers. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/dialogic-reading-effective-way-read-preschoolers
Rx for Success (2016, Sept. 14). Rx for success: Dialogic reading. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8jetjDEF4w

Posted by [email protected]  On Jun 12, 2018 at 9:53 AM
  
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