Engaging Young Children Through Video Chat
Jessica, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs
Many grandparents, close friends and relatives love catching a glimpse of their young family members via video chat. They may, however, find it challenging to keep young children engaged for more than a few moments. The standard How was your day? What did you do? may not go very far with a toddler, and even a 6 year old will likely give a 2-3 word response. While video chat can be a valuable and meaningful way for young children to interact with and get to know family, and even learn language and other skills, it can also be chaotic, brief, and sometimes frustrating for all…
Balancing Your Family's Screen Time in Difficult Times
With massive public closures to prevent the spread of COVID19, the daily lives and routines of young children around the world have dramatically shifted. Millions of parents and caregivers are feeling the stress of taking on the daily learning of their children. It is no small task-- and we know it will most likely mean more screen time. While technology is helping get us through this difficult time in so many ways, we want to remember that young children’s brains are developing and need daily face-to-face interactions to continue to grow and learn. Reading, talking, playing, singing, and…
Read, Play and Grow at Home
Jessica, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs
This week, many parents and caregivers started a new routine. Some may be working reduced or increased hours, telecommuting from home, or not working at all. Children will be home more, and even if not, the things we rely on to engage them might not be available. With many schools and libraries closed, children's programming cancelled, and even playgrounds and playdates discouraged for now -- there are a lot of hours ahead of us to fill. We are here to help. Check the BKLYN Kids blog for an ongoing round-up of e-resources, activities, learning materials and ways to help your child read,…
Read & Play: Things That Go
Every Friday at Cortelyou Library we have Choo Choo Train Play Time at 10:30 a.m. This popular program is a “lifesaver” in the winter when playgrounds are too cold to visit, according to Jared Roberts, whose son, Ozzie, is seen below playing with the train set. “As soon as the library opens the children run to the area to play with the train sets,” says Antonia Bramble, Neighborhood Library Supervisor of Cortelyou Library. Putting the wooden track pieces together so the train can run smoothly down the track takes patience for the toddlers and pre-schoolers, who may need a helping hand…
Read & Play: Thank You, Omu!
Like many libraries in Brooklyn and across the U.S., Cortelyou Library recently participated in Read for the Record, a shared reading event that highlights the importance of early literacy. This year's book was a 2019 Caldecott Honor winner called Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora and we read it together during storytime. Mora, who was awarded the 2019 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, said the book was inspired by the "giving heart" of her grandmother, who she called Omu. Pronounced (AH-Moo), Omu means "queen" in Igbo…
Read & Play: Ready for Kindergarten!
Jessica, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs
There are so many things that young children need to be ready for Kindergarten! There are also a lot of mixed messages out there for parents and caregivers on what skills to focus on, and the best way to help their children learn them. At Ready Set Kindergarten, BPL’s popular school readiness storytime (10 years and counting), we focus on ways parents can weave early literacy, math, science, and social-emotional skills into their daily routines in ways that are fun and developmentally appropriate. For example, did you know that singing helps children develop phonological…
Read & Play: New Read Along Books
With a fresh batch of Vox Read Along books hitting the shelves at your local library, families can spice up storytime with some great new titles. Two funny favorites from the new collection are: Ten Rules of the Birthday Wish by Beth Ferry and The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt. These new Vox books have better speakers with 40% higher volume and a safeguard feature that automatically adjusts the volume to a lower level when headphones are plugged into the books. Also new is an on/off switch to save battery life and indicator lights that show when…
Read & Play: Laundromats and Literacy
"This is the way we wash our clothes so early in the morning..." Singing while doing chores not only makes them more fun, it can help children develop important early literacy skills that will help them learn to read. Now a laundromat in Brooklyn is offering families a chance to sing songs and read books while their wash is spinning. During June, Brooklyn Public Library children's librarians conducted regular Sunday storytimes at Giant Wash on Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville as part of a groundbreaking initiative entitled Wash Time is Talk Time. Created by Too Small to Fail, an early…
Read & Play: Read-Along Books
A few months ago, Brooklyn Public Library added a very special set of books called read-along books to our picture books collection. These are not your average books. Read-along books come complete with a charged VOX audio playback device that includes a headphone jack, external speaker, play/pause button, volume controls, page-turning controls, rechargeable battery, and removable AC adapter. These books can read to you! Check them out: "The permanently attached VOX Reader transforms an ordinary print book into an all-in-one read-along. There's no need for computers,…
Read & Play: Ready, Set, Kindergarten is back!
Jessica, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs
On January 22, 2019, families all over New York City submitted Kindergarten applications for the 2019/2020 school year. Thanks to the expansion of Pre-K for All, many of those rising Kindergarteners are currently in Pre-K, learning skills and having experiences that will hopefully prepare them for Kindergarten next year. Even so, the transition to Kindergarten can be a challenge, so if you are looking for ways to help support your 3-5-year-olds develop early literacy and school readiness skills using developmentally appropriate practices, join us for Ready, Set, Kindergarten starting March…
Read & Play: Branch Playdates
Last year, we shared a post about the Big Brooklyn Playdate that takes place regularly at BPL's Central Library. The Dweck Auditorium and Lobby are transformed into a magical world as children ages 0-3 and their caregivers play and experiment with hands-on, open-ended activities that are sure to delight children and caregivers alike. Most activities follow recipes that are made up of simple ingredients that can easily be found around the house. They are meant to inspire creation at home with whatever you have! This time, we are highlighting smaller playdates…
Read & Play: Drag Queen Story Hour
Drag Queen Story Hour is pretty much just what it sounds like: drag queens reading, singing, and spreading joy in libraries, schools, and in bookstores all over the country. “DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real”(DQSH website). Created by Michelle Tea and RADAR Productions in San Francisco, DQSH now has chapters…
Read & Play: Mother Goose On The Loose App
One of my favorite things about technology is being able to use it to rediscover or re-imagine something older and more familiar. Here at Cortelyou, we have been trying to implement some technology into a new digital storytime we offer in addition to our regularly scheduled programs by using apps like Mother Goose on the Loose (MGOL). For those who are unfamiliar, MGOL is an award-winning early-literacy program for children from birth to age 3 and their parents or caregivers. Using the Mother Goose On The Loose app, children and caregivers can listen to their favorite nursery rhymes…
Kindergarten: Am I Ready?
Jessica, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs
On June 26th, Pre-K and Pre-K-for-All programs all around the city graduated a new crop of Kindergarteners-to-be! My son was one of them, which made my job as Coordinator of BPL’s Ready, Set, Kindergarten! program all too real, hitting close to home in a brand new way. Even though I think about Kindergarten readiness as my job, I was not prepared for how it made me feel as a parent. It prompted me to think in a new way about all the many, sometimes mixed messages we get from varied sources about Kindergarten readiness, and to try to distill it to the most important ways…
Read & Play: Bilingual Storytime
Hello! | ¡Hola! | Salut! | ہیلو! | 你好 | Здравствуйте! | שלום! | こんにちは！ You guessed it -- the Brooklyn Library offers multilingual storytimes! They are a great way to introduce your young child to new languages, or enforce languages already spoken at home. Beyond that, multilingualism in young children has shown to be positive for brain plasticity and executive function. Click here for a list of our multilingual storytimes! Our multilingual storytimes are generously supported by the City's First Readers, an initiative of the New York City Council. Interested in…
Read & Play: The Big Brooklyn Playdate
Jessica, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs
What do a pool full of shredded paper, stack of foam blocks, and sticky wall begging to be covered in an array of colors and textures have in common? They’re all explorations awaiting babies and toddlers at the Big Brooklyn Playdate! On the day of the Playdate, children ages 0-3 and their caregivers enter a magical world of play and learning at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library. Hands-on, open-ended activities, known as Play Recipes, not only enchant and engage children, but activate their brains and spark learning. Pulling a colorful scarf out of a tissue box is really a…
Read and Play: Teddy Bear Sleepover!
There are probably lots of kids who would love to stay overnight at the library. Unfortunately we can't let them, but at the Gerritsen Beach Library we discovered the next best thing. The Teddy Bear Sleepover let kids come over for a pajama party and then leave their stuffed animals behind for a night of fun. The kids came for a storytime and a movie, and then signed "permission slips" for the stuffed animals to stay overnight. We then took pictures of the great night the stuffed animals had. Here's one of them playing ping pong: This Ninja Turtle got hungry and called for pizza!…
Play at the Library
Jessica, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs, Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs
A young toddler carefully pokes long glittery pipe cleaners, one after the other, through tiny holes in a large plastic colander. After he finishes, he places it on his head and screams, delightedly, “HAT!” Nearby, a group of crawling and rolling babies maneuver around a brightly colored, multi textured surface made of bubble wrap, textured bath mats, towels, and reflective fabric. They reach for crinkled colorful pieces of cellophane, and brightly colored textured balls. In another corner, seated babies play in a baby pool full of shredded paper, as more active…
Over the River: Holiday Bridge Building
Do you go over the river to grandmother’s (or another relative’s) house during the holiday season? If so, chances are you will cross at least one, if not several, bridges on your way there. After all, New York City has some 2,000 bridges or tunnels—including pedestrian, car, bike, subway and railroad bridges. Then there are the city’s famous bridges, like the Brooklyn Bridge, which inspires people from around the world to come walk its 1,600 foot span. But bridges are more than just concrete and steel structures that get us from here to there. They connect “people with people, bringing…
Everything Sensory!
Sensory Storytime at Brooklyn Public Library! Sensory Storytime is a family storytime designed for families with children ages 3-8, with and without disabilities. Read a book, sing a song, dance or play along. Small groups, visual supports, sensory activities, fidgets and orientations will help us all have fun. You might wonder what makes a sensory friendly program? Let me tell you… First, we want you to be comfortable. Feel free to sit, lie down or quietly move around during the program. We use a visual schedule to help people know what to expect next and lessen…