I hope my girls will like science more than I did: A.K.A. Meet Cece!

One of the best things about kids is that they are naturally curious and want to explore the world around them.  The love asking questions about their discoveries as well.  My husband has an ongoing list in his phone of the crazy, silly things our girls have said or asked when they were really young.  I remember when my younger daughter was 3 and wanted to know if fish dream.  This enthusiasm for exploration and discovery should be encouraged and nurtured.  My older daughter told me that she wants to be a scientist one day.  She loves learning and experimenting.  There are so many awesome books about science and scientists, especially female scientists.  I can't help but wonder if I would have been more excited about science if there were all these great resources available when I was a kid.  I. Am. Not. A. Fan. Of. Science.  Actually, that's not totally true.  I love science on a preschool/early elementary level, when it's almost like playing.  It was around 7th grade when I really became adverse to science.  The anxiety of knowing that I would have to dissect worms, frogs, and eventually pigs in high school ate away at me.  Then there was that time in college when my statistics class was in the same building where they were dissecting cats and owls (I AM TERRIFIED OF OWLS!)  I swear I could feel their souls haunting me...  Even all these years later, walking into the science lab of my old elementary school during open house with my kids makes me feel some kind of way.  I am a natural klutz, so chemistry also brought its own set of challenges.  I mean, you don't want to be the one who spills acid or sets the school on fire.  Then there's physics, where science brings its buddy math to the party.  Math is okay(ish) on its own, but when it teams up with science, that's just a recipe for disaster.  Now of course I went to school in the dark ages of the 20th century so the learning process was totally different.  It was pretty much all textbook learning with limited hands on learning.  These days it seems to be the opposite.  Being a hands on, visual learner, I think things could and would be different had I gone to school now.  For starters, dissection can be done via computer where you don't have to experience that smell.  Science is fun and cool now.  The power of female scientists is strong!  The learning process is exciting and engaging.  This is why I am hoping my girls have a more positive experience than I did.  The stage is set for this to happen, especially because there is so much geared towards younger kids when they are at their most impressionable.

While working in my library one day I discovered two picture books with a female character who loves science!  I quickly checked them out and began to read them.  They have since become a hit with my rising 3rd grader/future scientist.  She also lists dancer, teacher, librarian, fashion designer, singer, and gardener among her career aspirations!  My rising 2nd grader has wanted to be a "zoo doctor" from the moment she could vocalize it!  During the Great Quarantine of 2020, we watched daily Facebook Live videos from the Cincinnati Zoo where they highlighted a different animal each day.  She also loves experiments like slime making.  These books are super fun and have led to my girls conducting their own tests and continuing to ask their thoughtful questions.  I also discovered an additional book in the series geared towards older readers and one coming soon, all promoting girls in science.  All are fabulous!  Find out why the authors created these books here.

Cece Loves Science

By Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes, illustrations by Vashti Harrison

Meet Cece, a young girl born curious.  Her mother says her first word was "Why?" and her father said it was "How?"  Most of all she loves asking "What if?"  She asks a lot of questions, and her teacher thinks she would make a great scientist.  Her teacher tells Cece and her friends about different scientific figures, introduces them to different sciences, and encourages them to investigate further.  When assigned a project to pick a science she is curious about, Cece and her best friend Isaac form a team.  What follows is a dive into zoology with some assistance from a furry test subject.  Along the way she discovers that real scientists can have fun finding answers to their questions.

Cece Loves Science and Adventure

By Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes, illustrations by Vashti Harrison

Cece is back!  She is just as curious as ever and loves science just as much!  Now she is also an Adventure Girl about to earn her camping pin.  In the past she had some trouble earning Adventure Girl pins, but now she is relying on a lesson from her science teacher to get her through.  "Real scientists are always prepared."  Cece takes her scientific enthusiasm into nature and uses STEM skills to help her reach her goal.

Another series I want to highlight is The Questioneers by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts.  Geared towards early elementary, the books highlight STEAM and are inspired by real life scientists.

Never forget that your local librarian would be thrilled to connect you to STEAM themed and other books!  Happy reading!

Magical Activity to Create a Lifelong Reader: Playing

This is definitely the fan favorite among the kid crowd.  Best of all is that it comes so naturally to them which totally works to our advantage as parents and caregivers.  Playtime is where everything all comes together into one happy blend of activities that promote early literacy development as well as other bonuses such as social development, fine and gross motor development, and overall brain building.  I could spend HOURS if not DAYS on this topic.  It's one of my favorite research areas.  Like we are talking full nerdage where I read academic articles and clinical reports, but I can put it all in simple to understand words.  Honestly, this may end up becoming a series of blog posts.

Play is crucial.  Play is needed.  Play matters.  Without play, a child's development WILL suffer, and the environment where playing occurs is just as important as play itself.  When promoting these magical activities to create lifelong readers, I stress to parents and caregivers that these activities should be done with LOVE.  Development thrives in an environment nurtured by love and where meaningful relationships and bonding opportunities are plentiful.  Play is extremely important for children facing adversity.  It is literally good for you.  I was reading an article titled "The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children" from the American Academy of Pediatrics.  This paragraph really stood out.

"When play and safe, stable, nurturing relationships are missing in a child's life, toxic stress can disrupt the development of executive function and the learning of prosocial behavior; in the presence of childhood adversity, play becomes even more important.  The mutual joy and shared communication and attunement (harmonious serve and return interactions) that parents and children can experience during play regulate the body's stress response."

Wow.  Just take a moment and let that all sink in.  Something so simple can have such a profound impact.  I often tell my parents that even a simple game of peekaboo while waiting in line can do so much for a child.  The eye contact, the facial expressions, the inevitable laughter, they are all part of a back and forth interaction.  It's simple, but it's building a relationship.  I tell them that there is no right or wrong way to play as long as you're engaged, following the child's lead, and positively communicating together.  With very young children, nonverbal communication will give you cues.  Look for the smiles!  Aaaahhhh...baby smiles!  They could power the world if given the chance.  Play encourages imagination.  Play can mimic every day life.

Studies have shown that play and stress are linked.  I'm sure that somewhere along the line you have heard that stress produces high levels of cortisol that leads to a host of negative impacts on the body, in particular weight gain.  People who play often have low levels of cortisol.  They have less stress and keep on playing because it's a positive activity that makes you feel good.  Playing literally makes you feel good and makes you healthier.  In that same article I read, it says that play activates nor-epinephrine that helps your brain make connections and facilitate learning.  Score!

There are many kinds of formal and informal play, all that produce benefits and encourage development.  I will post more at a later date.  Right now, I want to make the connection between play and books and how early literacy is developed.  Let me tell you about the awesomeness that is readers theater.  Acting out a book and making it come alive is a great way to connect to visual learners, like yours truly.  Do you tend to picture a story as you are reading it?  I do.  It's one reason why I was so late to get on the audio book train.  I am super picky about narrators.  If the voice doesn't match what I imagine the character's is like, I can't get into the story.  Yes, I am a high maintenance gal like that!  It's also why the book is better than the movie. 😀  Besides all that, it's just fun.  In storytimes I love to use books that encourage things like repetition that kids can recite or sound effects that they can make.  When a character stands up, I encourage the kids to do the same.  If a character does some kind of crazy freakout, tantrum dance, you best believe I am getting some popcorn to watch that all play out!  Books can encourage movement and physical activity with is so important.  Parents have told me that stories I read at the library have led to continued storytelling in their home or backyard.  Even when kids read to their dolls, stuffed animals, or even pets, they are playing.  They are imitating something they saw me do, making that connection, and are learning.  I also like to use puppets in my storytime programs and give the kids a chance to interact with them after the program.  We also tell the same story different ways.  For example I read the book, and then we retell it with a flannelboard story.  All of these activities help children put thoughts into words.  They are also able to learn that spoken and written words stand for real objects and experiences.  Using books with movement, props, puppets, etc is a great way to promote playing.  As I usually do, I am going to share some of my favorites as well as some websites that you might like to explore as well that talk about the power and importance of play.

Play websites:

Let Them Play

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/311-the-power-of-play

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/power-play/

https://www.childrensmuseums.org/images/MCMResearchSummary.pdf

https://time.com/4928925/secret-power-play/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/collections/201410/the-power-play

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/fitness/Pages/Caution-Children-at-Play.aspx

https://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/1-1-article-elkind-the-power-of-play.pdf

Magical Activity to Create a Lifelong Reader: Writing

One of the first questions that may have popped in your head in regards to this post is "how can I promote writing with a very young child who doesn't even hold a crayon yet?"  Well let me tell you that you can indeed do it!  Look no further than ABC and shape books!  Yes, shape books.  Reading and writing go together.  Scribbling is an early form of writing and helps children make the connection that words stand for spoken language.  Tracing is another activity.  Many board books designed for young children have touch and feel or tracing elements to promote scribbling which eventually leads to making shapes which leads to writing letters.  You can even trace the air!  Concept books such as ABC and shape books are found in just about every library.  If not, I would seriously question that library's director.  They are crucial at not only teaching the concepts themselves, but also the development into writing.  ABC books show the letters themselves.  Bonus points if they also include lowercase letters.  And shape books?  Think about it.  Picture or draw a circle.  Can you think of letters that include curved lines?  Now picture or draw a triangle.  Now look at letters, A, M, N, V, W.  Look familiar?  Picture or draw a square or rectangle and you will think of letters with straight lines like L, T, and Z.  Shapes rock!  You can even put them together to form pictures like Lois Ehlert does in her books Color Zoo and Color Farm.

There are great books out there that show ABCs and shapes that can be found all around us.  Read them, and then go on your own letter or shape hunt.  Museum ABC and Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban use actual photographs in their illustrations.  Tana Hoban is Queen of Concept Books (proclaimed by yours truly.)  Colors, shapes, opposites, road signs, etc.  She's got you covered!

Here are some (believe me, there's more!) of my favorite ABC books!

And some (see above disclaimer) of my favorite shape books!

During playtime, encourage your child to color or scribble.  This is prime learning time when it comes to developing writing skills, the fourth magical activity to promote early literacy!

Magical Activity to Create a Lifelong Reader: Reading

Another silly concept.  Obviously reading to your child is important.  It's more important than you realize what it comes to creating a lifelong reader.  It's simple, but one of the easiest things you can do is read in front of your child.  If they see you reading, they are more likely to want to do the same thing.  If you make reading time together an enjoyable experience, it will be something that your child will want to continue doing. 

I absolutely love sharing my favorite books with my kids.  It's an awesome bonding experience and can lead to childhood memories that will last a lifetime.  My favorite picture book is Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.  I loved reading about the Mallard family with my own family and seeing their journey across Boston.  When I found out that Boston was a real place, I vowed to go there one day thus beginning my obsession with Beantown.  It was home of not only the ducks and the landmarks they saw, but also Aerosmith, New Kids on the Block, and baked beans, all things I was very fond of as a child and have continued to adore into adulthood along with Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Fenway Park, the fact that Boston is a split between Italian and Irish (like yours truly), and Dropkick Murphys.  Side note, I was at a conference once where I met a super cool librarian who had a playlist of kid friendly Dropkick Murphys songs!  That should be a future post!  Anyway...for my 30th birthday I made the pilgrimage to Boston for the first time and fell in love.  Boston Public Garden is my happy place.  For in that beautiful park are statues of Mama Duck and her ducklings!  I knew that one day I would share the book with my own family and bring my kids to see the park and the statues.  I am happy to say that I have checked this off my bucket list.  My girls will have the memory from their childhood that they can share with their own kids and keep the tradition alive.  It all started with a book.  How cool is that?!?!?!

Books also have the ability to introduce words that don't typically come up in every day conversation, thus building a child's vocabulary.  Reading together also allows for conversation where you can introduce new vocabulary of your own.  In the Baby Club program that I lead, we call this introducing million dollar words.  You can do it all the time and build your child's brain.  Bonus!  Find out more information about using picture books to building language skills here.

Promoting this magical skill is so easy.  Take advantage of your local library!  A fact that we share in programs is that the number of books in the home is more predictive of the future success of the child than even the parents' level of education.  This includes books you check out from the library!  Free books = free learning opportunities = SUCCESS!!!  Reading aloud to children is a strong predictor of whether they will be a good reader, so keep on doing it!  Even older kids and teens love being read to!  Trust me, I've done it during school visits, and many times they enjoy it more than the younger kids, especially if it involves singing, rhyming, or imitating sounds.

Find books with rich language and unusual words that you as an adult may even learn!  Bilingual books are a great option too.  Fancy Nancy books will even teach you some French!  Reading together is the single most important way to help children get ready to read.  While you can read anything your heart desires, allow me to share some favorites!

Mainly known for his series A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket created this masterpiece of unusual as only he can.  This book came out in 2010, and I fondly recall my children's assistant, Lee and I enjoying it wholeheartedly.  It even became a bit of an inside joke of sorts.  My library system even had an event where we could meet Lemony Snicket and get a book signed.  We had plans to get this book signed, but I was highly pregnant at the time and not feeling well at all.  So I missed it. Flash forward to the baby shower my co-workers threw for me.  Lee gifted me with a signed copy of this book.  Still have it.  Still love it.  I mean, it has a despondent bird who visits a haberdashery, and you learn what it means to be a mezzo soprano!

Move over, Harry Potter and Dumbledore!  Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith are the magical wizards behind this fractured fairy tale masterpiece that tells the story of the 3 Little Pigs from the Big Bad Wolf's point of view.  Not only are there vocab words a plenty, but this book is just awesome.

The subject heading in my library's catalog comes up "Office equipment and supplies - Fiction."  That just seems ridiculous and magical all at the same time, but that's what makes this book cool!  Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel tell the harrowing story of a red pen that falls into the trash.  A rogue band of classroom supplies must come together as a team to pull off a daring rescue.  You'll laugh.  You'll cry.  You'll be on the edge of your seat!

These are just some of the many, many books that are out there just waiting to be read and shared by you and your family.  Some additional picture book authors that I lovingly suggest (in no particular order except for the first one because Litwin = LIBRARY GOD) are Eric Litwin, Bob Shea, Jane Yolen, Eric Carle, Kevin Henkes, Mo Willems, Adam Rubin & Daniel Salieri (Dragons Love Tacos anyone?), Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Patricia Polacco, Drew Daywalt, and Chris Van Allsburg.

Time to get reading and make some memories!

Magical Activity to Create a Lifelong Reader: Talking

Today we highlight the importance of talking.  It almost seems silly to highlight this because we already talk to our kids, but it's the how and why of it that is so important.  Talking together gives us a goldmine of opportunities to create learning experiences.  It is one of the best ways to help them learn new words and information.

In storytimes, youth librarians often talk about dialogic reading.  It basically means talking about a book together, in particular the pictures in a book.  You don't read the book in a traditional sense, rather the caregiver asks questions and listens to the child's responses, using them to guide the conversation.  If a child can answer a question, they are ready for dialogic reading.  This develops vocabulary and narrative skills, giving the child an opportunity to describe stories and events in a book which will lead to conversations beyond the pages.  I like to tell my preschoolers that they can still read a book aloud, even if they don't know how to read the words yet.  I tell them that they get to be the storyteller.  If I am working with a smaller group, I have been known to let kids take turns on the story stool.  It leads to amazing and entertaining results!  It also empowers them and gives them confidence which is very helpful when beginning to learn how to read.

Saroj Ghoting is an Early Childhood Literacy Consultant.  I have heard her speak at several conferences and in-services throughout my career.  Her website, www.earlylit.net has a wealth of valuable information and resources for librarians, teachers, and caregivers.  She offers tips for how to build vocabulary and tips to build sentence skills.

In storytime, I like to share books that are interactive and can really inspire some interesting conversations.  I take time to ask the kids questions as we go through a book together.  This was how I learned many years ago from a 4 year old that the reason why we don't see dinosaurs around anymore is because they all retired and moved to Florida!  If you take a gander through some of my storytime program outlines, I like to share a variety of books and some that tend to repeat themselves year to year because they have become tried and true awesome dialogic conversation starters.  Bob Shea comes to mind as one of my favorite children's authors.  He often shows up in my programs.  Todd Parr also has amazing books that I like to share, especially Reading Makes You Feel Good.  The cover itself makes me smile even before I open the book!  You can get double duty and use this book to promote the magical skill of reading (coming soon to a blog near you!)  We had an epic conversation about this book that still makes me smile and makes me miss my storytime programs more than I already do!

Books that rhyme, books with repetition, books that ask the reader to mimic sounds - these are all great choices to promote talking and sharing together.  As we go through each of the 5 skills that promote early literacy development, you will see that there is quite a bit of overlap.  It illustrates just how easy it is to seamlessly make them a part of your daily life.  Books that go through the course of a day or follow any kind of journey are great for promoting narrative skills and storytelling.  All Through My Town by Jean Reidy, illustrated by Leo Timmers is a good example.  It would also work for a community helper theme.

I could spend all day giving you book titles, but I will end this post with the two books that I read to my daughters' classes when they were in 1st grade.  I got to be the guest reader during their student of the week festivities.  This was after a long fought campaign to be said guest reader.  Okay.  Real story?  I basically called dibs and refused to relinquish the title to anyone else.  No one was going to do it but me.  Fortunately my girls realized that there was no arguing with their headstrong mother and just let it happen.  Anyway these are the books that I read in 2018 and 2020 respectively that their classmates STILL talk about and love.  Sorry to the other parents, but there was no way you were going to out

read a children's librarian!  Just kidding!  Read these with your kiddos and let the conversations and shenanigans begin!

This was Natalie's choice.  I read it in October 2018 to her class.  Before I began I included a note of apology to her awesome teacher because I knew what was going to happen.  Having read this during school visits prior, I was prepared!  Another fun fact?  I read this book to classes during Right to Read week at our local elementary school to grades 1-5.  Yes, I got 5th graders captivated and talking!  Anyway, my 5th graders decided that Rock bore an uncanny resemblance to Thanos, (Avengers was big at this time!) and that led to a spirited discussion of who Paper and Scissors looked like.  In any situation this book leads to many battles of the famous game.  Reader beware.

I asked my younger daughter, Julianna if she wanted me to read The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors again.  She is a grade younger, so this would be a back to back performance.  She had a better idea.  Julianna loves this book.  LOVES it.  I think it's because the reader has to be very silly and make a bunch of ridiculous sounds in reading this book.  She had the same rock star 1st grade teacher as her big sis the year before.  Mrs. Z was excited because she knew I was bound to read something epic.  Instead of being the guest reader in a classroom, I got to be the class reader in a Zoom meeting this past May.  This book delivered.  The kids loved how Juli's mom got to say things like "blork", "bluurf", and"boo boo butt!"  A word of advice?  This book should only be read aloud by people with a sense of humor and a feeling of no fear when it comes to acting a fool!

The moral of this blog post?  Get reading and get TALKING!  Silly nonsense words are encouraged!

So you want to lead your own storytime...

In the absence of library storytimes across the nation, I highly encourage you to lead your own at home.  Global pandemic aside, you should be leading storytimes at home because they are awesome!  Today I am here to share some info and resources for how to do it, along with my tips for turning storytime into storytimepalooza!  I like to say that everything is better when it's a palooza!

Very first resource is the ultimate resource.  We folks in the youth library biz love www.jbrary.com.  It was started to two children's librarians and has become a go-to for all kinds of wonderful information.  They posted a blog months back with links to a variety of storytime online resources.  You can throw in a couple of these along with your own (future) arsenal of programs!  I have made a habit of posting my storytime outlines on this blog so parents and caregivers can follow along with what I have been doing at the library.  It is also helpful when they want to remember the name of a book, song, or artist.  Plus it gives you a ready-made starting point.

Another very important thing is to have fun with storytime.  Read some of your favorite books, sing songs that you love, dance silly, make animal sounds, wear a costume, use props...the possibilities are endless.  If you are enthusiastic and enjoying what you are doing, it is highly likely that your audience will soon feel the same way.  This is the kind of contagious viral spread that I can get on board with!  Team up with your kids and come up with theme ideas.  Let them take charge and lead their own storytime.  It doesn't have to be a big formal event.  Some of my favorite, most memorable storytimes happened on a whim with no plan in site.  We went rogue, and it was awesome!  If reading is a positive experience, kids will want to keep on doing it. 

Now, this is hard for me as a crazy, over caffeinated children's librarian to comprehend, but sometimes you don't feel like reading or having storytime.  GASP!  This is totally okay.  Always follow your child's lead.  Again, you want to create positive experiences.  Sometimes you may get an hour of reading fun.  Sometimes, it's literally just two minutes before a meltdown.  To quote Pete the Cat, "it's all good!"

In this lovely time of Covid, spending the day at your local library might not be the greatest idea, but many systems across the country have curbside service and even virtual programs to still make the library an important part of your family's life.  You can also check out programs like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (https://imaginationlibrary.com/) to see if you are eligible for free books to be sent to your child to build their own home library.  Many local little free libraries have also been popping up everywhere too.  I know several of my own library kiddos who have started them!  Even if you have no books at all, you can still create your own.  My girls have been writing and illustrating their own stories this summer.

There are no excuses not to read, and the benefits are out of this world!  I will continue to be here as a resource for you, but don't be afraid to ask other librarians, family, friends, etc.  One of my greatest resources for new book ideas are kids themselves.  Finally, I am including a list of some of music resources that I use all the time in my programs.  Remember how important singing is for early literacy development.  HAVE FUN!!!!

Miss Jen's Favorite Children's Music Performers

• Eric Litwin https://www.ericlitwin.com/music
• Laurie Berkner https://laurieberkner.com/
• The Learning Station https://www.learningstationmusic.com/
  
• Jim Gill https://www.jimgill.com/
  
• Hap Palmer https://www.happalmer.com/
  
• Caspar Babypants https://www.babypantsmusic.com/
• Bari Koral https://www.youtube.com/user/barikoral
• Carole Peterson https://www.macaronisoup.com/
• Lisa Loeb (the 90s girl in me still loves her) https://www.lisaloeb.com/#music-1-section
• Dr. Jean http://drjean.org/html/powerPoints.html
  

Miss Jen's picture book intervention

I can't quite remember how I stumbled across this book, whether it was from something I read, something I heard about, or just discovered on the shelf of the library.  My brain has been in scramble mode since March 13, A.K.A. "The day all hell broke loose because of Covid19."  Since then my anxiety has been off the charts, more than it usually is.  Normalcy is a long lost memory.  I have spent the last four months feeling completely untethered, yet having to put on a brave face to keep my family going and household running smoothly.  Of course it takes a children's book to make me slow down, refocus, and breath.  It's almost like it found me.

The book My Magic Breath Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing is written by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor and illustrated by Michelle Polizzi.  Now I know the concept is nothing new, and that this is something I could already be doing.  What really connected with me were the illustrations.  I have always been a visual learner.  The various emotions that are experienced by the girl in this book come out in a break of colorful swirls going every which way.  From the very start of this pandemic madness I often said that I felt "swirly" when trying to explain things to my children (ages 7 & 8.)  It helps me to envision blowing out all of my negativity and watching the wind take hold and carry it all away.  This is probably a better solution than wine and White Claws!  I also like the idea of breath being magical.  Another thing I have been saying is that I feel like I am losing my sparkle.  As a children's librarian my unique zaniness is given a place to shine.  While I am chronologically an adult, I have the soul of a child.  I love to use my imagination, and I love when books can take me places.  A lot of my kiddos have told me that I am magical when I do silly things in storytime.  This is my identity.  Hence, why I feel like I have lost my magic and my sparkle these past months.  If my breaths are magical, then I must have some of that left in me!  I look forward to sharing this book with my girls.  I think it will really help them to be able to express their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions.  Their worlds have been turned upside down.  Sharing a book like this and breathing together will hopefully leave kids (and adults) with a happy memory from this crazy time. 

Amazing, right?