Kirby and I put together a workshop featuring speaker Saroj Ghoting, who presented The Fun and Facts of Early Literacy: Communicating with Parents through Storytime. This is a part of our Eureka projects and was funded through an LSTA grant (which we just find out we each received funding!) and SAB grant from the Serra Colaborative for San Diego County. We had 50 people in attendance and it was overall a great success!
For some time now, I have been trying to teach parents and other caregivers about Early Literacy Skills. I often felt like I was stumbling along repeating the same information over and over again. This workshop demonstrated to me, new ways to share Early Literacy Skills with parents. In the handouts section on Ms. Ghoting's website there is a handout that gives storytime leaders tips to share with parents.
One of the tips that Ms. Ghoting mentioned in her presentation was sharing only 3 early literacy tips during the storytime. One to introduce the skill, one that relates to a book or activity during storytime, and the last tip as a conclusion and suggestion to parents what they can do to continue working on this skill. Previously I had been trying to share all my information with parents in one stortyime, which was hard and information overload. This new plan makes it much easier and highlights the information I am sharing.
Another tip that Saroj shared was taking a box (preferably cubed and sized for small hands) and placing pictures on the sides of the box that rhyme. So you could have dog, frog, truck, duck, cat, and bat on the sides. The child rolls the box and then must choose what other picture rhymes with the picture showing. I am working on creating one, once I have made it I will post a picture.
The most important tip I learned was to make storytimes fun, even when trying to incorporate more educational elements. Encourage parents to make reading and learning fun. We can teach parents that kids can learn without using flashcards!
~ Posted by Anna
Resident blogger Kirby got some love this week over at Youth Services Corner, an awesome blog for all things YA. Check out the profile here! Youth Services Corner.
Pretty much every story I read about monkeys, no matter what the age level, is a hit with kids. During baby lapsit storytimes Hug by Jez Alborough provides the perfect opportunity to snuggle. Any rendition of 5 Little Monkeys has toddlers and preschoolers jumping up and down with excitement, and it's a great one to try with flannel. I even have a monkey hand puppet that was my storytime mascot for a while. Today, I had the chance to check out Walter Dean Myers' newest picture book called Looking for the Easy Life. Four monkey friends follow Oswego Pete, who is "one slick monkey" in search of the Easy Life. Hilarious adventure ensues, and the dialect and witty side comments had me literally laughing out loud. Although it is probably too long for any of my storytimes, this book is a great one to share and begs to be read out loud!
