Interested in a convenient way to read newspapers on your phone? With access to more than 7,000 publications from around the world in their original language and format, PressReader is a helpful tool. This post will cover some basics that … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian At the library, we often hear from parents, teachers, and other caregivers that social-emotional learning (SEL) is important to you. What exactly is SEL? Let’s take a brief look and then dig in below. What is … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Who else is watching the Winter Olympics? I love my regular dive back into curling, which always feels like such a fun, accessible and possible sport to play. I also love figure skating, which is less accessible, … Read more
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 … Read more
Here in Oak Park, the Village of Oak Park has proclaimed 2021 as the Year of the Butterfly, and we are learning so much about monarch butterflies and their need for milkweed plants to thrive. Did you know that the … Read more
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 … Read more
The Village of Oak Park has proclaimed 2021 as the Year of the Butterfly, and we’re doing our part to ensure everyone knows all they can to protect the monarch butterfly! Find facts, fun activities and resources, books to check … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian What kind of things do you hear during the winter? When there’s a lot of snow on the ground, it can actually be very quiet! Until a snowplow comes by. Or the wind starts blowing … Read more
Chess challenges young minds to think critically. It teaches sacrifice and strategy, and exercises the ability to think ahead. And it’s fun! Whether kids are new to chess or have been playing for some time, check out these resources. On-demand … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Well, 2021 has certainly begun right where 2020 left off: with a lot of tough topics. Even our youngest kids know when big or upsetting things happen in the news. They may not know the … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Every year, our final Early Bird Reader tip we send via text (Want weekly early learning tips from the Oak Park Public Library? Sign up now for Early Bird Readers ») is to share stories … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Songs are powerful! When we plan our storytime classes, we organize them to build energy and then calm kids down before we send them back on their way. When we want to build energy, we … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian I’m one of those odd ducks who loves winter and snow and is excited to get this season started. I know—my co-workers shake their head over me, too. But I also know this is going … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Miss Jenny and I both love building fun sounds into our storytimes and our videos. Sounds, especially unexpected ones, get and keep everyone’s interest and attention. Will your preschooler understand you if you give them … Read more
Math. Did you just shudder? Or grin? Most people have a strong reaction to math, one way or the other. When I was growing up, one of my absolute must see shows was Square One TV on PBS. I was … Read more
Smartphones have changed the way we communicate and interact with the world around us. Beyond acting as a telephone, smartphones allow us to have instant access to quick and useful tools called apps. What are apps for? Simply put, an … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Mr. Andy, one of our past librarians, always used to tell caregivers that he could remember the words to “Sweet Caroline” much better than he could remember how to use and program his remote control. … Read more
Sometimes, at the Children’s Services desk, small kids come up to the desk and proudly read a book to us. Their caregiver will laugh and say they memorized it or are describing the pictures. And guess what? That is also … Read more
