Happy Autism Acceptance Month! In the past, we’ve shared information about: This year, let’s talk about misconceptions about autism and autistic people. I know so many autistic adults who have felt gaslit their entire lives, their needs not only unmet but dismissed. It doesn’t have to be that way! Autism is a neurodivergence: Autistic brains … Read more
Longer, lighter days this season make it easier to fit more into each and every one. Your public library, in partnership with the Collaboration for Early Childhood, has put together a collection of activities, events, and resources for you and your little ones. Here’s to exploring, learning, and playing this spring! Activities Storytimes Events
Did you know that children’s staff have created more than 400 early learning videos since March 2020?! You can watch them all in a YouTube playlist and find them organized into 16 different categories on the Early Learning page—including art, en español, life skills, and supported. To make it even easier to find what you … Read more
With hoopla‘s new BingePass and your Oak Park library card, you can get unlimited streaming for seven days with a single borrow! Let’s get started… How do I use hoopla’s BingePass? Watch the video below for an overview but please note that this video shows how to access BingePass using an iPhone. For instructions on … Read more
Fall family fun is in full swing here in Oak Park! Explore free activities—curated by your public library and the Collaboration for Early Childhood—specially designed for families with young children. The season is just packed! Activities Storytimes Places Events
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris The sun is setting earlier, and nights are lasting longer. This is the time of year when our “Chills and Thrills” bin of picture books gets checked out the most, teachers take out stacks of Halloween books, and kids ask for mysteries and scary stories. Even I love to be … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Welcome to the -ber months: September, October, November, and December! Most people celebrate the start of a new year in January. Not me. I graduated more than ten years ago, but the start of the school year is still the start of my personal new year. For a lot of young … Read more
There is so much to do and explore during the summer! Together with the Collaboration for Early Childhood, we’ve put together a collection of activities and free, fun, local community events—especially for families with young children happening all summer long. Take advantage of this beautiful season and enjoy the sunshine and long days with your … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Most people look at summer as a time to relax and have fun. For Children’s Services Librarians, it’s our busy season! We’ve spent the past few months preparing the summer reading program, and now it’s here! This summer, our theme is Adventure Begins at Your Library. Once again we are using … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Happy Autism Acceptance Month! To understand why we’re celebrating… Let’s start at the beginning: What is autism & why acceptance? There are two brain types: Neurodiversity encompasses both brain types. Autism is a complex neurodivergent, developmental disability that affects how people experience the world around them. It’s easy to misunderstand autism because … Read more
Library staff love to talk about the importance of language and play for kids: It helps them explore their world, learn about themselves and the people around them, get ready for school learning, and so much more! Pediatric staff from Kids Unlimited Therapy Services in Oak Park have some practical ways to encourage spontaneous, meaningful … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian We often come back to the topic of emotions and social-emotional learning with our kids. Sometimes it may feel like we’re repeating ourselves! But we keep returning to the topic because it’s an important one. Kids (and adults!) learn best when they feel that they are safe and secure in … Read more
October is a big month! Many kids are excited for Halloween, of course. We finally enter an autumn that will last a while; that’s usually pretty great. Sometimes we even see a few snow flurries, which is probably more exciting to me than to others. And of course, every year, Jenny and I love to … Read more
“You’ve made this day a special day, by just your being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.” Strong, meaningful words from Fred Rogers, my early childhood hero. He was, as most know, the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS for almost … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris It’s never too early to talk about emotions with children, even babies and toddlers. The end of summer and start of new autumn routines is close, and with all of the big changes can come big feelings. Below are a few activities you can do together to encourage kids to … Read more
July is Disability Pride Month! It’s been celebrated since 1990, when President HW Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, though many non-disabled people have not heard of it. Disability Pride Month means different things to different people: honoring early activists, recognizing that their disability is intrinsic to themselves, celebrating disability … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris Sometimes kids and adults get nervous about visiting a new place for the first time. We get it! It can be useful to know what to expect before your first visit. With that in mind, we created a social narrative—available in multiple formats—about visiting the Children’s Services Area of the Main … Read more
April can be a challenging month for many autistic people. Many organizations that aren’t run with or by autistic leaders have campaigns about “lighting it up blue”—furthering stereotypes that autism only affects boys—or about curing autism. These organizations often push for autism awareness. Many autistic people, however, prefer to celebrate autism acceptance. Created 12 years … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian How are you doing? We’re a quarter of the way through the year. It’s a little warmer, a little sunnier. Sometimes things feel a little more manageable as the days get longer and brighter! Every week, I send a literacy tip or activity to everyone signed up for Early Bird … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian The grasshopper chirpeth, the lamb bleateth, the owl hooteth. Animal sounds are found in so many books and songs for children, including the first-known picture book written for children, published in 1659! What makes animal sounds so important that they’ve been taught to young children for centuries? Not only are … Read more
