By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian It’s been a week since Halloween: is your kid still wearing their costumes? Dress-up imaginative play is such an important part of childhood! You know what big fans we are of Mr. Rogers here at the library, and this quote really resonated: “One of Fred’s favorite stories was about a … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” This quote by author Neil Gaiman is one I think about a lot when autumn comes and Halloween rolls around. This is the time of year … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian October is the month especially set aside to celebrate and recognize various disabilities, including Augmentative and Alternative Communication Awareness Month, something dear to my heart as my brother uses a communication device to speak, and Down Syndrome Awareness Month, dear to Miss Jenny’s heart because of her niece. But that’s … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Welcome back to a new year of learning! I finished library school more than ten years ago, but I still consider September a fresh start for the year. I’m excited to get started. What better way to start a new season of learning than by sharing books? This is the … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Throughout the month of June, all of our videos were filmed at Brookfield Zoo. We’ll be visiting a new place every month this summer, going in-depth to highlight fun and learning for our kids. We think this new series style will start conversations and help kids explore interests, even when … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian This week, I shared a video on using breathing to regulate your body when you’re feeling stressed or getting too excited on a fun day. A lot of the songs we sing and games we play in storytime help kids practice self-regulation: kids are following patterns in movement and song, … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian What do you think of when you see a book? Are books something stressful? Boring? Magical? Exciting? Something in between? All of those reactions are valid. Right now, I feel a little sad when I see books. Because of the stress of the pandemic, I don’t have the mental energy … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian This week, the Fred Rogers Center shared an article from Zero to Three about the power of music for infants and toddlers. It ties music to key early development skills: physical, thinking, language, and literacy skills. As a librarian, I know the value of music; that’s why so much of … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Marvelous! Splendiferous! Sensational! There are so many delightful and fun words that exist. The more words that kids know, the easier it will be for them to decode and read them when they’re ready. Preschoolers young and old love to use big fancy words. How many can you use together? … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Music is a valuable way for kids to learn! Songs can help kids hear how words are made, listen better to instructions, and take important movement breaks. All of these things will support kids when they are learning in school. Caregivers can use slow songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to … Read more
