Lessons from Gramma Alice

Gramma Alice (on the right) showing off her sense of playfulnessI was chatting with my daughter last night, for some reason we were talking about toenails (you know how it is).  She suddenly got that far-off look in her eyes, like you do when you are remembering...

Read Aloud 15 Minutes Campaign

A parent and child at Phillips’ “Books Are Magic” PartyIn 2012, Read Aloud began a decade-long campaign to make reading aloud for 15 minutes/day the new parenting standard–likening the campaign to those designed to make daily toothbrushing a...

Early Childhood Classes in Ellsworth

Kids enjoy super hero storytime in Eau ClaireI just had a conversation with Julie from Ellsworth.  She was recovering from a particularly exciting and wild storytime.  Each fall, students taking an Early Childhood class at the high school come to her library...

We Love Books Storytime

Many thanks to Valerie Spooner, the new youth services librarian at the Rusk County Community Library in Ladysmith.  Valerie comes to libraries from a rich early childhood background, and she took the time to send us a blog post about her first storytime!Today...

The Power of Listening

I read an interesting blurb in the Fred Rogers Company’s Professional Development newsletter about the power of listening to young children.  A good reminder in busy times, that young children need us to give them time to talk, and to show them that we hear...

Libri Foundation Alternative

Picture books in a libraryI just found out that the Libri Foundation, an organization that has provided many libraries in our system with grant funds to help them improve their collection of children’s books, is no longer making grants in Wisconsin.  This...

Banned Books webinar

Thanks to Patti Blount from Durand for passing on this important sounding webinar.Let’s Talk About Banned Books: Acquiring, Displaying, and Dealing with ChallengesThursday, September 11, 20143:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PT Some of the...

Read, Play, Grow

A toddler plays with a hoop at library celebration in DresserWe had a great webinar today with Rachel Payne of the Brooklyn Public Library, talking about the importance of play in the development of young children, and describing some of the activities and programs...

Easy and Beautiful Process Art Idea

This is a great idea for a project that allows preschoolers (or even older kids) to experiment with the process of creation, the most developmentally appropriate kind of art project,  and it also creates a product that you can send home for those parents that...